Playing politics with religion has devastating effects – Bishop Kukah

Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto State has warned politicians that using religion to manipulate politics will have a devastating effect on the development in the country.

Bishop Kukah noted that just as it happened in Germany during the reign of Adolf Hitler, such moves by politicians in the country would come with a grave consequence.

He made the observation on Tuesday in Abuja during the presentation of his new book, “Broken Truth,” as part of activities lined up for his 70th birthday.

He observed that looking at history, there is a consequence for using religion to manipulate politics, saying that there is the need to look at Germany as the consequences are there to see in Hitler.

Bishop Kukah opined that the problem is that the Nigerian political elites lacked the mental capacity to understand the consequences of the fire they were stoking.

He observed that there was nothing to suggest that the average person who is living in the north, whether Fulani or Hausa, could say that they were proud of the Nigerian political system, beyond a very tiny percentage.

He added, “So, if you decide that you want to give privilege to a religion or an ethnic group, what will happen is that others automatically become outsiders.”

According to him, agitations are ongoing in the country, saying that the citizens were more intelligent than those steering the affairs of the country.

He stressed that it would not have been a bad thing if people who don’t know seek knowledge.