The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has lamented the alarming rate of religious and ethnic bias existing in Nigerian universities, News About Nigeria reports.
He expressed his disappointment while speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Thursday.
He noted that the declining level of religious and ethnic tolerance is becoming alarming, adding that Nigerian universities are increasingly promoting ethnic and religious biases.
Kukah added that this trend is more prevalent in universities situated in the North than their counterparts in other parts of the country.
“A mosque was constructed at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I delivered a convocation lecture in Calabar three weeks ago. After my lecture, the Chief Imam of the University came to congratulate me.
“But as I speak to you, Usman Dan Fodio, who is over 40 years old, Bayero University, and other universities in Northern Nigeria have decided to close their doors to the possibility of churches being built in the universities across this country,” he stated.
He maintained that the fanaticism being displayed is having rippling effects on the lives of the public, stressing that if students in the university or at the point of their growing up are not allowed to integrate and interrelate, and if churches or mosques cannot be built across this country, then there is a problem.
According to him, diversity and meritocracy in Nigerian universities have continued to diminish while ethnic and religious considerations are gaining prominence, which is not good for the future of both the country and the youth.
