The Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, on Tuesday called for the election of politicians who understand the place of religion in solving national problems as such public office holders can easily solve the problems of insecurity, corruption and other vices plaguing the nation.
Delivering a lecture on “Religious Tolerance and Challenges of Democratic Governance” at the fourth and fifth convocation of the Fountain University, Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the former House of Reps Speaker attributed ethnicity and religious intolerance to the recurrence of ethno-religious conflicts in the country.
Tambuwal stressed that: “the soaring tides of poverty, unemployment, ethno-religious crisis, poor infrastructure, environmental hazards, insecurity and particularly bad leadership have converged to deny the country the potential to reach the benchmark of development in the 21st Century.
“Mismanagement of natural resources and misrule by the elite from all divides are also factors that have impoverished and denied majority of Nigerians great opportunities.
“Since Independence, religious and ethnic rhetoric have leveraged claims to political representation and opportunities. Corruption and incompetent leadership have added another dimension to the ugly phenomena.
“The nation, therefore, needs to evolve a system of leadership selection and accountability, which produces the sort of leaders that would confront the challenges associated with our history, socio-economic inequality, and building viable institutions for democracy and good governance.
“In essence, politicians, public officials and political office holders must be those who are not necessarily detached from religion, but who have the understanding that religion is in itself a tool for peace, progress and sustainable development,” the Governor stated.
