Restructure Nigerians for moral rebirth, religious tolerance, first, Prof Kamil Oloso tells FG

Head, Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, Professor Kamil Oloso has advocated that the restructuring of the nation should be preceded by restructuring of Nigerians for moral rebirth and religious tolerance.

According to attempts to restructure the country would fail if Muslims and Christians to not allow their religious values and ethics guide their political activities and all those aspiring for political leadership fail to pass through a national institute for moral training.

Oloso made this call in his sermon, titled, “Religious Values and Political Mandate”, at the opening of the 2017/2018 legal year of the judiciary of Oyo state held on Monday, at Oja’ba Central Mosque, Ibadan, Oyo State.

To ensure political stability and economic prosperity, he urged the federal government to set up a commission made up of scholars and leaders of various religious groups to aggregate the ethical values and ideologies of each religious group.

“It is our opinion that the Federal Government should set up a commission made up of scholars and leaders of various religious groups. The main task of the commission should be to put together the ethical values of each religious group.”

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“Furthermore, a national institute for moral training should be established so that all those aspiring to political leadership at whatever level or tier, judiciary inclusive, should pass through for moral re-birth. Any attempt at rebranding or restructuring Nigeria without putting this into consideration is bound to fail as usual. We must restructure the people first,” Oloso said.

He bemoaned rivalry between religious groups as uncalled for, and called on Nigerian Muslims and Christians to lambast religious and political leaders who destructively criticize the other religion.

“Rivalry between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria over whose religion is right or wrong is uncalled for; destructive criticism of each other is parochial. The common denominator between Islam and Christianity is very glaring while their common rules are manifest. They advocate good care of parents, children, the aged and the invalids; they urge kindness and the spread of social security. They advocate love even for our perceived adversaries.”

“We must unanimously commend and reward only the righteous, and condemn and lambast the evil one, even if they call themselves Muslim or Christians, senators, governors, ministers, directors, imams or pastors but we must not generalize. We should evaluate and gauge every person’s behaviour with the laws of the religion which he or she professes and if such behavour is not in tandem with their professed faiths we should be bold to distance ourselves from them for they are mere charlatans who try to disguise as either Muslims or Christians to cover their iniquities to spread corruption and mischief in the land. Such must be identified as playing politics with God and desecrating religion,” Oloso said.

In his speech to the celebration, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State restated the state government’s commitment to upgrading the justice delivery system.

In light of this, Ajimobi, represented by state Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, assured of continued support for the establishment of the Customary Court of Appeal, Multi-door court among other reforms.

Chief Judge of Oyo state, Justice Munta Abimbola assured that the state judiciary was committed to faster, fair and firm delivery of justice.

In his goodwill message, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan branch, Mr Akeem Agbaje called for sanction of lawyers and judges who unnecessarily delay matters in court.

This, is as he called for concerted effort of the state government, lawyers and judges towards prison decongestion.