Northern varsities and others promoting ethnic, religious biases, he says
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Matthew Kukah has expressed concern over declining diversity and meritocracy in Nigerian universities, citing how public universities in the North have mosques but bar churches from their campuses which have turned into ethnic enclaves.
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, a longstanding critic of bad governance in Nigeria, military and civilian, lamented how even supposedly learned Professors have become myopic and ethnic champions preventing interaction between people of different faiths.
“A mosque was constructed in 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,” he recounted on Arise Television.
“But as I speak to you, Usmanu Dan Fodio University [UDFU], which is over 40 years old, Bayero University, Kano [BUK] 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.
“All this fanaticism we are seeing is expressed in public life. 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.”
Universities as “incubators of ethnic jingoism”
He cited diminishing diversity and meritocracy which propel ethnic and religious considerations go gain prominence in Nigerian universities.
“There was a time when Ahmadu Bello University had lecturers from different parts of the world. Now, look at what has happened to our universities across Nigeria. Our universities have become just mere incubators of ethnic jingoism.
“So, I do not know which funded federal university that you will name that has a Vice Chancellor that is not a local boy. So the universities themselves have become playgrounds for the ambitions of the local elite.
“The question is: Why should a place of worship be a problem for a university, whether it is for the Muslim students in Calabar or the Christian students in Sokoto?
“I approached the Minister of Education about this. I have a letter from the Nigerian Universities Commission. Universities in Northern Nigeria have refused to implement this recommendation.”
But a top official of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, who did not want his name published, told The PUNCH he is “aware that the Christian communities in the school have a place of worship; there are some that worship on Saturdays and some on Sundays.
“Even the last time when CAN [Christian Association Nigeria] executives visited the school, they went round to see the places of worship themselves.”
FUG, BUK deny discrimination against Christians
The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities of the Federal University Gusau (FUG) in Zamfara State, Abdul Adamu, said Christian students in the university have never asked for a land or building to practise their religion on the campus.
“Since the time the university was created in 2013, the Christian students have never requested for a land to build a church. Similarly, they never requested an accommodation to practise their religion,” he stressed.
“If they want to build a worship centre or a church, I think they can forward their application to the Vice Chancellor.”
An official of BUK also clarified that Christians in the university have been conducting their services and other religious activities unhindered since the university was established.
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