How some Nigerians use religion for political agenda – Buhari

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has revealed how some Nigerians exploits religion to advance their personal political agenda.

Buhari stated this at Nouakchott, Mauritania, Tuesday, while meeting with Rashad Hussain, United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

The President described his private encounter with former President Donald Trump in the White House, according to a statement from his spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

Buhari recalled that Trump had questioned him, “Why are you killing Christians in Nigeria?” and how he had responded by telling him that the problem in the nation was criminal rather than religious, and that some people had used religion to advance their economic and occasionally political objectives.

“It’s a problem Nigeria has been struggling with for a long time, and it is completely unnecessary,” he said.

“Some people use religion as sentiment, but with adequate education, people are seeing through it now. Majority of the people just want to practice their religion without problem, but some people cash in on religious misunderstanding for their own ends.

“When people are educated, they are able to discern when others want to use religion for certain ends. They do it mostly for material reasons.

“Also, when some people are incompetent, they bring in all sorts of excuses, including religion,” he said.