The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has said that Nigerian universities are increasingly promoting ethnic and religious biases.
Kukah made this statement in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday monitored by DAILY POST.
The cleric criticized what he described as a worrying trend of declining diversity and meritocracy in Nigerian universities, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
“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.
“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,” Kukah said.
He further stated that diversity and meritocracy in Nigerian universities, have continued to diminish, while, ethnic and religious considerations are gaining prominence.
He said, “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.”