By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Professor Adeniyi Olatunbosun on Monday said only the introduction of ‘Law and Religion’ in the curriculum of tertiary institutions in Nigeria can curb the rising spate of religion intolerance in the country.
Professor Olatunbosun stated this at the opening of a Day Conference of The Nigerian Judicial Expert Group on Law and Religion: The Role of the State’ held in Ibadan
He disclosed that University of Ibadan “is making plans to introduce the course as a way to reduce the increasing religious extremist in the country,saying,”we discussed it at our pre-conference meeting that as part of our recommendations we are also going to put in place law and religion as a general study programme in the university whereby it is not available for law students and religious students but all students as a general study concept which is going to be simplified in terns of its content but the idea is that most students will have the opportunity if fettingt to know about law and religion as course of subject”.
“The idea of the theme came as a background from what we experienced early this year when some religious institutions were asked to comply with the law on the issue of the tenure of their heads of faith based institutions and establishments” he said.
Professor Olatunbosun stressed that “based on the constitution of Nigeria we have freedom of religion and expression but there’s also in section 10 of the constitution that talks about state not adopting any religion as state religion that is on secularity”.
We also need to know that the state is a regulator and in Nigeria where we have so many faiths, so the state must come in as a neutral body to regulate and streamline the operations and schemes of the various vested groups in other to achieve peace and harmony in the society. There is an aspect of the law and the faith where we incorporate ideas of the need for the state to be a regulator if religion especially in a society where we have diverse religious beliefs and expressions”.
In his presentation, a former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos Professor Akin Ibidapo-Obe buttressed the need for the introduction of Law and Religion as a course in the Nigeria Universities curriculum, saying. “the idea of inculcating the idea of religion and law into the university’s curriculum must come from the deans, curriculum committees of the various universities and the senate and once it is approved it will be a key part of the curriculum”.
“This is the major reason why this conference is put in place for every stakeholders to come together and define through discussion what the parameters of the authority of the state will be and what the independence of church autonomy will be vis-a-vis controlled. We hope as we did at the University of Lagos, we would keep the issue of religion and law on the curriculum and then teach it to the students, and in doing that a whole new generation of interest will be generated”he said.
