An astute scholar and university don, Dr. Douglas Anele of the Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos, who is also a resource person at the NICO Training School, Lagos, has stated that morality in religion can enhance national peace and cohesion in Nigeria, noting that, as religious as Nigerians are, there is still high rate of immorality in the country.
Making this assertion during paper presentation sessions in “Belief Systems in Nigeria,” a course he teaches in NICO Training School’s Post Graduate Diploma in Cultural Administration programme, the radical academic opined that to overcome this problem, Nigerians must understand that morality cannot be detached from religion.
According to Anele, morality and religion are inseparable, and that religion needs morality to guide the adherents, and that there is need for Nigerians to practice both in order to promote national peace and cohesion.
The students, who were divided into six groups, presented papers on various topics, namely, “The Role of Religion in Society,” “The Role of Faith, Sacrifice and Prayer in Religion,” “The Relationship between Morality and Religion,” and “The Relationship between Science and Religion,” which all generated interesting arguments.
Uju Ukwu
Corporate Affairs
NICO Training School, Lagos