TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari says some Nigerians are hiding under the guise of religion to advance their economic and political agenda.

Buhari said this while speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with Rashad Hussain, United States ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Femi Adesina, spokesperson to the president quoted Buhari in a statement as saying continuous education was needed to liberate the larger populace from being deceived into religious intolerance.

Buhari said he was once asked, “Why are you killing christians in Nigeria?” by Donald Trump, former US president, during a private meeting.

The president said he told him that “the issue in the country was not religious, but rather criminal, and a usage of religion by some elements to further their economic, and sometimes, political interests.”

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

“Some people use religion as sentiment, but with adequate education, people are seeing through it now. The 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.”

Hussain said the US was interested in partnering with Nigeria in the areas of formal and non-formal education toward religious harmony.

“There’s so much we can do together to promote peace, promote communal harmony. We love what you are doing, and we would be glad to assist as appropriate,” he said.