A University Don and Dean Faculty of Law, University of Jos, Prof. Dakas Clement Dakas, said Nigeria’s weapons of mass destruction are the manipulation of religion.

Dakas made the disclosure, Saturday, while delivering his keynote address entitled “Free, Fair and Credible Elections in the Face of Insurgency”, during the launching of a Novel, “Spine of Peace, An African Story”, written by Pharm. Gideon Dashe.

A University Don and Dean Faculty of Law, University of Jos, Prof. Dakas Clement Dakas, said Nigeria’s weapons of mass destruction are the manipulation of religion.

Dakas made the disclosure, Saturday, while delivering his keynote address entitled “Free, Fair and Credible Elections in the Face of Insurgency”, during the launching of a Novel, “Spine of Peace, An African Story”, written by Pharm. Gideon Dashe.

He said, “When you speak about weapons of mass destruction, Afghanistan, Iraq and so on and so forth; you are essentially talking about nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

He asked, “How many Nigerians have we lost to chemical, biological and nuclear weapons? And then you realise tragically for us our weapons of mass destruction are not nuclear, biological and they are not chemical; but our weapons of mass destruction unfortunately are the manipulation of religion and their transformation into weapons of mass destruction.

“That actually is the challenge; the manipulation religion, ethnicity and other divides. He stressed.

“I think is key, because democracy is about engendering the welfare of the people; section 14 of the Nigerian constitutions says, that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, and that is the reason why, grappling with insurgency is because for different reasons and in various degrees the security and welfare of the people remains a major challenge.

The University Don lamented that if a large portion of the youth are unemployed, “it means that, it becomes the depot of where you will recruit the insurgents.

“That is not to say, that poverty is an excuse or justification for insurgency.

“And so if we want to be Spines of Peace, anchored on the canals of truth, if we want to have free, fair and credible elections in the face of insurgency, then it means that we must come to terms with these weapons of mass destruction and resolve as Nigerians to dare to make a difference.

“The task of free, fair and credible elections, is not just the legality of it, but more fundamentally and more profoundly in my view, is the legitimacy that brought these individuals.

“If someone emerges through the election in a very violent manner, the tendency is that; that person would be a person that is an epitome of violence and not someone who is going to promote peace.

He advised politicians to go beyond character assassination, but should focus on issued base campaigns.

Reviewing the Novel, Rev. Davidson Lar, said, “The Novel is indeed a continuum of unremitting and simmering passions that throws up a kaleidoscope of many different emotions- religious prejudice; class struggle, intra-family feuds; hatred, fluttering lust; grand delusion, impatience, intolerance; anger at nearly everybody and everything in the other religion; un-forgiveness, frustration; fear of failure, self-pity and schizophrenia.

In his earlier remarks, the author of the book, Pharm. Gideon Dashe said, “We not going to be saying Plateau is the home of peace and tourism, but every person, indigene or non-indigene, should be called Spine of Peace.

Dashe added, “If we call ourselves the spine of peace on the premise of the canals of truth, sincerely the peace will come back.

“And for me this story, if you take it from page one to the end, you will find out that, surely we had a good past, and surely we can get a good future”.

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Nigeria’s Weapons of Mass Destruction are Religion, Ethnicity- University Don