The Senator representing Cross River North Senatorial District, Dr Rose Oko, has said the relegation of religion from the nation’s politics was part of the reasons democracy is not yielding the desired dividends in the country.
She disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at the School of Government and Politics Forum, organised by the Nehemiah Apostolic Resource Centre (NARC) themed “Raising Kingdom Influencers for the Government and Politics Sphere”.
Mrs. Oko said it is unjustifiable to separate religion from the nation’s politics as the religious values are needed to shape the nation’s politics to make the society better.
According to the Senator who spoke on ‘The Role of Women in Politics: Progress, Barriers and way Forward’, it is problematic to see religion being differentiated from politics, leading to people not liking what politicians do and then deciding not to be involved in politics.
“We all know the religious values when we are in the churches and mosques, immediately we leave the places of worship, we tend to leave the values behind,” Oko said.
She listed exclusion from informal political networks; patriarchy and cultural barriers, multiple roles of women and lack of funds and education among others as factors militating against the active participation of women in politics.
She called for immediate implementation of ratified international treaties by the government on women rights and active participation in governance and nation building.
The founder of NARC, Apostle Obii Pax-Harry, said that religion makes it difficult to understand citizen’s roles in nation building despite that stewardship is built on faith.
“So, it is important that we all know how to practically contribute to governance and nation-building. Nigeria is only experiencing a rebirth, it cannot be said to have died when she is over 50 years. We can have a re-birth,” she said.
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