‘Make Religious Studies Compulsory In Secondary Schools’

From Victor Seyi, Ilorin

A lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies, University of Ilorin, Ilorin Kwara State, Prof. Rotimi Omotoye, has advocated the introduction of Religious Studies as a compulsory subject at the secondary school level to curb societal ills in Nigeria.
Prof. Omotoye stated this while delivering the 159th Inaugural Lecture of the university.

The university don, in his lecture entitled “Christianity as a catalyst for socio-economic and political change in Yoruba land, Nigeria: An account of a church historian,” affirmed that although the advent of religions, especially Christianity, has altered the people’s culture and tradition, it is capable of changing political and socio-economic
history of the country positively.
He said the loss of moral value was the major problem inhibiting development in Nigeria, which compulsory inclusion of Religions Studies in Secondary School curriculum can address and effect change in the country.
Suggesting ways to effect changes in the society, the professor of Church History called on the Federal Government to build archives where dairies of religious and political leaders would be kept for reference purposes and made available to scholars at all times.
He also said that priority attention should be accorded church historians in the area of sponsorship to local, national and international conferences to make church history known globally, just as he tasked the church historians in tertiary institutions in Nigeria to organise annual academic conferences to deliberate on how to impact positively on society.