Worried by seeming strange predictions and hyped religious ventilations over political issues in the country, Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe says such new phenomenon if left unchecked may further create bad blood among Nigerians.
Runsewe disclosed that the current rash of predictive political slants across Nigeria’s diverse religious and cultural ecosystem threatens the fabric of Nigeria’s peace and security, a time bomb that may blow up the country into pieces.
“It is becoming evident that predictions and not prophecy, is the new game in town. From football to Cricket, wrestling, dancing competitions and lately, politics, some Nigerians who claimed to hear from God, now, oxygenate, escalate and poison the socioeconomic and political space with laughable and troubling positions, not minding the negative impact of such predictive actions on the emotional intelligence of the people,” “Runsewe explained further.
Concerned that the rash of predictions all over the country from strange enclaves, particularly on the political front, Runsewe appealed to Nigerians to ignore the purveyors of such mercantile predictions, but hold to the best cultural and religious teachings that binds Nigerians together and not on issues that may further polarise and set Nigerians against one other.
“We at NCAC are gravely concerned and had in the past, worked together with religious leaders across the divide to restore peace to some troubled parts of the country, from Jos, Kaduna and Abuja.
“We also networked with our traditional rulers during each celebrations of National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), to horn the quest to live together in peace and harmony, which engenders national development.
“When our children were toeing the lines of strange foreign influences, we reached out to our national women societies and groups to nip the process in the bud. We shall also target this avalanche of predictions given a religious face, and arrest its dangerous influence on our once peaceful and tolerant society.
“The tension created by drivers of these predictive vehicles across board is becoming increasingly worrisome. Some young persons unguided have met with untimely death when their football teams, and or iconic diverse players and participants in regional or global entertainment and sports events, so predicted to win, failed in such quests.
“The predictive melancholy has hit the political space in Nigeria like a Hurricane and everywhere is charged. We must not as Nigerians allow this unfortunate situation to persist and destroy us. The tribal slurring must also be stopped. As Nigerians, we must unite and line up behind the best religious, cultural and historical narratives that bind us together and nothing more. Our cultural diversity is superior and which entails that we must respect each other’s cultural sensitivities” Runsewe clarified.
