Note by Adejoke Rafiat Adetoro
The 9th Toyin Falola Annual International Conference on Africa and The African Diaspora #TOFAC2019 with the theme: Religion, the State and Global Politics hosted by Babcock Univeristy, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State commenced today with an opening devotional/ breaking of the word by Pastor Dr. Ikechi Chidi Ekpendu of the department of Religious Studies.
The opening ceremony was chaired by His Excellency, Professor Yemi OSINBAJO SAN, the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who was represented by Professor Isha'q OLOYEDE, the Registrar, Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB). In his remark, the Professor Osinbajo acknowledged the numerous contributions of the conference Honouree to scholarship, knowledge and general human development and also the only important role being played by "Babcock University as an excellent faith-based university to the development of humanity through its balanced and comprehensive education in research, training and community development." Speaking on the relevance of the conference theme, he noted that the how traditionally the interface of between 'Religion and the State' was limited to the issue of secularism, secularisation and separation of power between state and religion and how contemporary scholarship has shown that religion covertly or overtly plays more roles in human societal lives than previously acknowledged.
In attendance was the Grand Host, His Excellency Chief Dr Dapo ABIODUN, Executive Governor of Ogun State and Distinguished Guest of Honour, Chief Dr Olusegun OBASANJO, former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Keynote lecture titled "Caesar and God: Prophetic Engagement of the State in Africa" was delivered by Bishop Matthew Hassan KUKAH. He opined that "religion could be used as a weapon to unite and facilitate development in Nigeria against its current status of being a problem for the country. He queried "why the problem of religion has not gone away? While positing that "We must move away from the illusion of religion(s) because of its destructive potential" else, "our country will continue to underperform until we are able to manage our diversity". According to him "once any religion gets into the clutches of any politicians, the nobility of that religion falls". Meanwhile, on the general notion of "giving onto Caesar what belongs Caesar" which has been widely represented to mean putting a line between 'Religion' and 'Politics', Bishop Kukah argued differently that both Caesar and his coin belongs to God hence, it is the duty of the prophet of God to hold the moral mandate that enables a cooperation between Caesar and God for the betterment of his children.
In his remarks which he titled "Towards a Reunification of the Sacred and the Secular: Religious Interventions in Politics, Dr Olusegun Obasanjo noted that one cannot be devoid of the other, hence religion and politics are two phenomena which needs to be integrated, in place of how in Nigeria we manage diversity with impunity.
His Excellency Dr Dapo Abiodun while declaring the conference remarked that religion which should be the unifying factor in our country has suddenly become dividing force, rather than seeing ourselves as one entity of humanity, we have continued to see ourselves as different divisible units with various interests.
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