Nigerian churches, amongst them the Presbyterian, urged the country's government to immediately suspend its membership of the Islamic Development Bank. Christian Council of Nigeria said in a statement that the issue is "explosive, corrosive and suggestive of a subterranean move to Islamise Nigeria."
The moderator of the Presbyterian church, Rev. Ubon Bassey Usung said in a statement, "This country by its constitution is a secular state, and its political leaders were therefore expected to always avoid acts that can undermine this constitutional provision. The government is not doing enough to enhance freedom of religious worship as enshrined in the constitution."
Rev. Rogers Uwadi, CCN president, said the decision could trigger religious tension. "The argument that Nigeria's non-membership of the bank has excluded her from enjoying fringe benefits which membership confers is preposterous," he said. "If we keep silent, then we shall have compromised our faith. We see a hidden agenda here, Nigeria can't claim to be a secular state and yet use the state apparatus to advance the cause of one religion above the other." – ENI
