Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says some clerics do not use their platforms to preach peace but disunity.
Speaking when he received Henry Ndukuba, primate of the Anglican Church, at government house, Kaduna on Thursday, el-Rufai said his administration has been able to contain violence at its point of origin.
The governor said the state government is doing its best to overcome the legacy of violent conflict in the state.
“Our study of the situation over four decades has shown that the main drivers of this violence are a few clerics that use their platforms, not to preach peaceful co-existence or promote our common humanity,” he said.
“Rather, they use their platforms and revered positions to divide and incite violence. I was sad to hear from the primate that he was a victim in 1987, when his house was burnt down in Wusasa, Zaria.
“In those days, the primate will recall that this sort of violence starts from one part of the state and spreads all over the state.
“One credit that this government gets from everyone, including our adversaries, has been our ability to contain these outbreaks to their points of origin.”