More reactions have the introduction of Islamic Banking by the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as the Director, Post-Graduate Studies, Crowther Graduate Theological Seminary, Venerable (Professor) Andrew Igenoza, argued that the said introduction will not do the nation any good.

Igenoza said this on Sunday while delivering his sermon entitled: “Answering the Divine Call For Our Lives,” at the trinity ordination of nine deacons and two priests, held at the All Souls’ Church, GRA, Abeokuta, that the Holy Bible was also in support of lending money without interest.

The cleric contended that what should be introduced by the CBN should be an interest-free banking, rather than Islamic banking, which was being favoured by a particular religion, adding that nobody should make the country an Islamic state.

Venerable Igenoza submitted that: Nigeria as a secular and pluralistic nation must not do anything that could breach religious harmony among different religious groups with the introduction of programmes or agenda that would not uphold the unity of the nation.

He said, “Nigeria is a secular and pluralistic country and therefore, we must preserve that secularity. Anything which tends to favour any religion more than another is not going to do us any good as a country.

“Even lending money to people without interest is also in the Bible so there is nothing Islamic about lending money without interest. It is also biblical, all we can say is that, it is an interest free banking. It should not be Islamic banking or Christian banking or some other kind of religious banking. That is what we have to guide against. We must not bring religion into our political setting or our economic life.”

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