The federal government has accused so-called men of God in Nigeria of “escalating” and “poisoning” the country’s political space.

Specifically, Olusegun Runsewe, the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) ‘s director-general, expressed concerns about the clergy’s “predictions.”

“It is becoming evident that predictions and not prophecy are the new game in town,” Mr Runsewe said Monday.

Mr Runsewe stated that he was worried by “strange predictions” and “hyped religious ventilation” over political issues in the country and that the nation would be running into crisis if the trend was not checked.

He added, “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.”

Mr Runsewe lamented that such prophecies are given without minding their negative impact on people’s emotions.

The NCAC boss said the current rash of predictive political slants across Nigeria’s diverse religious and cultural ecosystem threatened the fabric of the nation’s peace and security.

Mr Runsewe, the World Craft Council Africa Region president, appealed to Nigerians to hold on to the best cultural and religious teachings that bind Nigerians together.

He said the council had worked with religious leaders to restore peace in areas where crises abound in Jos, Kaduna and Abuja.

Mr Runsewe said the council also networked with traditional rulers during the annual National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) to ensure societal peace.

“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,” the NCAC director-general explained. “We shall also target this avalanche of predictions given a religious face and arrest its dangerous influence on our once peaceful and tolerant society.”

He added, “The tension created by drivers of these predictive vehicles across the board is becoming increasingly worrisome.”

(NAN)