It would be inordinate to underestimate the adverse effects of the ethno-religious ‘events’ that has plagued Nigeria for years.

It would not be wrong, although, I stand corrected, to state that this crisis began with the debate on which religious group or ethnic group is superior; in the light of how one ethnic group practices same religious doctrines, as different from the other – since independence.

Just as in the words of Eleazu, “the people of Nigeria are many and varied.”

It is this ‘negative diversity’ that has led to the #SouthernKaduna crisis that has gone along for a while with stakeholders only using words to make us understand that something is being done to stop the crisis.

Yes, the armed forces and the government can do ‘something’ to stop the killings but, it goes far beyond that – re-orientation is a step. However, that requires many years.

Two things that can be done to avert further crisis or put a stop to the presently unending killings due to ethno-religious diversity viz: quality education cum adequate employment.

Access to quality education will always be essential to re-enlighten people. Not only does education provide children, youth and adults with the knowledge to understand that religion and ethnicity are but ‘somewhat inconsequential’ when it entails a diverse group of people living together, literacy in particular allows the mind think beyond that backwardness.

Yet, education cannot be seen in isolation – in this case. As, the mind can quickly work out a solution that might have adverse effects.

Employment is another factor that must be addressed for the academic acquirement to actually make sense.

In other words, sincere government employment policies, in consonance with entrepreneurial policies must be established in order to positively grab the minds of individual citizens.

We should not forget that reduction or complete annihilation ethno-religious negative ‘diversities’, through qualitative education and afterwards positive employment, will not only control the litany of motivated killings, kidnapping, terrorism and so on; it would also allow citizens understand that a diverse country can do far more than a country with unified religious and ethnic ideologies.