The prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Sunday Makinde, has urged the federal government to censor religious preaching as part of measures to end religious crisis in the country.

Makinde was reacting to the recent outbreak of religious crisis in the Zango area of Bauchi. Religious fundamentalists unleashed terror on the residents of that area, killing about eight people, including two soldiers. The cleric stressed the need to evolve lasting measures that would end incessant religious crises, adding that the development was giving Nigeria a bad image.

I tell you, any kind of religious crisis is anti-progressive and because it claims human lives and presents Nigeria in bad light, it should be fought relentlessly. Government has to censor what is preached in all religious organisations because the time has come for us to put an end to all these problems.

Makinde described the latest Bauchi religious crisis as more worrisome because it happened at the time Nigeria had been disgraced internationally.

Politicians in Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria are debating a bill aimed at curbing religious extremism.

The Islamic Preaching Bill would outlaw preaching likely to cause a breach of the peace as well as requiring most clerics to obtain a preaching licence.

The legislation was proposed after an Islamic sect was blamed for sectarian violence in northern Nigeria last year in which hundreds of people died.

Under the new bill, there would be stiff penalties for clerics found guilty of insulting or inciting contempt of any religious belief which causes a breach of the peace, says the BBC's Bilkisu Babangida in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The penalties include at least 10 years imprisonment and a fine.

Our correspondent says recommendations for preaching licences would be given by a new Islamic Religious Preaching Board consisting of clerics, public administrators and security personnel.