RELIGION AND POLITICS: THE THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE
Religion is politics, so sang the rainmaker, Majek Fashek, so many years ago. Whether or not he knew what he was talking about is debatable but the world we live in, seem to prove that he indeed was correct in his conclusions.
The political climate of every country in the world, the governing, and the appointment into positions of authority in government is to an extent influenced by the religious beliefs of the people voting as well as those contesting and Nigeria is no different. In fact, Nigeria can be considered to be a typical example of a country whose government is based to a large extent on the religious beliefs of any one person seeking office. This is apart from ethnic bias, financial standing, connections and so on.
Nigeria, one of the most populated countries in Africa and one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, is a complex entity. Its continual existence despite the myriads of issues she has faced since the amalgamation of two distinctly different regions in Africa to form it, by Lord Lugard in 1914, is a source of surprise and conjecture for both citizens as well as the international community.
After a civil war, several ethnic and religious crisis, coups and countercoups, dictatorships and semi-dictatorships, the fact that the country is still one whole sovereign entity is a surprise.
Nigeria as a country can be likened to someone who wants to make ‘Eba’ (a popular food made from fried ground cassava known as garri) but decides to use kerosene and water to turn the garri into paste. No matter how delicious the soup used in eating the eba tastes, the odour of the kerosene will come out and the experience would leave much to be desired.
Trying to understand the complexity of the Nigerian state is a difficult task and each time one tries to think on it, one ends up with a migraine. There are so many sides, so many opinions, so many conclusions and so few solutions to the problems that bedevil the country.
It is generally accepted that Nigeria is a secular nation but this statement is laughable for despite this erroneous assumption by the masses as well as the lawmakers themselves, some of the country's problems are caused by the fact that Nigeria is a highly religious state. Note that I do not use the words spiritual or holy.
The northern region which is predominantly Islamic, take their religion quite seriously. The southern, eastern and certain parts of the west are predominantly Christian and they also do not play with their beliefs. Mixed within them are those who still practice the traditional belief systems of their forefathers. The two main religious divides make up part of the different divides that separate the country into factions.
It would seem that a secular state would have less to do with the religious entities in the state but contrary to this, we see that the state is so entangled in religion, that most times when a politician speaks in the country, you do not know if he is speaking as a result of his concern for the nation as a whole or as a result of his or her religious beliefs.
In countries all over the world, the question of which religion is supreme is fought over, killed over, and despite all the bloodshed and accusations over the centuries, not one religious belief has come out victorious, rather human beings have died in large numbers. This is not to say that religion is the only source of strife in the world but so much evil has been committed in the name of religion that it makes one wonder what god the different religions in the are truly worshipping.
Religion is supposed to be a means of understanding the world we live in, in relation to our origins, our reason for being on the planet and where we go to when we die. It was developed over time as a means of enlightenment, of getting knowledge about the world beyond the physical realm, of salvation. The function of religion, though, has since expanded into every sphere of human endeavour and this is not more apparent than in Nigeria, where ones religious beliefs could mean life or death, wealth or poverty, love or hate.
The Nigerian politician claims to be a servant of the people, he claims he wants to be a senator because he sees the woes of his people and seeks to alleviate their suffering. The Nigerian pastor says he cares for his congregation. God has sent him or her to set the captives free. They say anything to manipulate their audience yet their actions prove otherwise. Religion is the opium of the masses, it is said.
What will a servant of the people or one who seeks to save the people need a convoy of three police trucks, several expensive cars and gun toting, hard faced policemen for? Is that how servants and anointed of God live?
These days we have pastors and imams visiting government houses to offer prayers and advice and they leave with cash gifts while the men they had gone to visit remain the same.
Let us go deeper; during electioneering season, we find that people are manipulated into voting for a person not because of his commitment to bringing positive change to his community but because he is either a Christian or a Muslim. The masses do not really care about his pedigree or his character. All they care about is what he calls his God; is it Allah or Jehovah?
In the present Nigeria, religion has become a tool in the hands of capitalist politicians and those who seek to utilize the masses ignorance to amass wealth and climb the elitist’s ladder. Even though religion has a lot of societal functions, the primary purpose of religion is and remains salvation, but how often do we hear about salvation nowadays?
Focus has shifted from salvation to prosperity in such a manner that a poor Pastor/Imam hardly gets followers or congregation. A pastor who is not speaking about politics, wealth, power has no value or following. If you are poor, you are either seen as a sinner or someone afflicted by devils. Over the years, religion has become monetized by power seeking politicians and ever since, its birth right has become available to highest bidder.
On a more personal note, I think a lot of political issues are easily translated as religious issues and vice versa; the latter being a deliberate attempt to heat up the polity of the country in order to score political points. Let us consider two scenarios.
The first one is the issue of Boko Haram which has become a case of a cat with nine lives. Whether or not, the Boko Haram agenda is the same as that of every Muslim cleric in the northern part of Nigeria is debatable. That they are Muslims is not arguable but then again what has salvation got to do with the kidnap of little girls? What has seeking heaven got to do with bombing, maiming, killing of law abiding citizens whether Muslim or Christian?
It bothers the mind, the discrepancy between what the Boko Haram leaders say and what politicians say as well as what other Muslim clerics say concerning the scourge. At times, you wonder if the Boko Haram are fighting a religious fight or a political one. It is a question which different individuals have theories on but I will leave that to you to speculate upon.
The second issue is the issue of the Fulani herdsmen. The Boko Haram issue being considered as a religious crisis is understandable due to their self-acclaimed alignment with Islam but I see no reason why anyone will consider the Fulani herdsmen issue a religious crisis. A criminal is a criminal no matter the race, sex or religion and labelling them as such will hasten our progress as a Nation instead of playing the religious cards.
Yet again, the manner in which the matter is being handled give the impression that these criminals have a special dispensation from the powers that be and since the powers that be are mostly Muslims, it is therefore considered to be an Islamic northern agenda to oppress and subjugate the Christian south thereby turning highway robbery into a religious matter.
Due to the fact that the religious card has been used too many times, in seeking for political appointment, jobs, and pursuit of education, it is generally accepted belief that all Muslims are in one accord and all Christians are in one accord too. Therefore any action carried out by a Muslim against a Christian is considered to be religious. But is it?
Man is a political animal, someone had said. Religion is a tool of politics in Nigeria. This tool will be used to divide and to merge, it all depends on the intentions of who is weilding the tool. Because religion is an emotional matter and affects the heart of the believer, it is easy to see how the masses can be manipulated through religion.
In conclusion, Nigerians are quite religious no doubt. If being religious is the same as being morally upright, Nigeria should be number one on the list of the most transparent and holiest countries in the world. Alas, this is not the case.
Majority of the religious Nigerians are mere hypocrites who will only select the easy parts of their religion or the parts that support their quests and jettison the parts that refuse to favour them. Almost every part of the country is filled with prayer warriors from the two most popular religion and yet, evil keep multiplying.
I believe that, no matter your religion, race, tribe, ethnicity or affiliations, always remember we are all humans before anything else. We should deal justly and fairly with people as humans above every other divide.
Deep writing!
I agree too.
Religion has been used to commit many crimes. I think before one proclaims him/herself as belonging to a faith, he or she should learn the principles and foundation of the said faith.
To many ignorant believers.
And some times, learning the principles of the faith is not enough. For religion is of the emotion mostly. It is not a rational thing. Anything that is of the emotion will definitely be easy to manipulate and there lies the problem. All it needs is a man of God who claims a divine calling and soon the world burns.