Daily Independent Online.
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Friday, June 11, 2004.
Religion and the Nigerian State
It is most unfortunate that despite our
bitter, tragic experiences in the last number of years, Nigeria is yet to
dispassionately reappraise the place of religion in its polity and clearly
assign it an appropriate place in our socio-political ambience. Indeed, given
its unambiguous and potent threat to perennially remain our collective
nightmare, this nation can no longer afford to leave the thorny issue of
religion unaddressed.
Unfortunately, over the years, a number of clearly ungodly and
unscrupulous characters among us have taken undue advantage of this improperly
defined status of religion in the Nigerian state to wreak unqualified mayhem on the polity. The Federal
authorities must now take a decisive action to prevent this matter from
attaining further complications
that might thoroughly overwhelm our capacity to contain it.
The
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, is clear in its
insistence that Nigeria is a secular state. This implies that the state should
in no way be seen to be overtly or covertly sympathetic to any religion.
Indeed, no form of union ought to be encouraged between religion and the state.
While the state encompasses the interest of all citizens irrespective of
beliefs or persuasions, religion ought to remain the personal matter of the individual
and his God. But we are saddened by the fact that our political elite and
leaders seeking unhealthy shortcuts to power, influence and affluence, have
given religion an undue elevation, and some form of tragic cohabitation has
developed between the state and religion, but not without its very costly
consequences. They have also played hapless citizens against each other, unduly
emphasising their differences, and creating an unfair dose of resentment and
hatred among people that had harmoniously co-existed for a long time. This has
led to several violent, bloody clashes which have cost this nation a great deal
of precious lives and properties worth billions of naira.
It seems true to us that the greatest casualty of any form of politicisation of
religion is the religion itself. Because when this happens, religion is unduly
admitted into an arena where it possesses no shield against the consequent
damaging assaults on its credibility.
That politicians aspiring to elective offices, with neither a clear people-oriented
agenda nor enviable track records to recommend them, now fall back on religion
as their selling ticket should be cause for worry to all of us. Their
determination to exploit the sincere emotional attachment and response of
people to their faith in order to secure
undeserved support constitutes a sad commentary on how low our aspiring
leaders could descend. Religious
leaders should be worried that
these politicians ever so often turn out disasters in office, excelling in purposeless leadership and treasury
looting, which in turn reduces the particular faith they had so loudly ascribed
to in the esteem of many people. Religious leaders would, therefore, be helping
the nation and preserving the sanctity and integrity of their faith, if they would
hasten to isolate any politician wishing to use them as ladder to power.
But a far-reaching solution to this matter would
demand an outright dethronement of
religion from its present position as a strong factor in canvassing for
and winning power in Nigeria. A
first step would be the immediate dereligionisation of all levels of government in Nigeria. Public officers
should cease from the unhealthy practice of wearing their religion like a
glittering robe, even when there is nothing in their conduct and record of
performance that recommend that extreme show of religiosity. Efforts towards the depoliticisation of religion would commence with creating a clear demarcation between the state and religion.
This requires that government
relieve itself of the burden of
sponsoring pilgrims to either Jerusalem or Mecca . Then, religion would
gradually resume its rightful position as one’s personal devotion to his
God, and will in fact gradually shed its capacity to become easy tool in the
hands of politicians and peace haters.
We are totally sick and tired
of this gratuitous display of extreme religiosity with little or no godliness and sound character.
