Nigeria: A secular country on paper, multi-religious state in practice

The bane of Nigeria and what will never let it truly advance as other sane countries is religion. Those who laid the foundation of Nigeria—in their unique wisdom—made Nigeria a secular state, in order to avoid the ugliness and emptiness of religion. Today, Nigeria is only a secular state on paper, but in reality, it is a multi-religious state.

In other sane climes, they are fighting to advance in every realm of life, but in Nigeria, we are daily fighting and killing ourselves as an effect of an empty religion. We are religious, but we are very God-less! Someone who says he is religious would pray and later shoot people like himself to death. And someone who says he is religious would go to a place of worship and later return home to maltreat his or her house-help. Our politicians too claim to know God, but they are daily treating their fellow-citizens as animals.

How do you know a serious nation? It would reflect in the amount of money it deliberately and sacrificially invests, funding research as other serious nations are doing. Instead of doing that, we annually send people to “Mecca and Jerusalem.” This is happening in a secular state and over the years, this psychosis and folly has not helped us one bit.

In Nigeria, because our politicians do not make use of our places of learning to train their children, they are annually slashing education budget and those who are supposed to peacefully and unreservedly oppose them are daily defending them on social media. I have no problems with those in their 60s—who are defending mediocrity in Aso Rock, what baffles me are those in their 20s and 30s—who are ignorantly defending those who are daily stealing away their future. They are religious, but very ignorant ones!

Greedy and heartless politicians are already importing  guns and bullets to be used by some ‘head-less’ youths during the coming elections—while their own children are tucked-away in the West, accessing the best of life and education. The problem with Nigeria isn’t those who have hijacked Nigeria as an aircraft, running her like their private investment; the problem with Nigeria is a bunch of blind young folks, whose future is very bleak. Don’t forget that those criminal politicians who are bringing into the country, weapon of mass destruction, are both ‘Muslims’ and ‘Christians’ and the greedy and heartless youths, who will use them are also religious folks.

In a very religious country as ours, leaders are lying to their followers and followers are lying to their leaders. Our religious politicians lie unashamedly about electric power supply.  We were told that we are now generating about 7000MW, but last week, the President of the African Development Bank, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina said he is ashamed of Nigeria’s 4,500MW. After borrowing and spending billions of dollars, we are still on 4,500MW!

While groping in the dark at noon time, one (1) of our religious politicians came out to tell the whole would that our people now run generators for shorter number of hours—compared to the last administration. He said PMB’s administration has fulfilled its mandate within the context of power generation and distribution.

Some months ago, Professor Yemi Osinbajo said that Nigerians must not pay for the electricity they consume until they are given Prepaid Meters. It is not in the character of our political leaders (who are religious) to walk the talk. Till this moment, our people are still being defrauded, because they are yet to be given Prepaid Meters. For the umpteenth time, estimated billing is evil and every informed Nigerian needs to rise against it!

The only country on earth—where people pay so much for darkness is Nigeria and our religious and political leaders, who are religious, are just looking on. Instead of holding our inept and political leaders, who are religious accountable, we are all pretending to be praying for Nigeria, as if it was God who constructed good roads and made electric power supply stable for them in other countries. It is legitimate to hold politicians accountable and it is not a sin.

It is only in Nigeria that people hand over greedy and heartless politicians to the hand of God. In sane climes, informed citizens punish errant and inept politicians by voting them out. In Nigeria, our people prefer to stay on the inside of their varied places of worship, pretending to be praying than to come out to vote in those who know their onions and vote out the incompetent ones.

About a month ago, one of our political leaders—who is religious, advised our trained doctors to become tailors, farmers… I doubt if his employer (PMB) heard what his employee (Minister of Health) said. Yesterday, the same man said the administration of PMB is winning the war against medical tourism. It is clear that our politicians only say what comes to their mouth, depending on the nature of their audience. What they say in Enugu is different from what they say in Sokoto.

Some hours ago, the “International School, Ibadan” was shut, because some parents want their children to be using “hijab.” This is happening in a nation that calls itself secular. Yesterday, Lagos State endorsed the wearing of “hijab” in our places of learning in Lagos. No problems! But get ready for the “Celestial, Traditional worshippers…” too. Nigerians are very religious, who do not have a modicum of respect for the constitution of their country and they claim to know God.  How can lawless people be Godly?

Lastly, it is foolishness to allow religion to get in the way of education in Nigeria. Shutting a school over hijab in 21st century does not make sense. We are like 100 years behind already, so let us separate religion from our national life. Nigeria is not a religious country. It is a secular one. In my own estimation, Lagos State (that is struggling with needless filth and traffic jam) has started (endorsing hijab) what it is not capable of finishing.