By Zik Gbemre
The answer to the subject question is simply no! Nigeria is not really a religious country, and I would explain the reasons why. The truth is, planting/establishment of Churches, Mosques and other religious Centres, as we see all around every kilometer of roads/streets in Nigeria, and attending religious activities/programs daily, is not a sign that Nigeria/Nigerians are a religious country/people. The truth is, a ‘religious person’, regardless of the faith and denomination, will not steal public money, will not assassinate people, will not tell lies, will not cheat on his people that have elected him/her to be in government. Such a person will not rig election, will not do fake Thanksgivings/organize religious ceremonies to appreciate God. A true religious person will not oppress his people, will not intimidate his people, will not mislead his people, will not accept bribery/payments to fight innocent people, will not blackmail others, will not be greedy, will not have the appetite to force himself on his people as a leader? Such an individual will not encourage crime, will not pretend, will not favour only his people in government spaces, will not be a tribalist, will not encourage thuggery. A religious person will always tell the truth and stand by it, no matter who is concerned, or what the situation is.
So, when we look at it carefully, we would realize that the Nigerian political leaders at all levels grossly lack good leadership and good governance in the country because they are not religious. They do not practice what is being preached to them, and also what they preach. If they were, and are, Nigeria would have become the Dubai of Africa by now. Attending Church services every day, or praying every day and engaging in every religious program as one’s faith and religion demands, will still not make one a religious person, if that person does not deliberately make up his/her mind to ‘practice’ what the religious beliefs subscribe. Truth is, God does not need anyone’s money. In fact, there is nothing anyone can offer or give to God to cover or compensate for his/her evil deeds, other than one’s committed life to obey God’s instruction here on earth. God is the one that owns everything, and there is nothing you and I have to offer God, other than our life to practice what His Word teaches. So, when we look all around the country, we would come to the same conclusion that Nigerian is not a religious country.
Some even say that Nigerians are over-religious, and that it has made most of them to become too dependent on God, thereby abdicating their duties and responsibilities as adults and leaders. While speaking in this light, Most Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola, the former Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), noted that those who say Nigerians are too religious, or appear to be over-religious, are making such assertions in error. In his words: “You cannot be over-religious, if it is properly understood. If anything at all, we are under- religious in this country. What appears as being over-religious is due to the manner, we organize our religious programmes and the mammoth crowds we see at some religious events. That is why we are assuming that we are over-religious. But we are not deeply religious enough in this country. OUR RELIGIOUSNESS IS VERY SHALLOW. WHEN YOU ARE DEEPLY RELIGIOUS, YOU WILL BE PIOUS. YOU WILL BE GODLY-CENTRED AND WILL OBEY GOD’S RULES AND REGULATIONS. So, if Nigeria were over-religious, it would have become a much better society than what we have now. There would be no stealing, no killing, no assassination, no lying, no falsehood, no fraudulent practices, no election rigging and no miscarriage of justice. If we were too religious, truly, we would be a decent society. But we are not religious; we only have an appearance of religiousness. We are not at all religious in this country.”
While it is sad that today, establishing a church or going into politics have become amongst the most sort out lucrative ventures in Nigeria, it still does not make everything right in the country. Instead, Government and Religion, that ought to make life and things better for all, have continued to make life miserable and harder for the general populace. Today, big and small churches are taking over every available lands and space, especially Warehouses to build church branches and schools, with nothing done in the area of establishing industries/factories that can avail jobs for not only its increasing members but also many Nigerian youths. Morality in the society, is falling at an alarming rate. And sadly, the Church and other religious bodies, as the “custodians of public morality,” have brazenly turned religion into a ‘mercantile venture.’ We simple find it appalling that The Church’, that ought to be the ‘conscience’ of the society in maintaining high standards of morality and spiritual uprightness, has joined the train of those with the ‘thirst for materialism.’
If only majority of Nigerians, especially the political leaders, would understand the ‘vanity’ in this life, they would be doing things differently for the benefit of all. Somebody once noted how the irony of life places everyone. In his words: “I have seen people climb up the stairs into a plane; those in the Economy Class and those in the First-Class cabin. None is carried into the plane in a special way. Everyone climbs up himself. And everyone in the plane is flown by the same pilot. Those in the First-Class cabin do not have their own special pilot. And when there is a turbulent weather, it does not affect only those in the Economy. It does not consider those in the First-Class cabin. It affects the plane and everyone in it.
“I have seen people drive cars worth millions of Naira. And when there is a hold up, the car of the poor and the cars of the rich will be trapped in it because no one drives his car in the air. Everyone suffers in it. I have seen the corpses of the rich in golden caskets and the corpses of the poor in wooden caskets. But none is buried in the sky. They are all buried in the earth. And all the corpses get eaten up by the same termites. I have seen people who have it all but desperately seek happiness and fulfillment. I have seen those that have it not, but are very happy. Oh! I have seen, seen it all to know that no mortal, no matter how highly placed is too important. We are all guests to the earth and as guests, even the VIPs amongst us must leave when the party is over. And when it rains it pours on all of us because a similar fate awaits us all. The World we live in is full of illusion. Empty we came, empty we shall all meet with our Creator. Vanity upon vanity is all vanity! Nothing is worth raising shoulders for! Remain Good with Love and above all, Do unto others, what you want them, to do unto you.
Zik Gbemre.
January 3, 2020
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