Religion and ethnicity are central and comprehensive identity for billions of people all over the world.
The two phenomena are important in a human being as there is hardly an individual that doesn’t belong to an ethnic group or practices one form of religion.
The two, though important can be very dangerous when taken to the extreme and brought to public life, especially politics.
Religion is a way of life for many people in Nigeria. It has a direct impact on their social and political decisions.
When ethnicity and religion are brought into politics, they lead to division based on sentimental feelings.
No society can grow in the atmosphere of religious violence which more often than not, has a political undertone.
Politicians and other political actors recognise the vitality of religion and use it for political purposes, deliberately signaling religion or religious values and connecting them to political outcomes or behaviors in an effort to influence the political preferences of religious practitioners.
The danger here is that a religious community could insist on voting one of their own members into office.
Also, religion could be used to mobilise ethnic support against political competitions from other groups.
Additionally, inter-religious conflict could be ignited if one religious group rejects the candidate of another, or if a politician mobilises his religious community against his opponent in another religion.
Moving forward, religion should have no place in politics as it causes disunity and hatred.
Poverty, insecurity, poor healthcare system and other social problems we are confronted with do not discriminate in terms of religion.
We should not encourage politics of religion instead, let’s go for competence.
Politicians should not do anything to impose or promote their own faith at the expense of others.
Manipulation of religion should be avoided by all stakeholders. Also, those who are found guilty of using religion to destabilize the society must be made to face the wrath of the law according to the severity of their offences.
Busuguma Ali, a serving corps member with PRNigeria, wrote from Wuye, Abuja
