Religion is a socio-cultural system of designated behaviours, beliefs, practices, morals worldviews, texts, prophecies, ethics, sanctified places, rituals, and organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental and spiritual elements.
It describes human beings’ relation to that which is regarded as holy, sacred, absolute, divine and worthy of special reverence. In modern societies where freedom and liberty assume center stage, religion is seen as a personal relationship and interaction with what he or she has believed in, as a deity worthy of worship.
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The system of democracy has given everyone the freedom of religion. In Nigeria, though there are still traces of traditional ancestor worshipping and atheistic religions which are indigenous to most African societies, the two major and dominant religions are Islam and Christianity.
These two religious systems are believed by their adherents to have a common divine origin and Abrahamic roots, as well as a monotheistic faith. And therefore, they all generate their divinity and inspiration from scriptural sources, and all the scriptures are believed to be words of God. That is why both religions of Islam and Christianity preach faith, high moral values, and sublime attitudes. They enjoin what is good and forbade what is bad. Virtues such as peace, tolerance, love, honesty, integrity, faithfulness, loyalty, generosity, sincerity, humanity, humility, understanding, trust, mercy, compassion, righteousness and godliness are greatly valued, promoted, encouraged and motivated. These are seen to be divine attributes. While on the other hand, the vices of hatred, envy, malice, falsehood, wickedness, brutality, heartlessness and hypocrisy are considered devilish, evil and satanic, and are therefore loathed, abhorred and abominated.
In all the above-mentioned state institutions, no one is representing his religious organization, rather they are all representing their constituencies which are mostly made up of Nigerians of various religious inclinations. If religion has never been a problem in the aforementioned, why it is becoming an issue now in political contests? Why the new political lexicons of Muslim-Muslim, Muslim-Christian, Christian-Muslim or Christian-Christian tickets?
Irrespective of the religion a politician professes, his understanding of our national problems, his capacity to proffer workable solutions, and his commitment to implement the solutions for the shared well-being and prosperity of all should be our concern. The time has come that Nigerians, especially youth should free themselves from this psychological penitentiary, they are enclosed in. In my local dialect, it was said that “a spoonful of water is enough for the wise to bath”.
Usman Aliyu Elnafaty writes from Bauchi
