As the country gradually counts months to yet another election year again in 2023, the issue of religion has taken the centre stage with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other notable Nigerians being at the centre of everything religious controversies. Weaponising ethnic and religious chauvinism will be detrimental to every Nigerian because these two barometers for electing Nigerian leaders have taken the country backwards.
There is no time in the anal of the country that we as a people have ever been polarised like now, as we fret our safety because of our collective failure in electing incompetent leaders who are bereft of the requisite knowledge to lead out of the quagmires of a bad economy and insecurity.
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Sadly enough, Nigerians’ logical reasoning and sights seem impaired with these mistakes of voting along religious or tribal lines. As a result of this, the country’s economy is in bad shape.
Today, in northern Nigeria and the country in general, terrorists are having a field day, killing, maiming raping and kidnapping for ransoms.
As the country matches towards the 2023 General Elections, there is a need for Nigerians to learn how to put the interests of the country first before any parochial, tribal, ethnic or religious interests because the country is for all of us. Since the ruling governing party is banking on Muslim-Muslim tickets, there is no end in sight to the public spat on the tickets despite this spat got nothing to do with either interest of Muslims or Christians but just the political interests.
Why should religion be the yardstick to determine who governs Nigeria? Why should the religions of presidential and vice-presidential candidates matter? And what has religion in this case Christianity and Islam got to do with the ability and capability of a person to effectively govern a country such as Nigeria?
I mean, Nigeria is not only the only country comprising Christians and Muslims. Millions of Nigerians do not have that identity as Christians or as Muslims. There are Nigerians who are atheists/humanists or follow traditional religion. Like their Christian and Muslim counterparts, they are also entitled to participate in politics and governance. They are entitled to vote and be voted for. Discussions over Muslim-Muslim, Muslim-Christian, Christian-Christian, and Christian-Muslim tickets have made religions, especially Christianity and Islam, the main parameters for the choice of president and vice president.
For this reason, the Christian Association of Nigeria and its foot soldiers should know that their stance cannot (neither noise making nor intimidation can) force the electorate to circumvent their wishes just for their political survival. Why did Babachir and others fume on Muslim-Muslim tickets, and why did they feel aggrieved by the action using all available platforms seemingly instigating people to stand against the choice?
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, former Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other like minds and individuals across the country, should remember Nigerians are wise enough and will not allow any religious sentiment to add more suffering to their lives.
Besides, these people cannot claim to be saints to speak on behalf of other Christians. They are doing it for their interest and not for poor Christians and Christianity. For anybody to fight on behalf of his religion he must be morally upright because religion is about righting the wrong.
In Nigeria, hunger and untold hardship do not respect ethnicity or religion. Just like rain, whenever there is a downpour, no one’s roof is spared, thus the reason why religion shouldn’t be a yardstick about who governs the country. Religious organisations or related groups should not allow political office seekers to misuse religion as a tool to get to power for their personal gains from those who are in authority. We should understand that Nigeria’s constitution provides everyone freedom to practise a religion of his choice and that should be strictly applied and protected.
Dukawa wrote in from Kano; can be reached via [email protected]
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