Religionization of Nigerian Politics and The Threats of Disunity

As I always said, common citizens have no business in the affairs of the political parties. Except you are part of the membership and involved in their decision process, no one should crucify political parties using religion or ethnic blackmail. It is not only ridiculous and foolish, it is extremely dangerous. A political party is NOT an assembly formed by one ethnic, tribal or religion group. A political party may have dominance in one particular region but members of political parties are present in all the geopolitical zones.

Why should the mutual decision of such an all-inclusive union be a cause of agitations and brouhaha? How would any party choose to commit a political suicide if it is certain that such decisions would cause its defeats at the polls? And if in case it does, whose headache? Whichever way the decision of the party swings in terms of its perceived balance or bias, the constant goal remains the same: winning the election. Therefore, except where they are mono-ethnic or mono-religious entities, registered political parties should be spared of criticism and crucifixion over the candidates presented as the flagbearer in the general election. Those who made such decisions had technically done so as microcosm of the whole mix of the societal demography and ethno-religious sentiments. It is a development that allows for the real texture of democracy at play.

The democracy provides alternatives and recognizes personal choices to vote according to one’s sentiments. It is the mischief of externalizing or generalizing these sentiments over that of others that would eventually heat the polity and fan ember of discord and disunity among the citizens.

 If a political party appears to be discriminatory or exclusionary to a particular religion, there are several other political parties whose candidacy formula would whet the appetite of the electorates who feel strongly about their faith. The rights to prioritize the religious interests over capacity and competence is legitimate. However, undue emphasis on ethno-religious sentiments and discriminations has pushed the merits and competence to the far rare in the public space. It has dominated the conversations for too long than necessary. It is responsible for most of the agitations and inter-communal strife across Nigerian states. It is high time the country pushed the reverse gear.

The myriads of socio-economic problem that has dwarfed the giant of Africa for several decades post- independence is not discriminatory along ethnic or religion lines. Every ordinary Nigerian in all tribes and religion are insecure, hungry, poor, sad, angry, miserable and hopeless. The looters and failed political leaders at our local, state and federal levels share the ethnicity and religion with us. What is the outcome?

Favouritism towards a certain group and exclusion of others has been the tradition over the years. The leadership is run on prebendalism. Corruption and mismanagement of public resources are entrenched as a class phenomenon amongst close political allies, kinsmen and associates.

The election victory of the presidential or gubernatorial candidates whose running mates are from the same religious stock in a multicultural and multi religious country like Nigeria could truly be a plus rather minus in the fortune of our country going forward. This would be so provided such government can create a paradigm shift and different narratives by eventually performing to the yearnings of the citizens.

Religion has become a factor in politics because of so much suspicions and mistrust in the leadership due to loss of transparency, truthfulness, accountability, fairness, justice, equity, discipline and performance. For that reason, the candidates whose capacity, antecedence and records of service can provide these core ingredients of good and fair leadership across all divides are the best that Nigerian currently deserves. Rather being a recipe for disunity, such government would lower the ethno-religious tensions that had held sway and hampered national cohesions and peaceful coexistence in our country for years.

Religious leaders in politics

I believe the large majority of Nigerians are smart. However, it is difficult to rationalize the foolishness being displayed in respect of the blind and cult-like consent to the political religious leaders. It is as if the sense of questioning, critical thought and reasoning of fellow countrymen are kept in the pocket of their religious leaders or must be shut down completely by their own selves while listening to the latters even outside the spiritual matters!

Despite the tens of false prophesies, fake media propaganda, criminal practices, hypocrisies and mischief attributed to these gods of men, so-called religious worship centres continue to multiply and fill to capacity! The worship centres where politics are often discussed rather than the divine messages and where the physical outlook and material worth are the focused rather than soul. Is it that the citizens can no longer independently reason and have the minds of their own? Is this another indicator of our bad educational system? Having tested and trusted the naivety and gullibility in their followers for several years, these religious leaders have mastered the use religion as a gospel stick to drive them to the direction of their selfish and political gains. They know fully well that they are only sheep in man’s clothing. They absorb, swallow and praise everything without question.

They have taken advantage of the corrupt and unfair political system in Nigeria to enrich themselves. In the midst of our economic crises, these religious leaders are multimillionaires flying in private jets with no much positive impact on the social wellbeing of their teaming congregations. How different are they from the insensitive politicians? The kind of offering coming from the earnings of big politicians like the governors, president and vice presidents in the massively corrupt nations like ours is not a joke. So one can guess that the basis of their religious agitation against political decision of any party is a defence for their gospel of commerce and daily bread. They must therefore be politically correct because the more political leaders in their congregations the more monies and prosperity for their ministry. The political leaders that have their endorsement and eventually win would support their call against any bill that may seek to impose taxes and levies on the financial proceeds from their ‘religious’ worship centres. They would have a free access to the government house and be part of decision-making that suits their agenda. This is more dangerous to the unity and coexistence of our nation.

One can understand the mischief and danger of religion in politics with a simple example in the closest history. The president of CAN who has been a very outspoken religious organization on the political front against religious imbalancing of a Muslim-Muslim ticket of All Progressive Congress (APC), was an ally of a former President Goodluck Jonathan. At the end, that brotherhood led to using the private jet of the former to convey a cash sum of money to the tune of 9.3 million dollars to South Africa for the government of Nigeria. In a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society! Why must the national leadership have such bias towards a religion?

Christianization or Islamization: Facts from Past and Present

The major stigma of the current administration is the accusation of an undue favour or bias to the Muslims and Islamic faith. In fact, the presidency under Muhammadu Buhari since its 7years of its leadership has been grossly accused of Islamization agenda. If by his appointments, Mr Buhari has been bias towards his ethnic or the Muslims in any way, it is a bad attribute of a leader. It is not justifiable. However, using political sentiments and conspiracy to taunt that as an Islamization agenda and assaulting Islam and the Muslims is disingenuous.

The party, APC at a time had been alleged as a Muslim party because most of the governors in south western states are Muslims. Today, the table has turned. The only Muslim governor in the entire region today would soon be replaced by a Christian and there will be Christian/Christian government in three of the six states.

Meanwhile, there was no Muslim/Muslim in the government house in any of those states at the time APC was so alleged as an Islamic party. Despite this, there are still fresh grouses that the party has the President, party Chairman, Senate President and speaker of House representatives who are Muslims at the moment.

This is part of the political rhetoric to advance the Islamization agenda narratives of APC not minding the fact that the occupants of these offices emerged by the choice of the majority belonging to both religion through electoral processes. It is therefore divisive and out of point raising issues about their religious affiliations.

Sometimes in 2002 under PDP, the President (Obasanjo, Christian), Vice President (Atiku, Muslim), Senate President (Anyim Pius Anyim, Christian), Speaker (Ghali Naaba, Muslim), SGF (Ufot Ekaette, Christian), AGF (Kanu Godwin Agabi, Christian) and Party Chairman (Audu Ogbeh, Christian).

These are arguably the first seven most important positions in government. Now the same positions in 2022, the president (Muslim), Vice president (Christian), Senate President (Muslim), Speaker (Muslim), SGF (Christian), AGF (Muslim) and party chairman (Muslim).

Although there is reverse balancing in the number of Muslims and Christians, two in each, yet it is important to note that the president and secretary are both Christians in 2002 as compared to what happens under this current administration. Meanwhile, the AGF and SGF are not elected but are appointed by the President. 

In fact, it is under the current APC government that a Muslim has ever become a senate president since 1960. More so, in the history of presidency, Buhari would be the first to transfer constitutional power to a Christian vice president to act in full capacity in his absence. No Muslim vice president under PDP had such a privilege.

On a more critical analysis, APC in 7years had made an attempt to put a slight correction to the Christianization agenda that had existed in the 16years of the previous government especially against the southern Muslims. Apart from the Ministers from south eastern and south-south states who have been known to be Christians, Nigerians expect balancing in the religion of the ministers from South-western states where there is religious-mix in the populations.

Under PDP administration, the Muslim Ministers were Sarafa Tunji Ishola (Ogun), Rilwan Lanre Babalola (state and religion not known), Jubril Martins Kuye (Ogun), Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos). These are just four (4) Muslims in the entire Southern part of Nigeria in the combined administration of Obasanjo, Jonathan and Yaradua of 16years.

Meanwhile, there were at least 12 Christians: Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, Sunday Afolabi and Erelu Olusola Obada (Osun); Adetokunbo Kayode and Olusegun Agagu (Ondo), Bola Ige, Aderemi Babalola and Akinwumi Adesina (Oyo), Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga and Adenike Grange (Lagos), Caleb Omoniyi Olubolade (Ekiti) and Babatunde Omotola (state not known).

 If the question has been whether there is no competent Christian to be a running mate to APC presidential candidate from the North, should the Muslims not be asking if there were no competent Muslims in their entire Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states to be ministers in 16years? No such divisive question was heard from the Muslims even when the exclusionism was obvious! Fairness and performance of whoever is put in charge of affairs of the state is what the Muslims desire, not the religious identity politics.

 Meanwhile, under APC just in 7years, the Muslim ministers are: Babatunde Raji Fashola (Lagos),  Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), AbdulRaheem Adebayo Shittu (Oyo). The Christians are: Adeleke Mamora (Lagos), Richard Adeniyi Adebayo and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Tayo Alaso adura and Omole Daramola (Ondo), Isaac Folorunso Oyewole (Osun), Kemi Adeosun and Olamilekan Adegbite (Ogun), Sunday dare (Oyo).

 With this three against nine (1/3), the ministerial appointment is still very skewed and bias towards the Christians, APC has been fairer with the appointment of Bayo Shittu and Aregbesola as the first Muslim Ministers from Oyo and Osun respectively where the Muslims constitute the majority.

So when we have this situation of only seven Muslim ministers in the entire 23years since 1999 in the entire South and the Muslims from that region have not been agitating, should the debates be about Islamization or Christianization?  Is Nigeria for the Christians such that PDP was not guilty of Christianization agenda for being bias towards Christianity and  APC is legitimately guilty of Islamization agenda for attempting to be fair towards the Muslims who till date remain unfairly cheated and under-represented in the South. Definitely, there is the fierce Christianization agenda. The noise of Islamization is a smoke screen. It is no less than the noise of a bully after giving dirty slaps to his victims to suppress him from being heard when he screams against oppression. 

The Muslim politicians, appointees and ministers do not pay tithes to the mosques. They do not have imams who mandate them to dominate public institutions with the member of their congregation or entrench faith-based policies in the public services to favour the Muslims. These and many more are what the Muslims have been suffering under this Christianized system over the years.

The Christians are advised to emulate the Muslims who have allowed political processes to take their natural turns without being alarmists. If however they must provoke the Muslims by telling them that they are fools and insignificant, they should be prepared to take lessons of a lifetime.

The Muslims are giants that have only chosen to be asleep for the sake of peaceful co-existence. When they are awake in their number and capacity, everything must be negotiated fair and square on the table of rights and entitlements. The North and South-western region were Islamized many centuries before Christianity arrived in Nigeria. The existing system and structure become this Christianized because of sense of tolerance of the Muslims in accordance with the general Islamic principle of ‘no compulsion in religion. The path of guidance is distinct from error’ as enshrined in the Holy Qur’an. If those tolerated and accommodated are seeking to dominate, displace and ostracize their hosts, it is time the benefactors rise up to claim their legitimacy and exert themselves. 

 

Uncleyat

Peace_lifeseries@yahoo.com