By Tonie Iredia
I was privileged to attend the National Convention of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Lagos on Saturday, January 15, 2011. I arrived early as Chairman of the occasion making me part of the opening ceremony which took-off with a prayer from one Christian and another from a Muslim.

When this religious segment was in progress, I wondered why we always give the impression in this country that every Nigerian is either a Christian or a Muslim. Is it that no one else at a Nigerian function, belongs to any other faith or is it that as usual, the self-acclaimed majority does not care about the feelings of minority groups? Unfortunately, it would be difficult to know the percentage of Nigerians whose religious beliefs are usually discountenanced at public events.

Even if the National Population Commission has a record on the subject, it would certainly be inaccurate because many people who may have formally claimed to belong to the prestigious religious persuasions do not in earnest have faith in their claim. The story of my cousin, Abel, is relevant here.

Abel invited three of his friends to join him to establish a church. At their inaugural meeting, he was astonished at the disposition of his friends. While one of them was so anxious to be the Church Treasurer, another preferred the post of Financial Secretary. The third who claimed to be uninterested in any post asked for a motorcycle to convey the daily cash collections from the church to the bank.

Abel, sensing that his friends were out to dupe him  financially, quickly warned them that Sango, the god of thunder would, on his behalf, kill any of them that spoils the church he was about to establish. In other words, Abel inwardly believes and very firmly too in Sango but would want to be publicly known as a Pastor or Reverend.

Many Nigerian religious fanatics including the high and the mighty adherents and worshippers often referred to as ‘the faithful’ are similarly so disposed. This explains why top politicians think that a strategy that can compel their colleagues to keep faith with their promises on the sharing of political posts after elections should be premised on an oath at Okija shrine etc. If the efficacy of Sango, Okija and other forms of idolatry is the one that is assured why do those who believe in it purport to belong to other religious groups?

Religion is obviously a personal matter. As a result, if we must pray before and after every public event, we need to be fair to all by allowing a short period for each person to silently pray according to his professed faith as the National Broadcasting Commission did at its Election Seminar in Abuja on January 20, 2011.

The point must be made that the undue prominence which is given to Islam and Christianity in Nigeria has grave implications. In the first place, it offends the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) which, in Section 10, provides that “The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.” To allow prayers to be said before and after official functions in line with the tradition of certain religious groups suggests that the religion of any such grouping has been elevated to State Religion.

Second, the establishment of Pilgrims Boards to cater for the welfare of adherents of only two specific religious groups who travel abroad at certain times of the year just to pray is logically not at par with the letter and spirit of the said Section 10 of our Constitution. It is worse that many members of the two privileged groups actually undertake their trips from our wicked land to the ‘holy’ lands at government expense.

Unfortunately, the two privileged groups have been so pampered that they have virtually become a liability to the nation — creating so much insecurity in certain parts of the nation. It is thus not uncharitable to wonder if it is not the impetus of official backing that makes them kill one another and innocent passers-by so frequently without reproach.

As a matter of fact, some of their members allege now and again that the security agencies aid their opponents to unleash violence on them. We, therefore, have in our hands, people who are ostensibly so prayerful and yet so criminally- minded. Perhaps, the negative political tendencies which have eaten deep into the fabric of our society have crawled into our religious lives making what our pious leaders say to be hardly compatible with what they do. Here with another instructive story.

It is the story of Ajayi, the driver of a family friend who had an encounter with armed robbers last year on one of our busy pot-holed high ways. All the occupants of the car were ordered out of the car and asked to lie on the ground. The robbers, however, looked with pity on an old man who was one of the occupants and asked him to remain in the car.

To reciprocate the gesture, the old man offered the only cigarette he had to one of the robbers. The latter declined with the explanation that he could not smoke at the time because he was fasting. Ajayi and his passengers were obviously too scared to find out the religious calling of the robber who steals at gun-point during the fasting period. It is not only armed robbers who speak from two sides of the same mouth in Nigeria, many other persons including clerics do.

Till date, for example, not many could comprehend the testimonies of the religious leaders who visited our late immediate past President just before he passed on because our religious leaders and politicians have over time developed the same diction and mannerism. Anyone in doubt of this should find his way to any church where a bishop is about to be appointed. Two things would be on ground. The first is that those in support of any applicant would be from his ethnic group. The second is that the environment would look like the setting of the primaries of a political party.

Our only saving grace now is our womenfolk. If everyone plays politics like them, Nigeria would be great. Political campaigns would be colourful. Aspirants would dance fancifully. Voters would get bags of rice in groups. Elections would be hitch-free and election tribunals would be irrelevant. The manifesto would be premised on ‘the women initiative scheme’ which speaks for itself- the need for women to be voted into office. Progress is already being made as could be seen at the last PDP primaries-one woman one vote.