Why Religion Can’t Save Nigeria, by Ifeanyichukwu George

Although they hate to admit it, the Muslims and the Christians in Nigeria have never hidden their disdain for one another or over the fact that the battle for religious supremacy has subsisted. It is the considered opinion of many analysts that either of the two religions would have preferred to reign supreme over and above the other. But while the battle raged, the two fighting parties seem to be unaware of yet a third and very dangerous party that is equally fighting and poised to swallow these two fighting camps in the course of time.

That third party is none other than the spirit of Greed. That Nigeria is in the sorry state it is currently is testament to the fact that religion cannot and may never save Nigeria. Take for instance what happens at occasions and ceremonies. Have you noticed that Nigerians loved to scramble for food? Have you never seen well-to-do people who stuff their bags with food they don’t need and which other invited guests are yet to taste? Can you still remember someone who said he/she must eat to their heart’s content or to what was commensurate with the amount contributed for the occasion?

Incidences like those are quite commonplace behaviors in our country Nigeria but what bothers me most is when you and I seem unable to understand that the battle of religious supremacy or whose loudspeakers sounded loudest was not the needed panacea for salvaging our country from the shackles of misery, penury and monumental backwardness that presently gagged her greatness. For effect, I want you to see how the greed for more was catalytic to the acquisition of the one hundred and sixty or so million naira luxury SUVs for members of the NASS.

I want you to see how the greed for more fires the justice-for-the-highest-bidder verdicts which are currently the new normal from the judiciary. For what other words apart from greed justified the judgment that clearly overlooked a very important article of the electoral act 2022 which stipulated as requirement for being returned as president-elect by INEC; a mandatory 25% of valid votes cast in the FCT? I want you to see how this judgment led to the mass protest against the current minister of the FCT; a protest that was led by over 10,000 protesters in November 2023.

You should also see how greed instigated the decision to have over 400 persons jump unto the bandwagon that was en route the COP28 meeting recently concluded in Dubai the UAE. And when the anomaly was pointed out by the ever vigilant netizens; the presidency shamelessly spent time comparing actual numbers with virtual numbers and defending the 400 as if to say Nigeria had no other important needs it should meet with the taxpayer’s monies they foolishly spent on COP28 without any known commensurate benefits till date.

You should also see greed as the major driver in the intrigues that has befallen our local currency; the Naira since it was allowed to float and find its worth against the US dollar. Greed fuelled the hoarding of the dollar. The greed factor was behind the delay in rolling out CNG-powered vehicles since the removal of fuel subsidy. Powerful and vested interests in this government made sure that it was NORD automobile or nobody else that got the contract to supply the vehicles. And until they were ready to roll it out, the masses of Nigeria should remain in excruciating economic pains and in the hands of NUPENG. Only yesterday, the NNPC LTD announced the commencement of supply of LNG to China and Japan; the same LNG from which your CNG are obtained! Where was NNPC all these years?

Now, while NUPENG cannot be completely exonerated from this hardship; the biggest beneficiary of that greed remained these vested interests in the Villa whose secret deals with NORD automobile is not clearly known. Greed remained the slave-master that continued to drive its slaves around. The sixty-one year old senate president; who decided to throw a lavish and elaborate merriment party to celebrate his birthday in the midst of a highly impoverished Nigerian mass cannot be anymore freer from this spirit of greed than the former governor that is seriously fighting to keep his political structure.

On the side of the populace, the spirit of greed has countless slaves who are busy under their yoke of slavery; doing the bid of this powerful monster. Notable among its slaves are those involved in the One-chance syndicate, those in the construction industry (where loose sand and clay instead of cement mortar and iron are fast becoming the materials for building skyscrapers so that engineers can drive around in their Mercedes Benz G-wagon even though the buildings later collapsed), the yahoo bois as well as traders who now engaged in day-light robbery using their merchandise are among the many slaves of greed.

The first question is: if religion has power, why are Nigerians still slaves to greed? The young man who is without employment is ambitious about driving a good car when an average salary earner is struggling to survive. Yet, he never agrees that it is greed to lust after things you don’t have the wherewithal to have. The young girl looks at herself in the mirror and dreams of draining her sugar-daddies bank account after a one-night- stand. Yet, she never admits that she is greedy. The clergy man who requests for offerings after offerings and the one that sends out Almajiris with bows to beg when they should be in school don’t see greed in their actions.

If religion can transform a country; why are Nigerians willing slaves in the power of greed? The last time I did a fact-check, there is no Muslim who is not zealous about their belief and, there are no Christians who aren’t zealous about their beliefs. In fact, the zeal is so strong that it leads to violent confrontations between the two major religions most times. Nevertheless, both religions are slaves to the power of greed. In the recent misfire in Tudun Biri where the Nigerian army had over 150 innocent Nigerians killed; there are some folks who pander to greed in their quest to make a mountain out of the mole hill from that incident.

They have instigated the locals to file a suit for a #33 billion naira claims. This means that the apologies of the Nigerian army notwithstanding; some folks aren’t satisfied. But that’s purely what happens to societies where people’s stomach is their god; where people are yoked unto the stake of greed. So you see that even religion that is subject of violent confrontations is itself a willing and helpless slave to greed. Greed is a spirit that does not care about religion (because of course; religion is under its feet) but ruthlessly drives its prisoners to self-destruction.

Greed makes its foundation on disunity, lack of trust and empathy and, of course, religion. The spirit of greed is the spirit of corruption. It is what the book of Daniel in the Holy Bible referred to as the abomination that causes desecration standing in the temple. Greed is an abomination that is monstrously destructive. But then, love for neighbor remains its most effective antidote. And love is not found in religion but in right living.

In a country where over a third of its citizens cannot afford 2 squares meals per day; how will praying 5 times a day or frequenting church meetings change the fortunes of the suffering citizenry when it has not changed the mindset of those who abused public trust and used tax-payers monies to throw elaborate birthday parties, who fight to retain political structures, who marry more wives according to an archaic religious doctrine and buy their way to key positions in their political parties?

Only right living can help and, right living is an offspring of self`-awareness. Self-aware citizens place country’s interests over and above personal interest. As I conclude, if you still believed that religion can save Nigeria; let me ask you this: are those destroying Nigeria agnostics or atheists? Right-living is the only force that can lift any country from the shackles of poverty and exalt them. Permit me to share a book title of a great book you can find on Amazon bookstore.

It thoroughly speaks to the subject of self-awareness and, it’s titled THE WONDERS OF SELF-DISCOVERY and subtitled IT IS POSSIBLE TO ASPIRE AGAIN & ACHIEVE Good books like that make you to see why the black race has not been able to do much as a people either collectively or as individuals in terms of development.

Amb. Ifeanyichukwu George; Executive Director, Self-Awareness for Suicide Prevention Initiative, Africa writes from Abuja. 08062577718