Economic Recession, Religion and Quest for Bread
Religion has become a tool for unnecessary diversion from fundamental issues of state, argues Samson Osagie
As I approach my golden age, I have never been so worried and scared of the critical dimension that religion is assuming in negatively affecting the health and indeed the totality of our national life. This is even more so going particularly with the events currently going on across the country where almost everyone is caught in the frenzy of defending the faith he or she professes. And whereas, the issues affecting our national development and impeding same are by far different and unrelated to who each and every Nigerian prays to for his or her salvation, some religious fanatics, across board appear to be assuming that the God they serve has become so weak that they have to fight for him. This to me is most unnecessary.
The number of deaths that have resulted under the guise of practicing or defending some religious beliefs: from the ravaging Boko Haram in the North-east region, to the killings in Agatu, Southern Kaduna, Mbatse in Nasarawa Eggon, herdsmen attacks in various parts of the country and some retaliatory attacks are alarming yet these do not in any way improve the lot of the average citizen or the economic and social condition of the country at large.
Writing on the reasons people embrace religion, Andrew Pepper posits that “it has been estimated that nearly 90 per cent of the people in the world belong to a religion; even if you exclude the children of religious people (in many countries children are legally of the same religion as their parents until they are adults), it is clear that a large percentage of people have religious beliefs.” He advanced reasons why people hold religious beliefs among which are superstition, need for a purpose in life, belief in justice, hope of afterlife, fellowship and salvation. If these reasons are taken on their face value, none of them carries with it the need to be intolerant of one another either expressly or impliedly.
In today’s world, neither religion nor religious beliefs propel development in any part of the continents. Albert Einstein, a foremost world acclaimed scientist and Nobel Prize winner in Physics is not known to have been helped to achieve several successes by his fanatical practice of any religion.
The Wright brothers, Orville (1871-1948) and Wilbur (1867-1912); two American siblings born in Ohio and Indiana respectively, who are generally credited with inventing, building and flying the world’s first successful airplane, were not extremist adherents of any religion.
Benjamin Franklin, Hans Christian Oersted and Michael Faraday, all of whom variously invented different aspects of electricity, and Thomas Edison, an American inventor who successfully produced the electricity bulb in 1879 were neither detained nor facilitated by religious beliefs in their quest to contribute to the advancement of mankind in their chosen field.
In the same view, the Briton, George Stephenson who developed and created the world’s first successful locomotive for railroad was not known to be a religious fanatic. In Africa, while various nations struggle to exit the colonial rule, those who fought for the liberation of their countries such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Kwame Nkruma (Ghana), the Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowos, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Herbert Macaulay, Chief Anthony Enahoro (Nigeria), Nujoma, Haje Geingob (Namibia) and a whole lot of others did not use religion as a tool for liberation from colonialism.
In Nigeria, even though our foremost nationalists were drawn from the different major ethnic nationalities with some from minority tribes, they were all united with the support of their people for the common purpose of attaining self-governance and self-determination for a sovereign nation, Nigeria.
Today, we are embroiled in a war of attrition in which those on the vanguard of discord are employing the instrument of religion to set the people against themselves.
Just recently, precisely in February 1, 2017, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo set up a Presidential Task Force to inquire into the astronomic increase in the prices of food items. Therefore, religion cannot be allowed to distract the government from looking for ways to find succour to the already pauperised populace.
While our political and religious leaders appear to be opposed to this turn of events in words, a lot is still left undone in terms of practical steps to stem this ugly trend. I agree with those who opined that the beating of the drum of war by religious bigots is a lazy way of trying to explain the failure of the institution of state, particularly security, in enforcing the secularity of our nation state.
Our 1999 constitution as amended in section 10 states “The Government of the Federation or any State shall not adopt any religion as a State religion”. How do we explain the colossal losses we suffer today in terms of human lives, time and resources in the aftermath of religious-induced conflicts? How do we interpret the corrosive verbal exchanges among religious leaders currently going on? How do we guarantee the impartiality of the security agencies in the midst of this religious brouhaha? And more importantly, how does our individual faith guarantee stable electricity, employment, stable and prosperous economy, educational advancement of our country and its people, reliable transportation system, elimination of kidnapping, armed robbery, bombings, poverty or corruption?
These issues are weighty enough to demand our total attention rather than the use of religion as diversionary tactics. I think that rather than patriotically unite to tackle our problems, our religious leaders are deliberately promoting these issues in order to continue to attract large multitudes to their faith in search of miracles. Have they therefore become religious entrepreneurs?
Does it matter the religious or ethnic identity of a president or a minister, a governor or a legislator, if we can have stable electricity, good road networks, gainful employment, stable economy and the like? Should it matter to an average Nigerian if our socioeconomic and political problems are solved by a leader of any religious persuasion?