POLITICS, RELIGION AND NIGERIA

The way many Nigerian politicians use issues and sometimes non-issues to confuse the gullible electorate, is despicable. Instead of them to go on with issue-based campaigns, they keep on falsifying statements and promising the impossibilities; all in the bid to sway the would-be voters to their side. They make sensitive statements that are capable of injuring our collective existence and in the process, continue heating up the polity.

It is a fact that members of ISIS and Boko Haram are Moslems and this does not mean that all Moslems are members of ISIS and Boko Haram. These blood-thirsty groups kill not only Christians but also Moslems.

Our country, Nigeria, is so blessed that today irrespective of varied religious beliefs, our citizens live in harmony with one another. Coupled with our various tongues, we are strengthened, in diversity. Within a nucleus family, especially in the western part of Nigeria, we have Christians and Moslems of the same blood. In some of such families that I know, they either have their father belonging to Christian faith and mother belonging to Moslem faith or vice-verse. In Lagos State, we have some notables like Governor Raji Fashola whose father was a Moslem and mother a Catholic (Christian); Raji Fashola is married to a Christian wife who he wedded in a Catholic Church. Tinubu has a Christian and Pastor as wife. Even in Bayelsa, the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan, we have Alhaji Asari-Dikibo, an ex-militant leader in Niger Delta, who professes to be a Moslem. The moment we stop bringing religion into our politics, the better.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo campaigning in the northern part of the country, mostly used Hausa language. In most of his outings he wasted no time in informing his predominantly Moslem crowd that the present Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration favours Moslems more than what the opposition would offer. He referred to the appointments of most of the Nigeria’s security portfolios, namely the National Security Adviser, which Col. Sambo Dasuki occupies; the Defence, with General Aliu Gusau as the Minister and the Police where Suleiman Abba is in charge. He even mentioned that Muhammadu Buhari was likely to Christianise Nigeria if voted in, because he has a Pastor who controls over 5000 churches, as his vice-presidential candidate. To me, Sambo with the foregoing has not contributed positively and intelligently to the PDP campaigns.

Prince Cosmas Omoku, Lagos