Irony of Religion in Nigeria
Islam made inroads into northern Nigeria through the Kanen-Borno empire located on the southern fringe of the sahara desert as early as eleven century. On the other hand, Christianity came to Nigeria through the northern bank of the Atlantic ocean between eighteen and nineteen centuries. The Arab invaders,who brought Islam, told the Hausas and the Kanuris that the religion they had brought to them was the best in the same way that the European missionaries,the harbingers of Christianity, told the Ijaws,Itshekiris,Urhobos and others in the south that the religion they had brought to them was the best in terms of salvation and assurance of heaven. While the Arabs built mosques with imposing crescent-bearing minarets, the European missionaries built churches with imposing crucifixes. The Hausas and the Kanuris were told that those who were not Muslims would not go to paradise in the same manner the Southerners were told that those who did not accept Christianity were doomed for hell fire. None preached love enough to see both non-Muslims and non-Christians united in brotherhood. Both religions later reached a point of convergence along the fault line of the hinterland between the North and the South. They have continuously pushed each other either ways, fighting for supremacy and dominance since then until now when both have achieved some levels of foothold in the north and in the south of the fault line of the hinterland. Today, we have as many Muslims in the south as we have many Christians in the north. We now proudly have both the Bible and the Qur'an but our mutual love for one another is gone. We have lost love.
Religious tensions between Christians and Muslims would be assuaged, if not eliminated, if only Muslims would be taught in the mosques that non-Muslims are also children of Allah and could equally go to paradise provided they live right before God and man. In the same vein, if only Christians would be taught in the churches that non-Christians are also God's children and could go to heaven without belonging to any church provided they live right before God and man, unnecessary fights for religious dominance would be assuaged and the world would be a better place to live.
Even if it has become obvious that we can no longer live together as one country,perhaps due to our different historical or cultural experiences, at least, we can still re-negotiate our unity, holding a peaceful,friendly referendum, without firing a shot and shedding blood. Violence has never achieved anything that has ever been sustainable. True freedom comes with negotiated compromises on both sides of the government and the agitators. Let us therefore eschew violence and adopt a non-violent approach to our demand for freedom of whatever kind or nature.
To our government,our real enemies are not those who disagree with us, or those with voices of dissension against our views and policies; rather, our enemies are our friends or associates who fail to speak truth to the power we wield in our various positions of authority especially when we make mistakes in the process.
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