Nigerians and religious hypocrisy Religion plays a significant role in the life of several people across the world. In Africa in particular, religion is an integral part of the people’s life. Indeed, most of the names that Africans bear are indicative of their religious affinity. However, one thing that has become rather contentious is the extent of the impact of religion on the society. In Nigeria, religion plays a prominent role in every aspect of national life. The most terrible Nigerian professes to be an adherent of a particular religion. Most national, state and local government events in the country are heralded with prayers to commit things into the hands of God even when the outcome of such events have been pre-determined by men whose intentions are far from being godly. In one of his hit songs, the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, berated Nigerians (both the leadership and followership) for hiding under the cloak of religion to perpetrate more evil than the devil himself. Public funds are stolen and spent with impunity by so-called ‘religious’ men and women either to erect mosques or churches or to send some unsuspecting adherents to perform religious activities in either Saudi Arabia or Jerusalem. In a recent survey conducted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), in a list of 10 countries, Nigeria had the highest percentage of people who believe in God, compared to 46 percent in the UK and only 28 percent in South Korea. Ironically, a 2004 Transparency International report indicated Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in the world, after Bangladesh. The popular saying that ‘religion is the opium of the people’ is perhaps more apt in the case of Nigeria. However, because of the sensitivity of issues relating to religion in the country, it is always a very complex thing to discuss it for people don’t tend to be objective and scientific while analysing religious matters. Nevertheless, one is rather concerned about a current trend in the country where some political and religious leaders collaborate to extend the suffering of the masses. Rather than get more focused on the challenges of governance, some of our leaders are either busy traversing religious centres or organising hypocritical religious programmes that run contrary to their ungodly practices. One thing that is very sure is that no one can mock God for He knows those that serve Him. You can pretend all you could to man but you can never fool God except you are fooling yourself. Leaders who feed fat on the nation’s resources only to unleash misery on their people cannot in any way be said to be godly. To underscore the emptiness in our self- professed religious activities, the more we ‘pray’ in the country, the more of a prey we become. What with the many unprecedented calamities that the country has been experiencing of late: road accidents, plane crashes, kidnapping, flooding, religious crisis, armed robbery attacks, among others that have continued to become part and parcel of our national existence. Ironically, things work better in advanced nations of the world such as China, Russia, USA, UK, etc where the leaders and the people are not as ‘religious’ as we are. Why is it that our self-professed religious piety has not put us out of the abyss of poverty, infrastructural decay, unemployment, among other rots that pervade the polity? How come our leaders don’t feel ashamed with the state of the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway whenever they attend religious programmes around the axis? How can a leader who got to power through wrong means suddenly become a self-styled apostle of holiness? By their fruits we shall know them. Most of our leaders are chameleons who disguise under the garb of religion. Aside from our leaders, most of us are equally nothing but a group of ethically decadent hypocrites passing for Christians and Muslims. We invoke the name of God only when it suits our purpose, while in reality we live a very deceitful lifestyle trying to deceive ourselves and the rest of the world into thinking that we are more religious than the rest of humanity, when evidence to the contrary is there for all to see. There is no better word for this than hypocrisy. It is difficult to account for the sharp contradiction between our self- professed religious lifestyle and the mess that we have all plunged the country into. Religious leaders in the country should stand for the truth like the prophets of old. There is need for them to return to the basis of their religion. They should remember that they are accountable to the almighty God. Rather than sell their souls to the highest bidders, they should genuinely turn the rulers and followers to God. If religious leaders fear men more than God, what should be expected of a mere member of the congregation? It is the fear of losing members that makes religious leaders careful in their sermons in order not to offend the sensibilities of members. But of what use is an ungodly congregation of eminent thieves and charlatans to the almighty God whose only interest is for us to imbibe godliness? Religious leaders should de-emphasise materialism in all they do. They should live what they preach by ensuring that they provide leadership by example. This would go a long way in discouraging questionable people from associating with them. Respected men of God, whom people look up to for the right leadership direction, should be careful in dealing with political leaders. Genuine men of God should not be seen to be fraternising with men who inflict pains on Nigerians. This is not an attempt to discourage people from holding unto their faith. One is not in any wayproposing that religion is not important or God should not have a place in our national life. Don’t get me wrong! I believe in the existence of God and reverence Him with the whole of my being. What I am, however, against is using religion to manipulate and oppress an already weak and impoverished people. Nigerians, on their part, should make concrete effort to seek and find God without using human intermediaries. It is the ignorance of many about God and spiritual issues that most of the so-called men of God manipulate to enslave gullible people.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 09:21:29 +0000
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