Divorcing religion from politics -By Jide Ayobolu

Religion had always played a germane role in the lives of people in this part of the world, religion in its manifold dimensions is intrinsically woven around many aspects of the lives of the people.

Indeed, Nigerians are very religious people, but the impact of religion on personal conducts and public superintendence is nothing to write home about. Corruption and other various societal ills permeate every facet of our national and private affairs.

Corruption is ubiquitous, corruption in Nigeria is more or less an official policy of the country. It would be recalled that more than any other president, President Olusegun Obasanjo introduced religion into Nigerian politics on a massive scale in 1999.

He built a Christian Worship Centre in Aso Rock Villa, where he worshipped from time to time, not only this, he completed the abandoned National Ecumenical Centre and also worshipped there too. Ordinarily, there is nothing bad about building a place of worship for genuine worship and communication with God.

However, there is a fundamental problem when religion is used as façade to score cheap political point. Religion has been used as a smokescreen to hoodwink the unsuspecting prying eyes of the public.

There is no doubt that religion should be divorced from politics, for some, politics has been aptly described as the authoritative allocation of resources and it has also been viewed as who gets what, when and how, while yet some others see politics as a class struggle between the haves and have-nots.

People of all religions want good governance, they need the basic necessities of life, they want development and the question is what has religion got to do with effective and efficient discharge of the constitutional responsibility of the government? Yes, in the past, in Latin America, the Church was involved in the struggle to halt dictatorship and provide the people with better life that was when the concept of liberation theology was in vogue.

It is on record that President Goodluck Jonathan has carried religiosity to a very ridiculous extent. Not only does he now perform the Christian Holy Pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year, he also takes along with him key Christian religious leaders.

He also worships in different Churches around the country and even sermonises, meanwhile, governance is in abeyance and the suffering in the country has reached an all-time high, this ugly development is even nose-diving further with torrential rapidity. It has been a case of suffering and smiling in the country. It is important to point out that, President Jon than’s sudden romance with the Church started not too long ago.

While he was Deputy Governor and later Governor of Bayelsa State, he was just a nominal Christian. However, the forthcoming 2015 election has made it imperative to restrategize to get maximum Christian votes during the election.

In fact, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) can no longer speak truth to power, it has become the religious arm of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). CAN members openly hobnob with the president and even get involved in scandalous arms deal.

It is because of CAN’s reprehensible and dishonourable conduct that The Catholic Church pulled out the association. It is pleasing that the Conference of Catholic Bishops has always told the government the gospel truth, no matter how bitter, but to CAN, President Jonathan can do no wrong.

From all available evidences, can President Jonathan be said to be a genuine representative of the authentic Christian ideals? Has he fulfilled his electoral promises to the people?

In the country today, there is apparent infrastructural deficits, the national economy is in tatters, the educational system is comatose, the health sector is worse than mere consulting clinics, roads are in a deplorable state of disrepair, the national currency has been devalued, poverty is too widespread, there is general blackout in the country and the so-called transformation agenda is indeed a recipe for disaster.

Yet, both Christians, Muslims and animists suffer the same grotesque fate from the poor governance and woeful performance of the present administration. In spite of this, religion has been manipulated to preserve the vested class interests of the ruling elite.

No wonder, Karl Marx aptly described religion as the opium of the masses. Now because Nigerians are very religious, they are very gullible and at times very ignorant.

They swallow hook, line and sinker everything that their religious leaders tell them, because they think the clerics are God’s representative on earth, therefore, they are pious, upright and incorruptible. But what they fail to know, understand and appreciate is that, this is the end-time, many of these pastors have become lovers of themselves and the love of God in them has waxed cold.

It is glaring that, at no other time in the annals of the country than now has Nigeria and Nigerians been more polarised along religious and ethnic lines.

What CAN ought to have done is to be on the side of the people, tell the government the truth at all times, speak with boldness and power all the time.