Islamization of Nigeria And The Commercialization of Jesus Christ.

At every one minute discussion in any gathering in Nigeria, as far as politics is concern, we have to repeatedly deal with the issue of religion and other divisive vices that politicians use as campaign strategy. Not just in this election, it was there in 1999, it was there in 2003, 2007, as well as 2011. In fact, i never thought that they would bring it up again knowing fully well that an over-used strategy becomes common, predictable and obsolete.

In the past three weeks, the default rhetorics of Nigeria’s number two citizen, Vice President Namadi Sambo, has been the use of religion to pressurize the already pressured minds of the Nigerian people. Just yesterday, the 3rd of February, while he was campaigning in Minna, the capital city of Niger State, he said:

“Our chairman is a Muslim; the Director General of our campaign is a Muslim likewise. I Namadina Namadina Sambo am a Muslim. It is only our presidential candidate that is an Christian. In APC, their chairman is an Christian, their Campaign Director General is an Christian and the Vice President is a Pastor. Now let me ask you, which between the parties has more Muslims? Nigeria belongs to both Christians and Muslims. During Tafawa-Balewa, he worked with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe a Christian, during Shagari he worked with Alex Ekweme, Obasanjo with Atiku, Late Umaru Yaradua with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and now Goodluck with Namadi.”

The quote you read above is just a few of the things he said, and that’s exactly how he carries the message to any of his campaign grounds, polluting the minds of the people, inciting and instigating violence in the process. Today, PDP is telling Christians not to vote for Buhari because he is a Muslim and that APC is a Muslim party. The same PDP is telling Muslims that APC is a Christian party and only Buhari is a Muslim in the party. This is an act of frustration and its dangerous because frustration leads to one doing the unthinkable, and for the fact that they have the means, motives and opportunity, doing the unthinkable won’t be much of a problem to them.

Recently, precisely on January 23 this year, a court in the city of Almaty, Kazakstan, charged a woman, Tatiana Shevtsova-Valova, with inciting animosity towards Kazaks, the majority ethnic group in the country. The Facebook posts suggested that northern Kazakstan – with its large Slavic population – might end up going the same way as Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in March 2014. They said that if the “exaltation” of Kazaks and the promotion of their language continued, these northern territories might come under Russian rule. I choose to bring this up in my piece to draw our attention to the ACTION taken. If a woman, a blogger, who holds no political position can be “charged” for sending out a potentially divisive message, why then must we let Namadi Sambo, a National Vice President, under the practice of “democracy”, get away with his devilish and divisive statement? Mr Sambo deserved to be charged for his numerous unholy message of conflicts and division.

For the Men of God, Pastors to be precise, many of them have forgotten their roles as “ordained” people of God. They are supposed to carry the message of peace, the message of love, of oneness, brotherliness cultivated on the platform of UNITY. They are supposed to speak out when there’s injustice, corruption, impunity…when the people in the land are suffering of hunger, of poverty, in the midst of plenty. But rather, they hawk Jesus Christ and sell to the highest bidder. This act is not Christ-like and can never be Christ-like. I am urging them to stop commercializing Jesus Christ on the platform of politics, on any platform, and stand up to speak the truth without fear or favour, just as Reverend Father Ejika Mbaka is doing. For in so doing, they not only exonerate themselves from the eternal damnation, but also liberate the minds of the people they lead.

Nigerians, it is easy to lose hope on a day like this. Days marked with darkness, with hidden guns ready to shoot at anyone and everyone. Today, many of us feel all alone. But this is when hope is needed most. No matter how bad it gets or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope, keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffered and still suffering. My wish for you is to become hope, people need that right now. And even if you fail, what better way there to live? As we look around us today, and all of the people who help make us who we are, i know it feels like we are saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other, in everything that we do, to remind us of who we are, and who we are meant to be…we cannot be anything else, but Nigerians.

Pay deaf attention to talks like “Islamization of Nigeria”…and as you vote, be proud of it, of who you are and the opportunity you have to do so. Above all, remember that violence, never make things better, but worst.

May our election be a FREE and FAIR one come February 14th. God bless Nigeria!