what will be our state of being as a people when we can’t explain the basic values that binds us..
Metaphorically, I would like to describe Nigeria as an umbrella that co-habits intolerance, indiscipline, social disorder, class imbalance, discrimination, and other non progressive tenets. Comparatively, countries have tried to see a balance in the subjective well-being of their citizens, hence, good governance and good life for all has been the focal point of their energies.
Here, religion has become a great venom with no antidote. This religion, has dismantled all meaningful efforts by few individuals to salvage a sinking society.
Things happening in Nigeria of late give us an indication that there is a major departure from the standpoint of our fore fathers and we have not been making any effort to face this situation rightly. The brutality by humans against humans in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country is a great call for us to answer. Therefore, to face our leaders, it won’t be a fallacy to state that our leaders keep repeating the same mistake over and over again. Decisions, perspectives, viewpoints, have mostly been achieved through the lens of religion!
Religion has become an integral part of our society, on it rulers make decrees, on it medieval kings waged wars, on it international actors make decisions, on it countries shape their relationships, on it individuals and leaders dictate their fate thus making our one world many worlds. ( Binan, 2014). Religion has become a great tool for disintegration here in NIGERIA; no doubt our former president recently stated that Nigeria has never been fractured as it is today. Today, governors, leaders, squander tax payers money on religious missions which is not supposed to be the case. There has been much of ethnicity in place, nepotism as a driver, corruption as the conductor and religion as the vehicle that conveys us all. The statement of former president Obasanjo is likely to gather more subscribers as our country looks volatile and turgid with religion as the major chemical.
What then can the masses say and do when the masses are another group of religions bigots. We have been infested by the actions of our leaders. Our default setting has been built on strict religious fundamentalism.. Karl Marx described religion as an opium of the masses. Marx position can be very true in Nigerian context as we are battered by bad governance, insecurity, social disorder, psychological distress, hunger, starvation, poverty, BUT we have lived in ABSOLUTE CALMNESS due to our religious stance and other factors, hence, religion is an OPIUM here. We can’t say and do contrary because our leaders have used religion to tie us down.
It will be more important for us to keep trying our FATE and see if the negativity of religion can be converted to its positive side thus advocating for good life, taking care of the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself, etc. Our religious stance should not cause discomfort to another, therefore, we should not fail to demand for good governance and good life from our leaders as a benchmark for a true religion; what needs to be done has to be done!

Evans Binan Dami
Clinical psychologist /writer/researcher.
07035578447
[email protected]

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Marriage of inconvenience between religion and true governance in Nigeria – Evans Binan