The North and the Politics of Religion in Nigeria
The reality in Nigeria is that religion has long surpassed the spiritual to become a politicized tool. There is no clearer example of this than the fact that the north has used religious extremism and insecurity as a bargaining tool in the Nigerian polity all along. The cases of Islamist groups causing insecurity in Nigeria are not only instances of failing security but, whether deliberately or deliberately, serve as a bargaining tool for political power.
It appears that for many decades, the North had been exercising disproportionate political influence despite underperformance in education and human capital. It is even better to face the facts instead of accepting the deficiencies in the North. It appears that for many years, religion and insecurity seem to have been useful tools in the North. Islamist groups, extremists, and terrorists perform better in an environment in which there is poverty, ignorance, and lack of governance. All these were not mere accidents.
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The rise and sustenance of extremist movements have often left the Nigerian state at a threshold of appeasement. The discourse on accountability is often shelved in favor of “national unity.” Justice is swapped for “religious sensitivity.” Calls for a restructuring of governance based on resource control and merit are often held hostage by threats of another bout of instability. The truth is: insecurity becomes leverage—a little destabilization of the system and the center will be forced to bargain.
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Just how effective this strategy has been is that thousands of people have lost their lives, the whole community has been uprooted, and the development of the country has come to a standstill, but still, no real change is ever brought about on the hold of the religion since, in this case, religion is just the veil.
As a humanist, this tactic is both unethical and untenable. Humanism places a higher value on human well-being, intellect, and our shared humanity as human beings, above ideology and identity politics. “No part of the world should hold a nation hostage with threats,” nor should “any belief system be used to undermine human life.”
The answer is not a religion-based counter-terrorism strategy but a secular accountability framework. Education instead of indoctrination is required in schools. Economic and social development instead of patronage must be advanced in society at large. Secular, not religious-based, and a citizen-driven, not a religion-driven, framework of governance has to be in place in a country like Nigeria.
Nigeria must establish a secular state and religion must not have its priority in a secular state of Nigeria by addressing Ultimately, the future of Nigeria lies in moving away from fear politics. A nation cannot be founded on the altar of blackmailing politics. The dignity of humanity, sense, and common accountability must supersede this deadly relationship between religion and power, especially in the North, which has negatively tasted the fruits thereof.