RELIGION VS NATIONAL IDENTITY

One of the tragedies of our time is that the average Nigerian’s patriotism is often reserved more for religion than for the nation itself.

This is why a man can insult, hate, or even harm his fellow citizen in the same country simply because two religious groups somewhere else in the world are in conflict. A battle fought thousands of miles away suddenly becomes a justification for hostility at home.

In such a climate, the government is no longer seen as an institution meant to serve the common good; it becomes a tool expected to defend and advance religious interests.

And so, the idea of nationhood slowly fades.

Many no longer carry a mental picture of what a progressive nation should look like. Our voices rise loudly when our religious group feels threatened, yet we fall strangely silent when injustice visits others outside our circle.

Bandits can destroy communities, and innocent blood can be shed, yet indifference prevails as long as the victims do not belong to “our side.”

But a nation cannot survive long when the suffering of some citizens does not trouble the conscience of the rest.

The painful truth is that Nigeria’s crisis is not only a failure of leadership; it is also a reflection of the condition of our collective conscience.

Until we learn to see ourselves first as citizens with a shared destiny before identifying ourselves by religious camps, progress will remain a distant promise.

We still have a long journey ahead of us.

©️Dr. Baka