What a book resonates By Adewale Kupoluyi

In the last few days, a colleague drew my attention to issues bordering on security, conflict and national politics, going by the publication under review. It is worthy of note that matters of ethnicity and religion have remained contentious one and could continue to shape the turn of events in the country. It is the effect of this two-headed dragon of ethnicity and religion as an impediment to progress in Nigeria that this discourse seeks to examine. Most of the problems plaguing the nation and what to do to solve them seem to have been catered for in the publication.

The expose explains the strong influence of religion on the political process of Nigeria by taking a cursory look at major developments between years 1975 and 1990. Femi Ajayi is a Professor of Policy, Conflict Resolution and Management, who took time to look critically at salient national contending issues. According to the author, the search for national unity and development has been a major concern for many African countries including Nigeria, but the reverse seems to be the case as religion and ethnicity continue to rear their ugly heads in the political process by causing chaos, friction and stagnation.

The author notes that ethnicity had been used as a theoretical concept by many contemporary political analysts to mean ‘tribalism’ because tribalism has the semblance of backwardness, savagery and it also conveys a false impression of the existence of a political unity under an organised leadership. Ajayi explains that religion, on the other hand, is the relationship that exists between man and the Supreme Being even though, Marxism believes that religion is the ‘opium of the people’, some kind of experience that induces a flight to fantasy in human kind’s seemingly endless quest for God or some superior entity.

According to Ajayi, despite constitutional provisions, religion, just as ethnicity, has been blamed for the disunity plaguing Nigeria as a nation. He recalls that ethnicity and religion have become a big set-back to the progress of Nigeria in the following ways: Firstly, ethnicity and religion breed discontent among the people. It makes the people to be loyal to their ethnic and religious affiliations as against nationalism and patriotism. Secondly, ethnicity and religious have been a source of mistrust among the citizens. Those that share the same ethnic and religious affiliations tend to show solidarity while they segregate against others.  This disposition is antithetical to the spirit of nation building, national integration and nationalism. Thirdly, ethnicity and religious have brought about fanaticism, killing of many people and destruction of huge property. 

Fourthly, the way ethnic and religious matters are handled indicate that they are interwoven, linked and interrelated, insisting that the government seems to have been unable to abide by the provisions of the constitution that recommends that the Nigerian state should remain secular. Lastly, it had shown that Nigerian government is biased and disposed to aligning with one religion over the others, saying this is unfair, unconstitutional, wrong and had portrayed government as favouring certain religion over others.

However, the following recommendations were made in the book: Government should ensure that the constitution is upheld by avoiding the promotion of certain religion and ethnicity over the others; mutual trust between leaders and the led should be built in the overall interest of the nation; Nigerians should resist the undue influence by external forces that tend to impose certain religious preference over domestic considerations; the Nigerian armed forces should be well professionalised such that they would strictly face their basic and core mandates of protecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country; and that Nigerians should be good followers in order to have good leadership.

Prof. Ajayi, a former Executive Director, Office of Secretary of State, United States of America, calls for constant public enlightenment that should be carried out to enable the people to understand the roles they are expected to play in promoting tolerance, harmony and peaceful coexistence; that national languages should be well-developed in a bid to bring about national unity and togetherness through the adoption of one unified language that could firmly bond the nation together. The publication titled, “The effect of religion on the political process”; touches several national issues in our dear country.No doubt, Prof. Ajayi’s research resonates on what should be of paramount importance and the possibility of looking into the various suggestions in driving our nation forward. We continue to have series of ethno-religious conflicts and violence taking place in the northern parts of the country unless we adopt a new and practical strategy. Discussing issues is not usually the problem, but the main challenge had been the poor or non-implementation of findings. It is hoped that we would truly get it right. This opens another chapter for further discussion considering what the nation is passing through at the moment that requires urgent solution. These include farmers-herders clashes, kidnapping, ethnic militias, deafening call for restructuring and state policing, among others. I think there is need to honestly revisit the challenges facing us as Nigerians.

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