society
When God and Politics Become Weapons: How Religion and Partisanship Are Tearing Nigeria Apart
When God and Politics Become Weapons: How Religion and Partisanship Are Tearing Nigeria Apart
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“Instead of joining hands against poverty, insecurity and corruption, we sharpen knives on each other and the country pays the price.”
Nigeria is a nation of staggering possibilities and stubborn contradictions. We boast a youthful population, vast natural resources and a diaspora that outshines our reputation abroad. Yet at home we fritter away those assets on what should be the least important of all contests, who prays where and who sits on which party stool. Religion and partisan politics (two forces that could bind a plural society) have instead been weaponised, turning colleagues into enemies, constituencies into battlefields and public life into a theatre of suspicion. The result is predictable: a state weaker, a society poorer and citizens dead or displaced in numbers that shame our claim to civilisation.
Religion in Nigeria is not a neutral private comfort; it is a civic force with mass reach. Roughly half the population identifies as Muslim and half as Christian, a demography that should encourage humility, compromise and inclusive institutions. Instead, the balance has been treated as a truncheon to be wielded in elections, appointments and policy fights. When political actors make faith a litmus test for office or weaponise clergy prophecies to mobilise followers, they tear at the fragile fabric of citizenship and convert theological difference into permanent political danger. Pew’s recent work shows how religion remains central to identity in Nigeria and that fact matters for how power is contested.
The violence that follows is not theoretical. Over the past decade the country has witnessed waves of communal and sectarian brutality whose proximate causes range from climate-driven land pressures to criminal banditry, yet their lines are often drawn in religious or ethnic ink. Farmer–herder clashes, concentrated in the Middle Belt, have killed thousands and spread fear across farming communities. By 2021, more than 15,000 deaths had been linked to these clashes; local outbreaks since then, including mass attacks in Benue and other states, have shown the crisis is escalating. When disputes over grazing corridors and farmland are narrated as religious persecution, innocent farmers and herders alike are pushed into cycles of revenge.
Terrorist insurgency adds a gnawing dimension. Boko Haram and ISWAP not only killed tens of thousands and displaced millions in the northeast – they also turned religion into a cover for brutal politics. The consequences are not confined to the northeast; they ripple into national politics, inform security policy and feed identity-based suspicion across the federation. Civilians pay the heaviest price: thousands dead, millions uprooted and whole local economies hollowed out. The humanitarian cost is matched by an economic toll: insecurity destroys farms, distracts investment and raises the fiscal burden for a government already addicted to borrowing.
Politics has itself become a theatre of religious signalling. The 2023 presidential campaign, for example, exposed how fragile the country’s equilibrium is when parties abandon long-standing practices of balance for short-term electoral gain. The Muslim–Muslim ticket controversy (whether you call it tactical realpolitik or cynical disregard for plural representation) sharpened sectarian anxieties and showed how quickly trust can dissipate if inclusiveness is not defended as a principle. When political entrepreneurs calculate that religion will win them votes, they sell the nation out for partisan advantage.
This is not mere moralising: it is practical. When citizens see appointments, licences, policing, or access to relief routed through faith-based networks, trust in state institutions collapses. Governance then survives on patronage, not performance. Public resources are diverted to cronies and co-religionists; laws meant to protect the vulnerable are mangled by selective enforcement; and civic identity (the idea that every Nigerian is first a citizen) is subordinated to narrower loyalties. The consequence is political fragmentation at a time the state most requires unity to confront existential threats: poverty, inflation, climate shocks and violent non-state actors.
We can (and must) do better. The remedy begins with a hard embrace of secular citizenship: not anti-religion, but neutral public institutions that treat faith as a private domain while guaranteeing equal protection for all. This means transparent appointments, rigorous anti-corruption enforcement and the depoliticisation of security agencies. It means enforcing anti-violence laws impartially and prosecuting those who inflame religious passions for personal gain. It also means strengthening local conflict-resolution mechanisms: where grazing corridors or land rights cause friction, the state must mediate fairly and invest in alternatives (ranching, irrigation and effective land registration) instead of amplifying blame. Research from scholars like Jibrin Ibrahim has repeatedly shown that high religiosity in Nigeria coexists with weak civic practices and that addressing the structural drivers of conflict is essential for reconciliation.
Religious leaders, too, have a duty. This is not a call to silencing the pulpit; it is an appeal for courage. Wole Soyinka’s insistence that human liberty must come before sectarian barricades (and his famous rebuke that religion must not be allowed to prevent rational national thinking) is not literary flourish; it is ethical strategy. Clerics and imams must preach restraint and publicly rebuke those who weaponise faith. Where religious leaders use congregations to amplify division, they forfeit moral authority and become accomplices to national decay.
Finally, ordinary citizens must reclaim civic courage. Unity is not uniformity. It is the will to disagree without dehumanising. It is the daily practice of treating a neighbour who prays differently as deserving of decency, equal opportunity and security. Civil society, universities, the media and the private sector must amplify narratives of shared destiny over slogans of exclusion. International partners can help, but the solution must be homegrown: layered, patient and relentless.
Nigeria’s enemies are not each other; they are hunger, poor governance, climate shocks and violent actors who exploit our divisions. To fight them effectively we must stop seeing religion and party membership as identity armour and start seeing them as private commitments that do not disqualify one from the public good. If we do not, the nation will continue to fracture, not along neat ideological lines, but in human terms: widows, orphans, ruined farms and shuttered schools. That is an indictment we cannot afford.
We owe future generations a country where difference does not mean danger. The work is ugly and difficult (reforming institutions, enforcing law and recalibrating moral leadership) but it is the only honest path forward. As Soyinka warned, the moral imagination of a people determines the life they will lead. Let us choose a Nigeria that puts humanity first, and religion and politics in their proper, constructive place.
society
Yuletide: Consumers Salute President Tinubu, Dangote Group for Affordable Fuel Prices Nationwide
Yuletide: Consumers Salute President Tinubu, Dangote Group for Affordable Fuel Prices Nationwide
…Say Economic Transformation Under Tinubu Taking Roots at All Levels
As Nigerians prepare for the festive season, the Forum of Consumers for National Growth (FCNG) has commended President Bola Tinubu and the Dangote Group for their roles in driving down petrol prices across the country, describing the developments as clear evidence that economic reforms are yielding tangible benefits at grassroots levels.
In a statement signed by Dr. Adekunle Olorunfemi, National Coordinator, and Rev. Moses Alkali, Public Relations Officer, the forum highlighted the recent reduction in petrol gantry prices by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a game-changer for consumers amid rising holiday travel demands.
“The bold economic transformation initiated by President Tinubu is taking deep roots,” the statement read.
“By fostering an enabling environment for local refining and competition, his administration has empowered private sector giants like Dangote to deliver affordable fuel, easing the burden on millions of households and businesses during this Yuletide.”
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery had announced a significant cut in its gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), lowering it by N129 per litre to ₦699 effective December 12, 2025.
This marks the refinery’s 20th price adjustment in 2025, reflecting sustained efforts to keep domestic fuel competitive despite global volatility and smuggling pressures.
To support wider market access, the refinery introduced a 10-day credit facility for marketers and reduced the minimum order quantity for certain buyers, enabling smaller distributors to participate.
The forum praised the refinery’s production milestones, including a daily output of 70 million litres of refined products—comprising 45 million litres of petrol and 25 million litres of diesel—surpassing Nigeria’s estimated domestic consumption.
This surge in local supply has reduced reliance on costly imports and bolstered energy security.
According to the group, the refinery’s diversification of crude sources, including the recent arrival of its second shipment from Ghana’s Sankofa grade, further underscores its strategic shift toward regional and domestic sourcing, reducing dependence on European imports.
The statement added: “President Tinubu’s reforms, including the removal of subsidies and promotion of local refining, have created the conditions for such innovations.
“Consumers are now experiencing direct dividends through lower transport costs, stabilized prices, and increased availability during the festive period.
“This is not just about fuel—it’s about hope and progress. The Dangote Group’s commitment to reasonable pricing, combined with government support, is transforming lives and proving that Nigeria’s economic vision under President Tinubu is delivering inclusive growth.”
The forum urged Nigerians to embrace these positive changes while calling for continued collaboration between the government and private sector to sustain affordability and drive further industrialization.
society
R-E-A-K-I-N-G: Popular Lagos-based Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor reacts to Doris Ogala with biblical passages Matthew 11:6, John 3:2 and John 9:6. …Says the law will address all her purported allegations accordingly
B-R-E-A-K-I-N-G:
Popular Lagos-based Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor reacts to Doris Ogala with biblical passages Matthew 11:6, John 3:2 and John 9:6.
…Says the law will address all her purported allegations accordingly.
~Sunday Adeyemi
On December 21, 2025, a wedding thanksgiving service was held at the Grace Nation Church headquarters in the Berger area of Lagos, attracting over 8,000 congregants. Dr. Chris Okafor, newly married, shared his joy, stating that the earth’s judge will one day demand judgment from individuals, adding that sinners will be barred from entering the kingdom of God.
Full story to come.
society
Yari: Yoruba Youths Oppose Conferment of Prestigious Titles on Figures Linked to Banditry and Corruption
*Yari: Yoruba Youths Oppose Conferment of Prestigious Titles on Figures Linked to Banditry and Corruption
The Yoruba Youth Council (YYC), a foremost organization advocating for the interests, unity, and cultural integrity of Yoruba youth, has vehemently opposed the planned conferment of the Obaloyin of Yorubaland title on former Zamfara State Governor and current Senator Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar by the Alaafin of Oyo.
In a statement released today, YYC President Dr. Adebayo Ogunleye described the decision as a grave misstep that risks undermining the cherished Yoruba values of integrity, moral uprightness, and communal responsibility.
He said: “Yorubaland has always honoured individuals who embody the spirit of omoluabi – those whose character and actions reflect excellence, accountability, and the protection of life and property.
“Bestowing a title as exalted as Obaloyin, which signifies guardianship and military command, on someone with a deeply controversial record sends a dangerous signal to our youth and communities.”
The Council highlighted the unprecedented escalation of banditry and insecurity in Zamfara State during Senator Yari’s governorship from 2011 to 2019.
The group said this period saw thousands of lives lost, widespread displacement, and communities living in constant fear.
It added that persistent allegations have linked Yari to some of the very elements responsible for the violence, including claims of meetings with notorious bandits and allegations of political protection or complicity.
“Banditry did not emerge in a vacuum,” Dr. Ogunleye stated. “It thrived in an atmosphere where questions of oversight and accountability at the highest levels were raised repeatedly.
” We cannot ignore this history when considering someone for a title that represents the guardian of the realm.”
The YYC also drew attention to the numerous corruption allegations that have trailed Senator Yari, including probes by anti-graft agencies, property forfeitures, and claims of misappropriation of billions of naira during his tenure.
According to the group, such accusations, involving alleged fraud, illegal resource exploitation, and mismanagement of public funds, stand in direct opposition to the Yoruba philosophy of transparency, equity, and selfless leadership.
“How can we, as a people who value hard work and moral rectitude, celebrate wealth and power whose origins are shrouded in controversy?” Ogunleye asked.
“This does not reflect the Yoruba ideal of leadership that uplifts the community rather than exploits it.”
The Council further warned that the Southwest is already facing serious security challenges from herdsmen-related violence, including killings, kidnappings, and destruction of farmlands.
“Honouring individuals whose leadership is associated with the rise of similar banditry in other parts of the country risks sending a message that such conduct is tolerable,” the statement read.
“We must not normalize or glorify behavior that endangers lives and livelihoods. Our youth deserve role models who protect and unite, not those whose legacies are stained by insecurity and ethical questions.”
The Yoruba Youth Council called on the Alaafin of Oyo and all Yoruba traditional leaders to reconsider the conferment of these titles.
“True cultural bridge-building must be rooted in unimpeachable character and a proven commitment to peace, justice, and the welfare of the people,” Dr. Ogunleye concluded.
The Council urged Yoruba youth across the country to remain vigilant and united in defending the sanctity of their cultural heritage.
“We will continue to advocate peacefully for values that reflect our proud identity. Titles should inspire, not divide or endanger.”
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