Politics
Religion, Tribalism, and Political Issues Affecting Nigerians at Home and Abroad
Religion, Tribalism, and Political Issues Affecting Nigerians at Home and Abroad
By George O. Sylvester
Nigeria, a nation blessed with vast natural resources, a rich cultural heritage, and a resilient people, faces significant challenges that threaten its very foundation. As former President Olusegun Obasanjo once noted,
“Nigeria is a complex country, and we have to be careful not to allow our diversity to become a source of weakness, but rather a source of strength.”
Unfortunately, instead of being a unifying force, Nigeria’s diversity has increasingly become a source of division, with religion, tribalism, and politics driving deep wedges between its people.
Religion: A Tool for Unity or Division?
Religion plays a significant role in the lives of Nigerians, shaping their values, governance, and social interactions. The country is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims, with a minority practicing indigenous religions. While faith should ideally promote peace and moral conduct, Nigeria’s religious landscape has often been a battleground for political influence, social conflict, and even violence.
Religious differences have contributed to some of the country’s worst crises, from the 1966 coup and the subsequent civil war to the rise of extremist groups like Boko Haram. The insurgency, which started in the northeast, has left tens of thousands dead and displaced millions. However, religious tension is not confined to terrorism; periodic clashes between Christian and Muslim communities over land, politics, and governance have occurred in states like Kaduna, Plateau, and Benue.
Yet, the Quran reminds us:
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.” — (Quran 49:13)
Similarly, the Bible teaches:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — (Galatians 3:28)
Despite these messages of unity, religious leaders and politicians frequently exploit religious sentiments to gain followers and suppress opposition. Churches and mosques often serve as political arenas where leaders mobilize their congregations for electoral victories rather than promoting national unity. The recent controversy over Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket debates in presidential elections further exemplifies how religion is often weaponized in Nigerian politics.
However, there have been instances where religion has fostered peace and unity. Initiatives such as interfaith dialogues, the National Mosque and National Christian Centre collaborations, and efforts by organizations like the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) have attempted to bridge the divide. If more religious leaders advocate for unity rather than division, Nigeria could harness its religious diversity for progress rather than conflict.
Tribalism and Political Struggles
Tribalism has long been a significant factor in Nigeria’s political and social landscape. With over 250 ethnic groups, Nigeria is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. The three largest groups—the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo—dominate national politics, often to the detriment of smaller ethnic minorities.
Since gaining independence in 1960, ethnic loyalties have frequently overshadowed national interests. The civil war (1967–1970) between the Nigerian government and the secessionist state of Biafra was one of the most devastating consequences of ethnic tensions. Although the war ended over 50 years ago, ethnic grievances persist. Many Igbos feel politically marginalized, while the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani continue to dominate the political scene.
Ethnic-based political alliances have also fueled corruption and nepotism. Political parties in Nigeria often reflect ethnic interests rather than ideological differences. Leaders distribute resources and political appointments based on tribal affiliations rather than competence, leading to inefficiency in governance. The persistent calls for restructuring and self-determination by groups like the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Oduduwa Republic movement highlight the dissatisfaction of many ethnic groups with the current federal structure.
Even among Nigerians in the diaspora, ethnic divisions remain evident. Rather than uniting as one Nigerian community, ethnic groups frequently organize their separate events and institutions. A striking example of this division was seen in the recent passport intervention program in South Africa, which was designed to assist Nigerians abroad with passport renewal and other consular services. Unfortunately, the program was marred by controversy and infighting, with different ethnic and interest groups vying for control and influence, further highlighting the deep-seated divisions among Nigerians.
Politics and the Struggle for Power
Political instability has been a major hindrance to Nigeria’s development. The country has experienced multiple military coups, civilian regimes plagued by corruption, and electoral malpractices that undermine democratic principles. Despite transitioning to democracy in 1999, the political landscape remains fragile, with widespread voter suppression, election violence, and allegations of rigging.
One of Nigeria’s major political issues is the failure of leadership to address the country’s socio-economic challenges. Politicians often prioritize personal and ethnic interests over national development. The lack of accountability has led to widespread corruption, with billions of dollars stolen from public coffers while basic amenities such as electricity, healthcare, and education remain underfunded.
Additionally, political power struggles have fueled violence across the country. The farmer-herder clashes in the Middle Belt, banditry in the Northwest, and the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta all have political undertones. Many of these conflicts are exacerbated by poor governance, economic hardship, and a lack of political will to address root causes.
As Nigeria prepares for future elections, the need for electoral reforms, stronger institutions, and credible leadership has never been more critical. The success of the 2023 general elections demonstrated some progress, with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) reducing electoral fraud. However, more needs to be done to ensure free and fair elections that reflect the people’s will.
A Call for Unity and National Consensus
To overcome these challenges, Nigerians—both at home and abroad—must come together to forge a new national consensus, one that prioritizes unity, inclusivity, and the common good. As former President Olusegun Obasanjo stated,
“Nigeria’s future is bright, but we must work together to achieve it.
”
Similarly, Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole observed,
“The Nigerian diaspora is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, and we must find ways to navigate its complexities.”
For Nigeria to progress, certain key actions must be taken:
1. Promoting National Identity Over Ethnic Loyalty
Nigeria must foster a national identity that transcends tribal and religious lines. This can be achieved through inclusive policies, unbiased historical education, and national programs that encourage unity.
2. Strengthening Institutions and the Rule of Law
A strong legal system that holds leaders accountable will reduce corruption and ensure that governance benefits all Nigerians, not just a privileged few. Electoral reforms and anti-corruption measures must be enforced to restore faith in the government.
3. Encouraging Religious Tolerance and Interfaith Dialogue
Religious leaders and institutions must actively promote peace, coexistence, and mutual respect among Nigeria’s diverse faith communities. Interfaith initiatives should be expanded to bridge divides and counteract extremist ideologies.
4. Fostering Unity Among the Nigerian Diaspora
Nigerians abroad should see themselves as ambassadors of one nation, rather than representatives of separate ethnic groups. The diaspora can play a key role in national development through investments, knowledge transfer, and advocacy for democratic governance.
5. Ensuring Economic and Social Development
Economic disparity is a major driver of conflict. Policies that promote job creation, education, and poverty alleviation will help reduce the frustration that fuels religious extremism and ethnic tension.
Conclusion
Now is the time for Nigerians—both within the country and in the diaspora—to rise above divisions and work toward a brighter, more unified future. Nigeria has the potential to be a global powerhouse, but only if its people can look beyond their differences and work together for the common good.
The road to unity is not easy, but as history has shown, great nations are built not on division, but on the strength of a united people. Nigerians must choose whether to be held back by their differences or to embrace their diversity as a tool for progress. The choice is clear: unity, peace, and development must take precedence over tribalism, religious intolerance, and political selfishness. Only then can Nigeria fulfill its vast potential and become the great country its people deserve.
Politics
A Nation Betrayed: How NASS Budget Padding Exposes Tinubu’s Complicity and the Rot in Nigeria’s Leadership. By George Omagbemi Sylvester
A Nation Betrayed: How NASS Budget Padding Exposes Tinubu’s Complicity and the Rot in Nigeria’s Leadership.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
In a disturbing revelation that should outrage every patriotic Nigerian, civic-tech organization BudgIT has uncovered a monumental financial scandal in the 2025 budget, one that shatters every illusion of fiscal responsibility under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. According to BudgIT’s damning analysis, the National Assembly padded the 2025 Appropriation Act by inserting 11,122 projects worth a staggering ₦6.93 trillion, projects not proposed by any Ministries, Departments or Agencies (MDAs), but smuggled in by lawmakers.
This is not a clerical oversight, but a calculated and treacherous move. More importantly, this raises one inescapable question: Why did President Bola Tinubu sign this fraudulent budget into law if he was genuinely against it? The answer is simple, brutal and damning: because he is part of the collaboration. This is not just corruption, it is institutional betrayal. It is the final confirmation that the war in Nigeria is not between political parties but between the corrupt elite and the suffering Nigerian masses.
The Anatomy of Budget Padding
Let us first understand the scale of this treachery. The 2025 national budget, totalling ₦28.7 trillion, now has nearly 25% padded content, courtesy of lawmakers’ “constituency projects.” These are not national priorities or economically strategic programs. These are politically motivated insertions designed to enrich contractors linked to lawmakers, reward political loyalty and in some cases, simply launder money.
BudgIT revealed that several of these projects are duplicated, vague, inflated or outrightly useless, such as the procurement of hundreds of boreholes and solar streetlights in areas that do not even have roads, schools or hospitals. These are not investments; they are tools of financial cannibalism.
A similar trend happened in previous years, but never on this scale. In 2021, former President Buhari complained that the National Assembly inserted over 1,000 projects worth ₦150 billion. Now, under Tinubu, that figure has ballooned to ₦6.93 trillion; which is nearly forty-six times higher. This is not reform. This is regression at gunpoint.
Tinubu’s Silence is Complicity
To sign such a budget, fully aware of its fraudulent padding, is not a mistake, this is an endorsement. President Tinubu, known for his political astuteness and Machiavellian tactics, cannot claim ignorance. BudgIT’s report was based on public records. If civic groups could uncover this, then surely the Office of the President, with all its resources, was also aware.
Yet, Tinubu raised no alarm. He signed it into law. Why?
Because the padding was politically convenient. This budget is not just a fiscal document, it is a loyalty purchase agreement. As the APC seeks to consolidate power ahead of 2027, especially in light of its underwhelming performance, it is using state resources to bribe lawmakers across party lines. These padded projects are political IOUs for securing second-term endorsements and collapsing opposition platforms.
This is not democratic governance. This is budgetary banditry, orchestrated under the guise of legislative “oversight.”
The Cost to the People
While the so-called leaders gorge themselves on fake projects and fraudulent allocations, ordinary Nigerians are gasping for breath. Inflation is above 33%, food inflation is at 40%, unemployment remains sky-high and naira continues to hemorrhage value, trading at nearly ₦1,500 to the dollar. Meanwhile, the masses are told to “tighten their belts” while the political elite expands theirs.
Public infrastructure is collapsing. Schools remain underfunded, hospitals are glorified mortuaries and insecurity has become a permanent fixture. Yet ₦6.93 trillion enough to build 20 world-class universities or electrify entire regions has been carved out as a political slush fund.
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa, once noted, “The problem with Nigeria is not lack of resources. It is the deliberate theft of the commonwealth by a few.” That is exactly what this budget represents: a theft of historic proportions, blessed by the presidency, executed by lawmakers and paid for by the blood and sweat of ordinary Nigerians.
A Nation Held Hostage
The fundamental betrayal here is not just the money. It is the normalization of impunity. Nigeria has become a hostage state where lawmakers legislate for themselves, the executive protects the corrupt and the judiciary often dances to the tune of power. The 2025 budget saga is not just another scandal, it is a window into how deeply broken the Nigerian state has become.
Even worse is the sheer arrogance with which this fraud is being executed. No lawmaker has denied BudgIT’s report. No investigation has been ordered. The Presidency has remained silent and the APC, whose manifesto once promised “fiscal discipline,” has said nothing.
Silence is not just death anymore, it is endorsement. Every day this padded budget stands unchallenged, democracy dies a little more.
Calls for Action
This cannot be allowed to stand. Civil society must rise. Journalists must demand answers. Every Nigerian must understand that this is not politics this is plunder. The 2025 budget must be reviewed, the padded projects must be removed and those responsible must face prosecution.
Section 81(1) of the Nigerian Constitution empowers the President to prepare and lay before the National Assembly an annual budget. However, it also states in Section 80(4) that “no moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund other than in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.” This legal ambiguity has been weaponized by both the legislature and the executive to enrich themselves while the nation bleeds.
This is where the people must draw the line. Budget padding is not just bad governance, it is treason against the Nigerian people. Those who participate in it, approve it or benefit from it must be named, shamed and prosecuted.
Final Thoughts: Time for a Revolution of Accountability
The time for timid reform is over. Nigeria needs a revolution not of guns, but of accountability, transparency and civic outrage. If the President will not fight corruption, then the people must. If lawmakers will not serve the people, they must be voted out even if it means starting from scratch.
History will not be kind to the collaborators of this budget. And neither should we.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” The 2025 budget scandal matters. It is a defining moment in the fight for Nigeria’s soul. And we must not remain silent.
One Voice, One Future: Youth Power for a New Nigeria
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
In the history of nations, there always comes a defining moment when the youth must rise to rescue their future from the grip of complacency, corruption and systemic decay. That moment, for Nigeria, is now. The clarion call is no longer a whisper in the dark, it is a deafening roar echoing across the cities and villages, the streets and campuses and the diaspora. 2027 is not just another election year; it is a generation’s opportunity to reclaim its destiny.
Nigeria, once hailed as the Giant of Africa, is now crawling under the weight of failed leadership, nepotism, economic collapse and insecurity. Over 70% of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35, this is not a mere statistic; it is a superpower waiting to be activated. Yet, for decades, the same recycled leadership has ruled the country like a private estate, while the youth are sidelined, patronized or pacified with empty slogans.
The Reality: A Nation Betrayed
The facts are brutal and undeniable. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as of the fourth quarter of 2024, youth unemployment stood at 42.5%, one of the highest rates globally. Thousands of graduates are turned out yearly into a job market that has nothing to offer them. Our educational institutions are underfunded, with lecturers going on endless strikes, while billions of naira are siphoned into the offshore accounts of corrupt politicians.
The World Bank states that over 40% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, with youth bearing the brunt of the economic despair. The same youth are used during elections as pawns, thugs, online propagandists and cheerleaders for politicians who have never and will never fight for their future.
We must say: “Enough is Enough.”
The Power of Youth: A Sleeping Giant
Across Africa, the story is changing. Youth-led movements are challenging old orders and shaking the foundations of outdated governance systems.
In Uganda, Bobi Wine, a musician turned politician, galvanized millions of youth to challenge President Museveni’s long-standing dictatorship. While he didn’t win the election, he ignited a flame of hope. In Sudan, youth were at the center of the 2019 revolution that ousted the 30-year regime of Omar al-Bashir.
As Nelson Mandela once said, “Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.” But as things stand in Nigeria, tomorrow never seems to come, unless we seize it.
In 2020, during the #EndSARS movement, we saw a glimpse of what a united, tech savvy and courageous Nigerian youth can achieve. For once, the world stood still as Nigerian youth organized without a central leadership structure, crowd funded, coordinated logistics, engaged in civic education and peacefully demanded justice. Despite the violent crackdown at Lekki Tollgate, the spirit of resistance lives on.
2027: The Youth Mandate
If we are serious about change, then 2027 must be our electoral revolution. Not through violence, but through strategic mobilization, political education, voter registration and active participation in the democratic process.
Let us be clear: the days of apathy are over. As the African proverb goes, “He who is not part of the solution is part of the problem.”
Youth must no longer be mere spectators or online critics; we must become candidates, campaigners, policy drafters, party leaders, election monitors and political donors. Our demographic power must translate into voting power and our voting power must produce accountable leadership.
According to INEC, less than 35% of youth eligible to vote actually did so in the 2023 elections. This is a travesty. With over 90 million Nigerians under 40, if even 50% of us vote smartly and strategically in 2027, we can turn the tide.
Towards a National Youth Alliance
What we need now is not another party, we need a movement, a coalition, a National Youth Alliance that transcends ethnicity, religion and class.
A youth amalgamation that brings together student unions, tech entrepreneurs, young professionals, artisans, artists, athletes, activists and influencers. A youth vanguard that builds structures, fields candidates, protects votes and holds leaders accountable.
We must engage in issue based politics, not stomach infrastructure or tribal loyalties. The youth must demand answers to the questions that matter:
“Why are over 10 million Nigerian children out of school?”
“Why does Nigeria remain the poverty capital of the world, according to the Brookings Institution?”
“Why is our minimum wage ₦70,000 when a bag of rice is over ₦70,000?”
“Why are lawmakers earning ₦30 million monthly while civil servants are owed arrears?”
The late Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader, once said, “You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness.” We need a bit of that madness, the madness to challenge the status quo, to think differently and to act boldly.
From Hashtags to Ballot Boxes
It is not enough to trend on Twitter or rant on TikTok, social media is powerful, yes I agree, but it is not a substitute for civic engagement; we need to bridge the gap between online activism and offline results.
Youths must start at the grassroots to win local government seats, state assemblies and build a pipeline of leadership that is tested and accountable. The #NotTooYoungToRun Act must not be a symbolic victory; it must be a political weapon in our hands.
Let us support credible youth candidates with our time, resources and platforms. Let us organize town hall meetings, debates and policy hackathons. Let us raise funds, build apps to track campaign promises and expose corrupt leaders.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, “When we refuse to engage in politics, we end up being governed by our inferiors.”
Time for Tangible Action
It is time for each Nigerian youth to ask themselves: What am I doing today to secure my tomorrow? Are we registering to vote? Are we sensitizing our peers? Are we demanding better governance at the community level?
We must begin to think long term, beyond 2027. The goal is not just to elect a few fresh faces. The goal is to build a sustainable youth-driven democratic culture where excellence not ethnicity, becomes the metric of leadership.
Let us stop romanticizing suffering. Nigeria has the talent, the resources and the manpower to be great. What we lack is visionary leadership and that is what we must now provide.
Final Words: A Movement, not a Moment
This is a movement, not a moment. It will require sacrifice, unity and strategy. There will be obstacles, betrayals and frustrations. But we must remain focused.
As the Pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah declared: “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.” Likewise, any victory in 2027 will be meaningless unless it sets off a chain reaction of liberation, innovation and transformation across all levels of Nigerian society.
So, dear patriotic Nigerian youth; RISE! This is your time… Your country needs you more than ever.
Don’t wait for change, be the change.
Together, we can make a difference.
#YouthFor2027 #NationalAllianceNow #SecureTheFuture #NigeriaDeservesBetter
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