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.
Banwo Questions Bwala’s Credibility After Al Jazeera Interview
Public commentator, Dr. Ope Banwo, has criticised Daniel Bwala, the Presidential Spokesperson on Policy Communication for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following a contentious interview on Al Jazeera, describing the appearance as damaging to the credibility of Nigeria’s public communication.
Bwala had appeared on a programme hosted by journalist Mehdi Hasan, where he faced a series of questions about past statements attributed to him. During the exchange, Hasan presented video clips of previous remarks by the government spokesman and asked him to reconcile them with his responses during the interview.
The exchange, which has since circulated widely online, drew attention after Bwala appeared to dispute statements that were subsequently played back during the programme.
Reacting to the development, Banwo said the episode reflected poorly on Nigeria’s representation on international media platforms.
According to him, the availability of digital records and online archives means public officials must be prepared to defend their past statements whenever they appear on global television.
“In the era of instant fact-checking, any public figure going on international television must assume that every previous statement can be easily retrieved,” Banwo said.
He added that the controversy surrounding the interview was particularly troubling because the contradictions presented during the programme were supported with video evidence.
Banwo noted that while political interviews can be confrontational, government representatives should expect tough questioning when appearing before international audiences.
The founder of Naija Lives Matters also expressed concern over Bwala’s reaction during the interview, especially his claim that he was not informed he would be required to defend his personal record.
“A government spokesman should never be surprised by questions about his own public statements,” Banwo said.
During the programme, Bwala also responded to criticism of Nigeria’s governance challenges by arguing that similar problems exist in other parts of the world.
However, Banwo argued that such comparisons do not address the specific issues raised about Nigeria.
According to him, the episode should serve as a reminder of the importance of preparation and credibility when Nigerian officials appear before international media platforms.
The interview has continued to generate reactions across social media and political commentary circles, with observers debating both the conduct of the interview and the implications for Nigeria’s global image.
society
THE IMPERIAL GOLD COIN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF ATLANTIS UNVEILED AS SYMBOL OF SOVEREIGNTY AND HERITAGE
THE IMPERIAL GOLD COIN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF ATLANTIS UNVEILED AS SYMBOL OF SOVEREIGNTY AND HERITAGE
_[Atlantis City, United Kingdom of Atlantis – March 2026]_ – The United Kingdom of Atlantis proudly announces the introduction of its *Imperial Gold Coin*, a magnificent emblem of sovereignty, authority, and imperial heritage. The exquisite gold coin has been crafted to represent the nation’s regal tradition, economic strength, and the visionary leadership of its monarch.
The centerpiece of the coin features the dignified portrait of *His Imperial Majesty, Professor Solomon Wining*, depicted in full royal regalia. Crowned with a majestic golden crown and adorned with intricately crafted ornaments, the portrait embodies honor, wisdom, and noble leadership befitting a sovereign ruler. The depiction celebrates the monarch’s reign, which is associated with wisdom, development, and the pursuit of justice.
The golden coin itself signifies *prosperity, stability, and the enduring legacy* of the Atlantis Kingdom. Gold, historically a universal symbol of power, wealth, and permanence, reflects the strength and vision of the kingdom’s leadership and its aspirations for lasting greatness.
Encircling the royal portrait is the carefully engraved inscription *“United Kingdom of Atlantis”*, reinforcing the state’s identity any the authority of its sovereign ruler. The lower rim of the coin prominently displays the name *Solomon Wining*, commemorating the monarch whose leadership is linked to noble governance and national advancement.
The phrase *“Gold Coin”* highlights not only the currency’s intrinsic value but also its symbolic significance as a representation of the kingdom’s economic structure and royal treasury. Beyond its aesthetic elegance, the coin serves as a *mark of sovereignty*, a seal of authority, and a reminder of the royal institution governing the United Kingdom of Atlantis.
The Imperial Gold Coin represents:
– *Unity* among citizens,
– *Loyalty* to the crown,
– A vision of a kingdom built upon *justice, prosperity, and noble leadership*.
Every detail—from the engraved crown to the polished golden surface—makes the coin a timeless emblem of imperial prestige and national pride. It stands as both a symbol of wealth and a monument to the legacy of royal leadership, reminding all who behold it of the enduring power and majesty of the United Kingdom of Atlantis.
The United Kingdom of Atlantis is a sovereign nation dedicated to upholding traditions of regal governance, cultural heritage, and economic prosperity, guided by the wisdom of its imperial leadership.
_Notes to Editors_:
The Imperial Gold Coin is intended for commemorative and symbolic purposes, representing the nation’s imperial heritage and royal authority.
Ajadi Visits Ibadan Chief Imam, Receives Blessings
The leading gubernatorial aspirant in Oyo State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, on Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to the Grand Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Imam Abdul Ganiy Abubakir Agbotomokekere, at his Oja’ba residence in Ibadan, where discussions centred on leadership, integrity, and the role of prayers in governance.
Ajadi, who described the revered Islamic cleric as a spiritual pillar in Oyo State, said his visit was to seek prayers and wise counsel as he continues consultations ahead of the 2027 governorship race.
While addressing the Chief Imam, Ajadi commended his consistent prayers for Ibadanland, Oyo State and Nigeria, noting that religious leaders remain critical stakeholders in nation building.
“I have come to seek your prayers and spiritual blessings because of your important role in promoting peace, unity and moral guidance in our society,” Ajadi said.
“I also want to appreciate your continuous prayers for the progress of Ibadanland, Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole. My prayer is that Almighty Allah will continue to grant you sound health and long life to witness many more Ramadan seasons on earth.”
Speaking further, the PDP gubernatorial aspirant emphasised the need for leadership driven by compassion, fairness and accountability, stressing that his political aspiration is rooted in service to the people.
“My ambition is not just about occupying an office but about serving the people with sincerity and fear of God. We must continue to encourage politics that will bring development and improve the welfare of our people,” he added.
While speaking with journalists after the visit, Ajadi also assured the people of Oyo State and Nigerians at large that the internal crisis and political tensions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been brought under control by the grace of God. He expressed optimism that the party would emerge victorious in all elective positions in the 2027 general elections.
In his response, Sheikh Agbotomokekere advised the governorship hopeful to remain focused on the principles of good governance, warning against corrupt practices often associated with politics.
The respected Islamic scholar noted that while politics is practised differently by individuals, only leaders with integrity and fear of God can truly deliver the dividends of democracy.
“Politics is practised by different kinds of people. Some play politics in a corrupt way, while others practise it with sincerity. My prayer is that you will be among those who will practise democracy in the right way if you become governor,” the Chief Imam said.
He reminded the aspirant that human ambition can only be fulfilled by divine approval, stressing that ultimate power belongs to God.
“Whoever is seeking a position should know that only Allah can make such an ambition come true. Whether a person becomes famous or remains unknown is also by the will of Allah,” he said.
Offering prayers for the politician, the cleric added: “Many people may be struggling for a position meant for one person, and it is only God who knows the rightful person. I pray that Almighty Allah will make you the chosen one among all the contenders.”
Using a football analogy to further illustrate his point, the cleric advised Ajadi to be wary of political distractions and misleading influences.
“On the football field, sometimes spectators believe they understand the game more than the players themselves. I pray that you will not be misled by so-called political gurus and that God will guide your steps aright,” he said.
Sheikh Agbotomokekere, the 18th Chief Imam of Ibadanland, is widely respected across South-Western Nigeria for his scholarship, spiritual leadership and advocacy for peaceful coexistence among religious and political groups.
Observers say the visit forms part of Ajadi’s ongoing consultations with key stakeholders, traditional rulers and religious leaders as political activities gradually gather momentum ahead of the next electoral cycle in Oyo State.
The cleric offered special prayers for peace in Oyo State, successful leadership, and continued unity among the people despite political and religious differences.
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