Re: Nigeria, An Open Letter to Religious Leaders

I will like to say a big thank you to the owners of the following blogs; www.stelladimokokorkus.com, www.diarybyemmy.com and www.misspetitenigeria.blogspot.co.uk for publishing my article ‘Nigeria: An Open Letter to Religious Leaders. I have read all the comments carefully, pondered on them and decided to address all the issues raised.

When I wrote the article, I expected a lot more lashing than I got, I am very aware that Nigerians and religion are intertwined and I joked to myself that if I survive this, it is meant to be.

I was pleasantly surprised by some of the comments and it gave me joy to know that several people understand. A comment from Nkem on Stella’s blog made my day , it summarised my analysis of the whole situation. She said ‘All the writer has done is challenge our mentality! The average Nigerian will not help himself but will wait for God even when God has given him the senses and resources to help himself’. My aim is to challenge our thinking and reasoning, we need to view things more physically and stop assuming everything is spiritual and requires prayers.  Let’s stop being ‘intellectually lazy’ and start being realistic. We need to ‘loosen up spiritually’because MOST situations require us to use our God given intellect to make choices and be responsible for the choices  we make, without laying the blame on spiritual forces.  This is applicable to our personal lives and to Nigeria as a nation. Let’s not go off topic.

Please be aware that I am not asking for religion to be taken away from our country, that is infact impossible as religion is deeply embedded in Nigeria. The point is how can we use it as a positive tool to turn the situation of the country around for good?

Firstly, what can religious leaders do?

I must emphasize that I have not asked religious leaders to instigate war or violence in Nigeria but to use their convincing powers to change the mindset of their congregation. I also have not asked them to tell the congregation to stop praying but to let them know that prayers only will not and cannot solve all our issues. Like I said before, if it could, Nigeria will be the best country on earth. 

Spiritual leaders have a very strong hold on their congregation and for many Nigerians, what their ‘Man of God’ says is life. According to an anonymous writer on Stella’s blog ‘the writer is suggesting that these religious leaders use their powers of persuasion to appeal to the congregation rather than always asking to pray and asking people to give testimonies for avoiding these atrocities’. It is as simple as that.

Maybe I do not have the correct answers for what exactly spiritual leaders should be telling their members but I know deep down within me that if religious leaders become the catalyst of change by using their powers to speak to their congregation about decision making concerning leadership in Nigeria, we will be in the right direction . Enough of selecting leaders based on ethnic and religious beliefs, the message should be loud and clear. Let people know that no matter the amount of prayers offered, if they make the wrong decision at the polls, the suffering continues.They trust you and believe all you say.

I saw so many comments saying Nigerians are the change we desire: stop taking bribe, stop littering the floor, stop doing this and that. Can you tell that to a hungry man with a family to feed? The change has to come from the leaders. When the people get a good leader that is there to serve and reduce their suffering , you can start to preach to them to change their attitude and they will listen to you. You can even set up laws, enforce them and citizens will be happy  to obey but for now, in Nigeria, it is survival of the fittest for most till life gets better.

 Also, according to Truth seller ‘the most they (religious leaders) can do is probably boycott all invitations from the government to show their grievances’. This is very true because a religious leader constantly being seen with a politician might come across as approval to their congregation. I do not wish to go further with this analogy as my intention is not to insult any religious leader. The Martin Luther King illustration used by a commentator is a good indication of how religious leaders can handle the government. 

May I therefore plead with anyone that has a better suggestion on what religious leaders can do apart from advising the congregation to pray, to please write to me as I am deeply convinced that they will form a big part of the change we desire in Nigeria. This of course refers to true religious leaders and not those in the ministry for personal gain.

Secondly, what have I done and where do I live?

Yes, I live abroad and this has been a life changing experience for me. I used to be the typical Nigerian, blaming everything on spiritual things and assuming that prayers will get me a job even if I don’t attend an interview. I moved abroad and started to experience real life. I saw that nations that had no religion or offered the least prayers were the best, with their citizens living good lives and the government accountable to them. I started seeing that as a citizen I am entitled to same basic amenities of life. I saw that the citizens were very passionate about their country not by praying but by demanding for their rights.  I saw politicians go to jail for paltry sums equivalent to N750,000. In the midst of it all, I saw that no one went on TV to mention God or say let’s pray about any situation and curl back into their rooms. I started to think to myself, if we can live like this and add the God factor we already have. What will the results be?

This brings me to what I am doing. I have not folded my arms quietly and watched Nigerians suffer from afar, it is far easier to do that, but I have thought about a tool that can be used to bring about change. Which is - Change the Mindset of the average Nigerian through the Religious Leaders they have so much faith and believe in.  If I am able to change the mindset of 1000 people and those 1,000 people change the mindset of 1,000 people each, what have I done? Do I have to hit the streets and initiate a revolution before it can be said that I am doing something. If we all think up something, no matter how small and we make efforts to apply it, we will begin to see the change we so desire. So my question is thrown back at all those that asked me.
What have you done?? Yes, you are praying, what practical steps have you taken to initiate the change you desire?

Thirdly, my religion

I am a Christian but I am not a ‘Nigerian Christian’. Don’t get me wrong, we have ‘Nigerian Christians’ all over the world.  I do not wish to elaborate on that so I don't tamper with anyone’s faith or belief.

As for me, Religion is service to humanity and it makes more sense to me to see people running marathons for hours or doing cake sales to raise money to help the poor in Africa (that have refused to help themselves), rather than attending services every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday to pray for personal gains and blessings. If I may ask, do you pray about the same thing every week or have something new to ask God every time you go? Again, I derail and I apologise, everyone is entitled to their beliefs.

Let me ask you a thought provoking question and this is not for religious fanatics. 85% of the people in Sweden have no religion and it’s the 6^th best country in the world to live in. Where would you rather live at this time? Nigeria or Sweden? We need to start thinking deeply.

Lastly, for those that called me Mr, I am a young lady passionate about my country, hoping for change and willing to secure the future of generations of Nigerians unborn.

Thanks for reading.

Bless

Mena