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By : Kareem Azeez
Date: 26 Apr 2025
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‘God told him to finger her so that her sickness would leave her’ This statement was reportedly made by a so-called man of God, who is currently facing the law, according to Barrister Olumide Omosebi during a show on 99.3 Nigeria info. He further revealed that when the parents got to know about the pastor’s abuse of their daughter, they kept mute and didn’t want to share anything because he was a man of God.
Another one was raped in the mosque by an Imam, now she can never forgive her parents for not believing her, and she would continue to carry the grudge to the grave.
There are thousands of these going on, the excerpts above are just one of many, not just sexual abuse but hypocrisy of the highest order in the name of religion.
Nigeria is, without a doubt, one of the most religious nations on earth. Churches and mosques line every street corner. On Sundays, cities slow down as the faithful flock to their places of worship. On Fridays, the same applies in the mosques. Yet, in all this religious fervour, something deeply troubling lingers beneath the surface, hypocrisy, deceit, and a dangerous over-reliance on religious figures who often lead their followers astray.
Over time, I have come to discover that two major things have made our country the way we are: Religion and tribalism. Many of us know this but can do nothing about it.
We have become a nation more devoted to outward spirituality than inward integrity, more addicted to prophesy than progress, and more committed to miracles than meaningful development.
This is not a critique of religion itself—far from it. Faith can be a powerful source of hope, community, and morality. However, when religion becomes a smokescreen for ignorance, manipulation, and laziness, we must stop and ask ourselves: what are we doing?
Across Nigeria today, countless men and women parade themselves as pastors, prophets, imams, and “anointed” figures. Many have turned their pulpits into theatres of fear and control.
Instead of empowering their congregation to pursue education, hard work, and civic responsibility, they preach submission, sow fear, and promise miracles in exchange for money. The result is a growing population that clings to prayers while neglecting the basic principles of progress—planning, discipline, and accountability.
The Holy Bible, often quoted selectively by these pastors, says in Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting understand.” Similarly, the Quran encourages the pursuit of knowledge. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” So, if our religions promote learning, why is Nigeria’s education sector in crisis while churches and mosques keep expanding?
Our misplaced priorities are reflected in our actions. We donate millions to build church auditoriums but leave our public schools in ruins. You should also know that Nigeria has the biggest church auditorium in the world, yet ranks amongst the poorest and not up to standard education-wise.
We fast and pray for jobs we are not qualified for. We blame witches and spiritual forces for problems that require policy, planning, and effort. When a child fails WAEC, it’s not the fault of a broken educational system or lack of study—it’s “village people.” When the government fails, it’s because “the nation needs to pray more.” When the roads are bad, it’s not a lack of infrastructure funding but “a sign of end times.” How did we become this delusional?
Let us compare ourselves with other countries. According to Pew Research, nations like Sweden, Japan, Denmark, and the Netherlands report some of the lowest levels of religiosity in the world. Yet, these countries rank among the highest in terms of education, technological innovation, healthcare, and overall quality of life. Meanwhile, Nigeria remains one of the most religious nations—over 90% of Nigerians claim adherence to a faith—yet we continue to battle poverty, corruption, and underdevelopment.
According to the UN Human Development Index (2023), Nigeria ranks 161 out of 191 countries, far below nations that have embraced secularism and reason.
Education is the bridge between hope and reality. It teaches us how the
world works, how to think critically, how to solve problems, and how to build sustainable societies. But we’ve allowed fake religious leaders to convince us that knowledge is secondary to blind faith. A child who shows interest in science is told to avoid “worldly wisdom.”
A university graduate is advised to “sow a seed” rather than write a business plan. A sick person is told to avoid the hospital and attend “healing crusades.” The madness continues, and so does our suffering.
Religion should elevate a society, not enslave it. It should inspire us to live better, not fear more. It should awaken our minds, not shut them down. Nigeria must reclaim the essence of faith—one that upholds honesty, hard work, and education, not exploitation. We must also begin to challenge the men and women who misrepresent faith for personal gain.
It’s time to shift our national mindset. Instead of fasting for 40 days to pass exams, let’s read. Instead of paying tithes to buy our pastor a new car, let’s contribute to fixing our school roofs. Instead of blaming Satan for every setback, let’s take responsibility and act with wisdom. Miracles may be real, but they are not national development strategies.
Nigeria must think more. We must look beyond the smoke and mirrors of fake spirituality and embrace the tools that truly build nations—education, innovation, integrity, and hard work. As James 2:17 in the Bible says, “Faith without works is dead.” Let’s not just pray for Nigeria. Let’s work for her.
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