By Moses Oludele Idowu
The place of religion in the polity is greatly misunderstood and over-emphasized in Nigeria. The importance of religion is actually exaggerated. Nigerians are not religious, certainly not as religious as they appear or claim.
It is my thesis that ethnicity or tribal factor is far more important to Nigerians than even religion. Ethnic irredentism is a reality with us rather than religious fanaticism.
Ethnic identity is a far weightier element and consideration in the affairs of Nigeria and in the behaviour of most Nigerians. Religion only come to play when the factor of ethnic identity is missing.
I can cite several cases in recent memory to support this but I will limit it to just few.
- Ethnic Conflicts Between Communities of Common Faith Traditions
The first evidence of this is that when conflicts arise between communities that practice the same religion or where the same religion is dominant, the religion plays no role whatsoever to stop the conflict. Rather the two communities fight each other without any consideration for the common Faith they profess.
Two examples here I want to cite.
1 . Offa – Erin-Ile Land Dispute / Communal Crises
I witnessed this conflict firsthand when it first flared up around early 1980’s leading to killings. I heard firsthand account of the crisis from eyewitnesses interviewed by me from both sides. It was over land dispute and boundary and other age- long misgivings and bitterness.
My point is this, both Offa and Erin are dominant Muslim communities. Yes, there are substantial Christian elements in both Offa and Erin but the majority of the people of the towns are Muslims.
Now one would expect that two neighbouring towns with adherents of the same Faith as dominant figures and even traditional rulers, that conflict should have been settled in accordance with the principles of the Faith in question rather than resorting to violence. One would have thought that the Chief Imam of Erin-Ile would have reached out to his counterpart in Offa and settle this amicably and then appealed to their members not to fight since it is unislamic for a Muslim to fight another Muslim. Same for the two traditional rulers then who were both Muslims, Not so.
A fierce battle was fought which drew casualties from both sides although heavier on one side than the other. Islam was not remembered at this time which majority in the two towns practiced.
Instead an Erin Muslim man sees a Christian of his own town as his brother and closer and next-of-kin to him rather than an Ofa man of the same faith tradition.
In point of fact my Erin informants told me that the church tower in the town where church bell used to call people for worship was where loudspeakers were mounted to rally and send alarm to the militia: “Offa people are coming, come out”.
Church became the place where alarms went out to rally the town of impending attack from Offa and to rally the militia to come out with their weapons. Both Muslims and Christians became one because the safety of their ancestry and land, their ethnicity is threatened. Religion now was secondary.
Same for the Offa end too. As my informants told me, the Offa too rallied as one – no Christian or Muslim and traditionalists.
Both Christians and Muslims in Offa saw themselves now as one and religion came to the background.
I was also told by my Erin informants that the traditional elements or forces led the battle on the Erin side and also on the Offa side.
So both Christians, Muslims and traditional religion adherents became one because survival of their ancestry was at stake. The Christian did not say that the traditional elements worship idols at this time and the Muslims did not raise issues with Christians “that God has no son”. Erin-Ile was now one, no male nor female. To face a larger, richer and well-connected and populous enemy next door.
The same thing happened at Offa end.
This is the first reason that I state that religion in Nigeria is peripheral. Ethnicity is far stronger and superior than religion to most people.
It is when ethnic factor is missing that religion comes to first place.
Let us see the other example.
2. The Ife – Modakeke Conflict
I witnessed the 1997 Ife – Modakeke Conflict and was nearly consumed by it but for God. This conflict also corroborates the thesis that nativity is thicker than religion and we only make much fuss about religion but when the real thing begins religion means nothing to most Nigerians.
Again here we see the reverse or opposite of Offa – Erin- Ile episode. Most residents of the two communities profess Christianity, even if they still practiced other things in the secret. Most Ifes and Modakeke natives are professing Christians. You would wonder then why Christianity has never been a factor in the resolution of conflict and why Christian principles have never been invoked to resolve the wranglings.
The principles of Christian Religion are clear on issues of property and possession and between natives and settlers and of property ownership rights. Yet these have never been invoked and never come into consideration except force and bloodshed which Christianity abhors.
Yet majority of the natives say they are Christians.
The ministers of religion in both towns have never been able to appeal and stop the fight in 1997.
Now just as in the Offa – Erin- Ile episode exactly the same situation played out.
Modakeke fought as one forgetting the difference. Both traditional elements, Muslims and Christians joined hands together to fight Ife and from being evicted from “the land of Oduduwa because they are children of Oduduwa ” as they stated during the Press conference in 1997.
Meanwhile Ife too rose to the occasion as Muslims, Christians and traditional forces forgot about differences to fight a common stubborn enemy.
I heard stories from my informants who was on ground that are difficult to believe. How Ifes would stop a bus and mysteriously recognized any Modakeke natives in the bus or storm a place and remove them without hurting strangers. And how Modakekes too would just know Ifes in any gathering without hurting other innocent Yorubas. You can see our people have advanced in the wrong way.
I heard of women with mystical bombs going from Ife to Modakeke to drop it and no bullets could stop them. And also women too from Modakeke doing the same to go and drop things in Ife.
Where is Christianity or Islam in all these? Missing in action.
So it is my thesis that contrary to what is often hyped everywhere religion is not as serious to Nigerians as tribe, tradition, ethnicity and nativity. If you want to provoke a Nigerian insult his ancestry, nativity or ethnicity. But you can insult his religion or nation and nothing may happen to you.
The politicians use religion because it is a combined harvester for votes. Religion actually plays second fiddle to ethnicity in Nigeria.
- Many years ago I arrived Abuja one night for a Conference. At Jabi I needed a taxi to take me to the venue. The moment some drivers heard I spoke Yoruba language they came to me and introduced themselves that they are from Ogbomosho. They were ready to take me anywhere. I was surprised.
They told me that things have changed and they were also ready for anything. - That the moment they heard I spoke Yoruba, no one can molest or assault me in that place they won’t allow it, it would rather become a free – for – all. Nigeria was still under ethnic tensions of Abacha years then.
You see there has been an awakening of ethnic consciousness and Babangidda and Abacha caused this, and Buhari worsened it.
People are now more awakened today to fight for their own. They didn’t even want to know which part of Yoruba land I came from but that I am Yoruba was enough for them. That was what Abacha caused Nigeria.- I was in Lagos trying to reverse my car to park and in the process I ran over watermelon placed on the road by these Hausa mallam selling on the road side. Four of the products were smashed by the tyres and spoilt.
They came and surrounded my car that I must pay them for the damages.
Immediately too the Yorubas, around when they saw that also came to challenge them and that I should not give them anything because the road belongs to government and not for displaying of market. I didn’t call the ‘area boys’ to fight for me they just took it upon themselves.
I appealed to the Yoruba not to fight because of me and asked the fellows the cost of the watermelon. I gave them N2000 for damages which greatly displeased the Yorubas because according to them they were not to display wares on the road. I appealed to them not to be angry. These are poor people and if I destroy their means of livelihood how would they survive? Two thousand naira is nothing to me but meant a lot to them.
What does all these sum to? There is a great awakening of ethnic consciousness in Nigeria at this time that is even higher than religious consciousness. Although we make so much noise about religion, religion takes second place. Ethnicity is the real factor today in Nigeria.
Why was Buhari building road and rail with our money to the land of his ancestry? Why was he dealing with ethnic agitators with sledge hammer but dealing with Fulani herdsmen terrorists with gloves? Buhari is a case, a national tragedy.
Even Tinubu too has favoured the Yorubas in his choice of appointments regardless of how you wish to look at it.
The Ijaws have written to leave Nigeria. The Igbos are still on it with UN. Many Yorubas now want their own nation, even among intellectuals.
Hausas are now challenging the overlordship of Fulanis for the first time and soon we may see a boomerang in that part of the world to redress age- long injustice.
The reality, the bitter fact today is ethnic consciousness is awakening in Nigeria. It is going to get stronger not weaker. Everyone now knows that “your own is your own.” Nigeria is seen as a jungle and in a jungle you eat or you get eaten.
In essence the blood of ethnicity is thicker than the water of religion.
