29th October, 2012
Last weekend’s Eid-El-Kabir celebrations were about sacrifice and the need to be accommodating, but how accommodating have we been in our part of the world, even for those who profess to be pious Muslims and born-again Christians?
The story of Abraham and Ibrahim in the Bible and Koran respectively reminds us of the total submission to the will of God and as both holy books preach, accommodating one another, no matter one’s religious leaning.
Abraham or Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son just as God instructed but he did not question God’s decision, before he was stopped at the last moment and an alternative provided. But how ready are we to sacrifice to make our nation great?
As we have often said, the cost of governance is killing the country yet those who could are not ready to make any sacrifice by reducing what they take for themselves. What we spend on governance from the local to the federal levels can make life better for the ordinary man if channeled towards providing infrastructure.
Nigerians are some of the most religious people in the world but the country, the people and the government are not reflecting this as the country sinks deep into the mire of corruption in all areas.
The message of Sallah is sacrifice and total submission to the will of God but we have refused to do it right. When a religious sect decides to bomb people during Christmas and Sallah celebrations we wonder what religion such people are practicing. We believe it is time to have a rethink, both the government and the governed, about our religious obligations and how we can live together peacefully. We should also begin to think of reducing the cost of governance as our own sacrifice to prevent the country from being thrown into an economic abyss from which we will never be able to climb out.
While we urge the Boko Haram sect to sheathe their swords and think of their religious obligations according to the holy Koran, we also call on governments at all levels to make sacrifices by cutting costs and eschewing self-centeredness.
Like the holy books say, we came empty handed and will return the same way. Why then, with the thousands of churches and mosques in the country, are people sinking deeper into immorality, wickedness and other vices? What is the message of Eid-El-Kabir if a religious sect continues to unleash mayhem on innocent people? What is the message of Sallah if the government continues to be run like a fiefdom with the majority wallowing in poverty? Where is all this religious zeal we exhibit if we cannot be honest with fellow citizens, and even put stumbling blocks on their way to making a living?
It is time to reflect on our religious obligations to others and search our conscience on ways to obey God and do the right thing always.
The lessons of the last Eid-El-Kabir celebrations should not pass us by. We should try to respect each other’s religion while other people of different religious affiliations should not be looked upon as enemies. Members of various religious faith should understand the danger of trying to force their belief down the throats of others. All believers in whatever religion have always described their religion as that of peace, why then discriminate and kill others in the name of religion?
Our leaders would also do well to realise that urging ordinary citizens to sacrifice and tighten their belts while they feed fat on the common wealth may one day backfire, the result of which is better imagined.