By Abba Dukawa
I write this article with a deeply heavy heart, saddened by the manner in which some Islamic scholars have allowed worldly interests and political considerations to cloud their sense of decency, responsibility and moral duty.
It is heartbreaking to witness how the pursuit of worldly gains can overshadow the values that religious scholars are entrusted to uphold. More troubling is the way such conduct can diminish the respect and moral authority that people of knowledge are expected to command.
As men of knowledge, Islamic scholars carry a sacred responsibility to speak with integrity and courage. When worldly interests take precedence over truth and principle, the consequences extend beyond the individuals involved. Such conduct risks weakening public trust in leadership.
This is not written out of hatred, but out of genuine disappointment and a heavy heart. It is a call for reflection: the blessings of knowledge, influence and honour should be used to uphold truth and justice, rather than be clouded by the temporary attractions of worldly life.
Hon. Sheikh Yahaya Jingir and like-minded scholars, in my view, appear to have overlooked Nigeria’s complex national context. Nigeria is a multicultural and multireligious nation, created by God for people of different faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds to live together. Rather than threatening one another or promoting division, we should learn to understand, respect and coexist peacefully.
Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation, religion or ethnicity. But who told him that Nigeria is a Muslim country? Who is he to threaten non-Muslims and tell them to leave their own country?
Does he understand the complexity of the country he is attempting to inflame by asserting that Nigeria is a Muslim country, claiming that Muslims outnumber Christians, and declaring that anyone who does not accept a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket should leave the country?
Such statements undermine the principles of equality, non-discrimination, religious freedom and peaceful coexistence guaranteed under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and its international human rights obligations.
At a time when Nigeria is preparing for another general election, such utterances are reckless and potentially dangerous. They risk deepening religious divisions and setting citizens against one another.
Nigeria is a country for all Nigerians. No individual, regardless of religious, ethnic or political affiliation, has the right to tell another Nigerian to leave their own country because of their faith or political beliefs. What Nigeria needs is responsible leadership, mutual respect, tolerance and a commitment to peaceful coexistence—not threats, intimidation or rhetoric that deepens religious and ethnic divisions.
Let Sheikh Yahaya Jingir and other Islamic scholars understand that Nigeria is neither a Muslim country nor a Christian country. It is a deeply plural and multireligious nation made up of citizens of different faiths and of no faith at all. Our diversity should be a source of strength, not a weapon with which we belittle one another.
Those who have chosen to politicise Friday sermon and religious gatherings should remember that Nigeria belongs to all of us—Muslims, Christians and Nigerians who subscribe to neither faith. No Nigerian should be described as an “infidel” simply because of his or her religion. Such language should trouble the conscience of anyone who genuinely believes in the unity and future of Nigeria.
Nigeria is not a religious trophy to be claimed by whichever faith establishes a numerical advantage. It is a nation shared by all of us, and its future should never be reduced to a contest over who has more people in mosques or churches.
Why shouldn’t Sheikh Jingir call on political leaders to compete over who can deliver security, jobs, affordable food, quality education, healthcare, justice and dignity to ordinary Nigerians? A Muslim-Muslim ticket does not put food on a Muslim family’s table. It does not protect a Muslim child from kidnapping. It does not create jobs for unemployed Muslim youths, repair collapsing infrastructure, provide affordable healthcare or give Nigerian children quality education.
What have Nigerians benefited from the Muslim-Muslim ticket? How much have Nigerian Muslims had to spend to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Five Pillars of Islam? Yet, under the Muslim-Muslim ticket, fear has become part of everyday life for many Nigerians, including Muslims. Muslims and Christians no longer feel safe in their homes, workplaces, farms or while travelling on the highways. Every journey is undertaken with uncertainty, with no assurance of arriving safely at one’s destination.
Why must the measure of political strength be the number of people gathered in a mosque or church, rather than the number of Nigerians whose lives have been improved?
It is deeply painful to watch a country with so much potential continue to divide its people along religious lines while ordinary Nigerians—Muslim, Christian or otherwise—struggle to survive.
I am not speaking on behalf of Muslims as a whole. However, knowing Sheikh Jingir’s antecedents and his inclination toward worldly interests, such rhetoric from him and other scholars does not come as a surprise.
Nigeria needs God-fearing Islamic scholars who heal rather than wound; scholars who speak truth with courage, compassion and moral responsibility rather than engage in rhetoric that deepens our divisions.
We deserve scholars who remind us that before our religious identities, we are Nigerians. Every Nigerian, regardless of what he or she believes—or does not believe—deserves an equal place, equal dignity and an equal stake in this country.
Let Hon. Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir and others who have chosen to politicise religion take a lesson from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), whose courage and moral responsibility in speaking truth to power at this critical moment in our nation’s history deserve recognition.
At a time when too many voices have chosen silence, the bishops have demonstrated courage by drawing the attention of the President and government to the painful realities confronting ordinary Nigerians and expressing genuine concern about the direction of the country.
That kind of courage has become painfully rare in a society where hypocrisy, sycophancy and political patronage too often drown out truth, conscience and accountability.
What breaks the heart is seeing some Muslim scholars openly campaign for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, seemingly not always because they have carefully considered what is best for Nigeria, but perhaps because they fear losing the goodwill, support, access or influence they enjoy among those in positions of authority.
Religion should never become a bargaining chip for political relevance. Our scholars should be the conscience of society—not its echo.
Nigeria does not need religious leaders who tell those in power only what they want to hear. We need scholars and pastors courageous enough to tell the truth, even when that truth is uncomfortable, unpopular or costly.
The poor are hurting. Families are struggling. Young Nigerians are losing hope. Communities are being torn apart by insecurity, poverty and distrust. At such a painful moment, our religious leaders owe the nation more than political slogans and convenient silence.
They owe us courage. They owe us truth. They owe us healing. Above all, they owe Nigeria a conscience.
I have not denounced my faith as a Muslim, nor have I turned my back on Islam. What breaks my heart, however, is the level of hypocrisy and lack of God-consciousness I sometimes see among some Muslim scholars.
It pains all patriotic Nigerians to see those who should be guided by the fear of Allah choosing the comforts of this worldly life over the Hereafter; choosing to remain in the good books of those in power rather than standing firmly for truth and justice.
Some appear more afraid of losing the goodwill, support, access and influence they enjoy within the corridors of power than they are of displeasing Allah.
Dukawa can be reached at: abbahydukawa@gmail.com
