In 1843, Karl Marx famously described religion as “the opium of the people,” a sedative for the masses against societal hardship. In contemporary Nigeria, however, a more troubling adaptation of this phrase emerges: religion has, in many instances, become the opium of incohesion and disunity. Rather than solely a personal solace, it is often weaponized as a tool for division, a marker of “otherness,” and a smokescreen that obscures the very real, shared socio-economic challenges facing every Nigerian, regardless of creed.
At its purest, religion should be a force for unity, moral guidance, and communal charity. Nigeria, a nation abundantly blessed with faith, should be a testament to this. Yet, on the streets of Kaduna, in the political arena of Abuja, and across social media platforms, we see a different story. Our profound religious devotion has been cynically manipulated into a corrosive agent of fragmentation.
The evidence is in our daily discourse. Political appointments and electoral calculations are too frequently filtered through a lens of religious affiliation rather than competence. Media narratives often amplify the voices of extremist clerics over moderate ones, framing national issues as a zero-sum game between faiths. “Christian” and “Muslim” have become political and ethnic identifiers, often superseding our common identity as Nigerians. This has bred mutual suspicion, where places of worship are viewed not just as sanctuaries but as potential fortresses, and where inter-faith dialogue is an occasional conference rather than a lived reality.
This opium clouds our collective vision. It allows poverty in Sokoto to be seen as a “Muslim issue” and unemployment in Enugu as a “Christian concern,” when in truth, they are Nigerian crises. It enables corrupt leaders to cloak themselves in religious piety, escaping accountability by rallying a faithful base against perceived threats from the other. The real enemies—endemic corruption, crippling infrastructure deficit, a failing educational system, and insecurity that kidnaps both the imam’s son and the pastor’s daughter—are left unchecked as we are distracted by sectarian rhetoric.
This is not a call for irreligiosity. It is a call for a return to the authentic, unifying principles at the heart of both Christianity and Islam: justice, compassion, honesty, and love for neighbour. Nigeria’s salvation lies not in diminishing faith, but in harnessing its true power for national cohesion.
First, we must separate faith from governance. The state must be a neutral arbitrator, protecting every citizen’s right to worship while ensuring that public policy and resource allocation are strictly secular and merit-based. Our constitution envisions this; we must demand its full manifestation.
Second, our religious leaders carry a historic burden of responsibility. They must move beyond preaching to the choir and actively preach reconciliation. Pulpits and minbars should be platforms for condemning hatred, not for veiled partisan endorsements or divisive rhetoric. They must lead the charge in highlighting our shared humanity and shared struggles.
Third, as citizens, we must consciously reject the drug of religious bigotry. We must seek out and amplify the countless stories of inter-faith cooperation that happen quietly every day—the Muslim community protecting a church, the Christian community donating to a mosque school. These are the true stories of Nigeria. We must build relationships across religious lines in our estates, markets, and professional associations.
The path to a cohesive Nigeria is not found in the drowsy, divisive opium of religious discord. It is forged in the sober, active pursuit of our common interests. We are a nation not merely of competing faiths, but of shared dreams: dreams of safety, prosperity, and dignity. It is time to clear the smoke of division, recognise that the addiction to religious polarity is killing us, and work together towards the healing that our nation desperately needs. Our collective future depends not on which God we pray to, but on our shared will to build a nation that works for all.
