We are all Churchians and Mosqueians and Non-Nigerians

It is interesting how the average Nigerian find it so easy to abuse the President and his appointed ministers at the slightest provocation but will never, never permit a single bad word to be said about his or her pastor or Imam.

It is interesting how the average Nigerian will faithfully, uncompelled and eagerly pay his or her tithe, sow an additional seed and sometimes even donate all his or her monthly salary to the church or Mosque but will not hesitate to inflate the number of children he has, inflate his business cost to lower his profit to lower his personal income and corporate tax and refuse to pay council tax and all other taxes that he needs to pay to sustain his community and country.  

It is interesting how the average Nigerian will faithfully attend Mosque on Fridays and church on Sundays (Saturdays for some of us) whether sick or healthy, attend all night vigils, attend church on week days and any other day that the pastor will fix at his or her discretion but will take the slightest excuse of a head ache to avoid going to work. It will take the meanest threat by the boss to make that same Nigerian attend work on a public holiday or work beyond the stated closing time without extra pay or complaint.

It is interesting how the average Nigerian will not dare ask his pastor what the church budget for 2012 is and what it is going to be spent on despite the fact that his or her tithes, offerings and donations make up 100 per cent of the church’s or Mosque’s revenues but is an expert on the Nigerian budget in which his or her tax make up less than 10 per cent.

It is interesting how the average Nigerian will not ask for subsidy on fees for church members in the many Church or religion based Universities across the country which was 100 per cent built with their tithes and offerings and donations but will ask that the Federal Government to give them subsidies despite the fact that fact that their taxes make up less than 10 per cent of Federal government revenues.

It is interesting how the average Nigerian will spend all day and all night in Church and Mosque calling for blessing on the pastor and his family and his Imam but will with the same mouth reign causes on the President and his Family forgetting that the Bible (the only Holy Book I am familiar) and Holy Quran (which I confess I am not familiar) they carry say that no leader emerges without the LORD allowing him or her to emerge.

It is interesting how the average Nigerian considers it a sign of blessing for the Pastor acquire all the private jets he needs and does not need, several houses in and outside the country, acquire different businesses, jet in and out of the country at will, send all his children to school abroad, live in mansions and drive the best of cars in long convoys and yet abuse the President for acquiring the same good things of life. This is despite the fact that the President is 90 per cent financed by crude oil sales and 10% by your taxes and the Pastor, in most cases, is 100% financed by your tithe and offerings and donations.

Finally, is it not interesting how we will all readily die for our Pastors and Imams in the name of our religions and yet will not be ready to die for Nigeria? I have thought about all this and come to the conclusion that we are all “Churchians” and “Mosqueians” and Non Nigerians. We are all better citizens of our Churches and Mosques than our country. We have shown this with our 100 per cent commitment to our churches and mosques and the absolute and unquestionable awe and devotion we hold our pastors and church leaders.

Perhaps, we should all approach our pastors and Imams to issue us our passports showing our preferred identities. That way, we will all have peace and live ever happily after, you know, like “Alice in Wonderland”