By Yahaya Balogun
In Nigeria, anyone who encounters the shocking viral images revealing the appalling treatment of vulnerable, innocent, unclothed toddlers—both boys and girls—allegedly from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and remains unaffected or indifferent to the grim injustices inflicted by religion in this nation, Nigeria, has, in effect, become complicit in this horrific abuse and violation against children. Three distinct groups of religious followers define the Nigerian landscape:
1. The gullible, brainwashed, and misinformed believers (mostly impoverished people living in squalor; they can die or become suicide bombers for their ministers, marabouts, and clerics).
2. The knowingly ignorant and educated followers (such as PhD holders and rural and urban professors; their levels of academic achievement are dwarfed by religious foolishness).
3. Those who manipulate both groups for personal gain (specifically, politicians who use them as disposable tools for their own benefit).
These three groups represent some of the most dangerous players within Nigeria's religious sphere. They are the evils fueling and hindering Nigeria's growth and development.
It amazes me how African religious leaders have managed—whether intentionally or through negligence—to turn faith into a tool that suppresses research, reflection, and critical thinking in everyday life. The common belief is that religion is meant to guide human conduct in harmony with divine principles and righteousness.
Yet, from Nigeria in Africa to Rome in Europe and Afghanistan in the Middle East—excluding Asia and the Americas—we observe the corruption of religion to manipulate human thought. Religion often breeds fear among the vulnerable, intensifying perceived threats and weaknesses while obscuring the potential strengths and opportunities that belief can provide. Is it any wonder that more people are turning away from traditional faiths toward philosophies like practical stoicism and humanism that prioritize caring for humanity?
Modern Nigerian religions often secretly promote hatred, family conflicts, greed, and an unending pursuit of an immediate and insatiable quest for satisfaction. Nigeria's religions frequently sexualize women and children, exploiting impressionable minds.
It's disheartening to see many young people captivated by the sermons of their "Pastors" and "Alfas," where women are reduced to mere tools or objects to satisfy immoral desires. I've heard a "pastor" callously declare that a wife is her husband's property, implying she should submit to his every whim without question. Many women remain silent, accepting this degrading view from the pulpit—a perspective I find degrading, deeply offensive, and misogynistic. A wife can respect her husband as the head of the family without losing her dignity. Similarly, a husband can guide his wife without diminishing her worth. Genuine partnerships are built on love, support, and mutual respect, free from tyranny. These ministers and spiritual con artists have disrupted and destroyed countless lives, leaving relationships and families in disunity and chaos.
In today's spiritual scene, we face a disturbing environment where these religious charlatans and unscrupulous individuals exploit unsuspecting followers from their deceptive platforms. The so-called religious figures in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, must be exposed and brought to justice. Unless African nations, particularly Nigeria, take decisive and substantial steps to regulate religious practices and protect the vulnerable, society will continue to carry the heavy burden left by the remnants of brutal British neocolonialism and some religious fundamentalists often disguised as men of God across the African continent.
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