In Nigeria’s spiritual landscape, a disturbing trend emerges – faith used as a catalyst for conflict. The recent incident at Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, where a pastor’s actions sparked retaliation, highlights the urgent need for change. It’s time to bring history back into the classroom, especially for religious leaders who didn’t attend tertiary institutions.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) must specifically target and show real interest in pastors or imams who did not pursue religious education at tertiary institutions and attended private theological or Arabic schools. This isn’t about restricting freedom of speech but ensuring these leaders understand the impact of their words. Many poorly educated individuals forming public opinions
These people are not historians who comprehend the events that shaped yesterday. They simply carelessly ride the horses of ignorance and haughtiness. They had only heard tales of war from the texts. The complexity and ramifications of violent confrontations are beyond their comprehension. They don’t want to know if the earth has eyes. They just take careless steps. They don’t care as long as it satisfies their self-imposed agenda and crude mindset.
They are time bombs that need to be properly evacuated, prioritized, and evaluated before they go off. Before and after these people are allowed to use microphones or megaphones and give public speeches, they must be taught citizenship education and history through ongoing or relevant academic programs. Nigeria has to be saved from terrorists, bandits, aggressors, and those who encourage ethnoreligious strife.
If we had made it essential for pastors and imams who did not attend tertiary institutions to take professional courses in citizenship education and history, they would have learned that every violent conflict in history began with a spark. World War I, one of the worst battles in human history, began with an aggrieved guy assassinating two people when a motorcade took the wrong route.
In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Austro-Hungarian heir, paid a visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia. His convoy, while touring the city, made a false turn onto a street where Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, waited. Princip came forward and assassinated both the Archduke and his wife.
Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, containing ten demands, including the suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda in Serbia, the dissolution of the Black Hand society (linked to the assassination), the arrest of those involved in the plot, the prohibition of arms shipments from Serbia to Bosnia, and Austrian involvement in the investigation of the assassination within Serbia, among others.
Serbia accepted some demands, but not all. Austria-Hungary were enraged and declared war on July 28, 1914. Russia mobilized to defend Serbia, prompting Germany to declare war on Russia and France. Britain declared war on Germany, and its objective was to fry people with aerial bombs, artillery shells, zeppelins, and grenades. Indeed, the spark caused a big fire.
“1914? That was 112 years ago. More than a hundred years ago? The world has become global. Laws, procedures, conventions, agreements, and international relations have all seen significant improvements. We are currently in the season of debates and religion disputes. I could buy a Bible and burn it. I can buy and burn the Quran. I could pay a fee to get into the shrine and burn it. This is my money and time. I can take you to court if you threaten me for burning spiritual goods I purchased with my money and displayed in public.” Allow for excuses on behalf of religious bigots and overzealous individuals.
In 2005, a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, sparking outrage. It sparked significant riots and violence throughout Muslim countries, resulting in hundreds of fatalities and attacks on churches, embassies, and other targets. In 2002, Isioma Daniel, a Nigerian journalist, wrote an essay about the Miss World Pageant held in Abuja. The story generated fury among some Muslims, who deemed it insulting, resulting in riots and the deaths of over 200 individuals. These terrible incidents occurred in the twenty-first century. And we are still in the middle of the twenty-first century.
Every confrontation, whether violent or nonviolent, stems from a spark that was ignored or allowed to turn into a bomb. Nigeria is a country with many different religions and cultures. It is troubling that a country grappling with terrorism, farmer-herder conflict, banditry, and kidnapping could let some regions descend into religious chaos. I’ve long maintained that our prevention efforts are inadequate, and that we continue to struggle with incident management. If the DSS and other relevant security services were functional and truly worried about Nigerians’ safety, the ongoing religious malady in Osun State would have been arrested.
On Sunday evening, I noticed a video on a WhatsApp group with the frightening caption “Pastor storms Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove to pray against River Goddess”. I watched the video and assumed it was a scene from a Christian movie, with three clowns dressed in white praying against an unknown spirit to verify their spiritual essence and powers. I was going about my daily routine when a friend tagged me in a post. I scrolled through the article and found the exact video on PROPHET ODEDOYIN PRAYING GROUP Prophet Odedoyin Olawumi Ezekiel’s Facebook page.
I checked the page’s stats, and it has 754K followers. I scrolled through the page and watched videos about the pastor’s miracles (curing mad people and using spiritual powers to solve personal problems for some church members). It was like a theater of absurdity. I laughed out loud and swallowed my surprise at what had occurred at the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove. The page contained a collection of spiritual films.
As I read the comments below the post, I voiced concern about the commentators’ orientation and mental state. However, I was shocked to see cautionary comments put by some Christians in the comment area. They accused the pastors of facilitating or promoting religious conflicts, emphasizing the significance of knowing and respecting various faiths.
In revenge, a group of dissatisfied traditional worshippers attacked a local church in Ido-Osun and beheaded a dog on the altar. The same individuals who chastised the pastors for going to the forest to commit sacrilege are praising aggrieved traditional worshipers who murdered a dog on the altar. Two wrongs do not constitute a right. Some cultural enthusiasts are still outraged over what they call the degradation of heritage monuments and traditional religious locations. Some people are still angry with the action of aggrieved traditionalists.
Retaliation is the language of violent conflict. When a party feels duped and turns to self-help, it indicates a lack of trust in our criminal justice system. If the other party retaliates, resulting in property damage or loss of life, it is considered violent conflict. We owe our nation a duty of care, patriotism, and protection. Security organizations, particularly the Department of State Service, must emphasize safety and put more emphasis on preventative measures.
In Nigeria, terrorism, farmer-herder conflicts, and kidnapping are already straining the country. Allowing religious conflicts to brew is a risk we can’t take. Security agencies, particularly the DSS, must prioritize prevention and put an end to provocative actions.
Pastor Odedoyin Ezekiel’s video, which sparked the Osun-Osogbo incident, is still online, and he’s showing no signs of backing down. He has not deleted the aforementioned video. He created another video to spite traditional devotees, using legal jargons to defend the show of religious intolerance displayed by his members during their visit to the hallowed forest. This lack of accountability is fueling tensions. It’s time for the DSS to step in and for religious leaders to act responsibly.
Some claimed that the pastor and the church were on a mission of clickbaits and popularity. But they do not need to mock the faith of others to grow their church. There is no remorse, appeal, or retraction. Our government must prioritize a functional working relationship between religious leaders and punish aggressors to serve as deterrence to others. If the DSS continues to watch and allow bigots to facilitate, provoke, or encourage religious crises, I can only pray that we are not sitting on gunpowder.
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