Under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended), Nigeria does not have any official religion. The two major religions introduced to our people from foreign lands – Christianity and Islam – are, however, duly acknowledged in public functions because they are the most widely followed by Nigerians.

This seemingly ambivalent standpoint which acknowledges the reality of God in the affairs of the nation often leads to the debate as to whether Nigeria is a secular or multi-religious state. While some Christian leaders see Nigeria as a “secular” state in that the Constitution separates the state from religion, most Muslims counter that Nigeria is a “multi-religious” state whereby religion cannot be removed from its affairs.

In line with this purview, the Muslim majority states in the North have virtually imposed Islamic rule, rather than the constitutional order on its people, even where there is considerable presence of Christian and other non-Muslim residents. Very little effort is made to at least balance the scales if religion must have a place in governmental affairs.

For instance, most of the Muslim majority states in the North recently announced various sums of money they have spent on food during the ongoing Ramadan fast. Nothing was ever mentioned of any similar action to benefit their Christian populace who were also observing the Lent which also involves fasting.

In recent years, successive regimes stopped the unwholesome practice of providing budgetary allocations for pilgrimages. However, it seems that the Bola Tinubu government has resumed the funding. Over the weekend, media reports had it that the Federal Government provided N90 billion to enable intending pilgrims embark on the Muslim Hajj.Many members of the National Assembly had been calling for subsidies to enable intending pilgrims cope with the high cost of Hajj fares this year. Several Northern states were also named as having allocated funds for Hajj.

We strongly believe that religion is the personal affair of all citizens and must be handled as prescribed by the Constitution. Government should only provide an enabling environment for people of all faiths, including those who have none, to peacefully coexist.

If government must dabble into the humanitarian side of religious matters such as providing food during fasting periods, it must not be restricted to only one religion. Otherwise, it would amount to adopting that particular faith as the official religion, which is unconstitutional.

The matter of funding pilgrimages from public coffers is outright misappropriation. In any case, Hajj is not compulsory for Muslims. It is only for those who can afford it. Even if it is compulsory, why should government get involved? It is wrong to give such a huge amount to adherents of a particular religion, especially amidst the poor economy.

The Federal Government should not meddle with religions.

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