How Religion Has Robbed Africa Of Development

Posted by African Examiner Articles/Opinion, Featured, Latest Headlines Wednesday, August 28th, 2024

By Alu Deborah Oluronke

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – It is saddening how religion has taken cardinal point in the hearts of many Africans. Religion ought to be a tool to guide the moral behavior of people in a society, however, an average African sees religious activities as answer to all its problems. Most African countries are regarded developing countries with myriad of challenges such as bad economy, lack of infrastructure, lack of social amenities and bad leaderships that had hampered progress and development.

However, instead of tackling such challenges holistically, many people in Africa prefer to resort to ‘higher power’ for solution.

The two major religions, particularly in Nigeria are Christianity and Islam which many people believed were imported since we have our own traditional beliefs and religions

However, some people have taken the practice of the imported religion to the extreme, thinking that religion would provide solution to all their problems.

The practice of the so called religion had been taken to a ridiculous level that even common headache could be linked to ‘spiritual attack’, instead of taking medication and proper rest.

Religion has put so many families asunder to the extent that in some parts of the country, some religious leaders accuse innocent people of witchcraft and then heap the blame on mothers or step-mothers, most especially, as cause of their problems.

Some individuals go as far as beating and even killing innocent people, having been brain-washed that the victims are responsible for their predicaments.

Another dimension to this issue of how we have been indoctrinated by religion is the fact that respect and submission have being thrown into the dustbin by some wives, they no longer show respect to their husbands but prefers to show respect to religious leaders.

This situation has caused problem in many families, thereby leading to tension and sometimes breaking of such homes.

Women are the most vulnerable, believing every prophecy dished out. And due to the constant visit and how they relay their family issues to these so-called men of God, these clergymen end up sleeping, or even worst still, raping some of these women, in a bid to solve their problems.

Many Nigerians have being trapped in religious activities so much that they use most of their productive period of the day in religious centres seeking answers to their problems instead of concentrating on their work

It’s saddening to see how youths spend every day of the week going for religious programs instead of engaging in productive activities. It is a norm, in most organizations, at a particular hour of the day not to meet some workers on seat, they have gone for prayers but such workers will not go for such prayer, even for a second, while watching a football match.

In some religious centres, it is common practice for religious leaders to sleep with female job-seekers in order to get jobs that are not even guaranteed, some go as far as sleeping with female workers that are seeking promotion from their place of work while the male folks pay through their noise to get a job or get promotion.

One then begin to wonder about the essence of religious practice without sincerity and honesty.

Members of these religious organizations gather together every morning for prayers, as though they are having revival service, but will still be involved in fraudulent activities.

Many of these so- called religious leaders go into ministry for pecuniary purposes, asking members to empty their accounts and sell off their properties and bring it to the ‘house of God’, meanwhile, such organizations will show no concern to their members when they are in dire need of assistance.

These religious leaders run their organizations in a way that they are only interested in what the members bring of and not to give out to help. One begins to wonder the essence of religion in the first place, if not to show love and render assistance to those in need

The principles and practice of religion is totally different from what was laid down in the holy books. Nigerians take shelter in prophecy that would never come to fruition rather than engaging in realistic projects. Because of the susceptibility of people, the so-called men of God use this avenue to lure and rob their members of their hard-earned money, thereby enriching themselves while members live in abject poverty. Clergymen adorn themselves in expensive apparels while their members are left to struggle to make ends meet.

They drive exotic cars and fly in private jets while members cannot boast of transport fare to go to work. To crown it all, large number of worship centres are located in some African countries but some of these countries cannot boast of large numbers of industries that would boost economic activities which would bring about progress and prosperity

Many people while hiding under the guise of religion perpetrate evil in the society while others are killing for the sake of religion and this accounts for the highest form of terrorism in the world.

It is ridiculous how some section of Muslims and some sections of Christians discriminate against themselves despite the claim that they serve the same God. They go as far as not relating with each other, not to talk of marrying each other. This is not supposed to be so.

Inter-religious conflict has been the highest form of conflict in the world, Africa is not exceptional to that. The two most popular religion, Christianity and Islam have been at loggerhead with each other from time immemorial causing displacement of public assert, economic havoc and death. Boko Haram, Herder-Farmer conflict in Nigeria have been said to have religious undertone.

To move Africa forward, it is pertinent not to convert economic and productive time to religious purposes. It is high time Africa uphold integrity, righteousness and honesty instead of religious fanaticism. Government and individuals should prioritize building more industries than competing for the largest worship centres.

In order to move Africa forward, we need to change our mindset about the way we practice religion and be moderate in our dealings.