I think we should stop being ignorant as regards to how people spend their money should be no one's business. Religion palaver in Nigeria ofcourse needs to concern all and sundry.
I'm not forcing my ideas on anyone, but I'm only concerned at the level of backwardness, and the extent of this deep and unanalysing beleive in god in the country.
The country is infested by religion that even engineers, doctors, other well educated entities allow these mostly uneducated individuals to fool them.
Our universities are no longer a place where thinkers are trained, a place where we are supposed to bring up world level entities who can make a difference (do remarkable things in the economic/scientific fields).
Go to the University of Lagos on a normal day, you often fall on traffic on campus. Why? because the mosques and church are having either seminars or prayers.
Students skip lectures only to attend prayer meetings. Friday afternoons are lecture free period because our muslim counterparts have to go for worship.
Nigeria is the right climate for religious extrimist programmes. Its not really the people's fault but a government who does not see the need to be concerned of its people's wellfare, a government who is not concerned about its position/place in the world.
Students who graduate from our nigerian universities are not taken seriously outside our shores. Why will they be taken seriously when they don't take themselves seriously either.
When we read on the net and in books on religion, Nigeria is mentioned 3rd after Brazil and one other country.
These unrepenting deceivers bounce on citizens whom their futur have been left in the hands of fate by the government.
We copy US as religious model. We can not even think seriously and try to know the thinking ability of a basic american who simply can not place their country on the world's map.
Nigeria is too old for time wasting and thus should not spend its precious time to train daft minds.
I would like nigerians to ask ourselves the question as to why we are too religious even in the 21st century.
Have nigerians not yet come of age to understand that religion should not guide our daily activities?
It shocks me to read articles that are simply logical, only to read people refering always to god.
An important personality was talking on TV some time ago, and had to make reference to the Bible about Moses in a country where there leaves people of all religions and all works of life.
When will Nigeria stop to be under the influence of religion; we are leaving in religious mental jail, which brings about big loss to our economy.
Have we asked what pastors do with all the offering they receive every sundays, how come they don't feel guilt in extorting poor people in order to ride Hummer jeeps.
Company staffs robb from their companies and give to the churches.
If we make a mathematical calculus here:
suppose we have about 50% of nigerians who are christians thus making 70 million people. Lets assume that every one of them gives only 100 naira every sunday.
This represents 7 billion naira each sunday (43.7 million euros). This makes 2.2 billion euros a year.
Don't you think this is enough to build good hospitals, schools to educate our young ones for a brighter tomorrow for Nigeria ?
A few things this money can pay:
- 186 000 teachers with 1000 euros (140 000 Nairas)/month salary.
- 1/2 of an oil deep water field development (which NNPC can develop itself without needing foreign investment)
- 10 airbus A330 (bigger model)
- 2 nuclear plants of 1000MW eachIn a year
- we can construct 62 kilometres of automatic state of the art metro/subway (36 Million € /km), (VI to Elekon beach for instance, or two lines Ikeja/VI)
I advice that instead of giving this load of money to the so called "man of god", nigerians should invest this money into infrastructures and public actions.
This way the never ending expectations for miracles that we go to church for, will happen quicker in our days.
With this level of fanatism, how will the country progress.
Yes, lets believe that there are infants who don't pay to the pastor, and other adults who give 25 naira, it is still half a billion €/year but the 100 naira/person each sunday was an average.
Indeed, what about the engineers of oil companies who give up to 750 000 naira/year (4500 €); that is 10% of offshore international salary. Bankers who give 1/10 of their salaries to the church?
Some people will oppose me that I can as well reproach beer drinker to spend their money on drinks and not help the economy.
I am not refering to beer drinkers in the bar palours, at least they are paying their tithes to the beer and night life industries, which creates jobs.
Am not only talking abouts christians here, but any kind of abuse of the poor man's hopes for miracles. This is robbery in disguise.
The government has its part to play, but if these churches should at least use the money showered upon them by their poor victims, in community action/programmes, at least we will depend a bit less on an inexisting government.
I think that people should wake up from their slumber.
You go to church on foot while your pastor comes on a newly released car that a master degree holder, qualified from a prestigious international university will not dream to earn untill after 10 years of experience. These pastors come to church in imported designer suits.
Followers money builds universities their kids can't afford to attend. A pastor owns TV/radio stations from your offerings and tihtes. Most of these pastors kids are already schooling in US.
.JPG)
