I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that believers of the Christian faith are not here to “fix Nigeria” or the world for that matter. They are here for their own salvation – whatever that may mean (from the mercy of their Lord to ensuring they are constantly reborn through Christ).

I also think that all believers share an understanding that by being the best version of themselves IN FAITH, things fall together. They are led spiritually to do great things like “fix Nigeria” or the world. They are guided by the strict principles of [G]odliness to show up to work on time and prepared to grind in order to justify their pay. And by so doing, they contribute their own quota to the development of whatever portion of the Change Nigeria/world agenda they have been assigned by you the thinkers; the fixers. Sometimes, they lead the way.

To say that the gathering of a people online/in physical spaces to sing praises has no place in the changing of a nation; in its ‘real’ revival, its redemption from the shackles of corrupt monsters – I can see where that makes sense. For example when you say: A revival “succeeds every first Friday of the month, leaving travelers along Ibadan-expressway pulling out their hair (the irony of that situation: a god worshiping mission that makes people swear and curse in god’s name for hours of traffic they have to suffer just so a few can practice a religion).” Surely, there’s a huge point in that. That’s not nation building despite the good and holy intention of the revivalists who shut out other users of the expressway from reaching their own destinations (on time).

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But what really is this nation-building?

Let’s take you the critic, the deep-thinking human, the rational mind (as opposed to their feel-good-junkie selves), for example. Your critical role is possibly the best contribution you can offer to the very important task of nation-building. Like the reviewer of a book or the film critic in the literary world, your job is crucial. But you must understand that the revivalist is also doing the best he can to help people be the best they can be.

You cannot possibly argue with that – they are literally thousands of people gathering in a bid to make themselves better.

I don’t think you get to complain about that.

For example, no one can complain about a Joy Isi-Bewaji whose personal experiences as a woman made her feel like she could only be seen not heard and so she got on social media in a bid to find her voice and liberty. Someone can say “who social media epp? Why didn’t she try to fix the real problem by becoming a legislator? To make rules that outlaw discrimination against women. Why be a coward and just rant on social media?” People can choose to rant this way but it will be unfair because Joy Isi-Bewaji has literally done what she can to change a terrible situation.

Why say she’s a coward for choosing the “feel-good” way to fix a real problem however mundane it appears to the ranter. The problem is with the legislators who volunteered themselves to serve and got elected to make laws that will better the lives of Joy Isi-Bewaji and countless other women and then did nothing.

There’s actually more blame to go around beyond the feet of elected legislators. Where the blame does not lie is at Isi-Bewaji’s foot for not doing anything significant.

It’s the same way that it’s not the fault of the revivalist whose monthly fellowship blocks the expressway. If he subscribes to a democracy and has voted in an official whose job it is to fix a bad infrastructure (in this case a road).

Surely Nigerians are high on religion – maybe too much of it even, if you are not a big fan of Supreme beings. Surely, Nigeria needs more science fairs and more critical thinking and a more politically agile citizenry. But the occasion of a religious gathering is not your opportunity to make a case for those – not at the expense of those at the gathering. And certainly not in a hustler’s bid to trend. Pablo Ayodeji did not have to try so hard to trend nationwide.

Rant done.

Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija