“We had just entered kaduna when we saw people gathered on the street, blocking the road with tires aflame. We alighted the bus and all kept running in the same direction; both Christians and Muslims alike. We ran till we entered a bank and the security guard locked the gate. Not up to five minutes after we hid behind the bank, we heard some voices say “bring those people you’re hiding”. We don’t know how the security guard finished with men but we had to stay with the security guard two more days before leaving. Soon as I was able to, I came back here.”

 

That was my aunts account of her experience during the year 2000 crisis in kaduna. I had never seen her frightened of anything. Her fear at that point was contagious. I couldn’t believe all these had happened not so far away from home.

To be honest I’ve never ever understood the rationale behind religious crises. The barrenness of shame in displaying open bigotry is actually shocking to me. At the time my aunt had her fair share of experience, I was still very young (about eight years). I had a little share of experience in 2011 after the announcement of the presidential election results.

The election results had been announced sometime around 10p.m and not long after we started hearing echoes of noises, like screams and chants all in one. Dad had gone out to meet up & chat with friends and just came back. He told us he had been cautioned against going anywhere the next two days so it was no surprise to him. Only thing that sparked up fear was the fact that the melee sounded like it was so close. We slept & woke up the next morning to news of people being killed & houses being razed.

The election crisis had somehow turned to a religious one. Families staying close to the Ahmadu Bello university kongo campus had run to our neighbourhood with nothing, saying they had barely escaped with their lives. Other accounts were of how almajiris led by a few adults with knives & axes had attacked churches. Luckily for my family & I, we didn’t need to go camp at the barracks. Our neighbourhood was relatively safe but the question I asked myself back then was for how long?

Religion has somehow become one of those canker worms that keeps eating our peace away. I’ve come to the realisation that a lot of people won’t react to political issues except religion is involved. That way, they get zealous about whatever cause the politician proposes and those with the aim to exploit do so to the fullest capacity. People get used for next to nothing as payment because “the Almighty’s reward is greater than what man can give”. It therefore no longer comes as a surprise to me when I read that someone’s been burnt or mugged to death because of blasphemy.

Somehow a lot of Nigerians irrespective of educational level attained have failed to separate their bigotry from religiousness. Or is tribal difference a strong contributing factor?

I wonder sometimes if the northern muslim living in the south feels the same way a southern Christian living in the north feels; wondered if we’re even supposed to be feeling this way. Is the slogan one Nigeria just a mere ineffective slogan?

January 2015 I saw a lot of friends & their families exit the north for their various villages for fear of experiencing another horrible crisis. My entire time living in Zaria, I had never felt the tension of unrest like I did that month. I had never seen soldiers positioned at various points in the markets and different neighbourhoods to quell trouble just incase it arose. To be honest, we felt some sort of relief when Buhari was announced as winner of the presidential elections but then what if the then president Goodluck Jonathan had won? Would I & my family have been killed?

I won’t pretend to feel safe in the north or pretend I want to spend the rest of my life here. The hostility is still very much in the air. You don’t need exceptional days & events to feel it. It’s always present in the air. You get stared down for looking different or daring to be. It’s sad but true that this isn’t peculiar to one region.
Do people want this to continue? Do they want to experience the occasional religious crisis? A lot would say no but a lot more that most people expect would say yes. If majority wanted it to stop how would it? I won’t pretend to have all the answers. Does the government put in enough effort to stop it? I do not think so. How about society; how much effort have they put in to stop this? I would say not much to be honest.

However I feel Nigerians need to pay more attention to this issue and find the roots. Ignoring a sore won’t make it heal faster or stop spreading. Professing open tolerance for one’s religion & claiming a unity in serving the same God will not work. But then as the typical Nigerian for now I’d simply say “pray for Nigeria”.

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This entry was submitted as part of the Nigerian Voices competition organized by YNaija.com.

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