The Rise of Atheism in Northen Nigeria
This is the 21st centuary, the world of Google. The age of information superhighway, an extensive electronic network used for the transfer information in form of sound, video and graphics. It is the era that boasts of providing “more information available to any student with a smartphone than an entire empire would have had access to three thousand years ago.” The age which mankind witnessed the greatest scientific and technological innovations. It is also sadly the era in which those who believe in religion and in the existence of a supreme Being who deserves to be revered and worshipped face the greatest challenge.
Ordinarily, one would have thought that Nigeria is the least expected country to harbour atheism. Unfortunately the reverse is the case. The truth is that atheism is right inside our houses. It spreads its dangerous tentacles to wrap around and consume its prey, most of whom are the gullible and weak in faith.
In September 2018, Aljazeera undercover investigator interviewed Nigerian atheists in Kano, Kaduna and Abuja. Chika Odua of Al Jazeera reported that “atheists come together in private on WhatsApp groups and use pseudonyms on social media sites to share ideas.”
It is worrisome that the undercover atheists are in their twenties and thirties. This age bracket is the bulk of the population of Nigeria and the people our country needs for development and prosperity. These youths might have been targeted for a purpose. I see a parallel between an atheist and a beast. A beast has no conscience. It follows the dictates of its whims and fancies. So we should not just take these challenges and threats to our existence with a kid globes. We must rise up and attack it from all fronts. As we battle with the scourge of homosexuality, lesbianism and drugs abuse, we should not relent on our fight against this dangerously threatening and most destructictive phenomenon in our midst.
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There is a similarity between Rahaf Al-qunun, the media glamorized Saudi teen who denounced Islam and escaped to Canada where she got asylum and Jidda, the Nigerian girl who is reported by Aljazeera to have rejected Islam for atheism. According to Jidda, Atheism gives her what Islam could not give her-wearing men’s clothing like trousers-going clubbing and having premarital sex. It appears that nothing is more attractive among some youths than to worship Satan nowadays. Because devil worshiping and godlessness is easy and sweet, jidda has attracted a crowd of 8,000 followers on her Facebook account. She preaches godless universe and surprisingly, she has a willing 8,000 men and women who have the luxury of time to waste on her wall.
Stephen Hawkins, Professor Richad Dawkins, Daniel Dennett are few of the world’s most infamous atheists who join earlier thinkers such as Voltaire, Auguste Comte and Max Weber to advance the idea of “no God”. Atheism as promoted by its proponents in modernization theory and its corollary secularization thesis have supported the idea that religion and modernity are on collision course.
Atheists and LGBS in the West and America have been trying so hard in the recent past to initiate as many youths as possible in Africa and the Middle East. Islam is the last frontier against the incursions of atheists in those parts of the world. There has been a coordinated effort to shake the moral fabric of Islam from its foundation. This perhaps explain why gullible youths in Nigeria are targeted to be used as agents of moral debasement.
Christianity has also been attacked by those agents of darkness and destruction. Not long ago, there was an attempt to address a sickness that has been poisoning the church. On February 20, 2019 BBC news had reported cardinal Raymond Burke, from the USA, and Walter Brandmuller, from Germany, blaming the causes of sexual abuse on minors and homosexuality on what they term “claricalism”- a group of men abusing their power, and protecting each other.
We now live in a strange world. A world which is more wicked and immoral than the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. In every part of the world today, homosexuality, lesbianism, atheism, hatred, habitat destruction and senseless killings are the order of the day. More worrying is the bitter feelings that there is no end in sight to this senselessnes.
Nigeria is a religious country. We are a nation of Muslims and Christians. So it is is high time Nigerian Muslims and Christians woke up from sleep to repel the attack on our belief systems. We should avoid the consequences of drifting away from religion and belief in God.
Saleh Ibrahim Bature
Writes from Abuja
