How Government Can Stop Religious Killings In Nigeria

 

Religious crisis in the country is on the high rise and solving the crisis remains a cumbersome task for various institutions that make up the society. 

The critical stakeholders of any society include the Family, Government, Religious institutions, Education institutions, etc. Therefore, there is a need for these aforementioned societal institutions to actively proffer lasting solutions to the problem of religious killings in Nigeria. 

The Family as an institution has a great contribution to make in tackling the menace of religious killings in Nigeria. The family leaders i.e the parents must be able to teach the children the ethics of living peacefully in the society coupled with preaching the word of God to them regularly. Doing this will help them to be a good ambassador for their respective family and the society at large.

On the part of the Government, it is expected of the government at all levels to organize sensitization programs on religious-based issues from time to time in order to educate the people on the need to shun religious crises in the country. This can be done if the government collaborates with religious leaders and other stakeholders involved. 

One of the major problems of religious killings in Nigeria is the misconceptions about the religion. Many of our Muslim and Christian faithful have failed to understand what the religion preaches and this is adversely affecting the people. There is a huge difference between Extremism, Laxity, and Moderation in religion.

Extremism literally means the holding of extreme political or religious views; fanaticism. It can also be described as the behaviour or beliefs of extremists. The Boko Haram insurgency is a practical example of extremism practice in Nigeria. 

Laxity is simply the state of carelessness and looseness. Laxity in religion means failure to follow basic teachings, the negligence of the prescribed acts of worship, and failure to submit to the moral guidance of the holy book. 

While moderation is the state or quality of being moderate; avoidance of extremes. Moderation concerning religious practice means to carry out to the best of one’s ability what God has prescribed and avoid what He has forbidden, understand the wisdom of God's laws and moral guidance, and grasp and apply the basic religious principles to every new situation as it arises. The best mode of worshipping is to be a moderate person, one should not be extreme, and one should not be too lax. The act of moderation should be preached at all times by all our religious leaders in order to foster peace among other people in the society.

Education is very significant to solving the religious killings in Nigeria presently.

 Lack of education in the northern part of the country has caused a lot of havoc to the region. 

The system of Al-Majaris should be stopped by the respective State government and therefore, the Federal government should put in place a policy that will create an opportunity for Al-Majaris to study in school.

Also, the teaching of religious studies should be prioritized in schools as religious education promotes the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of individuals and groups. By incorporating this plan, problems of insecurity and religious crisis will be reduced.

In conclusion, Non-violence and peaceful behaviour can be learned through education and governmental policies. Cultures of peace, instilled in families and communities, will combat mindsets and attitudes of people that promote religious killings.

Finally, religious groups and the interfaith community should always shun religious intolerance in the society.