Long before Nigerians were differently adjudged as the most religious and happiest people on planet earth, they knew it was one ‘’slot’’ none would contest with them. The arrival at this reality and its subsequent announcement to the world by different organisations must have come to us as a ‘’pleasing’’ surprise. More so that ‘’happiness’’ as it were is ‘’sold’’ and ‘’paid’’ for every day in countless number of ‘’worship and prayer houses’’ across the country.
However, this...
hasn’t stopped the tendency of Nigerians to be religious without really having the fear of God as epitomised in the high level of corruption in the country. Religion keeps assuming centre-stage attention in the scheme of things. For example, hardly will any official/private engagement commence without a prayer being offered in either Islam or Christianity. The essence in my opinion is to routinely speak to the conscience of the people to sincerely accommodate religious opinions of others for harmonious co-existence. Rather than achieve the mentioned and probably reduce corruption, Nigerians with passion for religion for the sake of it in on the rise.
On the part of Christians, the one who attends church service every Sunday but fails to partake in weekly church activities is mocked as a ‘’Sunday-Sunday Christian’’ or ‘’Church-goer’’ and therefore regarded not heaven-bound. As a Christian, holding an official position in Church is a plus for whomever. Members of several congregations see a Church elder or worker as both God-fearing and chosen counsellor of God.
‘’Church-goers’’ in Christendom, have their likes in the Islamic faith. Since I am not a Muslim, and wouldn’t be dancing in the realm of generalisation regarding the ways of Muslims, I can at least speak of my personal experiences with particular reference to sycophantic dispositions on the part of some of my ‘’friends’’ that give a bad name to Islam the religion of peace. Against this background, whenever one finds oneself in a discussion with any Muslim that makes references to the Almighty Allah in every sentence, one should be very careful. The one in question might be using the name of Allah the most gracious, most beneficent, most merciful, in vain.
It’s a common fact that the opium of religion is largely flaunted in Nigeria for selfish reasons and people fall cheap to the antics of manipulators that claim to be religious without being Godly. Consequently, all manner of ‘’religious shows’’ are organised in the name of God for commercial purposes. The popular night vigil is one of such ‘’grandstanding displays’’ easily used by mostly up-coming religious fraudsters to cheat unsuspecting and desperate congregation of people.
Properly spelt ‘’arenji’’ in Naija langwej, ‘’arrangee’’ is used in popular parlance to mean something planned ahead of time; a representation of a ‘’future’’ known to parties to a particular plan. It’s all about ‘’fixing’’ like we commonly hear of in sports e.g. match-fixing in football or in Online dating, etc. It stems from; ‘’it’s arranged’’, ‘’It can be arranged’’ etc.
Following from above, a Night Vigil is an all-night session where adherents of any religion, would-be adherents and invited guests engage in offering supplications to the Almighty God or Allah. Christians commonly do theirs with loads of singing also called praise and worship. Although made popular by Christians in Nigeria, Muslims also have their own form of vigils called Qiyamul-layl or tahajjud. It literarily means to stand all-night praying.
Recently, a friend of mine attended a night vigil session on the invitation of her friend who apparently was ‘’concerned’’ about her dwindling business fortunes. Also faced with the challenge of wanting a buyer for a property she had put for sale for a long time, this friend of my friend boasted, ‘’Only a man of God like my pastor will pray for you to sell your land ’’shap-shap.’’ On this appointed day, she joined my friend joined her friend to a night vigil session put together by her church. At the heat of the session, the pastor stepped down the pulpit and walked straight to my friend and said ‘’Come up here, your time has come.’’ Thereafter, she was taken to the pastor’s ante-room ‘’office’’ by two ushers for ‘’special prayers.’’ At the close of service, the pastor joined the church workers who walked out as he entered the room. After few comments with her, the pastor asked that she comes the following day with the sum of N50,000.00 for what was described as the ‘’real prayer.’’ She looked straight into the eyes of the pastor and said; ‘’Pastor, if your spiritual eyes could see deeper, you will realise that I am desperately in need of money and cannot afford your demand.’’ She warned her friend never to invite her to any night vigil in future.
My friend would have been duped in what was an ‘’arrangee’’ night Vigil which is equal to 419 night vigil where religious leaders ‘’du ogbeju, jibiti, mago-mago’’ in the name of God using their agents. There are thousands of mind-bungling tales in this respect. With the increasing number of religious worship centres over the years, incidences of ‘’mago-mago’’ in the name of God keeps increasing.
If the politics of this great country called Nigeria is right, it will definitely percolate to all and ‘’praise and worship’’ wouldn’t be a fund-raising exercise packaged for the sole reason of hoodwinking traumatised souls.
- Eriata Oribhabor (edbabor@gmail.com)
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