By Citizen Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Apostle & Nation Builder
- A Dialogue of Friendship and Truth
My dear brother, Rafiu Atolagbe,
Forty-five years of shared history demand that when we differ, we must still speak truth in love. Your recent piece, “Nigeria’s Insecurity: Beyond Religious Narratives,” reflects the mind of a patriot seeking peace — and for that, I commend you. But peace built on partial truth is a fragile peace; it will collapse under the weight of injustice.
It is not enough to wish away the religious undertone of Nigeria’s insecurity. We must confront it, diagnose it, and resolve it — not by trading blame, but by acknowledging facts and confronting the institutions that feed this national wound.
- What Changed Since 2014?
You will recall, my brother, that on May 29, 2014, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then in opposition, accused the Goodluck Jonathan administration of presiding over “a targeted campaign of genocide against Christians.”
That statement was made before the international community, to justify the need for regime change.
Fast forward ten years — we now have a Muslim President and a Muslim Vice President, yet the insecurity persists, even deepens.
If then it was genocide under a Christian President, what shall we call it now?
If the same forces that killed yesterday still kill today, then the problem is no longer the victim’s faith — it is the State’s failure.
The tragedy is not that insecurity is religious; it is that leadership has politicized it by using religion when it suits, and denying it when it doesn’t.
- The Danger of Convenient Neutrality
Rafiu, neutrality in a time of injustice often favors the oppressor.
To argue that the violence is “beyond religion” without acknowledging its religious manipulation is to ignore a key layer of the problem.
No one denies that land, poverty, and resource greed play their roles. But neither can we deny that religious extremism has weaponized these socio-economic conflicts — turning herders into jihadists, neighbours into enemies, and political ambition into divine justification.
Even the terrorists themselves do not hide behind ambiguity — they name their cause “jihad,” they fly religious banners, they issue fatwas, and they slaughter in the name of God.
To erase the religious motive from our analysis is to silence the testimony of victims and insult the conscience of the nation.
- Propaganda and Institutional Denial
You are right that propaganda has become institutional in Nigeria — but it flows both ways.
When the government downplays the role of religion in systemic violence, it serves political expediency, not national healing.
When media houses self-censor to protect ethnic or religious sensibilities, they do not promote peace; they prolong denial.
Our people are not fools.
They see who gets arrested and who gets released.
They see how Christian students are lynched in daylight and the perpetrators walk free.
They see that the law has different interpretations depending on the faith of the accused.
We are not called to weaponize these realities — but neither should we whitewash them.
- The Way Forward: From Propaganda to Partnership
Brother Rafiu, Nigeria’s healing will not come from denial but from dialogue.
We must build an interfaith truth platform — not for blame, but for nation-building.
I propose that we, as brothers of shared history and shared burden, convene a Citizens’ Inter-Religious Dialogue on Security and Justice — a platform where clerics, scholars, community leaders, and victims can analyze data, confront bias, and design joint interventions.
Such a platform can:
Document and publish verified cases of faith-related violence.
Promote faith-based early warning and response networks.
Push for balanced representation in security appointments.
Advocate for constitutional reform to restore equality before the law.
Build trust bridges between communities through education, shared projects, and media literacy.
We can no longer allow religion to be a cover for crime or a cloak for cowardice.
It must become a catalyst for conscience and collaboration.
- The Moral Imperative
Our friendship of forty-five years gives me the right to say this: Nigeria is not failing because we are Muslims or Christians — it is failing because we are not enough of either.
True Islam abhors murder. True Christianity forbids hate.
If both faiths were lived in truth, the soil of this nation would reject the blood of the innocent.
The government must act decisively, but the Church and the Mosque must also rise prophetically — not in competition, but in compassion.
- A Final Appeal
Rafiu, my brother, let us not stand on opposite sides of interpretation; let us stand on the same side of solution.
You write as a Concerned Citizen of Nigeria — I respond as a Burdened Builder of Nigeria.
Our voices can unite to birth the truth platform this nation needs — where religion becomes a healer, not a divider.
Let us work together, not to prove who is right, but to help Nigeria rise.
When next we speak, let it be not as debaters of faith, but as midwives of peace — men who saw the truth, embraced it, and turned it into transformation.
Citizen Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Apostle & Nation Builder
Convener, Apostolic Round Table
Founder, Project Victory Call Initiative (PVC-Naija)
📩 info@pvc-naija.com.ng | 🌐 www.bolajioakinyemi.com
