God is Not Failing Africa—Politicians Are; Less Hallelujah, Less Bismillah, More Accountability.

By Comr. Uchenna Umez

Published on January 24, 2026

No nation has ever developed on pilgrimages and photo-ops in foreign “holy lands” while its own cities and institutions crumble at home.

With due respect to His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, and without questioning the personal right of any Nigerian—governor or otherwise—to worship freely, this development raises a fundamental constitutional concern that must not be ignored or downplayed.

Nigeria is not a theocracy. By the clear and unambiguous wording of Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution, “The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.” This provision is not symbolic; it is a binding constitutional command meant to protect our fragile pluralism and prevent the state from becoming an instrument of religious preference.

When a sitting governor officially commissions a mosque in a public university and lays the foundation for a commercial project within its premises, using the authority and symbolism of state power, the line between private faith and public governance becomes dangerously blurred. The issue here is not Islam, Christianity, or any faith—but state neutrality.

Because we repeatedly see sitting presidents and governors returning from pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Mecca—whether funded by personal resources or public funds remains unclear—they then proceed to parade these journeys on billboards and social media, while citizens of other faiths and secular Nigerians are compelled to endure this display. It is difficult to see how such religious posturing adds any technological, educational, or industrial value to the lives of the general public.

Public office is not a pulpit, and governance is not taking pictures in Bethlehem and Medina. These displays do nothing to improve infrastructure, strengthen institutions, create jobs, or advance innovation. Instead, they deepen religious divisions and normalize the misuse of public attention and authority for sectarian validation.

This practice must stop. Leaders should be remembered for policies, competence, and measurable development—not for pilgrimage photo-ops that neither feed the hungry nor move the nation forward.

And to think that when a Christian governor (from Anambra, Platueu, Taraba, Benue or any Christian dominated states) does this, many Christians applaud it—and when a Muslim governor (from Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto or any Muslim dominated states) does the same, many Muslims cheer—is deeply troubling and, frankly, sickening.

The Constitution goes further. Section 42 expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion. State patronage—financial, symbolic, or institutional—towards religious infrastructure, without equal and demonstrable reciprocity to other faiths and to non-religious citizens, offends this provision. Even more troubling is the setting: a federal university, an intellectual space meant to embody diversity, critical inquiry, and inclusion—not religious dominance or political signaling.

Yes, Section 38 guarantees freedom of religion, conscience, and thought. But that freedom is a shield for citizens, not a sword for the state. Where one person’s religious expression, amplified by government power, begins to marginalize others, constitutional balance is lost. Government officials must remember: their right to personal belief ends where their public duty to neutrality begins.

Governors and presidents are not elected as religious, ethnic, or tribal leaders. They are elected as leaders of all citizens—Muslims, Christians, traditionalists, atheists, and others alike. Public resources are not offerings at an altar; they are held in trust for a diverse people. This is why taxpayer-funded religious projects, pilgrimages, or patronage—outside a clearly legislated, equitable, and secular framework—remain indefensible.

Fela Anikulapo-Kuti warned us over 40 years ago in “Coffin for Head of State.” His words still sting because they still ring true; he said and I paraphrase: "A Christian President favours friends of the Bishop more than others, while a Muslim President favours friends of Imams more than others and while praying oh Lord oh God or Haba Allah Haba Allah, he's committing many atrocious things in office".

When power cloaks itself in religion, accountability dies quietly. Prayers are said loudly while injustices are committed boldly. That curse persists only because citizens allow it.

Conscientious Muslims and Christians must reject this normalization of constitutional breaches. Faith should never require the bending of the law to survive. If it does, then something is fundamentally wrong—not with the Constitution, but with those wielding power.

Let us be clear: we are not subjects; we are employers. Public office holders work for the Nigerian people. Holding them to constitutional standards is not hostility—it is civic duty. Silence is not respect; silence is complicity.

A truly secular state is not anti-religion; it is pro-justice, pro-equality, and pro-peace. And it begins by insisting that those who govern us obey the very Constitution they swore to uphold.

Nigeria Wake up!
Africa wake up!
Enough is enough.

© Uchenna Umez