I have followed with concern the national conversation generated by the reported comments of Sheikh Yahaya Jingir regarding Christians, the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, and the religious composition of Nigeria.
As a Christian leader, public intellectual, Professor of Cybersecurity and Information Technology Management, and a patriotic Nigerian, I consider it necessary to contribute to this discussion in a manner that promotes truth, peace, constitutional order, and national unity.
First, let me state unequivocally that Nigeria belongs neither to Christians nor Muslims exclusively. Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians. Every citizen, irrespective of faith, ethnicity, region, or political affiliation, possesses equal rights and equal ownership in the Nigerian project.
Any statement that seeks to portray one religious community as superior to another, or suggests that members of another faith should ‘know their limit’ or ‘leave Nigeria,’ is contrary to the spirit of nationhood, peaceful coexistence, and constitutional democracy.
What makes this matter even more important is the fact that Nigeria remains one of the world’s most religiously diverse nations. Such diversity is not a weakness. It is a strength that must be nurtured and protected.
My position has been consistent.
It is important to remind Nigerians that I was among the earliest Christian leaders and public commentators to publicly support the Tinubu-Shettima Muslim-Muslim ticket before the 2023 general election.
On July 24, 2022, in my article titled ‘2023: My Views on Tinubu-Shettima Ticket’, I argued that religion should not be the primary criterion for selecting political leaders and that Nigerians should place greater emphasis on competence, character, capacity, leadership experience, and commitment to national development.
In that article, I wrote: ‘Religion is a spiritual affair that should not become a political tool.’
I further stated that: ‘The time has come for all Nigerians to rise to the urgent imperative to detoxify the religious content wrongly built into our politics and governance.’
I also argued that: ‘During elections, we are not required to elect leaders that will lead us to heaven but leaders that will employ all indices to chart our progress as citizens and the growth of Nigeria.’
Furthermore, I maintained that: ‘Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist or any other belief should not matter in leadership selection.’
And I concluded by urging Nigerians to vote based on competence rather than religious affiliations.
My position then was based on principle, and my position today remains based on the same principle.
The Nigerian people spoke in 2023
The outcome of the 2023 presidential election demonstrated that millions of Nigerians were willing to look beyond religious sentiments and support candidates based on broader political considerations.
The Tinubu-Shettima ticket secured victory in a highly competitive election and attracted votes from Christians, Muslims, northerners, southerners, youths, professionals, traders, and diverse segments of society. The electoral outcome showed that many Nigerians were prepared to place national leadership considerations above narrow sectarian calculations.
However, it is important to emphasize that the public support received by a Muslim-Muslim ticket must never be interpreted as public endorsement of religious superiority, religious domination, or exclusionary rhetoric.
The Nigerian electorate voted for candidates. They did not vote for religious supremacy.
Support for a Muslim-Muslim ticket is not support for religious domination
This distinction is critical.
A person may support a Muslim-Muslim ticket because of perceived competence. A person may support a Christian-Christian ticket because of perceived competence. A person may support a Muslim-Christian ticket because of perceived competence.
What must never happen is for any political arrangement to become a platform for declaring ownership of Nigeria by one faith over another.
The moment politics becomes a contest of religious domination, democracy loses its soul.
Encouraging reactions from responsible leaders
I am encouraged that numerous voices across religious and political divides have spoken against divisive rhetoric. Recent reports indicate that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso publicly condemned the comments attributed to Sheikh Jingir, describing them as divisive and stressing that statements capable of promoting disunity must be discouraged. He further emphasised that the people of Kano do not support rhetoric that threatens national cohesion.
Reports also indicate that the comments generated criticism from Christian leaders, civil society groups, political commentators, and many Muslims who expressed concern that such statements could deepen religious tensions and undermine national unity.
Significantly, Sheikh Jingir himself has reportedly clarified that his views represented his personal opinion and not an official position of JIBWIS, one of Nigeria’s largest Islamic organisations.
These reactions demonstrate that extremist views do not represent the majority of either Christians or Muslims in Nigeria.
What Nigeria needs now
Nigeria needs bridge-builders, not wall-builders.
Nigeria needs statesmen, not provocateurs.
Nigeria needs responsible religious leaders who understand the enormous weight of their words.
Both Christianity and Islam teach accountability before God, love for neighbour, compassion, justice, and peaceful coexistence.
Neither Christianity nor Islam teaches hatred, contempt, intimidation, or the dehumanisation of others. Any interpretation of religion that promotes hatred, contempt, exclusion, or superiority over fellow human beings should find no place in any civilised society.
Neither faith teaches religious arrogance, and no faith gains honour by insulting, denigrating, or provoking another faith. At the same time, we cannot ignore the painful reality that many communities in Nigeria have suffered religiously motivated violence over the years, with substantial evidence and widespread concerns about the killing, displacement, and persecution of Christians in several parts of the country.
These painful realities should compel us to speak with greater responsibility, promote justice for all victims, and strengthen interfaith harmony rather than inflame existing tensions. The appropriate response to historical grievances is not religious triumphalism or retaliatory rhetoric, but a renewed commitment to justice, security, mutual respect, and the sanctity of every human life.
Religious leaders must therefore use their influence to heal wounds, foster reconciliation, and build bridges of understanding, not deepen divisions.
No faith gains honour by insulting another faith, and no nation prospers when its citizens are divided along religious lines.
My appeal
I respectfully call on all religious leaders, political actors, and public commentators to exercise wisdom, restraint, and responsibility in their public engagements.
I urge Nigerians to reject narratives of religious conquest, religious superiority, and religious intimidation.
Our challenge is not whether Nigeria is a Muslim country or a Christian country.
Our challenge is whether Nigeria can become a more secure, prosperous, just, technologically advanced, and united nation.
As someone who publicly supported the Tinubu-Shettima ticket before the election, despite being a Christian leader, I cannot be accused of religious prejudice. My record is clear. My convictions are well documented.
I supported the ticket because I believed leadership should be judged by competence, capacity, and vision.
I reject, however, any suggestion that support for a political ticket should be used to justify claims of religious dominance or ownership of Nigeria by any group.
Nigeria belongs equally to Christians. Nigeria belongs equally to Muslims. Nigeria belongs equally to every law-abiding citizen. We must therefore, choose unity over division, dialogue over hostility, constitutional equality over religious triumphalism, and nation-building over sectarian politics.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and grant us the wisdom to preserve our unity in diversity.