As Nigerians We Must to Stand United and Embrace Our Diversity and Reject Bigotry

By Yakubu Muhammad Anas PhD 

27/07/1447

15/01/2026

Unfortunately we Nigerians have diverted our own intellectuality to religious and ethnic bigotry instead of learning the fact that nobody has the monopoly of things.

Should we learn to understand that we are all humans and that God created us the way we are based on His wisdom and power of making things as he wished.

If we understand the fact that creating us of different tribes, different races, different countries, different regions, different continents, different faiths and understand that no one can have the monopoly of faith and no one can make anyone disappear.

Threats, hatred, cheating, lies, terrorism and any evil machination cannot be enough to erase any faith, race or ethnic group unless God wishes to end them.

Hitler did not erase the Jews, the world war did not erase Germans, civil war did not erase Igbos, terrorists cannot erase Kanuri talk less of the entire northeast, absolutely banditry will not erase northwest.

Your hatred for certain faithfuls because of their faith will not stop them from their beliefs, your hatred of certain ethnic groups will never erase them, your hatred will only lead you to an endless heartache and eventually heart problems.

Many of you find joy in blaming some ethnic and/or religious groups but your hatred cannot end certainly you will ever remain in pains of the hatred and I swear this may probably be the path to your self destruction.

In Christianity I learned that Jesus peace be upon him said “love thy neighbour as thou will love yourself, love your enemy and not cast your curse upon them”(Matthew 22:39)

In Islam the Prophet peace be upon him said, “If you believe in Allah and the resurrection day say that which is good or remain silent, If you believe in Allah and the resurrection day be kind to your neighbours, If you believe in Allah and the resurrection day show hospitality to your guests.”

These teachings are not unique to Christianity or Islam; they are universal values that promote peace and harmony.

One thing I often found disturbing in recent times is the way anything Islam is being demonised simply because the western media is consistently making negative propaganda against Islam, but if those being influenced are capable of untying the knots they would have studied Islam first before believing what they read or heard from the media.

Another thing that bothers me much is the way some Nigerians are demonising Nigeria just because of foreign tagging. They are born and brought up in Nigeria with Nigerian economy yet after having and opportunity outside Nigeria they would forget their foundation and begin campaigning calumny against their bossm land and even misinforming their brethren at home to hate Nigeria.

Now that the north is facing serious security challenges instead of a collective response to address the challenges those who are not from the region are being happy directly and indirectly.

Unfortunately the Northern region is the most accommodating region and is the most important market not just in Nigeria but from the global surface. North remained the most friendly and has more greener pasture than any other region and despite the insecurity it is still a more secure region and more accommodating faith, ethnicity has never been a reason of hindrance to anyone willing to explore the north. What many refused to accept is that those facing challenges in the Muslim dominated states is that unless you attack their faith no one will ever harass you, probably the usual intercultural teasing can occur and that’s normal.

In Nigeria Muslims will never insult the Bible or Jesus but it is much easier to note Christians insulting the Prophet of Islam or even mocking Islam and sometimes reaching to deliberately mishandle the Qur’an.

I lived and worked with Christians and have been very friendly to each other over the years probably because they are more exposed and more educated.

In many platforms the moment something bad is mentioned against Islam we would see many non Muslims displaying happiness and even adding some insultative tagging.

Nigerian resources are already being exploited by evil minded Nigerians through the support of European and Chinese exploiters, instead of collectively working to find solutions we are here fighting ourselves on the social media while they’re joyfully enjoying themselves.

Now that the USA is eyeing equally looking for an opportunity to use the bully brother strategy they’re now claiming what in the real sense we all know is not true but because we hate our country we are welcoming them. We never learn from Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda etc. Because we are blinded by hatred we are not ready to use wisdom we are rather slaves to western propaganda.

No country can prosper with the level of insecurity we are facing in Nigeria, if one region is under siege all other regions would be affected directly.

The politicians are not interested in the growth of the masses, the west is never interested in us if they can kill all of us to gain access to our natural resources they would do so with ease.

The US and its allies would place deadly sanctions against a country, they would also force countries to take loans at excruciating interest rates and other evil conditions that would lead to extreme suffering of the masses and yet instigate the masses against the government they are doing all they can to cripple.

As Nigerians, we must recognize the danger of religious and ethnic bigotry that threatens to tear our nation apart. It’s time to acknowledge that nobody has a monopoly on things, and that our diversity is our strength.

God created us in different tribes, races, countries, and faiths, and it’s not for us to question His wisdom. Instead, we should focus on promoting understanding, tolerance, and respect for one another.

We must reject the propaganda that seeks to pit us against each other. The Western media’s negative portrayal of Islam is not a reflection of the true faith, and we should not let it divide us. Similarly, we should not demonize Nigeria because of the actions of a few individuals.

The current security challenges in the North are a collective problem that requires a collective response. We must work together to address the root causes of the conflict and promote peace and stability.

Our diversity is our strength, and we must celebrate it. We are all Nigerians, and we deserve to live in peace and harmony.

Let’s reject bigotry, hatred, and intolerance, and instead promote love, understanding, and respect for one another. We can do this, and we must do this, for the sake of our nation and our future generations.

*Share your thoughts and let’s work together to build a better Nigeria!*