Who Owns Nigeria? Not Christians, Not Muslims, But Nigerians

Nigeria is neither an Islamic nor a Christian state. It is a constitutional republic in which citizens are entitled to equal rights irrespective of religion. Our citizenship is Nigerian before it is religious. Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution explicitly prohibits the adoption of any state religion.

Christianity teaches the dignity of every human being, created in the image of God. Jesus Christ taught love of neighbour, mercy and reconciliation—not the expulsion of people because they belong to another faith.

But this principle must work both ways. If a Christian cleric declared that Muslims should leave Nigeria because Nigeria belongs to Christians, we would rightly condemn it as dangerous and unacceptable. The same standard must apply when such a statement comes from a Muslim cleric. Religious authority does not confer political ownership

So when anyone says that Nigerians of another faith should leave, the obvious question is: Leave Nigeria and go where? 

If we accept that logic, we will not solve Nigeria’s problems. We will turn Nigeria into a permanent contest over religious eviction.

The Real Challenge Is Religious Supremacism and Political Instrumentalization

Nigeria’s crisis is fundamentally a crisis of governance, citizenship and national purpose. Yet we must also recognize that religion has been instrumentalized by political elites to mobilize support, distribute resources, and legitimize power. Religious supremacy often functions less as pure theology and more as the expression of political identity in contests over land, offices, and state resources. This reality demands more than moral exhortation—it requires structural reforms.

Religious leaders should therefore be building bridges, not walls. The Nigerian state must enforce constitutional secularism more rigorously, promote interfaith civic education in schools, impose legal consequences for clerics inciting religious expulsion, and create national dialogue frameworks that include traditional religious leaders alongside Christians and Muslims. 

The Same Standard Must Apply to Everyone

There must also be moral consistency on the Christian side. We cannot condemn religious extremism when it comes from Muslims and excuse it when it comes from Christians. If a Christian preacher calls for Muslims to leave Nigeria, Christians should reject the statement with equal force. The answer to Islamic supremacism cannot be Christian supremacism. The answer is equal citizenship under the law. 

The Nigerian state must therefore be clear: no religious leader has the constitutional authority to expel Nigerian citizens because of their faith. Nigeria has enough wounds. Reckless religious rhetoric can deepen suspicion and turn neighbours into enemies.

While this article focuses on Christian–Muslim tensions, it is important to acknowledge that adherents of traditional African religions whose spiritual heritage predates both Islam and Christianity on this land have often been marginalized in public discourse dominated by the two major faiths. A truly inclusive vision of Nigerian citizenship must protect and respect these indigenous spiritual traditions as well, recognizing their contributions to our cultural identity and social cohesion.

And for these I will defend the right of a Muslim Nigerian to live peacefully in Nigeria because, by the same principle, I expect the right of Christian Nigerian to be defended.

That is not weakness. That is civilisation.

Nigeria belongs to neither Christians nor Muslims. Nigeria belongs to Nigerians.

The future of Nigeria should therefore not be determined by the question, “Which religion owns Nigeria?” but by a more fundamental one: “How do we build a Nigeria in which every citizen—Christian, Muslim, traditional believer, or none—can live, worship and belong without being threatened with expulsion from home?”[4]

This is not a Christian rejoinder. It is a civic call for equal citizenship, constitutional patriotism, and a shared commitment to human dignity. Only by answering this call can we transform Nigeria from a battleground of religious supremacy into a home for all its children.