Nigeria is a deeply religious country. On any given day, churches and mosques are filled with citizens seeking divine intervention, spiritual guidance and hope for a better life. Politicians are not excluded from this religious culture. They kneel in churches, bow in mosques, quote the Bible and the Qur’an, invoke the name of God during campaigns and surround themselves with religious leaders.
Yet, beneath this public display of faith appears to exist another, less visible religion—one that cuts across political parties, ethnic groups and even religious affiliations.
Its name is Avarism.
This secret religion of Nigerian politics is rooted in relentless worship of wealth, privilege, influence and political power. Its followers may publicly profess Christianity or Islam, but their conduct in office often suggests allegiance to another creed: greed.
They accumulate wealth for themselves and their families, even to the tenth generation, while the citizens who elected them struggle to access basic healthcare, quality education, decent roads, reliable electricity, clean water and meaningful economic opportunities.
The tragedy is not that politicians possess wealth. There is nothing inherently wrong with prosperity. The tragedy is the apparent transformation of public office from a responsibility into an opportunity for private enrichment.
Like every religion, this secret political faith has its commandments—eight in total.
Thou shalt acquire.
Thou shalt protect thy wealth.
Thou shalt reward thy loyalists.
Thou shalt place family and political allies in strategic positions.
Thou shalt resist accountability.
Thou shalt remain in power for as long as possible.
Thou shalt never forget that political power is the gateway to everything else.
And above all, thou shalt delight in the suffering and death of the people you are supposed to serve.
Its temples are the corridors of government. Its priests are the political godfathers and influential gatekeepers. Its offerings are political appointments, contracts, patronage and access to public resources. Its congregation is the political class—and, ironically, the ordinary citizens who continue to suffer the consequences of its worship but never having the courage to revolt and break free.
The most painful part is what this religion has done to the psyche of the majority of the suffering people, who have somehow managed to accept that they are under the punishment of the god of Avarism whose priests (politicians) they must kneel before and never unite to revolt against. Many have managed to believe that they must defend the priests of Avarism (political godfathers) using ethnic and tribal logic.
A nation can survive bad weather. It can survive economic difficulties. It can even survive temporary political instability. What becomes devastating is a political culture that strips citizens of their ability to think and repeatedly consumes the resources that should have been used to build the future.
Every neglected hospital has consequences.
Every poorly equipped school has consequences.
Every abandoned road has consequences.
Every young person who loses hope has consequences.
Every public resource diverted into private wealth represents something that could have improved another Nigerian’s life.
The damage therefore cannot be measured merely in billions of naira or dollars. It must also be measured in dreams abandoned, lives unnecessarily lost, opportunities destroyed and generations condemned to struggle.
And yet, strangely, the religion remains attractive.
New converts
Every election produces new converts. Young men and women who once condemned political corruption suddenly discover the attractions of political office. They see politicians acquire mansions, fleets of vehicles, businesses and influence, and they begin to believe that this is what political success means.
The corrupt system therefore reproduces itself.
The old disciples initiate the new ones.
The new converts learn the rituals.
They learn who to please, whom to protect, whom to reward and whom to silence.
And some eventually become so fanatical about power that they are willing to threaten, intimidate or even destroy human lives to preserve their political positions.
This is where the metaphor of religion becomes particularly disturbing.
Religious fanaticism occurs when people become so consumed by their beliefs that human life and reason become secondary. Political fanaticism can produce something equally destructive when individuals become so obsessed with power that the welfare of the society becomes irrelevant.
The irony is that Nigerian politicians often campaign by dividing citizens along religious, ethnic and regional lines. They tell Christians to vote for Christians and Muslims to trust Muslims. They appeal to ethnicity, tribe and geography.
But when political interests are threatened, these divisions can suddenly disappear.
The Christian politician can cooperate with the Muslim politician.
The northerner can cooperate with the southerner.
The Igbo can cooperate with the Yoruba.
The Hausa can cooperate with the Ijaw.
What unites them is sometimes not religion, ethnicity or ideology—but access to power and its rewards.
Perhaps this is Nigeria’s greatest political deception.
We are encouraged to fight one another over the religious identities of our leaders while ignoring the more important question: What do they actually do with the power we give them?
A politician’s religion should not be measured merely by the name of the church or mosque he attends. It should also be reflected in the hospitals he builds, the schools he improves, the roads he provides, the institutions he strengthens and the opportunities he creates for ordinary people.
Nigeria does not need politicians who merely profess faith.
It needs politicians whose conduct demonstrates responsibility, integrity and service.
Until then, the secret religion will continue to attract new converts, build new temples and destroy new hopes.
And the people—the very people who confer political power—will continue to pay the price.
Avarism: the secret religion of Nigerian politicians
Nigeria is a deeply religious country. On any given day, churches and mosques are filled with citizens seeking divine intervention, spiritual guidance and hope for a better life. Politicians are not excluded from this religious culture. They kneel in churches, bow in mosques, quote the Bible and the Qur’an, invoke the name of God during campaigns and surround themselves with religious leaders.
Yet, beneath this public display of faith appears to exist another, less visible religion—one that cuts across political parties, ethnic groups and even religious affiliations.
Its name is Avarism.
This secret religion of Nigerian politics is rooted in relentless worship of wealth, privilege, influence and political power. Its followers may publicly profess Christianity or Islam, but their conduct in office often suggests allegiance to another creed: greed.
They accumulate wealth for themselves and their families, even to the tenth generation, while the citizens who elected them struggle to access basic healthcare, quality education, decent roads, reliable electricity, clean water and meaningful economic opportunities.
The tragedy is not that politicians possess wealth. There is nothing inherently wrong with prosperity. The tragedy is the apparent transformation of public office from a responsibility into an opportunity for private enrichment.
Like every religion, this secret political faith has its commandments—eight in total.
Thou shalt acquire.
Thou shalt protect thy wealth.
Thou shalt reward thy loyalists.
Thou shalt place family and political allies in strategic positions.
Thou shalt resist accountability.
Thou shalt remain in power for as long as possible.
Thou shalt never forget that political power is the gateway to everything else.
And above all, thou shalt delight in the suffering and death of the people you are supposed to serve.
Its temples are the corridors of government. Its priests are the political godfathers and influential gatekeepers. Its offerings are political appointments, contracts, patronage and access to public resources. Its congregation is the political class—and, ironically, the ordinary citizens who continue to suffer the consequences of its worship but never having the courage to revolt and break free.
The most painful part is what this religion has done to the psyche of the majority of the suffering people, who have somehow managed to accept that they are under the punishment of the god of Avarism whose priests (politicians) they must kneel before and never unite to revolt against. Many have managed to believe that they must defend the priests of Avarism (political godfathers) using ethnic and tribal logic.
A nation can survive bad weather. It can survive economic difficulties. It can even survive temporary political instability. What becomes devastating is a political culture that strips citizens of their ability to think and repeatedly consumes the resources that should have been used to build the future.
Every neglected hospital has consequences.
Every poorly equipped school has consequences.
Every abandoned road has consequences.
Every young person who loses hope has consequences.
Every public resource diverted into private wealth represents something that could have improved another Nigerian’s life.
The damage therefore cannot be measured merely in billions of naira or dollars. It must also be measured in dreams abandoned, lives unnecessarily lost, opportunities destroyed and generations condemned to struggle.
And yet, strangely, the religion remains attractive.
New converts
Every election produces new converts. Young men and women who once condemned political corruption suddenly discover the attractions of political office. They see politicians acquire mansions, fleets of vehicles, businesses and influence, and they begin to believe that this is what political success means.
The corrupt system therefore reproduces itself.
The old disciples initiate the new ones.
The new converts learn the rituals.
They learn who to please, whom to protect, whom to reward and whom to silence.
And some eventually become so fanatical about power that they are willing to threaten, intimidate or even destroy human lives to preserve their political positions.
This is where the metaphor of religion becomes particularly disturbing.
Religious fanaticism occurs when people become so consumed by their beliefs that human life and reason become secondary. Political fanaticism can produce something equally destructive when individuals become so obsessed with power that the welfare of the society becomes irrelevant.
The irony is that Nigerian politicians often campaign by dividing citizens along religious, ethnic and regional lines. They tell Christians to vote for Christians and Muslims to trust Muslims. They appeal to ethnicity, tribe and geography.
But when political interests are threatened, these divisions can suddenly disappear.
The Christian politician can cooperate with the Muslim politician.
The northerner can cooperate with the southerner.
The Igbo can cooperate with the Yoruba.
The Hausa can cooperate with the Ijaw.
What unites them is sometimes not religion, ethnicity or ideology—but access to power and its rewards.
Perhaps this is Nigeria’s greatest political deception.
We are encouraged to fight one another over the religious identities of our leaders while ignoring the more important question: What do they actually do with the power we give them?
A politician’s religion should not be measured merely by the name of the church or mosque he attends. It should also be reflected in the hospitals he builds, the schools he improves, the roads he provides, the institutions he strengthens and the opportunities he creates for ordinary people.
Nigeria does not need politicians who merely profess faith.
It needs politicians whose conduct demonstrates responsibility, integrity and service.
Until then, the secret religion will continue to attract new converts, build new temples and destroy new hopes.
And the people—the very people who confer political power—will continue to pay the price.
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