The State Imposition of Morality And The Secular State

Source: pointblanknews.com

  Background
One of the main issues being used to undermine the candidacy of Mr Buhari has been the suspicion that he represents the force of islamisation in Nigeria. That (in other words) is the desire to impose on moderate moslems, Christians and members of other religious faiths, a moral code that should not be the business of the state to enforce on adults.

A tolerant society is gauged by the ability of the state to tolerate different strands of behavior that does not injure, harm or adversely affect other people (be they adults or minors). In the event that certain behaviors are carried on within private premises by adults and such acts are not injurious to other non consenting adults or minors, then the state should never interfere in such conduct. That after all is why Nigeria is a secular state.

Concerns
The National Security Adviser has suggested that the FG will ban or initiate laws that would ban access to pornographic websites from within Nigeria. He stated this at the closing ceremony of a three-day workshop on use of social media organised for Islamic preachers, Imams and youths in Kaduna on Sunday the 25 of January. This intention when viewed against the decision of the federal government to sign into law a ban on same sex sexual contact or interaction  between consenting adults in private homes means Nigeria is slowly and gradually slipping into a position where human behaviour within Nigeria is becoming subject to the moral codes of fundamentalist Christians and fundamentalist Moslems. There is no doubt that most Nigerians (myself included) would frown on Homosexuality and pornographic material. I would hate for my son or daughter to be indulging in either conduct. I am also sure that the members of Boko Haram would frown on such conduct as well.

The thing that distinguishes the Nigerian state from the caliphate of Boko Haram should be the respect for individual rights and the tolerance of the Nigerian state. The ability to know that ones rights ends where another persons rights start. The ability to prevent the imposition of a group's moral code (whether driven by a religious or a cultural belief system or otherwise) on another group (whether under the threat of beheading or incarceration).

The fourth republic has overseen Nigeria's slow descent into a retrogressive state where individual rights are being and will be curtailed by a moralistic over reaching state and federal government. From the ban on the consumption of alcohol passed by the ANPP (now APC) and PDP controlled core Northern governments in the mid 2000's, the ban on same sex interactions (even if in private) by the PDP led FG of President Jonathan and the intention to pass laws banning access to pornographic sites in the privacy of ones own home under current President Jonathan, one wonders which party is actually leading the islamisation (or should I say the religiousization) agenda in Nigeria.

Conclusion
Nigerians should be aware that the Nigerian state has started the gradual moral over reach into individual rights. They started by attacking conduct most Nigerians find repulsive. But it did not stop there. It is continuing to attempt to regulate individual moral conduct that should not be the business of the state to regulate unless such conduct harms, injures or negatively affects non consenting adults or minors. No society becomes regressive over night. It is done over time and incrementally.  Sambo Dasuki's comments are worrisome (especially if this represents some kind of negotiated accommodation with Boko Haram in order to stop Boko Haram's insurgency in the North East).

Dele Awogbeoba
Lagos Nigeria
I can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter at @DeleAwogbeoba

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