NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD PARTNER WITH CHURCHES AND MOSQUES ON AGRICULTURE

By Deji Adesoye
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One very pragmatic way in which the Buhari government can achieve the goal of reviving the Nigerian economy through agriculture is to partner with religious institutions in executing the ‘agric manifesto’. The reasons are close to us. Religious institutions in Nigeria are closer to the people than the local government, which has been christened the ‘grass root’ government since long in history. Religious institutions are upon the heart of the people, and their (mercenary) teachings and practices are on the sleeves of most Nigerians night and day. It is thus not an overstatement to say that the federal government would become the agro-based economic hero of Africa if it could deploy the critical poise of these extant institutions in its bid to diversify the nation’s economy.

Given the closeness and ubiquity of religious institutions, churches and mosques in Nigeria hold somewhat the largest chunk of the cash flow* in the country. Churches and mosques are financial bus-stops to un-imaginable extents that could serve imaginable social ends. Operators of these institutions have developed full-fledged frameworks for fund mobilization, which the government may not claim to outdo. The government relies on taxes, while the church relies on tithe. The government may claim to have sanctions against tax evasion and its likes, the church too has sanctions against tithe default, which is always clearly stated a moment before the tithe-basket is brought to the front. Not paying tithe is robbing God, and no one can rob God and go scot-free. Taxes are (meant to be) used to build public good, such as roads, water, electricity etc, but tithes are meant to make food plenty in God’s house, occupied by the pastor and his family. So you find that the church has more tendencies for turnover than the government.

Apart from that, churches and mosques have other sources of funding from their members, which includes harvest ceremonies, thanksgiving, sowing of seeds, vows; in fact, they are too many for any brain to remember. But it won’t seem that government has all of these sources since one may only be able to name somethirty or forty sources of government revenue generation. Again, rich men and politicians in society, including marauders of the nation’s resources, continue to improve on their barrageto religious accounts of naira and dollar bags. Oh, there is much fund in these institutions!

Another important advantage the Government would thank goodness for in such a partnership is that religious institutions are best at mobilizing their members for any kind of commitment, thus, they can do very better than government agencies in jolting their teaming members into farming activities even on a very large scale, and also making them accountable by using the religious method. Many people in Nigeria do exactly what their churches and mosques tell them. People do not ask questions, and they don’t see a need for such. When the government talks, they spit onits face, but let their G.O. or Chief Imam speak, they will utterly obey. Assuming a G.O. of a famous church advised the government to stop subsidizing fuel supply, many religious people, even business experts and economists (professors inclusive) would not shake a head if they heard subsidy was gone.A young church member can run away from his father’s farm, the man who pays his school fees, to work in his pastor’s garden. The mosques are able to make rich and middle-class earners among their members commit themselves financially and physically by bashing them with flummery. Who said Nigerian youths are not ready to engage in agricultural activities? Not when their General Overseers and Chief Imams are involved. The soul of many Nigerians, active Nigerians, cannot just escape the grip of the rhetoric, intimidation, and much cajole their religious leaders merchandize. I believe the government should key into this situation and convert it into strength. Religious institutions are not merely the grass-root power; they are seated majestically in the ventricles of the people. Their motifs are on the peoples’ sleeves, night and day.

In a similar vein, a cross section of Nigerian Christians believe that theirs is to pay their tithe, and it is God’s to judge how it is expended. This is in the face of the looming reality that many of their religious leaders actually share these moneys and buy cars, houses, jets, and build universities and colleges from them. These church members often are poor, but they believe fervently in the ‘word of God’. While I believe this is a culture of fiscal irresponsibility and cold attitude to transparency on the part of poor church bench-men and women, which translates to irresponsible social role-acting and useless political leadership (organically irresponsible citizenship), I am still convinced that inasmuch as these religionists are notwilling to change their odd attitude, a responsible government should look for what could be useful in such attitude and deploy it for national stability. Thus, I plead with Dr Muhammadu Buhari (I heard a university dashed him a doctorate) to look inward, and partner with these systems for the launching and optimization of his ‘agric manifesto’. I shall be prepared to offer advice on how such partnership would be doctored if this alternative is well-received.

In the final analysis, is it not time religious institutions contributed to national wealth creation through agriculture rather than merely praying for the nation while simultaneously sapping the nation of the capital that should go into positive investments?And of course, it is not the argument of this proposal that the fund in the treasuries of religious institutions be evacuated into the national Treasury Single Account. Mba! The argument, rather, is that government should integrate heavily the strategic occupation of religious institutions in the hearts of its nationals into its economic revival strategies to fast-track agricultural programs that can jolt Nigeria out of economic recession.

*with cash-flow, I intend money in circulation throughout the state. This perhaps takes a slight departure from financial experts’ use.

Deji Adesoye
Ibadan
[email protected]
www.dejidesoyemi.wordpress.com

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