Religion: A study shows that Africans prefer Religion to social development.
A study shows that Africans prefer Religion to social development.
In Africa, we find in each city, a plethoric number of churches. Even in the countryside, churches occupy the nooks and corners of each
street. The number of believers, whether Christian or Muslim, grows daily with
the construction of gigantic places of worship in these unfavorable environments where even access to care and where the communication
channels are catastrophic.
Let us dwell a little on one of these cases by making a small tour in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, in the regions there are a multitude of churches and mosques. But in these regions very often the roads are in poor condition
and access to primary health care remains a real problem.
In a country where religion is the new way of earning wealth quickly, the freedom to open churches seems to be out of control.
The health of many Nigerians depends on pastors, God, and miraculous healing. The God of impossibility will change the doctor’s report,
many of whom pride themselves on the pastor.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report on the Nigerian health system showed that in 2005, Uganda spent 11% of its budget on health,
while Nigeria in 2006 allocated only 5.6%. in 2001, Nigeria was one of the
African Union (AU) countries whose heads of state signed the Abuja Declaration in which 15% of the budget envelope would go to the
health sector.
According to a local newspaper, since the declaration of 2001, Nigeria’s largest budget allocation for health was in 2012, with only 5.95%
allocated to the health sector.
An inadequate budget allocation is not the only challenge facing the Nigerian health sector.
The lack of doctors also plagues the health system.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) reported that 40% of doctors in Nigeria were unemployed. It is not surprising to see so many doctors leaving the country for greener pastures.
The NMA called the alarming doctors’ exodus, the former Nigerian Minister of Labor, while Dr. Chris Ngige said that Nigeria had enough doctors and that those who left would bring currency.
Growing church capacity
Bishop David Oyedepo, the Founder of Living Faith Church built the largest church on the continent with a capacity of 50,000 people.
His compatriot, Paul Eneche, who founded the Dunamis International Gospel, surpassed Oyedepo’s efforts and built an auditorium of 100,000 people which would be the largest in the world.
As the two pastors reap the benefits of gospel prosperity, the priorities of the Nigerian government are also shifted with funding for pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem, the holy land ordinary Nigerians want.
In 2017, the state governments of Nigeria spent more than $ 376,774,125 to sponsor Nigerian Muslims in the hajj. While schools and hospitals lack bases, religion has surpassed all activities in the country. We can
count the number of hospitals that are open in one year in the country on the one hand compared to the churches. While there are problems in the health sector and Nigerian hospitals continue to struggle due to the
lack of adequate equipment and funding, perhaps only God will help the country and its people.
Despite all the efforts that associations and non-governmental organizations can make, and particularly Nigerian state, like many African
governments, shows that they prefer beliefs to industrial development.
By Subiru Madina
