Despotism can govern without faith, but Liberty cannot–Alexis de Tocqueville.
The last week of April and all of May, 2017, was season of prayers in Lagos. People of diverse origin, faith, interest, and class- including even the atheists-, were united in entreaty to God Almighty, to guide and quicken the drive to a Greater Lagos, a smart city, that will rival the best in the Planet. Prayers flew from all directions, in churches, mosques and shrines, at club houses, social functions, homes and meetings. Prayers soared on the wings of songs, drums, dance, drama and fanfare, exalting the Almighty for His blessings and favours that put Lagos in pole position in the country, kindling hope of improved humanity, affirming durability of concord among groups in the State, showcasing the beauty of multi-ethnic cultural heritage, propagating messages of care and love and restating our determination and commitment to confront present and future challenges. During this colouful celebration of 50 years of peaceful coexistence and unprecedented socio-economic progress in the State, Lagosions earnestly requested for more of the same in the journey to SMART city of collective aspirations. Indeed Lagosians love God.
God loves Lagosians- this is the bedrock of the people’s faith, imbuing hope, courage and confidence to focus on collective dreams and pursue them with religiousness until, they become reality. The question is not whether our supplications will be answered, but that the smart city destiny of Lagos is assured.
Some skeptics might say western nations have achieved development with little emphasis on religion. While this is a fallacy, as will soon be pointed out, the definition of development will not be complete when the spiritual needs of the people are downplayed or ignored.
Those who had traveled to nations in the Western World, before September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Centre was attacked, could easily come to conclusion that people there were living in paradise, as they enjoyed, state-of-the art infrastructural facilities, unequal social and economic advancement, uninterrupted power supply, comprehensive health insurance scheme, superb social safety net, fantastic integrated transportation system, near zero unemployment level, stable democracy, predictable conveniences, comprehensive health and medical scheme, high level of safety and security and unfettered freedom and liberty. It is thus easy for one to conclude that, these nations must have evolved enduring development templates that other developing nations in quest of progress and good living must adopt to succeed.
Yet, discerning eyes would know that not all citizens of these nations were in that level of happiness descriptive of persons in paradise. Even before 2001, it was not unusual to hear reports of anti-social behaviours, such as drug abuse and addiction, hooliganism, robbery, suicide, rape, murder and arsons. And, in the past 16 years, things have take turn for worse. With increasingly level of intolerance and racism, radicalism and extremism, violence and terrorism, cities in Western Europe and in USA are becoming more unpredictable. Here now, things are falling apart; lives are becoming less safe; and it is no longer at ease. These shortcomings have shown that Western development models seriously lack some basic ingredients.
Definitely, these are not models that Lagos should adopt unconditionally. Paying appropriate attention to religious issues and prayers are crucial in the overall State’s development thrust. Religion is not a problem, but a big asset that is being strategically combined with other variables to produce best results. In the last 50 years of Lagos existence, we have not witnessed any major religious conflict, despite the fact that Lagos with a population of more than 20 million, harbours far more faith-based groups of varying denominations and far more ethnic groups than anywhere else in the country!
Indeed religion and prayers are working for us in Lagos. Religion and government travel in different but parallel tracks. They are most successful and most effective when they protect and encourage one another…….. (And) too much secularism can lead to moral decadence not good for society,” says Elder Wilfred W. Anderson. Something ubiquitous can easily be taken for granted, like air, water, sand and sunshine, yet our Planet Earth cannot sustain lives in the absence of one of them. So is becoming a reality with religion.From the beginning of human creation, religion has been there with us. From cradle to grave, we are immense in religious rites and experiences, that it has become part of our souls. Hardly can we write the history of a nation or group of people on earth without mentioning their religious experience; it has become part of human existence and ways of life, and the fact that we have some few people who are atheists, does not diminish the significance of religion and prayer.
The principle of Strategic Approach is that attention must be given to all variables, which must be combined in systematic manner to produce desired results and outcomes. For Lagos to continue to excel and transmit models for other states in the country and beyond, it must continue to benefit from the best of what are available around the globe, and marry them with the best in our clime, to produce results that are appropriate and comprehensive enough to accommodate all the citizens’ needs and aspirations, without destroying our ways, values and cultures.
Lagosians are religious people. Overwhelmingly, we are either Christians or Muslims; we have some other Lagosians who are traditionalists and some atheists, whose interests have always been factored in development thrusts. Lagos State Government has been working hard to protect all religious groups, without preference for one. You cannot see a worship centre within the State Secretariat complex, but across the road, there is a mosque and a church, constructed by the State, but each oversee by a governing council, who may not necessarily be public servants, to take care of spiritual needs of more than 95% of workforce, residents and visitors in Alausa and environs.
The western world pretension of nonchalance to religion and its importance in development process means they would not be able to take the bull by the horn, whenever emerges opportunity that can be exploited to make their countries more peaceful. Yet, to say countries in the West are 100% secular is an illusion. In the UK, Roman Catholic churches still enjoy some form of government patronage. In United State, while it is not allowed to directly finance religious activities, State’s funds social or charitable activities carried out by faith-based organizations, and during Thanksgiving Day, Federal and state governments’ presence are quite visible. In the Netherlands, the State funds schools established by religious institution; in the Republic of Ireland, priest and religious leaders have great influence in governance; Bolivia, in South America, has Roman Catholics has state religion, while other nations in that continent have strong religious influence in government administrations; in most nations all over the World, governments are sworn in by holy books.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, as are his predecessors, appreciates the importance of religion and prayer in pursuit of avowed objective of Greater Lagos. He has been protecting religious freedom without favouring any group over the others. Through the Ministry of Home Affairs, he has been able to sustain harmonious relationship among all faith based organizations. He has fostered durable peace in the State, and his peace initiative promises to become more comprehensive and self sustaining when Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), State Chapter, is decentralized for ownership at the grassroots.
In the two consecutive years of Ambode’s administration, Lagos was adjudged the best in the country in pilgrimage operation to the holy lands of Mecca and Jerusalem, with expressed approval and satisfaction of pilgrims. The State will continue in that manner to satisfy the spiritual yearnings of its citizens. Kidnapping, which is threatening harmonious existence, is foreign to the State and is being robustly addressed. It will soon become history when more security measures, such as deployment of commissionaires trained by Nigerian Legion (Lagos Chapter), construction of watch tower and installation of close-circuit televisions come to fruition in education institutions.
That Ambode’s Administration has been outstandingly is because he has been implementing a Lagos Template, which has all the beautiful components of the western version, with important local components that will transform the State from a Mega City to a Smart City.
Lagosians have faith in the destiny of their State, and confidence in the ability of the present government to transform the State to a true SMART City of prosperous and happy citizens. Ambode has his heart set on the task at hands, and will not be distracted.
Lookman Seriki is Head Public Affairs, Lagos Min of Home Affairs