THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS — THE ENEMY WITHIN
In a sobering move, the United States recently designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC); a status reserved for nations where severe violations of religious freedom are rampant. This designation stems from the alleged Christian genocide unfolding in Northern Nigeria, a crisis that has not only claimed countless lives but also exposed a deeper, more insidious fracture within the Nigerian Church itself.
This moment demands a piercing question: Who are the real enemies of the Nigerian Church?
The Enemy Within: A Crisis of Comfort
Contrary to popular belief, the gravest threat to the Nigerian Church is not external persecution, but an internal decay—the rot of comfort. This comfort, once a blessing, has metastasized into complacency, compromise, and complicity.
The early Church, after Pentecost, was called to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. Yet, comfort in Jerusalem delayed their mission. Similarly, many Southern Nigerian Christians today find themselves paralyzed by the fear of discomfort. In their pursuit of ease and stability, they have become territorial, self-serving, and silent, often at the expense of their Northern brethren.
This comfort is not innocent. It is often the fruit of compromise, nurtured by greed, sustained by silence, and protected by pride. It is a comfort that demands loyalty, even when that loyalty means turning a blind eye to injustice.
The Cost of Compromise
While Southern Christians enjoy relative peace and prosperity, their Northern counterparts endure persecution, displacement, and death. The tragedy deepens when we realize that some of the very forces responsible for Northern suffering are the same ones enabling Southern comfort.
In a bid to preserve their privileges, many Southern Christians have chosen silence over solidarity. Some go further, by defending political and religious leaders who have failed to protect the vulnerable. Others deny the reality of the genocide or shift blame to avoid confronting uncomfortable truths.
This silence is not neutral. It is a form of betrayal. It sends a chilling message to the persecuted: Your suffering is inconvenient to our comfort.
Ethnic Allegiances and Political Idolatry
The entanglement of ethnic loyalty and political allegiance has further muddied the waters. For some, defending their ethnic kin, even when complicit in violence, takes precedence over defending the body of Christ. In doing so, they sacrifice truth on the altar of tribalism and political expediency.
This moral failure fractures the Church, creating a dangerous divide between North and South. It is a wound that festers, not from bullets or bombs, but from betrayal and indifference.
A Call to Repentance and Unity
The Nigerian Church stands at a crossroads. The enemy is not merely at the gate, it is within. It is the greed that blinds us, the pride that silences us, and the comfort that paralyzes us.
If we are to fulfill the mission of Christ in Nigeria, we must repent. We must tear down the walls of regionalism, ethnic bias, and political idolatry. We must speak with one voice, boldly, prophetically, and sacrificially.
The persecution of Northern Christians is not a Northern problem; it is a Church problem. And if we fail to act now, the fire that burns in the North will not stop at the Middle Belt. It will spread, until the South, too, is consumed.
The Way Forward
- Speak Up: Silence is not neutrality; it is complicity. The Church must name injustice for what it is.
- Stand Together: Let Southern churches forge genuine partnerships with their Northern counterparts, through prayer, advocacy, and material support.
- Pursue Justice: Demand accountability from those in power, regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation.
- Embrace Sacrifice: True discipleship costs. If comfort is the price of compromise, then discomfort must be the price of faithfulness.
The Nigerian Church must remember: We are one body. When one part suffers, the whole body suffers. Let us not be found guilty of abandoning our own. Let us rise, not in division, but in unity, truth, and love.
Pastor Nosa Idahosa
Calgary Canada
