Cleanliness next to Godliness

Sir: There is an aspect Nigerians in particular and Africans in general are getting very wrong and until they all come into the realisation of that error and then try as much as they can to ameliorate it, they will just continue to worship God in vain. The issue of cleanliness is what most Africans especially Nigerians take with levity and that is the more reason for so many avoidable illnesses all around the country claiming so many lives every year.

For instance, it is most difficult to convince most Nigerians that throwing all manner of garbage on the roads does not make sense and should stop. From small children to the adults, there is no difference as everyone throws different things on the roads without battling any eyelids as if the roads are also refuse dumps. Because of such highly condemnable attitude, all drainages are always blocked leading to stagnant water breeding deadly mosquitoes everywhere. And without adequate medical facilities or high medical bills, those who are down with either malaria or typhoid or both often resort to self medication which most times leads to fatalities.

It is perhaps because the almighty God knows who Africans are that he gave them the religions well-suited to their attitudes and characters which they can practise conveniently in their dirty environment. Africans drop all manner of dirty, stinking sacrifices at road junctions and nobody raises any eyebrows because dirt is well-entrenched in their DNA.

Unfortunately, however, most Africans have abandoned and renounced their African religions, and clinged to the foreign ones while refusing bluntly to follow the law guiding them. Both Christianity and Islam are based firmly on cleanliness being next to Godliness. That is why Mecca and most foreign countries are spotless and the issue of the environment is taken very seriously.

The mistake Nigerians make therefore is thinking they can practise the foreign religions in the midst of their utterly filthy and stinking environments. That perhaps explains why after several decades of powerful prayers backed by ceaseless vigils, Nigeria in particular and Africa in general seem to remain on the same spot like stagnant water.

• Jide Oyewusi is the coordinator of Ethics Watch International, Lagos.