2.4. Discrimination of Christians in North Nigeria The current situation in Nigeria has created great tensions, and made the nation politically polarized. Decisions, statements, and appointments of political leaders make many Nigerians question the unity of the country. Nigeria’s Constitution recog- nizes the principle of the federal character, which means that all the country’s sectors must be represented in the administration of Federal Institutions. However, this is not the case. One of the biggest concerns in the country is the concentration of political and military power in the hands of Muslims, and particularly in the same ethnic family: the Hausa-Fulani. All the officials who advise the President are Hausa-Fulani, almost 95 percent of political and military power is concentrated in Mus- lim hands, in a country which is about 50 percent Christian. Non-Muslims in the country often complain that the security sec- tor is run by one religious group and one ethnic group, in what it is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation. Christians in the north of the country, in particular, speak of syste- mic and deeply rooted discrimination based on religion. Second-class citizens: • Denial of access to political businesses, political exclusion • No equity in recruitment for the armed forces (police, military etc.) • Lack of social welfare and no access to social support • Fewer job opportunities, lack of promotion in public positions • While teaching Christian religious knowledge is not allowed in public schools, Islamic teachers are employed in all public schools in Northern Nigeria • Abduction and forced marriages • Christian men are not allowed to marry Muslim women • Students with Christian names have been denied admission and professional courses. Many opt to change their name in schools • Christian groups and institutions are not given space to build
Under the Constitution, Nigeria has freedom of religion, inclu- ding the freedom to change religion, to practice alone or in com- munity, in private or in public. Christians should not be bound or forced to follow Islamic law, but in the north Christians often feel discriminated against by legislation that targets certain “social vices” and “un-Islamic behavior”. Here are the sticking points compiled by ACN during fact-finding trips to northern Nigeria and interviews with local Christians, over the past few years, who claim to feel like second-class citizens: Sharia Law applies to Christians: • Hijab, a head covering worn by Muslim women, must be worn in all secondary schools, by all female students • Constitution recognizes Criminal Code in the South and Pe- nal Code in the North • Traditional Muslim moral standards – Hisbah – are often im- posed by force, including on non-Muslims. This can include forcibly preventing the mixing of the sexes on public transport systems; enforcing a dress code, especially on women in edu- cational institutions; preventing the performance of music and films and seizing and destroying alcoholic drinks • The sale of alcohol is forbidden in some states of Nigeria “Religious persecution in the north is systemic. For you to be able to practice your religion freely, you should be able to preach anywhere. That is not possible in the nor- th. I cannot build a church, yet the Government emplo- ys and pays imams to teach in schools. Every year they have money to build mosques in the budget but will not let you build churches”. Man-Oso Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna 7
chapels or places of worship in tertiary institutions • Christian Churches are not allowed to buy land
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