Religious hypocrisy

Kano State from January 2020 will no longer allow men and women to ride on the same tricycles. Of all the things that are wrong in Kano state banning different gender from taking a ride together seem to be the priority of the state. What happened to the number of out of school children being reduced? What about reducing the infant mortality or the maternal mortality rate? What about reducing the number of unemployed youth? Why is there no ban on throwing children out on the streets to fend for themselves? Most importantly why is there no ban on public servants collecting bribes and stuffing their pockets with dollars while the people suffer the worst kind of bad governance?

Why are the religious standards always on the vulnerable in the society? What has Kano state put in place to ensure that the people do not suffer from this ban? What prompted this ban? So the poor who are always easily hoodwinked to keep on thinking the government is the most religious and so must be supported at all cost? Or is it due to the fact that women are being attacked by being in the same tricycle with men and the government is using this measure to protect them? Would anyone have bothered if it was to do with protecting women? Otherwise one would expect ban on parents not sending the girl child would be the main focus or ban on hawking by under aged girls. Most importantly ban on domestic violence and also enforcement of payment of child support that would lead to more stability of the family system and less of children abandoned by both parents but alas the focus is more on the mixing of male and female on tricycle.

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What happens to families travelling together? What happens to spouses who are going out together or siblings on a day out? They have to separate themselves and board different tricycles because the government with all the problems facing it decided it was going to focus on the private lives of its citizens rather than providing good governance and enabling environment for its citizens to be empowered enough to not need the tricycles in the first place. Is this ban on opposite gender not travelling together on the same vehicle going to apply to those travelling in their private vehicles or is the ban only for those who cannot afford their own vehicles?

Why is Kano State government not focused on providing better transport system for its citizens? Why is the focus more on making life difficult for the citizens who have so much to contend with already? The religious hypocrisy in our land stinks to high heavens. People are going to be harassed and molested by the religious police who have arrogated to themselves the power to check the moral lives of the citizens most especially the poor while they are on leave when the rich flaunt the moral codes.

When the daughter of the Governor had the most ostentatious wedding with party after party and mixing of both gender the religious police were nowhere to be seen and when the head of the religious police was asked about their silence during such “immoral” acts he conveniently made excuses of not being in town and as such was not aware.  They are always aware when it has to do with the poor and less privileged.  They are always aware when it comes to oppressing people and trampling on their rights.

It is time we stop the hypocrisy and allow people be. Government should know that Nigeria is a secular State and they cannot force their religious rulings on every one. There are people who practice a religion where the mingling of different gender is not an issue. Let people have a right to their choices. Let people make their own personal choices and not have choices foisted upon them by the State.

The State should focus on securing lives and properties. The State should focus on providing enabling environment for people to prosper. The State should provide good quality education for people to be able to make informed decision. The State should provide good healthcare system for everyone to have access to. There are many things the State should be providing which they haven’t and the least of them is providing moral codes for which citizens are to live their lives.

It is always quite amusing at the religious hypocrisy that is practiced by these States with perceived morality. The State that is quick to destroy alcoholic drinks when it suits it is ever slow and yet to stop collecting proceeds from VAT of those same alcoholic drinks. It seems when it comes to money the morality codes of the state is on definite hold!