In case some people haven’t noticed – and it is so difficult not to notice in a country as religious as we claim to be – that both Ramadan and Lent started this Wednesday. Which means the same day. The Lenten season for practicing Christians is a season characterized by penitence, humility and denials. The tenets of Ramadan for practising Muslims, are not any different. It follows therefore, that both Ramadan and Lent are periods shaped by intense and continuous fasting as well as continuous seeking of the face of the Almighty God however called. Adherents of both religions are encouraged during their fasting seasons, to care for wayfarers, especially the poor. Neither religion, to the best of my knowledge, specifies that the poor and the wayfarers must be of their faith. Poverty has no religion. Hunger has no religion. And people often remember those who lent a helping hand to them in their moments of vulnerability irrespective of faith.

I cannot remember if Lent and Ramadan ever started on the same day before – it probably had - or when. But it is perhaps fortuitous that it has happened at this time of national tension when neighbors are seeking undue advantages over neighbors, to the extent of killing them, sometimes in the name of religion. Maybe this is God’s way of telling the world, especially Nigeria, that He is the God of both Muslims and Christians. That unity and brotherhood mean more to Him than the actions of those who profess love to Him with their lips while professing hatred against their neighbors with their deeds. The significance of this occasion should therefore, not be lost on all of us. Our paths to serving Him might differ, but the aim is the same and His demands, which center on reverence of Him and love of neighbor, are similar. For the next thirty days, adherents of the two religions, are expected to lift up their hearts in supplication to the One who sees the hearts and souls of all mortals. Although fasting hours might differ, they are expected to deny themselves of food, drinks and the pleasures of life to make these supplications.

Churches are often fullest on Ash Wednesdays. This Ash Wednesday was not different. Active Christians, nominal Christians and even non-Christians thronged churches on the day to have ash on their heads. Sometimes I wonder if they understand the real import of that symbolism. Ash is the evidence that a matter, however tough or resilient, has been completely altered by fire. It is no wonder that all ashes largely look the same irrespective of their initial properties. It is therefore, a willingness to humble oneself and become a commoner despite one’s status in life. Ash on the head is also an acceptance of the emptiness of life – from dust you came and to dust you shall return. The larger message of ash on the head is about the vanity of life and the futility of material acquisitions. It was also, in the olden days, a symbol of mourning and penance. If only half of those who visited the churches on Wednesday to have ash placed on the heads could accept and imbibe the deeper message of penance, commonality, and detachment from all the vanities of life, Nigeria would turn a new leaf for the better. Unfortunately, it was nothing but a yearly ritual for many.

Nigerians like to wear religion on their sleeves. The huge attendance on Ash Wednesdays as well as the increased attendance during Lent attest to this. The increased attendance on Friday worship during Ramadan is also proof. Anything, however obtuse or farfetched, that would affect a seamless worship is hotly contested. Already, some Muslims are reportedly uncomfortable with dates of next year’s Presidential elections. It has to do with Ramadan again. The minute a concession is made in favour of Muslims by a shift in the calendar, Christians would be up in arms. The Yuletide season must not be affected. The Lenten season must not be touched. We meanwhile, merely espouse a piety that does not go beyond the surface. Worse, we are gradually putting religion ahead of the constitution, and ahead of Nigeria itself. Last year, I wrote about some northern States closing schools and enforcing Ramadan observances even on Christians. Their actions showed they were not being accommodating. They were not respecting the beliefs of other people. They were therefore not promoting peace or fostering unity. This year, Kano State has announced the closure of Events Centers and all of forms of entertainment activities during Ramadan without recourse to the economic implications of such an action. More fundamentally, it is riding roughshod on basic human rights of people - Christians and non-Christians. Nigeria is a multi- religious country and unilateral actions like this do not forge nationhood. They fragment nationhood.

Most of our leaders are either Muslims or Christians. Would they in the spirit of the holy season, alter their attitudes and dispositions for the better as fire alters whatever it comes in contact with into ashes? Would they become changed men and women who would dedicate the rest of their lives to God, country and humanity? In other words, would this Holy season lead Nigeria to a holier country? A transparent leadership would lead to a cleaner country. A leadership that genuinely fears and worships God would help transform a nation into orderliness and probity. Nigerians must however, realise that religion is not our problem unless we make it so. Corruption is. Nepotism is. Injustice is. Yoruba people have always lived amicably with each other despite their religious differences. The rest of the country can do the same.

Dare we also hope for some respite from the orgy of violence gripping the nation since many of those terrorizing the country belong to one variant of Islam or the other? If schools can be ordered closed because of Ramadan. If certain economic activities can be shut down because of Ramadan; if election dates can be shifted because of Ramadan; then why not cessation of violence because of Ramadan? History tells us of nations which paused wars during Ramadan or other sacred and religious days. Should we hold our breath believing that these Islamic hardliners still recognize Ramadan as one of the five injunctions of Islam which promotes charity as well as self-control?

Finally, let us use the significance of Ramadan and Lent starting on the same day to preach unity and religious tolerance. Both religions believe in one God. A God whose overriding commandment is love. A God who urges us to rend our hearts and not our garments when we fast because He sees the heart. That God is going to heed the genuine prayers of both Muslims and Christians this holy month. Without any discrimination. And if God doesn’t show bias, then why should mere mortals however zealous they claim to be for God?

•Muyiwa Adetiba is a veteran journalist and publisher. He can be reached via titbits2012@yahoo.com