Let me start by stating I'm not writing this to champion unbelief or to ridicule religion. This is just to show that unbelief or skepticism about religion is commoner than most people think and it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Unbelief is common among people though the tendency to express it varies in different regions or countries. Countries that are liberal in their outlook to life tend to accommodate dissenting opinions unlike conservative countries. As a result, the prevalence of unbelief is noted to be higher in liberal societies unlike conservative countries where the consequences of professing unbelief can lead social ostracization, loss of family support or death penalty depending on the laws of the land.
It is important to stress that the degree to which people are free to express their opinion on any subject(including religion) is an indirect index of development of the society. Enforcing conformity is inimical to human progress as most innovative ideas often start as dissident voices to the prevailing thoughts. The West have made significant progress in improving the standard of living due to tolerance and encouragement of freethought majorly in form of Science and Philosophy.
The Nigerian religious folks should realize that skepticism(commonly espoused by unbelievers) and critical thinking are crucial to national development which we all earnestly yearn for.
The unbelievers(atheists and agnostics) should desist from referring to religious folks as stupid or gullible. You don't make people respect your point of view by insulting them. The Nigerian unbelievers should construct dispassionate and convincing points to justify their perspectives.
In conclusion, this quote from John Stuart Mill is apt: "The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments-of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue-are complete skeptics in religion."