Many years ago, when I was a corps member of the NYSC, an incident changed my perspective about how we (Nigerians) think about others from different regions, religions or tribes.

I served at the Military Cantonment Health Centre, Minna Barracks, Niger State. There was a teenage boy who used to hawk fruits to our quarters.

One evening, we were chillaxing outside when the boy came around. A fellow female corps member from the South, Jenny, asked about the boy's name. The conversation continued something like this.

"Isah", the boy replied.

"That's a cute name", Jenny remarked. She turned to me and asked, "What does it mean?"

"Jesus", I replied.

"What?! Is he a Christian?"

After asking the boy, I replied, "Nope, he is a Muslim."

Jenny's jaw dropped. "So, you guys name your kids after Jesus? I thought you hate Jesus!"

I saw an opportunity to educate, so I replied, "Being a Muslim includes the belief in Jesus Christ (AS) as a messenger of God."

I then went on to tell her about the whole chapter in the Glorious Quran named after Mary, dedicated to her story and Jesus' (AS). I told her about Muslims' first migration to a Christian country after suffering severe persecution in Mecca; how Muslims believe in the same prophets named in the Holy Bible, including Moses (Musa), Joseph (Yusuf), Isaac (Ishaq), Abraham (Ibrahim), Solomon (Suleman), etc. I also told her how Muslims love and revere Jesus (AS) and how we don't even say his name without adding "AS" or "Alaihis-Salaam", meaning may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

She was silent for a very long time. Other corps members from the South were also astonished by my revelations.

Right there, I witnessed one of the greatest intangible benefits of the NYSC programme - to foster mutual understanding among Nigerians, to understand that there's a lot more that brings us together than what divides us. I bet Jenny never saw Muslims the same way again.

In a different story, a few months ago here in Liverpool, I developed a craving for "miyar kuka". So, I visited an African grocery store with the hope of finding the powdered leaves. The shopkeeper was a young lady who was apparently from the southern parts of Nigeria.

After telling her what I was looking for, her first question was, "Is it the Muslims' soup?"

In my head, I was like, "So, even soup has a religion?! What a wonderful world!" I was so put off by her question that I quietly left the shop without buying anything. I later found "ogbono" in another shop, and I thought to myself, this must be a Christian soup in that young lady's eyes!

My point is that we tend to treat one another from the perspective of our differences rather than our similarities, even though we have much more in common than our differences.

There are actually significant advantages to diversity. This is why developed countries now actively encourage it at all levels. For example, we're recruiting scientists for my current company, and cognitive diversity is at the centre of our selection process. No one wants a team of staff who all think the same way; it is a perfect recipe for mediocrity! However, Nigerians rarely see diversity from a positive angle.

The information gap between the two major religions in Nigeria is so vast. Our poor understanding of our own religion and of others' and the prevailing toxic stereotypes create a breeding ground for hatred, even when everyone claims peace and love as their default religious setting.

The problem is not religion; it is poorly educated religious followers on both sides. They are like gunpowder kegs. They only need a little spark to ignite a disaster of epic proportions!

Consequently, mischievous politicians and dodgy religious clerics easily create shenanigans and take advantage of our diversity in a negative way. I think there is an urgent need to keep educating ourselves about our beliefs and others' to foster mutual respect for one another.

As a Muslim, there's no other religion closer to your beliefs than Christianity. As a Christian, there's no other religion closer to your beliefs than Islam. So, why must we hate each other?

As a Muslim or a Christian, the best life compass one can ever have is always to ask oneself: what would Prophet Muhammad (SAW) do? Or, what would Jesus Christ (AS) do?

May Allah make it easy for all of us to understand and have the will to treat one another as we would like to be treated, ameen.

Dr M Aminu
(15.05.22)