With advancing age, the inevitability of death looms ever larger in the human mind. This perhaps explains why, in the 1970s and 1990s, many retiring Nigerian professors – especially at the University of Ibadan – increasingly felt drawn either to participate more actively in church life or even to establish churches of their own. I am beginning to sense that same tendency in myself. Consequently, I now take more seriously the concerns expressed by some relations, friends, and colleagues who insist that I have been neglectful of my religious obligations. They do not see me in church – not even on special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, or Harvest celebrations – and they complain that I do not pay my tithes as faithfully or promptly as expected. Some even telephone to ask whether I truly believe in God at all. Collectively, they seem firmly persuaded that I am heading straight to hell. They therefore wish me to understand that it is out of genuine concern for the salvation of my soul that they are committed to rescuing me from spiritual ruin.
The same perceived spiritual lapses may also explain why a number of my university colleagues hold the mistaken impression that training in philosophy naturally inclines one towards agnosticism. In response, however, I have often reminded them of the contrary fact: that some of the most profoundly religious figures in history were themselves great philosophers – men and women who believed it better to be guided by reasoned conviction than by blind faith, and who considered it intellectually unwise to deny the existence of God. I have likewise consistently cautioned against the folly of attempting to “prove” the self-evident reality of a Being who, by definition, is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, as we were taught in elementary philosophy. In truth, what is erroneously taken as agnosticism in me is simply my objection to the conduct, attitudes, and actions of some religious practitioners – especially those of the Pentecostal brand. Beyond that, I have – to the best of my ability – tried to hold on to the Christian faith into which I was born and brought up. On a regular basis, I pray, guided by my personal prayer points, which have sustained me through some of life’s most trying circumstances, including the present period in which Nigeria’s much-advertised “Renewed Hope” appears not yet to be gathering much momentum.
Prayer Points for Health and Protection
Usually, a list of conventional prayer points begins with thanksgiving to God for the gift of life, followed by prayers for continued good health. This is understandable, for without good health, almost everything else – material wealth, knowledge, skill, honour, and glory – loses its value. This, too, ranks foremost among my prayer points. Having prayed for continued life in sound health, my second prayer point – somewhat ironically – is for protection from the self-appointed well-wishers-cum-evangelists who remain steadfast in their determination to arrest what they perceive as my “spiritual drift.” There is no doubt that many of these men and women are motivated by noble intentions, and to such persons I owe an apology for my shortcomings. As for those whose motives may be less than charitable, they need only be reminded of the biblical injunctions in Matthew 7:3 and Luke 6:41 against “seeking to remove the mote in another person’s eye while ignoring the beam in one’s own.” My request for protection is grounded in the firm belief that the spiritual fate of every individual ought ultimately to depend on personal merit rather than on the intervention of third parties. A God who is all-good must surely act with justice, fairness, and firmness, and therefore can scarcely require external pleading before rendering judgment.
Financial Independence and Dignity
Another critical point on my prayer list – next only to good health – is financial independence. It is almost an incontrovertible truth that one of the gravest challenges confronting our society is material dependency arising from acute financial hardship. One need not even be a psychologist to appreciate how profoundly a person’s material condition shapes his psychological, social, and even spiritual disposition. My prayer, therefore, is that I may never find myself in circumstances so desperate as to compel me to crawl before the powers-that-be or before politicians in search of assistance at the cost of my personal dignity and self-respect. Without financial sufficiency, the basic necessities of life – food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and other essentials – are bound to suffer severely. In this country, we have witnessed relentless social critics who were once fearless defenders of the weak and passionate advocates of all that is noble and beneficial to society, but who, through one misfortune or another, eventually became compromised, driven to seek favours from crooked politicians and businessmen at the expense of their independence and integrity. At the broader level of the masses, the dangers of acute financial hardship are even more damaging to the human psyche. Such experiences can be deeply dehumanising, almost blurring the distinction between man and beast. That is why it is often futile to persuade a hungry person not to sell his vote, or not to cheat or steal when such acts promise food on the table. It explains why some parents are driven to the tragic extreme of selling their children in order to survive; why a person dependent on kidney dialysis may feel compelled to remain loyal to the governor or president upon whom his survival depends; and why a sitting governor threatened with imprisonment may defect to the ruling party, where suddenly all sins appear forgiven. Thus, a person confronted with acute financial hardship is often diminished in dignity and placed under severe strain in maintaining normal moral restraints. Such a person may be driven to do almost anything in order to survive. It is therefore hardly surprising that the kind of hardship currently being experienced in this country provides fertile ground for criminality and immorality. Of course, to acknowledge this is not to absolve individuals of personal responsibility for their moral failings or criminal actions.
Prayer Against Greed and Power-Drunkness
I must not fail to pray that God may rid us all – especially our political leaders – of the twin evils of greed and power-drunkness that have stunted the development of our nation since political independence. On greed, it is all there in the Scriptures: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36, King James Version). Perhaps greed has been the most destructive of all human afflictions since Adam ate the forbidden fruit. But the Nigerian variety is not only chronic; it is insatiable and seemingly incurable. While, greed, by its very nature, is insatiable, avarice blinds its victims to moderation, justice, and the collective good. That is why, in Nigeria, one man may accumulate enormous wealth – amass billions of naira, own hundreds of estates, and aspire to possess houses in nearly all the major cities of the world – while millions of citizens struggle daily for food, shelter, healthcare, and other necessities of life. Sadly, in Nigeria, politics is the instrument that sustains greed, which again explains why the average Nigerian politician is power-drunk and has turned politics into a ruthless enterprise for personal enrichment – through reckless looting of public resources, inflated contracts, and the diversion of public funds – instead of being used as a vehicle for public service. Thus, politics has become the major means of nourishing the excessive urge for accumulation – wealth, influence, and privilege. The Nigerian politician has to be power-drunk to maintain the lever of control, meaning that he must be excessive and, indeed, desperate in his efforts to acquire and retain political power – sometimes at great cost, or at all costs. As a result, power is no longer perceived as a temporary public trust but as a personal possession to be guarded jealously and defended forcefully, relentlessly, and even fraudulently. Indeed, power becomes an unhealthy obsession. All this is already being played out ahead of the 2027 primary elections, in which non-existent AI-generated millions have supposedly voted to return candidates across the political parties.
Artificial Intelligence and Its Dangers
Having lived long enough to witness the rise of the knowledge economy and the new frenzy surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI), I feel compelled to pray that God may protect us from the dangers inherent in this new technology. Only recently, Pope Leo XIV released what is now being described as his “Manifesto on AI,” warning against its uncontrolled expansion and urging humanity to restrain it before it destroys us all. The most potent weapon of AI is fake news, and fake news is spreading everywhere like wildfire. Sadly, AI inventions have become so sophisticated that they have virtually blurred the distinction between fact and the creative imagination of the human mind. The full impact of AI on my own generation may come too late to matter greatly, but my deeper fear concerns the irreparable damage it may inflict upon my grandchildren’s generation. It can sometimes be amusing when an AI-generated video circulates on media channels in distant countries – whether authentic or fabricated – particularly when such events have little or no direct bearing on us. The situation becomes far more serious, however, when local social media platforms here in Nigeria begin displaying “massive protests” on the streets of Lagos, or images of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka riding an “okada” through the streets of Abeokuta as a protest against Tinubu’s government – yet without any reliable means of verifying whether such images are genuine or merely AI-generated. Just imagine the predicament of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, and social media activist VeryDarkMan (VDM), both of whom have had to answer legal charges arising from the posting of alleged fake videos concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Indeed, just as I was about to conclude this piece, one of my colleagues – to whom I referred earlier – forwarded to me a highly implicating reggae music video titled “Everything Na Lie.” I listened to the music all right, but had to delete it immediately so as not to find myself joining El-Rufai and VDM in legal complications. Obviously, with the ubiquitous and rampaging spread of AI, there is hardly a hiding place for any of us. Algorithms are already deeply eroding the very fabric of our humanity – truth, conscience, empathy, love, and morality. Elsewhere in the world, however, there are glimmers of hope in the search for ways to confront this global threat, as some countries – Australia, for instance – are already adopting measures aimed at protecting future generations from the potentially disastrous consequences of this new technological revolution. But what, one may ask, is Nigeria doing?
And finally, may God insulate me from Nigerian politics and Nigerian politicians! These and many more we ask, O Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Sogolo is an Emeritus Professor who has taught and conducted research in Philosophy for over five decades – first at the University of Ibadan and currently at the National Open University of Nigeria. He also served as a member of the Editorial Board of The Guardian Newspapers in the 1980s and 1990s.
