Sowore To Nigerians: Resist Politicians, Religious Leaders Using ‘Heaven’ To Keep You Poor
Speaking at the wake of his late cousin, Olusegun Sowore, in the Ojodu area of Lagos last week, Sowore delivered an appeal for Nigerians to value and safeguard their lives.
Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has urged Nigerians to resist the manipulation of religion and politics that, he says, can cost them their lives prematurely.
Speaking at the wake of his late cousin, Olusegun Sowore, in the Ojodu area of Lagos last week, Sowore delivered an appeal for Nigerians to value and safeguard their lives.
He cautioned against religious leaders who, according to him, work hand-in-hand with the political elite to pacify the masses with promises of a better life in the hereafter—while enabling their continued suffering in the present.
“Don’t let religious people helping and colluding with the Nigerian government hasten your departure from this earth,” Sowore told mourners.
“It’s vital to ensure you make the most of your life and enjoy it to the fullest.”
Sowore, a long-time critic of the Nigerian political establishment, argued that the narrative pushed by some religious leaders—that life on earth is secondary to a promised heaven—has been exploited to suppress dissent and normalise hardship.
“The disagreement I’ve always had with Christians is that this world is not meant for us. That is not true. The world is meant for us. When God was creating the earth and the heavens, He put us here. He wanted us to live and enjoy it,” he said.
“But for some reason, our Christian brothers and religious people always say, ‘Oh, go to heaven.’ No. God Himself, as I have said, doesn’t live in heaven. When God was creating heaven and earth, He was staying somewhere. That’s where He came from.”
Challenging the motivations of religious leaders, Sowore said: “Even the pastors who tell you there is heaven—pastors don’t like to die. Imams don’t like to die. They want to enjoy this earth to the fullest. And I want all of you to enjoy this world to the fullest too.”
Sowore stated that people should live meaningful and fulfilling lives on earth rather than suffer and wait for promises of paradise that have been politically and religiously manipulated.
“Live your life the way God wants, so that you and your children can be happy. The Nigerian government uses religion to lie to us that heaven is somewhere. But this life we are living now—this is what we have,” he said.
“If we want to leave it, it’s not our body that goes to heaven—our body decays. I don’t know what goes to heaven. Don’t ask me that because I’m not a pastor.”
Calling for a reawakening among Nigerians, Sowore encouraged the public not to allow hunger, poverty, and sickness—worsened by corruption and bad governance—to push them toward despair or death.
“Don’t allow corrupt politicians to use hunger, poverty, and sickness to send you out of this world. That is why we ventured into politics—to change the narrative, not to loot Nigeria’s resources like they do,” he added.
