Today I will quickly show you 7 negative effects of religion on our business ecosystem.
I will speak very frankly and if you don't like what I say, there's no problem.
Let's dive right in
1. Religion has reduced our creativity in business.
The main instrument of religion is indoctrination.That is to enforce an ideology into the mind that it becomes rooted as an established system of thought by ceaseless repetition.
Instead of assimilation and understanding
This system of learning (indoctrination) is beneficial in the training of soldiers that are meant to obey express commands.
But when you indoctrinate a civilian, you limit the way the person thinks. You put the person's mind in a box, you kill the person's creativity.
This is exactly what religion does.
It doesn't teach you how to think, it gives you what to think. And forces it to as the only way of thinking.
This is why most Nigerian startups are simply copycats.
The entrepreneur who started these ventures have been groomed not to question authority, the norm, or seek a Change.
Most of them grew up in places where it was bad to question what the cleric preaches.
Their Alfas and imams had the final say and their traditional priest threatened to curse them if they questioned the gods.
This mental subjugation is brought into the business atmosphere.
Let me show you a common example.
The popular betting shops.
You will see exactly same system of selling odds repeated under different brand names.
Most of them are just behaving how they have been conditioned to behave by their religion.
Do the same things because everyone is doing it
They are not innovating.
This system of religious training discourages innovation.
People cannot ask questions about unquestionable ideology.
Here Is a free business tip if you own a betting shop
Be different.
Do something more than others or less than others.
Make your advert banners outstanding.
Add some extras
Include small side services like snacks,
vip or premium services,
Gaming on 3D, 4D, 7D.
Incorporate a system of barbing salon, manicure and pedicure that can run concurrently with the betting shop.
By doing so you have won over half of the client from your competitors.
2. Religion has limited the number of business that Nigerians can participate in
With a struggling economy that we have, ANY LEGITIMATE BUSINESS INTERESTS should be encouraged.
Let me say it again
Any Legitimate business interests should be encouraged.
We as a country are not in the best economic situation to be picky about businesses.
We are like a drowning man.
We ought to cling to any straw that offers hope of Anchorage
I am speaking from a purely secular perspective.
So legitimate here will be a business that is profitable within the confines of the law.
When it comes to questions about what a person can do to earn a living,.
They are some areas of interest that religion forbids its adherents from participating in.
In fact there are some human endeavors that can be called healthy economically but because of what our clerics have taught us, these things are done in secret and with the disapproval of religion.
I want to give you some examples but I'd like you to think it out.
Are they some viable profitable business ventures that you can engage but is ashamed of because of how your religious houses have painted it to be?
Let's reason as thinkers
Honestly,
If there was no moral obligations to fulfill, what business would you do to make more money???
This is almost sacrilegious to think but think about it.
Most of us are scared of what our spiritual leaders will say.
There are plenty talented musicians in the choirs of our churches that can't sing any other songs aside "gospel" because their church's say so There are gorgeous models covered in hijab, hiding the perfect body they have, whereas they could be millionaires if they hit the runway as beauty queens.
3. The valuable resources that could have been used in building small businesses is tied up in countless hours of activities in places of worship
One of such is time. For any business to thrive time management is a very important key.
You cannot ignore the value of time.
When people spend vital hours of the day offering petitions to their God instead of attending to customers they reduce their productivity.
It's a common sight in Nigeria to see people praying in their business houses / office by 8am in the morning instead of attending to customers.
Religion has eaten us up that we can't tell office hour from playtime (pray time)
It's a deep gorge that is suckling valuable business time!!!
4. Another vital resource that religion robs the business ecosystem of is man power
Young people who are supposed to be actively seeking ways to improve their lot in life are promised a quick escape from poverty by giving or sowing to connect with some special grace (no offense meant).
This is not only a show of ignorance but its a waste of effort.
This so called giving only benefits the receiver who is most often time a clergy.
Worse, the young people idle about expecting their seed to speak for them.
Instead of investing time and resources to better their chances in life
Religion negatively affects business by giving an undue emphasis on the after life.
5. The highest promise religion makes is the promise of the afterlife
It's a good consolation to have hope for a better life hereafter but that hope sometimes becomes an excuse to be lazy.
So instead of learning ways to innovate and compete fiercely in a business environment, you rely on the hope of 'God's will' that will be done in the end. And paradise at last as a consolidation for your business failures on earth.
There's so much talk about the future that we forget to solve the problems of today.
Religion draws your mind away from the present day problem that you are supposed to face squarely by either blaming it on the devil, some witches or slipping into the "will of God" trap.
The afterlife makes you feel good but doesn't solve your business problems.
The undue emphasis on it has made a lot of us lead lack-Luster lives and settled for mediocrity.
Because after all,
This world is not your home, and heaven is a beautiful place made for you.
That attitude fuels midget thinking, that shows in the subsistence approach most Nigerians SMEs have to businesses.
6. Undue diversion of fiscal resources
Humans naturally love attention.
And since most of us are lazy, the best way to gain attention is by buying our way through to "the top"
So you see huge donations from Alhajis and Christians to their religious leaders.
Same donations that could've been evenly distributed to enterprising young men in society to boost their businesses.
That Money is given to the cleric to earn special favors and recognition.
At the end the rich get popular in religious houses because they give money and the hustling young man has to source for fund elsewhere.
7. The drive for corruption and theft that religion has promoted
I know this is a direct affront on Christianity but I'd say it anyway Nigeria had once had a "Christian" president.
Under this Man's government billions of dollars were stolen.
The religious leaders who hitherto had publicly endorsed him never came out publicly to denounce the practice.
The strange Pentecostal materialism message that says God will multiply the money you give to the church back to you has inspired greed in many people.
Such that people go through sharp practices to sound big in their "testimonies"
This practice offers false hope of a quick escape from lifes problems.
By Giving money to the 'pastor' sorry God, you can get promotion, visa, capital for your business, business expansion, etc
Instead of people focusing on the due procedures that lead to business growth, they are encouraged by religious houses with greed laden sermons such as "how to fire your boss", "grace to overtake" etc to boycott due process and "hasten" prosperity.
The sort of theology has made people impatient with the normal growth curve a healthy business should undergo. So you see many abandoned businesses and so many faithful going for deliverance from "near success syndrome" whereas all they needed was focus and discipline to stay through the trying times that ALL normal businesses go through.
If you have tension in your stomach because of what I've shared, if you are agitated and need more explanations because of what I've said, then, your majesties, I have succeeded today.
For I have been able to get you to think critically.
Bonus point
8. Religion has caused more crises in Nigeria, disrupting the needed serene environment for businesses to thrive
All ethnic, political and economic uprising in Nigeria has a religious undertone. All From the Niger delta militancy, to the Biafra agenda, to the northern jihadist slaughter, there's a shadow of strong religions motivation underlying it all.
And this recurrent crisis has killed the needed peace for businesses to thrive.
By Amb. Ezra Ehoche (Facilitator)
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This article is the second of a 3 part series on 'The influence of Religion on Nigeria's Business Ecosystem' by Amb Ezra Ehochie our facilitator for a 3- day discussion on the topic.
Final part will be posted tomorrow.
Thanks for reading
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