For the first time in over 80 years, Christians and Muslims started this year’s Lent and Ramadan, simultaneously, on Wednesday, February 18. The last time the world witnessed such convergence was in 1943. Other things being equal, the world is not expecting such rare occurrence until 2189, which is some 163 years from now. Meaning many (if not every human being alive today) would have long been gone by then. Meaning those of us who were not born as at 1943 when the two days converged witnessed our only such occurrence on February 18. And meaning those who witnessed the 1943 convergence had witnessed their second and last. It is doubtful if anyone can still live up to 246 years nowadays. There is no scientific record of such.
This is why those of us who were lucky to witness the rare occurrence should count ourselves lucky indeed because it is not everyone that was alive even till February 17, 2026, that had the opportunity of ushering in the Lent and Ramadan the next day.
But, beyond being witnesses to this great convergence, we need to take some lessons on its significance. I do not just believe we have this rare opportunity for nothing. There must be a reason for this.
Right or wrong, I want to believe Nigeria is one of the countries that need to reflect on a date like this. The reason is simple. Ours is a country where many people believe in religion but not in God or Allah. There are places in the country where some people have been indoctrinated to see people who do not share their religious belief as infidels. And this is not only inter-religion but even intra-religion. Just as we find in Christendom, so it is in Mohammedanism; the difference is in the extent of dislike or outright hate and provocation.
In Christendom, we have the protestants, the Pentecostals and the ‘Aladura’ (white garment churches), among others. They all believe in Jesus Christ but still do not see eye-to-eye with each other on certain matters of the religion. But that is where the disagreement ends; they do not go about killing one another over such matters.
We have two broad Muslim sects: Sunni and Shia, and other smaller sects. We also have instances where some of the sects do not see other sects as truly Muslim. As a matter of fact, some of the Islamic fundamentalists have had to kill fellow Muslims because they perceive the other Muslims as polluted or impure Muslims. Infidels for short.
I have seen the various messages by some of the country’s leaders, including that from President Bola Tinubu. I could not see any such dichotomy over sects or liturgy. I could see the emphasis on this rare occurrence of both Lent and Ramadan starting on the same day.
As The Punch‘ reported, “For Christians, the Lenten season is 40 days of fasting, abstinence, and penitence, following the example of Jesus Christ’s time in the wilderness before His crucifixion.
For Muslims, Ramadan is a month-long period of fasting, prayer, and spiritual reflection, marking one of the five pillars of Islam and reflecting total submission to God”.
Permit me to quote from President Tinubu’s speech while declaring open the 2026 Ramadan Tafsir at the State House Mosque in Abuja: “Fellow Muslims, coincidentally, this Ramadan period coincides with the beginning of the Christian Lent. We thank God for this. God Almighty is giving us a sign of the need for unity, collaboration, peace, and stability in our country.”
It could not have been better said. The messages from other leaders, religious or political, are not significantly different.
Both Christians and Muslims are in it together simultaneously this year. As we journey on in the spirit, it is important that we make some resolutions, either as individuals or as a nation, as leaders or as the led, to eschew unnecessary shedding of the blood of innocent people in the name of religion.
God may have desired that we all believe in one God; but He is not forcing that on anyone. He gave us free minds to choose freely. If He had wanted uniformity, he would have created us all equal, same weight, same height, same colour and what have you. Even our fingers that are not equal are indication that we cannot all sleep facing the same side.
Leaders in the volatile areas of the country where people have been served the wrong menu in the name of religion, leading to banditry and terrorism that we are now battling, with enormous resources that could otherwise have been spent on better and productive things, have to start de-schooling or de-radicalising their citizens.
This country has had enough of bloodshed. We need to make progress.
