**Stability by Force, Freedom by Fire: What Nigeria Can Learn from Tajikistan’s Fear of Religious Extremism** By Sights and Sounds of Ndon-Eyo II History does not punish nations the same way. Some are punished with chaos. Others with silence. Nigeria and Tajikistan are two countries that walked through civil war, tasted blood, and survived. Yet, standing today, they made opposite choices —and now live with opposite consequences . Where Nigeria chose freedom at all costs , Tajikistan chose order at all costs . Where Nigeria allowed religion to flourish publicly, Tajikistan locked religion behind the walls of the state. One is noisy, divided, and bleeding. The other is quiet, controlled, and tense. The question is no longer who is right — but who is learning from history, and who is repeating it. Two Civil Wars, Two National Traumas Nigeria’s civil war (1967–1970) taught the country a single lesson: No group must ever dominate the others again. Federalism, ...