The Nation Newspaper

Category: Femi Abbas

  • Season of interfaith dialogues

    Turmoil, in any place and at any time, has a way of calming itself down. Religious turmoil is not an exception in this case. The global frequency of interfaith dialogues these days is an evident attestation to this assertion. Yours sincerely has been participating in series of such dialogues in recent times two of which took place in Abuja last week alone. At such events, it is vividly noticeable that ignorance is, after all, the modern day bastion of religious disharmony and with meaningful dialogues it is quite possible for the world to return to the permanent habitat of peace in which it once sojourned.

    This new trend is rapidly spreading across the world and rekindling humanity’s hope for the seemingly lost harmony. Last Wednesday, a global interfaith conference began in Vienna, Austria, with over 700 religious leaders from all parts of the world. Yours sincerely is a participant. The conference sponsored by the Saudi Arabian King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Interfaith Dialogue Foundation is the 9th in the series. And leading the Nigerian delegation to that extraordinary conference are His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, and His Eminence, John Cardinal Olorunfemi Onaiyekan both of whom have been jointly engaged in series of interfaith dialogues in recent times.

    Coming closely on the heels of the Vienna conference is another of its type in London. The latter which will commence on 23rd November is organised by ‘Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) a well known Muslim organisation with strong base in London. The Nigerian delegation to the London conference will also be led by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto who will move to London from Vienna to further champion the course of global peace.

    These unprecedented activities of the Sultan are a sharp reminder of a historic lecture he delivered in Harvard University on October 3, 2011. Some excerpts of that famous lecture were published in this column two years ago. But because of the ever relevance of the lecture, its excerpts are hereby published again for the benefit of peace-loving readers of ‘The Message’. Here we go:

    A voice from Harvard

    On Monday, October 3, 2011), a voice echoed from the United States of America and reverberated throughout the intellectual spheres of many other countries across the world’s continents. The voice was that of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). He was the guest lecturer at Harvard University where he delivered ‘The Samuel L. and Elizabeth Jodidi annual Lecture at Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. He was invited by the authorities of that University.

    The theme of the lecture was: “ISLAM AND PEACE BUILDING IN WEST AFRICA”.

    In the preamble to the lecture, His Eminence briefly took a look into the various indices of contemporary religious developments and analyzed the merits and demerits of such developments vis-a-vis human cultural values. He started as follows:

    “Today, more than ever before, we stand on the threshold of great opportunities. Developments in various fields of human endeavor have made it easy to accumulate vast knowledge on peoples and cultures and to communicate this knowledge in ways never imagined before, with the real promise of bringing better understanding between us all. Scientific breakthroughs have also made it possible to achieve human development at an unprecedented scale and to enhance the welfare and wellbeing of each and every one of us…”

    “But these opportunities also come with great dangers – and these dangers have already begun to manifest themselves in ways that leave us with much to worry about. Bigotry and hatred are being elevated to a new pedestal and spread with relish and impunity. Protracted conflicts, threats of war and the rise of extremism and militancy, from all sides of the socio-religious divide, have become the reality of our daily lives in many parts of the world. Regrettably, a significant portion of the world’s population still wallows in abject poverty and neglect, thereby fuelling the vicious cycles of conflict, violence and instability that we are now all too familiar with”.

    Experience

    “As a military officer and diplomatic representative, I have seen the devastation of war, not only in West Africa, but in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the world. I have witnessed the desperate cries of widows and orphans and the exasperation of bewildered families desperately struggling to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives. As the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs; as well as the Co-Chair of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council [NIREC], I have also seen the pain and suffering which ethnic polarization and religious misunderstanding could bring to a nation and its people; how ego and bigotry could conspire to deprive people of their rationality and good judgment and how religious leaders could set aside the teachings of their scriptures to lend a helping hand to these sectarian crises”.

     

    A world of difference

    “But during all these, I have also seen how people of goodwill could make a world of difference; how the right word at the appropriate time could heal an old wound; how a little help to those in distress could rekindle hope in our common humanity and how people of virtue, courage and determination could set aside their fears and misgivings to work together to re-establish and strengthen the bases of mutual co-existence within their diverse communities….It is in the context of these challenges and opportunities that I wish to talk to you on the issues of peace and religious harmony tonight. Since many people have talked and written about Religion and Conflict in our part of the world, it is only appropriate for me to address you on Islam and Peace-Building in West Africa, and particularly in my home country, Nigeria, with the real hope that in our individual and collective efforts, we can contribute our little quota towards the realization of the Jodidi vision of promoting “tolerance, understanding and goodwill among nations and the peace of the world…”

    Dan Fodio for instance

    Alluding to Sokoto Caliphate founded by Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio in the early 19th century as a cultural and intellectual yardstick for measuring value in a meaningful society, His Eminence said: “The emergence of the Sokoto Caliphate in the early years of the nineteenth century, led by the erudite scholar, Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio, brought a drastic transformation of the Islamic scene in West Africa. The Sokoto Caliphate was a political as well as an intellectual revolution. Politically, it initiated an extensive process of state formation which spanned across several states in Western and Central Africa. Intellectually, the Caliphate also succeeded in putting scholars at the helm of public affairs. As true intellectuals, they had to argue their way through almost every major decision they took and had the time and foresight to record their thoughts, ideas and the justification of their actions for posterity. The Sokoto Triumvirate, namely Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio, Shaykh Abdullahi Ibn Fodio and Shaykh Muhammad Bello, authored over 300 books and pamphlets. Other Caliphate leaders were also prolific writers. Nana Asma’u alone wrote over 70 poems and tracts.

    Category of values

    But despite these impressive achievements, probably one of the Caliphate’s most enduring legacies had been in the area of values. Classifying value into five categories and justifying each by quoting relevant authorities, His Eminence ascertained as follows:

    The first category of values raised by the Sokoto Caliphate leaders was one associated with knowledge as the basis for effective leadership. Ignorance has no business with leadership and ignorant people should have no business in governance. In the emphatic words of Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio:

    “A man without learning is like a country without inhabitants. The finest [qualities] in a leader in particular and in people in general, are the love of learning, the desire to listen to it and holding the bearer of knowledge in great respect….. If a leader is devoid of learning, he follows his whims and leads his subjects astray, like a riding beast with no halter, wandering off the path and perhaps spoiling what it passes over…. [Bayan Wujub al-Hijra]

    “The second category of values which I wish to bring to your attention is the primacy of Justice as the basis of good governance. Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio, the leader of the Sokoto Caliphate, had always believed that “seeing to the welfare of the people is more effective than the use of force.” According to Shaykh Uthman, “the crown of the leader is his integrity, his strong-hold is his impartiality and his wealth is [the prosperity] of his people.” Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio was equally emphatic on how injustice compromises the integrity of governance and ultimately destroys the state”. He said:

    “One of the swiftest ways of destroying a state is to give preference to one particular group over another or to show favour to one group of people rather than another and draw near those who should be kept away and keep away those who should be drawn near…. Other practices destructive to sovereignty are arrogance and conceit which take away virtues. There are six qualities which cannot be tolerated in a leader: lying, envy, breach of promise, sharpness of temper, miserliness and cowardice. Another is the seclusion of the leader from his people, because when the oppressor is sure that the oppressed person will not have access to the ruler, he becomes more oppressive… A state can endure with unbelief but it cannot endure with injustice.” [Bayan Wujub al-Hijra]

    “The third category of values is that dealing with the fight against corruption especially in the management of public affairs. Shaykh Abdullahi Ibn Fodio puts the Caliphate’s position in clear and unambiguous terms:

    “A ruler is forbidden to touch property acquired unjustly, such as through bribes obtained for appointing a judge or any other officer. The use of such property is unanimously regarded as illegal. It corrupts the Religion and opens the door wide to abuses and oppression of the poor. For the officials may feel that since money was obtained from them as a reward for appointing them to office, they in turn must recover it from the common people….” [Diya’al-Hukkam]

    It is also the view of the Sokoto Caliphate leaders that those charged with authority must strive to shun corrupt practices and lead by example. In the words of Sultan Muhammad Bello:

    “Leaders are like a spring of water and officials are like water-wheels. If the spring is pure, the filth of the water-wheels cannot harm it. If, on the other hand, the spring is polluted, the purity of the water-wheel will have little effect [on the purity of the water].” [Usul al-Siyasa]

    The fourth category of values relates to the dignity of labor and indeed the responsibility of government to provide the enabling environment that would allow people to make a decent living. In the words of Sultan Muhammad Bello:

    “……Guard yourself against poverty by lawful earning, because every poor man is afflicted by three defects: religious weakness, feeble mindedness and loss of honor. Worse than this is the contempt in which he is held by people….There are two assets which, as long as you safeguard them, you will remain alright: Your earnings for your livelihood and your religion for your hereafter…..The recommendable earning is better than supererogatory worship, the benefit of which is confined to the worshipper alone, whereas the benefit of the recommended earnings extend to others.”[Ahkam al-Makasib]

    “The fifth and final category of values… is the uplifting of the status of women, especially through Education. The Sokoto Caliphate leaders, as erudite scholars, lived by the percepts they preached and ensured that their wives and daughters and all others associated with them were educated to the highest standards the society could offer. Many of these women, including Nana Asma’u, became leaders in their own right and played an active role in the political arena. Equally and importantly, Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio’s pronouncements, made in the very early part of the nineteenth century, could not be more categorical:

    “One of the great calamities which have afflicted Hausaland is the practice of many of its scholars in abandoning their wives, daughters and servants in a state of ignorance. They are left like animals without any effort to teach them….. This is a grave mistake and a prohibited innovation. They treat them like utensils which they put to use, but when broken, get thrown into the dustbin. What a strange behavior! How could they leave their wives, daughters and servants in the darkness of ignorance and astray, while educating their students morning and evening. This is just for their selfish interest and for show and ostentation….”

    Challenges of insecurity

    The Sultan who had earlier delivered similar lectures in Cambridge and Oxford did not stop there. He went further to trace and analyse the challenges of insecurity as well as causes of violence and terrorism in Nigeria and suggested some solutions to those societal vices. These analyses will be brought up in this column along with the report of Vienna Conference when I arrive in the country next week in sha’a Llah.

    Meanwhile, it is the pleasure of ‘The Message’ to say thank you to the numerous readers of this column who reacted positively or negatively to its seven years anniversary published last Friday. All the comments are well noted and some publishable ones among them will be published soon. God bless you all!

  • The Message @ 7

    The Message @ 7

    Time flies. It was like a dream five years ago when this column named ‘THE MESSAGE’ began in the great newspaper called The Nation.

    This columnist had, by then, written Islamic and sundry other columns for 24 years in various Nigerian and foreign daily newspapers as well as weekly magazines including the National Concord, Tehran Times, Vanguard, The Inquiry, Africa Today and a host of others. Naming the column ‘THE MESSAGE’ in The Nation was deliberate.

    Perhaps, no other name accurately matches the divine religion called Islam as much as ‘THE MESSGE’ being the greatest mission to mankind from the Almighty Allah through His greatest Messenger (Muhammad).

    First outing

    In the preamble to the very first article published in this column seven years ago, yours sincerely stated as follows:

    “Here is an Islamic column entitled THE MESSAGE. It is starting today in the name of the almighty Allah, the compassionate the merciful. It will come up on this page henceforth, every Friday Insha’ Allah. This column will be meaningful, both in title and in contents, to the Muslim Ummah, home and abroad as well as to others”.

    Starting at a time when technology has reduced the world into a village and paring with the visionary title of this great newspaper called The Nation, this column promises to deliver THE (great) MESSAGE of Islam to all those who are ready to receive it with genuine intention”.

    Central Focus

    “The central focus of ‘THE MESSAGE’ will be the Man. And the word ‘Man’ here does not refer to Male gender alone. It refers to the most important creature of Allah on earth around whom all issues in the world rotate”.

    “It is only with Man that all other creatures in the world can be relevant. And, Man, whether in the primordial or contemporary sense, is a product of family. There can be no talking of over six billion citizens of the world today, therefore, without a fundamental reference to the family”.

    The family angle

    “Every clan, tribe or nation starts with a family. Thus, ‘THE MESSAGE’ shall be addressed first and foremost, to the family”.

    “And, since there can be no survival for any family without business, it becomes necessary for ‘THE MESSAGE’ to view the family from the premise of the business in which it is engaged”.

    “Arguably, the peace or otherwise of this world depends on those two matters: family and business. Each of these will form a major chapter in ‘THE MESSAGE’. The rest shall be like stars supporting the moon in a celestial entourage. This column will be interesting not only because of the depth of its research but also because it will be participatory in function”.

    The right of reader’s response shall be treated as sacrosanct. And, there will be no discrimination. Welcome on board of ‘THE MESSAGE’ being delivered to ‘THE NATION’ through The Nation….”

    And, when the column was one year old in 2007, an article meant to celebrate the occasion was written in this column. It was entitled:

    ‘A child at one’

    As a reminder, I decided to recall that article here for the purpose of gratifying the Almighty Allah who piloted us to this day through that odyssey. It went thus:

    “The young shall grow. With his brain, teeth and limbs, he shall evolve into a dependent adolescent. And, through the various circumstances of life, he shall grow into an independent adult. In the process, he must have learnt how to suck, how to eat, how to sit, how to crawl, how to walk and how to run. Thereafter, like a competent Cadet, he shall rise through the ranks to become an army General one day. Like a prince, he shall struggle through thick and thin to become a king one day. Like a student, he shall study days and nights to become a professor one day. Like a servant, he shall serve and serve loyally until he becomes a master one day. Then, he shall ask himself the vital question: “how did I reach this stage?”

    “It is not by leading battalions of army to war or by conquering an avowed enemy that a General of worth is said to emerge. What makes a worthy General is the ability to care for the rear as much as he ravages the war arena”.

    “For most Nigerian Muslim readers of newspapers, especially The Nation, this column is a ‘General’ in its own right. And, to be worthy of the name, it becomes a sine qua none to look back, at this point, and see if the archers are still there with their bows and arrows”.

    The arc

    “Today, ‘THE MESSAGE’ as a column, is one year old. It was all like yesterday when it started cruising, like the Arc of Noah, across oceans and seas, some of which are ‘Atlantic’ while others are ‘Pacific’.

    “On board of that ‘Arc’ were a number of issues revolving around Islamic religion. But like any newly christened child, only a few people were aware of the existence of this column until a few months ago”.

    “Today, however, the story is different. In virtually all corners of Nigeria and even some countries abroad, ‘THE MESSAGE’ is now a house hold name just like The Nation.

    “Readers of the column are not from amongst the Muslims alone. They are not from amongst Nigerians alone. They cut across religions, tribes, races, genders, ideologies and interests. Their reactions confirm this”.

    Original design

    “The column was designed from inception, to serve the purpose of a weekly Friday sermon in a written form. Thus, like any informed sermon, it discusses, comprehensively, all issues affecting the lives of Muslims vis a vis the fundamental principles of their religion”. It ascertains all perceivable problems and proffers Islamic solutions to them where necessary according to its intellectual ability”.

    “Going by its title, this column is not a message to the Muslims alone. It is a message to all civilised people who want to know the reason for the existence of Islam and the extent of its workings. It is a means of harmonising the similarities and dichotomising the dissimilarities between it and other revealed religions that preceded it”.

    “It is also a mode of interaction between the Muslims and non-Muslims over some issues hitherto considered knotty and unresolved. And by making the column a participatory one whereby readers are privileged to express their opinions and observations in reaction to its contents, a better understanding is coming to the fore”.

    “This is gradually reducing the mutual suspicion which had existed for years particularly between the adherents of Islam and those of Christianity in Nigeria”.

    Peace and no rancour

    “Now, by understanding that religion, in any society, is like a university where various faculties exist and admission seekers can enroll in any faculty without one looking down on another, readers of this column are beginning to see religion as an instrument of peace rather than that of rancour”.

    “Now, it is becoming clearer that religion is by personal conviction which should not be offensive to others who may yet be convinced. Neither should it be by coercion. And if, in the process of practicing what is believed, some elements of bigotry are reflected, let that be attributed to the messenger rather than the message”.

    Not all ambassadors are worth their mission. There is no sphere of life without bigots. Fanatics are not restricted to religion alone. They are found in politics, business, professions, cultures and even sports. Human nature must be separated from the precepts of religions.

    Major vices

    “Here in Nigeria, two major vices are abhorrent to Islam and Christianity on the ground of morality and justice. These are corruption and religious violence both of which are dangerous for Nigeria or any country”.

    ‘THE MESSAGE’ took up these two vices as part of its contents declaring jihad on both and exposing as well as condemning them wherever and whenever they surface.

    It is also noteworthy that this column does not overlook any wrong doing in the society, be it political, social, economic or religious. And credit is given to whoever deserves it without any discrimination on the basis of religion, tribe or politics.

    However, what ‘THE MESSAGE’ will not tolerate, is blackmail especially by political zealots and who think that politics is their own monopoly and a no go area for religionists. These are people elected to represent the populace in governance but on getting to office, turn themselves into masters using the people’s mandate to exploit the same people who put them in office. They steal public funds with unbridled audacity and expect no one to raise voice on it.

    “They use politics to intimidate and even invade the rights of professionals and private practitioners in other spheres of life without looking back. When seeking political offices, these self-centred politicians can go to Churches and Mosques to canvass for votes as well as spiritual support. But when they commit political or social atrocities in office and get condemned by Pastors and Imams, they quickly resort to blackmail, warning clergy men not to dabble into politics”.

    Sphere

    In Islam, there is no barrier between one sphere of life and another. The life of a Muslim is totally governed by the tenets of their religion. And those tenets cut across all spheres of life without any demarcation.

    Just as it will be improper and irrational for those in the economic or business sector to scare away politicians from economy so it is for politicians who want to prevent religionists from commenting on politics.

    That is an intolerable aggression which ‘THE MESSAGE’ as a pulpit in form of a column will not condone. Those who don’t want religion to be mixed with politics should not ask for votes in Churches and Mosques. As Muslims, we shall not allow anybody to use our political mandate to devastate our lives and still gag us.

    In this sphere, the Nigerian media men are like politicians. Under the cloak of religion or politics, they easily paint white in black colour and give blackmail a preference. It is they who coin such words as ‘marginalisation and Islamisation both of which cannot be found in any English dictionary. Like politicians and religious fanatics, Nigerian journalists are in their very best at displaying ingenuity when it comes to evil disposition. They are the primary inventors of political and religious conflicts in Nigeria. Yet, they behave like an ostrich that buries its head in the sand while its huge body remains exposed. They are a dangerous species to be wary of in the country as they impede all avenues of peace and harmony.

    Regardless of the evil antics of Nigerian politicians, journalists and religious bigots, as before, this column will continue to commend good deed and condemn evil actions in all spheres of life no matter whose ox may be gored. Islam is an international religion. It has no barriers in terms of nations, races and tribes. A Muslim in New Zealand is a brother to another in Alaska or Helsinki.

    Wherever and whenever they meet, the usual greeting is ‘Salam alaykun’ (peace be onto you). They pray together in the same language and Mosques; they face the same direction of the Ka‘abah in Makkah; they recite the same Qur’an in its original language; they fast together in the same sacred month of Ramadan and they come together once every year in an unprecedented assembly to perform Hajj in the vicinity of Makkah and Madinah.

    Thus, they are like a flock of sheep. If one of them is afflicted, the rest cannot be in peace. Thus, the problem of Muslims in any part of the world must be the concern of all other Muslims in the rest parts of the world.

    That is why ‘THE MESSAGE’ must comment on Muslim activities around the world if only to inform its local Muslim readers about the affairs of their brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world.

    Most of these had been part of this column in the past one year. They will continue to be. One other thing added to the column along the line is the resume on Islamic health through the use of bee products especially honey. This is considered an added value from which great advantage can be derived by readers who can appreciate the benefit of ‘apitherapy’ (the use of bee products to heal ailments in modern day health care. This will also be continued.

    Also to be chronicled in this column, from time to time, are some prominent Schools of Arabic and Islamic Studies, and other higher institutions as well as the great scholars behind them. All these are being packaged for a column which has some of the best intellectuals of this country as its readers.

    As the formidable ship of ‘THE MESSAGE’ is ready to cruise on the high sea, all those who are heading for the ‘cape of good hope’ are welcome on board. Congratulations for being alive to witness one year of this ship on its life’s odyssey’’.

    Comment

    The above article was published on August 31, 2007 partly as a review of one year performance and partly as a promise for improvement.

    Today, seven years after the commencement of this column in The Nation and six years after the quoted self-assessment, venerable readers can take the baton of comments from here.

    Has ‘THE MESSAGE’ lived up to expectation as an Islamic column? Has it fulfilled its promises in full or in part? What are the minuses expected to be rectified? What new frontiers should this column forage? Readers are free to critique, criticise, advise, make observations and even score this column in its seven years of existence.

    This columnist is not apathetic to criticism since there can be no growth without criticism. But a poisoned food is not worth the name of a meal. Besides, only reactions that are standard in language and reason will be published in this column. ‘The Message’ has transcended the pedestrian level of dirty politics and religious bigotry.

    Meanwhile, I wish to express a profound gratitude to genuine readers of this column. Their readership is the impetus propelling the spirit behind the ideas and thoughts appearing in this column every Friday. Without readers, there can be no columnists. Thus, readers are greater than writers. I am proud of you all.

    I pray Allah to safeguard our well illuminated path from getting blocked by the forces of darkness. Assalam alaykum!

     

  • Happy New Year

    Happy New Year

    The title of this article may sound strange to most readers since this is not January. In Nigeria, like in most other African countries, the idea of New Year is ignorantly believed to be peculiar to January which is the first month of Gregorian calendar. That is the effect of European colonialism in our continent. From whichever angle it is viewed, European colonialism has a Christian coloration that still paints African culture in the rainbow of colonial tradition.

    Islam has its own calendar. And, like other calendars of the world, there is a beginning and an end for every Hijrah year. Unlike other calendars which are manmade however, Islamic calendar, otherwise known as Hijrah calendar, is divinely ordained. This is confirmed in chapter 9, verse 36 of the Qur’an as follows:

    “Surely, the number of months ordained by Allah when He created the heavens and the earth is twelve. Therefore, do not wrong yourselves in them….”

    The twelve months are: Muharram; Safar; Rabiul Awwal; Rabiu-th-Thani; Jumadal Ula; Jumada-th-Thaniyah; Rajab; Shaban; Ramadan; Shawwal; Dhul Qadah; and Dhul Hijjah.

    The four months specifically designated as sacred are Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul Qa’dah and Dhul Hijjah. Some of these months have 30 days. Others have 29. No more, no less.

    Last Tuesday (November 5, 2013) was the first day of the Hijrah year 1435. It followed the last day of Dhul Hijjah which is the last month of Hijrah calendar.

    Hijrah calendar took its name from Prophet Muhammad’s emigration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 C.E. The use of Hijrah calendar began when Umar Bn Khattab, the second Caliph, suggested that Islam should have its own distinctive calendar saying Hijrah, the Prophet’s emigration, was so much a significant landmark in Islam that it could not be overlooked. As a matter of fact, it is one of the three main factors responsible for the survival of the religion of Islam. The other two were the victory of the Muslims in the battle of Badr which was waged by Makkah pagans against the Muslims in Madinah shortly after the Prophet’s emigration. And the third is Allah’s great promise that became an everlasting fulfilment. That promise is contained in Chapter 15 verse 9 of the Qur’an thus:

    “It was ‘We’ (Allah) who revealed the Qur’an and We will preserve it…’ and who can doubt the Almighty Allah who created the entire universe and preserves it”. With Allah, all things are possible. But for these three fundamental factors, perhaps Islam or the Qur’an would have joined the legion of defunct religions.

    In Islam, the first day of (Muharram) the first month of Hijrah calendar is more significant than Mawlidun- Nabiyyi (the birth day of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)). The Prophet had existed for 40 years before ‘The Message’ came to him and nobody celebrated his birthday. Thus without ‘The great Message of Islam’ he would have had no cause to emigrate. If he had lived for 40 years without being known in history before he became a Prophet, why should his birth now take precedence over ‘The Great Message’ that made him the greatest man that ever lived?

    Basically Hijrah institutionalised three important aspects of life: social, economic and political.

    In the social aspect when the first revelation was made to the Prophet (SAW) a period of twelve (12) years was devoted by him to inculcate religion in the minds of individuals while no pattern of a collective life based on true religious concepts could be presented to the world. The status of the Muslim individuals in Makkah gave rise to the misconception that Islam, or believing in the prophet was one’s personal affair; it pertained only to the hereafter and had nothing to do with collective life.

    It was only after Hijrah that people began to see clearly that Islam was a way of life which pays attention to and reforms every facet of human existence, giving directions regarding almost every moment of one’s conscious time. Hijrah also enable the Arabs in particular to see what a Muslim house-hold should be in a Muslim society. Hence, it was only after this event that the world could see the aspect of social decency and decorum under Islam.

    A second reason for the importance of Hijrah is its economic aspect. The economic effects were due to the permanent earliest Muslim emigration to Madinah led by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The matchless hospitality of the people of Madinah towards the Muslims immigrants did not only provide a new peaceful home for the newcomers, but also showed the hosts’ passionate self-sacrifice. And with Hijrah, the immigrants vividly came in contact with advanced agricultural acumen and ingenuous artisanship never experienced before. These resulted in an unprecedented economic revolution for the place. Since the hosts shared virtually everything with the immigrants on the latter’s arrival, a lesson was learnt by the immigrants not to continue to be a burden on their brotherly hosts. Thus, every one of them adopted legitimate ways of earning righteously.

    Initially, the immigrants worked as labourers in the fields, gardens and construction works. Later they, being traders, started small trading activities which brought them into an economic competition with the Jews of Madinah. One aspect of the economic revolution was that the trader immigrants paid the right price to the growers for their produce since the Prophet had forbidden the practice of acquiring products on reduced prices in return for loans given to the artisans or to the cultivators.

    Thus, it was only after Hijrah that agriculture, industry and trade freely helped the Muslims to bring about an integrated, balanced and unfettered economy for the Ummah.

    The third reason which made Hijrah a very important event is the political freedom for the Muslims. Before Hijrah the Muslims had no say in any matter, internal or external. They were a minority against whom the hearts of the majority were full of enmity – the Muslims were an insignificant part of a set of dominating unbelievers in Makkah.

    Hijrah made the Muslims masters of their internal affairs, external relations and matters relating to war and peace. There was great understanding among the Muslims, for instance, in case a difference occurred between the Muslims and non-Muslims, the final decision was to be made by the Prophet. This showed an autonomous set up of a Muslim Ummah coming into existence. And this was a beginning of a city-state which, within the life-time of the Prophet or within a period of ten (10) years, expanded which encompassed the entire Arabian peninsula. It is thus evident that the event of Hijrah turned a few hundred persons into a highly successful society.

    If the Nigerian Muslim leaders were adequately informed, Islamically, at the time they were negotiating religious holidays for Nigerian Muslim Ummah, they would have asked for Hijrah rather than Mawlidun-Nabiyyi. Apart from coming into the world through birth like any other human being, there is nothing the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) contributed to Islam. And, the Prophet himself did not believe in the aristocracy of birth. That was why he never celebrated his own birthday the way some Muslims do on his behalf today. What is more, the Prophet’s birthday is never celebrated in Saudi Arabia where he was born. What is rather celebrated in that country is Hijrah day. Whereas Mawlidun-Nabiyyi is about the life of Prophet Muhammad alone, Hijrah day is about Islam, its survival and the entire Muslim Ummah.

    While celebrating Mawlidun-Nabiyyi, you can only praise the Prophet and nothing more. But when celebrating the Hijrah day, you are celebrating not only the Prophet’s migration but the success of Islam as the everlasting password of the Universe. That is why we exchange pleasantries by congratulating one another and by chanting the slogan HAPPY NEW YEAR!

    Compared to Hijrah calendar the Gregorian calendar is not only artificial but alien to Christianity. It was only adopted some centuries ago as a way of distinguishing the religion of Christ from whatever preceded or succeeded it. While writing about how Gregorian calendar came into existence, a British writer and newspaper columnist, Ben Snowden said in a descriptive article entitled ‘The Curious History of Gregorian Calendar thus:

    “September 2, 1752, was a great day in the history of sleep.

    That Wednesday evening, millions of British subjects in England and the colonies went peacefully to sleep and did not wake up until twelve days later. Behind this feat of narcoleptic prowess was not just some revolutionary hypnotic technique or miraculous pharmaceutical discovered in the West Indies. It was, rather, the British Calendar Act of 1751, which declared the day after Wednesday the second day of that month to be Thursday the fourteenth day of the same month.

    Prior to that cataleptic September evening, the official British calendar differed from that of continental Europe by eleven days—that is, September 2 in London was September 13 in Paris, Lisbon, and Berlin. The discrepancy had sprung from Britain’s continued use of the Julian calendar, which had been the official calendar of Europe since its invention by Julius Caesar (after whom it was named) in 45 B.C.

    Caesar’s calendar, which consisted of eleven months of 30 or 31 days and a 28-day February (extended to 29 days every fourth year), was actually quite accurate: it erred from the real solar calendar by only 11½ minutes a year. By the sixteenth century, it had put the Julian calendar behind the solar one by 10 days.

    In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered the advancement of the calendar by 10 days and introduced a new corrective device to curb further error: century years such as 1700 or 1800 would no longer be counted as leap years, unless they were (like 1600 or 2000) divisible by 400.

    If somewhat inelegant, this system is undeniably effective, and is still in official use in the United States. The Gregorian calendar year differs from the solar year by only 26 seconds—accurate enough for most mortals, since this only adds up to one day’s difference every 3,323 years.

    Despite the prudence of Pope Gregory’s correction, many Protestant countries, including England, ignored the papal bull. Germany and the Netherlands agreed to adopt the Gregorian calendar in 1698; Russia only accepted it after the revolution of 1918 and Greece waited until 1923 to follow suit. And currently many Orthodox churches still follow the Julian calendar, which now lags 13 days behind the Gregorian.

    Since their invention, calendars have been used to reckon time in advance, and to fix the occurrence of events like harvests or religious festivals. Ancient peoples tied their calendars to whatever recurring natural phenomena they could most easily observe. In areas with pronounced seasons, annual weather changes usually fixed the calendar; in warmer climates such as Southern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, the moon was used to mark time.

    Unfortunately, the cycles of the sun and moon do not synchronise well. A lunar year (consisting of 12 lunar cycles, or lunation, each 29½ days long) is only 354 days, 8 hours long; a solar year lasts about 365¼ days. After three years, a strict lunar calendar would have diverged from the solar calendar by 33 days, or more than one lunation.

    The Muslim calendar is hence the only purely lunar calendar in widespread use today. Its months have no permanent connection to the seasons— Muslim religious celebrations, such as Ramadan, may thus occur at any date of the Gregorian calendar.

    The phases of the moon have nonetheless remained a popular way to divide the solar year, if only because a 365¼-day year doesn’t exactly lend itself to equal subdivision (the 71¼-day month has yet to find favor among monologists). To compensate for the difference in the solar and lunar year, calendar makers introduced the practice of intercalation—the addition of extra days or months to the calendar to make it more accurate. The semi lunar Hebrew calendar, consisting of twelve 29- and 30-day months, adds an intercalary month seven times every 19 years (which explains the sometimes confusing drift of Passover—and consequently Easter— through April and March).

    Despite its widespread use, the Gregorian calendar has a number of weaknesses. It cannot be divided into equal halves or quarters; the number of days per month is haphazard; and months or even years may begin on any day of the week. Holidays pegged to specific dates may also fall on any day of the week, and vanishingly few Americans can predict when Thanksgiving will occur next year.

    Since the time of Pope Gregory XIII, many other proposals for calendar reform have been made. In the 1840s, philosopher Auguste Comte suggested that the 365th day of each year be a holiday not assigned to a day of the week. The generic “Year Day” would allow January 1 to fall on a Sunday every year. Needless to say, this clever solution was not widely embraced.

    The French Revolution also made an attempt to introduce a new calendar. On October 5, 1793, the revolutionary convention decreed that the year (starting on September 22, 1792—the autumnal equinox, and the day after the proclamation of the new republic) would be divided into 12 months of 30 days, named after corresponding seasonal phenomena (e.g. seed, blossom, harvest).

    The remaining five days of the year, called sans-culottides, were feast days. In leap years, the extra day, Revolution Day, was to be added to the end of the year. The Revolutionary calendar had no week; each month was divided into three decades, with every tenth day to be a day of rest. This straightforward calendar, however, perished with the Republic”.

    Of all the existing calendars, only Hijrah has been generally acknowledged as unique in effect and in workability. In commemoration of the great occasion of Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) emigration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, both the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN) have sent messages of felicitations to Nigerian Muslim Ummah just as ‘The Message’ column also says HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  • Sultan @ Seven

    Sultan @ Seven

    In a few days time, His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) will be seven years on the throne. He assumed the exalted royal office as the 20th Sultan on November 6, 2006. And his impact both as a royal father and the Commander of Nigerian Muslim Ummah has been unprecedentedly historic. When he was five years on the throne, yours sincerely wrote an article in this column which remains as current today as it was then. Thus, the article is repeated here for the records. Please, read on:

    “In every crowd of horizontal men there is always one vertical man who deserves honour not much because of his vertical position but because of the significant difference which that position makes to the crowd”

    History and man are like Siamese twins or a pair of scissors. The one cannot do without the other. History makes man just as man makes history. And the reciprocal baton continues to change hands between them as long as they remain in existence.

    Seven years ago, in Nigeria, an innocent human crescent lay hidden in the firmament of the orbit waiting to be sighted before prompting Nigerian Muslim Ummah into a united folk. That crescent is the towering personality generally known today as the SULTAN. The gentleman’s name did not ring any bell in Nigeria before he was named and crowned ‘THE SULTAN OF SOKOTO’ in November 2006.

    Thus, the emergence of Brigadier General Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar (rtd.) as the successor to the exalted throne of the great Sokoto Empire without any controversy came as a surprise to many Nigerians. At 50 years of age then, many people believed that he was one of the youngest men to become the Sultan in many years. But he disagreed with such suggestion and recalled that his own father, Sultan Abubakar Sadiq III who died in 1988 ascended the throne at the age of 37.

    With a sound military background and a diplomatic and modern travelling exposure, this Sultan has been perceived since coming into office as a millennial royal Captain divinely designated to pilot the affairs of Islam and the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria with great success.

    Philosophers who assert that every new century has a way of producing a great leader may be right after all. The example of His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar is a manifest attestation to that assertion. Ever since he assumed the exalted royal office about seven years ago, this great man has convincingly exemplified all the qualities of genuine leadership. Every statement he has made socially, religiously or politically and every action he has taken officially or personally has proved to be a school from which all well-meaning people have learnt one lesson or another.

    Five years after his assumption of office, the symbiotic relationship of history and man was reconfirmed in Zaria, on Wednesday, (November 23, 2011), where a galaxy of well-meaning men and women from all walks of life assembled to say “we are here to bear witness”. That was the day His Eminence was installed as the CHANCELLOR OF AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA. The occasion was just one of many laurels accruing to him since he assumed office.

    An American President, Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), once described a leader as “a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do and like it”. By his activities and functions so far, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has proved Truman right by demonstrating to Nigerian Muslim Ummah that the time has come for the reformation not only of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) but also the Sultanate.

    When he assumed office seven years ago, he hinted that the Sultanate would be put on the internet to enable all educated Muslims have access to their leader.  And in this age of computer, can anyone lay claim to any serious knowledge without adequate access to the internet? That is why he decided to start the reformation of the Sultanate through the instrumentality of the internet. And as an exemplary leader, he demonstrates his leadership prowess by possessing mastering fingers on the computer.

    In Islam, education is the first law. It is only through it that man can understand life in all its ramifications. That was why Allah’s very first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) ordained education thus: “Read in the name of Allah who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood; Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, Who taught man by the pen; He taught man what he did not know…”Q. 96:1-4. To further emphasize the compelling need for education in Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was reported to have said in one Hadith that “knowledge is a lost treasure. Muslims should look for it and pick it wherever they could find it”.

    Without education there can be no information. And without information there can be no progress. That is why the Sultan started his reformation of the Sultanate from the premise of education. It is only with education that most problems in this world can be solved without much ado. Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar also believes that education without social harmony is like a virtue without value and that there can be no harmony in a society where people are overwhelmed by ignorance and penury as is the case in Nigeria. Thus, he has consistently focused on both.

    At his installation as the Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University two years ago, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, told the crowd that the current socio-economic indices in Nigeria were a clear indication that the country had begun to drift. He lamented that despite the nation’s unprecedented resources, development had failed to match the national wealth.

    In his words: “Corruption has emasculated our progress even as poverty and unemployment have pushed citizens to the brinks, fuelling and confounding social conflicts and inter-communal crisis has extracted heavy toll in both human lives and property”. He went further to say that: “Persistent insecurity has generated panic and anxiety; our social and physical infrastructures are far from meeting the needs of the nation; the country appears to be adrift and at the core of all these is moral decay engendered by ignorance and greed.”

    He also noted that the reform of the tertiary education sector could not be effective without putting in place, the progressive developments required in the basic and senior secondary education sectors insisting that “our state governments, especially those of the North, must begin to realize the enormity of the challenges facing the education sector and take urgent and necessary steps to address these challenges.” He lauded the founding fathers of the ABU, especially, the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and urged the authorities of the school to continue to abide by the cardinal principles on which the institution was founded.

    That is the renascent Sultan for you, a man who is at the topmost echelon of the tree of comfort but feels so much concerned about the plight of the peasants who are deliberately consigned to the weeding of the shrubs without hope through official policies. He has never relented in his advocacy for good governance and denunciation of corruption and religious intolerance.

    When he was invited in January 2010 as a Special Guest of Honour to a religious seminar organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) with the theme: ‘Knowing Your Muslim Neighbour’, Sultan Abubakar delivered an historic speech that reverberated meaningfully across the entire world. And in May, same year, he also invited the leadership of CAN to a special conference of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) held in Kaduna. The theme of that conference was: ‘Islam in the Eyes of the Christians’. He is the first Nigerian first class Monarch ever to engage in such an interfaith affair at the national level and his speech on that occasion was also electrifying. Please read an excerpt from that speech as presented below:

    “….we initiated, as we had done for the JNI, a thorough review of the activities of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs [NSCIA] and an extensive reform of its structures. It is our firm belief that these reforms are not only desirable but necessary, to reposition the Council to play its strategic role as the apex Islamic body in the country and to respond, effectively and meaningfully, to the challenges facing the Muslim Ummah in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society. We have had extensive consultations over the last one year and have received very useful inputs on the reform agenda from all the constituent bodies of the Council. Our strategic objectives in this exercise had been and shall remain: firstly, the promotion of Muslim Unity and Solidarity, to accord the Ummah the ability to speak with one voice and to act and work together for the advancement of Islam.

    Secondly, the development of Education and Economic Enterprise, to enable the Muslim Ummah play an active role in the socio-economic life of Nigeria is a sine qua non.

    Thirdly, the promotion of peace and religious harmony both within the Muslim Communities and between the adherents of Islam and those of Christianity is a joint effort that cannot be handled with levity.

    Fourthly, the establishment of effective linkage with Government, at local, state and federal levels, to safeguard the interest of the Ummah and to build consensus on those vital issues that bind us together as a nation must be pursued and sustained.

    It is therefore our hope that as we bring this reform process to its logical conclusion, we will receive the support and patronage of the entire Muslim Ummah as well as the co-operation of all stakeholders including State Governments and indeed the Government of the Federation”.

    “….The task of overcoming Nigeria’s problems calls for sacrifice, dialogue and understanding; and all national stakeholders must overcome the myopia of greed and self-centredness to move this great nation forward and safeguard its strategic interests….we must begin to look into the future with hope and confidence and to ensure, first and foremost, that we shore up the foundations of our political system. The National Assembly, and indeed all tiers of Government, should not relent in their current efforts at Electoral Reform and in ensuring that Nigerians have a genuine electoral process that guarantees free and fair elections. Unless and until we do that, our nation will continue to be haunted by the unholy alliance between fraudulent elections and illegitimate electoral outcomes, the consequences of which we all know too well. We must break away from this vicious circle and confer on Nigerians the power and indeed the ability to decide, freely and willingly, who leads them at all levels of governance”.

    “….There is also the urgent need for us to re-evaluate our conception of leadership as a nation…. needless to add, that there is no way we can make genuine progress as a nation when a significant number of our populace wallows in abject poverty unable to secure the requisite means for their sustenance and to cater for the health and educational needs of their families. Democracy must build a humane society capable of looking after the legitimate needs of its citizenry. For it to be truly successful, it must be able to bring real progress to all sectors of our diverse society.

    “Finally we must all work hard to limit the influence of wealth in our society and to support those values that promote social responsibility, excellence and hard work”.

    That is Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar a leader who knows the problems of his followers and associates with them in solving those problems. Through his humble interaction with all Muslims in Nigeria irrespective of tribal or geographical boundaries, he has become the first Sultan to create a strong feeling of a united Ummah under a competent and kind leadership. And by speaking out incessantly against policies which seem to deliberately impoverish ordinary Nigerians across board, this Sultan has brought a rare hope to Nigeria and the Muslims are the luckiest for it. Such a leadership deserves allegiance, loyalty and regular prayer from the Ummah. We pray for the elongation of his life with very sound health and regular Allah’s guidance.

  • Dreaming the past

    Dreaming the past

    The above quoted Hadith was particularly in reference to leadership in any given society. When the Prophet was to send Mu’az Bn Jabal to Yemen as Governor, he asked him a pointed question as a way of confirming that his choice for the post was right. He asked Mu’az: “how will you govern the people in that country?” And the latter responded saying he would use the laws of Allah as contained in the Qur’an. Then the Prophet asked: “and if you cannot find a relevant solution in the Qur’an? Mu’az said he would use the Prophetic tradition (Sunnah). Then the Prophet further asked: “and if relevant solution is not found in Sunnah? Mu’az said he would adopt the consensus of opinions of learned scholars’’. Then, the Prophet asked: “and if you cannot get a consensus? Mu’az said he would use analogical deduction based on the three sources of law mentioned above. Thus, with Mu’az’s satisfactory responses, the Prophet technically confirmed the four sources of Islamic law by which any leader in an Islamic society should govern. The summary here is that governance should be by law and not by whim.

    Thereafter, the Prophet counselled him as follows: “when you get there, my dear Mu’az, endear yourself to the people and do not be hostile. Be kind to them and do not be wicked. Be lenient with them and do not be harsh. Be considerate with them and do not be dictatorial. Be compassionate to them and do not be sadistic. Be sensitive to their plight and do not be indifferent. Be transparent and do not be seen as corrupt. Be a man of your words and do not be seen as a liar. Fulfil your promises to them and do not renege on such promises. Be trustworthy in utterances and actions and not be seen as a betrayer of trust. There are three signs by which a hypocrite is known. When he talks he lies; when he promises he reneges and when he is trusted he betrays. Remember that a leader is like a shepherd who cannot claim to be successful in a day until he has coasted home the last sheep in his flock. And every shepherd shall be asked by the Almighty Allah about what he does with the flock in his care’’.

    Bedrock of Peace

    Thus, the historic conversation between the Prophet and Mu’az confirms that good leadership is the bedrock of peace, decency and progress in any society. Today, many countries including Nigeria are dangerously restive because of deviation from that yardstick by irresponsible leaderships. A nation without a responsible leadership is like a body without head. Such a nation is likely to wander aimlessly and indefinitely in the wilderness of life just like the Egyptian gypsies of yore even as her citizens wallow helplessly in abject penury.

    Man ordinarily takes food for granted until he faces hunger where food is not available. He takes sound health for granted until he falls sick. He takes freedom for granted until he becomes a prisoner and he takes peace for granted until he faces war. One of the signs of living in a bad time is to keep remembering the good old days with nostalgia. Such is a confirmation that the past was better than the present. This is the situation in which overwhelming majority of Nigerians find themselves today in a country naturally and abundantly enriched with milk and honey.

    Time Changes

    Who could have believed some years back that this same country called Nigeria might become a beggars’ own country one day? When political calamity engendered by economic mismanagement struck Ghana in the 1980s, Nigeria was the only rescue haven in Africa for hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians who trooped into this country for all sorts of jobs including menial ones. Thus, from that experience, one would have thought that a lesson had been learnt by Nigerian leaders never to subject the citizens of this country to a similar misfortune. But alas, the situation in the past 30 years or there about has proved otherwise. Ironically, the reality today, is that the citizens of this sixth largest oil exporting country in the world have become beggars being deported from a onetime calamitous Ghana that sought and got economic rescue in Nigeria. The same Ghana is today a model for Nigeria virtually in all things that is decent and civilised.

    God, in His infinite mercy does not create any living thing without adequate provisions for its existence. He endows individuals and nations with wealth in time and space as a trust. But He does not physically come down to manage such wealth for anybody. Neither does He give anybody the authority to redistribute it. But in the end, the managers of such wealth will be asked to render account on how they managed it. Individuals and nations become humanly and materially rich only by Allah’s will at the place and time divinely earmarked for it. Any manipulation of such wealth by certain greedy cabal can only pave way for an untold calamity.

    Like a fly in a bottle of wine which drinks and drinks till it dies in there, today’s Nigerian rulers see their position as an opportunity to suck Nigeria’s oil dry at the expense of the masses to whom that oil rightly and legitimately belong. These rulers have forgotten that if the oil reserve had not been divinely meant for this generation it could have been discovered and consumed by many generations long before ours.

    Dream Land

    Nigerians of today have found themselves in a dream land. They are not only dreaming of what they ought to be as against what they are. They are also dreaming of the good old days in this same country that once gave them the confidence to build hope in their future as well as that of their children. That hope has practically become forlorn. Without necessarily sounding pessimistic, if there is any expectation for an ordinary Nigerian today, it is for death as despair is currently the song on most lips.

    Telling the history of Nigerian oil cannot end with the present generation. It surely extends to the future. Where are the founding fathers of Nigeria especially those who strove for the discovery of oil? Was the current situation their dream? Even as Prime Minister and Premier respectively, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto borrowed money from banks to purchase a car and build a bungalow. They never possessed more than those even when their political contemporaries were accumulating empires. It is easier to be a legatee than to be a legator. The greatest spendthrifts are those who do not know the source of money in their possession.

    It is rather ironic that oil wealth which serves as the source of fortune for many countries is the main source of Nigeria’s misfortune. At least this country was economically steady and progressive before the so-called oil boom. At least there was no oil money when Nigeria went through a civil war for 30 months without borrowing one kobo. Why has oil boom become oil doom?

    In his nine years in office as Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon took the price of PMS from 6k to 9.5k per litre. After him was General Murtala Muhammed an obvious man of the people who never tampered with the price of oil till his death in 1976. It was General Olusegun Obasanjo who first took oil price by a leap moving it from 9.5k to 15.3k in his three and a half year reign from February 1976 to October 1979. In his own three years and three months in office, President Usman Shehu Shagari never tampered with the price of oil. And General Muhammadu Buhari who succeeded him maintained the status quo as he never increased fuel price even by one kobo during his 20 month rule. Thus, between 1979 when Obasanjo left office and 1985 when Buhari was overthrown, the oil price remained same and Nigeria did not fail as a nation.

    The turning of the Screw

    When the self-styled Military President Ibrahim Babangida took over in1985, his first focus was on oil. It was he who moved the price of PMS from 15k to 70k in his eight years of governance. It was the turning of the screw. But by far the greatest leap of oil price in Nigeria was introduced by Chief Earnest Shonekan an interim Head of State who took the price from 70k to N5 within the 87 days of his illegal rule.

    Then General Sani Abacha the maximum despot who forcefully high jacked power in October 1993 moved the price of PMS from N5 to N11 within his five years in office. That was an average of N1 increase per year. When Abacha died in 1998, General Abdul Salami Abubakar became the Head of State and virtually concentrated on oil. He can be called Nigeria’s Head of oil fields. It was he who took the price of PMS from N11 to N20 within the ten months he ruled Nigeria. When General Obasanjo returned to office as elected President in 1999, his first port of call was oil. Capitalizing on the precedent laid by General Abdul Salami Abubakar, he went ahead to raise the price of PMS from N20 to N70 within eight years he spent in office.

    Exhibition of Power

    Now, to prove that removal of the so-called oil subsidy by previous rulers in Nigeria was a child’s play, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan decided to surpass them all even if all Nigerians would go to the gallows. After consultations with various stake holders and interest groups including traditional rulers, religious leaders, Labour Unions, ASUU and NANS, all of whom objected to any removal of subsidy at that precarious time in January 2012, Mr. President decided to go ahead with his plan not minding any contrary opinion. His argument was that facilities like roads, hospitals, schools, refineries and rail system must be provided even if that would be at the expense of the lives of Nigerians. And such removal must be done at a time when the feeding allowance of his family and that of his deputy is unilaterally fixed at about one N1billion per year. And at the end of it all, the money realised from the callous increase of fuel price was audaciously embezzled in the glare of the public. No further question. Yet, President Jonathan was calling on Nigerians to sacrifice while the cost of his medical services in the Presidential clinic was about N1.2 billion per annum even as another whopping sum of N300 million was earmarked for replacement of his kitchen utensils. For his trips abroad in 2012 alone about N10 billion was earmarked. But to show a good example of sacrifice, he and his Ministers resolved to cut their salaries by 25% though we were not told the amount of each cabinet Minister’s salary. And nothing was said about their undisclosed allowances. That is exhibition of power for you.

    Thus by one man’s signature appended to an obnoxious policy imposed on the populace, it became certain that many lives would be lost, many marriages would collapse, many children would drop out of school and many private business agreements would crumble thereby causing irreconcilable rifts across the land. These did not happen in the time of Yar’Adua because there was no cause for such.

    Yar’Adua’s Legacy

    With YarÁdua as President, Nigerians did not see their newly rekindled hope ending up in a paroxysm of despair as is the case today. Until Yar’Adua came on board as President in 2007, every other person that ruled Nigeria except Shagari and Buhari had claimed that there was subsidy on oil.

    Due to his short time in office, Yar’Adua might not have been perceived as a great achiever but the few achievements he recorded were quite remarkable. If those achievements had been sincerely inherited and maintained, Nigeria would not have been plunged into such a quagmire as we are witnessing today.

    At least with Yar’Adua’s few achievements, many ‘FIRSTS’ can be attributed to him in the history of Nigeria. For instance, he was the first Nigerian President to publicly declare his assets and those of his wife on assuming office. He was the first Nigerian President to publicly admit that the election which brought him into office was flawed thereby promising to reform the electoral process the machinery for which he sincerely put in place before his demise. And he congratulated the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, who won a court case against a PDP Governor Olusegun Agagu in the spirit of political sportsmanship. Yar’Adua was also the first Nigerian President to confess that there was no subsidy on petroleum products and therefore reduced the price of PMS (petrol) from N70 to N65 per litre. Not only these, he was also the first Nigerian President to declare amnesty in a warless situation to ventilate a conducive atmosphere for permanent peace. If he were alive and remained in the saddle the present situation of insecurity would not have arisen. Perhaps that was why he called himself a servant leader.

    Yar’Adua as a mortal being might have his own weaknesses, nevertheless, his short period as President wrought a remarkable foundation for this country. If he had not been magnanimous enough to display the ingenuous tactics of declaring amnesty at the time he did, the story of Nigeria would have been quite different today.

    Nigerians continue to remember the good days of Yar’Adua today because the foundation he laid for a new beginning in his time has begun to crumble so soon in the hands of his successors. Just two years before her centenary celebration as a country, the President is telling Nigerians that the security problem in the country is bigger than a civil war and he can hardly handle it. Given the current situation where leaders are not models, who will save Nigeria from the devilish prediction of the West that this country would break up in 2015? That is food for thought.

  • Festival without festivities

    Festival without festivities

    Were it possible for the dead to wake at will, Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), the great son of Prophet Ya‘qub (Jacob), would have resurrected in Nigeria at the request of wretched Nigerians. And his mission would have been the interpretation of a dream like that of a Pharaoh of centuries ago which saved Egypt of yore from the scourge of a looming hunger.

    But alas! The absence of a dreaming Yusuf has rendered the situation in this country hopeless. Despite unlimited human and material resources available in this so called ‘Giant of Africa’ Nigeria continues to wallow helplessly under a jaundiced economy like a centipede drowning in a   poisoned brook.

    Last Tuesday, October 15th, 2013, Muslims all over the world celebrated ‘Idul Adha subsequent to Arafah day which came up the day before. But unlike their brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, overwhelming majority of Nigerian Muslims celebrated that festival without any festivity. At the instance of injustice based on avarice and aggrandisement on the part of the ruling class, the ingredients of festivityhad long been banished in this country. Thus, many worshippers spent the festival season in hunger.

    This iron period in which the government is at once promising to emancipate the masses from the scourge of  hunger, starvation and abject poverty, while at the same time threatening to guillotine the same masses through the instrumentality of oil, is an indicator of indefinite despair.

    Nostalgia

    Generally, there is nostalgia in the land, not only for the days of oil boom when life was relatively comfortable for all and sundry but also for the era of abundant farm crops when the thought of feeding was not much of a concern to most citizens. Nigerian Muslims and non-Muslims alike are today yearning for the return of those days when wives could confidently ask their husbands for festival gifts and children could demand for new dresses, shoes and wrist watches from their parents. Those were the days when festival seasons were really festive and the graph of marriage carried some indices of value. Those were the days of friendliness among neighbours, good wishes among colleagues, mutual confidence among spouses as well as general peace and tranquillity in the society.

    Now, those days are gone. And they seem to have gone forever. Today, we have found ourselves in a situation against which we had long been warned in a couplet rendered by an Arab poet quoting two disciples of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) i. e. Ubayyi Bn Ka’b and Abdullah Bn Mas’ud. It goes thus:

    ”This is the period in which truth is rejected in its totality while falsehood, corruption and betrayal of trust are held aloft; should this period linger with its woes and tribulations, the world, may soon assume a situation where no one will rejoice over the birth of a new baby or grieve over the demise of a dear relative”.

    Sensible Queestions

    Nigeria is fast becoming a dramatic entity mysteriously coded in parables. It will take an unprecedented revolution to decode it and dislodge the insensitive actors who are monopolising the stage with boredom. In ordinary circumstances, a forward-looking country should encourage her citizenry to ask some probing questions such as: Who are we? Where are we coming from? And where are we going from here? Those are some of the questions which all rational human beings should ask themselves constantly.

    But such questions have been rendered irrelevant in Nigeria because the circumstances of life here have changed the priorities of ordinary citizens. The only question now in vogue, which everybody in government seems to be answering tacitly, is this: ‘what am I getting from being in this office?

    That very question is the real drama that permanently engages the attention of Nigerian civil servants. It is the question that robes Nigerian Police in a garment of shamelessness with a banished conscience. It is the question that crowns money as a demigod which forbids human feeling. It is the question that fosters greed andfetters Nigeria to the stake of endemic corruption. It is the question that presents mirage to Nigerians as the only substance worthy of pursuit.

    What can we say of a man who fixes his eyes on the sun but does not see it? Instead, he sees a chorus of flaming seraphim announcing a paroxysm of despair. That is the parable of the country called Nigeria. Like the Israelis of Moses’ time, Nigerians have become gypsies wandering aimlessly and wallowing in abject poverty in the midst of abundance. What else do we expect from Allah beyond the invaluable bounties with which He has blessed us?

    Nigeria is not lacking in forest and arable savannah. She is rich in rivers and mountains all of which are great resources for people who are seeking reasonable comfort and are not self-deceptive. What she lacks is a responsible and patriotic government that can sincerely highlight its priorities according to the yearnings of the ordinary people. That food is becoming a threat to Nigerians today is an irony emanating from naivety and massive corruption in our government quarters especially since 1999 when the current democracy first beamed a ray of hope to the people.

    Cost of governance

    In Nigeria today, the cost of running the government alone is enough to render the country bankrupt. The retinue of federal ministers and a galaxy of Presidential Advisers are major causes of poverty in ghe coungry today. Even America with her huge economic resources, large population and financial wherewithal has only ten ministers? Why must we have separate ministers for agriculture and water resources? Where is the federal government’s farm to justify this? Why must we retain an obnoxious immunity clause in our constitution which facilitates monumental corruption for the serving Governors who are hypocritically chased around but never caught for trial on the allegation of embezzlement after they might have left office?

    Besides, what informs the idea of the so-called constituency allowances for legislators, which run into billions of naira without anything to show for it at a time when innocent women and children are crying for food? No one would have thought in 1999 that artificial hunger could be added to the abysmal level of poverty in Nigeria despite the unprecedented rise in price of oil in the international market. The ubiquity of beggars and lunatics in our cities and towns is a confirmation of this assertion.

    Governance in Nigeria has become an artful trick adopted by a cabal to bamboozle the populace into blind submission. The propaganda in the 1980s was almost hypnotizing: ‘food and shelter for all in year 2000!’ That slogan was changed in the 1990s to: ‘Vision 2010!’ And when year 2010 began to approach, the slogan again changed to: ‘Vision 202020!’

    Self-deception

    Now, without roads, without electricity, without functional rail transportation system, without jobs for majority of the able-bodied citizens and even without food on our tables, we are still being cajoled into believing that Nigeria, a country without coins, would become one of the 20 biggest economies in the world in year 2020. Isn’t that a deliberate and audacious deception? No country in history has ever been known to have achieved economic vibrancy by magic. Nigeria cannot be an exception.

    In an FAO report in 2008, about 300 Nigerians were said to be dying of hunger daily in their own country.

    The government needs to be told that no miracle can yield any success based on the ramshackle foundation laid down by one man (from the prison) who, as President, could hardly reason beyond the siege mentality of a prisoner. A fire brigade approach to food crisis in a country like Nigeria is a shameful reaction to an avoidable melancholy.

    Egyptian Experience

    Yusuf (Joseph), the son of Ya’qub (Jacob), did not know that he could have any solution to a fundamental problem of a country other than his own. Neither did his brothers who sold him into slavery know that he could be a solution to a major problem in another land. But the accident of history never ceases to play itself out. Without Yusuf, only Allah knows what the history of Egypt would have been today. And without a Pharaoh’s dream of drought, the story of Yusuf would have been totally different from what we now know it to be.

    If Egypt had any major plight when Yusuf was in prison in that country, it was Pharaoh’s dream. It turned out that Yusuf’s imprisonment in Egypt was a blessing, not only for Egypt but also for Yusuf and his family. What could have been a repeat of that episode here in Nigeria, turned out to be a regrettable bizarre. The rest is left to history.

    I was a student in Egypt in the 1970s when the hostility between that country and Israel was fierce. Egypt was then an ally of the (now defunct) Soviet Union while Israel was virtually a satellite of the United States. Not only did Egypt suffer isolation from NATO member countries of Europe and America but the Soviet Union which was supposed to be her main ally was also not forthcoming with any meaningful assistance beyond the supply of scanty weapons. Thus, the Egyptian government had to take its destiny in its own hand by buckling up firmly in other to fend for its people at that critical time.

    Realizing the importance of food supply especially in a war situation, Egypt mobilized all her agricultural resources around River Nile and forgot about any food importation. The result was tremendous and thus, the fear of food insecurity was averted.

    In the mid 1990s, Uganda, a sub-Sahara African country, found herself in the position of ancient Egypt. A colossal drought broke out in that country killing thousands of people and virtually wiping out the entire cattle in the country. No Pharaoh had any dreamed premonition and no Yusuf was in a prison to translate any dream into a solution.

    Ugandan Experience

    What the Ugandans did to find a solution was to reset the country’s agricultural focus. Rather than concentrating on tilling the land and rearing the cattle, which drought had eroded, a new focus was brought to bear. Uganda took to ‘bee farming’ as a relieving alternative. The seriousness which the government of that country paid to the new focus was such that Uganda today is a country to reckon with in the production and supply of honey and other bee products to the European communities. A substantial amount of honey consumed in Europe is currently supplied   by Uganda as well as Kenya and Tanzania. And those products have become the second biggest foreign exchange earner for Uganda after coffee.

    Today, Nigeria is not afflicted by drought or famine. Neither is she engaged in a war. Yet, the Nigerian government has learnt no lesson from any of the above named countries simply because there is oil in large deposit. Now, the general fear in the land is that of hunger even in times of festivals.

    How Nigeria arrived at such a deadly scourge is irrelevant for now. What is relevant is how to get out of it. Like Egypt of yore, Nigeria will need a Yusuf to unravel the mystery surrounding the dream that brought this scourge about.

    Irony

    It is ironic that people who live by the river bank can’t get water to drink when those living in the desert can find a reliable oasis to combat any drought. Given all the resources with which we are endowed, Nigerians should have no business with poverty let alone food crisis.

    Capitalism, which was once an economic ideology propelling mercantilism, has moved a step ahead, especially in Nigeria where official theft has become a profession. Capitalism is now a religion through which its adherents worship money. To such adherents, accountability is a mere riddle which only the poor may wish to unravel.

    It is only in the interest of those in government, especially those in the executive and legislative arms who are most active in sharing public funds, to let the national wealth spread across board legitimately if only to avoid the current Nigerian elite situation where every house has become a prison in which the occupants are voluntarily jailed. To ignore the rule of law and shun justice in a land blessed with milk and honey is to cultivate trouble with insecurity in all its ramifications.

  • About Hajj

    About Hajj

    This article is not new. It was published in this column during Hajj period last year. It is being repeated here today with some alterations in response to readers’ popular demand. Here it goes:

    Hajj in the life of a Muslim is like pregnancy in the womb of an expectant mother. The experience varies from woman to woman. The foetus in the womb undergoes various stages before reaching the stage of delivery. But by the time the child is finally delivered, the mother feels a relief of her life. And the child assumes a tabula rasa (clean slate) that makes him absolutely innocent.

    A pilgrim is like a newly born child, spiritually, if he strictly performs Hajj as prescribed by Allah. But if he returns into the world of vanity, he automatically becomes like a person in snow white attire who finds himself in a palm oil market. Unless he spiritually guides his loins, he may immediately become a tainted person both in body and in soul.

    Pilgrims who are going on Hajj must be prepared to go through series of rigour both spiritually and physically. The rigour of getting the money with which to perform Hajj; the rigour of getting the travelling documents including visa; the rigour of taking care of the home front before embarking on the holy journey; the rigour of boarding the plane with a sense of high risk; the rigour of going through the security search at the embarkation point as well as in Saudi Arabia when entering and when departing; the rigour of performing the Tawaf and Sa’y; the rigour of moving from Makkah to Mina on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, then to Arafah on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, and back to Mina via Muzdalifah on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah; the rigour of locating the tents at Arafah; the rigour of throwing the pebbles at the Jamrat in Mina on the three or four days known as Ayamu-t-Tashrik; The rigour of performing Tawaful Ifadah at the sanctuary in Makkah after the first day of throwing pebbles; the rigour of shaving the head and slaughtering the rams, the rigour of performing the farewell circumambulation otherwise known as Tawaful Wida‘i all in the midst of millions of people can be too much to forget so soon after Hajj.

    Whoever is not bothered by the money spent on Hajj should at least be bothered by the various stages of the involved rigour including that of visiting Madinah. To lose all these to the forces of Satan after Hajj is like losing one’s travelling passport after obtaining visa. The prayer of every genuine pilgrim is to retain the validity of Hajj forever.

    Performance of pilgrimage must be based on genuine intention and high spiritual standard. An intending pilgrim must have attained puberty. He must have been an ardent practitioner of the first four pillars of Islam: (Salat, Zakah, and Sawm) all of which are fervently based on faith (Iman). Hajj without these pre-requisites is like a tree without roots.

    Money is a major pre-requisite for Hajj but it is not absolute.

    Hajj, the last pillar of Islam shows very vividly, the similitude of what mankind will experience on the Day of Judgment. Looking at the unique way in which pilgrims dress for Hajj and how they assemble at Arafat leaving their luggage behind in Makkah, one will realise how ephemeral this world is.

    The various stages of preparation through which pilgrims pass before arriving at Arafat are symbolic of our peregrination in life as human beings. Like the Day of Judgment, Arafat is the climax of Hajj performance. Anybody who misses Arafat misses Hajj. But Arafat is not by physical appearance alone. It takes a combination of factors to participate effectively in that great assembly which serves as the climax of Hajj.

    For Hajj to serve its spiritual purpose in the life of a pilgrim, certain steps must be taken before leaving home. They are as follows:

    • Fine-tuning the first four pillars of Islam very sincerely

    • Packaging the intention to perform Hajj

    • Ensuring the security of the way

    • Providing for the family and dependants at home

    • Paying all the outstanding debts including promises

    • Ascertaining the condition of health

    • Perfecting immigration procedures and undergoing all necessary medical services including inoculation

    • Assuming a mood of humility like that of a servant approaching his master.

    • Readiness to endure hardship and to tolerate fellow pilgrims’ attitudes.

    Admonishing Muslims on spiritual journey, including Hajj, Prophet Muhammad once said: “Actions shall be judged according to intentions. Whoever embarks on a spiritual journey for the sake of Allah will be adjudged on that basis. And whoever bases his/her intention for pilgrimage on marriage or material gains should not expect any reward beyond that for which the intention is based”. The steps to follow in the performance of Hajj are as follows:

     

    The Miqat

     

    Miqat is the specified place for the wearing of Ihram dress. There are five of such places in all. But the one earmarked for pilgrims from Nigeria cannot be reached by pilgrims travelling by air. It is over-flown while crossing the Red Sea. What most Nigerians do therefore is to wear their Ihram dress in Jeddah which has now been adjudged right through a Fatwah. Thus, Nigerian pilgrims can now wear their Ihram dress on arrival at the pilgrims’ airport in Jeddah.

     

    Tawaful Qudum

     

    Tawaf means circumambulation of the Ka’bah. The very first Tawaf to be performed by any pilgrim on entering Makkah is Tawaful Qudum. It is performed before a pilgrim settles down in any residence. Tawaful Qudum is an obligatory Sunnah from which only residents of Makkah among pilgrims are exempted.

     

    Residence in Makkah or Madinah

     

    Most Nigerian pilgrims often seek their accommodations in Makkah or Madinah close to the Haram. This is to enable them walk to and back from the Haram conveniently at the time of any Salat. To minimise pilgrim’s regular occurrence of missing their ways, they are provided with hand bands bearing the addresses of their residences. Pilgrims are therefore advised to wear such bands at all times to enable them show it to either the Hajj guides or policemen when the road is missed. It is also important for pilgrims to always be with their identity cards provided by Nigerian Pilgrims’ Commission or private agents. This is to enable them to be identified in case of sickness, accident or even death.

     

    Movement to Mina

     

    Pilgrims must be ready to undergo some rigour in the process of moving to Mina from Makkah. The rigour which normally affects all pilgrims is engendered by limited time available for millions of pilgrims who must move to that spiritual camp before the sunset on the day preceding Arafah day.

     

    Arafah

     

    At the Plain of Arafat, pilgrims are advised to stay under their tents and concentrate on the spiritual activities that take them to the place.

    They must reach Arafat by mid day when Salatu-d-Dhuhr and ‘Asr should be observed combined. Anybody who is not at Arafat by mid day is considered not to have taken part in the assembly and therefore missed Hajj. Immediately after observing the combined Salatu-d-Dhuhr and ‘Asr, the Imam who led the two Salat is expected to give a sermon. Listening to such sermon is as compulsory as giving it.

    The great assembly of Arafat terminates shortly before sunset (Magrib) and the pilgrims return to Mina via Muzdalifah.

     

    Muzdalifah

     

    At Muzdalifah, pilgrims are expected to halt their journey to observe Magrib and ‘Ishai combined. They are also expected to pass the night there and observe the Salat-s-Subh of the following day before proceeding to Mina. Muzdalifah is adjacent to Mina and is therefore a walking distance.

     

    JAMRAT

     

    Stoning of the devils (Rajmu Jamrat) begins a day after Arafat and continues for the next three or four days that the pilgrims are supposed to spend at Mina. This exercise is obligatory and without it, Hajj is incomplete. There three points at which stones are to be thrown. Seven pebbles are to be thrown at each point on every one of the three or four days to be spent in Mina.

    While going for the pebble-throwing exercise, pilgrims are advised to take their pebbles along with them. Except for the first day when seven pebbles are supposed to be thrown at only one spot, pilgrims are required to throw twenty one pebbles each day the three spots provided while they remain in Mina.

    Picking such pebbles at the point of throwing them is forbidden. All pebbles must have been picked before leaving the tent for the ‘Jamrat’ or on the way.

     

    Majzarah (Abattoir)

     

    Slaughtering of all sacrificial animals is done at the abattoir in Mina. Pilgrims do not need to bother themselves by going to the abattoir for the purpose of carrying out this compulsory obligation. They can simply buy the guaranteed ticket sold by designated Saudi agents. The ticket is the evidence that one has performed that duty. The slaughtering is done on behalves of the pilgrims by some authorised artisans who are paid by the Saudi Hajj authorities from the money paid for those animals. The animals to be slaughtered at Jamrat range from rams to camels. A pilgrim should slaughter one ram or more while seven pilgrims may combine to slaughter one camel or five of them may jointly slaughter on cow.

     

    Tawaful Ifadah

     

    For pilgrims who can afford to go to Makkah after throwing the first seven pebbles, it is good to perform Tawaf-ul-Ifadah. For those who cannot, the exercise can be deferred till the end of Tashrik.

    Pilgrims who have performed Tawaf-ul-Ifadah are free to shave their heads and change from their Ihram dress into civil or traditional dresses.

    The only reason for any pilgrim to go to Makkah from Mina during the camping period is to perform Tawaf-ul-Ifadah. No pilgrim should break camping rule by going to Makkah without performing Tawaf-ul- Ifadah. And after performing Tawaful Ifadah, no pilgrim should remain in Makkah or elsewhere without returning to Mina before sunset.

    With the completion of the camping days in Mina and the arrival of all the pilgrims in Makkah, Hajj has been completed except for Tawaf Wida‘i otherwise called farewell Tawaf. That Tawaf is compulsory.

    It is then left for pilgrims to decide whether or not to go to Madinah. Going to Madinah is not compulsory. It can neither validate nor invalidate Hajj. But it will be spiritually odd for any pilgrim to choose not to visit the Prophet’s Mosque.

    Throughout the Hajj exercise, what should be uppermost in the mind of a pilgrim is the spiritual benefit.

    Hajj is compulsory only once in a life’s time for those who have the wherewithal to undergo it and can satisfy the conditions attached to its performance.

    On arriving home finally, pilgrims are not expected to start organising parties in celebration of a successful Hajj performance as ignorantly done by some Nigerians. Maintaining Hajj is a necessity for those who know the value of doing that. Whoever is privileged to perform Hajj once should forever be grateful to Allah as no one is sure of getting another chance.

     

  • Letter to EFCC

    Letter to EFCC

    The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),

    This is a formal petition to your Commission against the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), a Federal Government agency responsible for traffic and safety of roads in Nigeria. The petition is being written on behalf of the overwhelming majority of Nigerians who have been rendered voiceless by the power that be.

    It is quite unusual for a letter of this type to be an open one. But since its subject matter is an open wound which, only the truth can heal, making it an open document becomes a sine qua non especially due to the prevailing expediency. Besides, this is the only easy means of reaching your Commission without any delay or foul play. Perhaps you will recall that a unit of your Commission, (the Special Control Unit on Money Laundering) paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Supreme Council (NSCIA) at its headquarters in Abuja last Friday. The purpose of the visit, according to the Head of the Unit, was to sensitize the Nigerian Muslim Ummah under the umbrella of NSCIA, on the need to cooperate with the unit on matters relating to money laundering and other related offences. Whether the same sensitization campaign was extended to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is another matter.

    Encounter with an EFCC representative

    Yours sincerely was one of those who played host to that unit. After an elaborate explanation on corruption generally and money laundering in particular, the leader of the team called for comments, questions and observation. As a journalist, my own comment came in form of question. And the question went thus:

    1. Is the duty of EFCC only to run after government officials who have left office and are suspected of stealing public funds? If the answer is no, why is EFCC not running after the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC)? The reason for this question is this: the same FRSC which designed and introduced a new driver’s license to Nigerians a few years ago came round in 2011 to introduce another with 100% tariff and reduced the three year tenor of that license to two years. Yet, the license is said not to be available after making people to pay for it. If that is not fraud what is it? And now, basking in the euphoria of its success on license matter, the same FRSC has gone ahead to design a new number plate to replace the old one without minding the rule of contract guided its transaction between the Commission and the public. Should the EFCC fold its arms and watch idly while a government agency is ripping off the public in such an audacious manner?

    2. What informs the idea of plea bargain that you adopted as a measure of performance? Should recovery of money from a daring thief be enough as punishment for stealing public funds? Isn’t that an encouragement for further theft especially by the younger generations?

    In response to my questions, the head of the EFCC delegation that paid visit to NSCIA admitted that he had been following the debates and controversy trailing the number plate saga but, according to him, nobody had formally petitioned his Commission on the matter. He therefore advised me to write a petition to EFCC if I felt strongly about the way the number plate was being handled in the country vis a vis the populace. I therefore gladly grabbed the advice and took it for a challenge because I really felt not only strongly but also terribly bad about it.

    The matter quickly reminded me of Margaret Thatcher’s impression of Nigerians, as relayed in this column two weeks ago, which enabled the Iron Lady to dream of coming back into this world as a Nigerian ruler after her death. It is unimaginable that any such open day robbery as that of number plate would be committed in any sane country by government officials in the name of generating funds for the government and get away with it. Constitutionally, generating funds is not part of the duties of FRSC but the idea was motivated by the urge to make money using the government as alibi.

    Breach of contract

    The concern here is not about the new number plate per se but about the manner in which it is being used to extort money from gullible Nigerians. For God’s sake, how can anybody breach a contract so audaciously and claim to be acting according to law? What law permits a government agent to dupe the public by any means and insist on enforcing such fraud? Besides asking me to petition his Commission on the matter, the EFCC man neither stated categorically that EFCC would invite FRSC nor express personal opinion on the matter.

    In his answer to my second question about plea bargain, the head of the visiting EFCC unit said that plea bargain is a contemporary global norm aimed at minimizing the extent of loss on stolen money. He went ahead to justify it as a rational way of punishing a thief which he described as better than mere imprisonment that could not fetch the defrauded person or institution anything.

    The facts

    Nigeria was using a particular kind of number plates before the creation of FRSC. Soon after its creation, the new road safety corps introduced a new number plate. After a few years, the newly introduced number plate was changed but the populace was not forced to acquire the new one except for new vehicles. Now, nobody is quarreling with FRSC on the introduction of a new number plate. The bone of contention is the contract on the old one. If the FRSC decided to change the number plate again without consulting anybody, why must the populace be forced to acquire it? The only reasonable way of going about it is to replace the old number plate free of charge since there was never an agreement between the agency and the populace on it. If FRSC chooses to force people to acquire the new number plate at (an outrageous) fee what then happens to the money they had paid for the old number plate especially when that old number plate will be collected from the vehicle owner who paid for it?

    VIO’s denial

    The argument here is that the new number plate should be meant for new vehicles while the old plate should remain with the old vehicle. And that is the main gist of this petition. In my quest for the whole truth about the controversial number plate, I visited a Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) to make inquiry and my findings were shocking. An official in that office who spoke with me on condition of anonymity said the whole exercise was about ‘chop make I chop’ (i.e. a fraud). He said everybody already knew Nigerian flag which was on the old number and queried the rational for placing Nigerian map on number plates of vehicles only to ask vehicle owners to pay exorbitantly for it. He also confirmed that the only difference between the old number plate and the new one is the transfer of the local government number to the beginning from the end an action which he described as a mere gimmick to dupe the public. He then denied any involvement of VIO in the ‘dirty’ exercise and pointed out that the gimmick was between the FRSC and the Nigerian Police saying it all had to do with money.

    Asked to name the exact amount for acquiring a new number plate, the gentle man said it is N25000. And when I pointed out to him that the FRSC announced N10000 for replacement of the old number and N15000 for a new plate he said by replacing an old number a vehicle owner must automatically replace other documents like vehicle license and vehicle insurance documents. All these plus the number plate, according to him, will cost about N25000. Now, this is the question that concerns the EFCC: If the tenor of my vehicle particulars has not expired should I be forced to change them willy-nilly?

    The fraud called driver’s licence

    As for the driver’s licence, no fraud can be more daringly committed. The FRSC introduced a new driver’s licence in 2011 without much ado. It imposed a fee on it and unilaterally reduced its tenure. These were not contested by gullible Nigerians. But now, even after paying the stipulated fee, most Nigerians cannot obtain the license for which they have paid. Instead, they are given what is called a temporary licence which lasts only two months after the expiration of which you can be questioned and fined on the road either by the same FRSC or the Police. Is this not enough as an assignment for EFCC? Is FRSC above the law and immune to investigation?

    Terrorism angle

    The case of number plate as currently being handled by the FRSC is far beyond ordinary fraud. It actually amounts to terrorism by all means which is capable of igniting a keg of gunpowder if not altered. Terrorism, as mentioned in this column last week, is not just about killing and maiming innocent people by aggrieved renegades. What is going on currently about number plate in Nigeria is nothing but terrorism the fight of which falls within the EFCC’s jurisdiction. Some respondents to this column have either called for the boycott of the controversial number plate or rolling out of all vehicles in the country and then abandon them on the roads for the bullying FRSC and its Police counterpart to tow to their stations.

    Why open letter?

    I chose to write this open letter to you as the watchdog of corruption in the country with the intention of making copies available to all Nigerians so that in the near future you will not feign ignorance of information about this type of fraud. We are all Nigerians. If this kind of treatment is given to Nigerians in Diaspora what will be your role as the nation’s watchdog on corruption? With this open letter to you, the trust reposed in you by Nigerians in respect of taming the monster called corruption is being tested. And your success or failure in this case will determine the hope or despair of the citizenry in the national assignment given to you. Through the imposed number plates and the deadline given by FRSC Nigerians are being defrauded and you are generally perceived as a major rescuer.

    Warning

    In journalism, it is no news to report that a dog bites a man. What is news is a report that a man bites a dog. To avoid the latter situation as far as the issue of number plate is concerned your Commission must step in now and stop what may soon become a keg of gunpowder. Nigerians must not be taken for granted perpetually. The nation already has enough problems to grapple with. People’s revolt must not be added. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

  • Under their siege

    Under their siege

    Those who devour usury will not stand except like a person whom Satan has driven to madness by his touch….” Q. 2: 275

     It is no longer news that Nigerians are being placed under a very stringent siege by two vicious uniformed government agencies. One of them is the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). The other is Nigerian Police Force (NPF). These two agencies are in a fierce competition to tear the poor Nigerian masses into shreds in a bid to satisfy their common employer which is the federal government. The consequence of their actions on the populace and the implications of such consequence on the security of the country do not seem to be their concern. What matters to them in this case is the revenue they are eager to generate for the federal government and the likely peripheral opportunity that may accrue to their officials individually from the exercise.

     Axiomatic quotes

     Sages are the pillars of history. Their words of wisdom are like the tonic of all eras that keeps generations of man going. Such sages can be compared to plants of benefit which grow in all lands and are found useful at all times. They are axiomatically quotable across generations. The greatest of them all is Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who, in a famous Hadith, once said that: “When an issue of (great) significance is entrusted to un-trustable hands expect the end of time”.

    And in a tacit corroboration of the above axiom, a popular English philosopher, John Locke (1632-1704), once observed a situation in his time which was similar to that of today’s Nigeria and concluded as follows in his treatise on Civil Government: “…freedom of men under a government is to have a standing rule to live by, common to everyone in that society…and not to be subject to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of another man”.

    Judging Locke’s observation and juxtaposing it with the prophetic admonition quoted above, one may tend to believe that true history is not what is chronicled on the pages of any book by the cronies of a tyrant. Rather, it is what the masses endure, how they resist tyranny and how they struggle for survival that forms the body of true history. And since history is a combination of body and heart, it is the attainment of genuine human liberty through such process of struggle that forms the heart of history.

    Colours of terrorism

    Terrorism, especially in Nigeria, is grossly misconceived to mean only the killing of innocent people by some aggrieved and disgruntled elements in a society. No! Far beyond that level, terrorism is like a constant hue with many colours and shapes. It can come from the sphere of politics or economy or ethnicity or religion or marital life or social service or environment or even sports. There is no aspect of human life without tendency for terrorism depending on the administrative competence and experience of the person who occupies the topmost helm of affairs and his or her disposition to the well being of the citizenry.

    One typical example of terrorism in Nigeria today is the imposition of a new vehicle number plate by the officials of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in connivance with the Federal Government for the purpose of generating revenue. That insensitively obnoxious policy will soon be heartlessly enforced in the country even to the detriment of the same economy which the conniving duo is pretending to safeguard.

    The trouble ahead

    In about two weeks time, over 90% of Nigerian vehicles, except those of the governments, will be forcefully grounded. This, according to the warning now being repeatedly issued, through the mass media, is going to commence precisely on October 1, 2013, when the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), will start impounding those vehicles for plying the roads without wearing the new imposed number plates.

    While talking to some journalists recently about the ‘project’, the boss of the FRSC, Corps Marshal Osita Chidoka, said the cost of the new driver’s licence is N6,000 while that of motorcycle operators is N3,000. The Standard Motor Vehicle number plate, according to him, costs N15,000; Articulated Vehicles is N20,000; Out of Series vehicle is N40,000; Fancy is N15000; and Dealer is N30,000. However, licensing officials of the FRSC and the VIO, according to some applicants, are charging far above the quoted official rate. For instance, the new number plate which officially costs N15,000 is said to be issued at N35,000 unofficially while replacement which is supposed to be N10,000 is being allegedly issued at N25,000 through the backdoor. And since the plates are not available, the only alternative for any vehicle owner is to park his or her vehicle until a time when the plates will be made available at the official rate. That is Nigeria for you. Head or tail, the masses who will eventually bear the brunt of all these are the final losers.

    The current number plates in use which is now being changed was introduced some years ago by the same FRSC. But rather than admit its own error and embark on a gradual enforcement of the new one, this agency, banking on the solid support of the Federal Government, has decided to force the poor masses to pay the cost of its own mistake. What a country, what a government! Is democracy for enslavement?

    In any civilised country, old number plates are allowed to wither away with old vehicles if there is any cause for redesigning them at all while new ones are subjected to new law with human face and human heart. And the cost is surely made affordable for motorists. This is not the case in Nigeria where only money is the issue and government agencies become hard-working only when the job will bring unofficial personal largess. Here is a country where the policemen, the traffic wardens and the road marshals are absent at their duty posts when it is raining and at night except where and when personal largess is accruable to them.

    Added agony

    And, now, in the competition for such largess, a game of wit is taking the front burner. To beat the FRSC in that game, the Nigerian Police have come up with a sudden new devise that can give them an upper hand in the competition. Just last Monday, an announcement was made through the media stating that all vehicle owners must henceforth obtain a permit for biometric number plate (whatever that means) and the fee for obtaining such permission is N3, 500 per vehicle. And that order takes ‘immediate effect (and automatic alacrity) from Monday, September 16, 2013. In other words, every vehicle owner will now have to shuttle between the offices of the FRSC where he can always be told to come back tomorrow and that of the Police where, as usual, no one will be available to attend to him. Hmmm! Nigerians are in bondage.

    It is, therefore, not enough to purchase a N10,000 worth of number plate for N25,000 through the backdoor, you must also top it up with at least N3, 500 in the name of biometric permit. That is if the N3, 500 biometric permit, too, does not acquire a backdoor through which you can obtain it to avoid delay.

    In this period of unbearable hardship, when working class men and women can hardly afford N1,000 to fuel their vehicles once in a week, and parents are running up helter-skelter to find a means of paying the school fees of their wards, people are being compelled to pay about N28, 500 just to change their old number plates with special permit to use such numbers or park their vehicles.

    Between FRSC and VIO

    What is most amazing in all these is the cat and mouse game going on between the FRSC and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) in the issuance of the relevant documents. While the FRSC that introduced and is now imposing the new number plate is said to be responsible for its production, the VIO is charged with the task of distribution. And the Police Force, on the other hand, corners the responsibility of authenticating the number plate through the so-called biometric permit. Thus, Nigerians are wholly entangled in a conspiratorial web of official oppression. What else is called slavery? And if you ask for the opinions of the officials of these agencies, they will be quick in rationalizing the exercise through the alibi of national security and even accuse Nigerian press of bias and incitement. It will not be a surprise if they tag this type of writing a crime for which the writer should be prosecuted. They have forgotten that the same pen with which new births are announced is used in announcing the obituaries of new deaths.

    In the colonial days

    In the terrible old days of the struggle for independence in Nigeria when the British colonialists still held sway , a foremost nationalist and versatile journalist, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who later became the country’s first President, once publicly observed (in 1934) as follows: “….I have always maintained that no social reform is possible without taking the masses into consideration……The verdict of history supports the thesis that no revolution, be it social, economic, religious or political, could crystallise without the support of the masses. (In a democratic setting) the people hold the mandate of man’s existence as a social animal and no person can successfully claim to be a patriot who overlooks this important factor. Those intellectuals who think that they, alone, are gifted to change the destinies of their fellow men and women, are living in a fool’s paradise, like Louise xiv (of France) and others who thought of the people as mere tools of the elite. History shows that they lived to sign their own death warrants”.

    Almost 80 years after that thoughtful and electrifying speech by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria doesn’t seem to have moved ahead positively by one inch. The colonial heritage in this country is like a recurrent decimal incessantly reminding us of our seeming perpetual bondage clandestinely weaved into the vestiges of our colonial past. Thus, the theoretical independence of 1960 is just a matter of nomenclature which does not necessarily confer any practical freedom on Nigerians. What we ignorantly call independence in this country is a substitution of white man’s enslavement for that of the black man. And that is a technical return to the pre-colonial slave trade of the yore.

    Personal experience

    By the way, if we may ask, where is the new driver’s license introduced and imposed on the people in 2011? Is it available today? Yours sincerely paid for one in February this year but has not been issued any till date. Instead, I was issued a bale of papers with a promise to produce the real licence later while I was asked to keep coming for it three times in a week (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) as if I had no job other than going for driver’s licence. Eventually, I had to stop reporting at the Jericho office of the Road Corps in Ibadan after four months when it became clear that the exercise was an apparent rip-off. Today, eight months after paying, I am still going about with that bale of papers in case of any Police check. Given this dubiously messy situation, the relevant question now is this: why did we change the old paper licence that we were carrying about in the 1970s into a plastic one?

    Genesis of FRSC

    When the idea of a new agency to be called ‘Federal Road Safety Corps’ (FRSC) was first muted in 1988, the entire Nigerian populace heaved a great sigh of relief. The general thought then was that a better option was being introduced to the traffic system in Nigeria especially when those first recruited for the new outfit were University graduates. By that time most Nigerians were already tired of the ‘wetin you carry’ syndrome of Nigerian Police. And, in fairness to the pioneer recruits of the FRSC, an element of civility was displayed to the great delight of the citizenry.

    Yours sincerely was one of the front-line Nigerian journalists who fought vehemently for the independence of the FRSC when the Police wanted to emasculate that agency by all means in the 1990s. The likes of one Mr. Abayomi Omiyale an official of FRSC, in Lagos State, at that time, created such a marvellous impression on the populace by their patriotic activities that some of us in the pen profession stood firmly for the independence of FRSC from the claw of Nigerian Police Force. But today, see what that same agency has become. The endemic virus called ‘Nigerian factor’ has held it by the jugular and the wheat has now become an admixture of the chaff. The only exception in the stable of that agency now is the crop of highly responsible gentlemen and women who volunteer to serve without remuneration and are designated Special Marshals.

    Besides, there is no distinction between the Police and the FRSC today in terms of the cited Nigerian factor above. And, as a matter of fact, the latter seems to be by far worse than the former given its supposed educational background. If anything, the behaviour of most FRSC officials on Nigerian roads is not only a disappointment but also a confirmation that what is called education in Nigeria today has nothing tangible to contribute to the development of the country. In a nutshell, this country is hopeless.

  • Governance Islamica

    “What can we say of a man who fixes his eyes on the sun but does not see it? Instead, he sees a chorus of flaming seraphim announcing a paroxysm of despair”. That is the parable of the country called Nigeria. Like the Israelite of yore, Nigerians have become gypsies wandering aimlessly in the wilderness of despair and wallowing helplessly in abject poverty even in the midst of abundance. What else do we expect from Allah beyond the invaluable bounties with which He has blessed us? What is Nigeria not blessed with?

    Our resources

    We have land in abundance, not in terms of size alone but also in terms of agrarian soil, rich vegetation and exceptionally clement weather. At least over 77 million hectares of land is said to be arable in Nigeria. Out of this, only about 34 million was reportedly cultivated for various agricultural activities some years ago. This has now dwindled to less than 25 million square hectares as more and more youths are migrating to cities and towns in search of imaginary but unavailable greener pastures only to further aggravate the frightening insecurity in the land.

    We are blessed with rainfalls that water our crops from the sky and graze our animals to satisfaction. We are blessed with sunshine that photosynthesises our plants and balances our weather. We are endowed with a variety of nourishing foods that are enough to feed us from generation to generation without necessarily importing anything from anywhere. No country is more fitting to chapter 80 of the Qur’anic testimony to this than Nigeria: “Let man reflect on the food he eats; how ‘We’ pour down the rain in torrents and cleave the earth asunder; how ‘We’ bring forth the corn, the grapes, the fresh vegetation, the olive, the palm, the thickets, the fruit-trees and the green pasture for you and for your cattle to delight in…”. Allah’s favour is constant and manifest. We cannot deny it.

    Dedicated workforce

    In addition to the aforementioned, we have energetic and dedicated work force that is married to the farm land, plants and husbandry in Nigeria. We also have intellectual brains that are permanently engaged in research work to ensure Nigeria’s economic improvement especially in the agricultural sector. Yet, hunger, poverty and squalor are the profits of these endowments.

    Nigeria is not lacking in forest and savannah. She is rich in rivers and mountains all of which are great resources for people who are seeking reasonable comfort and are not self-deceptive.

    What we lack is a competent, responsible government that can manage all these resources with sincerity to the benefits of the citizenry and care about Nigeria’s foremost economic heritage which is agriculture. That food is becoming a luxury rather than necessity in Nigeria today after 53 years of independence is a misfortune successively engendered by the naivety and short-sightedness of those who claim to be in government especially at the federal level. Capitalising on the docility of Nigerians, the Federal Government keeps squeezing the citizenry in the Machiavellian belief that peoples’ impoverishment is a major instrument of perpetual rule over them by those in government.

     

    Margaret Thatcher’s wish

    A former Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher, alluded to Nigeria’s precarious situation in a press interview some years back when she was celebrating her 80th birthday. She was casually asked by journalists to indicate where she would want to live if she had opportunity of coming back to this world. In her response to that question she said she would like to come back into the world as a Nigerian ruler an answer that threw the interviewers into sarcastic laughter. And when asked to explain what she actually meant the Iron Lady said: “Nigeria is the only country in the world where people can be pushed to the wall and they would rather enter the wall than turn back to confront their rulers”. Thatcher’s statement here may sound like an impetus to a parochial government, but any reasonable person will know that elasticity has limit.

     

    Parable of governance

    Governance in Islam is like pregnancy in the womb of a woman. Its duration is naturally defined barring any anomaly or aberration. Its delivery depends on the safety of its carrier and the circumstances of her well being. And, after delivery, the baby is claimed, not by the pregnancy carrier but by the impregnator.

    There is no pregnancy without semen firmly planted in the womb of a woman. And the semen planter is a man who will eventually be called the father. For this reason, children bear the names of their fathers rather than those of their mothers as surnames.

    By analogy, one can compare the government to a pregnant woman who could not have become pregnant without an impregnator. The impregnator in this case is the populace that gave those in government the mandate to rule them. And just as the product of the womb (the child) belongs to the impregnator as a matter of legitimacy so should dividend of governance be the property of the populace. A child who bears his mother’s name as surname is nothing but a bastard.

    After life, security, law and justice, nothing else is held more sacrosanct in Islam than governance which can be compared to a magnificent umbrella under which the people are supposed to take cover during torrential rains or burning sun. In a democratic setting, such umbrella is owned by the citizenry. Its bearer is just a servant holding it in trust for the people. Perhaps that was why the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua called himself a servant leader on his assumption of office in May 2007.

    Advising the Federal Government to learn from the experience of countries like Saudi Arabia and Japan may be quite irrelevant here since such advice has no meaning to those in government. After all, the same advice had been given severally in the past without any sensible response. You can’t give what you do not have.

     

    The Saudi example

    In Saudi Arabia, education is totally free from primary school to the University. Everything including tuition, hostel accommodation, books, feeding and transportation is provided free by the government. In addition, all students are paid monthly stipends to solve personal problems that can divert their attention from studies. And, in summer, all foreign students on scholarship are issued free tickets to travel to their home countries on holidays.

    What it takes to enjoy all these is to be qualified for admission and every other thing follows automatically. Yours sincerely knows this much because I was a beneficiary. My first degree was obtained from King’s University, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. And if I was not fortunate to benefit from that great opportunity I, probably, would not have had the opportunity of university education because of my modest background to which Nigerian government was indifferent despite the obvious talent in me and many other Nigerians in my shoes. If all these could be done for students in that country, research facilities for lecturers can be taken for granted.

    Today, Saudi Arabia has taken her wealth beyond oil and other mineral resources. The two gigantic industrial cities of Yambu’ and Jubail alone with more than four thousand industries including petrochemicals which she established in the early 1980s are enough to see her through the future in the absence of oil. And what is more, that country does not depend on oil for survival anymore despite her position as number one oil exporter in the world.

    Besides, there is no aspect of human development and material investment eluding Saudi Arabian attention in all parts of the world today, including agriculture, shipping aviation, textile and electronics. And most of these are public owned without any dubious deregulation and deceptive ‘blind trust’ privatisation.

     

    Japan’s experience

    Japan, on the other hand, is an exclusive island delicately resting on a vast array of waters. Her natural farm land is very limited. Yet, she shares that water with some neighbouring countries in accordance with international law of water boundaries.

    To manage her national economy therefore, Japan had identified human brain as her strongest economic resource. She knew that without human resources there could be no effective economic management hence her concentration on human training. And, today, the result is manifest. Contrarily, at the commencement of every new regime in Nigeria, a newly sworn in President would deceptively promise manna and salwa knowing very well that such promise is a mere deception just to attract momentary applause. The greatest misfortune confronting this so-called giant of Africa is in entrusting the management of the country to mere mediocre who see governance as a sheer opportunity to amass wealth and wield political power against opponents.

    Managing a national economy is neither by wishful thinking nor by chanting slogans. It is rather a serious business that cannot be left in the hands of charlatans.

     

    Why USSR failed

    In her vainglorious days, the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) had indulged is similar self-deception by toying with all sorts of meaningless economic theories jumping from socialism to communism only to finally collapse upon her own face like a pack of cards after about 74 years of catastrophic experiments.

    Today, the greatest bane of Nigerian economy is not just the elimination of the middle class but also the extremely high cost of running the government by the greedy self-centered elements at the helm of national affairs. This fact has been emphasized many times privately and through the media in the past but the lotus eaters will rather die eating the intoxicating lotus than heed the voice of reason. And, unless this situation is changed positively, Nigeria may continue to wander aimlessly, in economic wilderness, for many, many years to come. We hope that the current seeming ‘undertakers’ will not pilot Nigeria to Siberia.

     

    Nigeria’s federal might

    Shortly after the Nigerian Southwest governors assumed office in 1999, yours sincerely wrote an open letter to them, which was published in Vanguard where I was then the Deputy Chairman of the Editorial Board. In the letter, I suggested three major areas of economic success with which they could sustain the pace-setting of that region.

    First was a regional power generating center with which to permanently stabilize electricity supply. With this, I argued that not only would industrialization take a sound footing but also that most unemployed young men and women would become self-employed to the greatest relief of those governments.

    Second was a regional railway system that could serve not just as a mass transit for the commuters but also as a cargo courier for all the goods in the region. With such a regional railway in place, the region would have become the doyen of commerce in the country and every able hand would have been effectively engaged without bothering the governments.

    Third was the establishment of a common refinery that could fill the vacuum created by constant non-availability of oil products and incessant arbitrary increase of their prices. Each of these projects could be jointly put in place by the six South-West states since they were all on the concurrent list.

    If the then Southwest governors had not been prevented from implementing those suggestions by the then vicious government at the centre, perhaps the situation in the region would have been different today and the other regions would have followed suit in a new progressive economic competition. That was the kind of competition that put the Asian tiger states (Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore) ahead of Africa. An inept federal government in Nigeria can only hold the rein of power for the purpose of self-enrichment and never for the benefit of growth and development. The experience of Lagos State’s innovative investment in electricity which was thwarted by the federal government can still be vividly recalled.

     

    The missing link

    In modern economic management, there can be no place for the middle class in the absence of such infrastructures as mentioned above. And without the middle class which is conspicuously missing in Nigeria, no economy can thrive to the benefit of the populace. That is why the multinational companies in Nigeria are leaving the country in droves for some other African countries.

    The current lopsided situation which deliberately puts over 97 per cent of the national wealth in the hands of about three percent of the idle populace is not only ungodly but also prone to unpredictable future consequences. We have begun to see such traces. It is therefore, not in the interest of those who are now basking in the euphoria of being in power to continue to drag the dead body of this country towards political murky water.

     

    Oil as lotus

    If it takes less than 10 dollars to produce one barrel of oil and the same one barrel of oil is sold for well over 100 dollars in the international market, what prevents a responsible government from building and maintaining functional refineries to the comfort of all and sundry? As the sixth largest oil producer, should Nigeria, an OPEC country, be exporting crude oil only to import refined one for domestic consumption? And yet, the populace is being forced to pay for the ineptitude of a tendentious clique holding tenaciously to the power at the centre with nothing to show for it. After 53 years of independence in this age of high technology, should any country without electricity, refineries, functional rail system, befitting industries and effective shipping and airlines that could create mass employment for the youth claim to be in existence? Yet, here in Nigeria where this situation prevails some people are still shamelessly claiming to be in government and in power. Isn’t that insane?

     

    Forced Diaspora

    Today, Nigerians are not only subjugated internally, they are also humiliated status wise internationally as they are forced to prefer living in other countries to theirs. Days and nights, Nigerians are found at the entrance gates of foreign embassies seeking to obtain visa and coping with stringent conditions of those embassies willy nilly even as our very best brains are the forces behind the development of other countries. If there is anything that has not been privatized in this country it is governance.

    Never has the government come out to tell Nigerians how much it costs to produce a barrel of oil. What we have always been told is that the government subsidizes the local consumption price of every litre of oil. That was the callous theory in which the obnoxious pioneer regime of this republic regaled for eight agonizing years. And that has now been inherited as a political culture. The question now is this: who actually owns the oil; the government or the people? And even if there is any subsidy at all, as often claimed by our rulers, shouldn’t Nigerians, who are supposed to own the oil by constitutional right, be entitled to such subsidy? The posture of owner and seller of petroleum products assumed locally by the federal government is not only criminal but also a flagrant betrayal of people’s trust.

    As a matter of fact, the populace has lost total confidence in the federal government following years of deception and inhuman policies which continue to keep people in abject and perpetual poverty. Those are the same policies that engendered ethnic conflicts and religious dichotomy which led to the emergence of youth restiveness in various parts of the country.

     

    Candid advice

    Now, rather than celebrating mediocrity in the name of democracy as often done on the 29th of May every year since year 2000, what the current administration should spend its remaining two years doing is true and sincere reformation which should henceforth take the front burner of governance if only to restore the missing confidence in the people and reassure that Nigeria can still become a nation after all despite years of economic devastation. If those in government are not ashamed of ruling a country in perpetual cycle of despair, some of us, the ruled are.

    Celebrating anything called democracy in this situation is not just a sham but also an additional injury to the bleeding hearts of the citizenry. While the intra-party rancour surges ahead, it is necessary to hint here again that only a forthright economic clemency can serve as a panacea for Nigeria’s chronic ailment called ‘the government’. God heal Nigeria.