The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • City key for ‘nomadic’ scholar

    City key for ‘nomadic’ scholar

    One good turn, according to an adage, deserves another. Perhaps nothing encourages good deed as much as appreciation. To show appreciation for good deed is to ask for more. This is what Ilorin indigenes did to the delight of all well-meaning people penultimate Sunday when they came together from all walks of life to treat an intellectual ‘settler’ to an appreciative reception. The occasion was a sort of gala night in royal regalia.

    It was a rare gathering of the crème de la crème of Ilorin indigenes who uniquely clustered the Kwara State Banquet Hall to clad one towering non-indigenous scholar in a historic wreath of honour. The cynosure of the august gathering was an international household personality whose contribution to the development of the city in the past two decades has remained non-such. Whether in Africa or even in the world academic circle, Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin is like a golden fish which has no hiding place. But it takes only men of worth to recognise a vertical man of worth with special reverence.

    The relevant question here is not who and who attended the occasion but who and who were not there? Where you have colossal names like those of Governor Abdul Fattah Ahmed; former Governor Bukola Saraki; the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Sulu Gambari; the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Alfa Belgore; the former President of the Federal Court of Appeal, Justice Mustapha Akanbi who chaired the occasion; the former Special Adviser to the President on security matters, Major-General Muhammed Abdullah Adangba; an erstwhile Grand Khadi of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdul Kadiri Orire; the Immediate past Grand Khadi of the State, Justice Mutallib Ambali; the current Grand Khadi, Alhaji Harun Idris who was eminently represented by Justice S.O. Muhammad; the Kwara State’s Doyen of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Alhaji Salman Alarape; the 2011 Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Alhaji Dele Belgore (SAN); the current Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Abdul Ganiy Ambali; the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdul Raheem; the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwara State University, Professor Abdur-Rasheed Naala; the Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Saka Onimago who stood in for the Governor; Alhaji Saka Sa‘d a former Chairman of the University of Ilorin Council and coordinator of the reception; Prominent city indigenes like Alhaji Sa‘d Belgore; Justice (Mrs.) Raliatu Elelu-Habeeb; Alhaji Usman Ajidagba; Arch. Faworaja and Professors Kuranga. Of course, there several personal friends and associates of Professor Ishaq Oloyede such as Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali, Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmus, Professor Wahab Egbewole, Dr. Aliu Badmus, Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba and Alhaji Jamiu Afolayan were all there to grace the historic occasion. Besides, the rank and file of Ilorin Muslim Clergy including the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Al-Fulani, the Imam Gambari Alhaji Said Al-Gambari and Imam Imale, Alhaji Abdullah Abdul Hamid, as well as a retinue of other important personalities too many to mention here.

    Though, admission into the Banquet Hall was strictly by invitation, virtually all sectors of Ilorin society including the professional, the economic and political groups, the social and traditional communities, as well as the academic and religious bodies were proudly represented. In the citation of the honouree eloquently read by Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmus, Professor Oloyede was virtually described as a signpost of guidance beaming light to all directions of the environment to the benefit of all and sundry. The hallmark of his achievement is in the education sector where as a former Vice-Chancellor, he was generally acknowledged as an exemplar.

    Professor Oloyede is not the only non-indigenous scholar of international repute resident in Ilorin. But his selfless service to humanity in that city without thinking of the factor of indigene-ship stands him out of the crowded pack. In recognition of his unique service and in acknowledgement of his indelible legacy therefore, this Professor of Islamic Studies whose ambition of becoming a fellow of African Academy of Science was recently fulfilled has added a further step to his footprint.

    Socially, Ilorin is a highly civilised city with a fertile soil of profound knowledge on which towering intellectuals in various fields of leaning grow uninhibitedly. A realm of oriental and occidental diffusion though, Ilorin still maintains her cultural and traditional trait. These are manifest in the people’s marital life style, extended family affairs, economic and moral conduct, maintenance of cultural chastity and veneration for the Emir, the Galadimas and other elders.

    Intermarriage and tribal interaction through urbanisation has shown the old city as a typical example of an isogloss. And today, it may be very difficult to know by conduct or by appearance who is not a true son of the soil.

    All the people irrespective of their tribes, tongues and creed automatically acclimatize and acculturate in the perennially peaceful environment created by the ancestors of the city. Hospitality, chauvinism and radiation of ecstasy, are entrenched in the culture of Ilorin inhabitants. However, an average Ilorin son is allegedly trained to be crafty and this earns the inhabitants the appellation ‘’Ilorin mesu jamba’’ meaning Ilorin the custodian of craftiness.

    Religiously, people see Ilorin through the spectacle of Islam. This is hardly disputable since more than 80 per cent of the in habitants are Muslims. One can attribute the overwhelming beam of Islam on the city to the early romance by courtesy between Alimi and Afonja in which the earlier converted the latter to a Muslim. More may be said about Ilorin in this column in future. By virtue of the key to the city offered him by the assembly of indigenes, Professor Oloyede can genuinely claim to be an indigene of Ilorin. That is the fruit of education. Or what else can one say?

  • Beware your child may be dangerous!

    This must be the age of ‘unleavened’ evil for want of a more suitable word; a time when we must always expect the worst each day. Evils that never happened before, even in the dark ages, seem to be returning from the pit of hell to torment mankind every new day. A 64-year-old man, Chimezie Osuigwe, who is a former school principal somewhere in Oguta, Imo State is said to have kept his mother’s corpse in his house for about 10 years. It is yet to be ascertained whether he killed his mother and for ritual as suspected. And he won’t say why he embalmed and co-habited with his mother’s remains for a decade.

    From Akwa Ibom State is a recent report that a teenage mother buried her child alive and from Gusua in Zamfara State, 25-year -old Kamal is reported to have killed his mother and two sisters and dumped their bodies in Gusua River. In Odukpani, Cross River State, Samuel Nsa picked up a machete and hewed his father down as if he were a tree. Samuel had allegedly stolen a goat on May 27, 2013 and when the youths brought a complaint to his father, the78-year-old tired of his son’s criminal life, denounced him whereupon an enraged Samuel reached for the machete…The other day in Woolwich, England, we and the entire world saw the two British-born Nigerians butcher a man right in the middle of the road in broad daylight. More disturbing however, is the story of 18-year-old boy, Olanrewaju kayode-Aremu. That Olanrewaju killed his 46-year-old father, Victor kayode-Aremu is not terrifically shocking but the story is in the manner he committed the act.

    At about 10.00pm on May 1, 2013, as the rest of the family watched television downstairs in their duplex house in Eti-Osa, area of Lagos, Olanrewaju had trailed his father upstairs to his room and attacked him with a kitchen knife. His father managed to make it downstairs to the sitting room but son pursued father and right before his mother and younger siblings, Olanrewaju stabbed his father repeatedly as if possessed by a demon. Olanrewaju is said to have stabbed his father about 10 times leaving him no chance to live.

    “I killed my father because seeing him makes me angry,” said Olanrewaju. “The truth is that I always feel sad and angry anytime I see my father. I was just getting angrier when I was stabbing him because he didn’t love me…He forced me to study Geology in the University (instead of his preferred biochemistry)… my dad knew (I hated him) because I am always cold when he is around me.”

    Olanrewaju on why he killed his father noted further that he used to maltreat him. On that dark day of May 1st, he said he had complained that he was ill but nobody paid any attention, not the least his father who had a second wife and never cared.

    The world is surely in distress. The world is assailed by what I want to call ‘cyberpsychosis’ or ‘infomania’. It is the death of abomination; the internet age is damaging our children irretrievably; there is no abhorrent material they cannot find on the net. The more violent and bestial computer games are today, it seems the more profitable for the hawkers. Parenting today has become doubly difficult. For instance, yesterday our parents worried about teenage pregnancy, today it is about young girls in the business of making babies for a fee. It is a tough age to be a good parent; in fact I want to think that a good parent of today may be identifiable by his/her long, shrew-like mouth. Yes she gets that from talking and talking with little result. Here is a supplement I found in my bible (The living Bible, Parents Resource Bible, page 1165) written by ROLF ZETTERSTEN. It is titled: THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR. I hereby reproduce it with the title:

    What parents can do

    It is called March Madness, and to millions of basketball fans it is the sporting event of the year. The National Collegiate Athletic Association selects America’s top sixty-four teams and pits them in do-or-die contests. For several weeks the tournament is held in arenas across the country, and roundball fans are glued to their television sets.

    The capper to March Madness is appropriately called the Final Four – when the surviving quartet of teams meets to determine the national champion. The site of the three-game play-off becomes a Mecca for basketball enthusiasts. One year I had the opportunity to attend the Final- four tournament at New Orleans, Louisiana, where more than eighty thousand fans gathered to celebrate and witness the sporting contest.

    All the main events were held at the Superdome, a massive indoor coliseum that normally hosts professional football games. Even though I had no particular allegiance to any of the teams, it was not hard to get swept up in the excitement inside the enclosed stadium. Bands from each school blared fight songs as their respective supporters sang along. The cheerleaders motivated their fans to participate in chants and yells. People were dressed and painted in their team’s colors.

    Of course, once the games began, the cheering intensified. I was sitting in front of a large section of University of Michigan alumni. Every time their team scored, they applauded, hooted and screamed as if their lives depended on it. Many of the fans brought signs with them that conveyed clever slogans.

    I’ll never forget one such poster because it suddenly brought me back to reality. At one point in the game, after the Michigan team made a comeback, one man got up from his seat and began parading up and down the aisles holding a large cardboard sign above his head with this message: This is What We Live for.

    Although many people in the crowd apparently agreed with his theme, it had an adverse effect on me. I suddenly had a healthy dose of proper perspective. I turned to my friend who was also reading the sign and said, “I’m sure glad this isn’t what I live for.”

    I was reminded of the apostle Paul; if he held a sign above his head, it would have said, “For me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying – well, that’s better yet!” (Phil.1:21). In other words, his existence had only one purpose – to serve and glorify God. And Paul viewed his inevitable death as a promotion because it would take him to the Lord’s presence.

    So what do we live for? “Opportunities for Christ.” I believe they can begin at home, where we demonstrate our faith in simple, everyday ways. We live for accepting and loving our spouse. We live for teaching our children the wonderful truths of God’s creation. We live for demonstrating God’s forgiveness when our family members fail. We live for supporting our relatives when they need help. We live for encouraging children. We live for teaching them God’s Word and leading them to faith in Christ. We live for enjoying quiet moments with loved ones. We live for laughter around the dinner table. We live for achieving the intimacy that God wants us to have. We live for demonstrating the benefits of a disciplined life-style. We live for modeling charity, hospitality, and equality to others outside our family circle.

    Sure, I’m crazy about competitive sporting events. The Final Four, the World Series, the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, and the NBA Finals are thrilling highlights of every year. But they are nothing compared to the excitement of a family intent on living for God.

    Again, what do you live for in your house hold?

  • This mysterious world

    Ordinarily, today’s article would have focused on two historic events that came up early this week both of which deserve readers’ attention. One of those events took place in Ilorin the capital city of Kwara State where a nomadic settler was honourably given the key to the city by the indigenes. The other occurred in Osogbo, the capital city of the State of Osun where for the first time after Prophet Musa (Moses) a tablet of knowledge was distributed to each of over 150,000 Senior Secondary School pupils as a takeoff of a gargantuan educational project. Yours sincerely was a witness to the one and just heard news about the other. But since both would be better taken together, the need to get the details of the one not witnessed has compelled the deferment of writing on both as hitherto planned, hence today’s topic. As often mentioned in this column, the problem of any genuine newspaper columnist is not a dearth of ideas but a deluge of them. Thus, choosing a theme from those ideas alone out of the many that are throwing themselves to you (as a columnist) vigorously and competitively is enough a problem. By the grace of Allah, ‘The Message’ will vividly bring the happenings in those two events to the readers in the very near future. Meanwhile, today’s article is equally very important. Please, come along:

    Strange Episode

    Our world is mysterious. And the more we make efforts to demystify it the more complex it becomes. Not even humanity’s greatest footprint (science and technology) has succeeded in demystifying the phenomenal web we call ‘the world’. While browsing through the internet recently, yours sincerely stumbled on a strangely amazing episode. A young man of about 28 years was reported missing for some days by his parents in Thailand. By the time his dead body was found somewhere in a bush, journalists in that country were jumping up to write an exclusive story. Bruises of snake bite were found all over his body. And, surprisingly, a monstrous python was also found lying lifelessly by his side. Examining the python, the police also discovered human bites all over its body. The conclusion then was that perhaps a furious duel between man and reptile had led to mutual death. But the story did not end there. The young man was also found to be pants down with a dangling condom firmly fixed to his manhood. This suggested the possibility of a sex attempt. Could he have attempted to rape the python? That was a mysterious question begging for a mysterious answer.

    On a personal reflection, yours sincerely guessed that the man might have lured a young, beautiful damsel into a hideout perhaps for a marathon sexual orgy. But on getting to the point of action, the damsel decided to show her true self by turning into a python, and a duel ensued. Or why would a young man wear condom and remain half naked in such a circumstance with such a brutal reptile? This story quickly reminded me of a topic I wrote in this column some years ago which was entitled ‘THE WORLD OF JINN’. Linking that topic to the episode just relayed above may provide a possible clue to the mystery surrounding the death of a man and a python almost arm in arm. I therefore decided to recall the article if only for the benefit of those who did not read it when it was first published. Please read on:

    The Terrestrial World

    “We live in a world of mystery. A world in which things don’t look what they seem. Yet we base our daily lives on mere assumption. How we sleep, how we wake, how we escape dangers around us, all these are known to Allah alone. The forces of this terrestrial world are numerous and mysterious. Some are visible, some are hidden. The planet inhabited by man is a garden not meant for man alone. There are kingdoms of other creatures: the animals, the birds, the reptiles, the plants, the insects, the worms and the aquatic creatures all of which exist interdependently. And through their coexistence, the ecosystem gains its harmony. For each of the above creatures there are races and tribes which in technical language are called species. Yet there are other creatures that cannot be seen by the naked eyes of man without the aid of technology. Some of these include the viruses and the bacteria. Unknown to man, every one of these creatures has its way of glorifying Allah. And, if asked to describe the features of Allah, a vivid description of itself will be given. This shows that every creature perceives God in its own image. Allah Akbar!

    The World of Jinn

    The world of Jinn is another world entirely. It is a world wrapped completely in mystery. The details of how man and Jinn came to share the planet called the earth are known only to Allah. But who actually, are the Jinn? Jinn are beings created by Allah from the flames of fire and given free will. They live on earth in a world parallel to that of man. But they are invisible to human eyes in their natural form. The Arabic word “Jinn” is from the verb “Jannah” which means to hide. Some other words from the same verb root are given names such as Janin and Janan which mean embryo and heart respectively to reflect their hidden nature. Jinn, like human beings, are in races and tribes. Their activities are elicited by their various cultures and traditions. Some of them are called fairy. Some are called demons and some are called devils depending on their roles in the lives of human beings. In Islam, the unbelievers among Jinn are called Shaytan (Satan) the plural of which is Shayatin and their paramount king is called Iblis. We first heard of Iblis in some verses revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by Allah in the Qur’an.

    Shortly after the creation of Adam, Allah asked the Angels, with Iblis in their midst, to prostrate to him (Adam). They did but Iblis refused. And, when asked why he refused to obey the command of Allah, he said he (Iblis), created from the flame of fire was superior to whatever was created from the soil. That was the beginning of hostility between man and Jinn as declared by Iblis on the premise of envy. Noting this hostility, Allah warned Adam and Hawau (Eve) to steer clear of the antics of Iblis and his disciples in order not to be lured to perdition. But with cunning and intrigue, Iblis succeeded in demoting the first human couple. The rest is history.

    Types of Jinn

    Jinn are of various heights, sizes and colours just like humans. They also have different languages and cultures depending on the race or tribe to which they belong. But one unique feature with which they are commonly endowed and, which man lacks, is the ability to change into anything they want at will. Jinn are believed to have lived on earth for millions of years before the creation of man. It was from the experience of their lawlessness and bloody existence while they held sway on earth that the Angels got the idea which informed their initial objection to the creation of man. Without such experience the Angels would not have attempted to advise Allah “not to put on earth again those who would vandalize it and shed blood therein” as contained in Q. 2, Verse 31. Neither would they have known what is called blood.

    Jinn are everywhere in the world today. They are in every home, community, country and continent. Jinn live in people’s homes as much as they live in people’s hearts and wombs. It is possible to marry jinn as a wife or as a husband without knowing. It may sound odd but the truth is that most people keep jinn in their homes in the name of children. There are Jinn in the schools, in the markets, in the industries, in the offices, as well as in the Mosques and Churches.

    The Jinn in Human Environment

    The constant human tampering with the ecosystem has compelled the Jinn to change their style of living. Hitherto, they lived in the forests, in the mountains, in rivers, in trees and in certain animals. But as towns and cities emerge from the ravages of the forests and mountains the Jinn take to human homes as abodes thereby sharing from man’s immediate environment in all aspects. Today, Jinn do not only live in human houses, farms and offices, they also live inside their hearts, brains and blood. If there is anything called colonisation in the real sense, it is the occupation of human space and time by the Jinn. That human marriages which were once sacred do not last any longer and societal harmony, once taken for granted, has become a luxury are a sign of Jinn’s demonic grip on earth. Most people in authority who we call Presidents, Kings, Queens, Governors, Ministers and law makers have significant traits of Jinn which have transformed into humans. Politicians particularly fit very accurately a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which described a hypocrite as a person who lies while speaking and reneges on promise and betrays trust. Here in Africa, only a few Heads of States do not show the traits of Jinn, judging by their utterances and actions. And that is why decisions of those so-called leaders were based on ‘a do or die’ affair as in the case of Nigeria and Zimbabwe in recent times.

    In Arabic language, a person is said to be demonised (majnun) when his/her conduct is devoid of human feeling. To be demonized is to act deliriously especially where human touch is expected to take the front burner. It is not a surprise, therefore, that some people in authority reflect some traits of megalomania in their bid to display power. Such people are, no doubt, from the yoke of Satan. However, Jinn, as special creatures, do not represent all that is bad. There are good ones among them. Some of them are even more pious than human beings. In Islam, the good Jinn are said to be the disciples of Ifrit.

    Jinn in the Qur’an

    In the Qur’an, Jinn are mentioned about 35 times in relation to their activities and good or bad nature. A whole chapter of the Qur’an (chapter 72) is dedicated to the Jinn especially the good ones among them. It is about this category of Jinn that Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) thus: “Say it is revealed to me that a group of Jinn listened to Allah’s revelation and said: “We have heard a wonderful revelation (The Qur’an) giving guidance to the right path. We believe in it and shall henceforth serve none besides our Lord. Exalted is His glory. He has taken no wife neither has He begotten any child. The ignorant ones amongst us have uttered wanton falsehood against Allah even though no man or Jinn is supposed to tell what is untrue of Him…” Q.72, Verses 1-7. Just as good people are scarce so are good Jinn. The latter associate only with good people and relate to them as comrades in faith. In the same vein, the evil Jinn relate to evil people in the spirit of give and take. No evil Jinn can be so friendly with any human being as not to demand 10 advantages in return for only one he has offered. Men who cultivate friendship with Jinn for the purpose of getting rich quick usually and invariably pay dearly for such. When you hear of mysterious death of a wife or that of a husband or even that of a child, watch out, a Jinn is at work somewhere around. Such Jinn are not known for serving man for free. They see us as permanent rivals who must be dealt with for displacing them on earth. And their active way of dealing with human beings is to offer carrot which they know that evil men will not reject. To them, carrot is not a free offer. It must be followed by stick. It is not by accident that children are born these days with two heads, four legs and at times without faces. The workings of Jinn are more effective in the dead nights or in the day when the sun is at its peak. Pregnant women who wander about at these odd times are likely to have encounters with the evil Jinn. And, in such a situation, the Jinn easily supplant the foetus in them leading to the bearing of strange monsters in the name of children.

    Cohabiting with the Jinn

    While good Jinn live or mill around Mosques and cemeteries with the intention of cleansing those environments, the evil Jinn live in the toilets, refuse bins and the like. That is why Muslims are not supposed to talk inside the toilet except for emergency. And they should not stay a second longer than necessary therein. Most people do not know the danger inherent in leaving the toilet doors of their homes ajar especially when such toilets are un-kept. It is an ignorant way of providing abode for evil Jinn who fuel matrimonial crises from time to time and use reptiles and insects like spiders and wall echoes to harass the inhabitants. The situation of the world today is such that human beings are the ones living in the midst of Jinn and not vice versa.

    Using wealth, women and wine as fetters, Satan seems to have conquered the world from the orient to the occident by gild-washing evils and trivialising good even as his agents are active in furthering his course on all fronts. Today, there are men everywhere but no husbands are available. Women are as numerous as the sands of the desert but only a few of them can be called wives in the Islamic or African cultural sense. Today, parents are scorned by their children. Students treat their teachers with disdain. Teachers take undue advantage of their students before letting them cross the huddles of examinations. Doctors and nurses who were once seen as good Samaritans are now the merchants of death and sellers of foetus and human parts. People who are designated judges are the custodians and incubators of injustice. Religious sanctuaries have been turned into satanic shrines where men and women are duped or satanically hypnotised daily. Those we once venerated as clergy have audaciously become Lucifer reincarnate. Fathers impregnate their daughters. Mothers seduce their sons into abominable sex and gays are consecrated as Bishops.

    Allies of Jinn

    All the abominations against which we were warned in the Qur’an and the Bible have now been turned into ‘profitable’ trades and professions. And the yardstick for measuring which crime should be punished and which should not is the social status of the criminal. If, for instance, you are not a legislator, a minister, a Governor or a chief executive of a bank or a politician of note, do not pilfer. If you do and are caught, you will liable to the full wrath of the law. And on the other hand, you can only be said to have embezzled and not stolen if you are one of those wielding power in the country. In other words, embezzlement is for the upper class while theft is for the pedestrian masses. And the one deserves official forgiveness while the other must forced to pass through the whole length of law process. The law of the land has no meaning to the satanic forces governing the country. Once you belong to the right cult you are above the law. As a result of this, Nigeria, a country of natural boom is now a nation of satanic doom.

    The Big Question

    Who will rescue this land from the scourge of demons? Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had proffered solution to all these evil forces when he asked the Muslims to listen to the words of Allah by reading the Qur’an and speak with Him (Allah) by prostrating in prayer. Those are two things that the evil Jinn do not want to see or hear of. They flee from where the Qur’an is constantly recited and from where human beings often prostrate to Allah. As Muslims, which of these can you not do to save the future from the bondage of the present?

  • Self-serving amendments

    Self-serving amendments

    The Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment has concluded its work on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution and has presented its recommendations. The major issue that has dominated the discussions on the constitution is that it is a military-imposed document which has rubbished the principle of federalism and the federal structure that was the foundation of Nigeria at independence.It is on this score that right-thinking citizens have always insisted that the 1999 Constitution cannot be adequately amended and that what it seriously needs is a complete overhaul. Furthermore, in order for such a complete reworking to be carried out, there has to be the involvement of all stakeholders, including all the geo-political zones, and the nationality groups. The central political debate in the last fourteen years has been over this issue.

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been the ruling party in the centre since the beginning of the Third Republic and it has ensured that the idea of a national conference does not see the light of day. In addition, the party has insisted that there is no urgent need for a constitutional overhaul and it has settled for piece-meal amendments to the extent that such efforts do not jeopardise its political dominance, especially at the centre. It is in this context that the amendments just submitted by the Senate committee must be understood. They are self-serving amendments. To make this point, I will highlight two related areas from media reports.

    “No rotational presidency” is the title of a report in The Nation of Thursday, June 6, 2013. And in its own report, The Nigerian Tribune also of Thursday, June 6, 2013 highlighted another aspect of the amendment: “Senate Committee Amendment Recommendations: Successors can’t vie for dead President’s, Gov.’s offices.”

    The reason that the Senate Committee advanced for the rejection of rotational presidency is that “the Constitution should not make Nigerian leadership subject to ethnic or regional considerations” according to The Nation’s report. Rather the committee submitted that such issues should be a matter for consideration among the various political parties.

    There have been echoes of these incoherent and self-serving recommendations for constitutional provisions in the recent past. During the 2005 Political Reform Conference, the Northern position was a rejection of the concept of rotational presidency among geo-political zones because, “it is subject to manipulation and abuse by unpatriotic Nigerians. It is neither in our constitution nor in our electoral laws.”

    Yet, the North did not find it inconsistent when in the same submission, it recommended that the “Presidency should rotate between the North and the South.” It in fact went on to demand that it was the turn of the North to occupy the position of the president. In addition, the North suggested “that constitutional provision needs to be made for rotation within the states to provide opportunity to the various minority groups have (sic) access to the position of governorship within the States and to give them a sense of belonging.”

    Now, the Senate Committee wants us to believe that, with its recommendation, the concept of rotational presidency would be laid to rest. This is far from the case. The reason has to do with the other provision in the Senate Committee recommendation, namely that “a vice president or deputy governor who completed the tenure of office of a president or governor who died in office would not be eligible to seek election to the office in any subsequent future elections.” The amendment, as reported in The Nigerian Tribune is a new Section 136 (2) which is now to read: Where a vice-president-elect or vice president succeeds the president-elect or president, in accordance with Subsection (1) of this section, he (sic) shall not be eligible to contest for the office of the president in any subsequent elections.” There is a similar provision for the deputy governor.

    What is interesting about these new provisions is that they effectively reinstate what the provision on rotational presidency is supposed to take away. It is understood clearly by every politically conscious citizen that we operate a political system in which ethnicity and religion play active roles and ticket balancing is the rule. Dr. Jonathan would not be president today if he wasn’t vice president to Malam Yar’Adua. The president comes from the north; the vice comes from the south. And when Jonathan took over, it was expected that the vice president would come from the north, hence the emergence of Sambo. The new amendment effectively preserves this arrangement and thus, the concept of rotational presidency and rotational governorship.

    Let us assume for the purpose of argument that the next president comes from the North. We can be sure that his or her vice will come from somewhere in the South. Let us assume further that something happens and the president vacates office and his or vice takes over. This means that the new president is from the south. What the amendment says is that this new president must only complete the term of the former president and cannot present him or herself for any subsequent election to the presidency.

    We know what motivated this amendment. It was the controversy generated by Jonathan’s presenting himself as a candidate after he completed the term of Yar’Adua and the North insisted that since Yar’Adua was elected as a Northern candidate and since he was entitled to two terms, the North was being robbed of its chance. It was an argument that failed because it was considered an unfair and untenable demand in a democratic setting. Since there was no constitutional provision for rotational presidency, the North cannot lay claim to the Yar’Adua presidency as its own.

    Imagine now what this new amendment effectively means. Were it to be operative when the Jonathan candidacy was being challenged by the North, he would not have a chance and a new candidate would emerge. Can such a new candidate emerge from the South in the face of the Northern position? This amendment only solidifies the position and demand of the North for respect for rotational presidency between the North and the South despite the absence of and the deliberativeness of the provision against rotational presidency. Therefore there is crass incoherence between the two amendments that I have chosen to highlight here.

    I do not need to go into the challenge to democratic tenets of the new amendment that prevents any individual, whether vice president or deputy governor, from contesting any elections. That it has been offered as a constitutional provision—as a foundational principle of state—by a committee of the upper legislative body speaks volumes about our democracy and its trustees.

  • What Jonathan must do—NOW

    What Jonathan must do—NOW

    The nation is in crisis and it is not the security crisis that is obvious to all. It is the moral crisis of leadership. It has been simmering for as long as we have the republic but it has now reached its zenith of absurdity with the widely publicized demonstration of pettiness by a section of our political leaders. As the moral compass of the nation continues to drift without direction, it is incumbent on the president, as the de jure conscience of the nation, to rise above the fray, speak truth to power and start writing his personal epitaph in gold.

    In offering this plea, I make a number of assumptions. First, I assume that the President is not in any shape or form behind the crisis in his party and in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). Following from this first assumption, I assume that there are individuals in the leadership of the party hierarchy who pledge loyalty to the president and would do anything, including the grossly immoral, to seek his favour but who are actually hurting him, and these are the forces behind the various crises. Finally, however, I assume that even if he has a hand in the crisis directly or indirectly, as a conscientious person eyeing a legacy that is scandal-free, the President is able to free himself of any such entanglements and call his associates to order.

    Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan entered the national scene as a humble man with a background that many of us shared and so we were able to relate to him as one of us. The story of a boy who walked to school without shoes is so familiar to the majority of Nigerians that it was difficult not to identify with the one who epitomised it with such dignity. Across the land, he was embraced as the symbol of our dreams. He would transform our political landscape and inspire us to rally round the highest ideals. He would make us whole again. It was a refreshing thought, the exciting hope of a new era of civility and robust development.

    When roadblocks were put in the way of then Vice President Jonathan to serve as Acting President in the absence of the president, the whole nation (not the Ijaw nation or the Southsouth) demanded that the National Assembly do the right thing. The Save Nigeria Group (SNG) led that effort of national redemption. The effort succeeded and subsequent to the sad demise of President Yar’Adua, Jonathan was sworn in as President and Commander-in-Chief.

    In his campaign for his full term as substantive president, Jonathan tapped into the aspirations of the young and old from North to South and received the support of the majority. There were the usual electoral anomalies, but the tribunals and the highest court decided in his favour. Under the circumstance, he had the mandate to lead.

    With an emphasis on transformational leadership and transformational agenda, the new president rallied the nation to a cause that was supposedly larger than himself or any individual. We all imagined the birthing of a new nation—a national rebirth—in which the old divisions of ethnicity, religion, and sectarianism are superseded. In short, our new president was going to lead us to take our country back.

    Let us concede that some progress has been made in some areas, especially in the matter of economic development where the indices have been favourable. The President and his team cannot deny that there is still much work to do in the matter of infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and utilities like power generation and distribution and water resources development. Security is, of course, a top priority.

    The sordid dimension of the Jonathan presidency, which threatens the legacy of this self-defined transformationist, is the festering sore of a self-inflicted wound, the noxious odour of which is suffocating the polity. It is ironic but, given its make-up and member motivation, it is not a surprise that the president’s party and a segment of his kinsmen, have presented themselves as the willing tool to derail his agenda and mar his legacy.

    According to the Yoruba, alatise nii matise ara re—one is the architect of one’s fortune. But in the matter of providing strong leadership even within his own party, the President’s performance has been less than inspiring. Here then is an occasion for Dr. Jonathan to show his mettle and demonstrate his strength of character.

    The NGF video is damning in many respects. It is an embarrassment to the governors as leaders of their states and character witnesses of Nigerians. Imagine this. A Nigerian is accused in the court of public morality in another land and he has to present a person of dignity to vouch for him. Is it too much to present a state governor? But the accusers are familiar with Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s quick thinking and have watched the video. How can any of those caught in such a kindergarten-like behaviour effectively defend the moral uprightness of an accused?

    Second, apart from its damning verdict in the matter of decorum, the video also demonstrated to the whole world the deficit of democratic norms in the polity. They were the first citizens of their states; individuals that the young would normally look up to for guidance but who have succeeded in undermining the very notion of democracy and confusing the youth. Surf the Internet and browse the various comments on the NGF stories and you will feel sorry for the country and its future. The concept of political morality has become an oxymoron with the action of a few whose purpose in politics is to acquire power to service the self. If you thought that there would be unanimity of moral outrage over the infantile behavior of a large number of state governors, you would be dead wrong. A significant number of our fellow citizens saw nothing to condemn. That is how depraved the political landscape has become.

    Third, and still on substance, some of the explanations the governors gave for their position are so illogical and mind-boggling that we are all implicated in the shameless drama. At an earlier meeting, a majority of PDP members had resolved to back one candidate, they informed us. Therefore, they argued, that candidate ought to win the election conducted at a later time and in a different forum! This is an argument from our governors? An earlier resolution must trump an election conducted later and one in which everyone participated without force or duress, and the ballots counted in broad daylight?

    If President Jonathan still has the moral fire in his belly; if he still yearns for a lasting legacy, this is the time for him to come off the shell of indecisive leadership and rein in impunity in high places, including his kitchen cabinet. He must redeem himself and the nation.

    Even if all my assumptions were wrong, and he was deeply involved in the unwholesome conspiracy against decency, President Jonathan can still do himself a great favour by mounting the podium of integrity and telling the whole nation that his associates were off the mark. He must congratulate Governor Amaechi and support the coming back together of the NGF. This doesn’t mean that he would be friends with the governor of Rivers State. It only means that he is a leader who understands the meaning of servant leadership. And in case he’s so determined to get even with Amaechi, there’s always going to be another opportunity. But truth be told, this one stinks terribly. Assume that he wants the second term so badly that his associates are willing to do anything for him to get it, Jonathan must excuse himself from the road to moral oblivion—NOW.

  • Jonathan’s war against democracy

    Jonathan’s war against democracy

    The portentous cloud of absolutism hanging over the country should arouse serious concerns of men of valour. Such men are expected to stand up and challenge the budding cabal of exploitation that is sprouting in Abuja before they gain enough stability that could send most of us back to the trenches. The activists must wake up from their sleep: All writers of conscience must gather more ink and get their thoughts ready for the battle with one sole aim: To rescue democracy from the fistic grip of men that failed to learn from history. We all need to talk, agitate and possibly kick, if only to let the slaves of power realise that today is not forever.

    Edmund Burke, that Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher that served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party once rebelled against King George III and Great Britain during their taxation-induced disputes with the American colonies. The face-off eventually culminated in the American Revolution that brought an end to British colonial rule over the United States’ territory. The English thinker and parliamentarian of repute remarkably observed in that turbulent period that ‘All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.’ This noteworthy statement was made to rouse patriotic activism against the despotism of that epoch. Nigeria needs such arousal from true mentors of conscience in our midst.

    Nigeria under President Goodluck Jonathan is currently building up a culture of tyranny that has made dissenting voices its prime target. Most reasonable Nigerians are bothered not because the nation has not passed through this path before but because history is replete with examples of leaders that clamp down on Nigerians long after they begin to enjoy too much power and freedom only to fall later into ignominy. Will Jonathan learn from recent history of despots like Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha, that all left power in disgrace?

    The Nigerian Governors’ Forum’s (NGF’s) election that held recently bears eloquent testimony to Jonathan’s feeble historical memory about how not to use power. The NGF in that election got its incumbent chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state re-elected. Thirty-five votes from equal number of governors present were cast. One governor abstained. Governor Amaechi in the transparently conducted election where the ballots were counted openly scored 19 votes to Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, his main challenger’s 16.

    Since the election result was announced, the centre could no longer hold as it became apparent that the presidency felt slighted by the outcome of the election. Foot soldiers of President Jonathan including Governors Godswill Akpabio, Seriake Dickson and Segun Mimiko of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Ondo states respectively have been inexorably challenging the result that was against Jonah Jang, their mentor’s obvious preferred choice. The president can say to the marines that he had no preferred candidate in the NGF election contest – certainly not to discernible Nigerians!

    But one thing is clear to keenly observant public, there is no love lost between the president and the Rivers state governor. Amaechi has so far stood up to the Abuja power drunken inclination. Rivers State’s reported two million votes is strategic to Jonathan’s 2015 re-election ambition in the South-South and he has shown through his open secret fight with Amaechi that he cannot stand an enemy of his ambition to be in charge in that state. But Amaechi is a student of activism. The pursuit of crusades has taken him thus far in life. He battled and crushed all enemies on his path of becoming the governor of that state. So, he is back in his familiar terrain of justified confrontation. To further complicate the president’s woes in Rivers is Amaechi’s reported wonderful performance in the delivery of democratic dividend to the people.

    The PDP has suspended Amaechi from its fold for celebrating his NGF election victory considered by hawks in the party to be an embarrassment to President Jonathan. The body language of the president has goaded the plot to cause further incensed political rumpus in that state. The PDP has never been a party with any sense of etiquette and whatever act of dishonour coming from it should not be a disappointment to anybody. What should bother us more is the fact that the party is trying to introduce its do-or-die politics into the affairs of an NGF with governor-membership that cut across different major political parties in the country.

    Equally more frightening is the fact that a body of governors that are individually acknowledged to be leaders of their various states could be so vulnerable to anti-democratic inclination. How else can one describe the effrontery of Jang in proclaiming himself a winner in an election that he openly lost? Why should he set up a parallel NGF secretariat when a de jure chairman is in place? Is this not an invitation to anarchy? Could it then be concluded that entrusting our present and future in the hands of democratically dishonourable men like Jang and cohorts is injurious to the political stability of this nation? With what has happened during the last NGF election, should Nigerians expect to see anything different in the coming 2015 elections to be anchored by these mostly democratically challenged governors?

    Where is President Jonathan leading the country to? The country is not getting it right under the current dispensation and it would not be wrong to say that this democracy because of the president’s ambition in 2015 is not steeped in realistic footing. Under Jonathan, like we had under previous PDP leadership, we have two democracies: One for the rich and the other for the poor. The PDP government since the advent of this democracy teaches the people by its feral democratic example not to believe in the Nigerian system. And the danger in this is that if the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law and it is indirectly inviting every man to become a law unto himself. And anarchy is the end result.

    With the way things are going, anarchy is looming ahead due to the daily injustices suffered by the people not only in Port-Harcourt but across the country. Nigeria needs a new political orientation and; an army of sincere and unrelenting advocates for the poor. This is because except there is a new state of mind, the country lies on the rim of precipice because tyranny and anarchy are twin brothers. Let us all say a word or do something symbolic to show our utmost disdain for the way of political perdition that Jonathan and his team of jesters are leading this country. This is very important so as to nip in the bud early, the injurious war against democracy by our president. Speaking out and acting at the right time has positively helped in other nations where people like Edmund Burke once lived.

  • Islam’s charter with Christianity

    In this column last week, I promised to recall an article consisting the charter which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) led the Muslims to sign with the Christian leadership in 628 CE. Promise is a debt which a gentleman must fulfil. Please, read on:

    “In the introduction to his autobiography entitled ‘My Odyssey’, Nigeria’s first democratic President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe wrote:

    “Man comes into the world and while he lives, he embarks upon a series of activities absorbing experience which enables him to formulate a philosophy of life and to chart his courses of action. But then, he dies. Nevertheless, his biography remains a guide to those of the living who may need guidance either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as encouragement or both”.

    The above philosophical quote serves as a reminder of what the divinely appointed Apostles of God represented in the lives of their followers. Those Apostles were men who came into the world as Ambassadors of one and the only God. Yes, they came at different times, from different lands and with different tongues nevertheless, their message was only one and the same. That message is like a nation’s diplomatic mission abroad. Any qualified person could be appointed as an Ambassador to manage the mission. And from time to time the Ambassador could be changed but the mission remains the same as much as the nation which they represent remains a nation. Some of those Ambassadors could though be empowered as plenipotentiary it is unimaginable that any of them would deviate from the diplomatic policy that makes him an Ambassador for his country.

    Thus, from Adam, the great ancestor of man to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the last of all Apostles of God, the message of God was one and the same because those Apostles were all sent by only one and the same God. If any difference is perceived in their mission, it could only be attributable to human ignorance through interpretations or misinterpretations in time and space.

    Each time I hear of killing, maiming or resorting to terrorism in the name of religion I feel scandalised. This is not just because I belong to a religion and I am involved in its propagation but also because I know the value of life and the vice in terminating it extra-judicially. Personally, I see those who kill people of other religions for the simple reason of difference in faith as brutal vandal waging war not just against humanity but also against God. Anybody who kills or maims or indulges in terrorism may claim to be an adherent of a religion but cannot genuinely claim to be acting for that religion. No divine religion prescribes killing or maiming as an act of worship. Religion may be used surreptitiously as a cover for such heinous acts but the real motive is far from religion.

     

    Conversation

     

    In a fortuitous casual conversation sometime ago over Nigeria’s disturbing political situation, a top Christian cleric enthusiastically told this columnist that Nigerians were the most religious people in the world. Yours sincerely did not agree with his assertion but to avoid any argument relating to religion I decided to keep mute. However, not comfortable with my silence, my interlocutor asked for my reaction to his statement. And when I asked him for the evidence of his alleged religiousness in Nigerians, he cited the ubiquity of Churches and Mosques as well as the length of time people spend worshiping in those sanctuaries as evidence. He added that even Muslims worship on Sundays nowadays citing examples of NASFAT, FATH QUAREEB and other ‘Assalatu’ groups.

    In response, I grinned amusedly and shook my head in disagreement. I then told him that in Islam, worshiping does not necessarily take any lengthy time as the number of times to worship per day is divinely specified and no daily Salat takes more than ten minutes on the maximum. I said as for the ubiquity of Churches and Mosques in Nigeria, it is not only an evidence of disunity among the so-called worshippers but also an indication of deification of ‘MONEY’. And while insisting that religion is the biggest business in Nigeria’s private sector today, I concluded that most Nigerians would rather sweat for the purpose of money than for the love of God citing the shameless preaching of prosperity and atrocious style of accumulating wealth by the so-called religious leaders as examples.

    I then challenged the Reverend gentleman to imagine removing money from Churches and Mosques in Nigeria today and see what would remain of them. I also went further to correct his misconception that Muslims now worship on Sundays by pointing out to him that Muslims only resorted to congregating on Sundays for prayers when Thursdays and Fridays which served as their cultural weekend days before Nigeria’s colonisation were forcefully turned into Saturdays and Sundays for them by the colonialists. After a long time of silence the Clergy man nodded in agreement with my analytical observation and confessed that until then he never gave any thought to the atrocious role which money plays in Nigeria’s religious activities.

     

    Evidence of Ignorance

     

    What most Nigerian leaders of Islamic and Christian religions do not seem to know is that the refusal of the adherents of both religions to study and understand the doctrines which guide those religions is the main cause of religious disharmony in the country today. This is however, not peculiar to Nigeria. It is global. Both Christians and Muslims jointly constitute more than half of the world’s population. And, it is from their common pond that the spiritual ripples which consistently make the world restive emanate. If the adherents of both religions had endeavoured to mutually study and understand the doctrines that guide their ways in life, the world would not have come under religious spell as we have today.

    How many Christian or Muslim leaders know, for instance, that in recognition of Jesus Christ as his predecessor and fellow Apostle, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) signed a charter with some Christian leaders in the year 628 CE and the charter remains valid till today? In that year (628 CE), a Christian delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery went to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to seek the protection of the Islamic government under his command. The objective was to elicit the support of the Islamic government in ensuring their security against the aggression of the Persian Empire. (St. Catherine’s Monastery is the world’s oldest Monastery located at the foot of Mt. Sinai which has a huge collection of Christian manuscripts second only to those of the Vatican and is known as a world heritage site). Prior to that event, many verses of the Qur’an had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) acknowledging the divine mission of all the Prophets preceding him (Muhammad (SAW) including that of Jesus Christ. And because of those revelations, no Muslim can claim to be a true believer in Islam without accepting Jesus the son of Mary as a Prophet of God. One of those revelations states as follows:

    “The Apostle of Allah (Muhammad SAW) believes in what was revealed to him and so do the entire Muslim faithful. Every one of them believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books and His Apostles. We do not discriminate against any of His Apostles. They say “we hear and obey (the laws brought by those Apostles). Grant us your forgiveness Oh Lord! To you we shall all return….” (Q. 2: 285).

    Another verse of the Qur’an states: “There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has become distinct from stray. Whoever renounces evil and believes fully in God has grasped the most reliable chord that never breaks. God is all-hearing, all knowing” (Q. 2: 256).

     

    The Charter

     

    In response to the request of the Christian representatives cited above, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) granted them a written charter of rights as follows: “This is a message from Muhammad the son of Abdullah serving as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far that we (Muslims) are with them. Verily, I and all the servants of God, as well as the helpers of Islam hereby make promise to defend Christians because they are my citizens and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them (concerning their way of worship). Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one should destroy a house of their religion or damage it or loot it. Whoever violates this has breached God’s charter and disobeyed His Apostle. Verily, Christians are my allies and have my secure charter against all they hate. No one should force them to fight for a course in which they have no belief or compel them to migrate against their wish. Neither is the sacredness of their covenant to be violated nor their Churches to be disrespected. And if any damage should happen to their Churches, they must not be prevented from repairing them. No Muslim should disobey this covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)”. For details, see www.aljazeera.com and check Aljazeera Magazine under Middle East Online. By this charter, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) asserted that Muslims and Christians were brethren in faith and no one of them should fight against the other on the basis of religion. And by validating the charter till the great Day of Judgment, the Prophet had precluded any future attempt to revoke the privileges contained in that charter by any nation, group or individuals. By implication, those privileges are inalienable. Besides, one remarkable aspect of the charter is that it did not stipulate any condition for Christians to enjoy the privileges.

     

    Reciprocation

     

    Believing that being followers of Jesus Christ was enough a condition to enjoy those privileges, the Prophet assumed that the Christians, would be civilised enough to reciprocate that unprecedented gesture wherever they coexist with Muslims not only by tolerating the latter’s mode of worship and way of life but also by refraining from any naked or avowed act of provocation against them which could precipitate a religious rancour. Another noticeable aspect of the charter is the Prophet’s silence on any payment by the protectorate Christians which was the general practice among nations in those days. Thus, that ‘Charter of Rights’ was a free gift. And from it the reason becomes clear why the Islamic State under the command of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) or any of his rightly guided disciples who became Caliphs never crossed swords with any Christian group or nation throughout their regimes. If any wars like those of the crusades ever broke out subsequently between Christians and Muslims it was centuries after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the Caliphs and that could not be attributed to Islam as a religion. Such could have happened due to a deliberate breach by either or both sides on the basis of human whim.

    And in upholding that charter, the second Caliph, Umar Bn Khattab, refused to observe Salat inside the Church of Jerusalem when he visited the area following the liberation of that region by the Islamic State from the Persian Empire in which Zoroastrianism (worshiping of fire) was the religion. The Church of Jerusalem had been cleared by Muslim soldiers for the observance of Salat which Umar, as Head of State, was to lead. But when he was invited to lead the Salat, he simply ordered the soldiers to find another place for Salat and keep the Church intact for the Christians saying he would not do that which the Prophet prohibited. He then warned the Muslims who accompanied him never to convert Churches into Mosques for that would amount to bad precedent capable of breaching the Prophet’s charter with Christians.

    Prior to the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah, a prophetic revelation came into the Qur’an in 616 CE which confirmed the brotherhood of Islam and Christianity. That revelation which formed a whole chapter in the Qur’an was entitled ‘The Chapter of Rome ’. It started thus: “Rome, (the nation of the Christian Greeks) has been defeated in a neighbouring land. But after their defeat, they shall (themselves) gain victory within a few years. Allah is the Supreme Commander before and after. On that day (when they become victorious), the believers (Muslims and Christians) will rejoice in Allah’s help. Allah gives victory to whoever He wills. He is the Mighty One, the Merciful. That is Allah’s promise; He never reneges on His promise” (Q. 30: 1-5).

    And true to that prophecy, the Roman Empire surprisingly defeated the Persian Empire to the ecstasy of the Muslims just nine years after that revelation and thereby paved way for Christianity to be off the manacle of the pagan Persian Empire and to thrive once again side by side with Islam. Besides, the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned about 37 times in the Glorious Qur’an giving more details about his birth and disappearance than can be found even in the Bible. Also a whole chapter of the Qur’an is dedicated to Mary the mother of Jesus confirming her chastity and the miracle of the birth of Jesus. That chapter is called ‘The Chapter of Maryam (Mary).

     

    Orientalists’ Antics

     

    However, despite all the indisputable facts mentioned above, the Western Orientalists and others who seek to foster discord between Christianity and Islam continue to focus and disseminate the differences between both religions with the intent of causing permanent conflict among their adherents. Those are the people who want the world to believe that this same Prophet Muhammad (SAW) held the Qur’an in one hand and the sword in another forcing people to accept Islam or be ready to die. The depth of their ignorance does not even reflect the illogicality of such blatant lie as the Qur’an was not compiled into a book when the Prophet was alive. And if one man had such a power to intimidate multitude enemies would he be forced to migrate?

     

    Conclusion

     

    The doctrine of one God one mission purportedly shared in the world today by three religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) cannot be from the same perception. Each of these religions has its own revealed Book and the adherents practice their faiths according to the doctrines contained in those Books. It will therefore be wrong of adherents of one particular religion to adjudge those of others as deviants or infidels who must be exterminated.

    Religion is like an examination. Those who sit down to write it using blue ink pen must not turn themselves into examiners using red ink pen to mark it. Paradise is Allah’s own domain. He admits whoever He wishes into it. And this is done not necessarily by sheer mortal’s recommendation. Only the Almighty Allah who chose our parents for us without our knowledge before we came into this world and who knows where each of us would finally be buried has the final say on everybody’s destination.

    If the truth must be told, the real cause of religious conflicts in Nigeria is not intolerance as often hypocritically claimed by some people but provocation under the guise of religion. Nigerian press is particularly guilty of this by fueling such provocation. It is wrong to expect tolerance to thrive in a society where provocation and injustice refuse to abate. Propagating a religion by denigrating another is an act of provocation. And those who want peace to prevail in Nigeria must desist from such intolerable act.

    Nigerian Church and Mosque leaders must refrain from negative sentiments and hypocrisy by dissuading their followers from interpreting the misbehaviour of some miscreants to mean the prescription of the religion they proclaim.

  • Useful idiots (4)

    Useful idiots (4)

    We are a cliché. The want of bread disturbs our peace, but in pursuit of bread, we gun for gold and perverse glamour. Modesty succumbs to vile, honesty deserts our hearts and the beaming brightness of good forsakes our bothersome neighbourhoods. The injustice and tyranny we claim to seek an end to have only just begun. More than an end, we perfect their beginnings.

    The demolition of Nigeria is ongoing. And it is being perfected by the most useful agents of hope or destruction; the Nigerian youth. But as Nigeria ruins, we ruin too. Our overtly cherished and over-celebrated lives fall apart and the promise of our generation manifests as a pathetic lie we inherited from our fathers and forefathers. Today, we tell it to each other in the thick of despair for false hope and cheap comfort.

    The history of our generation will be one continuous disaster from one timeline to the next, if we do not change. But change is what dream of it. It is what we make it out to be. Change is what we make of will. Have we such will that ignites dying embers to scorching hearths of hope and unquenchable ardor?

    We blame the ruling class and the”wasted generation” for the coldness in our hearts and their insensitivity to our plight. We claim they do not give a hoot what becomes of Nigeria or what becomes of us. But are we not deserving of evilness they visit on us? Do we really care what becomes of Nigeria? What do we care about? What excites the passion of the Nigerian youth? What would we die for? What do we die for?

    We who value craftiness above sweat and continually die to get money at all cost, wish for peace and everlasting prosperity. We shan’t get what we seek but we shall get what we deserve. And we do get what we deserve, like endemic poverty and a predatory ruling class. Today, we deserve the scourge of religious extremism and the affliction of currency-activated racists and warmongers. Today, we deserve to dwell in squalor and extinguishment of our heartfelt dreams. Today, we deserve to live like paupers in our land overflowing with riches that even the so-called developed nations could never boast of.

    We get what we deserve. That is why President Goodluck Jonathan and company epitomize the perfect leadership for our kind. Were we deserving of a better ruling class, we would elect better leadership at election time. But leadership we have now is a mirror of the Nigerian psyche. It is the best we could produce, to our ‘pleasure’ and the amusement of our malicious and covetous neighbours.

    In the face of such daunting reality, I choose to believe in the Nigerian youth. I choose to believe in the immeasurable benefits of the ballot box. Bullets may serve the means and ends of revolutionary savages for a while but at the end, its electoral votes that count. Tyrannies will fall and despots will die; no degree of savagery outlasts the passion and strength of a people speaking with one voice, stoically, and quite peacefully, by their votes.

    Yet it is sad to note that despite the ills we suffer and are forced to endure under the incumbent ruling class, Nigerian youths are determined to keep them in power. As you read, professional activists, racists and self-acclaimed youth leaders amongst us are repositioning themselves and strategizing to pitch their tents with our usual candidates with power of incumbency or deep pockets, come 2015 general elections.

    Many are spoiling for war and secession. Some are merely mounting the soapbox to incite and talk the talk, but a great deal more are threatening to speak with bullets, machete and meat cleavers. They are vowing to go all out to realize their dreams of genocide and violent secession. The permutations are rife in the scariest elements and details of discord: Boko Haram is on the run and the Joint Task Force (JTF) struggles to uproot its tentacles of violence and destruction even as some slapstick comedian from the south promises to unleash more terror on Nigeria if President Jonathan does not retain his seat come 2015.

    “Nigeria will break by 2015,” many of us shamelessly croon like deranged parakeets. We echo ill-will and predictions of doom mischievously bandied to us as thorough “security report,”by our perverted neighbours from the “developed world.” We are past such conditioning and “covert psychological operations,” today, we are at the threshold of combining arrant madness to malicious predictions. But the fault is never our perverted neighbours’ nor is it our predatory ruling class’. You and I are to blame for every ill that befalls us. We are to blame for violence and bloodshed we continually perpetrate in the name of politics, tribe and religion.

    At the centre, a wasteful cabinet of dubious necessity grinds on while scarier candidates with hustle in the wings to take over power from our incumbent government of brutes and dunderheads. Racism consumes our souls and thousands die by the whims of malevolent politicians and godfathers. Corporate plunderers grab an ever-growing share of profits while workers’ salaries dwindle. The price of oil skyrockets, and we shamelessly import the oil we have in overabundance in our backyard. More youths are beginning to learn that a commoner’s dream is an extravagant enterprise. They have learnt to bury their hopes for a secure future.

    Yeah, bad news is in the air. We worry and gripe about it. Bloggers rant about it. We have even learnt to joke about it. But it’s time we do something about it. We should endeavour to rescue our world. It takes so much effort to be cynical and vengeful, let us channel such efforts into more profitable enterprise, like visionary politics, honest labour and reorientation.

    It’s about time we projected more progressive views of our world. Let us begin to seek the upright amongst us. They aren’t so hard to find. They are the paltry few we love to haze and deride for being too “conservative,” “stupid” and “pretentious.” They believe in justice, equality and the rule of law. They are pious without being self-righteous, they are responsible, tolerant, and in many ways, more evolved.

    I propose an agenda for our generation, a blueprint of things to be done that serve our common need for conscientious leadership, sustainable jobs, peace, security to mention a few. We need a practicable and all-inclusive plan; a proposal of shared targets and intentions with broad based support and the moral and political will to implement its mechanisms and ends.

    Pamela Braide, Babatunde Olusegun (Mode 9), Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Tolu Ogunlesi and company, it’s time to breathe life into familiar gripe and protestations. We have the common need of a future worth anticipating and living.

    Majority of our founding fathers were only in their 20s and 30s at the time they put Nigeria positively on the world map. There was no magic to their strivings; they simply towed the slow, steady path of honesty, perseverance, irrepressible pride and nationalism. They never sought hand-outs on a platter of lies and loser mentality. They simply chose to become their own heroes.

  • If it requires emergency…

    If it requires emergency…

    It is trite now isn’t it to interrogate the necessity of the emergency proclamation on a vast chunk of Nigeria’s northeast region? A Presidential announcement had gone out over two weeks ago and the National Assembly has also cast the stamp of law on it giving us: The Emergency Proclamation Act, 2013. Declaring ‘war’ on insurgents who have been terrorizing the state of Nigeria since 2009 is perhaps, President Goodluck Jonathan’s boldest step in two years of his administration. It is no doubt his smartest move so far earning him loud applause by the populace. Why it took so long in coming having claimed the lives of no fewer that 3000 Nigerians, is indeed, the question many are asking?

    By way of background, the large swathe of land covering the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe has the longest border areas northeast of Nigeria covering the stretch of Cameroon, Chad and Niger republics. These are largely unmanned territories; more like ‘no-man’s land’. Over the years, a motley coalition of marabouts, marauders, religious fanatics, shamans, trans-border gangs and fleeing Al qaeda elements have found home in this virtual waste land. Over the years, they have become overlords of this stark mountainous vast land and unchallenged, they continued to get emboldened and grow in influence. These people living in the extreme fringes found more accommodation when they were recruited as political tugs and enforcers. Over time, they began to show the locals some form of leadership mixed with religious fervor, a duty governments in the area had long abdicated. This of course won them followership of the teeming masses of the citizenry. The ‘Islamist’ sects were therefore, only tried to fill a vacuum created by government over the years.

    Sending a mass of troops, tanks and air-power to Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States while laudable, is really the easy part and certainly not the solution. It is at best, a palliative and at worst the beginning of a protracted terrorist war to be prosecuted in tricky desert-cum hill country terrains. What we have embraced rather too enthusiastically is unfortunately, not a shooting expedition; it is a thinking engagement, an intelligence excursion. It is an economic war and most important, a challenge to leadership. While emergency proclamation is good in so far as it wins us some respite from incessant suicide bombings and stems the slaughter of innocent citizens, it is quality leadership that will win the ‘war’, sustain peace and usher progress for a new Nigeria.

    Unfortunately, we are in a clime where government deigns to solve social problems without a thorough understanding of the cause. I wager that this government has not rigorously diagnosed the root cause of the Boko Haram insurgency, the violent crimes and extreme social malaise plaguing every corner of our country today. It is troubling to hear the puerile and common conclusions that poverty and underdevelopment are at the root of our current woes. And one is doubly troubled to see government’s facile response to the problem with such policies as Almajiri Schools, road construction and other ad-hoc measures. We also shudder when we hear the president speak of glittering successes in the fight against terror.

    Sorry, the problem is deep, very deep. What we suffer today is five decades of mis-governance and the trouble is that we still don’t get it; we still have not diagnosed the cancer, the ailment continues to fester. We are today, harvesting the evil weeds planted wittingly and unwittingly by the successive governments of Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, Shehu Shagari, Mohammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha, Abdulsalam Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and now, Goodluck Jonathan. It must be said without equivocation that none of our past helmsmen was an outstanding leader. They all seem to have emanated from the same umbilical cord and therefore, have used the same reactionary template to approach Nigeria’s governance.

    We are saying that governance is not rocket science. It does not require any act of genius to deliver a modicum of good governance any where; all that is required is to keep faith with the system. For instance if the federal and state governments in Nigeria keep faith with their annual budgets for the next two years, half of all our trouble will abate.

    In fact, it’s the budget, stupid. It is the lack of keeping faith with the annual budgets at all levels that has impoverished the people; that damaged all the institutions and social systems. The police college that became no better than a pig’s sty before our eyes and before the eyes of all the successive governments listed above is budget failure. The entire police establishment which over the years was reduced to a hollow shell bereft sense, essence or intelligence, is a budget issue. The BOKO Haram insurgents, the hardened youthful kidnapper, the child-trafficker and baby merchant are all largely results of impaired budgeting over five decades. If funds trickled down to all the nooks and cranny of the country, to every facet of live of the people as designed in annual budgets, half of these problems would have been attenuated.

    The other half would be tinkering with our geographical configuration and fiscal structures with the aim of unbundling the polity for better performance. For instance, why is the federal government keeping over 50% of the nation’s revenues most of which goes to running a lumbersome and parasitic bureaucracy? Does President Jonathan have the vision and drive to wrought fundamental changes in the polity that will emancipate the country and give her fresh impetus? These are the emergencies we need.

    What we are suggesting here therefore, is that we just might require emergency proclamation in the nature, tenor and character of our leadership lest we would not have moved one step forward six months down the road. We ask that emergency should be the beginning of a rethink of the current mode of governance; a time to look at the template we have used over the years and make critical amends. If it requires emergency…

     

    LAST MUG: Indecorous Obasanjo

    Ouch! That is terribly in bad taste and tends towards an unbecoming meanness of mind. How on earth could Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former president, statesman and member of the National Council of State (NCS) choose to attend Jigawa State function over a Presidential Democracy Day ceremony? Obasanjo did not only hang out with Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State last Wednesday, May 29, he openly put down President Goodluck Jonathan and lame-ducked him to no end.

    That is in very bad taste, crude and un-presidential; we expect more restraint from elders especially of Obasanjo’s status in times of national crisis and not to throw petrol at the fire. In trying to hit at the incumbent, he is unwittingly desecrating our Presidency and that sacred stool. To think that Obasanjo brought us all to this sorry pass; that he also failed woefully in his eight years rule not being able to deliver any critical infrastructure. Yes we may be disappointed with Jonathan’s presidency but we are even more pissed off with Obasanjo’s restlessness and infantile grandstanding. What makes him think he has the divine right to choose and foist presidential candidates on Nigerians? We have learnt our lessons, which I believe includes shunning anybody supported by Obasanjo when next we vote.

  • Summit for peace

    Summit for peace

    In every moment of frenzy there must be a pacific indication of tranquility. Such indication came to the fore twice in the past one week in Nigeria. One took place in Abuja on Thursday, May 16, 2013. The other surfaced in Ibadan on Sunday, May 19, 2013. Yours sincerely was a witness to both. At Abuja, an international conference was organised to further the course of peace by an international Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) called Global Peace Foundation (GPF). The objective was to douse any prevalent religious tension in Nigeria by ventilating conducive atmosphere for peaceful coexistence of all and sundry. Thus, the leadership of the two Nigerian prominent religions (Islam and Christianity) were invited as the horse’s mouth from which the multitude Nigerian adherent of both religions could hear the sacred rhyme of interfaith.

    Among the prominent personalities invited to the conference were His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa‘ad Abubakar III, who is the President General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) as well as the Sultan of Sokoto and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. Both are co-Chairmen of Nigerian Inter-religious Council (NIREC). The facilitator was Bishop Sunday Onuoha. Some other important personalities present at the occasion include the first Governor of Rivers State(1967-1975), King Alfred Diete Spiff, the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass; a one-time Governor of Imo State, Major-General Ike Umaru Sanda Nwachukwu; the Prelate of Methodist Church, Bishop Olu Makinde; the former Chairman of EFCC, Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu; a former Minister of State for Education, Hajia Aisha Duku; the former Director of Nigerian Arabic Village, Professor Tijani Almiskeen, a frontline member of the Nigerian Council of Ulamai, Barrister Muzammil Hanga; a onetime Editor of New Nigeria newspaper, Hajia Bilkisu Yusuf and a host of others including yours sincerely. The venue of the consultative summit was Abuja Sheraton Hotel.

    His Eminence, the Sultan, could not personally attend but was ably represented by a brilliant and very articulate traditional ruler, His Royal Highness the Andoma of Ndoma, Nasarawa State, who captivated the audience with his unsurpassed eloquence while marshalling facts with figures. His submission was greeted with a very thunderous applause and overwhelming ovation. The opening remark he gave on behalf of His Eminence the Sultan became the main axis around which other speeches were weaved. Each of the speakers emphasised the need to de-politicise religion and tribal differences especially in Nigeria.

    Global Peace Foundation (GPF) is an international non-profit making organisation intended to promote world peace and cooperation with the motto “One Family under God.” Established in 2007 by Hyun Jin Preston Moon, a son of the South Korean founder of Unification Church, Sun Myung Moon, the Foundation was originally called the Global Peace Festival and later changed to Global Peace Festival Foundation before it finally assumed the name Global Peace Foundation (GPF). The International President of the Foundation is Mr. James P. Flynn who, in his welcome address, called the attention of the audience to the modern technological advancement which he said has turned the entire world into a global village but is unfortunately helpless in promoting global peace and tranquility among races of mankind.

    While admitting that the current challenges of insecurity are not peculiar to Nigeria, Mr. Flynn asserted that Nigeria could however surmount those challenges if such vices as corruption, drug and human trafficking as well as tribal and religious conflicts could be effectively curbed through the utilisation of the modern technology for peace building. According to him, no nation can correctly claim to be educated and civilised through political or economic means to the detriment of peace building and he concluded that only identification and respect for individual uniqueness can facilitate an identity of common humanity with one family under God.

    The summit was a vivid reminder of a historic pact which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) signed on behalf of Islam with Christian leaders from St. Catherine’s Monastery in 628 CE to facilitate peaceful coexistence of adherents of the two religions. The details of that pact were published in this column on March 12, 2010. But since they still remain very relevant the article may be recalled very soon.

     

    New exco for Oyo Muslim community

    In Ibadan, Oyo State, all roads led to the multibillion naira residence of Alhaji Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao, the Aare Musulumi of Yoruba land last Sunday. Leaders of Islamic faith consisting of men, women and youth trooped into Aare’s residence from all parts of the state for a unique meeting at which a new foundation was laid for rebuilding the state’s Muslim Community. Present at the occasion were the Chief Imam of Ibadan land, Sheikh Busari Shuara Haruna III; the Chairman of Ibadan Muslim Community who is also the Chairman of Central Council of Ibadan Indigines (CCII), Alhaji (Chief) Mustapha Adebayo Oyero; the Iya Adini of Yoruba land, Alhaja Sekinat Aderoju Adekola; the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) who is also the outgoing Chairman of Oyo State Muslim Community, Alhaji Abdul Waheed Akin Olajide; the Ibadan Imamate in Council; the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO); the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), the Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN) the collective body of Muslim Professionals; and a galaxy of other invitees from Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos states.

    The occasion was meant for the inauguration of a new Executive Council for Oyo State Muslim Community. Prior to that occasion, an electoral college (Majlisu Shura) headed by Dr. Daud Amoo (Alaga) was appointed to elect a new Executive Council following the completion of the tenure of the former Executive Council led by Alhaji Akin Olajide. The new Executive Council as announced by the Chairman of Majlisu Shura is being led by Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni the erstwhile National President of NACOMYO while the new Secretary is Alhaji Murziq Bidemi Siyanbade who replaces the outgoing Secretary, Alhaji Abdul Wahab Gbadeyanka.

    The occasion was unique not only because of the seeming vibrancy in the formidable leadership of the new Council but also because of the Ummah’s great expectations from it. Alhaji Kunle Sanni is nationally known for his relentless Islamic activities and his unflinching dedication to the course of Islam innately and outwardly. He is the first national President of NACOMYO which he had jointly nourished to the national level with some other brothers and sisters in Oyo State. NACOMYO started locally as Council of Muslim Youth Organisation of COMYO which he (Kunle Sanni) lifted to the national level. He has since been in the frontline of Islamic activism both at the regional and national levels.

    Today, as the Chairman of Muslim Community of Oyo State, Kunle has assumed a new posture that may create a new hope and engender new and higher expectations in the State’s Muslim Ummah. And he seems to be very much aware of this and he showed preparedness for it in his acceptance speech. In that speech, he remembered the occasion which brought Abubakr Siddiq to the Caliphate after his election by a shura following the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He therefore started his acceptance speech using the same words that Caliph Abubakar used in accepting his choice as the new Chairman thus: “My dear people, you have made me your leader though I am not the best of you; If you find me doing well, please, support and encourage me; But I make mistake do not hesitate in correcting me for I am neither perfect nor infallible….”. He then went ahead to make certain promises with which to allay the fear of the Ummah by stating that with the new Executive Council, a revolution was in the making for the administration of the Community during his tenure. “I can assure you with the support of our fathers, the Imams and the Muslim elders in the State that in sha’Allah this tenure will be a success story. We shall use our Mosques effectively as it is being done in other parts of the world Madrasah, Hospitals and Marriage Counselling and settlement of communal or interpersonal rifts within the Community”. The new Chairman of the called for the cooperation of Muslim professionals and thanked all and sundry particularly Aare Arisekola Alao whose incessant support has become a permanent pillar of reliability.

    The new secretary is also like the new Chairman in dedication and commitment to service. His nomination, like that of the Chairman did not meet any opposition. The duo have thus become like a pair of scissors sometimes dwelling differently but firmly tied together naturally to jointly operate effectively. More than ever before, this is the time that the Muslim Community of Oyo State needs every one’s cooperation to remain afloat.

    The Message wishes the new Executive Council of Oyo State Muslim Community a very successful tenure and spiritual strength to carry out the assignment ahead of it with Allah’s guidance and support.

     

    Nature’s voice

     

    An adage in Yoruba language becomes axiomatic when the above narrations about peace conference in Abuja and inauguration of a new Executive Council for Oyo State Muslim Community are compared to the natural disaster last Monday in the United States. That adage states that though vulture and the monkey dwell in the same forest, their ailments are dissimilar and their cure remain dissimilar. While the vulture is bald on the head, the monkey is bald in the bottom.

    It was another thunderous day of rage last Monday in Oklahoma, United States. A terrible tornado jumped onto the stage of human existence and launched a devastating protest that put technology to shame. Residential houses, office buildings, factories, school buildings, animals, vehicles and even human beings were forcefully squeezed together into sheer rubbles thereby leaving human civilization in tartars. It was a disaster of no comparison. No one knew what the tornado was protesting against. But the frequency of its protest at that particular area of the country is an indication that nature is speaking a language which man is yet to understand or able to interpret correctly.

    Moore, a suburban town of about 56,000 inhabitants in the vicinity of Oklahma city felt the effect of the rage most. The first memorable time a tornado of that magnitude voiced out nature’s anger was in 1925 when over 600 people weathered the storm with their lives. It has since repeated itself almost in like manners. But the most recent ones before last Monday were those of 1999 and 2003 both of which forced the governments of the area to begin again. The voice of last Monday’s tornado might not be loud enough to heard in all parts of the world but the impact of its 45 minutes action in Oklahoma area alone was louder than the combined noise that all European and American atomic and nuclear arsenal could make at once. With the occurrences of tornado, hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, earthquake and tsunami in different parts of the world, man is being frequently reminded that without serenity of nature mankind is incapable of causing or quelling any trouble.

    At a Press Conference last Tuesday in Oklahoma, the Governor of the State, Mary Fallin said it was one of the “most horrific storms and disasters that this state has ever faced.” Based on the medical report available at that time, she put the casualty figure at about 24 but added that the figure could rise as over 230 people were said to be injured while about 100 others were safely rescued from the rubbles. But at the point of sending this article last Wednesday, the casualty figure had risen to 92 while many hundreds of people were still missing. No technology could stop the horrifying tornado from travelling at a speed of 320 kilometres per hour while covering an area of about two miles in its merciless surge. It is a confirmation that nature also has a way of putting man in check and re-shaping his destiny in a way.

    For African countries like Nigeria which have no such experience, there is a lesson to learn. If God endows you with the kind of clement weather you enjoy, why must you subject yourselves to the wicked artificial deaths you are inflict on others through terrorism and other vices? Can clemency be compared to disaster? Life, even to nature, is sacred. For nature, taking it by any means is only a matter of inevitability. Whoever claims to be killing fellow human being in the name of Islam without passing through a legal means is surely an agent of Satan who must be condemned by all genuine Muslims. The true picture of Islam was demonstrated in the pact which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) signed with the leadership of Christianity in 628 CE. Please, read that fully in this column next Friday.