The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • On our common bond

    On our common bond

    By Segun Gbadegesin

     

    Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu just turned a new age and in a tradition established twelve years ago, his birthday was marked with a feast of ideas on a topical subject titled “Our Common Bond, Our Commonwealth: The imperative of national cohesion for growth and prosperity.” This is a most important subject for these times, and it has received requisite attention from discussants since the event. No doubt, there will be more contributions in media and scholarly forums as should be. There should be a renewed and focused attention on this issue which is rightly considered as foundational in the quest for national advancement.

    Over the years, we have devoted scores of pages of this column to the question that the Asiwaju Tinubu Birthday Colloquium addressed. These include, among others, “To build a nation” (October 3, 2008), “From plurality to what?” (August 23, 2013), “National integration and the challenge of origin” (May 2, 2014), “Zones of disaffection” (1 & 2) (October 30 and November 6, 2015), “What makes a nation?” (June 24, 2016), “Politics of principle or division” (March 8, 2019), “On Tinubu and the bridging of division” (March 29, 2019), “A nation divided” (November 20, 2020), and “Seeking common ground” (December 11, 2020). Needless to add, our common bond as a nation has been an obsession of this column as it is with numerous compatriots.

    In “To build a nation”, we made copious references to historical precedents in nation building, from the city states of Greece to Rousseau’s adored Geneva. We compared the experience of contemporary Switzerland in nation building with the artificial unity that Tito imposed on Yugoslavia and the disaster that befell it. The point of those examples was to reiterate the importance of adequate nurturing with openness and transparency in nation-building. It took the Swiss three centuries to establish common citizenship for all their cantons. It was as a result of the voluntary will of the people, not an imposition from an emperor or a dictator.

    In “What makes a nation?” we lamented the fact that more than one hundred years after the birth of modern Nigeria, “there can be no credible denial of its tottering steps to true nationhood.” I observed that even if we dismissed Boko Haram as a fanatical Jihadist insurgency without an ethnic coloration, both IPOB and NDA “have not been ambiguous in declaring the objective of their struggle. Neither of these groups feels a sense of belonging to the Nigerian nation.”

    In what has now turned out to be prophetic, I warned that it “is a terrible mistake to think that these two groups are outliers in an otherwise assembly of patriotic groups in the Nigerian nation space.” I observed that this country has never enjoyed “a total commitment and patriotic sense of attachment to the nation.” Now this is being confirmed anew by the declaration of Oduduwa Republic. As we also know, on several occasions, between 1953 and 1966, and recently, the Fulani have also indicated their willingness and readiness to quit. If no ethnic nationality is completely at ease with the nation as it stands, where is the common bond that glues them together?

    Focusing on the history of our ethnic nationalities, compared with that of European nations, including France, England, Italy, and Spain at the time of their creation, we are not far from where we should be. Germanic invasion of Europe created these nations. What helped them was the decision of the invaders to assimilate and take over the language of their victims. It was what Dan Fodio and Oduduwa also did. Their hegemony took hold and nations were born.

    The British came and left intact the languages, cultures, religion, and customs they met. But they did more, and unless we acknowledge this point, we are not moving forward, despite our rhetorical flourish. The British divided and conquered. They believed it was their interest to sow discord and division. A common bond was anathema to their mission. They favored one nationality over others. Inter-ethnic nationality mistrust was the fruit of that policy.

    Ernest Renan suggests that the memory of a historic past, of ancestral sacrifices, of common suffering and common joy are integral to the spiritual principle that constitutes the nation. Every ethnic nationality has these in abundance, but not the Nigerian nation. The Ogoni have a memory of the Ogoni 9 and the common suffering of environmental disaster. The Igbo have a common memory of human disaster during the civil war. The Fulani have a memory of January 1966. The Yoruba do not forget June 12. These are sub-national common bonds. Where is the national bond?

    As I argued in that piece almost five years ago, if memory does not unify, or if it serves to divide, “then we need the mental attitude of forgetfulness.” If memory doesn’t serve our purpose of national integration, we must forget the past and move on. But as I also observed with concern in that piece, the challenge of genuine nationalists, who don’t prioritize ethnic loyalty behind a facade of pan-Nigerian nationalism, is that many citizens who would otherwise choose to forget the past and move on, feel that they are still being forced to remember:

    “Many now have problem of forgetting the past and joining others toward the writing of the Nigerian history as a nation that we want to be. They feel that at every point they are still being reminded of past atrocities even when they try to forget. They feel like second-tier citizens. Whether in reaction to policy decision and implementation, appointments and deployments, a feeling of helplessness and betrayal is hardly a positive factor in instilling the national consciousness that is needed for nation-building.” This is still true today.

    I should conclude. But let me also note that ethnic and religious diversities are in themselves not critical to our understanding of the parlous state of national cohesion. As I observed in “A nation divided” (November 20, 2020), “difference is not division and sameness is not unity. Identity is neither good nor bad. It is value neutral. But it can be mismanaged when it is deployed and exploited for political advantage…Our story has been one of mismanagement of what many have come to decry as the artificial character of our national existence.”

    Truth be told, we cannot experience the joy of a common bond if leaders present nationalistic outlook in public while they not only nurse and project ethnocentric sentiments in private, but they also defiantly act on such sentiments. As I also observed in “A nation divided”, we are divided now more than ever because we have abandoned the original purpose of building a nation where no man/woman is oppressed. We have failed to honor our flag as a symbol of truth and justice. And peace and plenty have eluded us.

    Let every national or state leader look into the inner recesses of their consciousness. What drives their actions and policies? Do they pretend pan-Nigeria nationalism while really advancing ethnic agenda? Our people are not stupid and hate to be perceived as such. You cannot advance an ethnic or religious agenda and preach national integration and expect Nigerians to believe you. This is the crux of the matter. Privileged citizens must refuse the temptation to be greedy. Promote health, knowledge, and prosperity of all, and you can expect that they will see the country as their own to cherish and to love.

    It is fitting that Tinubu’s special day is headlined by the issue of our common bond and our commonwealth. Since the early 1990s when he served in the Senate through the trying years of military rule, to the struggle for civil rule, his service as the first citizen of Lagos State, and his post-governorship efforts for a strong democracy with effective party system that cuts across our natural fault lines, Tinubu has positioned himself as a bridge builder, an agent of national unity. Here’s wishing him many more years of selfless devotion to the cause of a true democracy which doesn’t negate the spirit of brotherhood/sisterhood, and no one is oppressed.

     

    Happy Birthday, Asiwaju. Igba odun, odun kan.

  • Welcoming the Guest of Guests 2

    Welcoming the Guest of Guests 2

    By FEMI ABBAS

     

    Monologue

    In a few days’ time, the world will play host to a unique but abstract guest that will perch on the shores of human life with special grandeur of accurate clues to human complex problems. This genderless guest will come with an array of clemency that will qualify it as the bearer of  a timely succour. The arrival of this guest will be the divine catalyst by which the long awaited respite will be ushered into the minds of all genuine Muslims, throughout the world. When it comes, that catalyst will serve as a replacement for the current tribulations that intensely grip the entire mankind by the jugular. The name of the Guest, is RAMADAN.

     

    Why Ramadan?

    “The ninth lunar month called Ramadan, in which fasting is divinely ordained, derived its name from the Arabic word ‘Ramd’ (meaning baking). That name had been in existence before the advent of Islamic calendar. It was coined from a baking summer that used to come after the spring which followed the freezing winter before the advent of Islam.

     

    The Mission of Ramadan

    Ever since it became a major attribute to Islam, Ramadan’s mission has been to firm up all loose ends in the life of Muslims. And, it does that with a ruling touch of perfection.

    The 30 or 29 days of this Holy Month are fully spent by Muslims in fasting from dawn to dusk. Such fasting is not about abstinence from foods and drinks alone. It is also about self-restraint from all sinful acts and self-equipment with a reign of impeccable discipline.  More importantly, Ramadan is about repackaging human destiny through a new but sincere resolution.

    Fasting during this sacred month is figuratively believed to be the burner of all sins. It was in this glorious month that the revelation of the divinely reformative guidance called the Qur’an first began in 610 CE.

     

    In Retrospect

    Yours sincerely can vividly recall the description given this sacred month in this column, some years ago, which is still as relevant today as it was then. That description went thus: “Once every year, something creeps glamorously into the world like the early morning light. It moves kaleidoscopically into an arena where the center becomes its stool. It lifts its unraveling veil and beams a special focus on the world with an arresting attention during the days. It envelops the nights in a shroud of divine covenant to enable it link up believers’ dreams directly with their fulfillments. No one, except the Almighty Allah, knows Ramadan’s port of embarkation and no human being can claim to know its destination. All we know of this sacred month is that of a Guest that is so vividly present in our world and yet so physically invisible. Its arrival in the world is often heralded by a retinue of other lunar months that form its entourage. The two most prominent among those lunar months are ‘Rajab’ and Sha’ban’.

     

    Classification

    Traditionally, Ramadan is classified into three main segments. The first ten days in the month constitute the first segment that is said to be of blessings galore for pious Muslims who need Allah’s blessings and seek them spiritually. The second ten days constitute the second segment that is believed to personify forgiveness for those who are ready to repent on their sins and seek forgiveness on them. And, the last ten days, are divinely earmarked for spiritual emancipation of mankind from the shackles of satanic   slavery. Thus, Ramadan, in the psychological and spiritual comprehension of its mission, in the life of mankind, is, by far, beyond an ordinary   month. It should   rather be seen as a whole season that serves as an exemplary template for other seasons.

     

    The Night of Power

    It is in the last segment of Ramadan, which consists of the last ten days of the sacred month, that a particular night called Night of Power (LaylatulQadr), in which the secret of human destiny is encapsulated. Meeting that night consciously and spiritually is like securing the master key to one’s own permanent apartment in Paradise. However, to meet that night, there is a proviso. And, the proviso is that one needs to remain awake throughout those last 10 nights to be fortunate to meet the D night of majesty.

     

    Identity of LayulatulQadr

    Meeting LaylatuQadr in its full regalia is a serious matter of efforts rather than that of mere guessing. It must, however, be noted that Allah did not disclose, even to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which particular night of the sacred month of Ramadan is called LaylatulQadr. Nevertheless, by asking the Muslims to look for it in the odd nights of the last ten days, the Prophet has helped the rightly guided Muslim Ummah tremendously. But, who can be so sure of the odd nights in that segment of the month, these days, when the issue of sighting the crescent before commencing Ramadan fast is often controversial? That is why it is better for all fasting Muslims to keep the entire 10 nights of that segment awake.

     

    Respect for Seasons

    Europeans have so much respect for seasons that whenever they are visited by an important guest, they give him a seasonal   treatment and call him an ‘August visitor’. This is because the month of August that shares that honourary term as a matter of nomenclature is the peak of summer season that harbours hospitality at its peak for the Caucasian race of Europe. In Islam, the most venerable guest of the year, throughout the world, is the month of RAMADAN. Yet, the visiting time of that sacred month is not restricted to any particular season.

     

    A Guest of All Seasons

    The arrival of Ramadan in the world may coincide with that of any season. And that is what qualifies it eminently to be called the Guest of all seasons.

    With Ramadan as a Guest, therefore, not only the Muslims but the entire humanity is consciously or unconsciously engaged in hospitable activities as a show of respect for that great Guest. Those who cannot fast in that sacred month do take advantage of its presence to readjust their social conducts by taming the brute in them even as some of them engage in buying and selling of some relevant needs either for the purpose of humanitarian gesture or for strengthening social acquaintances. Thus, there can be no indifference to the awful presence of Ramadan in any part of the world.

     

    Ramadan’s Convoy

    As an annual   principal Guest, Ramadan does not come into the world of man all alone. It is always accompanied by an entourage that forms its convoy. Thus, like the sun in the midst of stars, Ramadan, on its arrival in the world, ascends the throne of destiny in full regalia while all other months, (lunar and solar) quickly take their bow in salutation.

    In that grandiose circumstance, Ramadan can be called the King where other months are just chiefs and it can be called the Doctor in a world where people are physically and spiritually handicapped. It can also be called the compass with which to find the right way in the wilderness of life. And, because of its multipurpose posture, this same sacred month can also be called the sanitizer of human soul, the sterilizer of human spirit as well as the immunizer of human biological system. Besides the lunar months of Rajab and Sh’aban that lead the convoy of Ramadan into the world, a retinue of invisible ministers is also in its convoy to serve as parts of its entourage. Among such Ministers are piety, knowledge, truth, justice and peace. All of these jointly usher that Guest of guests into the world with rare splendour”.

     

    Indices of Recognition

    Although the indices of recognizing the beginning and the end of the month of Ramadan are naturally vivid to those who care, sighting the crescent of hope is foremost among those indices.

    Ramadan is not preceded by two glorious lunar months of ‘Rajab’ and ‘Sha’ban for fun. The number of days in those two months is to enable any serious Muslim know the time of the arrival of Ramadan and prepare for it. In Islam, no lunar month exceeds 30 days and none is less than 29 days.

    Therefore, crescent or no crescent, it is very possible and easy to know when to start Ramadan every year even without waiting to be prompted. The regular confusion often created by the sighting or non-sighting of the crescent, especially before the commencement of Ramadan is therefore avoidable especially where Allah’s instruction in Q. 5:59 is sincerely followed.

     

    Preparation

    Islam is neither a religion of spiritual levity nor that of commercial venture. The spiritual seriousness of this divine religion is such that everything that needs to be done in it requires preparation.

    For instance, to observe daily prayer (Salat), Muslims do prepare by performing ablution (Wudu’) or even special bath (Guslu) when necessary. To pay obligatory annual charity (Zakah), Muslims do prepare by calculating their annual income and by working out the ordained net end of that annual income (Nisab) from which the payable amount of Zakah should be deducted. And to perform Hajj, Muslims do prepare by knotting a spiritually guided intention to that effect and by settling any outstanding debt as well as by taking care of the home front to guarantee food and social security for the family members to be left behind before proceeding on pilgrimage. It is that same spiritual concept of preparation that warrants the monitoring of the appearance of the crescent as a precursor of Ramadan fast.

     

    Spiritual Seclusion

    The last segment of 10 days of in the month of Ramadan also grants a rare opportunity to some willing Muslims, in accordance with the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), to either go for Umrah in Makkah or take to spiritual seclusion (I’tikaf) locally, as a way of reaffirming their total submission to Allah. Following this is a session of charity (ZakatulFitr) made compulsory for all Muslims to pay irrespective of age, gender and status. Such charity is given to the poor and the needy especially in the neighbourhood or in a  lager vicinity. It is given out in the very early morning of Ramadan Festivity called ‘IdulFitr’ or the night before it, to enable those poor and  needyones celebrate the festival with the Ummah in a festive mood.

     

    Anti-climax

    The first day of the month of Shawwal, immediately after Ramadan, which is traditionally spent in great celebrations with rejoice and observed as ‘Fast-Breaking Festival’ (EidulFitr) by Muslims through a congregational prayer is the anti-climax of the sacred month of Ramadan. That festival itself has its own preparation and methodology.

     

    Paradise and Hell

    In the sacred month of Ramadan, all gates of Paradise, according to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), are wide open for all those aspiring to gain entry into it while the gates of Hell are tightly closed. That is a mark of Allah’s mercy for remorseful Muslims

    who do not want to remain fetteredtp the manacles of Satan.

     

    Questions

    Looking at the uniqueness of Islam as a religion in terms of constant hygiene, decent dressing, spiritual discipline in observance of Salat, the spirit of charity which Zakah and Sadaqah represent, the rules and regulations guiding social interaction during Hajj performance and the codes of the divine law that governs the lives of Muslims as accentuated by the month of Ramadan, one cannot but ask relevant questions as follows:

    Where else can one find a Guest like Ramadan? Where else can one meet a Guest that serves as the host to his supposed hosts and becomes a supernatural Doctor that heals mankind of ignorance, poverty and physical diseases? It was probably more to Ramadan than to man that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) referred when he said: “whoever believes in Allah and the ‘Last Day’ should venerate his guests”. That is why Muslims often greet one another in this uniquely great   month thus:

    ‘RAMADAN KARIM!

     

     

     

  • The unfair burden of rural Nigeria

    The unfair burden of rural Nigeria

    By Segun Gbadegesin

     

    I want to discuss rural Nigeria and its unfair burden of existence. But I must confess that I face a real burden of definition. The rural-urban divide has been variously characterized, by the density of population, nature of predominant occupation, prevalence of factories and industries, and availability of utilities, including electricity and potable water.

    For some experts, rural communities come in different shapes and sizes, with populations ranging from less than 2500 to more than 10,000 most of whom engage in subsistence agriculture, and having large swaths of undeveloped land. There are no factories or industries, and are largely without access to essential utilities.

    While this description may be useful for neat classification, it achieves neatness at the expense of functionality. It is more rewarding to see the rural-urban divide as a continuum, the two ends of which define the extremes of rurality and urbanity. Between these two poles, there is a vast middle which can go either way. What is most important for my focus here, however, is how this vast middle is treated policy-wise.

    Let us note that going by the population criterion, many local government areas in the country will not qualify as rural. The lowest of them had 37,000 in 2006 with a projection of 51,000 for 2016. But while this number is for an entire local government, villages and towns within it will have much less. It is therefore within the realm of possibility that even some local government headquarters may qualify as rural.

    Being rural should not be a curse. Indeed, in view of the congestion of urban cities, rural living should be a preferred alternative. That is, where government policies make rural living bearable and comfortable. Were this to be the case, an additional great consequence would be a desirable reduction in rural-urban migration and thus in the problems and challenges of urban congestion.

    But consider with me the following true stories:

    1. A rural community hospital was allocated medical equipment by the state government. But shortly after delivery, and before the hospital started using the equipment, the same state government sent a truck to evacuate the equipment for reallocation to a general hospital in the state capital. It took a loud protest of the community leaders and several trips to the state capital before the matter was resolved and the governor backed down.
    2. Armed robbers attacked a rural community bank and the police station in town, damaging the armory and the entire building. Residents mobilized and counter attacked the armed robbers, arrested them and handed them over to the police. The police unit was withdrawn from the town because they cannot use the damaged building and will not agree to a temporary location in town. The community had to bear the cost of repairing the police station.
    3. Security in rural communities is as dicey as in urban capitals. But while capital cities can rely on full security details, Operation Gbale, Operation Burst, etc. without authorities imposing financial burden on residents, rural communities, including local government headquarters, are almost always made to bear the financial burden for the provision of essentials such as housing, power supply, and general upkeep of security details in their communities.
    4. Rural communities struggle to have higher institutions located for the benefit of their young ones. It would also draw development to the communities and reduce rural-urban migration with its many attendant problems. But while urbanites and residents of state capitals never have to make contributions towards the location of higher institutions in their cities, rural communities are not so lucky. They have to provide land, build classrooms, and supply equipment.

    The above is just a snippet from one corner of the country. But I am sure it will resonate with rural residents of other states. Is this fair or just? What does justice demand or require in the distribution of benefits and burdens of social life between rural dwellers and urbanites, between capitals and peripheries?

    Let me suggest that the question of the fairness or justice, or indeed, the defensibility of each of the cases above is not a simple straightforward issue. Sure, each of them appears unfair on its face value. But I can see an approach that tries to justify one or two of them.

    Consider the first case of a governor ordering the removal of medical equipment from one rural hospital to an urban hospital. What could be his justification?  From a policy perspective, he may argue that the equipment can be put to better use for a greater number of people in the urban hospital. This is a utilitarian perspective. Whether this was the governor’s explicit rationale or whether his was just a contemptuous disregard for the humanity of the rural community is hard to tell. Matters of motivation are notoriously indecipherable.

    Indeed, the consideration of a contemptuous attitude cannot be ruled out in view of the government’s modus operandi in the matter. A truck just showed up in the driveway of the hospital to remove the equipment. There wasn’t any prior consultation with the community. There was no explanation. There was no offer of alternatives.

    But assume that the governor was motivated by utilitarian considerations and his calculation was that more people stood to benefit from the equipment in the city than in the rural area. Doesn’t such a policy amount to an unjust sacrifice of the health of rural dwellers for the wellbeing of the city dwellers? And if considerations of utility are the yardstick for distributing the benefits and burdens of social life across communities, will rural communities with less population ever be advantaged? This is the heart of the challenge of the social policies that we have favored as a nation.

    The second case is even a more egregious violation of the demand of justice without a redeeming utilitarian value. It is a case of punishing a community for a crime committed by armed robbers. This, despite the bravery the community residents demonstrated in repelling the attack and getting the robbers arrested. Why should it be the responsibility of the community to rebuild the police station? What are security votes for?

    Even more repugnant to good governance was the fact that the police personnel were completely withdrawn from the community until the station was certified as repaired. Even after the certification, it took the intervention of a God-fearing Abuja-based senior police officer to demand that the police be returned to their post in the town. Did the government care that other armed robbers or bandits may have taken advantage of the vacuum they created?

    Now, the government is not without a possible defence in both cases. It may be argued that rural communities contribute less to the social pool of resources than urban areas and state capitals. And if we are concerned about justice, it should not just be about the fairness of distribution, it should most importantly be a reflection of the fairness of contribution. What is contributed is what is distributed. This argument would make sense if it was really true in our context. The truth of the matter is that most Nigerians are not tax payers. Since the early seventies, the nation has depended on oil revenue than income taxes for projects and services. Therefore, scapegoating rural communities is itself an unfair attack.

    These two cases demonstrate the fact that the cause of justice is not served by how we treat our rural communities. But as important as justice is, we should also worry that the consequence of such policies is detrimental to peace and stability.

    Rural communities hardly riot or stage protest rallies. So the effect of such policies on peace is at best indirect. One such is increased rural-urban migration when young ones, lacking opportunity for progress and development in their communities, relocate to urban centers and state capitals. Without sellable skills, they typically become vagabonds, easily radicalized and recruited into gangs and cults, with deadly consequences. They become dangers to themselves, to the urban centers, and to the nation. Obviously, how we uncaringly treat rural communities have reverberating consequences for the entire nation.

  • Islam and Nigerian Media

    Islam and Nigerian Media

    By Femi Abbas

    Monologue

    From all observable angles, the Nigerian media, as championed by the South West axis of professional journalism, is the main arena to which Nigerian Muslims are regularly drawn into a spiritual war. And, of course, Islam is the main target of its satanic missiles. If there is any religious tension in the country, at any time, the media is where to search for its cause. The bellicose news reports deliberately aimed at maligning Islam and denigrating the exemplary personality of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), directly or indirectly, can only be read on the pages of Nigerian newspapers or heard on Nigerian radio station. The act is a typical obnoxious way of practising journalism as a profession.

     

    Preamble

    In response to a particular question coming incessantly to this column from various sources, yours sincerely decided to recall an article published in this column in 2007, which answers the recurring question. The enquirers wanted to know why Muslims and their activities were not as prominently reported in Nigerian media as those of their Christian counterparts.

     

    Excerpt

    An excerpt from the article with which I provided an answer to that question went as follows:

    “Information is power. It can make or mar. An informer must be informed. He must know what kind of information to disseminate. He must know, not only when and where to disseminate such information but also how to disseminate it. These are the factors that make journalists professionals in their calling.

    Journalism as a profession is not about news gathering, news reporting and news dissemination alone. It is also about the methodology of disseminating information and transmitting   education as well as dishing out entertainment randomly, to the public, at the right time and in the right manner. That is why a journalist is universally considered to be a professional who knows or should know something about virtually everything.  To be a thorough professional, therefore, a journalist must be an all rounder in various fields of discipline. He cannot report the space exploration without some scientific knowledge of astronomy. He cannot report war without some knowledge of weaponry and the geography of the war areas as well as the socio-cultural history of the warring groups or nations involved. Besides, no well trained journalist can report a religious activity without knowing some jargons of the religion in question.

    And, of course, in the process of filing his reports, a professional journalist must be conscious of the technical sequence to be followed. This is generally known in the profession as ‘five W’s and H’. The coded cliché here is interpreted as follows: “Who (does) What? Where? When? Why? and How?” Without practical knowledge of that sequence, a journalist cannot be qualified to be called a professional.

     

    The Norm of Journalism

    From whatever angle journalism is viewed, therefore, knowledge remains the main axis around which its practitioners’ activities must rotate. No ignorant person can be genuinely accommodated in that noble profession. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had foreseen this before he recommended knowledge seeking to his companions. He said: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to China”. That was at a time when China was known to be the farthest place from Arabia.

    Essence of Knowledge

    Nothing in the life of man is comparable to knowledge. As a matter of fact, life is worthwhile only if it is based on knowledge.

    That was why the first revelation in the Qur’an started on the premise of knowledge. The very first chapter of that Sacred Book commenced thus: “Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by the pen, He, (Allah) taught man what he (man) did not know…”.  And, to further emphasize this, the Prophet said that “knowledge is missing, Muslims should search for it wherever they can find it”. He did not restrict such knowledge to that of religion alone. Without knowledge, there can be no right information.

     

    How  Journalism began

    Contrary to the falsehood documented and disseminated, by the Western world that journalism started in Germany in the 15th century, it was the Muslims who actually started journalism in Arabia over 1400 years ago. Although, they did not call it journalism, it was they who started what we now call journalism through the process that the early Muslims followed in documenting Hadith (the tradition and rightly guided statements of Prophet Muhammad).

    In order to prevent false documentation of any fabricated statements in the name of the Prophet, some Muslim researchers took up the task of ascertaining what the Prophet actually said or did as against what some prominence-seekers were trying to attribute to him. It was a thorough investigative job voluntarily done by certain individuals to retain the authenticity of Islam through Hadith. Foremost among such great researchers were Abdullah Bn Abbas, Abdullah Bn Mas’ud, Malik Bn Anas, Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisai, Ibn Majah and a host of others.

    For the purpose of authenticity, those great scholars introduced what they called the ‘Chain of Narrations’ (Isnad). Through that Chain, they were able to trace the source of every reported Hadith to the Prophet who was quoted to have expressed it. Such narrations were graded as: Sahih (perfectly authentic); Hasan (genuine); Hasanun Sahih (genuine and authentic); Munqat’  (broken); Garib (strange) and so forth.

    Thus, from its final documentation through this process, Hadith was transmitted from generation to generation just as we transmit news stories today in journalism profession. Without the great effort of those researchers, the world would have been flooded today with all sorts of fabricated expressions credited to the Prophet. And, such fabrications would have thrown the Muslim Ummah into total confusion even as Islam itself would have been shrouded in doubt.

     

    The First Minister in Islam

    The very first Minister appointed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was that of information.

    The black man from Abyssinia, called Bilal, who was charged with informing Muslims of the time of Salat by making ‘Adhan’, was Minister of Information. That shows how important information is in Islam.

    Inception of Journalism in Nigeria

    When journalism, as we know it today, was introduced to Nigeria, by the colonialists, at Abeokuta, in 1859, it was through the Christian perception and mentality of the colonial masters. Although, the earliest Nigerian journalists were quick to realize the power of the Press which they used to fight for Nigerian independence, they nevertheless, inherited some colonial traditions which are still causing disharmony in our society today. One of such traditions is religious sentiment, which was an instrument of negative evangelism that pervades Nigeria today. For instance, an average Nigerian journalist does not see anything positive in Islam as a religion because he/she is so blatantly ignorant of its tenets according to the level of the introduction embedded in the training of the profession.  This is not to say that journalists cannot understand Islam if given the opportunity and the right professional orientation, but the colonial tradition they inherited is such that they must not see anything good in any religion other than Christianity, which is the religion of the colonialists. And, for this reason, they had to follow the colonial Orientation in reporting Islam and the Muslims

    according to their masters’ perception until very recently when that perception began to change in the West for various reasons.

     

    Abuse of privilege

    Even for well over a century after the introduction of journalism to Nigeria, the word ISLAM and MUSLIMS were reported in Nigerian media, like in European media, as Mohammedanism and Mohammedans respectively. It took the few Muslims in Europe at that time to counter that obnoxious but deliberate imposition before it was changed. Even as of today, and against the ethics of their profession, most Nigerian journalists take pleasure in writing or pronouncing ‘MOSLEM’ rather than ‘MUSLIM’ knowing fully well that the earlier is derogatory and abhorrent to Muslims.

    In news reporting and even editorials of many newspapers, some journalists have ridiculously embarrassed themselves, their employers as well as their Muslim readers by confusing Eidul Adha with Eidul Fitr during Muslim festivals out of deliberate refusal to want to know anything about Islam. On the contrary, no Muslim journalist will ever confuse Christmas with Easter as Christian journalists do report Eidul Fitr during Eidul Adha festival.

    Another instance is the seeming malicious manner in which some journalists do report the outbreak of events and occurrences in the country particularly at very sensitive times thereby compounding any religious problem at hand. It has virtually become a tradition in Nigerian media to describe youths who engage in any disturbing activities in the north as ‘fanatics’ or ‘fundamentalists’ or ‘zealots’ even before the details of whatever happened become known. And, in other parts of the country, such restive youths are merely reported as miscreants or militants or bandits by the same Christian journalists. The implication here is that any disturbance in the Muslim dominated area in the country must automatically be clad in the garb of Islamic religion which is perceived as the breeder of fanaticism.

    These and other religiously insensitive reporting can be potentially dangerous for the corporate existence of this volatile country. We had witnessed many crises that were precipitated by such journalistic insensitivity in the remote and recent past. But the big question is: why are Nigerian Muslims apathetic to media employment?

     

    Muslims in the Media

    Muslims in the media must have good knowledge of Christianity and the culture of its adherents just as Christian journalist must know the dos and don’ts of Islam and the Muslims. Arabic is not a language meant for the Muslims alone. There are Christian Arabs who speak no language other than Arabic. And, there is no record anywhere to show that Prophet Isa (Jesus) ever spoke English which is the primary language of the Bible in Nigeria today.

     

    Observation

    Both Islam and Christianity came to meet us here in Nigeria. Why must we use them to destroy ourselves on the pages of newspapers or on the radio and television stations?

    One of the responsibilities of the media is to ventilate a peaceful atmosphere for harmonious co-existence of the people. Thus as supposedly educated and civilized professionals, Nigerian journalists must not shirk such a fundamental responsibility at this age of the internet.

     

    Admonition

    For the sake of our collective survival, no combative or provocative journalism should be extended to religious sphere. We all need to live in harmony before we can expect any individual to be patriotic to our country. God save Nigeria!

     

     

     

  • Cancelling Diaspora Nigerians?

    Cancelling Diaspora Nigerians?

    By  Segun Gbadegesin

     

    Mobility is a natural feature that human beings share with animals. Our hunting and food-gathering ancestors didn’t have a settled living experience and, therefore, no attachment to a particular place. Home was wherever they found tools for survival, including food and shelter. With the discovery of farming, a semi-permanent living experience began and settled family life and the joy of community overcame the travails of solitude. With language and culture in the mix, a genuine sense of place developed.

    Generational memories of common history, common struggles and achievements, and particularly, a sense of common identity, soon facilitated the transmission of communal values to younger members. With the success of cultural immersion and value transmission, individuals feel a sense of attachment that make it impossible to abandon their homeland even when they feel comfortable in a new place. This explains why diaspora communities in modern nations severally and collectively have a sense of obligation to their homeland and to the wellbeing of the family members left behind.

    Think of Jewish exiles in Babylon as recorded in Psalm 137. And Prophet Nehemiah’s clarion call to his people, “Come, let us build the walls of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer disgrace”, typifies the anguish of diaspora communities about the embarrassment of a homeland in ruins. The Jewish Diaspora has been particularly unique and effective. With the horrific history of antisemitism that led to one of the outrageous horrors in human history, Jewish people everywhere, especially in the Anglo-American orbit, use their influence and access to benefit the state of Israel. And the Israeli government and people understand and appreciate the passion and consequential help of its diaspora.

    The Middle Passage is just as terribly horrendous. The mindset of the perpetrators in both is hateful and the effect continues to be felt. With a common background of community, there is good reason for the African Diaspora to be as nostalgic and therefore as passionate and as effective on behalf of the African homeland. However, despite the laudable efforts of Pan-African pioneers like W. E. B. Du Bois, it is not until very recently that Africa has made the necessary effort to embrace her diaspora community. On the national level, Ghana has been a trail blazer in attracting African-American brothers and sisters back to the homeland, with Stevie Wonder as the latest to announce the move.

    With the establishment of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Nigeria appeared to come on board in recognition of her diaspora community. The Act provides “for the engagement of Nigerians in Diaspora in the policies, projects and participation in the development of Nigeria and for the purpose of utilizing human capital and material resources of Nigerians in Diaspora towards the overall socio-economic, cultural and political development of Nigeria and for related matters.”

    The purpose of the Commission couldn’t be clearer. The government has finally recognized the importance of harnessing the patriotic zeal of fellow Nigerians living outside the borders. They will be engaged in policies and projects and they will be encouraged to participate in the development of the country. No limit is indicated on the purpose of the Commission. It is inclusive of individuals, groups, professionals, and communities.

    To its credit, the Commission has been a tireless promoter of Diaspora communities around the world. The Chairperson, Hon. Abike Dabiri, has been effective in leading the charge for the mobilization of the energy of Nigerians in the Diaspora, and channeling the resources of the Commission in cases that need attention.

    Beside the government initiative, political parties of different orientations also acknowledge the potentials of the diaspora by establishing their branches in major foreign countries. Key members of the ruling party have made promises of electoral participation by the Nigerian diaspora.

    On its part, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has paid close attention to the indispensability of diaspora remittances to the financial health of the nation. As PwC observes in a recent release, Nigeria accounts for more than one-third of remittances that flow into sub-Saharan Africa, with more than $23 billion in 2018 alone, accounting for 83% of the Federal Government budget that year, and 11 times over the amount of Foreign Direct Investment into the country. These remittances flow from individuals and groups to families and communities they left behind but don’t forget.

    Diaspora Nigerians also don’t forget the trauma of failed policies and insecurities that they experienced before they relocated, and from time to time they make their voices heard through messages, opinion articles, rallies and protests in their various locations, and direct contact with foreign governments and, yes, the United Nations. The Nigerian Diaspora played a vital role in the dark days of military dictatorship and their contribution to the return of civil rule cannot be wished away.

    This aspect of the relationship of the Nigerian Diaspora to the homeland, this unrelenting engagement with polices and projects which NIDCOM Act so unambiguously invites, this incessant pursuit of good governance, this unabashed commitment to struggling for government’s respect for the humanity of citizens, is not always appreciated by the powers at the helm of national affairs. But Nigerians in Diaspora, having a sense of obligation to their kith and kin, have no apology for raising these issues and demanding accountability from government. If they can contribute financially, they must contribute ideas. And clash of ideals and conflict of practices are inevitable.

    The latest such clash just occurred in an embarrassing videotaped encounter between an honorable member of the House of Representatives and the Deputy Speaker of the House.

    Hon. Mark Gbillah representing Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency of Benue State had sought permission to present a petition by Mzough U Tiv Amerika (MUTA). The petitioners are a Nigerian group based in the United States and are concerned about the security situation in their homeland.

    As soon as Hon. Gbillah mentioned America along with MUTA, the organization’s name, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase went on the attack. “Did you say Tivs in America? What do they know about Nigeria? What is their business? They can’t sit in their comfort zones and know what is happening in Nigeria?” as reported by People’s Gazette on March 14, 2021. These statements are also captured in the video image that accompanied the report.

    Really? How does one even begin to comment on this position of a highly placed officer of the People’s House? Even when Hon. Gbillah tried to explain why Nigerians in Diaspora have good reasons to be concerned about the homeland and “should be able to file complaints because they have families residing in the state”, noting the government’s investment in the NIDCOM, Deputy Speaker Wase won’t budge. For him the functions of the Commission are “nothing relevant” to the petition and therefore can’t be taken. This is despite the clear relevance of the petition to the purpose spelled out in the Act establishing NIDCOM as stated above.

    Perhaps, it is a partisan matter or a personality issue between Hon. Gbillah and Hon. Wase. Whatever it is does not justify this incomprehensible position on the part of the Deputy Speaker.

    More troubling, however, was that not a single member of the House rose in defence of the rights of Nigerian Diaspora community. Not one uttered a word on behalf of reason. Yet, many members, including NASS leadership, moved back from their diaspora locations to vie for the positions they now hold. Do they forget so soon? Many of the House members are also aware of the role that Diaspora Nigerians played and continue to play in the political development of the country, since the days of the nationalist struggles for independence.

    Whatever the urge is for partisan bickering and mutual disrespect, some issues are more important and must be kept outside partisan rancor. Foremost among this is the commitment to security which is the basic function of government. Next is respect for the right and obligation of citizens wherever they reside to express their views about the functioning of government and its agencies. Diaspora Nigerian communities are equal stakeholders in Project Nigeria. Canceling them portends a grave danger to that project.

  • The Price of Peace 4

    The Price of Peace 4

    By Femi Abbas

    Monologue

    This a “Here is the time against which we had been warned in the guiding admonition of Ubayyi Bn Ka’b and that of Abdullah Bn Mas’ud;

    Here is the time about which we had been told that the truth would totally become repugnant to humanity while falsehood and the act of banditry would become globally deified; Were this time to linger beyond the required endurance of this era, without any change, the situation would reach a stage where no one would grieve over the demise of a relative or rejoice over the birth of a new baby”.

    By an Arab Poet

     

    Monologue

    Peace, being a natural serenity that makes provision for innocence, is a unique virtue in the life of man. Its value cannot be measured on the scale of gold or that of silver. Any life without peace is a life without worth.

    Peace, in a tempestuously complex society like Nigeria, cannot be by mere chance. Any peaceful stability in such a society can only be by a carefully planned sphere of life with formidable but abstract pillars. Such pillars include endurance, tolerance and mutual respect based on mutual understanding at corporate and private levels. The usual template of peace in any disciplined society is based on experience gained from history.

     

    Preamble

    This article is not new. It was first published in this column in 2012, just three years after a satanically disastrous group of bandits called Boko Haram in Nigeria emerged. The same article was republished recently when some readers called for its repetition because of its relevance to this turbulent time. And, now, a new trend of demand for it is becoming overwhelming on yours sincerely. Incidentally, the current situation seems to have transcended religion alone as Nigeria is now bombarded from all conceivable angles, by all elements of war, without any serious provision for peace.

     

    The Wings of History

    History is an invisible object with two invisible wings flying across generations in time and in space. One of those wings is positive while the other is negative. It is only with history that the present becomes the heritage of the past while the future awaits the baton of continuity or otherwise from the present. No living nation or tribe or even individuals can dream of a realizable future without a veritable present based on a memorable experience of the past. The web of life is like a magnet which no iron element can bypass on its way to ornamental glory.

     

    A Fabric of Uncertainty

    Today, against what ought to be a valuable heritage, Nigeria is, sadly passing through a fabric of uncertainty as she rolls back the fibres of the future into those of the present and weaves both together into the vestiges of the past. Such is a sign of a dead nation waiting to be interned. What kind of  war is not ravaging Nigeria today, in spite of Allah’s abundant bounties? The forces of the present seem to have connived with those of the past to jointly engage in wrestling down the future with a determination to depriving the generations yet unborn of any hope of decent existence.

    For decades, Nigeria has been forced by the so-called leaders to engage in political, economic and social warfare without winning any. Now, with a religious dimension coming to join all these, at this time, can there be any option for Nigeria other than paying the cost of peace?

    Like a billow vigorously storming around at the instance of an invisible tempest, a melee of religious hullabaloo engendered by a vicious political Pandora has virtually turned Nigeria into a land of curses. God! Where are we going from here?

     

    MUSWEN’s Call for Harmony

    In the past few weeks, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), which is the umbrella body for all the Muslim Communities/Councils and Organisations in the six states of the Southwest region, was compelled to watch, helplessly, the dangerous trend of insecurity in some parts of Yoruba land with its attendant linkage to ethnicity and religion.

    Coming shortly after a social national imbroglio that was precipitated by the #End-SARS’ saga of misfortune, which almost ran the country aground, the ethnic laden crisis in the Southwest drew another global attention to this so-called giant of Africa.

     

    The Scenario

    Just last week, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria took a retrospective view of Nigeria of the 1960s/1970s and decided to come up with a press statement entitled ‘A Call for Harmony. The statement went thus:

    “In the past few weeks, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), which is the umbrella body for all the Muslim Communities/Councils and Organizations in the six states of the Southwest Region was compelled to watch helplessly, the dangerous trend of insecurity in some parts of Yoruba land with its attendant linkage to ethnicity and religion.

    Coming shortly after a social national imbroglio that was a precipitated by the #EndSARS saga of misfortune, which almost ran the country aground, the ethnic laden crisis in the South West of Nigeria drew another global attention to this so-called giant of Africa.

    The whole scenario worrisomely came to MUSWEN, not just as a mind bugler, but also, as a reminder that, by nature, human life, like environmental weather, does not have a permanent feature.

     

    The Source of Clemency

    It is from the combination of turmoil today and calmness tomorrow that clemency arises to ventilate the atmosphere for peace.

    From time to time, human beings are reminded of the three phenomena that sustain their existence on earth. These are life, health and peace.

    Without those three phenomena, there will be nothing to call human life.

    But then, there is an invisible balm with which to smoothen the rough surface of life, especially in times of turmoil. The name of that balm is patience, which often serves as the abode of peace.

     

    Admonition

    As a religious body, we, Muslims, never forget the role that destiny plays in our lives, whether in terms of hardship or that of pleasure.

    Here, in Nigeria, we are people of diverse ethnic backgrounds with different cultural identities fused together by unforeseen circumstances, to commonly become citizens of a single country, is a matter of destiny.

    Today, we are in a situation whereby if such destiny had not fused us together and given us a common identity as Nigerians, we would have found ourselves in a similar situation in another land with the labels of different nationalities and we would have had no choice other than to coexist in peace, therein, willy-nilly.

     

    America for Instance

    Today, virtually everybody in the world acknowledges the greatness of the United States of America as a foremost country in the contemporary world. Yet, at the formation of that country, the inhabitants of the vast land that became USA were not from the same ethnic or cultural background.

    The sacrifice which they had to make at that initial stage of their country was adoption of patience that served as the balm of smoothness in the progress of their coexistence as citizens of the same nation.

    From that unique situation, the elderly people and the vocal socialites in Nigeria ought to have applied the experience they learnt from America’s history to making Nigeria a great country.

     

    Qur’anic Counsel

    Allah had told us, in the Qur’an, over one and a half millennia ago, that diversity of colours, cultures, tribes and tongues is the secret of the greatness of nations.

    This is contained in chapter 49 verse 13 of the Qur’an thus:

    “Oh mankind, We have created you as males and females and We fashioned you into races and tribes so that you can interact (and draw wonderful advantages from your interaction). Surely, the very best of you are those who fear Allah most (in thoughts and in actions).

    Thus, to live together in harmony, factors like considerateness, patience, tolerance, and endurance must reflect in our conducts as evidence of piety.

    This is the time to know, in Nigeria, that security is neither by the quantity or quality of bayonets with which the army or the Police are equipped nor by flexing ethnic muzzles to demonstrate superiority of power.

    Rather, security is about good governance, absence of corruption, adequate care for the underprivileged and intelligential watch.

    If, despite the differences in our ethnic, cultural and ideological backgrounds, we can still trade together in the same markets and our children can attend the same schools as friends and compatriots, we must know that there is much more to gain from harmony than from disharmony.

     

    Oneness of Citizens

    By our social, economic and political interactions as well as inter marriages, so far, across the country, we have tacitly admitted our oneness as citizens of the same country. And, for the sake of peace and harmony, all these must not be disrupted by one ugly incident or another. Nigeria is our common project of fortune which must not be turned into a misfortune for our children to inherit.

    God bless Nigeria!”

     

    Purpose of Religion

    By its design and intents, religion is supposed to be, not only a panacea for all human psychological ailments, but also a soothing balm for any spiritual ache. Ironically, however, religion, in Nigeria, today, has been turned into a poison   without any provision for an antidote. And through our usual   attitude tagged Nigerian factor, we seem to be bent on swallowing the pill of that poison without minding its dangerous repercussion.

     

    The Factors of Ignorance

    The factors that culminated in what we now variously call religious commerce, religious   militancy or extremism or fanaticism or terrorism, emanated only from the yoke of ignorance which bad governance has perennially incubated in readiness for hatching. And, could anything have influenced bad governance as much as ignorance? Yet, ignorance would not have had a role to play in our religious or political lives if we had demonstrated the will to genuinely follow the tenets of our religions and learned from the lessons of history without banking on sentimental assumptions and fallacious rumours.

     

    History as a Teacher

    History as a teacher always has a lesson in its kitty to teach those who are ready to learn from time to time. But, unfortunately, most human beings, especially Nigerians, refuse to learn any lesson from history and the price is what we are paying today.

     

    Reminiscence

    In 1962, Nigeria’s Governor General, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (who later became Nigeria’s first President in 1963), paid a three day official courtesy visit to the then Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, in Kaduna. Dr Azikiwe was accompanied by his wife, Flora. The host Premier mobilized all the paraphernalia of office in honour of his guests whom he accorded an unprecedentedly flamboyant hospitality. The three days visit enabled those leaders’ wives to become so familiar with each other that Flora also invited the Bellos to the East on a similar visit. By the time the visit ended, Dr. Azikiwe had become so much impressed that at the point of departure he held Ahmadu Bello’s hands and gently pleaded with him to “please let us forget our differences”.

    In response to that emotional but infatuating gesture, Sir Ahmadu Bello said in an equally gentle, baritone voice: “No sir! Rather than forgetting our differences, let us understand them. I am a Muslim from the North. You are a Christian from the South. It is only by identifying and understanding those differences meaningfully that our friendliness can truly blossom and endure”. There and then, Dr. Azikiwe nodded in agreement with his host’s logic and accepted the fact that one could not forget what has not been identified and understood. The lesson to learn from this experience is that of mutual understanding without pretentiously sweeping anything under the carpet. That is the principle upon which the marriage of political strange fellows who find themselves in a joint government is often based in Nigeria. It is also the principle upon which partnership of many Nigerian businessmen and women is based despite their cultural incompatibility. But that principle is not applied to Religion in Nigeria despite the existence of a body called Nigeria Interreligious Council (NIREC). And, this is because of easy but dubious access to cheap wealth by certain fraudulent charlatans who are greedily masquerading in the cassock of religion and parading themselves as   religious leaders.

     

    Stages of Ignorance

    For thousands of years, peoples of all races and tribes across the world thrived vaingloriously on cultural ignorance while attributing their calamities to mysterious forces and blaming such mysteries on what they called witchcraft. In the past, here in Africa, millions of children were forced to die in infancy, by their own parents, out of sheer ignorance, while the same parents turned round to blame what they called ‘ABIKU’ or ‘OGBANJE’ for the mass infanticide which they ignorantly engendered. With time, however, education and knowledge of science brought about the invention of various vaccines with which children were immunized against different diseases thereby giving those infants the   opportunity to survive. And, this has enabled us to know, today, that the mystery which we once called ‘ABIKU’ or ‘OGBANJE’ was a euphemism for ignorance in African mythology of those days.

    Now that the days of cultural ignorance seem to be over, Nigerians have devised another means of restiveness by shifting to religious ignorance which enables them to replace the infanticide of the yore with modern day genocide through terrorism and banditry. It is hoped that one day, real education and not mere literacy will also help us to overcome the spectre of religious ignorance and propel our country to the progressive pedestal on which she ought to have been dwelling for long.

     

    Qur’anic Testimony

    If it had pleased the Almighty Allah to make all human beings one single race with one colour, one tongue and one religion, He would have done so without receiving any query from any quarters. But as the undisputable Omnipresent and Omnipotent entity, His decision to diversify His creatures cannot be faulted because it is from that diversity that all creatures have consistently derived unfettered benefits. In the world today, there are different races and tribes of human beings with different colours, languages and cultures each functioning as predestined and, yet they all interact positively with one another to the benefit of all and sundry.  This is in accordance with the words of Allah in Chapter 49 verse 13 of the Qur’an thus: “Oh mankind! We have created you from a male and a female and classified you into races and tribes that you may interact positively with one another (and thereby draw from the advantages therein). Verily, the most honourable among you before Allah are the most pious ones. Allah is All-knowing and most acquainted with all things”. Q. 49:13

     

    Other Creatures

    What is true of human beings in the above quoted Qur’anic verse is equally true of other creatures. For instance we can all see that on a single   plot of arable land on which a variety of plants may grow to form an orchard but each plant will stand out with different foliage and fruits. Some of those fruits may be sweet, some may be bitter and some may be sour. Some may be fruitful and some may be fruitless. Some may be trees of gargantuan posture while others may be ordinary legumes. Yet they are all fed by the same soil, watered by the same rain and photosynthesized by the same sun. Their different foliage, sizes, heights and tastes notwithstanding, they all function effectively and advantageously according to the purpose for which they are created. In the ecosystem, no tree in an orchard will ever accuse another of bearing fruits different from its own and no animal will blame another for carrying a feature or for wearing a colour different from its own. No whale will ever denigrate even a fingerling in the ocean for sharing the same water with it. Ditto the world of birds, reptiles, and that of insects.  Even as plants, animals, aquatics, reptiles, birds and insects, those creatures know that for everything Allah does there is a reason which may not be instantly known but will become known later. It is only among human beings that discrimination and segregation exist, based on ignorance.

     

    Parable of Religion

    We can also compare the above analogy to a situation inside a football stadium where there is a variety of sections such as State Box for the upper class, State Box Extension for the Middle Class and popular side for the lower class. At the entrance of the stadium, each person obtains a ticket according to his or her financial ability which determines his status. And that qualifies him for a seat in any of the sections in the stadium, according to the status of the ticket obtained. Without prejudice to the categories of the tickets they obtain, all the spectators in the stadium are authorised to watch the match for which they have paid. If at the end of the match however, a spectator, who was privileged to sit in the State Box, turns round to say that another spectator, who sat at the popular side of the stadium, did not watch the match, others around them will sarcastically conclude that something might have gone wrong with the psyche of the accuser. The positions from which those spectators watched the match might be different but the fact remains that they all watched the same match. That is the parable of religion in the lives of individual human beings.

     

    The Mission of Religion

    In Islam, all revealed religions are like an embassy established by a nation in another nation to strengthen her diplomatic relation with the host nation. The Ambassadors appointed to manage such embassy may be changed from time to time just like the foreign policy which guides those ambassadors, but the embassy remains intact, barring any unforeseen circumstances. So is the case with the Prophets of Allah. They might have come at different times and from different lands with different tongues. They might have brought different books revealed in different languages but their mission was one and the same because their Creator who appointed them as Ambassadors is only one and He cannot be pluralized. Muslims believe that all the Prophets and Messengers who have come into the world to guide mankind were from one and the same God who created the universe. Thus, Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael) Ishaq (Isaac), Musa (Moses), Daud (David), Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad (SAW) as well as others who preceded them or came in-between them brought the same message of monotheism through which mankind was counselled to worship one God and be upright in conduct.

    In Qur’an Chapter 2 verse 285, Allah admonishes Muslims against discriminating among His Apostles thus: “The Apostle of Allah, Muhammad, (SAW) believes in what has been revealed to him by his Lord, and so do all the (Muslim) faithful. They all believe in Allah and His Angels, His Books as well as His Apostles. We do not discriminate against any of His Apostles. They say ‘We hear and obey. Grant us your forgiveness oh Lord! To you we shall all return”.

     

    Religious Rivalry

    As a Muslim, you cannot believe in one of those Apostles and disbelieve in others. And you cannot believe in one of the revealed Books while disbelieving in others. That is why no true adherent of Islamwill ever express foul language against the person of Jesus or blame the misdemeanour of a Christian on Christianity as some Nigerian Christians do against the person of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Islam as a religion when they accidentally have an unpleasant encounter with a misbehaving Muslim as if there are no misbehaving Christians in Nigeria.  Were Nigerian Muslims also to bring such a disgruntled rivalry into religion especially in their propagations, the country called Nigeria would have probably been long forgotten.

     

    Unity of God

    Although the modalities for worshipping God may differ from faith to faith and from sanctuary to sanctuary, this does not change the course of their faith in only one God. Thus, the rivalry between Muslims and Christians, especially, in Nigeria, over who is spiritually right or wrong is a product of ignorance.

     

    Similarities

    As taught by Christianity and Islam through their revealed books, respectively, the areas of life that need our cooperation are by far more comprehensive than those in which we differ. For instance, both the Bible and the Qur’an counsel humanity to worship one God. They preach good deeds to neighbours and other fellow human beings, publicly and privately, irrespective of religious lineage. They advocate good care for our parents, our children, the aged ones amongst us and the handicapped. They urge kindness to our spouses, forgiveness for our offenders, leniency with our adversaries and magnanimity in victory to the vanquished. They admonish us against cheating and any form of corruption. They forbid theft, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism and above all the killing of fellow human beings, extra-judicially, for whatever reason. They also warn us against provocation, aggression, oppression, exploitation and transgression even as they emphasize the ephemerality of this world and the eventuality of the hereafter. In all these, we have a common affinity to jointly guard us.

     

    Dissimilarities

    The few areas in which we differ are abstract and quite personal. They are not areas on which human beings are given the power to pass judgement. Only the Almighty God can judge on them. Such are the areas which we believe will pave our ways into the Paradise. But since paradise is for individuals and not for religious blocks why are we fighting each other as religious bodies on the basis of belief or disbelief? After all, the journey to Paradise or Hell is a matter of choice for every individual. And no one can tell with precision who will go to Paradise or go to Hell. Such is the prerogative of God which He has not assigned to any human being and which no human being can and should arrogate to himself or herself except one who wants to play God.

     

    Perception of God

    As an adherent of a religion, you can only perceive your God according to your faith and that should not cause any rancour between you and adherents of any other religion. As Nigerians, we dwell in the same country, eat the same foods, drink the same water, wear similar dresses, trade in the same markets, share the same offices and spend the same money. Our children attend the same schools, write the same examinations and obtain the same certificates. We intermarry across tribes and ethnicities as well as religions. All these form a stronger bond that ought to unite us much more than the abstract ones which often threaten to tear us apart. In a situation where the factors of life that unite us grossly surpass those that divide us will it not be stupid to relinquish unity and cooperation for the adoption of satanic animosity and ruinous antagonism?

    Bless Nigeria!

  • Politics: Between idealism and realism

    Politics: Between idealism and realism

    By Segun Gbadegesin

    On Saturday March 6, I missed the zoom webinar organized by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation in celebration of the sage’s 112th Birthday. Missing the event was unavoidable because my second dose of the Moderna vaccine had been scheduled for the exact time that the lecture event was to begin. Driving time and the onslaught of the second dose painful side effects, of which I had ample warning, just knocked me off for the next 36 hours. But thank God, it’s over and I can exhale now.

    Media reports of the event, including the lecture and the invited contributions, are heart-warming and reassuring. The wise spoke in unison and we are grateful beneficiaries of their wisdom. We will always be blessed with the wisdom of elders.

    More reflections on Awo, the unforgettable, led me to my topic for today, the gulf between the ideal and the reality in politics, and how this seemingly unbridgeable gap is dispiriting and discouraging, and, unfortunately, undermining trust in politics and politicians.

    Ideally, the purpose of politics, its raison d’etre, is the common good. It is this sense of politics that Awolowo has in mind in The People’s Republic when he traces the origin of the state to the family and attempts its justification by appeal to the family bond. With reference to Africa, “it is the paterfamilias, sometimes advised and assisted by the materfamilias and other adult members of the family…..having regard to the common interests of the family, lays down the rules by which the conduct of the members of the family will be governed, adjudicates all disputes among them, and punishes the offender”.

    Awolowo goes on to observe that the family unit takes care of the education, health, and welfare needs of its members. And when it recognizes the need to go into a compact of association with neighboring families, each family unit reiterates the importance of these social obligations which the larger unit must take over for every family. To survive, the new aggregation of families “must see to it that, in all they do, they reflect the wishes and promote the interests of each and all the members of the aggregating families.”

    The above sums up an understanding of politics in its ideal sense. It was this ideal that Awolowo brought into politics as Leader of Government Business and Premier. Reflecting the wishes of the people and promoting the interests of each and all the members of the aggregating families is the purpose of ideal politics. It was why he and his team focused on “freedom from ignorance, freedom from disease, and freedom from want” as the party’s mission.

    Translated into actionable agenda, they knew that it was in the interest of every family or aggregation of families to have their children educated. So they provided free universal primary education. They knew that each family or aggregation of families would benefit from good health. So they introduced free medical treatment for children up to 18. They built General Hospitals in every divisional headquarter. For freedom from want, they empowered farmers and introduced farm settlements for young adults. They were not awash in funds and they had the hostility of the colonial administration to deal with. But they persisted.

    Now, notice that neither the leader nor members of his team monopolized resources. None of them cornered facilities or institutions to their neck of the wood. Resources were distributed per local governments and divisions. They made adequate plans for the products of free primary education with feeder schools, including Modern Schools and Technical Colleges around the region. Farm settlements were located across the region at, among other places, Fashola near Oyo, Ilora, Eruwa, Igbogila, and farm institutes  at Odeda, near Abeokuta, and Ikorodu, etc.

    The ideal that the Awolowo team embraced was the promotion of the welfare of the people without discrimination and without partiality. They were not greedy. Many legislators served on part-time basis. Nepotism was anathema. That was why none of his children directly benefitted from his position as leader or premier. They were trained to be independent professionals.

    Surely, idealism is important especially if the masses are to trust politicians and governments. To mobilize them, you have to earn their trust. And if you are the deceitful type, you can deceive for so many times but they will eventually get you. In and out of power, Awolowo earned the trust of the people.

    But an idealist in politics, including our own, is, by and large, a rarity because the cost is steep and the reward may be low if at all existent. Or so many think.

    What they mean is this. If you told the people the truth about your program that it will impact them negatively, you will not gain followers. So you must lie. And you are lectured to about the wisdom of grabbing resource and facilities to yourself or your kin, especially because you are not sure how long it will last. And after all, even when a mad man is handed a hoe, he will only move the cleared weeds to himself. Therefore, if you are in power, why won’t you keep it to your side or zone for as long as you can? Why bother about sharing it with others. Only fools rotate power.

    This is the philosophy of realism. Politics is the acquisition and use of power to allocate scarce resources. If you acquire it, you must use it for your best interests. And you must keep it for as long as possible. You must not allow moral considerations to neutralize your use of power. If you are able to deceive the people and still get their support, good for you. It is Machiavellian at its best. And we have many Machiavellians now in positions of authority at various levels of our polity.

    They were also there in Awolowo’s era. But he resisted the temptation of realist politics. The Western Region benefited from his early decision to stay in the region even when he had the option to serve in the Federal Council of Ministers as the leader of the party. But as he and his colleagues agreed, “as the moving spirit behind all (their) plans, (he) must be on the spot to take charge and direct the operations.” That decision ensured that the Western Region would be the pace setter in all development indices in the nation.

    Awolowo left the Western Region in 1959, with the hope of replicating the feat of visionary administration at the center. It was not to be and he settled for the leadership of the opposition. Four years later, the politics of greed and intolerance in the post-colonial state took its toll. He was incarcerated, and so was the march of Nigeria to greatness.

    Many, including yours truly, have toyed with the usual “what if?” question. What if Awolowo didn’t go to the center? Won’t the Western Region have matched the greatness of a South Korea or Indonesia? Lately, I have answered that question for myself. Even if he remained in the West, the forces that were after him would not have been satisfied with the march of progress in the region.

    I have always argued that the fall of the First Republic was not primarily due the structure, though this contributed in no small measure. Rather, it was mostly due to the poverty of human nature. Within the Western Region itself, there were those who saw the center as the locus of power and resources and they felt that the West was being shortchanged by Awolowo’s idealist politics and ideology of democratic socialism which grounded free education and other social policies of welfare liberalism.

    At the center, on the other hand, there were those who resented Awolowo’s intellectualism and tenacity of purpose, including his courageous advocacy of the creation of more regions for a balanced and true federation. These forces at the center soon found willing collaborators in the region. Even if Awolowo had remained as Premier of the Western Region, these willing collaborators would still have found a way of sabotaging him and stopping the march of the West.

     

     

  • Unforgettable Awo

    Unforgettable Awo

    By Segun Gbadegesin

    Chief Obafemi Awolowo left office as Premier of the old Western Region in 1959. That was 62 years ago. This means that many Nigerians less than 60 years old never witnessed his action in office. He died 34 years ago in 1987. Therefore, Nigerians below 30 years of age never knew him in person. Yet to many of these Nigerians, Awolowo is an unforgettable founding father.

    We are at a crossroad in the journey of this federal republic. Tension has not been this high since the days leading to the civil war and it is by no means abating. Chief Awolowo was integrally involved in the shaping of the foundation of the nation before and after independence, including at the most precarious period of civil war, as a nationalist, premier, leader of opposition, member of war-time cabinet, and presidential candidate.

    As Leader of Government Business/Premier, Awolowo served for only eight years. What makes a public servant who served for such a short time, not as Prime Minister or Governor-General, but only as the Premier of one of three (later four regions), so unforgettable decades after his passing? The importance of raising this question and addressing our minds to it cannot be overstated.

    We may approach our question from several angles. But our answers will revolve around two interrelated themes: strength of character and policy choices and achievements. These are interrelated in an obvious sense. The strength or quality of your character determines the quality of your policy choices and the tenacity you bring to the pursuit of their realization in the political arena where you are most certainly going to encounter persistent opposition.

    Both of these–strength of character and policy choices and achievements–ultimately determine the impact a political leader would have on the lives of citizens. Awolowo is unforgettable because of the impact that he has on his constituents and, by extension, many across the nation.

    In A Psalm of Life, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow famously intoned: Lives of great men all remind us/ We can make our lives sublime/And, departing, leave behind us/Footprints on the sand of time. Reviewing the footprints that Awolowo left is not an exercise in hagiography. Its import is for us, especially political leaders and those aspiring to positions of leadership, to learn the art of the trade, advert their minds to greatness, and work towards its achievement.

    Under the rubric of strength of character, I group intellectual endowment, Spartan self-discipline and moral probity, foresight, and forthrightness. It is important to understand that Awolowo got himself prepared well for leadership right from the onset of life. As a youngster he read voraciously and imbibed important lessons that he took to heart.

    One such was from a book titled “It’s Up To You”, which dramatizes the author’s philosophy of life with a jar of various sizes of beans, small and large. Place the large beans at the bottom and the small ones on top. Shake the jar and you will discover that the small beans have been sorted to the bottom while the large ones move to the top. The moral is that where you find yourself in the scale of life depends on your size and weight. “Nobody can fool the jar of life.”

    What Awolowo got from this analogy is that whoever wants to get to the top and remain there “must increase his (her) size and weight in his (her) particular calling–that is, mentally, professionally, morally, and spiritually.”  As is always the case, “by means of favoritism and nepotism” some may game the system and get to the top without personal effort to increase their size and weight. But they will not last there. And if they do, they will have negative or no impact, and will not be remembered or be remembered for ill.

    Awo prepared himself mentally and made continuous lifetime efforts to increase his size mentally. And to underscore his appreciation of mental acuity, he formulated a theory of mental magnitude. In the context of colonial and post-colonial multinational politics in general, and the African context in particular, it’s hard to identify a politician with Awolowo’s intellectual endowment and original contribution to political theory and practice. His many books, addresses and lectures continue to be relevant to the political and economic struggles of the post-colonial state.

    Personal mental preparation combined with intellectual and professional training produced a critically analytic mind focused on the analysis of the constitutional and structural options of a multiethnic society with eyes on stability and development. By dint of hard work, starting from the bottom of the jar, increasing his size and weight on the intellectual plane, Awolowo became the colossus of constitution-making.

    We remember him for his insistence on the federal structure that we started out with at independence, for his standing firm while others waiver, until they eventually bought his position because they were convinced of the soundness of his arguments. But with decades of military abuse that stressed the structure and years of civilian inaction to restore the original structure, it is inevitable that the original architect of that structure remains close to our heart and mind.

    With a self-discipline regimen that approaches the Puritan’s, Awolowo prepared himself as a moral exemplar worth his weight in platinum. He disciplined his tongue so that he was never involved in regrettable verbal diarrhea. He disciplined his pen so that he never engaged in frivolous intervention in simplistic or mundane issues, and whenever he wrote, it was with the Wisdom of Solomon.

    He cultivated the habit of setting the terms of the debate, making his views known on important national matters, almost always leaving others the unenviable task of struggling for response. Recall how the then Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria had to board an airplane to the United Kingdom just to respond to Awolowo’s statement on the impending economic disaster. And while the Chairman denied everything in Awolowo’s statement and described him as an alarmist, it took less than six months before Awolowo’s prediction of economic recession came true. How could we forget a man with such a clarity of mind and weight of words!

    Forthrightness is an essential quality of character for anyone, especially politicians, because it is the basis of trust which is sorely needed in the political arena. Awolowo was never shy about his goals, objectives, and strategies for accomplishing them. He spoke truth to power even when he was aware of the negative consequences for his campaign.

    He famously insisted on the need and practicality of free education at all levels, forcing his opponents to counter with a nebulous idea of qualitative education. And his prediction of what we should expect of our youths if we refused to give them good and functional education is happening before our eyes. It’s impossible not to remember a man who saw the future.

    Awolowo increased his size and weight mentally, professionally, morally and spiritually. Yet, we won’t talk about him today if he also didn’t match his talk with his walk, if he didn’t match his words with his actions, and if his practice didn’t conform to his theory. With the introduction of universal free primary education in the old Western Region in 1955, he and his team set the region on the path of progress in education.

    With the investment in agriculture, including the establishment of farm settlements, including cattle ranches across the region, and the opening up of rural areas, Awolowo and his team prioritized food security for the people. And with the creation of the Western Nigeria Marketing Board, farmers came to appreciate that their prosperity was government’s concern as cocoa farmers were able to send their children to higher institutions.

    We once had a true patriot, a political giant, an intellectual colossus, a fearless leader, a clear-minded visionary who worked for the greatness of Nigeria, fought for her unity and progress, and who is unforgettable in the hearts and minds of those for whom he struggled. On the one hundred and twelfth anniversary of his birth, we remember Chief Awolowo and thank him for being who he was.

    Happy Birthday, unforgettable Awo!

  • The Legacy of an Action Governor

    The Legacy of an Action Governor

    By  Femi Abbas

    Monologue

    This article has to be repeated because it was not published in ‘The Message Column’, in ‘The Nation’ newspaper, on two consecutive Fridays, after the demise of Alhaji Lateef Jakande.

    Many readers, especially, those living abroad, have been asking why the column was not published last Friday, hence the repetition here because of the message it carries. Please read on:

    It was another  moment of global reference to archival diary of history, on Thursday (February 11, 2021).  The media waves suddenly throbbed, with breaking news announcing the demise of a frontline Nigerian Statesman, Journalist and political colossus,  Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande. That un-refutable breaking news could not be appealed because it was instigated by the verdict of destiny. However, what the announcers failed or forgot to add to the broadcast was that the man’s footprint, on the sands of time, would remain indelible for centuries.

    That news, which reverberated across the length and breadth of the entire world, immediately became a reminder to Nigerians, that death is truly the leveler of mankind.

     

    Jakande’s Prowess

    Besides sheer political propaganda, through the media, if any Nigerian politician of the contemporary time is genuinely qualified to be described as “The President that Nigeria never had”, it should be Alhaji Lateef Jakande and not anyone else.

    As a notable professional Journalist and a vertical politician of note, this man can be classified as greater in death than in life, through his non-such dedication to the service to humanity which has now become an unprecedented legacy in Nigerian democracy.

    By all standards, Jakande was, naturally, a personification of service to humanity, not only as a Nigerian patriot but also as an exemplarily contented Muslim.

     

    Evidence of Performance

    As the only Muslim among the five Governors of the Unity party of Nigeria (UPN),  in the country’s second republic, Alhaji Lateef Jakande convincingly proved the worth of a real Muslim in thought and in action, by glaringly surpassing the performance records of most other Governors of his era in the country.

    Without an iota of doubt, Alhaji Lateef Jakande was UPN’s undisputable model Governor and pace setter in service oriented performance, which earned him the appellation of ‘ACTION GOVERNOR’.

     

    His Vision-Based Actions

    When Alhaji Lateef Jakande became the Governor of Lagos State, in 1979, eight years, after  the Military Government that preceded his own government, took over schools in Lagos State, (in 1975), he knew that the people of Lagos would suffer educational setback because the few schools that were available in the State, at that time, could not effectively satisfy the educational yearnings of those people.

    He therefore, quickly designed an education program that could put Lagos State ahead of all other States in Nigeria, at the primary and secondary school levels.

    Within the 51 months (i. e. October 1, 1979 to December 31, 1983), of his stay in office, as Governor, Alhaji Jakande established hundreds of primary and secondary schools that provided the children of the grassroots people the privilege of attending schools, free of charge, in their various localities.

     

    Proof of Dynamic Leadership

    To prove the genuineness of his dynamic leadership with impeccable sincerity, Governor Jakande made sure that his own children also attended the same grassroots schools that he established for the children of the masses.

    And, to the amazement of all and sundry, in Lagos State, Governor Jakande built over 2000 classrooms within the period of 51 months that he spent in office as Governor, and limited the number of pupils in each classroom to 40 even as he canceled the school attendance shifting system which many people had thought to be impossible.

     

    His Conception of LASU

    For the first time ever, at the State level, Governor Jakande conceived the idea of Establishing a State University, at Ijanikin, near Badagry, and executed it with immediate effect and automatic alacrity in 1983. It was named

    Lagos State University (LASU).

    Not only that, as alternative tertiary institutions for secondary school certificate holders, who might be unable to gain admission into LASU or any other University, he also established a Polytechnic called Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) at Isolo and a College of Education (LACOEDU), near LASU, which was later renamed Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education. All of these were reasonably made cheap for students from poor homes, whose parents might not be able to afford the cost of tertiary education. And, as a Governor with human feeling, he ensured the boosting of scholarship and provision of bursary for indigent students in those tertiary institutions. Today, most of the graduates of those institutions constitute the bulk of the State’s civil servants and the hub of man power in the private sector of the State as well as that of the country and, even, many other countries outside Nigeria.

     

    Other UPN States

    It is historically notable that the pace of giant strides set by Alhaji Jakande, in Lagos State, became the model of emulation in governance which other Governors had to vigorously follow in what seemingly looked like a progressive competition among their States.

    Thus, such institutions as Ogun State University which was later renamed as Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State; Bendel State University, which was later renamed Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State and Ondo State University, which was later renamed as Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State, sprang up in those States.

    Exception

    It was only in Oyo State, where no State University was established by Governor Bola Ige, because of the two existing Federal Universities (i.e. University of Ibadan (UI) and University of Ife (Now Obafemi Awolowo University), respectively, that no University was renamed after any Governor in that State.

     

    Befitting Secretariat

    To create a conducive environment and progressive reasoning for the State’s civil servants Governor Jakande established a befitting secretariat for the State and a State House of Assembly at a very convenient place, in Ikeja, to ease people’s access to the seat of the government.

     

    His Housing Scheme

    As a people’s Governor who knew the negative implication of homelessness on the psyche of the people, in his State, Alhaji Jakande designed a massive housing scheme through which he provided over 30000 houses for both the lower and middle class income earners across the State, within the four years and three months that he spent in office as Governor. Without the provision of those houses, at that right time, only God knows the extent of accommodation problem that would have overcome Lagos by now.

     

    His Metro Line Plan

    One of the visionary measures that Governor Jakande  took to ameliorate the problem of bottleneck  transportation, in Lagos State, was to design an intra-city mass commuter rail system called metro line, the first of its type in Africa, at that time, which would have commenced full operation by 1985, if the military coup that abruptly terminated the country’s second republic had not occurred to turn the pleasant social dream of that metro line plan into a social nightmare. That the military government which terminated Nigeria’s second republic cancelled that great project and diverted the funds earmarked for it, was one of the social misfortunes obviously unleashed on Lagos State, the agony of which is still being felt  by all and sundry today. Actually, the cancelation of a metro line plan, at that time, in a water-logged State, like Lagos, was nothing less than an economic lockdown for Nigeria.

     

    His Information Management Program

    As a veteran Journalist, who knew the value of information dissemination, Governor Jakande also established a Radio Station which he named Radio Lagos and followed it up with a Television Station which he branded as Lagos State Television (LTV). That was in the same year of 1983. Today, the vibrancy of those media outfits are unquantifiable in terms of information dissemination, mass mobilization of the people and mass human empowerment.

    In all these, most other progressive Governors in the country had no choice but to copy some of Jakande’s great plans as evidence of action governance, if only to show that democracy was more responsive to people’s yearnings than any dictatorial military governance.

     

    His Health Program

    When Alhaji Lateef Jakande first assumed office as Governor of Lagos State, in October 1979, one of his first areas of concern was the health of his people. He knew that no progressive plan could be pursued or executed successfully,  without sound health for the people.

    He therefore established General Hospital in each of the six zones in Lagos State with free treatment for the patients.

    As a matter of fact, Governor Jakande’s record of performance is a peculiar reference point for the present and future Governors or even Presidents of Nigeria.

    If Nigeria had been fortunate to have a personality like Governor Jakande as President, it would have been a golden opportunity for Africa to raise its head, with confidence, as a  hopeful region in the global setting.

     

    Personal Observation

    As the pioneer Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande was like an elephant surrounded by a group of blind men. Each of those blind men can only be able to describe the part he is able to touch on the body of that mammoth animal and not the whole of it. We pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in eternal bliss with mercy and grant his family the needed fortitude with which to cope with life after his demise.

     

    Recommendation

    Now, without prejudice to whatever the Lagos State government, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu may be planning, as a show of appreciation to this great man, ‘The Message’ column hereby recommends that LASU be renamed Lateef Kayode Jakande University (LKJU) in appreciation of his historic giant strides and in encouragement of future leaders in Lagos State.

    Today, the Universities which the other UPN Governors established for their States, in emulation of Governor Jakande’s action governance, have been renamed after those Governors following their demise.

    If the Universities established by the pioneer civilian Governors in other South West States of Nigeria could be named after those Governors, that of LASU must not be an exception. What is good for the goose must also be good for the gander.

    God bless Lagos state, God bless Nigeria!

    God bless Lagos State, God bless Nigeria!

     

     

  • Rationality and Project Nigeria

    Rationality and Project Nigeria

    By Segun Gbadegesin

     

    Rationality is a human endowment that we deploy as needed. It fights our battle of self-interest and other-regarding interest on the intellectual plane. We could deploy it instrumentally to serve our desired end no matter how odious it is. Alternatively, we could deploy rationality objectively in the interest of a morally sound end.

    Portuguese, British, and American slave traders deployed rationality instrumentally in pursuit of their economic interests. They found it rational to hunt, capture, and enslave Africans as a means to attaining economic greatness. The thought of the evil of using other human beings as mere means to their own selfish ends didn’t cross their minds.

    When enslavement became too much of a burden and its economic value waned, the West deployed instrumental rationality in a different direction. It was now more to their interest to establish colonies for the supply of raw materials and the marketing of products from their factories. The scramble for African resources led to the Balkanization of the continent into European territories. The thought of the evil of grabbing other people’s land without their permission didn’t cross their minds.

    Of course, instrumental rationality in pursuit of selfish interest against others might be unsettling to a morally conscious person or group of persons. While the majority of those who deployed this rationality in the case of enslavement and colonialism didn’t give a damn about morality, a few did. But they had a way of getting around it from religious and economic perspectives. On the latter, Fredrick Lugard famously argued that colonialism was in the common economic interests of Great Britain and Nigeria. On the former, they convinced themselves that the West had a burden to evangelize and civilize the “pagan world”. It all ended, however, when the “pagan world” insisted on their natural right to self-determination.

    Value, or objective, as opposed to subjective rationality, is morally conscious. It considers the humanity of the Other. It treats the Other as a rational being with ends that deserve respect. Value rationality doesn’t place self above others. It doesn’t place the national interest of one nation above that of the others. In considering the right conduct, it takes into account how it affects others. In the Kantian tradition, it asks the question: what if others decide to act in the same way? It is the logic of the Golden Rule.

    Not a whole lot of rational beings voluntarily adopt the dictates of value rationality or pursue the morally sanctioned path if they can get away with considerations of self or group interest only. Why would they, if there is no penalty to pay? It’s the way many think of political power: you have it and you can do whatever you want with it for your interest or the interest of your group. The problem with this mindset is that it fails to take account of the strength or potential strength that those that they underestimate might bring to the arena. Hobbes, the foremost philosopher of egoism, warned against this mindset in his Social Contract.

    Setting aside our complaints about the 1999 Constitution, let us grant that Nigeria is a federal republic. My argument here is that two rationalities are emerging in the discourse on Nigeria. One is the instrumental rationality that prioritizes sectional interest and it takes its cue from the rationality of colonialism. The other is the value rationality of morally conscious citizens and it prioritizes the good of the nation and seeks to secure her future. Whichever we choose to embrace will determine the future of the nation.

    Since security is the foremost duty of any government, the ongoing national discourse over the effectiveness of our domestic security architecture in the context of its breach appears to be a good measure of the rationality at play.  And it is noteworthy that the recent articulation of both kinds of rationalities has come to us from one ethnic nationality. This is a good sign because it shows that we are not divided beyond redemption.

    Two weeks ago, I focused attention on Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s smart solution to the herdsmen-farmer conflicts across the nation. Today, my focus is on the rationality behind the solution. In various forums and media discussions, the governor, a Fulani himself, presumably with a herding background and with herders in his extended family, has deployed a value rationality that prioritizes the unity of the nation. He has argued that cattle movement is not good for the cattle or the herders; that avoiding farmer-herder conflicts or cattle rustling is impossible without banning cattle movement; and that boosting the economic power of herders requires settling them in Ruga settlements which he has pioneered in Kano state.

    Importantly, this reasoning doesn’t demean herding. It also doesn’t engage in the reification of a way of life. It draws its strength from balancing the good of the herder with the good of the farmers on the one hand, and the common good of the nation on the other. Incessant conflicts deter from the unity of the nation and no one has monopoly of violence as it should be clear by now.

    At the opposite end of the Ganduje rationality is Governor Bala Mohammed’s. It is the embodiment of instrumental or subjective rationality which has zero tolerance for the consideration of other groups in the discourse. Mohammed’s reasoning, like the enslaver’s and the colonizer’s, could care less about the humanity or right of other rational beings. But whether in a nation-state or a multinational state, it is obvious how this could create avoidable crisis.

    Mohammed told his audience that herdsmen have a right to settle anywhere because “land is in the hands of the state and federal government in trust but Nigerians don’t need the permission of governors or the federal government to settle anywhere.” It reminds one of the reasoning adopted a few years ago by some in the United States Congress that the world oil deposits belong to the world and should not be monopolized by any country. Curious how Mohammed would have responded to that argument!

    People who use rationality in service of self or group interest, sometimes forget taking different positions at a different time. But for the institutional memory of Femi Falana (SAN) we wouldn’t know that Mohammed had a different view of residency rights when he served as FCT Minister and he attempted to demolish buildings because they encroached on government land.

    Governor Mohammed also argued for the right of herdsmen to carry AK-47 on their grazing route because they are “exposed, dehumanized and demonized.” He, typically, omitted reference to the allegations of killings, maiming, and raping by AK-47 wielding herdsmen. If herdsmen must protect themselves against dehumanization, shouldn’t there be the same provision for farmers and other victims along grazing routes? Shouldn’t there be a universal right of every Nigerian to carry AK-47? And what can we expect if that were the case? Subjective rationality only cares about the self or the group, not the Other whose humanity doesn’t come into calculation.

    I observe above that it is gratifying that the examples of both rationalities displayed in the matter of farmer-herder conflicts have come to us from one section of the country. However, it is even more pleasing that Governor Ganduje’s example of value rationality is shared across zonal boundaries. Thus, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the Southwest Governors’ Forum, Governor Ortom of Benue State and civil societies across the nation, have expressed support for one version or the other of this rationality and the policy action that it requires.

    The future of Nigeria as a multinational state will be determined by how committed every individual, group, or nationality is to the requirement of value rationality with its emphasis on having considerations for other individuals as we have for ourselves. It’s a give and take philosophy. It’s the philosophy of the frog as Ola Rotimi amply illustrates in Kurumi’s declaration to Reverend Mann. It must be the philosophy of Nigerians if the country is to have a peaceful and prosperous future. As leaders of the nation, Mr. President, Governors, and Lawmakers have good legacy reasons to embrace value rationality.