The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • The Next Level Team

    Finally, The List is out. As the nation waited with bated breath, President Buhari took his time to assemble a team which we can be sure he is proud of and would gladly vouch for as an A-team. We will soon confirm as rubber hits the road. For now, we must congratulate the president and his team and pray for strength and sound health to carry the nation to the Next Level.

    The release of the list comes at a time of national distress over unwelcome and unappreciated events of the last few weeks, nay, months. What started as isolated cases of criminal brigandage soon assumed a heightened level of nervousness for the future of the nation. The innocent life of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin was snuffed out with reckless abandon, leaving her 93 years old father and leader of pan-Yoruba premier organization, her husband, children and her family, in unfathomable pain, and striking a sadistic dagger through the heart of Yorubaland and, indeed, Nigeria as a whole. It is the loss of a nation. As she rests in the bosom of her Lord, here below, we approach the throne of Grace for mercy and comfort.

    Not surprising, in view of her pedigree, the reaction to the loss was fierce but measured, thanks to the reservoir of patience and pragmatic orientation of the Yoruba. Traditional and political leadership rose to the occasion. In unison, they condemned the brutal murder, and delivered unambiguous messages by correspondence and in person to the President. The Yoruba are long suffering. However, it’s a mistake to take them for granted. For when they are sure they’ve had enough, their reaction is usually disproportionate. That’s a word that is enough for the wise.

    As the police investigates the tragic killing on a highway that is supposed to be secure, what is clear is that no matter whoever is responsible, whether criminal kidnappers, armed robbers, or Fulani herdsmen, the government bears vicarious responsibility for its failure to provide security, a foremost duty of any government, for the shirking of which there is no justifiable excuse.

    The nation was still struggling to deal with the emotional damage done to its psyche by the tragic death of Mrs. Olakunrin, when another inexcusable security breach occurred in the nation’s capital. The worst nightmare of any parent, a young Youth Corps member, serving his country, was gunned down in a cross- fire between police and Shiites protesting the over three years detention of their leader despite court order for his release on bail. A Deputy Commissioner of Police was also felled in the fracas! Was this due to failure of Intelligence? How could it be that after a violent demonstration of the sect at the National Assembly only days before, security wasn’t beefed up to forestall such a repeat incidence that turned fatal?

    Perhaps, it all happened because there was no team in place. The Presidency cannot do all the heavy lifting. That is why the constitution provides for helpers, aka Honorable Ministers, with specific portfolios. Thank goodness, we now have the nominations and the Senate has promised to fast track their screening. Very soon, then, we will have the full team on duty. What should we expect? What can we expect?

    Before the election that gave him a second term, the president had laid out his vision for the Next Level and his expectation, indeed, demand of members of his team is that they would help him realize that vision and take the nation to that desired level. On her part, the nation can’t wait. It is important, however, that in the light of the desired investment of the nation in her own future, she should be carried along. If this requires a revision of the president’s vision, so be it.

    In particular, the matter of security must now take priority of place on the front burner. In his remarks at his inauguration, the president recalled that in 2015, he had identified security, economy, and corruption as the cardinal and existential challenges facing the country. He relished the fact that his administration has degraded Boko Haram insurgency. He also acknowledged that there are still challenges with regards to kidnappings and banditry but insists that he is meeting the remaining challenges “with much greater support to security forces with funds, equipment and improved local intelligence.”

    There is probably no doubt that the administration is supporting the security forces. It is also probably true that those forces are grossly inadequate for the challenges that they face on all fronts. The ratio of police to civilian in this country is abysmal. Besides, there is no fit between a such a centralized security force that we operate and a diverse population that we proudly identify as an unquantifiable asset of the nation. Why we relentlessly stick to such a monstrosity despite its glaring inadequacy is still a mystery to commonsense.

    The Next Level is a higher level. Therefore, we expect a new approach that does not frustrate expectations. It is high time we came to terms with the need for a new and effective security architecture that focuses on local policing, using personnel that identify with the people. We cannot continue recycling the same policy menu and expect different results. It is not working! Nigerians, young and old, professionals and students, low income and middle-income earners are afraid to travel by road whether on highways or even on remote rural roads because they hear stories of fellow Nigerians dying unnecessary deaths in the hands of criminals. It must stop. The team must find a solution NOW.

    Beefing up security is important. It must however be combined with sustained efforts in the matter of providing functional education to the youth as well as gainful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities geared towards lifting citizens out of poverty. To be fair, we must give credit to the Buhari administration for its doggedness in making alleviation of poverty a policy priority in its first term. From N-Power to TraderMoni, Anchor Borrowers Scheme, and School Feeding programs, many of our fellow-citizens have seen dramatic positive changes in their lives. These effective programs now must be sustained and improved.

    In the case of education, it seems clear that we have given an undue advantage to private schools and institutions over public institutions. This is wrong headed. A very tiny percentage of school age children have the resources to attend private schools. A vast majority of children have no alternative to public schools. But those public schools are starved of teachers, classroom space, teaching materials because they are not well-funded. Teachers lack the enthusiasm because they are not paid regularly. It is part of the reason we have so many out-of-school children and while those who attend end up not doing well.

    Why on earth do we bring children into the world, count them as citizens, expect them to become useful citizens, but refuse to do our part to train them? How are they to be useful citizens if, as a nation, we left them untrained and unloved? From our apparent unconcerned and uncaring attitude to the upbringing of our youth population, we should not expect anything better than that which we now experience in their embrace of banditry, armed robbery, cultism, and kidnapping. We fail them and the devil grabs them and turns them into its dependable weapon against us. As the Sage, in his characteristic bluntness, warned the nation: “The children of the poor that you failed to train will never let your children have peace.”

    In the circumstance, the team has its work cut out for it. Your role is to give useful and implementable policy advice to the President as it pertains to your portfolio. It is hoped that Mr. President chose you because he is familiar with your expertise in the portfolio that he entrusts to you. It is also hoped that he knows you for your hard work and loyalty to the vision that he shared with the nation. Therefore, you are a perfect fit for the Next Level. We pray that you do not disappoint the expectations of the nation.

     

     

  • Egbe Omo Yoruba and Project Nigeria

    The silver anniversary of Egbe Omo Yoruba, North America comes with a mixed feeling. On one hand, it is a great pleasure to be alive to see the tiny seed become a giant tree. On the other hand, it is frustrating that the challenges it confronted 25 years ago are still alive and well.

    The need to, in collaboration with other pro-democracy organizations, confront military dictatorship gone berserk following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election, led to the formation of a pan-Yoruba organization in 1994. Thanks to the resilience of members who gave all they had, that battle was won. Five years after, the military retreated in disgrace.

    One of the memorable moments of the organization was the 1997 convention in Houston, Texas when Chief Anthony Enahoro gave an inspiring keynote address. That speech, which zeroed in on the challenge of our quasi-unitary federal system and the responsibility of the Yoruba nation as a major federating unit, was a clarion call to action, and it continues to resonate in Nigeria’s current wobbly existence.

    Titled “Nigerian Federalism in the 21st Century”, Chief Enahoro’s address challenged our sense of history and nudged us to understand and be proud of our place in it as a people. Underscoring the reality of different nations with “their separate identities, histories, languages, religions, cultures and stages of civilization”, Baba decried how European nations “created, contrived or arranged” African countries just to serve their own interests. Unfortunately, those African countries subsequently endorsed the arbitrary boundaries and built their nationalist struggles on those boundaries, thus destroying “indigenous languages, political cultures and national identities, which in some cases, had existed and flourished for a thousand years or more.”

    Still, however, the founding fathers of Nigeria took up the challenge posed by those peculiarities of a multinational state. They created a workable federal system that sought to protect languages, cultures and identities as much as possible. But in their zeal for uniformity, the military rubbished that arrangement and created a big mess.

    Enahoro therefore challenged us to “resume and pursue the federating postulations of our founding fathers to their logical conclusion, and by so doing, liberate ourselves finally from the bondage of European colonization.” In particular, the elder statesman warned his Yoruba audience that failure to pursue the goal of genuine federation means that the Yoruba as a people could face disintegration if the path of a unitarian political system was not resisted.

    In the course of the years since that convention, the Egbe has had many other inspiring speeches from prominent Yoruba leaders, including, among others, listed here from oldest to youngest, Baba Abraham Adesanya, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Olu Falae, Chief Bisi Akande, General Ipoola Akinrinade, Chief C. O. Adebayo, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, and others. They all echoed the same message focusing on true and fiscal federalism as panacea for Nigerian stability and progress.

    The question then arises, why have we not followed up our thoughts and words with action? In 2005, the Obasanjo administration organized a constitutional conference on political reform. Yoruba activists, organizations, intelligentsia, and retired generals held series of meetings to present a unified Yoruba position at the conference. Titled Yoruba Agenda, it was coordinated with the Southwest governors and their aides. But at the eleventh hour, five PDP governors bowed up, insisting that as zonal political leaders, they had to prepare the Yoruba position.

    Many believed then that it was a script from the highest Yoruba office holder. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that the exercise suffered terribly from partisan bickering. The ruling party was wary of the opposition’s strategy. It was a lost opportunity to join other zones which also craved a reformed federation. History repeated itself in 2014, this time, the opposition was cynical about the politics of the ruling party’s last-minute change of mind about a national conference. Fast forward to 2019, it is General Obasanjo that is calling for another national summit. And the beat of politicking goes on.

    Yet there are inescapable realities that every group and the country at large must face squarely if the prediction of a failed state must be reversed. Why is this important? In Failed State 2030: Nigeria- A Case Study, a 2011 Occasional Paper No. 67 by Colonel Christopher Kinnan and others of Air War College, USA, the authors noted that in a 2007 Failed State Index, “with the largest population in Africa and a top-20 economy, (Nigeria) was ranked 17th most likely to fail” on a list of 148 countries. It is a dire assessment of the state of the nation. But there are more notable points in the study.

    First, the factors that the authors identify as conducive to state failure include “an uneven economic and social development; a failure to address group grievances; and a perceived lack of government legitimacy.” All three are unfortunately as Nigerian as our national anthem.

    Second, in 2011, the study notes that “the youth bulge in Nigeria may swap roles from productive laborers to disaffected rebels in the next two decades.” In 2019, we are already witnessing widespread banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism by rebellious youths.

    Third, the authors suggest that a state that fails may require up to 56 years to recover, or it may never recover.

    Fourth, a failed state is a threat to the survival and prosperity of ethnic-nationalities. Therefore, when a multinational state like Nigeria fails, even the quest of ethnic-nationalities for independence may not be realized. So much then for the drumbeats of war and our passion for ending it all so we could go our separate ways.

    What does this all mean for our present heightened political rhetoric? First, another civil war is not an option simply because it will not end well for any zone. 2019 is not 1967. To borrow an analogy from the study authors, our china plate is so full of many cracks now that allowing it to drop on a hard floor will lead to many broken pieces. Neither the north nor the south is monolithic.

    Second, then, acknowledging this fact of our condition requires us to tone down the rhetoric and develop mutual respect for our differences, whether political, economic, religious, ethnic or linguistic. Developing mutual respect means not seeking an undue advantage over others or exploiting our positions of authority over them.

    Third, security is the most important function of any government. But, in our present inadequate constitutional arrangement, the federal government has an overall responsibility for the security of the nation since it controls the police and the military. Without state and local police, which are more effective in the management of security, the center must either beef up the number and effectiveness of the national police and military or be prepared for incessant complaints on insecurity.

    Fourth, as I observed a few weeks ago, we must separate the crisis of farmer-herder conflicts from the general insecurity across the country. The former needs well thought-out policy that does not alienate groups and communities or pit them against one another. States, which have control over land, must be the loci of any policy formulation and implementation. Already, some states in the South, Ogun, for example, have vowed to create ranches.

    Fifth, however, even if we succeed in resolving the farmer-herder conflicts, it will not solve all our security challenges. Kidnapping, armed-robbery, and cultism have always been with us. If Fulani herdsmen were to relocate completely to Sambisa forest, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery and cultism will not go away in the South.

    Sixth, we will have violent crimes unless we take care of our youth bulge. Functional education that prioritizes employability and entrepreneurship are essential to any successful management of our energetic population. The federal government must lead the effort in the mobilization of every tier of government towards a future that falsifies the prediction of state failure.

    As members converge on Baton Rouge, Louisiana this weekend for the Egbe’s silver anniversary, I congratulate President Durojaiye Akindutire, his executive, and members. I pray that the next 25 years are more glorious than the preceding. Ase Olodumare!

  • Details of Hajj

    Preamble

    This is another season of Hajj. This season comes up in the month of Dhul Hijjah every year to accentuate the divine authority that brought it to mankind. The word Hajj means aspiration towards a higher spiritual pedestal and Dhul Hijjah is the last month of Islamic calendar. Hajj is a divinely ordained pilgrimage based on piety for Muslims who can afford it and not a manmade tourism. Thus, the visa issued to Muslims who perform Hajj annually is that of pilgrimage and not one of tourism. Whilst pilgrimage is an ordained spiritual exercise, tourism is a mere pleasurable journey. A whole chapter (chapter 22) in the Qur’an is divinely dedicated to Hajj and named the Chapter of Hajj. And that is where the Muslims derive their spiritual authority to perform Hajj.

    Similitude of Hajj

    The similitude of Hajj in the life of a Muslim is like that of pregnancy in the womb of an expectant mother. The experience may vary from woman to woman as the foetus in the womb undergoes various stages of development before it reaches the stage of delivery. By the time the child is finally delivered, the mother feels a relief of her life while the child assumes a ‘tabula rasa’ (clean slate) that makes him absolutely innocent. After Hajj, a pilgrim becomes like a newly born baby spiritually if he strictly adheres to the rules and regulations of Hajj as ordained by Allah. But returning into the world of iniquities after Hajj, automatically makes him/her like a person in a snow-white attire who finds himself in a palm oil market. Unless such a pilgrim spiritually guides his loins, he/she may immediately become a tainted entity both in body and in soul.

    Rigours of Hajj

    Muslim pilgrims who are going on Hajj must be prepared to go through series of rigour both spiritually and physically. The rigour of getting legitimate money with which to perform Hajj; the rigour of getting the travelling documents including passport, visa and yellow card; the rigour of taking care of the home front before embarking on the Holy journey; the rigour of boarding the plane with a sense of high risk; the rigour of going through the security checks at the embarkation point from home  and disembarkation point in Saudi Arabia;  the rigour of performing the Tawaf and Sa’y; the rigour of moving from Makkah to Muna on the 8th day of Dhul-Hijjah and from Muna to ‘Arafah on the 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah as well as back to Muna via Muzdalifah on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah; the rigour of throwing the pebbles at the Jamrat in Muna on the three or four days known as Ayamu-t-Tashrik; the rigour of performing Tawaful Ifadah at the Haram in Makkah; the rigour of performing the farewell circumambulation otherwise known as Tawaful Wada‘i,  all in the midst of millions of people can be too much to forget easily after Hajj.

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

    Prerequisites for Hajj Performance

    Performance of pilgrimage is based on certain fundamental conditions. These include genuine intention and high spiritual standard, attainment of puberty, very sound health, regular and sincere practice of the first four pillars of Islam ie: Salat, Zakah, and Sawm, all of which are fervently based on faith (Iman). Hajj without these pre-requisites is like a tree without roots. Money is one of the major pre-requisite for Hajj performance but it is not absolute.

    The day of Arafah in Hajj, shows, very vividly, the similitude of what mankind will experience on the Day of Judgment. Looking at the unique dress which pilgrims wear for Hajj and how they assemble at Arafat while leaving their luggage behind in Makkah, one will realize how ephemeral this world is. It must be remembered that some of them may never return from Arafah to the place where their luggage is kept and some may end up in hospitals. Meanwhile, pilgrims on Hajj this year must be weary of the burning scourge of the heat in Saudi Arabia. The must avoid roaming about in that heat. They must constantly drink water to avoid dehydration. The weather experts had predicted in 2015 that the current weather situation in Saudi Arabia during Hajj would remain the same for 15 years.

    Purpose of Hajj

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

    Process of Hajj

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

    • Fine-tuning the first four pillars of Islam very sincerely
    • Packaging one’s intention to perform Hajj;
    • Ascertaining the security of the way;
    • Providing adequately for the family and dependents at home;
    • Paying all outstanding debts including promises;
    • Ascertaining the condition of health;
    • Perfecting immigration procedures;
    • Undergoing all necessary medical services including inoculation;
    • Assuming a mood of humility like that of a servant approaching his Master;
    • Readiness to endure hardship and to tolerate fellow pilgrims’ attitudes. All these are the necessary steps to take by any genuine pilgrim while preparing for Hajj.

    Admonition

    While admonishing Muslims on spiritual journey including Hajj and emigration, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) once said: “Actions shall be judged according to intentions. Whoever embarks on a spiritual journey for the sake of Allah will be adjudged according to intention. And whoever intends to embark on such a journey for the purpose of marriage or material gains should not expect any reward beyond that for which he intends”.

    Step by Step of Hajj

    The spiritual steps to take in the performance of Hajj are as follows:

    • The he Miqats

    Miqat is the specified place for the knotting of the intention for Hajj performance and wearing of Ihram dress. Of the six available Miqats, five were appointed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) while the sixth one was pinpointed many years after the demise of Asian pilgrims. But the one earmarked for pilgrims from Nigeria cannot be reached by those travelling by air. It is over-flown while crossing the Red Sea. But what most Nigerians do according to rule is to wear their Ihram dress in Jeddah which is adjudged right through a Fatwah issued by highest scholarly authority in Saudi Arabia. Thus, Nigerian pilgrims can now wear their Ihram dress on arrival at the pilgrims’ airport in Jeddah if they fly directly to Jeddah. However, pilgrims whose first destination in Saudi Arabia is Madinah have no problem with Miqat.

    Such pilgrims should just wear their Ihram dresses at the Miqat in Madinah.

    (i)     Tawaful-Qudum

    Tawaf means circumambulation of the Ka’bah. The very first Tawaf to be performed by any pilgrim on entering Makkah is called Tawaful Qudum (meaning welcoming circumambulation). It is performed before the pilgrims settle down in their residences. Tawaful Qudum is an obligatory Sunnah from which only pilgrims from Makkah are exempted.

    (ii)    Residence in Makkah or Madinah

    Most Nigerian pilgrims often seek their accommodations in Makkah or Madinah close to the Haram. This is to enable them to walk to and from the Haram conveniently at the times of any Salat. To minimize pilgrims’ regular occurrence of missing their ways, they are provided with hand bands bearing the addresses of their residences. And this enables official Hajj guides to show them the way. Pilgrims are therefore advised to wear such bands at all times. It is also important for pilgrims to always be with their identity cards provided by Nigeria’s National Hajj Commission (NAHCON).This is to enable them to be identified in case of sickness, accident or even death.

    (iii)   Movement to Muna

    Pilgrims’ statutory movement to Muna is on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah.

    They must spend the night of the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah in Muna where they should observe Salatus-Subhi of the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah, which is Arafah Day, before proceeding to the Plain of Arafah.. Such movement must commence from Makkah after Tawaful Qudum. There is no movement to Muna from Madinah since there is no Tawaf in Madinah.

    The Day of Arafah

    All pilgrims proceeding to the Plain of Arafat are advised to stay under their tents and concentrate on the spiritual activities that take them to the place. They must reach Arafat before the mid- day when Salatu-d-Dhuhr and ‘Asr should be observed combined and in congregation. Any pilhrim who is not at Arafat by mid-day is considered not to have taken part in the assembly and therefore missed Hajj.

    Immediately after observing the combined Salatu-d-Dhuhr and ‘Asr the Imam who led the two Salat is expected to give a sermon. Listening to such sermon is as compulsory as giving it by the Imam. The great assembly of Arafat terminates shortly before the sunset (Magrib) while the pilgrims return to Muna via Muzdalifah.

    Muzdalifah Camp

    Muzdalifah is a transit camp on the way to Muna from Arafah. At that camp, pilgrims are expected to halt their journey to observe the two Salats of Magrib and ‘Ishai combined. They are also expected to pass the night there and observe the Salat-s-Subh of the following morning before proceeding to Muna where they will sttle down for three or four days as an obligation of Hajj. Muzdalifah is adjacent to Muna and it is thus a walking distance to the Jamrat (the stoning place) for pilgrims who are healthy enough to carry out the exercise.

    The Jamrat

    Stoning the devils (Rajmu Jimar) begins a day after Arafat and continues for the next three or four days that the pilgrims are supposed to spend at Muna. This exercise is obligatory and without it Hajj is considered incomplete or even invalid except when and where a

    pilgrim is hindered by certain inevitable conditions. There are three points at which stones are to be thrown. These are Jamratus-Sugrah, Jamratul-Wustah and Jamratul- Kubrah. On the first day in Muna, only seven stones are to be thrown at the Jamratul Kubrah which is the last and biggest of the three Jamrats. On the remaining two or three days in Muna, seven pebbles are to be thrown at each of of the three Jamrats beginning from Jamratus-Sughrah which is the first and smallest.

    Where to pick Stones

    It is part of the rules of Hajj that the first seven stones to be thrown at the Jamrats be picked at Muzdalifah. All other stones may be picked in Muna after the first day of stone throwing.

    Picking such stones at the point of throwing them is forbidden. All stones must have been picked before leaving the tent for the ‘Jamrat’ or on the way to the ‘Jamrat’. For pilgrims who decide to spend three days in Muna, the total number of pebbles to be thrown is 49 (7 for the first day, 21 for the second day and 21 for the third day). For pilgrims who choose to spend four days, the total number of pebbles to be thrown is 70.

    The Majzarah (Abattoir)

    Slaughtering of all sacrificial animals is done at the abattoir in Muna. Pilgrims do not need to bother themselves by going to the abattoir for the purpose of carrying out this obligation. They can simply buy the guaranteed ticket sold by designated Saudi banks or agents. The receipt is the evidence that one has performed that duty.

    The slaughtering is done on behalves of the pilgrims by some authorized butchery artisans who are paid by the Saudi Hajj authorities from the money paid for those animals. The animals to be slaughtered at Jamrat range from rams to camels. A pilgrim should slaughter one ram or more while seven pilgrims may combine to slaughter one camel or five of them may jointly slaughter one cow.

    Tawaful Ifadah

    Tawaful Ifadah is compulsory for all pilgrims including those who are not strong enough but can be carried on wheel. Without Tawaful Ifadah, Hajj is invalid.

    Any pilgrim who chooses to go for Tawaful Ifadah on the first day of Ayamut-Tashrik must return to Muna before the sunset. Such a pilgrim must not break the camping rule at Muna by going to Makkah without performing Tawaf-ul- Ifadah. With the completion of the camping days in Muna which is climaxed by Tawaful-Ifadah and the arrival of all the pilgrims in Makkah, Hajj has come to an end except for Tawaf Wada‘i otherwise called farewell Tawaf. That Tawaf is also an obligatory Sunnah.

    Conclusion

    Throughout the Hajj exercise, what should be uppermost in the mind of a pilgrim is the spiritual benefit. Hajj is made compulsory only once in a life time for those who have the wherewithal to undergo it and can satisfy the conditions attached to its performance.

    On arriving home finally, pilgrims are not expected to start organizing parties in celebration of a successful Hajj performance as ignorantly done by some Nigerians. Maintaining Hajj is a necessity for those who know the value of doing that. Whoever is privileged to perform Hajj once should be grateful to Allah forever as no one is sure of getting another chance. After a successful Hajj, the general greetings are as follows: Hajjan mbruran! Wa Sa’yan mashkuran! Wa Tijaratan lan taburah!

     

  • For Aremo Segun Osoba: Between pressmanship and statesmanship

    On his divine promotion to the rank of octogenarians, Aremo Segun Osoba deserves our heart-heart congratulations and every best wish for the years ahead. For he continues to be a jolly good fellow, respectable and respected for his integrity and dignified presence. Osoba exemplifies some of the best traditions of pressmanship and statesmanship, that this country has experienced.

    Straddling the world of pressmanship or journalism and statesmanship is indeed a rare privilege that a few before him, all pioneers of our nationalist struggle, were privileged to experience. I am sure that Aremo would be the first to admit the indispensability of the trail they blazed for the success of determined efforts like his. As we celebrate his achieving the enviable status of an elder statesman, it is worth exploring again the requirements for the successful interaction between pressmanship and statesmanship.

    Interestingly, the mystery of life is sometimes displayed in spectacular ways for our edification provided we pay careful attention. This is my metaphysical interpretation of why, twice this past week, the loaded phrase, “pulse of the nation” came up in national discourse in quite unrelated circumstances.

    First, in a moment of anguish over his disappointment on the Supreme Court decision in the Osun State governorship election petition, PDP presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar pleaded with the judiciary to feel the pulse of the nation as they do their work of dispensing justice. It was an odd plea, which not only second-guessed the highest court, but also solicited a criterion of justice that is detrimental to justice. Second, in his congratulatory message on Aremo Osoba’s birthday, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) appreciatively revealed to the nation how the celebrant helped his administration to understand the pulse of the nation as they contemplated policies and actions.

    One of the two usages was right, the other wrong. The job of a reporter is to expose the state of the nation without fear or favor. Politicians and administrators may, of course, foolishly decide not to be bothered or they may wisely be guided by the counsel of the Fourth Estate of the Realm. They may characterize the reports they hate as fake news and recoil to their cocoons where falsehood abides. Or they may wisely separate the wheat of good reporting from the chaff of political babble. However, elected officials feeling the pulse of the nation as presented by journalists guided by the ethics of the profession is a veritable means to good statesmanship.

    Now, of course, IBB’s revelation is interesting for what it fails to admit. How trusting was he of good journalistic reporting? How did it guide him in the runup to the adoption of IMF’s SAP? And most significantly, how did media reporting and editorials influence his political agenda between 1986 and 1993? And how was his position swayed by reporting on the runup to the annulment of the presidential election of June 1993?

    Turning to the other usage which demands that, in rendering their verdicts on electoral disputes, judges feel the pulse of the nation, we might ask, how appropriate is it in the context? Does the judiciary have a legal or moral responsibility to feel the pulse of the nation when contemplating such a judicial decision?

    This is obviously a situation in which reality sometimes negates the ideal. Judges are supposed to base their judgement on the facts of the case and the law. By a deduction from the law and the facts, they are to make judicial decisions, not minding where the chips fall. So why demand that judges feel the pulse of the nation as if they are to be influenced by the trending opinion? Sounding unconstitutional and immoral, the demand reflects a state of mind that has dominated republican systems of government for far too long. It is certainly not limited to our clime as we find similar reasonings and actions even in developed climes. There are two categories.

    First, judges and justices are members of dynamic societies. Social change affects their thinking and their decisions on crucial matters of law. While precedents are supposedly sacred and inviolable, occasions sometimes arise when they are overridden. Thirty years ago, anti-sodomy laws were well-established across the United States. Over the years, however, the society has moved on from criminalizing sexual relationships between consenting adults. The justices fell in line and same-sex marriage is now legal, affirming social influence on judicial decision.

    Second, in political systems where judges are appointed by politicians based on their ideological orientations, the reality of political influence on judicial decisions cannot be ruled out. Indeed, it is one of the dark spots on the judiciary because it leaves it vulnerable to accusations of political bias. This is why there is so much political turmoil in judicial nominations in the United States.

    In the Nigerian system, a non-political body, National Judicial Council, is responsible for the screening and recommendation of judges for nomination by the President to the Senate for confirmation. This, in addition to an independent power of the purse, is as close to judicial independence as it can be, reducing the chance of political pressure or ideological bias in judicial decision making.

    Despite the above references to external influences on the judiciary, there are special areas where judicial decisions must be completely above board and free from any external influence. Such is the case with judicial decisions of election disputes. Since such disputes are almost always about who wins or loses an election, requiring judges to feel the pulse of the nation begs an important question: which nation? Where there is a contention between political parties with membership across the nation, which party is more representative and therefore more deserving of consideration in the pulse-feeling activity of the courts?

    Sadly, we had an ignoble past in these matters when the courts had done precisely what Turaki Adamawa is apparently urging them to revisit. Recall the Treasonable Felony case against Chief Awolowo and others, and the metaphor of tied hands. Or, more poignantly, the 1979 presidential election Supreme Court judgement and the insistence that it must not be used as a precedent for future decisions. Those were moments we would rather forget.

    Read Also: Clark tackles Osoba for denigrating Confab Report

    For the confluence of pressmanship and statesmanship to have a positive impact on national progress, two related requirements are essential. First is ethical pressmanship, imbued with a desire for truth and justice towards national greatness. Second is a responsible leadership, committed to the pursuit of national greatness. Armed with progressive national policies, such a leadership will take advantage of the work of the free press, in the understanding that leadership is not infallible. In turn, benefiting from such a respectful relationship, the press becomes more and more responsible, a win-win outcome for the nation.

    In the fiery days of anti-colonial struggles, such a respectful relationship was out of the question because there was no common cause between the national press with a focus on independence and the colonial state, with a determination for continuous domination. Notwithstanding General Babangida’s spin, military rule was only slightly different. Being indigenous dictators did not really endear the military to the people, and the press, as people’s eyes and ears, knew this. Thus, many journalists also suffered the consequences of their defiance of military regimes over the years. A democracy should be different and the freedom of the press to investigate and report on the truth regarding the state of the nation should be of tremendous value to the statesman in the pursuit of the good of the nation.

    As his memoir, Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics, demonstrates, for more than fifty years, Aremo Osoba straddles both worlds of pressmanship and statesmanship. In both, he excels in his stand for truth and justice. When the world of politics tested his resolve for justice, he responded as any respectable human being would. But, then, as a gentleman, knowing that in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies, he accepted the counsel of reconciliation and he reconsidered at the right time. And he had the last laugh!

    Happy 80th Birthday, Aremo. Igba odun, odun kan.

     

     

     

  • Tola Adeniyi’s exhibition of ignorance

    Monologue

    Today’s article in this column was first published in in October 2017 under the same title. Its repetition here is warranted the reappearance of a notorious article published in the Tribune newspaper by a journalist and columnist called Tola Adeniyi. The sudden reappearance of that notorious article went viral on many platforms of the social media last week to the consternation of well-meaning Nigerians who had read Adeniyi’s article and today’s reaction to it two years ago. Republishing the article here is at the instance of many readers of this column who demanded its republication after reading Adeniyi’s mischievous article again online this time.

    Preamble

    Prophet Muhammad’s divinely guided expressions called Hadith will never cease to be axiomatic. In one of such expressions, he said: “There are three signs by which a hypocrite can be identified: when he talks he lies, when he promises he reneges and when he is trusted he betrays”. Thus, through the conduct of a hypocrite the definition of hypocrisy becomes clear. Ever since Prophet Muhammad (SAW) succinctly gave that impeccable definition of hypocrisy about one and a half millennia ago, no one else has given a better or anything similar to his. And what is true of this Hadith is equally true of all other genuine Hadith from this greatest man that ever lived. That is what makes Hadith an incomparable axiom which confirms the genuineness and impeccability of Prophet Muhammad’s Message to mankind.

     

     Tola Adeniyi’s Article

    When many Nigerian Muslim brothers and sisters called by telephone or sent text messages to yours sincerely with lamentations from different parts of the country to draw my attention to a particular article published in The Tribune newspaper of Tuesday, October 17, 2017, I thought it was a serious matter of concern. But after reading the article entitled ‘Islam and Religious Imperialism’ which appeared on page 15 of that newspaper and was written by a septuagenarian columnist called Tola Adeniyi, I knew that most of those who called or sent text messages to me did not know anything about the author of that article.  If they knew, they would not have been that worried.

    Ordinarily, as a journalist and a columnist, I stopped reading Tola Adeniyi’s writings about two decades ago. Although this veteran is a professional colleague, his column is not what I can allow to consume the least of my leisure time. There are columnists that I do not miss on a weekly basis and there are columnists that I do not waste my valuable time to read. He belongs to the latter group.

    For decades, this man had been a newspaper columnist under a pen name (Aba Saheed) in ‘The Tribune’ newspaper. There is no doubt that as an endowed journalist he is gifted in language communication through writing, his refusal to address a major question mark on the ethics of the profession has rendered his status as veteran diminutive.

     

    His column

    Like any other columnist, this man has his own readers no doubt but I do not belong to that pedestal of readership. As a matter of fact, if he had not ignorantly attacked the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) with a sinister motive, I would not have wasted my time on reacting to such a pedestrian article.  But as the chief spokesman for that Apex Muslim body in Nigeria, I consider it my duty to put the records straight and save some innocent newspaper readers from being misinformed about Islam in Nigeria by someone who is claiming to be a Muslim just by birth.

    At least, any good Muslim who thoroughly understands Islam will know that claiming to be a Muslim because of birth or name may cast doubt on the genuineness of his Islam. Such a public announcement is a way of seeking relevance where there is a possible benefit. That is what some parasites in the profession called Journalism use their pens to achieve.

     

    Strange posture

    If anything is strange in Tola Adeniyi’s article under review, it is the Age at which he wrote it. Those who have read the article may take time to go through it once again and they will discover that it contains no substance worthy of any serious attention. That was the practice in the 1970s, 80s and even 1990s which the likes of Tola Adeniyi are yet to realize that has become anachronistic in the noble profession today.

     

    Observation

    By writing such an article at this time around, what Tola Adeniyi did was not just to exhibit his blatant ignorance about Islam and the NSCIA but also to play a Dragon on a valueless brook under which his drummers are facelessly active. And when a Septuagenarian combines ignorance with confusion he automatically sinks into an abyss of hypocrisy where hiding behind one finger becomes an artful trick of escape. Thus, Prophet Muhammad’s Hadith quoted above is as fitting to such a man as a scepter of thorn in the hand of a despotic Monarch.

     

    Memory lane

    It will be recalled that sometime early in 2017, a press statement was issued by a so called Oodua Muslim Coalition (OMC) in some southwest print media to counsel the Southern Muslims on why and how they should disengage completely from any association with the Northern Muslims especially the NSCIA. The similarity in Tola Adeniyi’s article to that of the so called OMC is a glaring evidence of the common enclave of  the devilish drummers who are bent on using proxies among the Southwest Muslims to destroy the strong chord of Muslim unity in Nigeria.

     

    Reaction

    In a reaction to the so called OMC press statement mentioned above, yours sincerely, being the official spokesman for The Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), promptly issued the following press release to silence the hypocrites and disabuse the minds of the genuine Muslim brothers and sisters in the Southwest Region. The reaction went thus: ‘The attention of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), has been drawn to the emergence of a fraudulent group calling itself ‘Oodua Muslim Coalition (OMC) in the Southwest of Nigeria.

    Using the Southwest media to herald the arrival of its nefarious plot under the cover of Islamic religion, this amorphous group issued an unwarranted hateful press statement recently in which it attacked and blackmailed the entire Southwest Muslims calling them names and labeling them  ‘Agents of Hausa Fulani of the North’.

    To the best of its knowledge, as the umbrella body for all State Muslim Councils/Communities as well as Organizations in the six States of the Southwest region, MUSWEN is not aware of the existence of any group called ‘Oodua Muslim Coalition’ (OMC). The only guessable possibility about that fictitious body is that of being an agent for a chameleonic group   that calls itself Afenifere in the region and is seeking to become an imperialistic impostor.

     

    Clarification

    For clarification, MUSWEN as the Southern counterpart of Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI) in the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has the record of all legitimate Muslim Organizations in the Southwest region, and the so-called ‘Oodua Muslim Coalition’ is not on that record. Perhaps, Tola Adeniyi’s referred maleficent article was meant to be a megaphone for the region’s town criers against Islam and the Muslims leaders.

     

    Warning

    We therefore warn all genuine Muslim Councils, Communities and Organizations in the Southwest region to beware of certain evil elements who are now parading themselves as   Muslim groups with the intent of constituting a spiritual virus in the region with the evil objective of presidential election in 1993 which was annulled by the Ibrahim Babangida military regime that initiated the aborted third republic in Nigeria. But when Bashorun Abiola was arrested and detained by Sani Abacha regime, the man switched over to the Junta’s camp and became a beneficiary therein. It is only those who do not know Tola Adeniyi closely that will attach any seriousness to his writings in any newspaper. Invariably, public writings depict the mannerism of the writers.

     

    Tola Adeniyi’s antics

    Now, at about 74 years of age, the subject of Tola Adeniyi’s sadistic article being the NSCIA could come as a surprise. That subject may look real to some people in Nigeria who are also ignorant about Islam and are also claiming to be Muslims. By their acts, hypocrites are invariably known and they invariably end up in a dungeon of oblivion.Those who are still in doubt about this assertion may ask the Tola Adeniyi himself and his likes of the whereabouts of an Indian born Briton, Salmon Rushdie, was carried away by his deceptive literary prowess to write a self-ruining book entitled ‘Satanic Forces’ in 1989 which paved his way to permanent oblivion.

    It is hoped that the upcoming writers will learn a lesson from the inglorious end of such men.

     

    Muslim columnist

    Sensible people who read columns written by Muslims will notice that such columnists do not deliberately attack any religion outside Islam as some of their non-Muslim counterparts often unwarrantedly do by echoing Islamization in a way of crying Wolf where none exists. If Tola Adeniyi were truly a Muslim and has acquired the knowledge of Qur’an and Hadith as he claimed in his notorious article. Why has he not reflected such knowledge in any of his writings in the past three decades?. Who does not know that agents of clandestine agenda often lay claim to false qualifications as a way of justifying their hypocrisy. It is not strange that a Septuagenarian of Tola Adeniyi’s status can use birth in Islam as evidence of his being a Muslim. After all, we know of an octogenarian in the same Ijebu area of Ogun State who was a top Islamic Chieftain in Ijebu-ode Central Mosque but dropped Islam for another Religion at the point of his Death. What is shameful In Tola Adeniyi’s case is his claim to remain a muslim at 74 without any evidence of an iota aof knowledge about Islam. If anybody would advise the Southwest Muslims about their faith and their social lives it is surely not the like of a confused and ignorant person.

    Those who perceive themselves as living in Glass houses should be sensible enough not to throw stones at others. That is part of ethics in journalism as a profession. A word is enough for the wise.

  • Mr. President: Please clear this fog!

    A thick cloud of insecurity hangs over the nation. Kidnappers are on the loose. Killer herders are on the rampage. Banditry and cattle rustling are on the rise. No government can conduct its business with such a cloud of insecurity hanging over the country. Granted there are political opportunists counting on exploiting the volatile condition. Still, the challenge of insecurity is not in doubt.

    Unfortunately, the country is boiling with a cacophony of voices on the nature and source of the challenge. And our uniqueness as a divided people unwilling to get beyond their differences never disappoints. Therefore, accounts of the nature and source of the challenge varies across political spectrum and ethno-national divisions. Worse, there’s an aggravating fog of policy proposals.

    Lumping all cases of insecurity, including recent increase in kidnapping activities into one basket of farmer-herdsmen clash, the South sees land grab by foreigners. Following from this is the prediction of another civil war in the horizon. A recent social media post is introduced with an ominous quotation attributed to former President Obasanjo: “War will soon break out in Nigeria. Mark my words.” Of course, if it does, it could be the final one. For, which country can survive two civil wars in the lifetime of a generation?

    On its part, the North, ever so defensive of its lumpenproletariat, which its own elite has never lost an opportunity to impoverish and exploit, sees only economic forces at work. Precisely, it sees the consequence of climate change in desertification and drying up of Lake Chad, forcing herders down south in search of pasture, and, thus, the inevitability of clashes and conflicts. But as that observed reality appears to be made with a “nothing you can do; therefore, deal with it” attitude, the South sees the North as an arrogant nose thumper.

    Between the two frames of reference, there are elements of truth. There is desertification. Lake Chad is drying up. There is influx of cattle and herders from foreign countries up our northern border. There is southbound movement of cattle. There is indiscriminate cattle grazing on farmlands in the Middle Belt and Southern states. There is cattle invasion of residential areas and public spaces. There is maiming and killing of human beings in defense of cattle. And there are reprisal attacks on cattle and herdsmen.

    A good understanding of the above-stated truths should lead us to two further realities. First, not all our security challenges are attributable to farmer-herder conflicts. Second, government has responsibility for all our security challenges.

    The first truth is a non-brainer. Before the recent heightening of the sense of insecurity posed by herdsmen, the South lived with the menace of armed robbers, cultists, and gangsters. There were/are inbred kidnappers. Think Evans, who is still in court defending himself. The police, never tired of parading suspects before they are tried in court, recently identified some Yoruba kidnappers in public. There is the phenomenon of ole ile (house robbers) for which we have indigenous vigilantes manned by the hunter guild in Yoruba towns and villages.

    Going to my second truth, government has responsibility for all insecurity challenges. But lumping all insecurity challenges with the challenge posed by foreign herdsmen in our midst unfortunately simplifies a complex matter. Focusing on the menace of open grazing by herdsmen is extremely important. But we must not think that solving that piece of our security challenge will eliminate criminal kidnappers on our highways and forest reserves.  An effective measure for one case doesn’t necessarily work for the other.

    Over a year ago on this page, I observed that a viable path to resolving the farmer-herdsmen crisis was to modernize cattle breeding and rearing and that nomadism is not its essence. Since last year, the federal government has put its energy into resolving the crisis. But, considering the various iterations of solutions proposed to date, it has been foggy efforts at best.

    In the twinkling of an eye, we moved from grazing reserves to cattle colonies and now to Ruga settlements.  How, for heaven’s sake, is it so hard to bring together all stakeholders and agree on a policy that respects the autonomy of states under the Land Use Act and so prioritize the states as the final arbiter in this matter? Surely, the Federal Government has a responsibility for national security. But states are vested with the constitutional authority for the use of land in their areas of jurisdiction. Therefore, the federal government cannot impose any policy on them without their buy-in.

    I am certain that the Presidency understands this inescapable reality. But its policy pronouncements on this matter have not demonstrated to states and their citizens its readiness to respect it. It is time the President, in his wisdom, cleared this fog of confusion and uncertainty.

    The Presidency is an exalted office for good reason. It is the only office in the land that has the entire country as its constituency. Therefore, an elected president represents the whole country, not an ethnic nationality. Surely, becoming a president does not mean that one loses his or her ethnic identity. But it means that you bracket your unique ethnic identity during the time you serve, and you take on national identity. In this capacity, every ethnic nationality must have confidence in your ability to be dispassionate and fair as you deal with challenges that are national in scope.

    While I have no doubt that Mr. President is capable of faithfully discharging this great responsibility of fairness and thus rallying the entire country to the greatness that it richly deserves, his SILENCE in times of great crisis such as the current one is telling. For it unfortunately creates a perception, in the minds of his adversaries (unsurprisingly) but also in the mind of his admirers, that he just doesn’t care what people think in view of what they are experiencing. This is sad!

    Mr. President, you have a huge Mimbar or Pulpit which affords you the singular opportunity to rally the citizenry to your vision of the greatness that you are leading them to. Specifically, in times of manifest division arising from fears of insecurity fueled by fogs of doubt and clouds of suspicion, you have the responsibility to set matters straight and clear the fog. Unfortunately, it appears that your administration is more and more responsible for the thickening of the fog. You must now come to the rescue.  It does not by any means belittle your exalted office to go on national television to calm restive national nerves. Instead, it enhances your credibility and integrity as the Number One Citizen.

    From all that has been made public about it, Ruga settlement is Ranching. If so, it is not new to the country as many commentators have observed. But why give it a divisive nomenclature? In the mid-fifties, regional governments had cattle ranches. Why not now simply have state governments resuscitate those ranches for the benefit of their people? The federal government, with its prioritized interest in agriculture, can provide the enabling environment for these ranches in the form of grants to states or to specific cooperatives. This way, any Nigerian, not only Fulani herdsmen, are beneficiaries of the policy. Perceptions of favoritism or, worse, disguised land grab, is laid to rest.

    Why is land grab perception so real and so dangerous? There have been testimonials on the origin of the Middle Belt farmer-herdsmen crisis where small herdsmen settlements morphed into large colonies, generating conflicts over landownership. Land Use Act takes away land from indigenous families vesting it in state governments. But these families appreciate the fact that they still have access to their land even if through lease from government. There is some satisfaction in that. But let’s be honest. No family, South or North, will ever be pleased with losing its land to non-indigenes who can claim equal right of ownership! It is not only anomalous in our context; it will certainly aggravate an already tense national climate of fear and suspicion.

    Fortunately, on an optimistic note, Mr. President can easily clear this fog now, and put the devil to ignominious shame.

     

     

     

  • Mr. President: Please clear this fog!

    A thick cloud of insecurity hangs over the nation. Kidnappers are on the loose. Killer herders are on the rampage. Banditry and cattle rustling are on the rise. No government can conduct its business with such a cloud of insecurity hanging over the country. Granted there are political opportunists counting on exploiting the volatile condition. Still, the challenge of insecurity is not in doubt.

    Unfortunately, the country is boiling with a cacophony of voices on the nature and source of the challenge. And our uniqueness as a divided people unwilling to get beyond their differences never disappoints. Therefore, accounts of the nature and source of the challenge varies across political spectrum and ethno-national divisions. Worse, there’s an aggravating fog of policy proposals.

    Lumping all cases of insecurity, including recent increase in kidnapping activities into one basket of farmer-herdsmen clash, the South sees land grab by foreigners. Following from this is the prediction of another civil war in the horizon. A recent social media post is introduced with an ominous quotation attributed to former President Obasanjo: “War will soon break out in Nigeria. Mark my words.” Of course, if it does, it could be the final one. For, which country can survive two civil wars in the lifetime of a generation?

    On its part, the North, ever so defensive of its lumpenproletariat, which its own elite has never lost an opportunity to impoverish and exploit, sees only economic forces at work. Precisely, it sees the consequence of climate change in desertification and drying up of Lake Chad, forcing herders down south in search of pasture, and, thus, the inevitability of clashes and conflicts. But as that observed reality appears to be made with a “nothing you can do; therefore, deal with it” attitude, the South sees the North as an arrogant nose thumper.

    Between the two frames of reference, there are elements of truth. There is desertification. Lake Chad is drying up. There is influx of cattle and herders from foreign countries up our northern border. There is southbound movement of cattle. There is indiscriminate cattle grazing on farmlands in the Middle Belt and Southern states. There is cattle invasion of residential areas and public spaces. There is maiming and killing of human beings in defense of cattle. And there are reprisal attacks on cattle and herdsmen.

    A good understanding of the above-stated truths should lead us to two further realities. First, not all our security challenges are attributable to farmer-herder conflicts. Second, government has responsibility for all our security challenges.

    The first truth is a non-brainer. Before the recent heightening of the sense of insecurity posed by herdsmen, the South lived with the menace of armed robbers, cultists, and gangsters. There were/are inbred kidnappers. Think Evans, who is still in court defending himself. The police, never tired of parading suspects before they are tried in court, recently identified some Yoruba kidnappers in public. There is the phenomenon of ole ile (house robbers) for which we have indigenous vigilantes manned by the hunter guild in Yoruba towns and villages.

    Going to my second truth, government has responsibility for all insecurity challenges. But lumping all insecurity challenges with the challenge posed by foreign herdsmen in our midst unfortunately simplifies a complex matter. Focusing on the menace of open grazing by herdsmen is extremely important. But we must not think that solving that piece of our security challenge will eliminate criminal kidnappers on our highways and forest reserves.  An effective measure for one case doesn’t necessarily work for the other.

    Over a year ago on this page, I observed that a viable path to resolving the farmer-herdsmen crisis was to modernize cattle breeding and rearing and that nomadism is not its essence. Since last year, the federal government has put its energy into resolving the crisis. But, considering the various iterations of solutions proposed to date, it has been foggy efforts at best.

    In the twinkling of an eye, we moved from grazing reserves to cattle colonies and now to Ruga settlements.  How, for heaven’s sake, is it so hard to bring together all stakeholders and agree on a policy that respects the autonomy of states under the Land Use Act and so prioritize the states as the final arbiter in this matter? Surely, the Federal Government has a responsibility for national security. But states are vested with the constitutional authority for the use of land in their areas of jurisdiction. Therefore, the federal government cannot impose any policy on them without their buy-in.

    I am certain that the Presidency understands this inescapable reality. But its policy pronouncements on this matter have not demonstrated to states and their citizens its readiness to respect it. It is time the President, in his wisdom, cleared this fog of confusion and uncertainty.

    The Presidency is an exalted office for good reason. It is the only office in the land that has the entire country as its constituency. Therefore, an elected president represents the whole country, not an ethnic nationality. Surely, becoming a president does not mean that one loses his or her ethnic identity. But it means that you bracket your unique ethnic identity during the time you serve, and you take on national identity. In this capacity, every ethnic nationality must have confidence in your ability to be dispassionate and fair as you deal with challenges that are national in scope.

    While I have no doubt that Mr. President is capable of faithfully discharging this great responsibility of fairness and thus rallying the entire country to the greatness that it richly deserves, his SILENCE in times of great crisis such as the current one is telling. For it unfortunately creates a perception, in the minds of his adversaries (unsurprisingly) but also in the mind of his admirers, that he just doesn’t care what people think in view of what they are experiencing. This is sad!

    Mr. President, you have a huge Mimbar or Pulpit which affords you the singular opportunity to rally the citizenry to your vision of the greatness that you are leading them to. Specifically, in times of manifest division arising from fears of insecurity fueled by fogs of doubt and clouds of suspicion, you have the responsibility to set matters straight and clear the fog. Unfortunately, it appears that your administration is more and more responsible for the thickening of the fog. You must now come to the rescue.  It does not by any means belittle your exalted office to go on national television to calm restive national nerves. Instead, it enhances your credibility and integrity as the Number One Citizen.

    From all that has been made public about it, Ruga settlement is Ranching. If so, it is not new to the country as many commentators have observed. But why give it a divisive nomenclature? In the mid-fifties, regional governments had cattle ranches. Why not now simply have state governments resuscitate those ranches for the benefit of their people? The federal government, with its prioritized interest in agriculture, can provide the enabling environment for these ranches in the form of grants to states or to specific cooperatives. This way, any Nigerian, not only Fulani herdsmen, are beneficiaries of the policy. Perceptions of favoritism or, worse, disguised land grab, is laid to rest.

    Why is land grab perception so real and so dangerous? There have been testimonials on the origin of the Middle Belt farmer-herdsmen crisis where small herdsmen settlements morphed into large colonies, generating conflicts over landownership. Land Use Act takes away land from indigenous families vesting it in state governments. But these families appreciate the fact that they still have access to their land even if through lease from government. There is some satisfaction in that. But let’s be honest. No family, South or North, will ever be pleased with losing its land to non-indigenes who can claim equal right of ownership! It is not only anomalous in our context; it will certainly aggravate an already tense national climate of fear and suspicion.

    Fortunately, on an optimistic note, Mr. President can easily clear this fog now, and put the devil to ignominious shame.

     

     

     

  • In Quest of a ‘Yusuf’

    Monologue

    This article is not new. It was first written and published in this column about one decade ago. Yet, the situation that warranted its writing and publication at that time has not waned a bit. Thus, a repeat of its publication here today is at the request of some readers who still consider it potent.
    From all indications, Nigeria is a divinely blessed country that ironically functions like an accursed nation. After 59 years of independence from the British colonialism, this country’s stagnancy remains unprecedented in contemporary time. She is like a beheaded python in the only continent of the black race. And her citizens live like orphans without hope in the midst of hungry predators. In this circumstance, how to reconcile hope with despair in those orphans remains a fundamental question that requires a fundamental answer.

    Preamble

    This world is a dramatic entity mysteriously coded in parables. Every living thing therein sees it and relates to it according to its own nature of existence. It takes history to decode it only after the actors might have left the stage. Who are we? Where are we coming from? And where are we going from here? Those are some of the questions which all rational human beings should be asking themselves from time to time.

    But such questions have been rendered irrelevant in Nigeria because the circumstances of life have changed the priorities of the citizens. The only question now in vogue, which everybody seems to be answering, is this: ‘what am I getting from this?’ It is a material world that paved the way for what now becomes an endemic corruption in the land.

     

    A Dramatic Question

    The question above is the real drama that permanently engages the attention of Nigerians of all strata. It is the question that crowns money as the king of the world. It is the question that fosters greed with the milk of callousness and fetters humanity to the stake of Satan. It is the question that presents mirage to Nigerian youths as the only substance worthy of pursuit. Incidentally, however, no genuine attempt to proffer a befitting answer to that all-time question has ever been made by any government in power. And in reality, if proffered, such an answer would have confirmed the ephemerality of this world against the common yearning for illicit prosperity which even most of today’s so-called clergy are preaching to the detriment of societal decency.

     

    The Parable of a Country

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

    What is Nigeria not blessed with? We have land in abundance, not in terms of size alone but also in terms of agrarian soil and rich vegetation. At least over 77 million hectares of land is said to be arable in Nigeria. Out of this, less than 34 million hectares is reportedly being cultivated for various agricultural activities including husbandry. This has even dwindled to about 23 million square hectares as insurgency and banditry keep forcing more and more rural youths to troop to cities and towns for survival and imaginary greener pastures.

     

    Nigeria’s Endowments

    As a country, we are blessed with rainfalls to water our plants from the sky and to graze our animals to satisfaction. We are endowed with variety of nourishing food crops that are enough to feed us from generation to generation without importing any edible from anywhere.

    The Qur’an testifies to this in chapter 80 thus: “Let man reflect on the food he eats; how ‘We’ pour down the rain in torrents and cleave the earth asunder; how ‘We’ bring forth the corn, the grapes, the fresh vegetables, the olive, the palm products, the thickets, the fruit-trees and the green pasture for you and for your cattle to delight in…” Allah’s favour is regular and incessant. We cannot deny it for any reason.

     

    The Country’s Workforce

    In addition to the aforementioned, we have energetic and dedicated work force that is married to the farmlands, plants, fishery and animal husbandry in Nigeria. We also have intellectual brains that engage in researches days and nights to ensure agricultural enhancement of our country.

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

    What we had consistently lacked as a nation is a responsible leadership that should care to preserve our foremost heritage which is agriculture. That shortage of  foods is becoming a threat to Nigerians’ existence today is purely due to lack of responsible leadership especially since the commencement of the fourth republic in 1999.

     

    First Baton of Misfortune

    Nigeria’s misfortune started when the first baton of the Presidency in 1999 was handed over to a parochial ‘prisoner’ who had lost contact with reality of free world of the modern time. On his assumption of office in that year, some die hard Nigerian optimists saw him as a reincarnate of the Yusuf of yore would rescue Nigeria from an impending scourge of famine. But no sooner had he become President than Nigerians realized that the man who was thought to be a Yusuf coming from the prison to transform Nigeria’s dream into reality was actually a parochial Mathew.

    As a farmer that he claimed to be, he had been expected to act like Chairman Mao of China who started the revolution of his country with agricultural self-sufficiency. But this Mathew eventually confirmed that a man cannot give what he lacks. He proved that that he was never tutored in any decency that could facilitate good governance. Those who imposed him on Nigeria have since openly confessed their calamitous error expressing a belated regret and liking their bleeding fingers with internal agony. Today, Nigeria is worse than she was two decades ago with successive display of mediocrity by those taking turns to be at the helm of affairs.

     

    Evidence of Parochialism

    Not only did the first relay leg of Nigeria’s fourth republic parochially promote cassava alone, of all crops, and pushed many farmers into cultivating it as a cash crop, he also ensured that most small scale farmers made no headway in their efforts. No rural roads were provided to enable those farmers transport their farm products to markets in cities and towns and no iota of incentive for those farmers from his government. And when the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), an active arm of the United Nations, attempted to bail out Nigeria from his devilish antics by granting small scale farmers a substantial financial aid in the name of ‘FADAMA’, the news only ended on radio as a mere announcement.

    The money, (N50 billion naira), meant to boost agriculture through peasant farmers became a booty for the hawks among some government officials and their lackeys in the private sector.

    Those poor farmers ran helter-skelter for some time seeking loans that were pegged at N250000 naira per head without getting one kobo. All sorts of huddles were erected on their ways until they became frustrated and rested their case with God.

    The only farmer who was conspicuously known to have benefited directly from that money was the President himself who arrogantly announced on a television network, during a Presidential media chart in 2006, that he got a whopping N2 billion for his farm as loan from the money meant for the peasants. Can you imagine that callous greed?

     

    The State Governments

    Most of the State Governors of that time did not help the matter. Rather than focusing on agriculture which was the natural occupational endowment of their respective States, those gold diggers preferred to depend on oil largesse coming to them from the federal government through the so-called allocation revenue sharing. To them, such a quicker way of making money for themselves rather than for their States was more beneficial than investing in agriculture which could only yield results perhaps years after they might have left office.

     

    The Cost of Democracy

    In Nigeria, the cost of a democratic dispensation alone is enough to run the country aground. As a third world developing country, what are we doing with over 40 federal ministers and scores of Presidential Senior Special Advisers as well a retinue of personal Assistants when even America with her huge economic resource, large population and financial wherewithal has only about ten ministers? Why must we have different ministers for agriculture and water resources? Where is the federal government’s farm to justify that?

    Besides, what informs the idea of the so-called constituency allowances for Senators and other legislators, at the federal and state levels costing the country billions of naira, especially at a time when innocent women and children are crying for food which is a foremost necessity of life?

    No one would have thought that artificial hunger could be added to the abysmal level of poverty in Nigeria despite the unprecedented rise in price of oil in the international market during the wasted years of 2003 to 2014.

     

    Artful Trick

    Governance in Nigeria has become an artful trick adopted to bamboozle the populace into blind submission. The propaganda in the 1980s spearheaded by Professor Gerry Gana, the then Chairman of Mass Mobilization for Structural Adjustment (MAMSA) was almost hypnotizing: ‘food and shelter for all in the year 2000!’ That slogan was changed in the 1990s to: ‘Vision 2010!’ And when year 2010 was fast approaching, the slogan changed again to: ‘Vision 2020!

    Now, in 2019 without roads, without electricity, without rail transportation system, without jobs for majority of the able-bodied citizens, without security and even without food on our tables, how can we hope to become one of the 20 biggest economies in the world in year 2020 as the propagandists had deceptively projected? Isn’t that a day dream? It takes two to tango. If the deceivers can pretend not to know that a game of deception is in place, the deceived populace surely know even if they also pretend to play along. No country in history is ever known to have achieved economic vibrancy by magic wand. Nigeria cannot be an exception.

     

    FAO Report

    In an FAO report some years ago, about 300 Nigerians were said to be dying of hunger daily. Only God knows what that figure has risen to become now. Yet, rather than reacting to that sad news positively to the rescue of the people, our callously deceptive government continued to assure us of becoming one of the biggest economies in the world in year 2020 even as the easy money accruing from our petroleum resources was being audaciously stolen with unbridled impunity to the detriment of the masses.

    However, by some actions he took during his tenure, the late President Musa Yar’Adua of the blessed memory remains commendable for showing the example of governance with human face and human heart. At least as a first measure, he earmarked N80 billion for food importation and announced a suspension of all tariffs on imported food items to the immediate relief of all and sundry at that time. He also released grains from the national silos to check inflation and pumped N400 billion into the economy for the purpose of creating about 10 million jobs then. Though, such measures were far from being adequate for a country which was aspiring to become one of the biggest economies in 2020, the move was generally seen as a good beginning of a hopeful future.

    However, as soon as Yar’Adua died, all progressive steps were suspended and the national treasury was thrown open for audacious thieves to scoop upon with impunity. Thereafter, open day official theft became a means of winning medals and earning national honour than the shameful act it used to be in the time of Yar’Adua.

    Now, the government needs to be told that no miracle can yield any success based on a ramshackle foundation laid down for Nigerian economy by a Mathew (from the prison) who, as President, could hardly reason beyond the siege mentality of the prison yard from where he had emerged.

     

    Memory Lane

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

    If Egypt had any major plight when Yusuf was in prison in that country, it was Pharaoh’s dream. It turned out that Yusuf’s imprisonment in Egypt was a blessing, not only for Egypt but also for Yusuf and his family. What could have been a repeat of that episode here in Nigeria, turned out to be a regrettable bizarre as most national assets were sold and bought by the so-called rulers in the name of privatization. The rest is now left to history.

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

     

    Egyptian Template

    Realizing the importance of food supply especially in a war situation, Egypt mobilized all her agricultural resources around the River Nile and forgot about any food importation. The result was tremendous. Till today, food supply is not a major problem in that country.

     

    Uganda for Instance

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

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

    Today, besides the flooding in some States, Nigeria is not afflicted by drought or famine. Neither is she engaged in a major war besides fighting insurgency and banditry. Yet, the general fear in vogue now, is hunger compounded by insecurity. How the country arrived at such a deadly scourge is irrelevant for now. What is relevant is how to get out of it. Like Egypt of yore, Nigeria will need a Yusuf to unravel the mystery surrounding the dream that brought this scourge about.

    It is ironic that people who live by the river bank can’t get water to drink when those living in the desert can find a reliable oasis to combat any drought. President Yar’Adua’s short time leadership was a lesson for those who want to learn. Given all the resources with which we are endowed as a country, Nigerians should have no business with poverty let alone food crisis.

     

    Cause of Insecurity

    In one of the reactions to this column which I received and published recently, a reader raised alarm over the persisting poverty in Nigeria pointing out that “about 97% of Nigerian wealth is in the hands of 3% of Nigerians who are mainly in government”. This has consistently been the hub of Nigeria’s version of democracy which led to the collapse of the country’s first, second and third republics. The implication of that reader’s observation is that 97% of the populace is being forced to scramble for the remaining 3% of the national wealth. Why won’t there be insecurity in the land? Wherever injustice replaces law, restiveness must serve as a consequence.

    Capitalism, which was once an economic ideology propelling mercantilism, has moved a step ahead, especially in Nigeria where official theft has become a profession.

     

    Effect of Capitalism

    Capitalism is now a religion through which its adherents worship money. To such adherents, accountability is a mere riddle which only the poor may want to unravel.

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

    Where people are well educated and conscious of their rights; where they perceive wealth as a matter of opportunity and not the exclusive right of any group; where they see themselves as qualified but denied their legitimate entitlements; nobody can consign them to ignominy indefinitely. They will react in no uncertain terms. That has started in Nigeria but it must not be allowed to linger. Let Nigeria grow from a country into a nation that we may all be proud to be her citizens.

  • Insecurity trumps partisanship

    As a new wind of insecurity blows through the land of the descendants of Oduduwa, it appears that the wisdom of the ancestors has once again been vindicated. They observe that it is normal that a child be afraid when confronted with a fearful situation. The geography of fear and the extent of the population it captures is however proportional to the seriousness of the situation. Certainly, it is not only children that are susceptible to fear.

    Conventional and new media reports of barbaric kidnappings across the Southwest have been relentless. While some of the horrific stories have had multiple reports on multiple platforms, there have also been reports of new cases almost on a weekly basis. While some of these horrendous crimes are reportedly committed on major highways, including the Ibadan-Ife road, many others have been reported in rural locations in the zone, the latest being the case of a caterer in Igboora in Ibarapa area of the state.

    Beside the media, cases have been reported by families and friends of victims as well as eye-witnesses. These reports have also been specific about routes and locations that are notorious for kidnapping, including sleepy places that have surprisingly become dens of kidnappers: between Maya and Ado-Awaye on the abandoned Lagos-Sokoto highway; between Olugbade and Idi-Igba on Iseyin-Okeho road; between Moniya and Iseyin on Ibadan-Iseyin road, between Okeho and Ilero; the Opara Forest Reserve near Ijio close to the Benin Republic Border; and Igboho-Igbeti axis. These are all in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State.

    While there have been reported cases of armed robbery and kidnapping by Yoruba indigenes across these areas, many of the reports have identified Bororo Fulani herders as culprits. Graphic pictures of victims have been posted on social media platforms, causing serious panic among the populace. Not eager to become a victim, many are reluctant to travel out of Lagos or Ibadan to their hometowns. If citizens are this wary of travel in their homeland, how can they invite foreigners to visit for direct investment in the local economy?

    For victims, it has been traumatic. For the rest of the residents who have been spared of the ordeal thus far, the thought of being potential victims is especially unbearably troubling. Security platforms have emerged across the land, with local communities figuring out what strategies they need to combat the scourge. There are ongoing non-governmental efforts, which include traditional institutions, across the region.

    The Yoruba Diaspora is not left out of these efforts. As the leading organization of Yoruba people in North America, Egbe Omo Yoruba, has initiated Town Hall meetings across the United States and Canada to sensitize Yoruba professionals resident in these developed countries about the plight of their people.

    In a release signed by the current President, Dr. Durojaye Akindutire and some past presidents, Egbe Omo Yoruba, which led the struggle against military dictatorship in the 1990s, observes that Yorubaland is now “in the middle of a security crisis that we did not even witness during the military era. Our people are afraid to venture out of their villages and cities because of the menace of kidnappers.” The Egbe also assures Diaspora Yoruba that they are not immune from the plight of their homeland compatriots as demonstrated by the “horrific story of one of us who went home with her family and suffered the most humiliating and traumatic experience that we do not wish even for our bitterest enemies”. The Egbe urged privileged Yoruba patriots enjoying God-given comforts in their land of sojourn to come together to secure their homeland. Homeland security is also a major theme of the forthcoming 25th anniversary celebration of the Egbe next month in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This is how seriously the matter is taken by the Yoruba in the Diaspora.

    However, it is not lost on the initiators of all such efforts that no matter what they do or attempt to do, they must have a buy-in by the local, state, and federal governments. Hiring security personnel equipped with lethal weapons is not an option since only the government has the monopoly of the use of force.

    It is on this score that the recent stakeholders’ security summit initiated by DAWN Commission in collaboration with Southwest state governors must be commended as a turning point. The attendance of stakeholders, including many traditional rulers and all the state governors irrespective of their party affiliation, is a sign of success.

    Additionally, however, the speakers demonstrated an acute awareness of the danger that looms in the horizon in their region. As Governor Seyi Makinde, the lone PDP governor in the region put it, a kii fi ejo sori orule sun. It is dangerous and imprudent to go to bed knowing that there is a dangerous snake hiding in the bedroom ceiling. Furthermore, Babajide Sanwoolu, the young and dynamic governor of Lagos State gave us the assurance that “actionable and sustainable plan with milestones is our goal.” With this focused attention by our governors on the challenges of insecurity, should we not thank them and go to bed, confident that we are in good hands?

    Far from it. And I am sure that the governors also would be the first to insist that all hands be on the deck in this matter. Elected officials from local government councilors and chairmen to representatives in the state and federal houses need members of the public to continually work with them to carry out their assignments. Of course, governors are the Chief Security Officers of their states. To succeed, however, they need actionable intelligence from the public. “See something, say something” is a reliable ageless security strategy. In fairness to our people, this is one area where they have been highly alert to their communal responsibilities.

    As mentioned above, almost every local community has a security committee. This is just a modern-day extension of our indigenous system of protecting our communities with nighttime security guards. We are seeing variants of these across the land. While the Federal Government is still contemplating what to do about state and community policing, here’s one area where we can invest our energies and resources for self-protection. We have organizations such as OPC, Yoruba Koya, etc. which have made the security of Yorubaland their life project.

    I am not unaware of a few past missteps of some of these organizations including unwise partisan miscalculations. But as the elders note, forgetting past misunderstandings is a prerequisite to lasting friendship. To my mind, it is high time these organizations were lifted from the margins into open and effective collaboration with our governments to execute a security plan for the entire region.

    Of course, any effective security plan would require massive funding. With poverty at an unprecedented level in our land, we have an almost impossible task. Yet, inaction puts us at the mercy of kidnappers and armed bandits, whether indigenous or foreign, which makes it impossible to get out of the scourge of poverty. It is obvious, then, what the logic of our predicament dictates. If our people know what is at stake, and they are assured that no one, including those in position of power, is a freeloader, they are ready to make their own contribution.

    What this means is that our governors and elected officials across the region must lead the charge. They must be transparent with the people about how they use their security votes. They must coordinate their efforts. We have no borders across the zone. As Ibadan-Ife road has demonstrated, insecurity is easily transportable. The security of one state as good as that of the neighboring state. Hence, the wisdom of collaboration.

    Once the governors, by their action, have the public’s trust, there would be a willingness on the part of the latter, including traditional institutions, various stakeholders, and Diaspora Yoruba to make sacrifices necessary to fight the scourge. As Chief Security Officers, the buck stops at their desk and the ball is still in their court. They are well endowed to lead this charge. We look up to their non-partisan efforts. God help them as they lead with fortitude and courage.

     

  • Trump’s World War Plan

    This article is an update to of the previous one earlier published in this column on the same subject. The need for the update is due to the diehard nature of the subject in question.

    Preamble

    Today, if for a tentative relief as a matter of change, ‘The Message’ column is migrating from the chronic insanity of Nigeria’s political tempest to an implacable global imbroglio being vaingloriously engineered by a disastrous American ‘Trump’ through a disastrous American war furnace. Perhaps through such a migration, a way of ventilating a momentarily peaceful atmosphere for peace-loving innocent Nigerians may be paved.

     

    Trump’s Predation

    At the instance of an accidental American President, Donald Trump, who seems to be the modern day American Fuhrer, an unexpected global war may soon break out, the consequences of which no contemporary human being may be able to predict with precision. As a matter of fact, this assertion had been on the global front burner for quite some time gathering momentum for a possible cataclysmic shudder and signalling a dangerously swinging pendulum of war. And that signal was coming from nowhere other than the devil’s own country called the United States of America (USA).

    When and how that impending war will break out is now a curious matter of guess for genuinely concerned people of the world.

     

    Genesis of the Imbroglio

    A few days ago, Al-Jazeera Television throbbed with breaking news of an American military drone that was fortuitously shot down by the Iranian National Guards in Iranian territory. That was the second time a dangerous   accident of that nature would occur in the same territory in less than a decade. It is on record that about years ago, an American war plane strayed into the airspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the troops of the latter nation promptly sot it down. The incident occurred when Dr. Barak Obama was the President of the US. And that incident looked like the climax of an American allegation that Iran was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, especially, nuclear armaments. That disturbing development which dragged Iran to the United Nation’s Security Council for explanation further heightened the already existing tension between the US and Iran which had been mutually antagonistic to each other for decades.

    The tension between both countries started in 1979 with the Iranian revolution that uprooted Iran’s imperial despotism that had caged the Iranian people for scores of years under that country’s last despotic monarch, Muhammad Pahlavi.

     

    US’ Reaction

    In reaction to the fortuitous incident of the US intrusion, about four years ago, which led to Iran’s prompt military reaction, the US authorities said that the destination of the shot American military aircraft was Afghanistan and not Iran. They explained that the pilot of the   plane only accidentally lost control and strayed into Iranian territory.

     

    A Siege on British Embassy

    Shortly before the above narrated incident, Some Iranian students had laid siege on the British Embassy, in Tehran, in protest against what they called an intolerable meddling by the then British Prime Minister, David Cameron’s government, in the internal affairs of Iran. And in retaliation to that siege, Britain quickly evacuated her diplomats in Tehran and sent the Iranian diplomats in London packing despite Iran’s regret and apology over those students’ unauthorized action. And in solidarity with Britain, the French government also followed suit by issuing a 48 hour ultimatum to Iranian quit France.

     

    Reoccurrence

    In reaction to the reoccurrence of the above incident last week, the American ‘Fuhrer’, Donald Trump, said “Iran had made a big mistake for which she would pay heavily”. But when the world media pressed him to further explain what he meant by that statement, he simply asked them to wait and see what would happen next. His argument was that Iran had no right to shoot down the American drone because that drone was operating at the international and not Iranian territory. However, a detailed show of the encounter by Al-Jazeera confirmed that the drone actually intruded into Iranian territory without the permission of Iranian authorities.

     

    Genesis of Faceoff

    The genesis of the faceoff between the West and Iran actually took roots in the latter’s unexpected revolution of 1979 which caused a diplomatic row between the two geographical blocks. That row actually started in February 1979, when Iran jumped democratically onto the world stage with a fortuitous revolution that held the Arab States of the Gulf region spellbound. The revolution was the climax of the struggle, in Iran, which began in 1963 between the oppressed people who were seeking emancipation from the shackles of proxy American imperialism and the implacable internal oppressors who wanted to keep that country’s innocent peasants in perpetual subservience to enable them maintain the ugly status quo of the time.

    It was the miraculous success of that revolution that altered the grand design of the Western powers for the Muslim world.

     

    The Grand Design

    The West’s grand design for the Muslim world through the Middle East was first expressed in 1902 by a British Prime Minister, Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman when he observed as follows: “There are people who control spacious territories teeming with manifest and hidden resources.  They dominate the intersections of world routes. Their lands were the cradles of human civilizations and religions. These people have one faith, one language and the same aspiration. No natural barriers can isolate them from one another….If, per chance, these people were to be unified into one state it would then take the fate of the world into its hands and separate Europe from the rest of the world. Taking these considerations seriously, a foreign body should be planted in the heart of this nation to prevent the convergence of its wings in such a way that it could exhaust its powers in never- ending wars. It could also serve as a spring board for the West to gain its coveted objects”.

     

    Follow Up

    Sir Bannerman’s observation was in further pursuit of an earlier demand by an Austrian Jewish lawyer and Journalist, Theodor Herzl, the initiator and leader of the Zionist movement founded in 1879. In the euphoria of a chauvinist’s ambition, shortly after the establishment of the Zionist movement, Theodor Herzl, made a demand thus: “Let sovereignty be granted us (the Jews) over a portion of the globe large enough to satisfy the rightful requirements of a nation. The rest, we shall manage by ourselves…”

     

    The Balfour Declaration

    In response to the West’s clandestine agenda many decades after Herzl’s demand, another British Prime Minister, James Arthur Balfour, issued a devastatingly insensitive declaration that now bears his name in history. That seemingly conspiratorial declaration, which forcefully conceded a major chunk of Palestinian land to the Zionists as a home, became a thorny point in the serenity of the world.

    Since then, the infamous Balfour declaration has put the Middle East in an incessant turmoil to the discomfort of the world’s peace and harmony. The declaration read partly as follows: “His majesty’s Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use its best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this objective…. The rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country shall not be prejudiced by the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”

     

    Implementation

    To facilitate the implementation of that agenda effectively, some other Middle East countries had to be decapitated economically and politically by excision from them, some juicy chunks of their lands.

    Thus, Lebanon was excised from Syria and Kuwait from Iraq. The strategy was to cause a dissention among the citizens of those countries with the intention of breaking the yoke of the Muslim unity which Bannerman had targeted in his infamous observation quoted above.

     

    Iran Connection

    Now, how does Iran come into this picture when she is not an Arab country? That is the logical question that anybody who is not quite familiar with the Middle East and the intricacies of its political and economic set up may ask. Naturally, Iran is affected by three major factors: Culture, economy and politics. By culture here, we mean ISLAM. Iran is a foremost Muslim country even if her official language is not Arabic.

    And, as a Muslim Country, whatever affects other Muslim countries must affect her. Thus, as a major neighbour to the Arabs in the Gulf, she cannot but play a role in the politics of the region. Also, as an economically strong nation in the primordial and contemporary times, Iran occupies a very strategic position in the Middle East especially with her proximity to the Persian Gulf.

     

    The Emergence of Ayatullah Khomeni

    It was the possibility of the same situation under Muhammad Pahalavi that prompted the late Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatullah Ruhullah Mousavi Khomeini to embark on the liberation struggle in 1963 that culminated in a successful revolution of February 1979. Contrary to Ataturk’s thinking, however, Imam Khomeini knew that the greatest virtue that could be lost in the life of man was culture. He knew that without a clear-cut culture man couldn’t be better than a beast. He knew that such values as law, education and religion, which guide man in his peregrinations on earth, are the attributes of culture. He knew that a nation, which surrenders its culture and adopts that of another nation, has enslaved herself permanently to the caprice of the latter nation. Thus, Khomeini saw Islam, (the culture of over one billion Muslims in the world at that time), as the target of the Western imperialists, which needed defence and protection.

     

    The Iranian Revolution

    No one believed in 1979 that a mass protest which started like a small political billow, engendered by the country’s unarmed Mullahs could eventually grow into such a great magnitude of political ‘earthquake’.

    By the time the foggy dust finally settled, a new Iran had emerged from the debris of the old. Against the wish and expectation of the capitalist West, the secular, monarchical Iran became a democratic, Islamic republic. The drama was quite electrical.

    Characteristic of the West, all hands were on deck, at that time, to ensure that an Islamic republic did not succeed the tyrannical monarchy headed by the Shah Pahlavi and heavily backed up by the oppressive West. America was most active in that ambitious but vainglorious effort. She would not easily allow the massive benefit she had been enjoying for decades in that oil-rich country, under the Shah regime, to slip out of her hands just like that. Thus, under the pretext that she wanted to rescue her citizens from the siege laid by Iranian students on that country’s embassy, in Tehran, the US attempted an invasion of Iran.  The espionage activities by the American diplomats, inside that embassy, against the new Islamic government in Iran had warranted the siege.

     

    The Strategy

    While a number of US F15 bomber jets deployed were approaching Iran, the then American President Jimmy Carter engaged his country’s press in a chat without giving any hint of the impending military operation in Iran. The tactics was to divert the attention of the press and that of the country from the illegal Pentagon’s military expedition. But no sane person can ever fault the contents of the Qur’an. About 1400 years before that incident, a verse of the Qur’an had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) thus: “They (the unbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed. Allah is the supreme schemer”. Q. 3:54. Jimmy Carter’s thought was that by the time he would be finishing his press address, the news would have reached him that America had successfully invaded Iran to restore imperialism by reinstating the Shah Pahlavi. He had therefore intended to announce the news of his ‘great’ successful scheme to the press as the epilogue of his address. And that would have served as his impetus for wining that year’s election for a second term in office. But, as Allah would have it, instead of the expected news, what he got was a shocker of his life.

     

    The failure of the Strategy

    Two of the F15 fighters deployed for the operation miraculously collided in the air just at the point of entering Iran crashing with their contents, and consuming the lives of 16 top air force officers on board while the other jet fighters had to turn back haven run into confusion. When that devastating news reached Carter, it was too much for him to hide and it quickly became a public knowledge.

    Thus, the mighty America failed woefully, with her technology, in circumstances she has never been able to analyze and explain convincingly. With that scheme, it became obvious that Jimmy Carter of the Democrat Party had dug his own political grave. Of course, he lost the election to the cowboy turned Politician, (Ronald Reagan) of the Republican Party who succeeded him in office. For about 444 days (well over a year), 52 American diplomats held hostages remained under the siege of the Iranian students. It took high-level diplomacy, through third party countries, to get them released much later.

    Yet, America was not done. She went ahead to freeze Iran’s foreign reserve of about $80 billion in addition to imposition of economic sanctions with the intention of running that country’s economy aground. The only Iran’s offence in that case was to have charted an independent political course that could liberate her citizens from the manacles of the Western imperialism. Ever since, the relationship between America and Iran has remained icy.

     

    Iran’ Nuclear Project

    However, the relationship between America and Iran further deteriorated recently when the latter started a nuclear project with which to prop up her economy. America responded with a threat saying the United States would not tolerate any nuclear project in Iran because the latter could not be trusted with such a project.

     

    The World’s Greyhound

    Only a fool will not know that the UN, as presently constituted, is the greyhound of the US through which the latter barks randomly at the rest of the world.

    But for the recent Iraqi episode that became regrettable for the self-appointed policeman of the world, and of course, the North Korean case, which has become a cancerous sore on the head of the US, another Gulf war would have either ensued or become advanced in plan by now. The secret of America’s military successes in various parts of the

    world is neither in technological advancement, nor military

    superiority per se. The failed rescue mission in Iran shortly after

    that country’s revolution has confirmed that. It is a historical fact that the secret of America’s military successes in various wars around the world are rather due to her ability to cause dissension among some other nations and races.

    Iran has never been a prey to America’s direct military aggression, even when the Shah Pahlavi was in power, because that Gulf country has never played a fool dancing to the sour music of the predatory country called America in a seeming military market.

     

    Sanction as a Weapon

     

    Now, with a recent threat of invasion of Iran by Israel on the one hand and economic and political sanctions against that country by the US on the other, will history repeat itself? One fact has become clear about the US political trend ever since her withdrawal from her self-isolationism in 1945: The success of her internal politics has been regularly dictated by her aggressive foreign policy. Thus, many American Presidents have won or lost elections at home due to the foreign policy of the concerned President. Will the same also repeat itself? The days ahead will answer this fundamental question as events continue to unfold. But with the stern objection by Russia and tacit indifference by China to the use of suffocating economic sanctions against the people of Iran, the US may need to watch her steps carefully especially with respect to the aloofness of most European countries that are members of NATO. Iran is neither Iraq nor Afghanistan. The world cannot afford another World War now. No country should attempt to plunge it into one by taking that country’s military capability for granted. A word is enough for the wise.