The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • The reign of fakeness 

    Welcome to a new world where fakeness reigns over the affairs of willing subjects. There are fake police, fake pastors, fake parents, fake governance structures, and fake news. The ubiquity of fakeness is such that sometimes it is a huge task distinguishing it from reality.

    I stand corrected. It is not so new. We have always lived with fakeness engaging reality as co-contestants for the trust of human beings. There have always been fake prophets in all religions. Indeed, the scriptures warn the faithful to be aware of them in the latter days. Fortunately, those with the grace of discernment escape being conned.

    But now is different. Fakeness has upped his game while many of his victims have lowered their gear. If you fall short of the grace of the Almighty, you are more than likely to become the subject of fakeness in his kingdom. Victim-hood is real, not only in the realm of the physical, but also in the abode of the spirit where we battle powers and principalities.

    Having just celebrated Father’s Day last Sunday and Mother’s Day last month, it is fitting to begin our journey into the kingdom of fakeness where it hurts most. Bringing children into the world is perhaps the most gracious blessing that a human being can experience. It is by no means assured. Many are not given the privilege, which is a good reason for anyone fortunate to be so blessed to take it seriously.

    Read Also: Comedian decries celebrities’ fake lifestyles

    In its program honoring mothers and fathers this year, both the Men Missionary Union and Women Missionary Union of the Nigerian Baptist Convention highlighted the evil of absent parenting when fathers and/or mothers have no time for their children. Such parents are not necessarily evil. They are not irresponsible.

    The mother in the play loves God so much that she keeps her vow to serve the Lord 24/7, leaving her children to His care. On his part, the father works so hard to take care of his children but has no time for them, even when they have matters bothering them that need his attention. The consequence in both cases is tragic. But there are worse cases of fake parenting. Can a genuine father have carnal knowledge of his daughter? Only a fake mother would volunteer to sell her baby no matter the price and no matter her situation. But it is now a daily occurrence in most parts of the kingdom of fakeness.

    Next to parents in order of importance and trust are clerics of our various faiths. We respect them as spiritual fathers and mothers, approaching them with our challenges and relying on their spiritual counseling in trying times. In the days of yore, many of them behaved true to type. But times are changing, and there are now many goats in the attire of sheep. Adulterous pastors sleeping with members’ wives, raping minors, and faking kidnapping! How such depraved human beings face their congregation pretending to be anything but fake is mind boggling. But it’s a new world of fakeness.

    How about fake police of which there are many? And I am not referencing impersonators. The police force recently informed the public that a person arrested along with kidnappers was an ‘impersonator’. Such criminal cases are common and deserve the vigilance of the unsuspecting public.

    However, my focus is not on impersonators. I am concerned about regular members of the force who are nonetheless fake. They voluntarily enlist in the force knowing its requirements. As officers entrusted with the safety of the public, they know that they may be required to sacrifice what matters most to them, including their lives. That is the norm. But many fake officers take at will the lives they are mandated to protect. Many others abandon their stations in the face of serious disturbance or threat to the public. Officers take off their uniforms, so they are not identified as police when it puts them in jeopardy. There are cases of heroic members of the public running to dangerous situations to save lives while officers stand by unperturbed. Are they real or fake?

    Perhaps, all the above are mere symptoms of a more serious malady, which is the fakeness of our governance structures. At least for more than fifty years since 1966, ours has been a fake federalism. We know what a genuine federal system requires. We know that the state and central governments are co-equal, with each responsible for specific functions. That is not what we now operate. Now we have an overbearing Leviathan at the center with states as appendages that need its patronage.

    The fake identity of our structure has its consequence for good governance. Wages and salaries of workers are dictated from the center. Many states have no internal resources to bear the burden of such expenditure, but they have no choice in the matter. They are not allowed to cut their coats according to their sizes. So, we have the sad phenomena of unpaid salaries and abandoned infrastructural projects.

    When the structure is wobbly, human beings devise their own ways of letting out frustration. And our people are unfortunately deceptively and negatively ingenious. Chased to the corner of existence, they are quite clever in negotiating their exit. They invent the art of fake news.

    Democracy thrives on the sharing of information. We must know what is going on in our governments for us to intelligently evaluate elected officials and their appointees. Successful elections depend on effective communication by contestants. Electorates access various sources for information on prospective candidates before they make up their minds who to support for different offices. At least, that’s the hope.

    In the pre-social media world, much of the information we relied on came from newspapers and television, and words of mouth. None of this is foolproof, of course. To booster sale, newspapers embellish their stories. Television stations have their sponsors, be it federal, state, or private corporations, with their agenda. And, as we also know, news passed on by word of mouth are only as reliable as the memory of the informant. Therefore, we have always had to be cautious about the veracity of news from these sources.

    However, this time is different. Social media has revolutionized our understanding of and reliability of news reporting. In the era of cut and paste WhatsApp platforms, Twitter handles, and Facebook friends, news are tainted by the bias of their purveyors.

    Recent reports of kidnappings across the country have brought this last point to the fore. A story circulated about the travesty of Fulani kidnappers along a road in the Southwest. It came with pictures of the atrocity. Shortly after, on the same platform, another member had seen the same picture and story, but it occurred in Zamfara, not the Southwest.

    There was the case of a mentally sick woman whose husband and brother-in-law were driving to the hospital for treatment. The woman raised an alarm, accusing her husband of being a kidnapper who had killed two of their children. Without waiting for the police, the men were treated to jungle justice by a crowd. Social media went to town with the news. It was much later that the police investigation confirmed the truth.

    Finally, on this score, a Breaking News flashed on my WhatsApp a month ago and has received wide circulation since. It is about the revocation of gun license by President Buhari. The wording and signing of the “breaking news” looked suspicious to me. But I thought that reporting such a consequential issue cannot be faked. Supposedly signed by Amed Bello, Media Center, Abuja, this news releases bear all the elements of suspicion.

    However, it didn’t take long before the story became conventional. The House of Representatives even reacted to the story calling on the President to reverse his decision. Though the Police declared that it was not aware of the ban, the Presidency has neither affirmed nor denied the story.  So, who knows, this may be a case of truth looking fake. In which case, not all that appears so is fake even in the current reign of fakeness. It is well.

     

     

     

  • Islamic solution to leadership problem

    Monologue

    Like in any other week, the competition for attention by emerging issues, for this column this week is extraordinarily intense. The choice of one of those issues by any columnist must thus become a problem capable of causing confusion. The case of yours sincerely cannot be an exception. That is a confirmation that the dilemma of any worthy columnist is not a dearth of ideas but a deluge of them.

    For instance, which national or international contemporary issue in today’s world does not deserve attention of ‘The Message’ column now?

    Is it the sudden demise of the former Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi in a suspicious circumstance or the implacable tension between Trump’s American government and the Islamic Republic of Iran or the severe persecution of Muslims in China and Myanmar or the seemingly endemic plight of the Kashmiri people who, as Muslims, are being forcefullyd subjected to Hindu rule in India or the callous murder of an American based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in cold blood in Istanbul or  the         frightening menace of banditry and kidnapping across Nigeria or even the incessantly ravaging atrocities of certain voluntary agents of Satan called Boko Haram? Looking at all these issues and many more, not mentioned here, the tendency is to conclude that the modern world is fast approaching its end. Yet, the role of leadership in in making success of most of these issues cannot be underestimated. Without leaders, there are no nations.

    Preamble

    The title of today’s article in this column is not originally a coinage of ‘THE MESSAGE’. It is rather the theme of a public Ramadan lecture organised by Mstapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF) in Ilorin to which yours sincerely was invited as the guest lecturer on August 29, 2010.

    Read Also: Experts meet on Islamic finance

    Who is Mustapha Akanbi?

    The name Mustapha Akanbi cannot be strange to any educated Nigerian of co cotemporary time. That was a household name in Nigeria and beyond especially for those who are familiar with the Independent Corrupt Practices (and other related offences) Commission (ICPC). The first Chairman of that Commission was Justice Mustapha Akanbi, an erstwhile President of the Federal Court of Appeal of Nigeria. For the entire 35 years of his service in the judiciary, all that can be called his property was just a modest three bedroom bungalow in which he lived in Ilorin till his demise recently.

     

    The MAF Foundation

    Established in September 2006 shortly after its founder (Justice Mustapha Akanbi) voluntarily resigned as the Chairman of ICPC despite the overwhelming pressure on him to continue his service, MAF is a non-governmental and non-partisan organisation dedicated to the uplift of mankind and to the enthronement of justice, equity and fair play as well as the promotion of the quintessential virtues of honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability in all human activities.

    The Foundation is committed to being in the vanguard of revolutionary changes aimed at reforming and transforming our society from being a body of self-serving individuals to a nation that places high premium on selfless service for the common good of all. MAF Foundation, therefore, has, as its focus, the building and sustenance of a great nation founded on sound ethical values and good governance capable of holding its own in the comity of nations. It is in line with its focus that the Foundation chose the theme of today’s article and invited yours sincerely as the guest lecturer. At the occasion which was held in the month of Ramadan, I alluded briefly to the significance of Ramadan in the life of an average Muslim.

     

    Point of Reverence

    This is a period of relevant reference in Nigeria. This is a time when history displays its duty as the teacher of man. The current trend of dirty banters in the country is both a reminder and a point of reference for men and women of decent pedigree and impeccable dignity. This is a time when disciplined parents and patriotic citizens are identifiable. This is the time in Nigeria’s contemporary history when human wheat can be separated from human chaff. This is the time of distinguishing between shame and shamelessness on the one hand and decency and indecency on the other. This is the time when lovers and haters of Nigeria can be known. It is the above mentioned issues that make this article a point of reference. And the reference is the lecture that yours sincerely delivered at the MAF Foundation in 2010.

     

    The lecture

    As a preamble, I told my audience that thinking of leadership in terms of those who are privileged to govern the country alone can never solve the problem of bad leadership in Nigeria. Leadership does not start from the top. It is rather a matter of good home management and excellent upbringing of children. Leadership is like a pyramid which has a base and an apex. Whoever wants to assess leadership in a society must start from the base rather than the apex. It will be unreasonable to start sighting major faults at the roof of a house when the foundation of the same house is evidently faulty. Generally, children learn from their parents’ actions much more than from the latter’s preaching.

    Any parent who starts the upbringing of his or her children with lavish celebration of birthday without teaching such children the act of legitimate money making early in life has initiated such children into the cult of reckless spending spree. The tendency for such children when they grow up is to look for money to spend from any source including pilfering, stealing, kidnapping and ritual killing for money. What will be virtuous to such children is to get money to spend. It will never matter to them how they come about such money. And that is the root of corruption in a society like Nigeria where parents assist their children to cheat in examinations or to get admitted into higher institutions with fraudulent pre-requisites.

     

    Leadership in Islam

    In Islam, leadership is so sacrosanct that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) never relented in warning all leaders and aspirants to leadership

    about the delicate nature of ruling the people. In his farewell sermon in 631 CE, he reminded the Muslim Ummah that leadership is a great responsibility entrusted to an individual by the society as ordained by the Almighty Allah. The Prophet also admonished the people on their responsibility to both the state and leadership quoting Qur’an 4, Verse 59 thus: “Oh you, who believe, Obey Allah, obey the Messenger (of Allah) and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you do believe in Allah and the last day. That is best and most suitable for final determination”. Q…..

    However, he did not stop there. He went further to explain that obedience to those charged with authority is conditioned by their (those in authority’s) own obedience to God in their deeds as well as the rule of law that governs them. In one of his statements, he said there is no obedience or loyalty to any human being, ruler or otherwise, who is not himself, obedient to God and the rule of law. He concluded that: “Whoever entrusts a man to a public office, where, in his society, there is a better man than this trustee, has betrayed the trust of God and His Messenger as well as the people of that society”. Hadith.

     

    The Prophet’s Exemplary Leadership

    The exemplary leadership of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his great teachings were scrupulously followed by the Caliphs who succeeded him in office. When, shortly after the Prophet’s demise, Abubakr was elected as the first Caliph, his primary objective was to continue the pious administration which the Prophet left behind. He took the mantle of leadership with which he was saddled as a responsibility to Allah. In his acceptance speech as new Head of State, he addressed the people as follows: “Oh people behold me charged with the cares of government.

    Yet, I am not the best of you. In carrying out this great responsibility, I need your advice and assistance. If you find me doing well, please support me. If I make mistake, counsel me. To tell the truth to a person commissioned to rule is faithful allegiance. So long I obey God and act according to law, obey me. But if I neglect the law of God and His Prophet, I have no more right to your obedience. The strong among you shall have no right over the weak on the basis of his strength. Neither shall there be any room for sycophancy, nepotism or undue favouritism. Authority, power and sovereignty belong to Allah alone in whose hand is dominion over all things….”

     

    Comment

    From the foregoing, and contrary to what is happening today, especially in Nigeria, it is clear that leadership is a privilege rather than anybody’s right. It is a public trust which should not be betrayed under any circumstance. It is a responsibility to be carried out, not just with human face but also with human heart. It is a covenant between God and rulers on the one hand and rulers and the ruled on the other. It is a measure of conscience, piety and discipline. No one who is bereft of these traits should be entrusted with leadership.

    Other Caliphs after Abubakr followed suit and lived ascetic lives despite their access to unlimited state resources. Ali Bn Abi-Talib, in particular, did not limit those qualities to himself. He extended them to his appointed Governors.

    While appointing Malik bn Ashtar as the Governor of Egypt he gave him certain instructions in writing and admonished him to follow those instructions to the letter in his governance in that country. Those instructions were not about the executive arm of governance alone. They also touched legislation and judiciary morally and legally.

     

    Parable of Governance

    Governance in Islam is like pregnancy in the womb of an expectant mother. The duration of such pregnancy is naturally defined barring any anomaly or aberration. Its delivery depends on the safety of its carrier and the circumstances of her wellbeing. And, after delivery, the baby is claimed, not by the carrier of the pregnancy but by the impregnator. There is no pregnancy without semen firmly planted in the womb of a woman. And the semen planter is a man who will eventually be called the father of the baby. For this reason, children bear the names of their fathers rather than those of their mothers as surnames. By analogy, one can compare governance to a pregnant woman who could not have become pregnant without an impregnator. The impregnator in this case is the populace that gave those in government the mandate to rule them. And just as the product of the womb (the child) belongs to the impregnator as a matter of legitimacy so should dividend of governance be the property of the governed populace. A child who bears his mother’s name as surname is nothing but a bastard.

    After life, security, law and justice, nothing else is held as sacrosanct in Islam as governance which can be compared to a magnificent shade under which people are supposed to take cover during torrential rains or burning sun. In a democratic setting, such a shade is owned by the citizenry. Those who claim to be its custodians are just servants holding it in trust for the people.

     

    Democracy in Islam

    In Islam, democracy is not about voting and power alone. It is fundamentally about justice in all its ramifications according to the rule of law. It is about tending the lives of others for the overall good of the nation. It is about providing the needs of the people according to the available resources in the nation. It is about protecting the interest of the weak against the oppression of the strong. It is about managing the wealth of the nation with diligent sense of accountability. It is about securing the lives of the citizenry in terms of jobs, feeding, shelter, health and education. It is about boosting the horizon of the youths and sharpening their hope for the future. It is about guaranteeing adequate income per capital and ensuring a standard life expectancy. Any government that claims democracy without all the aforementioned is oppressive and hypocritical. That was Nigeria’s lot between 1999 and 2015, the continuity of which we fervently prayed Allah to forbid.

    Governance, like culture, has a variety of colours, flavours and tastes. What is called democracy in a State may amount to despotism in another State. Governance, whether democratic or monarchical, is fundamentally a function of culture. That is why a country like Britain claims to operate politically on a constitution that is partly written and partly conventional. Borrowing a foreign culture to practice democracy through a constitution written in a foreign language is like borrowing another man’s mouth to eat. Into whose stomach will the food go?

    If those entrusted with authority and power with which to care for the masses are the ones stealing public funds with audacity and reliability on ethnic or religious inclination, what moral right do they have to govern? Nigeria has now reached a stage where justice, the last hope of the common man, is for sale even as the citizenry continue to be impoverished. For a country that hopes to progress, to where does this lead?

    Justice Mustapha Akanbi was an exemplary judge with an exemplary template in delivery and administration of justice with the fear of Allah. He lived a clean life and groomed some others to follow suit with the expectation that Nigeria would be great.  We pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in eternal bliss. As for those who have deviated from the path of decency left behind by Justice Akanbi, we pray Allah to guide them aright and rescue them from the manacle of Stan to which they are sternly tied. However, such people should know that:

    “Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change the evil acts in their hearts. If Allah decides to afflict them with a calamity, no one can ward it off. Besides Allah, there is no protector for them”. Q. 13:11.

  • Reaffirming justice and democracy

    IT’s a new Democracy Day. It’s a different June 12. And it’s all for the good of keeping hope alive. Yet, for many reasons, it is bittersweet in a deep sense.

    First, those who have been involved in the struggle for the validation of June 12 since 1993 can look back with some relief and feel fulfilled that it wasn’t all in vain. They can now confirm that they were not insane, after all. President Buhari’s words confirm their sanity: “As we all know, correcting injustice is a prerequisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and invested the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe with National Honors, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential elections of that year.” (my emphasis)

    Second, the president makes it clear that this is only a partial atonement. The injustice that is atoned for caused the loss of innocent lives, including youths fighting for their future, adults eyeing a legacy, and the symbol of their struggle, M.K.O. Abiola and Kudirat, his wife. As far as we know, nobody paid for the injustice. That still hurts.

    Third, this is not tokenism. Buhari’s sense of justice is not a gimmick. If you are God-fearing, this is what you do. If you have a conscience, this is the direction in which it nudges you. And when you have made up your mind to atone for such an injustice, you identify what you have control over and can deliver, not a controversial honor that attracts a pushback. Buhari has the prerogative over national honors. And though he knew that NASS must sign off on the change of Democracy Day, he also knew that that institution, even under a hostile leadership, cannot afford to appear hostile to atoning for an injustice. This is what thoughtful and effective leadership is all about.

    Fourth, assume the charge of tokenism is valid. Assume further that a year ago, Buhari needed the Southwest for his reelection bid. In March, he won the election, and he has no political campaigns ahead. What motivated him on June 12, 2019 to propose remaining the National Stadium as Moshood Abiola National Stadium? To you, psychological egoists, what does Buhari stand to gain from his latest gesture in honor of the fallen hero of democracy?

    Fifth, we can understand the position of those who never cared about the injustice of the annulment and who benefited from the unjust incarceration and death of Abiola. They had the opportunity of a lifetime to correct the injustice with a befitting honor for the man. For eight years, they didn’t care. They have been shamed, and all they see now is disaster where everyone else is keeping hope alive and praying for peace and stability. “Envy”, as Proverbs declares, “rots the bone.”

    Now, we know that our democratic journey is a marathon, not a sprint. For the race, we need determination and a strong will. We cannot afford to regress. We must press forward. Unfortunately, a review of the last twenty years cannot but depress. Our story of the abuse of democracy started afresh in 1999 and has continued since. We talk of the abuse of judiciary now, but can we easily forget the mockery of the rule of law by the Obasanjo regime as it held on to Lagos State Local Government funds despite the ruling of the Supreme Court? Compare that with the Abacha administration snubbing the Supreme Court against which Justice Belgore famously protested? Do we forget the racing of whole communities, including Odi?  Or Presidential sponsorship of constitutionally invalid impeachment of political enemies including Oladoja in Oyo, Fayose in Ekiti, and Dariye in Plateau? But look who is casting the first stone now!

    Over the years, I have written on June 12 and Democracy Day. Unfortunately, as seen below, the issues that I raised in those column pieces have remained unchanged.

    In a June 15, 2007 column, I wrote, inter alia, as follows:

    June 12, 1993 offered us the best chance for an enduring democracy. It showed that Nigerians can be truly united and civil. It gave the poor the hope of a blissful future. It promised a genuine democratic and truly federal republic. The forces of darkness in this country shattered that dream and killed our hope. We lost numerous patriotic citizens in the struggle, including the bearers of the hope and the initiators of the dream. Yet none of the culprits has apologized for his or her involvement. None of them has paid for his or her crime. Instead they have been recipients of honors and awards.

    In a June 14, 2013 column, I offered the following observation:

    “June 12, 1993 represented hope for a new sense of nationality with the expectation of a genuine unity of purpose. However, the hope began to be shattered with the struggle for the restoration of the mandate that followed the annulment of the election. Instead of a united front, efforts were made to regionalise and ethnicise the struggle. And that effort has not abated even since the return of civil rule in 1999. We can debate the depth of our ethnic tensions at this time compared with 20 years ago. I am sure, however, that no one can deny what is obvious, that we do not now have a united country and the very idea of a nation is constantly being threatened….

    “We now think in terms of our ethnic nations, its marginalisation and all, with no corresponding interest in the entity named Nigeria. Why don’t we just get together then and reach a peaceful accord for everyone to go to their tents? I think what now holds the country together is the private interests of the political class. It is why the various elements of the ruling party who would have nothing to do with each other still get together to reconcile their differences. The Northern Governors Forum is out to protect the interests of the North. So is the Southsouth Governors Forum. These groups are majority PDP governors. But there is no overriding PDP national ideal that prevents conflict and promotes harmony between the sections. What does is the private and sectional interests that each governor wants to protect. As long as those interests are there, and can be protected by patching up difference, we may expect the Nigeria project to go on. But this is not a guarantee for lasting hopes for the survival of, talk less of the prospering of the nation.

    Finally, the following is quoted from the last two paragraphs of my June 15, 2018 piece titled “25 years after, apology and honour”:

    “Many reasonable voices, including from this page, have been raised concerning the need to attend to the structure which has exacerbated the dangers of sectionalism and sectarianism before they consume the nation. Restructuring has been the rallying cry across the zones since 1999, and before then in the demands and agitations of the various pro-democracy movements. While the latter could rejoice in the partial victory of the recognition of June 12 and the honor done to its foremost champion, they would even be more appreciative of efforts in the direction of restructuring because this portends more benefits for the nation.

    “Buhari can write his name in a bold platinum of history with an unflinching support for restructuring, starting with a fulfillment of the promise of his party to amend the constitution for devolution of power to the states. Together with the National Assembly, this can be completed in a jiffy, and they will be the proud beneficiaries of the gratitude of a nation truly bound in freedom, peace, and unity.”

    There is an existential threat facing the nation from a disunited approach to her major challenges, including violent extremism, banditry, cultism and kidnapping. A focus on constructing a national political structure that eliminates this threat is long overdue. President Buhari is well-positioned to do it. A rewarding legacy awaits him.

  • JAMB’s 2019 Policy Meeting

    “You can never change things in a society by fighting the existing reality.
    To change something, you can only build a new model that can render the old one obsolete’’. Anonymous

    It was a unique gathering of who is who intellectual in Gbongan, Osun State, last Tuesday, June 11, 2019. The venue was Bola Babalakin (Executive) Auditorium. And the purpose was for distinguished stakeholders in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to put heads together and jointly determine the Cut-off Pass Mark for 2019/2020 admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions as a matter of policy. The one day session which brought hundreds of Vice-Chancellors, Proprietors, Rectors, Provosts and relevant Professionals of various fields of discipline together was coordinated by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

     

    Cut-off Marks

    After serious deliberations by those stakeholders, the following conclusions were unanimously reached and approved:

    1. That the Cut-off Mark for candidates who wrote this year’s JAMB examination and are seeking admission into Nigerian public Universities, the Cut-off Mark is 160.
    2. For candidates seeking admission in 2019/2020 into private Universities, the Cut-off Mark is 140.
    3. For candidates who are seeking admission into public Polytechnics, in 2019/2020, the Cut-off Mark is 120.
    4. For candidates seeking admission into private Polytechnics in 2019/2020, the Cut-off Mark is 110.
    5. For candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education, the Cut-off Mark is 100.

     

    Possible Cut-off Marks Increase

    However, as jointly agreed, any tertiary institution may raise its Cut-off Mark above the agreed figures. But none should lower the Cut-off Mark below the approved figures. This means the Cut-off marks of some public Universities may rise up to 180 or even 200 depending on the arising situation.

     

    Limit of Admission Time

    It was also agreed that admission processes into public tertiary institutions should be concluded by December 19, 2019 while that of the private institutions should end by February 15, 2020. These decisions were taken not by JAMB but by consensus of stakeholders including the representatives of all institutions.

     

    Between Literacy and Education

    After the meeting, some participants who read an article entitled ‘JAMB’s New Policy’ written by yours sincerely and published in ‘The Message’ column last year, requested me to republish the article to serve as a further enlightenment for members of the public. And since readers, like customers, in a market, are kings and queens in their own rights, who must be venerated, I decided to publish an excerpt from the article. Here it goes: “If most literate Nigerian city dwellers called elite hear or read about JAMB’s new policy, the tendency is for them to react, if tacitly, with the usual Nigerian    reprobate as follows: This JAMB again! Why   is it toying with different ideas from time to time?

    Despite the claim of education-based civilization by those elite, it has virtually become a permanent tradition for them to seek progress without wanting to pass through a process of change. Yet, nothing guarantees progress as much as change through the rule of law”.

     

     Rule of Law

    “Rule of law in any sane society is not a mere expression of wishes. It is rather the real basis of guaranteeing enduring serenity. A society or organization without rule of law is like an episode in George Orwell’s allegorical plot in his famous novella entitled ‘Animal Farm’ in which all animals are said to be equal in theory but some are practically seen to be more equal than others.

    JAMB is not an ‘Animal Farm’ that can be given conflicting interpretations according to conflicting perceptions. But when writing about unique Board, making an allusion to George Orwell’s book may serve a light-throwing reference”.

     

    Innovation

    “Like any trustable and sustainable Board or Organization that genuinely serves the people, JAMB is not resting on its oars in ensuring firmness of the rule of law for furtherance of serenity in the country.

    That is why it (JAMB) created a broad-based  ‘Critical Stakeholders Forum’ in 2017, as a way of carrying along well-meaning concerned members of the public with their various specialized expertise, thereby making the Board a truly service-oriented public institution for the country’s development”.

     

    Critical Stakeholders Forum

    “Since its establishment in 2017, JAMB’s ‘Critical Stakeholders Forum’ has tremendously assisted the management of that Board in engendering a positive departure from the hitherto public perception in which the institution was negatively shrouded. The inputs of the ‘Critical Stakeholders Forum’ into the policies of JAMB have come to confirm significantly that it is quite possible to run an institution like JAMB democratically, even in a country like Nigeria, despite all overt and covert odds. Thus, today, the formulation of policies in JAMB is no longer an exclusive burden for which the Registrar or Management staff of that institution can be taken to ransom. Most of those policies are now jointly formulated at an open door annual meeting of virtually all professionals whose diverse expertise are effectively tapped for the advancement of JAMB and the progress of Nigeria. This dynamic action initiated by the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, in less than six months after his assumption of office has not just facilitated a thorough understanding of JAMB operations by Nigerian public; it has also become a quiet but constructive revolution that can be globally emulated and possibly equaled but not surpassed”.

     

    Biometric Verification

    “One of JAMB’s recent policies that were formulated for effective execution during the 2019 UTME is mandatory biometric verification which all candidates for year 2018 examination were made to pass through for the first time ever.

    Thus, the candidates for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and those of the future are now aware that biometric verification is compulsory for them and without it, there will be no admittance into the examination hall”.

     

    No Alternative

    “The JAMB’s Biometric Verification policy which has no alternative is an official scrutiny of any candidate’s claim of an identity.  It is an authentication formality with which every candidate will be admitted into the examination hall. Any candidate without certified biometric verification will not be allowed to write the examination.

    And no candidate without biometric verification should expect a reschedule of his/her missed examination for any reason. This policy, being emphatically presented here, is already contained in Vol. 1, N0 11 of the official weekly bulletin of JAMB which can be found in JAMB’s website and has equally been disseminated to Nigerian media for publication or broadcasting. Thus, parents of UTME candidates who consider it their duty to follow their teenage children or wards to examination centers, despite those children’s age and exposure, should note this policy very well and be prepared to abide by it scrupulously in the future. The summary is that no biometric verification, no examination. JAMB officials too should note that any candidate who cannot be verified should not be kept waiting to loiter around the examination hall. Such a candidate should immediately be advised to get in touch with JAMB office through the already known means”.

     

    Handicapped Candidates

    “As for handicapped candidates, JAMB has made adequate provision for them through the use of certain devices with which they are quite familiar. They are therefore advised to follow the instructions given to them by JAMB officials and simply abide by the rule of law in order not to regret anything after the exam”.

     

    Attendance Register

    “All candidates should know as well that there is no attendance registration other than biometric verification. Any available photo album found at an examination center will have no space for marking ‘present or absent’. And all examination officials including security agents are strictly advised in their own interest to comply with these guidelines”.

     

    Prohibited Materials

    “Besides the introduction of biometric verification which is now compulsory for all candidates with no exception, JAMB has listed some materials that are prohibited in its Computer Based Test Centers (CBTC). Such prohibited materials include: books, mobile phones, ink pens and biros, pencils and erasers, wrist watches and jewelries as well as calculators, miniature electronic devices, smart eye lenses, ear pieces, blue tooth devices, bitsy microphones, teeny secret recorders and similar cheating devices. In the case of spy reading glasses which some candidates cannot do without, such must be surrendered to JAMB officials for scrutiny”.

     

    Timeliness

    “All UTME candidates are strictly advised to arrive at their examination centers well ahead of the time earmarked for the commencement of examination. Lateness of any candidate to the examination center may constitute a hindrance for his/her participation in the examination”.

     

    Effect of Change

    “The changes that had caused human progress from time to time in history were never compatible with the existing perennial traditions of those humans because of the revolutionary tendencies of those changes. Whether in the primordial or contemporary time, revolution has effectively proved to be the main determinant of human progress. Therefore, a society without revolution,  will surely be stagnant”.

     

    History of JAMB

    “When the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was established 42 years ago (1977), it came as a revolution which the then existing system of seeking admission into tertiary institutions through concessional examination first tried to resist. At that time, only about six full- fledged Universities were in existence in Nigeria. They were called ‘First Generation’ Universities. The six Universities were the bUniversity of Nigeria, Nsuka, founded in 1960; the University of Lagos, founded in 1962; Ahmadu Bello University founded in 1962; the University of Ife, founded in 1962; the University of Ibadan, upgraded to a full-fledged University in 1963 and the University of Benin, founded in 1970.

    Until its upgrade into a full-fledged University in 1963, the University of Ibadan which was established in 1948 as a college of the University of London was the only Higher Institution in Nigeria foreign University”.

     

    Comment

    “At no time in the history of JAMB have stakeholders been involved in the process of UTME as now facilitated by the current administration in that Board. This is an indication that the real revolutionary motive of JAMB is becoming more manifest than ever before. JAMB is not only a pace setter for revolution in all sectors of public service in Nigeria, it is also the main template for distinction between education and literacy”.

  • Femi Ojo-Ade goes home

    The wisdom of the ancestors is unassailable. They warn us about the plight of a straight tree out in the forest. For, because of its quality, which makes it attractive to experts in the housing and furniture industry, it doesn’t enjoy longevity. And by profound analogical reasoning, they lament the paradoxical plight of straight human trees.

    And so, another straight human tree has fallen in the forest of culture and the academy. But who is the furniture and housing expert that needs Professor Femi Ojo-Ade at his prime, when we, earthlings need him most? And for what? Our ancestors know too well that we are planted here by the supreme gardener for his purpose. And when he visits his garden and sees a beautiful tree that he likes, he can cut it for his use, and no one can ask why. Kabiyesi Olodumare!

    Still, we ask, why? A gentleman to the core? A first-rate scholar? A loving husband of almost 50 years? A devoted father and grandfather? A compassionate benefactor of young and old? A cultural icon? An exemplar of humanity? Femi Ojo-Ade was all of these and much more. He gave of himself, his superior intellect, and his sense of decency to all who passed his way. What else can we ask of a human being? And yes, we acknowledge the fact that he was allowed to stay with us for 77 years. But why can’t he live for 100 years at the least?

    There are known evil doers who live much longer. This is what makes us humans. We are at the mercy of God’s purposive time for us for which we have no inside knowledge. And yes, evil doers may live much longer than morally upright human beings. However, we are not privileged to understand God’s plan.

    We are not alone in this lack of understanding. Even the Preacher expresses his frustration as is recorded in Ecclesiastes 7: 15: “In my vain life, I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man living long in his wickedness.” And Job, in his state of despondency asks, “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?” But in all these, God is not unjust. As Job also realized, even the evil doers are judged harshly. “They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone.”

    Femi Ojo-Ade may have known. Unlike the wicked, he understood that he had no control of his time, and that everything was up to the one who sent him here: Riran la ran mi wa. Emi ko mo ran ra mi. Ase dowo eni to ran mi wa. Knowing this fact of our existence is requisite for living our lives in accordance with the ideals of excellence in thought and character. It was Ojo-Ade’s guide to life.

    Professor Femi Ojo-Ade, husband, father, teacher, scholar, cultural icon, was called home by his maker on March 19, 2019 and the world of scholarship and culture was shaken to its core. On May 4, family and friends gathered at the South Potomac Church in Maryland for a befitting memorial service. Former students and colleagues from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and St. Mary’s University, Maryland, and friends from Canada, Europe, and across the United States were in attendance. It was a glorious service that his memorable life richly deserved.

    Speakers at the service echoed two major themes, focusing on Ojo-Ade’s excellence in scholarship and outstanding consciousness of moral character, and these go to the heart of what we need to ascertain what a fulfilled life he led.

    On scholarship, speaker after speaker noted Ojo-Ade’s original contributions to scholarship in modern European languages, including French, in which he majored, and Spanish in which he did substantial research. He was the second Nigerian to attain the rank of full professor of French. He authored several books, including fiction and nonfiction, and contributed numerous articles to scholarly journals in his field. He was presented as a compassionate teacher who mentored his students, both undergraduates and graduates, to resounding success in their various fields.

    This is all good. But what is even more impressive is how Ojo-Ade positively influenced his colleagues to attain excellence. My good friend, Professor Ropo Sekoni spoke of how, as a colleague, Ojo-Ade encouraged him to learn French and Spanish, which knowledge turned out to be invaluable assets as he applied for and received several research grants, based on his knowledge of these languages. So, while some scholars would go to great lengths to guide and protect their tuff from “intruders”, Ojo-Ade sought out colleagues to enter his academic space, enriching them and himself as a result. This is the quality of self-confidence.

    One of the most moving tributes was from a young man whom Professor Ojo-Ade only met by chance, but who ended up becoming a grateful member of his extended family. Dr. Tunde Olusesi recalled how he was introduced to Ojo-Ade in absentia as he was desperate for admission to the university in the 80s. Though he had performed well in JAMB, he was unfairly edged out of admission. After letting him know the truth concerning the unfairness of his treatment, Ojo-Ade advised him to attend another institution with a promise that he would help him get a transfer to Ife the following year. He kept this promise. The young man also kept his own end of the bargain as he ended with a First Class degree in English from Ife in the 80s. Today, Olusesi has Ph. D in Social Work. And he remains eternally grateful to his mentor and big daddy. That is one of the tributes that moves the heart. How a man could be so selfless in the pursuit of the good of others!

    Professor Ojo-Ade had served for some years as Head of the Department of Modern Languages at Ife by the time that I was appointed Head of Philosophy Department at the university. For his well-known friendliness and accessibility, he was the first HOD that I ran to for advice and he was generous with his time and thoughts on navigating departmental and faculty politics for which I am forever grateful. We left Ife about the same time in the late 80s but soon met again in Maryland. While he was a tenured professor at St. Mary’s University, I was a tenured professor at Howard University, serving as Chair of the Philosophy department. I leaned on him again for professional advice.

    In the diaspora phase of the struggle against military dictatorship in Nigeria, Ojo-Ade was one of the few scholars who not only encouraged us, but who also joined in our efforts, contributing to panel discussions, attending conferences, and participating in rallies. At St. Mary’s, he organized a symposium to which he invited us to speak on democratic struggles in Africa. In those days, his great sense of humor helped us to bear the stress that we faced from time to time.

    Like some other colleagues, Ojo-Ade could have ignored the efforts to combat the evil of dictatorship. He could have chosen to face his scholarship. But he was unselfish with his intellect, which he lent effectively to public affairs. Even after the struggle, he continued to encourage us to hold elected officials accountable. During the crisis over the withholding of Lagos State Local Government funds by the Obasanjo regime, I wrote a piece titled “Mocking the rule of law”. It was a critique of the regime’s spurning the Supreme Court ruling. Ojo-Ade was one of the first who sent me an email appreciating that piece. He was just like that.

    Professor Ojo-Ade left behind a loving family, his wife of 49 years, Mrs. Molara Ojo-Ade, his beautiful children and grandchildren. I am confident that they will carry on from where he stopped. As his life’s journey ends, and they stretch their hands to lay him to rest, he has fulfilled his mission on Mother Earth. He has exemplified the injunction of the ancestors: Ka rin gbede gbede, ka lee ku pelepele, komo eni lee fowo gbogboro gbe ni sin.

  • Eclipse of Iconic Sun

    Preamble

    It is man’s to propose and Allah’s to dispose. Those are the permanent norms upon which human life is realistically based. Those norms are a clockwise phenomenon that cannot be turned anti-clockwise by any means. And that is what most faithful Muslims tag as evidence of destiny.

    The proposed contents of this column today are not what you are about to read here. While trying to weave the web of an article into another vestige of thought for readers, Allah’s disposing will suddenly came to intervene with divine authority. And the title, as well as the contents of today’s article had to be changed.

     

    Throbs of Obituary

    On Thursday, the 25th day of the month of Ramadan in this year 1400 AH which coincided with the 30th day of May, 2019, Nigeria’s media waves throbbed with the breaking news of an eclipse of a human sun. That human sun was Alhaji Muslim Adio KolawoleAnimasaun, a Nigerian colossal journalist and legendary columnist of international repute. He was reported to have departed this ephemeral world in the night. By human calculation, that night could have been the Night of Power. It was that fortuitous news that caused a change of title and contents of the article originally planned for today in this column.

    Despite the strictness of this Friday column (The Message) in ‘The Nation’ newspaper, if certain eminent people deserved special attention or dedication of an article in it, Alhaji Kola Animasaun should be foremost among them.

    This is not only because he facilitated my employment as Deputy Chairman of the Editorial Board of Vanguard newspaper at a time when I badly needed a job, but also because he was my mentor and my confidant. I first met him in November 1992 when the funeral of Alhaja Simbiat Abiola brought us together at a gathering in the Ikeja residence of Bashorun MKO Abiola. But our closeness began in September 1996 when I joined the Editorial Board of Vanguard as his deputy. From thence, we became like Siamese twins in thought and in action. His column, ‘Voice of Reason’ in Sunday Vanguard had been a must read for me since 1984 when that newspaper debut. I was then in the now defunct Concord newspaper.

     

    Human Life

    Human life is a pilgrimage from the unknown to the unknown. No one knows whence he emanated or whither he is bound. The process by which man evolves is a special tapestry which size and shape cannot be measured in whatever form. As humans, all we know about life is that we naturally move from womb to womb before arriving in the puzzling transit which we globally call the world. For a period, we were in our fathers’ natural loins where we struggled for space and for survival. And in the attempt to shoot out through the iron gate of life we suddenly found ourselves as molecules swimming in the midst of billions of others in the name of spermatozoa. At that stage, human beings can be compared to fingerlings in their millions struggling to become juveniles in the aquatic world. Those in the fishery sector will understand this analogy better.

     

    Mother’s Womb

    Then, from our fathers’ exclusive loins, we moved into another hollow space inside our mothers’ womb and sojourned therein for a while before zooming into this complex world from where we shall eventually move into another hollow space called grave in the belly of the earth. And finally, we shall move forth from there into another world not yet known to anybody.

    When we were in the loins of our fathers, no one knew of the existence of a place called pregnancy. Yet, we were made to pass through it as a transit for a period on our ways to the world. But then, while we were in pregnancy, no one knew of the existence of another place called the world. Yet, it was from the pregnancy that we came to find ourselves here on earth fortuitously and the pilgrimage continues.

     

    The World of Man

    The world of man is like a cloud moving forwards and backwards from time to time and gathering momentum for a paradoxical rain to fall. After the dispersal of that cloud, one of two occurrences becomes experienced. Either the rain falls to give the earth a renewed life or there is no rain at all. In the latter case, the sky becomes clearer as fresh air renews the oxygen of the world. Who can fault that natural phenomenal process?

    Human beings in their multitudes are like a galaxy of stars which float incessantly in the orbit while jointly illuminating the spheres. Some of those stars are by far larger than the earth. But because of their distance from the human view, they look small. Some are moderate in size while some are actually small. Consequently, each functions according to its pre-destined assignment. ALLAH AKBAR!

    As it is with the stars so it is with human beings. Some are great in life and in death. Some are great only while alive but as soon as they are demised, their greatness becomes like a dispersed cloud paving the way for a clearer atmosphere. Some function positively. Some function negatively. Some cannot be placed at all with regards to their functions. And after they might have all departed this world history takes the centre stage revealing both the hidden and the manifest aspects of their lives individually. And from such revelations, those left behind pick the relevant substances that form the continuation of their lives.

     

    Philosophy of Life

    Perhaps no Nigerian intellectual has ever captured the above painted scenario philosophically in the contemporary time better than Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe. In the introduction to his autobiography ‘MY ODYSSEY’, published in 1970, he observed thus:

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

    Alhaji Kola Animasaun (now of blessed memory) was a student of that philosophy. By a dint of experience, he was able to dichotomize between idealism and materialism by understanding that the material well-being of every individual could influence the code of human conduct. Based on this, therefore, he did not see any reason in being materialistic. Rather, he was convinced that only an adaptation to the concatenations of the spiritual world could pilot a spiritual ‘pilgrim’ like him to the holy land.

     

    A Programmed Phenomenon

    Death, like life, is a programmed phenomenon. Both are like the day and the night exchanging baton at specific hours as divinely scheduled.

    It couldn’t have sounded unusual to most genuine Nigerian Muslims last Thursday when the radio waves throbbed with the news of the demise of this colossus barely one month before he attained the age of 80 years. News of death can never be shocking to those who believe in Allah; His Angels; His Revealed Books; His Apostles, the Last Day and Destiny. We have been taught repeatedly in the Qur’an that “every soul shall taste of death”. But neither the Qur’an nor any other revealed book has told us when and how. Now, Alhaji Kola Animasaun has moved a step ahead of us in the pilgrimage of life. We shall all join him some day just as he has joined those who preceded him on that unavoidable journey.

    Now, having gone to the world beyond ours, his life has become a chapter in the history of Nigeria. And from that chapter, it is left to those of us still alive to cultivate clauses of guidance or those of encouragement or even those of warning against the vanity of human wishes.

     

    Inevitable Alternative

    To many people in Nigeria and abroad who, out of ignorance, see death as an intruder, Alhaji Animasaun’s death might have come as “a rude shock” even at the age of 80. But to Muslims who understand their religion very well and know that death is an inevitable alternative to life, it couldn’t have been a shocker. Such Muslims know that death will come to lay its icy hand on man when it is time divinely scheduled for it and that every Muslim should prepare for it. When man’s time to die comes, no one can save him from the scourge of death. And no one can die for another. Just as we came into the world one by one and no one eats or defecates or sleeps for another so can no one help another to bear the scourge of death. Every soul, according to the programme of Allah, the Immortal Creator and Sustainer of all lives, shall bear his burden and face the consequences of his earthly actions. Wealth, position and fame are no barrier to death. Children may die while their parents remain alive. The healthy may die while the sick remains in coma. The wealthy may die while the poor keeps begging for daily meal. Death, the leveller of mankind, will come when it will come.

    Adam, the primogenitor of man who came into the world without a father or a mother died. Hawau, the first created woman who came into the world without a mother, died. Prophet Isa who came into the world without a father is no more. All men and women born of fathers and mothers who have sojourned at one time or another in this world have fallen prey to the icy hand of death. All the Apostles of Allah dispatched to the world to guide mankind died. Who then is that mortal being that will escape the dragnet of death?

    It is possible for those whose time has not come to start speculating on the immediate or remote causes of someone’s death. It is possible for the ignorant ones to blame someone’s death or misfortune on another. But the fact remains that death is a phenomenon which no Jupiter can change or alter. It is an attribute of destiny. In a famous stanza which has been universally acknowledged, an Arab poet once said about death:

    “Whoever does not die by firing squared will surely die by another means; the causes of death are many but death itself is only one”.

     

    Prophet Muhammad’s Demise

    When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) demised in 632 CE, some Muslims (including Umar Bn Khattab who later became the second Caliph) refused to hear such news describing it as heresy. It took the courage and maturity of Abubakr to stand on the podium and address the crowd of the Muslim Ummah who wanted a confirmation or denial of the news of Prophet Muhammad’s demise. In a quivering but clear voice he said: …”Those of you who have been worshipping Muhammad be informed that Muhammad is no more. But those who have been worshipping Allah should know that Allah is immortal”.

    Abubakr said this in further reiteration of Qur’an 2vs255 which has stood out for over 1400 years as a perfect answer to an heretical question of a deeply ignorant unbeliever who, in search of food, spent his entire life writing a whole book to ask a one sentence question thus: “Who is this Allah?”. The cited Qur’anic verse had provided the answer to that stupid question thus:

    “Allah; there is no God besides Him, the living and the eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is what the Heavens and the earth contain. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows all about the affairs of men at present and in the future. They (human beings) can grasp only that part of His knowledge by His wills. His throne is beyond the sizes of the Heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not weary Him. He is the Exalted, the Immense One”.

    Like all those who had passed through this world before him Alhaji Animasaun is no more. Thus, all other things about him are now history. But from that history is a lesson for those succeeding him in private and public life to learn. His is now a closed chapter in the history of Nigeria.

     

    A Reassessment Mirror

    This article is not much about the obituary of Alhaji Kola Animasaun as it is about a mirror with which to see ourselves and reassess the essence of our existence on earth. It is no news that Alhaji Kola Animasaun was a journalist in his life time. It is no news that he rose vertically through the ranks in the midst of his horizontal colleagues to become a professional template as the Chairman of the Editorial Board of Vangaurd newspaper after a diplomatic sojourn for about two decades. It is no news that he served his country meritoriously at various spheres of human endeavour.

    What can be called news about his life was an unprecedented contentment in a society where greed and avarice were taken for yardstick of pecuniary greatness. He once turned down a confidential offer by his boss and employer, Uncle Sam Amuka Pemu, to assume the position of the Editor of Vanguard newspaper. His reason was that the position was better and more fitting to a younger journalist with enough experience. He also turned down an offer by his friend and professional colleague, Chief Segun Osoba, when the latter was the Governor of Ogun State. He wanted Alhaji Animasaun to be the Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government at a time when some hawks were lobbying for that post. But contrary to Chief Osoba’s expectation, Alhaji Animasaun told him that he was absolutely satisfied with his professional job and that he preferred the post of the Chairman, Editorial Board of Vanguard newspaper to that of a Local Government. It took the intervention of Uncle Sam Amuka Pemu, to whom Governor Osoba reported the case, before Alhaji Animasaun reluctantly agreed to serve in that capacity. Yet, he did not touch the bulk of the salaries and allowances he earned on that job until he vacated office.  And he used the money so realized to build a Mosque in his house as a service to Allah his Creator. That was a very rare decision in Nigeria especially at a time when political limelight was like a visa to the paradise of life.

     

    His Religious life 

    One of the huddles of our own generation as journalists was the oddity of being Muslims in the profession that was seen as an exclusive preserve of Christian journalists. But Alhaji Animasaun remained undaunted as he observed his daily prayers at their right times during the office hours. In his persistence on observing every Salat at the right time, he was always going out of Vanguard premises in search of a Mosque to observe those prayers. After observing him closely for some time, Uncle Sam Amuka who revered him very much because of his professional competence and sincerity of purpose decided to provide a Mosque within Vanguard premises to relieve the few Muslim workers, including yours sincerely, in that outfit. Thus, a Mosque was provided within the premises of the company, not only for daily prayers but also for weekly Jum’at prayer. The Mosque is still there today.

     

    Spiritual Incentive

    While in Vanguard, Alhaji Animasaun was the Chairman, Editorial Board and yours sincerely was not only his deputy but also the Imam of the Mosque.

    Our combination strengthened the few other Muslims in the establishment against inferiority complex and persecution. Not only that, the Mosque in Vanguard also served as an incentive for Muslims in other media houses to stand up vertically in defence of Islam.

    With his professional, religious and social life, Alhaji Animasaun could be likened to a summer sun that photosynthesizes the professional and social lives of other people, irrespective of their tribes and creeds, either by facilitating gainful employments for them or by guiding them aright morally and intellectually.

    Although Alhaji Animasaun has left the stage, his footprints on the sands of time remains an exemplary template for today’s and future generations of Nigerians who want to be patriotic to their motherland.

    “Who shares his life’s pure pleasure and walks the honest road; who trades with heaping measure and lifts his brother’s load; who turns the wrong down bluntly and lends the right a hand; he dwells in God’s own country and tills the holy land”. Louis F. Benson

    The above quoted poem is as fitting to Alhaji Kola Animasaun as a scepter in the hand of a magnificent king. We were all witnesses to that fact. We pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in eternal bliss and grant his family the     needed fortitude to bear his absence and to surge ahead in life with continuity of uprightness. Amin!

    INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHI RAJI’UN!

     

  • Anticipating the Next Level

    Now that President Buhari has taken the oath of office for his second term, the much-anticipated Next Level is here. But what is in it? How will it impact Nigerians? These are pertinent questions. And while the President and his team have shared details of their plans for the Next Level during the campaign, we cannot blame Nigerians for being overly anxious.

    As it was four years ago, though this column appears on Friday, I am writing it on Wednesday. May 29, 2015, the day President Buhari took the oath of office for his first term, fell on Friday. And to capture the mood of the nation earnestly yearning for change, my column on that day was aptly titled “A beautiful day.” Though, it was an aspirational statement, it turned out to be declaratory as well. Watching the online streaming of the ceremony from my base, I was moved by its grandeur.

    However, more than a colorful ceremony, the expectation of Nigerians, after a hitch-free election in which the majority across the country voted for change, was sky high. They looked forward to the promised defeat of terrorism and insurgency, a relentless fight against corruption in high and low places, and a robust economy that creates a level playing field for everyone. Those were the promises of the change campaign that captivated and energized the young and old, and the men and women who joined the change train in 2015.

    The president went to work on his core promises. But it soon became clear that he and his team had underestimated the enormity of the task. Aggravating the onslaught of economic recession which had bared its fangs was Niger Delta militancy, which crippled oil production. Meanwhile, Boko Haram was proving to be an invincible mortal enemy of state. And corruption, with its hydra head, refused to surrender on the battlefield.

    To complicate an already bewildering situation, the various contradictions that have bedeviled the unity of the nation since her early days found a new outlet. While there is nothing new in the conflict between herdsmen and farmers, nor in banditry, nor in kidnapping, they all take on a new meaning in the context of an underlying ailment that we refuse to treat. The mood of the nation at the dawn of the Next Level is a somber reflection of this reality.

    May 29, 2019 is as beautiful as May 29, 2015. But the nation’s mood is not the same. Apart from the deliberate intention of a low-key celebration and the deferral of inauguration activities till June 12, something is eerily unsettling about May 29, 2019. Four years ago, enthusiasm was infectious. Today, while many still look to the next four years with hope in the determined effort of the president and his team, many still are pessimistic not only about their own wellbeing, but also about the good of the nation going forward.

    This is the challenge that President Buhari must take up and meet if he eyes a legacy beyond 2023. Die-hard Buharists may choose to feed him with heart-warming tales of his exploits. He needs to take those with a grain of salt. He must seek a deep understanding of what critics identify as the real problems with a view to finding real solutions. He must not dismiss every critic as enemies. He must see them as patriots with different ideas about the good of the nation. Even if he doesn’t agree with them, he must listen to them and, where possible, meet them half-way. After all, no human being has all the right answers. Only the divine being is omniscient.

    On the issue of legacy, what is it that really matters most? Taking the nation to the next level of economic advancement where everyone that wants a job gets one and the basic needs of everyone is met? Winning the fight against corruption so that transparency and accountability becomes the norm of our social and political life? Ridding the nation of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping so that the peace of the nation is fully restored? Or achieving genuine national unity in which every section has a true sense of belonging which is achieved through a constitutional engineering that restores their confidence in its promise?

    Of the four alternatives to a great legacy identified above, the fourth is the most enduring. Surely, a president who does the other three would be remembered for good. But they are legacies that could be rubbished in a jiffy. President Buhari himself is a living testimony to this observation. The war against corruption was a major highlight of his administration as military head of state. But we know what happened to that legacy after he was toppled. Chef Awolowo did a yeoman task of developing infrastructure in the Western Region. But we know how that was managed after he left the scene especially by subsequent military administrations.

    Our political structure unfortunately presents an indomitable constraint against a legacy in the area of national economic advancement. This doesn’t belittle the effort to promote this ideal because, after all, the well-being of citizens is measured by the state of the economy. However, if national unity is successfully harnessed, it has the greatest potential to guarantee success in the other areas.

    Conversely, a determined focus on the economy and infrastructure can be disastrously undermined by the same people it is supposed to benefit if they lack a sense of belonging. Therefore, a president that eyes legacy and is motivated by the good of the nation, will do everything in his power to not just preach national unity, but do whatever is necessary to achieve it. Far from being a distraction, a serious effort to forge national unity is a precursor to achieving economic development. What does this mean for the president’s movement to the next level?

    First, it means that he must make every effort to carry everyone along. Surely, it is unrealistic to expect that everyone will buy into the president’s agenda. However, it is important to recognize that not only are there many citizens with him (he won by 4 million votes!), but also that many more would join him in this journey if convinced that he is genuinely committed to national unity.

    Second, therefore, it means that the president must reach out to the opposition, especially as it is concentrated in a section of the population. For far too long, we have had a North-South dichotomy that not only does no good to, but really hampers, desirable unity. Of course, pockets of resistance may be in the South-south and Southeast because they are aggrieved about how former President Jonathan lost his bid for a second term. That is natural. But there are genuine grievances that border on marginalization, which serious patriots from the zones have identified. It is the responsibility of the President to bring them to the reconciliation table.

    Third, it is time to address the elephant in the room, which is the political structure of the nation. Clearly what we have is a serious threat to unity and development both of which the president cares a lot about. What good does it do that we have a constitution that prioritizes unity in diversity but relegates diversity to the back burner of discussion as if it can be wished away? Meanwhile, because it is not managed properly, our diversity is becoming a curse rather than a blessing. This should worry the president.

    Every morning that we wake up to read or hear news about conflict between people of different ethnic nationalities, it should remind us that our effort toward national unity has been half-hearted because we have not dealt with the constitutional albatross hanging on our national neck. This accounts for the dreary mood of the nation on this otherwise beautiful day.

    While wishing him Godspeed at the next level, I pray for divine wisdom for President Buhari to identify the root of our national challenge and deal with it with the dispatch that it requires. That is the legacy he needs to look back to with glee when he retires to Daura in 2023.

     

    gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

     

  • Ramadan: A summary of facts

    Preamble

    At no time in the life of man can the true nature of human existence be more manifest than in Ramadan. It is in that sacred month that Muslims reflect mostly on the purpose of their existence on earth.

    Some people fasted actively in this month, last year, but are no more today. Some put their feet at the door step of Ramadan this year but were not privileged to enter it. Some enthusiastically commenced fasting in it this year but fell by the way side along the line. Some fasted with absolute faith in Allah and confidence in making use of the lessons of Ramadan. Some joined the spiritual train with no idea of their destination in the month.

     

    Segments of Ramadan

    At the beginning of this sacred month, an analysis was done in this column classifying the 30 or 29 days of Ramadan into three segments.

    The first segment was said to contain the first ten days of the month during which the blessings of Allah came to the faithful Muslims freely and in abundance. Except for meeting that segment with faith and good intention, there was no working for it. That segment ended after 10 days paving way for the second segment that began on the 11th day of Ramadan.

     

    The Second 10 Days

    During the 10-day period of the second segment, most fasting Muslims intensified worship (Ibadah) by spending their days and nights seeking Allah’s forgiveness and by chanting Istighfar. But such forgiveness was neither automatic nor free. Usually, conditions were attached to it. One of such conditions was for every fasting Muslims to admit his/her misdeeds and repent of them. The second was to voluntarily and genuinely seek forgiveness. And the third condition was to resolve never to return to such misdeeds again.

     

    Prophetic Counseling

    To seek Allah’s forgiveness during the month of Ramadan, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was reported to have said that “if you want to speak with Allah, make your request on prostration. And if you want Allah to speak to you recite the Qur’an”. No one who abided by the above conditions and followed it scrupulously would ever be disappointed.

    Allah is both promising and fulfilling. He never reneges on His promise. In Qur’an 2:186 He promises thus: “…when my servants ask you (Prophet Muhammad) about me, tell them that I am very close to them. I answer the prayers of whoever seeks my favour if he seeks from me (without any intermediary). So, let them expect my favorable response and trust in me so that they may be rightly guided”

     

    Midway Ramadan

    Those second ten days were not just to consolidate on the blessings of the first ten days, they were also to prepare the fasting Muslims for the last ten days when they were expected to be fully liberated from the evil machinations of any Satanic forces.

    Human life is not measured by the time or manner of his or her death.

    In Islam, death is neither the consequence of sin nor the repercussion of ignorance. There are instances when the sinless dies and the sinful lives. There are also instances when the learned dies while the ignorant lives. The schedule of life and death is not in the custody of any human being. Death is a debt which every living being owes and must pay.

    Not even Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was spared of death or given a foreknowledge of it. Allah ordered him to say in the Q. 10:49 thus:

    “Say I have not the power to benefit or to harm myself except what Allah pleases. Unto every nation is a fixed term. When their terms expire, they cannot delay it by an hour nor can they bring it forth before its time”.

    This is a verse of the Qur’an which the ignorant ones have severally quoted and interpreted according to their whim. In their imagination, they want the Prophet to claim infallibility to enable them call him a liar.

     

    Nostalgia

    Some people dream but never live to realize their dreams. Some look but never see. It is only in the imagination of man that age should be a factor of death. We shall all die at our scheduled time. Therefore, whoever is privileged to pass through this year’s Ramadan successfully should endeavour to add spiritual value to his or her life and not diminish in faith after the sacred month. We shall all account for that value before Allah.

    In a few days’ time, this year’s Ramadan will come to an end by the grace of Allah and we shall continue to look back with nostalgia to the good things we have done in the sacred month.

     

    The Role of Women

    We shall remember that in no other month of Hijrah calendar is the role of Muslim women more pronounced than in Ramadan. Like in other months, they display the roles of wives, mothers as well as that of their husbands’ confidants. But more than in other months, they exhibit their religious dedication in Ramadan.

    Even as they assist their husbands financially in maintaining the homes, they still take care of those husbands as well as the children and relatives domestically. At the time of the day when the husbands are knocked out by fatigue arising from fasting, the wives are still busy in the kitchen preparing Iftar for the household. At the time in the night when some husbands are engaged in Tahajjud, or are snoring in bed, the wives are already up in the kitchen preparing the Sahur for the family.

    Some of these women are pregnant. Some are suckling their children.

    Some of them are knowledgeable enough to do the Tilawah (recitation of the Qur’an) like their husbands. Some are even rich enough to finance the home fully or partially.

    And, in all these activities, they never feel tired. Where and when they feel tired, they never show it. If any month has ever depicted the virtues of women, it is Ramadan and the women activities in it. If for the reason of their activities in Ramadan alone, they deserve tenderness and dignified treatment in the hands of their husbands.

    We shall also remember the role of our children in the month and then endeavour to ensure the continuity of those rewarding activities.

     

    Allah’s greatest gift

    Children are Allah’s greatest gift to man. Their presence in a house is blessing. Their contribution is immense. Those are children for you. They can play the role of teachers just as they can do that of students. They learn fast, they teach fast. They are a major security for parents in any given environment.

    Children play both temporal and spiritual roles in a matrimonial life.

    And with such roles, they sometimes create hope for humanity and sometimes, they signal despair. They are the greatest asset in the possession of parents in time of peace. They are also the greatest weapon for those parents against the forces of Satan.

    Because of their innocence, they pave way for God’s forgiveness and quick acceptance of prayers. And, most importantly, children guarantee the continuity of man’s existence on earth. It is only with them that the fulfillment of today’s promise is possible tomorrow.

     

    Children in the Qur’an

    In the Qur’an, children are mentioned many times and most often with reverence. They are treated in that glorious book as a major issue in the life of man. As orphans, they do not only have a role to play, they also compel some adults to play a role relating to them.

    As heirs to their parents, they have substantial shares in inheritance. Muslim children are like cubs. They follow the footstep of their parents or guardians very closely. They are often with their parents during the five daily prayers. They watch their parents as the latter give charity to the poor. They accompany them to public lectures and Islamic social gatherings.

    And, in Ramadan, children are part of the Muslims’ total spiritual package. They wake up with them at night. They fast with them in the day. They break the fast with them at sunset. They join their parents at Tafsir and night lectures. They participate in Laylatul Qadr and in giving Zakatul Fitr to the poor. Who can substitute the role of children in a matrimonial home?

    In all the above mentioned activities, children are supposed to be encouraged. At the tender age of seven, they should be guided to fast even if for half a day. And when they reach the age of 10 they should be strengthened in faith and in religious deeds. They should be provided with necessities of life both on the temporal and spiritual grounds. With these, they will grow up to become the fulfillment of their parents’ dreams.

    Most children grow up as good or bad citizens by emulating their parents. A child is therefore what his parents make him. If advantage of Ramadan is not taken by Muslim parents to mould their children into good Muslims what other platform will be used? Your child is your sun.

    Make hay with it while it shines.

     

    Neighbours

    We shall also recall how we related to our neighbours, especially the non-Muslims among them in that month. In Islam, neighbours are as important as the next of kin. And, Islam attaches so much respect to them. According to Bukhari and Muslim, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was reported to have sworn by Allah three times on a particular occasion saying: “he does not believe in Allah! He does not believe in Allah! He does not believe in Allah! And when he was asked who? He replied by saying: whoever creates fear in his neighbours atrociously”

    In another Hadith also reported by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet was quoted as saying that “Whoever believes in Allah and the last day let him be nice to his neighbours and respect his guests”

    In the month of Ramadan a good Muslim is expected to wear a new toga of sobriety and repentance. He doubles his good deeds to his neighbours, extending generosity to them and cultivating a new atmosphere of friendliness and trust with them. He genuinely gives them as much impression of love and brotherhood as he does with his consanguine relatives.

    It does not matter whether those neighbours are Muslims or non-Muslims. Neither does it matter whether they are tribesmen or non-natives. The Prophet did not discriminate in his Hadith when he was admonishing on neighbours. And that is the inalienable position of Islam on neighbourliness. Whoever had quarreled with his neighbours before Ramadan, therefore, let him/her go and settle the quarrel before the end of Ramadan.

    Besides abstaining from foods, drinks and sex, in the month of Ramadan, a good Muslim must mind his relationship with people around him, including neighbours.

     

    Fasting in Full Measure

    Fasting in the month of Ramadan cannot be taken in half measure.

    Whoever wants to receive full rewards for his religious activities in Ramadan should treat his neighbours well. And, when Ramadan is over, the good deeds must continue. Ramadan is not made a pillar of Islam by accident. Its purpose is to return man to the original state of purity in which he was created. That Allah entrusts the world to man is also not by accident. Allah consulted widely before entrusting this great responsibility to man when the latter volunteered to bear it. This much is revealed in Qur’an 33:71 thus: “We offered the trust (of the world) to the heavens; the earth and the mountains they all turned it down and were afraid of it. Man undertook to bear it but he has proved to be insincere and deceitful”. For man to re-examine himself, repent over his misdeeds and become redeemed, therefore, Allah brought Ramadan as a means of rescue.

     

    Needs and wants

    It is in the month of Ramadan that Muslims reconfirm NEEDS rather than WANTS as the necessities required for the sustenance of their lives.

    Muslims, by their faith and orientation, are not, ordinarily, given to WANTS. They are more concerned about NEEDS than WANTS. The reason for this is not far-fetched. With NEEDS come contentment and satisfaction while WANTS are the cause of greed and avarice.

    Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, had provided the needs of every living creature even before its creation. But then, He (Allah) knew that of all those creatures man alone would go beyond NEEDS into the realm of WANTS. That was perhaps what informed the negative role which Satan assumed in the life of man shortly after the creation of Adam and Hawau.

    By introducing WANTS to man, what Satan did was to create a permanent job for himself in the life of man. Without WANTS the world would not have been what it is today. Blood would not have been shed. Money would not have been deified. Hatred would not have been known to man.

    And, man’s inhumanity to man would have been totally averted.

    The effect of WANTS first became known when Qabil (Cain), the first son of Adam preferred his brother’s wife to his. In the argument which ensued, Qabil (Cain) killed his brother Habil (Abel) and combined the latter’s wife with his. Thus, greed and avarice became ingredients of man’s culture. And WANTS rather than NEEDS became the domineering factor in the life of man. These are some of the anomalies in man that Ramadan comes to correct every year. If you are a witness to it this year, utilise your experience maximally. You don’t know whether or not you will have that opportunity again. Ramadan Karim!

  • The issue of Nisab

    As stated in this column yesterday, Zakah is of two types. One is Zakatul Mal (levy on wealth). The other is Zakatul Fitr (levy for festivity). The two are obligatory and paid annually. But while Zakatul Mal is to be paid only by those who have excess in their custody after one full year, Zakatul Fitr is a flat levy to be paid at the end of Ramadan by every Muslim irrespective of age, gender and financial status.

    Zakatul Mal is paid not only on the amount of money kept in one’s bank account but also on fixed property like commercial house(s), land, farm crops as well as animals. Each of these has a taxable amount called ‘NISAB’. For Zakah of money, the NISAB prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar. Both amounts are equal in value at the exchange rate.

    The use of silver or gold as a means of determining NISAB as earlier recommended by the Prophet was later relaxed with the Qur’anic revelation which ordered the wives of the Prophet to pay Zakatul Mal. None of the Prophet’s wives was rich enough to meet the NISAB by gold or silver after the demise of Sayyidah Khadijah. And Zakah did not come as a pillar of Islam until after Khadijah’s demise.

    With the revelation ordering them to pay Zakah, the Prophet’s wives had to comply despite their pecuniary handicap.

    Caliphs Umar bn Khattab and Ali bn Abi Talib in particular laid emphasis on the monetary NISAB of 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in order to make payment of Zakah easier for majority of Muslims. Otherwise, Zakah would have been an exclusive pillar of Islam for the rich alone. And that would have defeated the welfare purpose which Zakah was meant to serve and it would have excluded most Muslims from that pillar of Islam.

    For Nigerian Muslims of today, the Dirham of the United Arab Emirates is chosen by ‘THE MESSAGE’ as the mode of determining the NISAB not only because it is the most consistent in exchange rate especially against the American Dollar having remained almost same since 1982 but also because it is the only one with which most Nigerian Muslims are familiar. And its current rate against American Dollar is 200 Dirham to 54 US Dollars which translates to N8210. Whoever is in possession of a minimum of N8210 therefore as net income after one full year must pay Zakah of N205.25 which is one over forty or two and a half percent of the NISAB. And if the net income is higher than that then, the payable amount is worked accordingly.

  • In times like this

    A recent BCOS report on kidnapping in Ibarapa division of Oyo state brings the issue nearer home. This is not Northeast. It is not Northcentral. It is rural Southwest. Unlike Abuja-Kaduna Highway where kidnap victims could be senators or government officials who may be forced to cough out millions in ransom, reported ransom payment in Ibarapa is as low as 1.5 million Naira.

    The menace of kidnapping is on everyone’s mind because of the unpredictability of one being a victim. You don’t have to ride a big car. Your commercial bus could be stopped and searched, and a kidnapper’s fingers summon you to get down, the beginning of an agonizing encounter, which could, as in the tragic case of an Igbinedion University lecturer, result in death.

    But what if kidnapping is just a ruse, a camouflage for something more sinister, something more traumatic? What if we are seeing the beginning of an external aggression on a scale that Syria didn’t foresee, but which was ultimately its lot? What if ISIS, having lost its dream Caliphate in Syria, sees an opening in a fragmented Nigeria?

    Indeed, it is now hardly a matter of “what if?” A Counter Extremism Project report suggests that, among others, kidnapping is a major source of financing for Boko Haram, which declared allegiance to ISIS in 2009 and became ISWAP. The report claims that “US officials have estimated that Boko Haram receives approximately $1 million for the kidnapping and release of each wealthy Nigerian it abducts.”

    So, while some kidnapping across the nation may be attributed to unemployment and poverty, if ISWAP effectively relies on ransom money in the North, strategically extending its tentacles to the South cannot be ruled out. After all, its goal is to establish an Islamic State in Nigeria, not just in the North.

    If the foregoing makes sense and kidnapping for ransom is a weapon in the arsenal of ISWAP, and if Islamization of Nigeria is its goal, then there is a religious factor in kidnapping. But what does this mean? It certainly doesn’t mean that every Muslim subscribes to ISWAP’s goal of Islamizing Nigeria.

    Indeed, using its own understanding of Islam, the terrorists have also targeted for elimination Muslims whom they see as apostates. It is important, therefore, that we do not play into their hands by making the issue a contest between Muslims and Christians. Particularly, the Southwest perilously stands to bear the full brunt of the catastrophe of a house divided against itself. Furthermore, however, it behooves everyone, Muslims, Christians, and traditional religion devotees, to stand together in condemnation of ISWAP’s Islamization agenda.

    So, there is a religious factor. But is there also an ethnic factor? Is there a Fulanization goal lurking behind the Islamization goal of ISWAP? Or is there a separate Fulanization agenda by a segment of the population?

    To suggest that there is a Fulanization agenda lurking behind the ISWAP Islamization agenda is to admit that if there is a Fulanization agenda, it is separate and distinct from the Islamization agenda. After all, again, not all Fulani buy into ISWAP agenda of Islamization. But there could be a connection via the means that ISWAP adopts.

    ISWAP is an offshoot of Boko Haram, which debuted in the Northeast. As such, it draws membership from young Fulani adherents, luring them with funds and social services that government doesn’t provide. The terrorists also sided with Fulani herdsmen in the conflict with predominantly Christian farmers across the North. However, this collaboration is more toward their goal of Islamization than Fulanization.

    Is there a separate agenda of Fulanizing Nigeria by a segment of the Fulani population? What would be the point of Fulanization? How would it work out? There are two possibilities.

    First, like the goal of Islamization, the goal of Fulanization might be to make every Nigerian a Fulani. Of course, it is not a realistic goal and no sane person would entertain such an agenda.

    Second, even if it is impossible to make every Nigerian a Fulani, Fulanization might be an expansionist agenda by which the Fulani extend their reach meter by meter until they take over the entire landmass. For all we know, no Fulani may nurse this expansionist agenda. But the perception among many non-Fulani across the nation is that this is more than an idea in the mind. It is the reality that stares them in the face. How?

    Fulani herdsmen have always been in the Southwest. In Oke-Ogun, they settle in Gaa in the outskirts of town, where they tend their cattle and sell milk and cheese to local host population. Non-herdsmen live in Sabongari and sell dried fish in the market. Even in the toxic partisanship of First Republic politics, they lived peacefully with their host communities.

    Suddenly, things changed. More herdsmen migrated south grazing their cattle, with no respect for farmlands and the crops on which farmers depend for their livelihood. Farmers’ complaints fell on deaf ears or were met with machete or AK-47 on their ancestral lands. How is this to be understood or explained?

    Unless you assert ownership or co-ownership of the farmland, would you justifiably gun down a farmer who complained that your cattle were ruining his crops? But how can you claim ownership or co-ownership of a land that your grandparents did not own, and you do not have a title to? And if the same scenario happens all over and the same population is implicated, how do we describe it other than an attempt to take over the entire territory.

    This is the context of the present rumble. Let us grant that there is no deliberate federal policy of Fulanization. But, rightly or wrongly, many southerners see as such any policy that seeks to appropriate ancestral land for Fulani herdsmen. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck, is the refrain.

    Is this perception justified? Is the fear warranted? If yes, how might it be allayed? Of course, perception and fear are subjective. But that doesn’t make them unreal. An objectively baseless fear still needs relief with reassurance.

    When young Fulani men hide AK-47s under the seat of their motorbikes or in bundles of leaves that they carry on their grazing routes, farmers’ fear is not misplaced. For in the mind of the latter, this gunrunning could well be a self-help prepping for the forceful takeover of their land.

    Community forums on security are inundated with stories of Fulani cells all over the Southwest. If these are mere rumors, they must be countered. If they are true, they must be exposed and disbanded before South-westerners seek their own solution, which could be disastrous for everyone.

    Unfortunately, some politicians are not helping matters. In the wake of the presidential elections, statements have been made which appear to thump the political nose of Southerners. When Northern APC leaders taunt and ridicule their Southern counterparts, and vow that the presidency will remain in the North for twenty years, this only fuels the growing unease that Southerners feel about the intentions of the North.

    From 1993 to 1999, democrats fought military dictators to a standstill and emerged victorious in the end. The bulk of that fight was based in the Southwest. NADECO was infamously given the nickname Agbako by a military general from the region. Agbako in Yoruba means misfortune. However, what was misfortune for the junta at the time was, for the prodemocracy group, resistance against the misfortune of military rule.

    A next phase of resistance is building. And It would be an unfortunate twist of fate if it broke out under an administration which has done so much for the morale of June 12 activists with the declaration of June 12 as Democracy day and the honor of recognizing Abiola as the winner of the June 12, 1993 elections.

    It should not be left to Southwestern leaders to clean up the mess created by egomaniac Northern leaders bent on dividing the South to conquer its space. In times like this, prudence demands that we calm restive nerves before it is too late.