The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • Pa Abbas: A father’s legacy

    “And your Lord has decreed that you should worship none except Him and be kind to your parents (especially) when one or both of them attain old age. Do not ever bully on them or shun them. Address them with gentle voice and humility. And always pray Allah to be compassionate with both of them as they were compassionate with you at childhood”. Q. 17: 22.

    Man after demise
    “Man surely becomes a subject of talk after his demise. Whoever is privileged to be alive should therefore endeavour to become a pleasant talk for those coming behind”. -By an Arab poet.

     

    Preamble
    Inna Lillah, wa inna ilayhi raji’un. We are all from God and to God we shall all return. Those whose fathers are still alive should conscientiously abide by the above quoted verse of the Qur’an. I just lost my own father. It is after such demise that one realizes that a father in the life of his children is like a sun beaming its rays to a farm and photosynthesizing the crops therein for nourishment and fruitfulness. At a stage, the scorch of such rays may become unbearable for the crops. But without the rays, those crops may lack the energy for growth and nourishment. Until the sun sets, the crops may not know its value in their lives.

     

    The Book of life

    Human life is like a book of many chapters. Each chapter often opens to another in what may constitute a smooth reading for those who are left behind to read it. Every human being is, consciously or unconsciously, a writer of a book and the readers are free to analyze or interpret the chapters of the book according to their understanding.

     

    Man’s Journey in life

    In the introduction to his autobiography, Nigeria’s first President, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe wrote thus about human life:

    “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 causes of action. But then, he dies. Nevertheless, his biography remains a guide for those of the living who may need guidance, either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as encouragement or both”.

     

    Pa Abbas’ resume

    At a time when birth records were hardly available, Alhaji Muhammadul Awwal Oyelola Makajuola Abbas Abioye was born in Iwo, Osun state in about 1913. He was the second of his parents’ eight children, all of whom except one were males. Pa Abbas was one year older than the country called Nigeria. He was not just a contemporary of Nigeria’s first indigenous rulers; he was actually a friend of some of them. Despite his limited literacy, he was particularly close to Obafemi Awolowo and Samuel Ladoke Akintola but more to the latter than the former. There was no official record for his birth but we (his children) were able to determine his age when he told us that his friend, Chief S.L. Akintola was older than him by one year. And since the latter was born in 1912, we concluded that our father, Pa Abbas was born in 1913, a year before the amalgamation of what became Nigeria. Though, born in Iwo, he settled down for a living with his parents in Afaake, Ejigbo local government of Osun State.

    Through his peregrination in life, Pa Abbas came across many useful instances and met many people of substances. At a time, he was an apprentice in carpentry which became his first calling in life. It was he along with some of his artisan colleagues who carried out the carpentry work of our family house in 1954. He also led some other carpenters into fixing the carpentry works of our elementary school, Tajudeen primary school, Ilawo of which he was a board member.

     

    His travels

    Besides his brothers who sojourned in Abidjan and other cities and towns of Cote d’Ivoire, no villager from Afaake can claim to be more travelled than Pa Abbas whose journeys through apprenticeship and political traverses took him across regions in Nigeria including the North, the South-West, the then Mid-West and South-East. By the local standard of the 1950s and 1960s, he was a traveler par excellence. He climaxed those journeys with a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1975, the year in which a onetime Head of State, Murtala Muhammed performed Hajj.

     

    His artisanship years

    Apart from his engagement with carpentry, Pa Abbas was also involved in produce buying of cocoa and palm kernel which encouraged him to establish a big farm of cocoa plantation in Ondo state. That was in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

    Some years later, Pa Abbas discovered that the farmers in the village including his own father were not prosperous in cocoa farming because they depended fully on wild cocoa plantation that yielded few profitable products. He therefore invited some agriculturists to introduce cocoa nursery to his village, Afaake. With this, he gathered all the farmers in the village for tutorial on how to plant and nurse modern cocoa trees. From there, a cooperative emerged which was named ‘Egbejoda’ (short form: Egbeda), meaning ‘cooperative farming’. It was also Pa Abbas who introduced tobacco farming to Afaake farmers.

     

    Impact

    This adjusted the focus of those farmers against the mono-product cash crops that cocoa represented in the late 1950s. Tobacco farming turned out to be so profitable that most farmers in the village almost forgot about cocoa. Yet, in the early 1960s, it was also Pa Abbas that introduced commercial pineapple farming to Afaake village in which both men and women were assiduously engaged. The pineapple farming reigned for quite some time as merchants came from Moore plantation and other relevant companies in Ibadan to purchase the products in bulk. All these activities opened the eyes of the village farmers to the value of agricultural commerce.

     

    Contribution to manpower development

    Pa Abbas’ inquisitiveness in life was not limited to agricultural endeavour alone; it extended to the building of human intellect and manpower. For instance, when adult education was introduced by the Action Group government in 1954, Pa Abbas was the one who invited the mobile teachers to Afaake village to teach the male and female farmers how to read and write in what was called adult literacy classes. Through that skill, some farmers in the village were able to read and write. Foremost among them was Pa Abbas himself. And when the same Action Group government introduced free primary education in 1955, it was the same Pa Abbas that championed the sighting of one of those schools in Ilawo to serve the three adjacent villages of Ilawo, Afaake and Inisha-Edoro. That was the beginning of civilization in the area. The school was named Tajudeen primary school, Ilawo. After the establishment of that school, Pa Abbas took it upon himself to ensure the enforcement of attending the school by every child in Afaake. And he did not stop there, he also wrote to those who settled in Cote d’Ivoire to send their children and wards home for enrolment in the school.

     

    Effect of education

    Many children who attended that school including yours sincerely have risen in life to become men and women of positive identities. Through those invaluable efforts, the family of Abbas Abioye has become a towering citadel of knowledge that no tempest can wipe off the scene. At least, there is no notable profession today in which the children of Abbas are not found. Among his children, his grandchildren and his great grandchildren and their spouses are professionals like Lawyers, Accountants, Doctors, Engineers, Lecturers, Civil servants, Farmers, Businessmen and women, as well as communicators like yours sincerely. If any human tree of value can be regarded as a reference point in both Western and Islamic education in Osun state today, Abbas family will be foremost courtesy of Pa Abbas’ effort, despite his half-literacy. This confirms the verse of the Qur’an which goes thus;

    “Have you not seen how your Lord has planted a seed of words like a gargantuan tree standing gorgeously with its roots firmly planted in the belly of the earth and its foliages sprouting gorgeously into the firmaments of the sky…?”  Q. 14: 24.

     

    His contribution to religious development

    It was the same Pa Abbas who initiated the idea of building a mosque in Afaake and led a team of other carpenters to package the carpentry apparel of the mosque. He also introduced madrasa system of education into the mosque and championed the hiring of a mu’allim (malim) to teach the village children who were attending Tajudeen primary school. Pa Abbas’ contribution to human and material development of the village was quite legendary and the evidence is still vivid today. He did not only encourage children to attend school for Western education, he also geared them towards acquisition of Islamic education through attendance of Madrasah. Thus, most of the children who attended Tajudeen primary school also attended Madrasah as Pa Abbas believed that acquisition of Western education was incomplete without Islamic education.

     

    His philosophy of life

    In his philosophy of life, Pa Abbas believed that no matter how much was realized from farm products, it could not be as valuable and as lasting as education. He does advised all other farmers in the village to invest in the education of their children, pointing to them that the future of those children would depend on the education they were given. He therefore invited the then headmaster of Tajudeen primary school, Mr. Bisi Akande, who later became the governor of Osun state to enlighten those farmers on the importance of education. And the latter did that dedicatedly in style.

    Although Pa Abbas was not quite literate, his exposure through travels made his philosophy of life a pattern of that of an American statesman and intellectual, Williams Webster who stated thus inter alia:

    “If we work marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust. But if we work upon immortal minds and instil in them just principles, we are then engraving that upon tablets which no time can efface but will brighten to all eternity”.

    Were it possible for the demised to look back and evaluate his contribution to human growth and development, Pa Abbas would have heaved a sigh of relief even while approaching the gates of paradise with confidence.

    “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”. We are living witnesses.

    The old man (Pa Abbas) passed on quietly in his sleep at about 4 a.m. on Thursday, August 10, 2017 at the ripe age of 104 and he was interned at about 3 p.m. same day.

    God bless the souls of way-pavers. God bless the rightly-guided followers who handed over the baton to other rightly-guided men and women. God bless the soul of Pa Abbas and his likes.

     

     Conclusion

    That is the legacy of a father who had a vision not only for his own children but for the children of others as well as adults who aspired to make the world a pleasant place to live in. That vision was not just a dream, but also the realization of a dream. As a worthy son of this great father, if I did not write this article in commemoration of a man who left a footprint on the sands of time to show gratitude for good deed, who else should do it? If this is an ode to a gold mind who continues to live in glorious history, let those who value glory read it again and again. This legacy is indelible and we thank Allah for it.

     

     Appreciation

    The entire family of Abbas Abioye home and abroad seizes this opportunity to thank all relatives, friends and well-wishers who attended the Janazah or attempted to attend it despite the short notice. We also thank those who sent messages of condolence praying Allah to stand by them all in all circumstances of life. God bless you all.

  • 1979 in contemporary history

    Today, ‘The Message’ chooses to migrate psychologically from the insanity of Nigeria’s political/ religious rigmarole to the global political tempest if only for a change. After all, elasticity has its own limit. And by so migrating, if  temporarily, some relief may come to the readers of this column over the current suffocating economic heat in the country. That is a way of ventilating a peaceful atmosphere for peace-loving Nigerians.

     

    Genesis of Today’s Global Crisis

    Some years ago, Al-Jazeera Television throbbed with   breaking news, saying that a United States military aircraft strayed into the airspace of Iran and the latter promptly responded by shooting it down. Iran announced another incident of the like a few days later. This disturbing development has further aggravated the tension between both countries, which had started with the Iranian revolution since 1979. That revolution had uprooted the country’s imperial despotism which had despotism had caged the citizens of that country for decades.

     

    U.S.’ Reaction

    In reaction to the fotuitous incident, the US authorities explained that the destination of the shot aircraft was Afghanistan and not Iran. They explained that its pilots accidentally lost control and strayed into Iranian territory.

     

    Threat to British Embassy  

    Shortly before that incident, Some Iranian students had besieged the British Embassy in Tehran, protesting the meddling of David Cameron’s government in the internal affairs of Iran. And in retaliation, Britain quickly evacuated her diplomats in Tehran and sent the latter’s diplomats in London packing despite Iran’s regret over those students’ action.

     

    Genesis of faceoff

    The genesis of the faceoff between Iran and the West took roots in the latter’s unexpected revolution of 1979. The faceoff actually started in February 1979 when Iran jumped onto the world stage with a surprising revolution. February 11, 1979 was the precise climax of a struggle, in that country, which began in 1963 between the oppressed people who were seeking emancipation from the shackles of imperialism and the implacable oppressors who wanted to keep that country’s innocent peasants in perpetual subservience. The success of that revolution has since changed the grand design of the Western powers for the Muslim world.

     

    The Grand Design

    That grand design was first expressed in 1902 by a British Prime Minister, Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman when he observed as follows:

    “There are people who control spacious territories teeming with manifest and hidden resources.  They dominate the intersections of world routes. Their lands were the cradles of human civilizations and religions. These people have one faith, one language and the same aspirations. No natural barriers can isolate them from one another….If, per chance, these people were to be unified into one state it would then take the fate of the world into its hands and separate Europe from the rest of the world. Taking these considerations seriously, a foreign body should be planted in the heart of this nation to prevent the convergence of its wings in such a way that it could exhaust its powers in never- ending wars. It could also serve as a spring board for the West to gain its coveted objects”.

     

    Follow Up

    Sir Bannerman’s observation was in further pursuit of an earlier demand by one Theodor Herzl, a leader of the Zionist movement founded in 1879. Herzl, an Austrian Jewish lawyer and journalist demanded thus:

    “Let sovereignty be granted us (Jews) over a portion of the globe large enough to satisfy the rightful requirements of a nation; the rest, we shall manage by ourselves…”

    In response to that clandestine demand, another British Prime Minister, James Arthur Balfour issued a devastating declaration that now bears his name, which conceded a major part of Palestine to the Zionists as a home. That (Balfour) declaration has since put the Middle East in an incessant turmoil. The declaration read thus in part: “His majesty’s Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use its best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this objective…. The rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country shall not be prejudiced by the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.

     

    Implementation

    To facilitate that objective effectively, some other Middle East countries had to be decapacitated economically and politically by excising from them, a juicy chunk of their lands. Thus, Lebanon was excised from Syria and Kuwait from Iraq. The strategy was to cause a dissention among the citizens of those countries with the intention of breaking the yoke of the Muslim unity which Bannerman had targeted in his infamous observation of 1902 quoted above.

    Now, how does Iran come into this picture when she is not an Arab country?

    That is a logical question that anybody who is not quite familiar with the Middle East and the intricacies of its political and economic set up would ask. Naturally, Iran is affected by three major factors: Politics, economy and culture. And by culture here, we mean ISLAM. Iran is a foremost Islamic country even if her official language is farisi and not Arabic. And, as an Islamic Country, whatever affects other Muslim countries must affect her.

     

    Turkey for instance

    The case of Turkey is a good example of a Muslim country of no-Arabic origin. Turkey was though not an Arab country, she was nevertheless the seat of the Islamic Caliphate until 1924 when a diabolical agent of the West came on stage as Head of State. His name was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk; a man who wanted to prove to the West that it was possible for a non-Catholic to be “Holier than the Pope” especially when it came to adopting the so-called Western Civilization. On March 3, 1924, just one year after assuming office as the ruler of Turkey, Ataturk introduced a Bill to the Turkish Parliament seeking to secularize his country by abolishing the office of the caliph without any consideration for the feelings and sensibility of the people he ruled.

    Presenting the Bill, Ataturk said: “Ottoman Empire was built and existed on the principle of Islam. Islam is Arabic in character and in concept. It shapes from birth to death, the lives of its adherents; it stifles hope and initiative. The Republic (of Turkey) is threatened by the continued existence of Islam in its midst….”

    With the passage of that Bill, Turkey was recognized as a secular state. Politics was separated from religion and Islam was relegated to a personal matter rather than the state religion that it was before then. The caliphate was abolished and Islamic law was abrogated. Ataturk borrowed the new Turkish civil law from Switzerland, the criminal law from Italy and the international law of trade from Germany. The Muslim personal law was harmonized with the European civil law. Religious instruction in public schools was prohibited. Purdah system was abolished and declared illegal. Co-education was introduced to schools. The use of Arabic alphabets was prohibited and replaced by the Latin Script. Adhan (the call to prayer) was no longer to be made in Arabic but in Turkish language while the national costume was changed to that of the Europeans even as the wearing of hat was made compulsory. What Ataturk did not do was to abrogate the tenets of Islam completely.

    Thus, by one man’s whim, Turkey lost her values and heritage of centuries in a bid to adopt the so called ‘modernity’ brought by ‘Western civilization’. One can imagine what Islam would have become today if countries like Iran, Indonesia and Pakistan had adopted the same misfortune.

     

    The emergence of Ayatullah Khomeni

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

     

    The Revolution

    No one believed in 1979 that a mass protest which started like a small political billow, engendered by the country’s unarmed Mullahs could eventually grow into such a great magnitude of political ‘earthquake’. By the time the foggy dust finally settled, a new Iran had emerged from the debris of the old. Against the wish and expectation of the capitalist West, the secular, monarchical Iran became an Islamic republic. The drama was quite electric.

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

     

    The American strategy

    While a number of US F15 bomber jets were approaching Iran, President Jimmy Carter engaged his country’s press in a chat without giving any hint of the impending military operation in Iran. The tactics was to divert the attention of the press and that of the country from the illegal Pentagon’s military expedition. But no sane person can ever fault the contents of the Qur’an. More than 1400 years before that incident, a verse of the Qur’an had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) thus: “They (the unbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed. Allah is the supreme schemer”. Q. 3:54.

    Jimmy Carter’s thought was that by the time he would be finishing his press address, the news would have reached him that America had successfully invaded Iran. He had therefore intended to announce the news of his ‘great’ successful scheme to the press as the epilogue of his address. And that would have served as his impetus for wining that year’s election for a second term in office. But, as Allah would have it, instead of the expected news, what he got was a shocker of his life.

     

    The failure of the American strategy

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

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

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

    That relationship however, further deteriorated recently when Iran started a nuclear project with which to prop up her economy. America responded with a threat saying the United States would not tolerate any nuclear project in Iran because she could not trust that Islamic nation. And of course, America’s voice was re-echoed by the United Nations, through the mouth of the latter’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

     

     Greyhound

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

    But for the recent Iraqi episode that became regrettable for the self-appointed policeman of the world, and of course, the North Korean case, which has become a cancerous sore on the head of the US, another Gulf war would have either ensued or been in plan by now. The secret of America’s military successes in various parts of the world is neither in technological advancement, nor military superiority per se. The failed rescue mission in Iran can confirm this. That secret is rather in her ability to cause schism among some other nations and races.

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

     

    Sanction as weapon

    Now, with the threat of invasion of Iran by Israel on the one hand and economic and political sanctions against her by the Western NATO allies on the other, will history repeat itself? One fact has become clear about the US political trend ever since that country withdrew from her self-isolationism in 1945. Her internal politics has been regularly dictated by her foreign policy. Thus, many American Presidents have won or lost elections at home due to the foreign policy of the concerned President. Will this also repeat itself? The days ahead will answer this fundamental question as events continue to unfold even as the ongoing crisis between Israel and Palestine also remains a cog in the wheel of global peace. But with the objection by China and Russia to any economic sanctions against Iran, the US and her allies will have to watch their steps carefully especially with respect to any planned invasion of Iran before embarking on a military action. Iran is neither Iraq nor Afghanistan. The world cannot afford another World War now. No one should attempt to plunge it into one. A word is enough for the wise.

     

    Coup in Saudi Arabia

    In the same 1979, some disgruntled elements fortuitously staged a coup against the monarchical government of King Khalid. The aim of the coup was not to change the system of government but to hijack the monarchy in the name of a Mahdi (a promised messiah). That incident caused a stoppage of salat and Umrah for almost four months.

     

    Invasion of Afghanistan

    Also in 1979, the now defunct Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan with the intention of annexing her and that incident led to an unprecedented jihad that paved way for the emergence of the Taliban government of that country.

    All these incidences of 1979 jointly formed the foundation for the global turmoil of the 21st century now pervading the world and threatening human existence. The details of the coup attempt in Saudi Arabia will be discussed in this column at another time soon. Watch out for it.

  • Between advocates and opponents of restructuring

    Between advocates and opponents of restructuring

    The souring of our national political discourse over the matter of restructuring the quasi-unitary system that the military imposed on the country since 1966 is not in the interest of anyone, whether advocates or foes of restructuring. Name-calling certainly does not help. Threat is counter-productive. There is no viable substitute for an adult discourse that privileges rationality over emotion no matter the depth of passion that the latter invokes.

    On the other hand, however, the state of the debate is a true reflection of who we are: true offspring of our founding fathers. They did not initially zero in on federalism. They had robust debates, sometimes inflamed with ruinous rhetoric, including, yes, name-calling! Threats of withdrawal from the union were made by all sides. But in the end, it was reason that prevailed and won initial opponents of federalism to the side of its advocates. The leaders saw the wisdom in the federal option, they embraced it and made the best of it.  Indeed, shortly after the motion for independence was passed in 1957, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, who would later be named Prime Minister of the new nation, celebrated the choice of the federal system for the new nation in the following words:

    “But to me the most important result of the constitutional changes in 1954 was the introduction of a federal form of government for Nigeria—a system which I had advocated as far back as 1948 in the old Legislative Council. I am pleased to see that we are now all agreed that the federal system is, under present conditions, the only sure basis on which Nigeria can remain united. We must recognise our diversity and the peculiar conditions under which the different tribal (sic) communities live in this country. To us in Nigeria therefore unity in diversity is a source of great strength, and we must do all in our power to see that this federal system of government is strengthened and maintained.”

    A few years later after independence, the all-powerful forces of human nature invaded the system. Instead of strengthening the federal system, they subjected it to series of assaults. Those who sought to strengthen the system were treated as pariahs and for their intransigence, they were made to pay a heavy price, including long-term incarceration.

    Its lopsided nature was the first major concern for the strength of the federation. From 1954 to 1960, there was nothing resembling a common national identity beside the occupation of a common territory. Political parties were formed based on regional and ethnic identities. An obvious population imbalance between the three regions meant that in a parliamentary system, the region whose census figure was more than double that of the other two can expect to rule the country in perpetuity. Obviously too, if the unity of the new country was the consensual vision of its leadership, this kind of imbalance needed to be addressed for the sake of a more perfect union.

    Working for a more perfect federal union which accommodated diversity without jeopardising the goal of unity was the rationale of the agitation for the creation of more regions and especially for drawing the boundaries of regions to coincide with linguistic identities, which Chief Obafemi Awolowo championed. It was what attracted ethnic minorities to his political philosophy. Unfortunately, it was what irritated his fellow political leaders, especially the great Ahmadu Bello and Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa both of whom had been staunchly in favour of true federalism and regional autonomy. The idea that the North can be broken up into more regions was unacceptable to them. And it did not happen even when the Midwest was carved out of the Western Region.

    The rebalancing of the federation, which political leaders failed to do, the Gowon military administration accomplished with the creation of 12 states. However, this was after the federal constitution had been suspended and the system had been unitarised to conform with the military ideal of unity without diversity.

    The 1963 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria opened with the following preamble:

    “Having firmly resolved to establish the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with a view to ensuring the unity of our people and faith in our fatherland, for the purpose of promoting inter-African co-operation and solidarity, in order to ensure world peace and international understanding, and so as to further the ends of liberty, equality and justice both in our country and in the world at large, we the people of Nigeria, by our representatives here in Parliament assembled, do hereby declare, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution….:”

    That made the 1963 Constitution the first and last sincere declaration on behalf of the people by their representatives. It was a federal constitution that respected the diversity of the country, acknowledged the right of regions to have their own constitutions, and accommodated their rights and responsibilities in the running of the country with the establishment of exclusive and concurrent legislative lists. Since then, every military constitution that has parroted the language of the 1963 preamble has been a bogus lie. But it is not just the lie that makes those constitutions intolerable as the foundation of our union, it is also because they have proved incongruent with the aspirations of the teeming population of the nation.

    First, the fact that states have become mere appendages to the central government makes it impossible for them to effectively promote the interests of their residents. This is especially with regards to their responsibility for the social and economic welfare of their citizens. Whereas the 1963 revenue formula prioritises the interests of regions vis-à-vis the allocation of revenue, the 1999 formula reverses this in favour of the central government. In real terms, since states are closer to the people than the central government, they are better placed to know and promote the people’s social and economic well-being than the central government. Therefore, it stands to reason that more revenue be available to states/regions.

    Second, the security interests of regions/states have been compromised with the pivot of the 1999 Constitution to the central government in the matter of the institution of the police. It has become clear that the Nigeria Police is incapable of securing the totality of the country. The upsurge in criminal activities, including kidnapping, cultism and armed robbery is an incontrovertible evidence. But the Constitution has apparently barred states from establishing their own police. It is unclear which interest is more important—the abstract interest of the state in unity or the concrete interest of citizens in security.

    Third, the radical change from an emphasis on regional autonomy which respects diversity and healthy competition to state dependency which objectifies uniformity has been a mockery of the practice of federalism. It is more so when the change was not wrought through a democratic consensus but with the fiat of an unelected military junta which pretended that it knew better than an overwhelming majority of citizens what was good for the country. That majority has relentlessly voiced its concern for the direction that the military has taken the country and has demanded a return to a true federal structure.

    Fourth, while the creation of states has made government closer to the people than the former regions, it is also clear that the balkanisation that state creation represents has made the states weaker vis-à-vis the centre. Whereas the regions were almost self-sufficient in their economic needs, the states have proven incapable of satisfying the yearnings of their people.

    These are the reasons for the call for a return to regional structure. Human nature being what it is, this has not gone down well with those who have benefitted from the current system even if it is not working for all. It is clear, however, that we must come up with a creative approach to our governance structure. To this end, almost every zone of the federation has championed voluntary regional integration. While those efforts are commendable, they are not a substitute for a formal process that recognises the challenge of a wobbly system and summons courage to fix it.

     

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  • Details of Hajj

    Details of Hajj

    Preamble 

    This is the season of Hajj. It comes up in the month of Dhul Hijjah every year. Hajj means aspiration towards a higher pedestal in spirituality. It is, divinely, a pillar of Islam made obligatory by Allah for Muslims who can afford it once in a lifetime. Hajj is an ordained pilgrimage based on piety and not a manmade tourism. Thus, the visa issued to Muslims who perform Hajj annually is that of pilgrimage and not one of tourism. Whilst pilgrimage is a spiritual exercise, tourism is a mere pleasurable journey. A whole chapter in the Qur’an is is divinely named after Hajj. And that is where the Muslims derive their spiritual authority to perform Hajj drom.

     

    Similitude of Hajj

    The similitude of Hajj in the life of a Muslim is like that of pregnancy in the womb of an expectant mother. The experience may vary from woman to woman as the foetus in the womb undergoes various stages of development before it reaches the stage of delivery. By the time the child is finally delivered, the mother feels a relief of her life while the child assumes a tabula rasa (clean slate) that makes him absolutely innocent.

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

     

    Rigours of Hajj

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

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

     

    Prerequisites for Hajj Performance

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

    Hajj, the last pillar of Islam shows, very vividly, the similitude of what mankind will experience on the Day of Judgment. Looking at the unique way in which pilgrims dress for Hajj and how they assemble at Arafat leaving their luggage behind in Makkah, one will realize how ephemeral this world is. Some of them never return to their luggage.

     

    Purpose of Hajj

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

     

    Steps to take

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

    Fine-tuning the first four pillars of Islam very sincerely; Packaging one’s intention to perform Hajj; Ascertaining the security of the way; Providing adequately for the family and dependants

    at home; Paying all outstanding debts including promises; Ascertaining the condition of health; Perfecting immigration  procedures;  Undergoing all necessary medical services including inoculation; Assuming a mood of humility like that of a servant approaching his Master; readiness to endure hardship and to tolerate fellow pilgrims’ attitudes. All these are the necessary steps to take by any genuine pilgrim.

     

    Admonition

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

     

    Step by Step of Hajj

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

     

    The Miqat

    Miqat is the specified place for the wearing of Ihram dress. There are five of such places in all. But the one earmarked for pilgrims from Nigeria cannot be reached by those travelling by air. It is over-flown while crossing the Red Sea. What most Nigerians do therefore is to wear their Ihram dress in Jeddah which has now been adjudged right through a Fatwah issued by highest scholarly authority in Saudi Arabian. Thus, Nigerian pilgrims can now wear their Ihram dress on arrival at the pilgrims’ airport in Jeddah if they fly directly to Jeddah. However, pilgrims whose first destination in Saudi Arabia is Madinah have no problem with Miqat. Such pilgrims should just wear their Ihram dresses at the Miqat in Madinat.

     

    Tawaful-Qudum

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

     

    Residence in Makkah or Madinah

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

     

    Movement to Muna

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

     

    The Day of Arafah

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

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

     

    Muzdalifah

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

     

    Jamrat

    Stoning of the devils (Rajmu Jimar) begins a day after Arafat and continues for the next three or four days that the pilgrims are supposed to spend at Muna. This exercise is obligatory and without it Hajj is considered incomplete except when and where a pilgrim is hindered by certain inevitable conditions. There are three points at which stones are to be thrown. Seven pebbles are to be thrown at each point on every one of the three or four days to be spent in Muna. Only seven stones are to be thrown on the first day at Jamratul Kubrah.

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

     

    Majzarah (Abattoir)

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

     

    Tawaful Ifadah

    Tawaful Ifadah is compulsory fpr all pilgrims. Without it, ahajj is invalid.

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

     

    Conclusion

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

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

  • The devolution debacle

    The devolution debacle

    The promise to “initiate action to amend the Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to States and local governments in order to entrench true federalism and the federal spirit” is number one bullet item on the highlights of APC manifesto. This shows the importance that the party attached to this issue.

    The manifesto is the contract between the party and the voters who expect the party to fulfill its promise. However, since the party won the general elections across the nation, it has prevaricated over its declared commitment to devolution of power. Some party leaders have declared ignorance of the meaning of restructuring. And when they were reminded of the party’s position on devolution, which is an important element of restructuring, they replied that it was not a priority because Nigerians needed food on their tables. Apparently, APC leaders have not drawn a direct link between devolution of power and the economic and social welfare of Nigerians.

    Yet, devolution is not an end in itself. Of course, some could insist on the right of self-determination as an end in itself and then argue that Nigeria is made up of different ethnic nationalities which need to be as self-determined as possible without jeopardising the integrity of the unity of the country. Devolution of power to states meets this condition.

    For a good reason, the writers of the manifesto did not go that route. While the ideal of cultural and ethnic self-determination cannot be philosophically second-guessed, the politics of manifesto writing has a logic of its own. Self-determination can be alienating. No political party wants to endanger its electoral interest a politically suspicious language. Therefore, APC avoided that path. The closest it gets to a semblance of self-determination rationale is its linkage of devolution with true federalism and the federal spirit.

    As it turned out, even “true federalism and the federal spirit” can be suspect to segments of the population worried about its impact on bread and butter issues. Writers of the manifesto and defenders of devolution and restructuring have a responsibility to reassure fellow citizens about the practical end of the path they advocate. This is a politically safe route that APC manifesto and, unfortunately, its leaders have not explored. The defeat of the constitutional amendment bill on devolution is an embarrassment for the ruling party. Now it must go back to the drawing board.

    An argument that recognises devolution as means to the end of economic and social wellbeing and political stability is persuasive. Every ethnic nationality and every administrative state would like to advance the welfare of their people. Devolution of more powers from the centre to the states is a viable means to this end. But before we go further in this direction, we need to address the concern of those who plead ignorance of what devolution stands for.

    Truly, there are multiple understandings of what restructuring is. For some, it means modified regionalism. For others, it is using the present zones as federating units. Yet, for some others, it is resource control. For others still, it means return to the parliamentary system of government. In view of the various conceptions of the notion, one cannot dismiss offhand those who plead ignorance of the meaning of restructuring. Advocates have a job to do.

    However, if restructuring has multiple meanings for multiple advocates, this is not the case with devolution of power. No one can deny that APC leaders understood what devolution means when they adopted it in their manifesto. Indeed, devolution is the least common denominator for all advocates of restructuring. They all want more power to be assigned to federating units.

    Devolution means the transfer of power from one entity to another. Family heads monitor their children’s development from infancy to adolescence. In their teenage years, they devolve some responsibilities to them, granting them allowances which they are expected to use responsibly for their needs. We appreciate the fact that they know best their needs while we monitor them.

    Our founding fathers struggled for a federal constitution on one important ground. As peoples of diverse backgrounds and cultures, we have diverse interests which others may not share but which are not necessarily inimical to our union. Each can best promote those interests without the direction or intervention of the central government. On the other hand, there are common interests that bind us and for which the federal government is best placed to promote and advance. The former include our economic interests, educational interests, health interests, and customs and conventions. The latter include external defense, currency, and foreign affairs.

    The compromise that the founding fathers reached was a federal constitution that gives many responsibilities to the regions. But this was not seen as an end in itself. They were convinced that with each focusing on those areas of economic and social life that it alone knows best, national interest would be advanced. It worked in the first republic.

    Undeniably, due to human nature, healthy competition gave way to unhealthy rivalry. But the military misread the cause of the fall of the first republic and threw the baby of federalism out with the bath water of crude partisanship. The later was the culprit, not the former.

    The nation advanced socio-economically in the first republic because power was devolved to the regions. Now the center has taken over many of the responsibilities that used to belong to the regions. In education, the federal military government took over state universities, including the University of Ife. It delved into primary education through the Universal Free Primary Education decree. It got into secondary education with the creation of unity schools. The federal government has continued to create more federal universities around the country despite the glaring evidence of inadequate facilities and financial support for the existing institutions.

    What will devolution of power mean in the case of education? Based on the proven assumption that states know best the educational interests of their citizens, the federal government will shift the responsibility of educating citizens to each state of the federation. But since the federal government still controls the largest portion of the resources of the country, it will give block grants to states for the purpose of education. With appropriate guidelines from the federal government, the states will design and pursue their educational policies and use the federal grants for same. The Federal Ministry of Education will be the policy writing and monitoring authority on behalf of the federal government.

    With regard to health, the federal government will devolve the responsibility for basic health centers to the states. This is long overdue. There have been reports of basic health centers overgrown with weeds and serving as refuge for reptiles in the remote areas of the country. This is what can be expected from an overreaching and overbearing state. Devolution of power and responsibility in respect of health means that state governments will take better care of their citizens with block grants for health from the federal government.

    Employment creation and poverty alleviation programmes have been implemented with limited success because they have not paid attention to the importance of local buy-in. Political parties controlling the center have always seen such programmes as political hand-out for supporters. In sane environments, such programmes will go to needy citizens. It would not matter which political party controls a state, every state will receive its block grant for the purpose of benefitting its citizens while the federal grant-making agencies provide the guidelines.

    In short, devolution of powers is not necessarily resource control because in the model that I have advanced here, the federal government still controls the purse-string. If we are really serious about righting the wrong of a lopsided federal bureaucracy, devolution is the least that the APC ruling party can adopt right away while we clarify the meaning and requirements of full restructuring. I would have thought that it was because of its simplicity and limited political danger that the party adopted devolution in the beginning. That it still generated so much resistance that the North voted as a block against it is a failure of leadership.

  • Zamzam @ UI

    A Nigerian foremost University popularly called Premier University (the University of Ibadan) will be 70 years in 2018. Yet, despite its popularity and age, this highly revered institution has consistently lacked certain essential amenities, including water, in the past few decades. This situation has randomly caused students’ unrests thereby forcing the University to close down for months.

     

    Philanthropic Gestures

    It takes the efforts of some conscientious Nigerian philanthropists to respond to occasional beckons from some concerned dons in the institution.

    One of such beckons got a response penultimate Tuesday, July 11, 2017, when a borehole donated by a well known philanthropist, Dr. S. O. Babalola was commissioned. Dr. Babalola is the Deputy President-General (South) of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and President of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN).

     

    Donation of the Borehole

    The Head of Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Professor K. K. Oloso had appealed to Dr. Babalola to donate a borehole to the three departments that have become a tripod in a proverbial academic siberia having been fused together and detached like boys’ quarters of a mansion. And, characteristically, the well known philanthropist gladly obliged.

     

    Commissioning

    While commissioning the borehole, at the request of the University, Dr. Babalola who was accompanied by his wife, Alhaja Halimat Babalola, said inter alia:

    “,,,,The borehole that we are commissioning today is a donation in memory of my beloved mother, Alhaja Muniratu Abeje Babalola and on her behalf.  She brought me up with affection and with compassion along the path of righteousness.

    The least I could do by way of appreciation is, among other things, to fund beneficial projects in her name with fervent prayers and hope that Allah accept these as Sadaqatun Jariyyah (Perpetual Charity) for which she would be rewarded richly and eternally in her Barzakh before Judgement Day and in al-Jannah(Paradise). This borehole is one of such humble projects.

    It is my wish and hope that it will further facilitate the acquisition of  beneficial knowledge and promote God-consciousness and religious harmony both of which, obviously, our country is badly in need of.

    I have taken note of the demand that I provide an electricity generator to ensure constant supply of power and thus maximize the use of the borehole. I will get back to you on this demand in due course, in shaa’aLlaah (God willing)”.

     

    Essence of Water

    Water is life. It is only with water that man, animals, birds, plants and insects can be deemed to be in existence. Without water, no living organism can survive. One fastest means of providing portable and durable water these days is borehole. The amount of water contained in a borehole and the natural purity of such water are unprecedented. Thus, whoever provides or facilitates the provision of pure, drinkable water is a provider of life. It can therefore be concluded that with the provision of a borehole for the mentioned three departments at U. I,  Dr. S. O. Babalola has brought life not only to the people in those Departments but also to the entire Faculty of Arts and even some other adjoining faculties on the campus.

     

    The Like of ZamZam

    In his opening prayer at the commissioning of the borehole, Professor Abdul Hafeez Oladosu of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies hypothetically likened the borehole to the world’s oldest and purest well called Zamzam. He  beseeched the Almighty Allah to enable the commissioned borehole become a mini Zamzam that could serve the University of Ibadan community today, tomorrow and forever just like Zamzam. The word Zamam meaning ‘stop, stop’ is originally Coptic, which was the language of Prophet Ibrahim’s second wife (Hajarah). She was from an empire called El-Kipt which the Europeans later corruptly pronounced as Egypt. That empire was situated in Africa confirming that human civilization began from African continent.

     

    History of ZamZam

    Historically, Zamzam was a product of necessity. It sprang miraculously some thousands of years ago at the sacred House of Allah called Ka’abah in Makkah. Zamzam became a blessing for the people of Makkah and later for the entire mankind through Hajj, at the instance of Prophet Ibrahim’s first son (Ismail). At infancy, Ismail needed water badly with his mother, Hajarah, in the scorching heat of what later came to be known as Arabia where they (mother and son) were left to fend for themselves without any matrimonial assistance.

    Hajarah was Prophet Ibrahim’s second wife who was brought down to Makkah with her son by Prophet Ibrahim to sojourn permanently in the Sacred valley of Makkah with a view to safeguarding the Sacred House under the guidance of Allah.

     

    Hajarah’s Entrance

    Prophet Ibrahim had to seek a second wife on the advice of his first wife, Sarah, when he reached the age of 86 years without any hope of child bearing. Sarah herself had then attained the age of 70. As a reflection of love and faith, she recommended her house maid, Hajarah to her husband for marriage. But characteristic of women, Sarah, along the line, became uncomfortable with Hajarah’s position as a co-wife of her husband especially after the latter became a mother, and requested for her relocation to a far distance with her son. Prophet Ibrahim had to relocate Hajarah and her son if only to have matrimonial respite. Today, the rest is history.

     

    Location of Zamzam

    Zamzam is located some 20 metres or 66 feet away from the entrance door of the Ka’abah. It is well  located within 20 m (66 ft) east of theKa ‘ba in the Haram.

    The water came into existence when the little boy, Ismail was thirsty and kept crying. His mother became restless and started running up and down especially between the two symbolic Hill of Safa and Marwa. It was at this anxious moment that the innocent boy scratched the floor with his feet only for a spring to miraculously surge out with pure, drinkable water to the greatest surprise of Hajarah who had to shout at the spring saying Zam, Zam meaning stop, Stop to suppress the gorge of the spring water. Ever since, the spring has never sopped flowing. Today, millions of pilgrims visit the well each year while performing Hajj  and Umrah pilgrimages.

     

    Quality of Zamzam Water

    Zamzam water is unique in its hydrogeological features. It is not only  colourless and odorless but also has a distinct taste, with a pH of 7.5-7.7, indicating that it is alkaline to some extent. Its mineral concentration, according to a report of research carried out

    at  King Saud University in Riyad is as follows:

    Mineral                                               Concentration

    mg/L      oz/cu in

    Sodium                                   133       7.7×10″5

    Calcium                                  96         5.5×10″5

    Magnesium                             38.88    2.247×10″5

    Potassium                              43.3      2.50×10—5

    Bicarbonate                             195.4    0.0001129

    Chloride                                  163.3    9.44×10—5

    Fluoride                                  0.72      4.2×10—7

    Nitrate                                    124.8    7.21×10—5

    Sulfate                                    124.0    7.17×10—5

    Total dissolved solids          835       0.000483

     

    Impact of U. I’s  Borehole

    Small as U. I’s  borehole project may seem, its impact will surely be bigger than any imagination attributable to it. When it becomes fully operational, the borehole will eliminate the messiness of the toilets around and reduce unnecessary agitations by students to the barest minimum.

     

    Zamzam Research Centre

    The Saudi geological survey has a “Zamzam Research Centre” which analyses the technical properties of the well in details. It is through this Centre that water levels were monitored from time to time in the past with the use of hydrograph now has changed to a digital monitoring system that tracks the water level, electric conductivity of pH and as well as temperature.

    All of this information is made continuously available to other research institutes and other interested people of the world through the Internet.

    To preclude any possible abuse, the Saudi government has prohibited any commercial export of Zamzam water from the kingdom.

     

    Destination

    The Zamzam well is a destination for millions of pilgrims each year, who visit specifically to drink the holy water.

    The Zamzam well is a destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims who go for Hajj each year. Some of those pilgrims do visit Zamam specifically to drink from its holy water for spiritual solution to their problems.

    It is believed that the well had two cisterns in the past, one for drinking and the other for ablution.

     

    Universality of Zamzam

    In virtually all the countries of the world, Zamzam water is in use for one spiritual purpose or the others. Thus,, it is evident that there is no country in the world today without a token of Zamzam directly or indirectly since the world’s population of the Muslims is over 7 billion spread across nations and continents.

     

    Conclusion

    Today, if any water is considered absolutely potent socially and spiritually it can only be Zamzam. Its miraculous origin as well as its age and continuity of flow have confirmed this assertion. There is no water like Zamzam in the world and there can be no water like it till the end of time. Zamzam is the wealth of nations and not just that of Makkah.

     

    Peculiar Features of Zamxam

    1. It has never dried up. Rather, it has always fulfilled the thirsty yearning of people for water.
    2. It has consistently maintained the same divine aquatic composition and taste ever since it came into existence. Its portability has always been universally acknowledged as pilgrims from all over the world visit Ka’aba every year for Hajj and Umrah and none has ever complained about the purity and durability of its water.
    3. The usual biological growth of vegetation around all wells is alien to Zamzam well. This is an indication that Zamzam water cannot be naturally polluted. Today, over 173 million people are presumed to be direct or indirect consumers of Zamzam water annually. And that is about 10% of the world’s Muslim population. Where else can such a natural well be fund?

    We pray the Almighty Allah to repose the soul of Mama Babalola in eternal bliss and reward her worthyson, Dr. S. O. Babalola, OON, abundantly here on earth and in the hereafter. Amin.

  • Lagos govt, scholars mourn Sheikh Zuglool

    Lagos govt, scholars mourn Sheikh Zuglool

    Lagos State government and some renowned Islamic scholars have paid glowing tributes to the founder and Mudir of Dharu-Dawa-Wal Irshad in Isolo, Lagos, Sheikh Mustapha Sanusi Zuglool.

    The eminent Islamic scholar died last Wednesday and was buried the following day, according to Islamic rites. He was 80.

    Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef, who represented the state government at the burial, described the deceased as scholars’ scholar.

    According to him, the mammoth crowd at the burial attested to Sheikh Zuglool’s good character.

    AbdulLateef said: “It is unfortunate we lost such a good person at a time the nation needs people of wisdom to guide the youths. He was a great scholar, who has also brought up many other scholars. He is also survived by good children.

    “Some pray to die in the Holy Land (saudi Arabia) so that many could gather for their Janazah, but Sheikh Zuglool’s burial also attracted thousands of people. Allah has really blessed him.”

    Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria (ADSN) Chief Missioner Sheikh AbdurRahman Ahmad said Sheikh Zuglool’s death came as a rude shock but death is inevitable.

    Sheikh Ahmad said: “His death is such a very great loss to the Ummah. By all standard, Sheikh Zuglool was an intellectual giant and when learned people like him dies, the light of the community starts to diminish, then darkness gradually takes over. This is because learned people are the light of the society, they illuminate, spiritually, physically and mentally. So, the death of leaned people like Zuglool is worrisome. It is a great loss to the society, it is not an ordinary death, it is the death of a leaned man; not even an ordinary learned man but a giant among the learned men.”

    Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO) Mufti Sheikh Dhikrullahi Shafi’I described Sheikh Zuglool’s death as a colossal loss to the nation especially the Muslim ummah.

    “He was a great historian, whose knowledge of Middle East can’t be doubted. One can call him an encyclopaedia of Middle East knowledge. He was one of the few that were very versed on the issues in that region. He lived a fulfilled life and was exemplary in conduct. His lifestyle was moderate despite having wealthy people around him. We pray Allah grant him paradise,” he said.

    Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) Director Prof Ishaq Akintola said: “He was a great Islamic Scholar, an indefatigable preacher, a mentor primus inter pareil and a humanist par excellence. He stands on the same pedestal as the late Shaykh Adam Al-Ilori.”

    According to Sheikh Abdullah Akinbode, “Baba was a colossus of virtues, citadel of knowledge and epitome of morality.”

    NASFAT Acting Chief Missioner Sheikh Abdullazeez Onike said: “We have lost a scholar! Sheikh Zuglool was a scholar by all standards. His style of tafsir was unparalleled; you will think he was a professor of History. We in NASFAT will never forget him because he kicked-off our Ramadan Tafsir and since it has been wonderful. Indeed, we have lost a great scholar in Nigeria.”

    Secretary, Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, (MMPN) Lagos Chapter, Haroon Balogun described late Zuglool as a respected scholar, a stockroom of knowledge, an erudite Historian who contributed tremendously to development of Islam particularly among the youths.

    “Like Sheikh Adam Al Ilori, he mentored a lot of younger Muslims leaving behind enduring legacies for the generation unborn. May Allah forgive him and admit his soul into Aljanah Firdaus.”

  • SDG: The turning of the screw

    In journalism, what makes news are uncommon incidents in uncommon places at uncommon times. These days, most news stories, are rather sad than pleasant because of their common identities. The phenomenon that dominates news stories nowadays is generally tendentious and prone to sadness. That is why the hitherto uncommon news stories have become common even as the usually known common stories have become uncommon. Thus, any pleasant news these days may sound like no news at all even if is to the benefit of mankind. The topic here today is a typical example of a good news with a sour taste.

     

    MDG and SDG

    How many Nigerians know what Milennium Development Goal (MDG) or Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) means? These two concepts were initiated by deep-thinking people from outside the African Continent who felt pity for the less privileged people especially those of Africa. It was meant to be the turning of the scew for the downtrodden masses of the developing countries. MDG was initiated at the commencement of the 21st century in year 2000. Its aim was to introduce a new, favourable economic and environmental trend to the poor people of Africa and the rest of the world through a new empowerment era in the new millennium. As a new idea MDG was test run for 15 years from 2999 to 2015. But unfortunate, very few people knew of it and its benefit until about 2015 when it was almost rolling off.

    Thus, when it became clear that the 15 year programme was rolling off without the knowledge of those for whom it was meant, a new precept was coined as an addendum to mdg. That new precept was called SDG.  And except for such efforts as the conference under report here, the 15 years of SDG too may roll out unnoticed.

     

    Conference of religious leaders

    Two weeks ago, (June 21, 2017), Some representatives of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and those of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) met at Osun State University, Osogbo, to commonly deliberate on an uncommon subject that is common to all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, faith and political affiliations. It was a rare conference. The forum that brought those religious leaders together was facilitated by a popular Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Nigeria (SDSN) coordinated by Professor Labode Popoola, who, incidentally, is the Vice Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo. Each of the Muslim and Christian bodies was represented by about 10 clerics while the traditional religionists were absent for a reason best known to them. The NSCIA delegation was led by Prof D. O.S. Noibi, a member of the General Purpose Committee of NSCIA and the Executive Secretary of the Muslim Ummah of the Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN). Yours sincerely was on that delegation.

     

    Observation

    The issue here is not about religion per se. But in the wisdom of the organisers of the conference, religion is a veritable means of mobilising Nigerian citizens for any good and beneficial venture in the contemporary time.  This is because religion has virtually become the last bastion of hope for most Nigerians as an aftermath of economic failure in the country. Thus, any idea that requires quick dissemination and popular support must involve religious leaders who control the minds of Nigerian worshippers in Churches and Mosques. The objective was to allow for spiritual inputs into human social services for the wellbeing of mankind. What does the Qur’an or the Bible say about Sustainable Development Goa? And how can these help the growth of the society?

     

     Why the Religions?

    According to Professor Popoola who explained the involvement of religious leaders:

    “The recognition of the engagement of religions in the sustainable development agenda is that of their commitments to fundamental service to humanity and serving communities.

    These commitments are through divine preaching and exemplary leadership in the expression of respect for the creatures, protecting nature, reinforcing people’s trust and confidence at good deeds and rewards”.

     

    Motive of the SDG           

    Analysing the real motive of the SDG, Professor Popola said: “The SDGs were developed as a road map for inclusive growth, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability, to succeed the former Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that started in 2000 and ended in 2015.

    These goals were based on a common knowledge that our world is faced with very many complex challenges, ranging from socio-economic, environmental challenges; and natural disasters. The 17 SDGs became operational since January, 2016

    How much do we know about these goals and how do we spread the knowledge about them to inspire actions at all levels and across regions.

    The past experiences on developmental agenda implementation revealed many gaps, including lack of effective stakeholders’ mobilization and participation, which is addressed by the new shift to inclusiveness and ownership.

    In response to, and in recognition of the above facts, we note that Nigeria is a religious country and in fact it is very rare to find a Nigerian without religious inclination.

    In other words, every citizen has one or more religious leader (s) he or she is attached to. More so, statistics show that there are more worship places in every settlement and cities than socio-economic structures.

     

    Evidence of facts

    Evidence reveals that every class in our society respects religious leadership even more than government institutions.

    Therefore, engagement of religions in the process of implementation of, and action on SDGs is very crucial to achieving the deliverables of the Agenda at all levels.

     

    Priority

    The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Nigeria (SDSN Nigeria) prioritizes holding this high level forum with religious leaders in the country under the umbrella of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Traditional Religion Groups.

    “We believe that this choice of ours is very strategic, timely and relevant to all of us especially at this period when our country is making progress in the war against extremism, terrorism, corruption, intolerance, insecurity, economic recession, unemployment and all sort of humanitarian crises.

     

    Sustaining the momentum

    More than ever before, we need to maintain the tempo and sustain the progress for increased momentum in peace, economic recovery, socio-welfare and security, human prosperity and safe environment

    We hope that the forum will help in propagating the ideas of SDGs for optimization of its benefit to humanity. The space here does not allow for details.

     

    History of Sustainable Development

    In a paper delivered through Power Point by Dr. S.O. Jimoh of the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ibadan and entitled: ‘The Roots of the Concept of ‘Sustainability’, the idea of ‘progress ‘ as the antecedent to the notions of ‘development’ became known.

    In the lecture, Dr. Jimoh, quoting one Bury 1932,  explained that the idea of progress as emphasizing ‘that civilization has moved, is moving, and will move in a desirable direction’ .

    “Thinking about progress slowly started surfacing during the classical Greco-Roman period (Guthrie, 1950)

     

    The Roots…

    The French scientist, Fontenelle first articulated the Idea of ‘Progress’ in 1683 saying that mankind, with the new science and improved technology had entered on a road of necessary and unlimited progress’ (Von Wright, 1997).

    “The idea reached its peak in the Western civilization in the period between 1750 and 1900. During that period, the link between progress and modern, empirical, and exact science was consolidated according to Nisbet,1980 and Von Wright,1997.

     

    The Revolution

    The Industrial Revolution started unfolding on the world stage from the 18th century; irrevocably transforming human societies (Worster,1993). According to Worster (1993),Industrialization caused ‘the greatest revolution in outlook that has ever taken place’.

    It led people to think that it was right for them to dominate the natural order and radically transform it into consumer goods.

    The benefits and rewards of the world economic system flowed primarily to the industrial countries, the gap between the rich and poor societies widened.

     

    Environmental degradation

    A big issue linked to industrial development, was environmental degradation caused by an unprecedented exploitation of raw materials on a global scale as indicated by Goudie, 1986 and Boyden 1997. This led to a growing concern universally, about ‘sustainability’.

     

    Emergence of the term ‘Sustainability’

    Landmarks in Sustainable Development Since 1968 when the International Conference for ‘Rational Use and Conservation of the Biosphere’ held in Paris, France was organized by UNESCO, series of similar conferences have been held on ecological sustainable development.

     

    1987 Report on Environment

    In 1987, the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development popularized the term ‘Sustainable Development’. The report now known as Our Common Future  Brundtland Report defined ‘sustainable development’ as “…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

    Also, in 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and known as Earth Summit was established as a common goal of human development for about160 countries that attended the meeting.

    It recognized sustainable management of forests as key component to sustainable development and included non-binding Statement of Forest Principles that provided guidelines for sustainable forest management. Many other conferences were held around the world to salvage the world from the threat of environment.

     

    Conclusion

    The evolution of the concept of Sustainable development is born out of the compelling need to balance the human drive for better living with the necessity to preserve the environment which provides the required resources to power the drive.

    Therefore, for our development to be sustainable, we must manage and utilize resources wisely so that those coming behind can remain useful perpetually.

    The conference was just a first step for religious bodies to get familiar with the SDG and environment. More may be written in this column on this subject as further efforts are made along this line to educate Nigerian public through religious leaders.

  • A promising consensus on restructuring

    A promising consensus on restructuring

    As the country prays for the health of the president and his safe return, and as grateful citizens commend the Acting president for steering the ship of the state as a faithful team player, it is not too early to think about what the legacy of this administration might be. Every president wants a legacy, a lasting monument to their names to which generations will look back and applaud.

    With a liberal communications policy that spread ownership of telephone across the board, Chief Obasanjo opened the country to the new Information Age. As important as the legacy of material innovation is, however, it cannot be the most important for a country that is deeply divided along the fault lines of nationality, language, and class. And with its use to spread hate on social media platforms which further deepens our division and threatens the fragile tie that seeks to bind, the new technology is a double edged sword.

    The legacy of material innovation such as the telephone is especially volatile when it is not complimented by a robust economic policy that opens the doors of job opportunities for citizens. Without these, young and old are tempted to vent their frustration through the means available to them, that is, social media, a veritable source of social tension and unrest.

    Since Obasanjo, succeeding presidents have not been as effective even when they belonged to the same political party. President Yar’Adua’s seven point agenda unfortunately did not get started before the cold hands of death snatched him. It was a case of a willing spirit and an unhealthy body.

    Due to an inexplicable weakness of the will, President Jonathan, the luckiest political actor, failed to find his presidential mojo until it was too late. He transformation agenda attracted many who saw it as the sign of a new dawn. I was one of the early supporters. Three key elements were eye catching in the agenda: inclusive and non-inflationary growth, employment generation and poverty alleviation, and value reorientation. If the new administration was able to succeed in the three areas, Nigeria was going to have its breakthrough in no distant future. So we thought, until the agenda collapsed under the weight of ineptitude and the cultivation of vice replaced value orientation.

    President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress were the beneficiaries of the collapse of Jonathan’s transformation agenda. They campaigned with a promise to restore security, revive the economy, and fight corruption, a partial list of a manifesto which includes devolution of power. Will the President and his team embrace this legacy-enhancing program?

    Nigeria is at the crossroads of history. She may restructure according to the wishes of the vast majority of citizens and remain a united, prospectively prosperous country with happy citizens. Or she may remain a quasi-unitary state with its attendant social tension, political instability, general unrest and the real risk of another civil war, which may end it all.

    Obviously, the first option is more attractive, not only because it promises the best possible outcome, but more importantly because it satisfies one of the most essential requirements of democratic governance, namely, that the government respond to the yearning of citizens and that the voluntary consent of the people is the immovable pillar of democracy. What has been the yearning and how has it been expressed?

    The demand for restructuring, which started in the South in the 90s up until the last Confab has now spread to the entire country, with key voices in the North joining the chorus. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Military President Babangida have been very clear about where they stand on this critical national issue.

    In many thoughtful interventions in the last six years, Atiku has appealed to the rational capacity of his listeners, the latest in his reaction to the APC Governors’ Forum. Atiku observed rightly, that the “agitations for secession would not have arisen if the country had shown sincere readiness to address the underlying problems that feed the agitations by separatist forces.”

    But Atiku’s intervention is not a reaction to recent agitations. As far back as 2012, he had made the issue of restructuring a major plank of his politics. As he observed then, there is “too much concentration of power and resources at the centre. And it is stifling our march to true greatness as a nation and threatening our unity because of all the abuses, inefficiencies, corruption, and reactive tensions it has been generating.” He urged a reconsideration of the structure along the lines of the six geopolitical zones as regions and the states as provinces. We can be cynical about Atiku’s motive. However, he cannot be faulted for seeing the light much early on this matter.

    On his part, Babangida has also joined the chorus of rational voices on the solution to the political problems facing the country. Apparently dismissing the fear of disintegration, the former military president argued that “the talk to have the country restructured means that Nigerians are agreed to our unity in diversity, but that we should strengthen our structures to make the union more functional based on our comparative advantages.” He also threw his support behind a constitutional amendment to provide for state police.

    APC Governors’ Forum also made public its position on the agitation for political restructuring and true federalism, which the Forum claimed can be met through “adjustments in the Nigerian federal system. The focus of this restructuring is to restore the principle of non-centralization of power in the country’s federal arrangement being the defining element of a federal polity.” And in a show of inter-party solidarity, its PDP counterpart concurred. Restructuring is thus favorably adopted by the entire country.

    Interestingly, the positions enunciated by prominent citizens and the Governors’ Forums are reiterations of the position of the ruling party, APC, as contained in its 2015 manifesto. The first item on the highlights of the manifesto is the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And in the first bullet point of that item, APC promises to “initiate action to amend our constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states, local governments in order to entrench true federalism and the federal spirit.”

    The second item on the manifesto is National Security. In Bullet 3 under that item, the party promised that it will “begin widespread consultations to amend the constitution to enable state and local government employ state and community police to address the peculiar needs of each community.”

    A laser beam focus on these two items on which the party made a voluntary promise of restructuring is the needed response to the current agitation. Granted, the economic reality that APC found on the ground prevented a timely fulfilment of its promise; the time is ripe now for the progressive party to do the needful.

    But some items on the APC manifesto could also conflict with its promise of devolution as they are certain to extend the reach of the federal government in almost every area, particularly health and education. The manifesto expressed a willingness of the party to engage in “national inspection” of schools, a purview of provincial governments in the 50s and 60s. The promise to establish vocational schools in each state of the federation is another. Whereas devolution of powers would require the shrinking of the responsibilities of the federal government, the manifesto appears to enlarge its scope.

    PMB will get better and get back to work. He needs a lasting legacy. A successful restructuring of the federation will make him a true champion and father of a new Nigeria in which the idea of unity in diversity is fully realized and true federalism is enhanced.

    Meanwhile, however, there is a loyal and competent Acting President, who enjoys the confidence of every section of the country, the National Assembly, and the ruling party. The three sides must collectively initiate the processes enunciated in the party’s manifesto to devolve power to the states and local governments and establish state and community police.

     

    • PS. July is vacation time. This column will be back in August.

     

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  • Hopelessness

    Hopelessness

    Opalaba wondered why my writings have turned gloomy recently: “You used to be the optimist. What’s the matter?”

    “I have always focused on the fundamental issues of our national existence. And if you think that I have changed, it is not deliberate”, I replied.

    “You may deny as much as you want, it would not change what everybody has observed. If you have not seen the comments, be sure they are coming. As your friend, it is my responsibility to alert you.”

    “Friend, indeed!” I intoned.

    “Look, all I am suggesting is that you should lighten up and give people hope. It is not as bad as many opinion makers such as you make it look like. You cannot honestly tell me that we are not better off than we were eighteen years ago. The 90s were the dark days of the republic, don’t you remember?”

    “Darker than the 80s?” I asked.

    “Of course”, my friend replied. The 80s at least witnessed a modicum of democratic governance. The 90s were completely militarised.”

    “So, darkness or lightness is a function of dictatorial or democratic governance?” I asked. ”What kind of logic is that?”

    “Your logic, my dear friend” Opalaba mockingly replied. “Remember your tirades against military dictatorship? You used to tell us that the worst democratic systems is better than the most benevolent dictatorship. Are you now trying to deny that?”

    “I am not trying to deny anything. But when you deliberately twist my position to make a wicked accusation, I have a duty to correct you. Surely, democracy is head and shoulder above dictatorship. In the latter, the words, policies and actions of the dictator on behalf of the nation are final. To oppose is to subject yourself to punishment including death. Many suffered that consequence in the 90s. Others escaped by going into exile, criticising and strategising from outside the country. Naturally, they all jubilated and heaved a sigh of relief upon the return to civil rule.

    “But you mischievously missed a point. Two decades after the end of military dictatorship, patriotic citizens who suffered the most atrocious dictatorship have a right to ask: “do we now have democracy or just civil rule?

    “The appeal of a democratic rule is not just that civilians are in charge or that we have civil liberties of speech, association, and religion. It is also, more importantly, that the government they put in place work for their interests, that the representatives they choose act on their behalf.

    “The foremost question for the evaluation of a democratic government is its impact on the bread and butter issues of citizens. Therefore, the Reagan Question, is pertinent: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? That was Reagan’s killer question in the 1979 campaign for the presidency and it killed Jimmy Carter’s hope for a second term.

    “It is the question that we must ask eighteen years after the beginning of civil rule. Ironically, our civil rule has pauperised the majority of citizens. Poverty and hunger is at its highest level in three generations. This did not start two years ago. There has been an increasing neglect of the masses and their affairs since 1999 despite the various anti-poverty initiatives which up enriching the rich and impoverishing the poor.

    “According to figures provided by the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, in 1980, 17.1 million Nigerians were in poverty. Twelve years later, in 1992, the number rose to 39.2 million. And just after another twelve years, in 2004, it nearly doubled, to 68.7 million. Note that in 2004, we were five years into “democratic” rule. And just six years later, in 2010, when “democracy” was in full bloom, the number of Nigerians in poverty rose to 112.47 million, nearly double the 2004 number.

    “In a nation of about 170 million, about 65% leave in absolute poverty. There is no way to parse this situation other than to see it as a disastrous failure on the part of political leaders. For, in the period under consideration, the economy was in strong shape with oil production at its peak.

    “Of the 35% that are not in absolute poverty, fewer than 5% are in opulence, principally due to having, with impunity, dipped their hands in the national cookie jar. These are the ones who go into governance not to promote the interest of the people, but rather to amass as much wealth for themselves as they possibly can within the shortest time. Of course, they are never satisfied with their loot. So, they keep recycling themselves and crossing proverbial carpet as needed.

    “Ours is a corruption-ridden, development-impeding, poverty-inducing democracy. Unfortunately, to an objective observer, we do not have a firm grip on the situation. We set up agencies to deal with corruption, but they are weak and crippled. The powerful get away with their loot while the anti-corruption net catch only the small fish. Why are we surprised about the level of crime and militancy? Or about the sympathy that a dare devil and “intelligent” kidnapper has received? This is a mentally sick society, no thanks to the brutalisation of the psyche of the masses by rogue leaders.

    “The other day I spoke with a leader of great integrity. He lamented the state of our development compared with our peer countries with which we gained independence. But even without comparison with other countries, we know where we ought to be, say, in terms of infrastructural development. For a landmass of 366 square miles, we know the number and mix of road network that we need. We do not have a tenth of more than 300,000 that we need. And of those that we claim as roads, less than a quarter is motor-able, the others being in various stages of disrepair. Without a good network of roads, or rail transportation, the economy suffers. That is also the case with energy supply.

    “With a united assault against these challenges, they are not insurmountable. It is how other countries have made progress and left us behind. The greatest threat to our survival and progress is the absence of a common unity of efforts. We approach issues from opposing lenses. Where some see corruption, others see avenue for the satisfaction of sectional interests. So they are not ashamed to eulogise looters who escape the grip of the law.

    “Ours is a democracy with unbridgeable division in the body politic. This country fits perfectly John Stuart Mill’s observations on the difficulty of promoting democracy in a diverse population. And to the extent that he is right, ours is a hopeless democracy.

    “Mill believes that a people constitutes a nationality if they are “united among themselves by common sympathies which do not exist between them and any others — which make them co-operate with each other more willingly than with other people, desire to be under the same government, and desire that it should be government by themselves or a portion of themselves exclusively.”

    “There has been no survey of Nigerians that verifies their feelings about their fellow citizens. Should one be undertaken, it will be unsurprisingly earth-shaking. The antipathy toward other groups is not just revealing at the level of the masses. Regrettably, there are ethnic warlords in the leadership rank. Why do we deceive ourselves?

    “Mill suggests that “where the sentiment of nationality exists in any force, there is a prima facie case for uniting all the members of the nationality under the same government, and a government to themselves apart. This is merely saying that the question of government ought to be decided by the governed.”

    “Mill is categorical about multi-nationality: “Free institutions are next to impossible in a country made up of different nationalities. Among a people without fellow-feeling, especially if they read and speak different languages, the united public opinion, necessary to the working of representative government, cannot exist…An altogether different set of leaders have the confidence of one part of the country and of another…The same incidents, the same acts ….affect them in different ways..”

    “A century after amalgamation, this perfectly describes Nigeria!”

    Opalaba did not utter a word.

     

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