The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • A premier’s limit of sanity

    A premier’s limit of sanity

    There are good men in every land; the tree of life has many branches and roots; let not the topmost twig presume to think that it alone has sprung from the mother earth; we did not choose our races by ourselves; Jews, Muslims, Christians, all alike are men; let me hope I have found in you a man”.     Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

     

    Preamble

    Once awhile, ‘The Message’ column does go panoramic, especially when confusion is about to set in through the deluge of issues and choice becomes a problem.

    This is one of such occasions. Only few people understand that Islam is the entire life of a Muslim and there is no separation between ‘what belongs to God and ‘what belongs to Caesar’.

    In Islam, both Caesar and whatever belongs to him are for God, the supreme Provider of all things.

     

    Decency and insanity

    In a decent environment sanity has no definition. It is insanity that rather requires definition because it comes in various hues and degrees.

    A lunatic who strips naked and dances in a market place to the applause of onlookers often sees himself as a hero.

    The extent of his lunacy only becomes known to him when he is publicly offered a decent dress to cover his nakedness or to replace the rags he wears.

    When such a lunatic is imbued with (legitimate or illegitimate) power he becomes a megalomaniac.

    That is the parable of a Southwest ‘Premier’ who is generally known for barking incessantly towards all directions like a rabid dog.

    His ceaseless menstruation through the mouth has publicly labeled him as a sarcastic entertainer in his lunatic theater. If as a father or rather, a grandfather, who, as an ‘Emperor’,  is supposed to be a model for his children and grand children, can behave like a rabid dog what should be expected of his children and grandchildren?

    Because of obvious insanity, this megalomaniac treated like a ‘Premier’ cannot think of the consequences or implications of his delirious actions. And unfortunately, no one among his associates seems to be courageous enough to call him to order.

     

    Pity for the sane

    The pity in this case is not as such for the megalomaniac but for the sane ones around him who accept his leadership and are clapping for him in his deteriorating delirium. Evidently, it is not everyone who wears dresses in public that is sane.

    By their utterances, actions and body languages, lunatics are known. For the past one year or thereabout, this delirious ‘Premier’ has continuously engaged in a lunatic drama somersaulting from furrow to furrow while enjoying the sarcastic ovation he gets from those who are unfortunately entertained by his delirious performance in house.

    Judging by this ‘Premier’s drama and the clapping of his sadistic lieutenants, one begins to wonder if the sane majority in his state have lost their traditional courage and will.

    As that state is rapidly being turned into a psychiatric asylum the need for the services of psychiatrists seems to have become a matter of sine qua non. Leaving a rabid dog to itself while it keeps harassing neighbours may not be a reasonable option after all. And if not checked in time, the rabid dog may turn against its owner as an untamable nuisance.

     

    Allegation of ‘Islamisation’

    We were told last week that President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to Islamise Nigeria. Evidence: he went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

    The allegation came, as usual, from a shameless source that is attributable only to public self-ridicule. For ignorant people the only means of seeking relevance is to randomly roar to the public with blackmail or self-adulation typical of megalomaniacs.

    Let those who understand the language of this delirious ‘Premier’ tell him that Islam is a divine religion with five fundamental pillars.  The last of those pillars is called Hajj which is obligatory on any Muslim that can afford it once in a lifetime.

    A close affiliate of that pillar is called Umrah otherwise known as lesser Hajj. For Muslims, both are pilgrimages performed in divinely ordained sanctuaries at a place once known as Hijaz (but now called Saudi Arabia). While Hajj has a specifically ordained month in the year, Umrah can be performed as many times as allowed by law in a year. The official visa issued for both is that of pilgrimage and not tourism.

    It is therefore a religious right of any Muslim to perform Hajj or Umrah as the case may be without any fear of being barked at by any rabid dog. Thus, by performing Umrah recently, President Muhammad Buhari only exercised his legitimate/religious right without infringing on the right of any other person or that of his nation.

     

    Jonathan’s ‘Pilgrimage’

    President Buhari’s predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, travelled twice to Israel for the same purpose while he held sway as President.

    At that time no Nigerian Muslim was so reckless and so fanatical to allege Jonathan’s intended Christianisation of Nigeria. Therefore, alleging that President Buhari wanted to Islamise Nigeria, just because he performed Umrah, is a way of publicly exhibiting a symptom of delirium.

    Such a symptom urgently requires a psychiatric attention before the situation of the patient in question goes beyond cure. Politics is one thing. Religion is another. Each has a peculiar elasticity with its own limit. Anybody who aims at using the one as a means of achieving the other in Nigeria is surely a lunatic who should be domiciled in an asylum.

    Besides, the use of such words as ‘Islamisation’ and ‘maginalisation’ (which words are Nigerian coinage that cannot be found in English dictionary) either as a blackmail or a sectarian attack, has become as obsolete and anachronistic in Nigeria as the users.

    It is rather unfortunate that a state once venerated as a haven of knowledge can now wallow so helplessly under the leadership of a blatantly ignorant nonentity just because of the so-called ‘stomach infrastructure’ in the name of politics.

     

    The Role of ‘The Message’

    Ordinarily, ‘The Message’, as a religious column, does not concern itself with the murky water of Nigerian politics. But when some inconsequential ruffians want to swim in that murky water under the guise of religion to the detriment of peace and harmony in the society, it becomes the role of this column to rein in the bull, if only by raising alarm, before it enters the china shop.

    Islam is like a surging train which the barking of three trillion dogs cannot halt. In other words, this divine religion is the sun which randomly evaporates the excess water lodged in the earth to cause rain at the necessary time for the survival of all living organisms.

    Whenever the sun bulges out of its orbit, no star dares to come out in a show of presence. Thus, any denial of the existence of the sun by any blind person can only be at the personal peril of that person. It is characteristic of megalomaniacs to oversight the transiency of their power tenure and to assume that power is far too elastic to have a limit.

    As Muslims who understand Islam theoretically and practically, we neither hate any counterpart religion nor haul any hateful utterances to adherents of other faiths. We believe that anybody who lives in a glass house must not throw stones out of discipline preached by our religion.

    Some supposed leaders in the society who open their mouths anyhow to spark religious provocation are the clandestine originators of constant religious strife in the country. We hope the interpreters of the delirious governor will be able to convey this message meaningfully to their ailing boss. One fact is clear according to an Arab proverb however: “a serf will remain servitude even if he is crowned as a king”.

    Meanwhile, we thank God that President Buhari’s own reason for seizing the opportunity of his official visit to some Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah was to offer special prayer for his country and not for winning election for self. Whoever prays for Nigeria prays for the people of Nigeria. And whenever the people of Nigeria pray for such a person it will be automatically accepted by Allah.

     

    The sacked female lawyer

    Nigeria is typical cinema house where all types of films are watched. But the more you look, the less you see. The more you listen the less you hear. Those are the norms.

    Some years back, the typical lamentation was that about 70 per cent of reported news in Nigeria was sad. Today, there are no more lamentations because virtually all the reported news in Nigeria about Nigerians are invariably sad. And Nigerians seem to have grown very thick skins with which to cope with them.

    A few days ago, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Nasarawa State chapter, threatened to shut down the government . Why? A female worker in the Ministry of Justice, Miss Raqayyat Tijjani Usman (a lawyer), was allegedly sacked by the governor.

    She was said to have made a disparaging remark on Facebook on the governing style of Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura.

    When the governor was informed about the incident, he requested for a print out copy of the posting and got it. Thereafter, he reportedly sent for the young woman in her mid 20s whom he promised a sack letter in the presence of some of his commissioners and other top government officials.

    Ruqayyat, a daughter of a former commissioner in the state, had posted the following remark on Facebook: “I can see some political thugs protesting and not professionals; are we going down this way? I weep for my state.”

     

    Ruqayyat’s reaction

    That was her reaction to a seeming botched civil servants’ demonstration over the death of a staff who died of Lassa fever, which she (Ruqayyat) thought was not well handled by the government.

    The posting allegedly angered the governor so much that he summoned Ruqayyat to his office and ordered her sack with effect from February 25, 2016.

    The governor’s decisive action was sequel to the woman’s apology and that of her father. But the governor refused to look back.

    Well, it takes two to tango. As a civil servant, the young woman ought to have known that externalising any criticism against her employer could entail some unpalatable consequences.

    You cannot publicly criticise the policies in the formulation in which you play a role. She ought to have passed such a criticism to her immediate boss in a subtle, civil service language through an internal memo for onward submission to the governor if necessary.

    Nigeria is not yet such a mature nation where an employee can confront his or her boss in the civil service with such a blunt criticism, human rights or no human rights.

    Playing the ‘New School’ toga to the gallery may be taken for an audacious affront, especially when men of the old school are still in charge.

     

    The governor’s power wielding

    As for Governor Almakura, using a sledge hammer to kill an ant in this kind of case may be too much of power wielding amounting to highhandedness.

    The youth of today are quite different from those of the past decades. That is how they were brought up in the name of civilisation. At least, His Excellency knows how his children address him at home despite being the governor.

    That the young woman was sacked by such fiat without query, without warning, is like sitting in judgment on one’s own case, a euphemism for injustice.

    Employment at any level of the government is not a favour. It is a right for those who are qualified. His Excellency can imagine if Ruqayyat were to be his daughter and another governor gives her such a raw deal.

    The governor should note here that a state is not an empire and no governor should behave like an emperor in a democratic setting as we have now in Nigeria. Nothing can be taken for granted.

    Today’s sacked civil servant may become tomorrow’s governor at a time when today’s governor may have become powerless. The episode of how Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau became the governor of Kano is not yet lost on us.

    Governance must go along not only with human face but also with human heart. Our actions of today are stories of tomorrow. We need to tread softly.

     

    The Nasarawa’s NLC

    In a scenario like this, the role of the NLC in a state where there is a trade dispute affecting a worker or two, the first point of call for the NLC should not have been that of bellicosity.

    Sometimes, mediation strategy works faster and better than belligerence. Thus, the NLC will do well to restore the job of the young female lawyer by resolving the matter amicably rather than further provoking the governor by threatening ‘to shut down the state’.

    We should all work towards lifting the state and not collapsing it as no one can benefit from a collapsed state. God bless us all.

  • Remembering Unforgettable AWO

    Remembering Unforgettable AWO

    As I sat down to prepare today’s column for submission, I was also getting ready for my participation in the 2016 Obafemi Awolowo Commemorative Birthday Symposium organised by The Awolowo Foundation, under the adept leadership of Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu. I considered it an honour to be a part of the memorialisation of the life and service of an active thinker and a thinking actor that Chief Awolowo was. It is, therefore, my great pleasure to bring to readers today an excerpt from my contribution to the symposium.

    My presentation covered the theme of the symposium, which was “AWO Then and Now: On Politics, Economics and Education. I sought to address our present national malaise in the light of Awolowo’s lifetime struggle of mind and body, including his thoughtful proposals on education, political arrangements and the economy. I concluded that in all these areas, Chief Awolowo gave us access to light in the midst of the darkness that confronted the nation at every point while he was an active player in the intellectual and political terrain of his days. Though he is gone away from us, we still have the tools that he left us, the product of his versatile mind. We will do ourselves a lot of good if we care to use them.

    The excerpt I bring today to readers from my contribution to the symposium is on Awo’s thoughts on the economy.

    In Path to Nigerian Greatness, Chief Awolowo identified the characteristics of an underdeveloped economy deriving from three kinds of underdevelopment:

    1. Underdevelopment of the mind, arising from ignorance, illiteracy, deficiency in technology and in technical and managerial know-how;
    2. Underdevelopment of the body, arising from disease, bad and inadequate food, bad water, bad housing, meagre clothing and filthy environment;
    3. Underdevelopment of agriculture and excessive and widespread underdevelopment of the rural population arising from underdevelopment of the mind and body, and from lack of savings and capital formation. (PNG, p.154)

    He then made three further propositions from which he drew a conclusion:

    1. All men have innate talents or talent ability” and must be given equal opportunity to develop.
    2. When all talents have been developed fully, each must be given equal opportunity to contribute to socio-economic development.
    3. The society as a whole (not just individuals) suffers when all talents in society are not fully developed.
    4. Therefore, the solution to the problem of our country’s economic underdevelopment lies in the “full development and full employment of every Nigerian-man or woman, child or adolescent.” (emphasis in original): “no economic revolution has ever succeeded or will ever succeed, whether green or otherwise, which does not give the prime of place to the full development of man.” p.155

    It is to be expected that when a man of thought deliberates and arrives at a conclusion, the next reasonable step is action on the basis of the thought process, unless there is akrasia or weakness of the will. No one has ever accused Chief Awolowo of having a weak will at the point of putting words to action, no matter what the sacrifice on his part might be. Therefore, it is not a surprise that in 1979, for him and his colleagues in the UPN, the reasoning leads to the four cardinal programmes of the party, namely:

    • Free education at all levels
    • Integrated rural development
    • Free health care
    • Full employment (155-158)

    From the foregoing, it follows that the “full development and full employment of every Nigerian citizen” should be the primary national objective of the nation because A GOOD NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY AND PROGRAMME IS INDISPENSABLE TO A GOOD NATIONAL ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT.

    What needs to be added is that a good national policy without an equally good action plan for its implementation cannot lead to national economic advancement. There is no better illustration of this observation than our experience in the last 30 years or so. The man who shepherded the economic policy of the country through a major national crisis during the civil war without the nation borrowing from external sources, cannot but be appalled at our peace time heavy borrowing that eventually led to the collapse of the economy in 1982.

    While Chief Awolowo was not silent in the days of the military, he knew that those were abnormal situations and passing phases. He was forceful in condemning those policies of the military, which militated against the welfare of the common run of men and he intervened strategically in a number of economic issues, especially during the Agbekoya crisis in the West. But he expected politicians who presented themselves for positions of leadership to do their homework well with adequate plans in place for the welfare and advancement of the people. When this was not so, he did not hold back even when his criticism and suggestions were mischievously construed as sour-grapism. His 1982 paper on the economy and the NPN London Press Conference on same is a good illustration. The whole point about that debate was on the management of the economy in the light of what was clearly a glut in the oil market.

    Fast forward 33 years later, we have not moved an inch from where he warned the nation against complacency and laziness of mind and therefore we have not prevented the kind of crisis that he had responded to with thoughtful proposals, which included the restructuring of the economy from our focus on oil. Now we have another oil glut. Yet, we are yet to restructure the economy away from mindless dependence on oil even when it was clear that our major export market was developing internal sources of supply, including alternative sources of energy.

    Is there a policy alternative canvassed by politicians and/or economists as a counter to Awolowo’s prescription? None. So, if there is a consensus of expert opinion on what needs done, what prevents those in authority from putting his prescription to work for the country? But that approach would have them include the masses in their reckoning as he did. And for those of them that still consider the masses as expendable, it was a bitter pill they would rather not swallow even if it meant that the county cannot make it developmentally.

    A few weeks after the expiration of the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan, Premium Times published the result of its investigation into the management of Excess Crude Fund by the Ministry of Finance and came up with a startling revelation that N11.56 trillion of the fund had not been accounted for in eight years from 2007 to 2014. This was at a time when all the major infrastructures were left wasting away with no visible effort to develop them for economic advancement. To the question “where did the funds go?” we are now being treated to some tragic drama with revelations about defence and security funds that ended up in private bank accounts.

    This has been the fate of this nation from the beginning, except that the extractive agents have become bolder and more creative. It will continue unless the masses decide to take their destinies in their hands.

    The Arab Spring and its aftermath clearly remind us that poverty is at the root of citizens’ discontent. The authors of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty (WNF) discovered this much in their research across the globe. In the particular case of the Arab Spring, they interviewed the Tahir Square protesters in Egypt, one of who reportedly declared in palpable anger: “We are suffering from corruption, oppression and bad education. We are living amid a corrupt system which has to change.” (WNF, 2)

    If you didn’t know the identity and country of origin of that young interviewee among the Egyptian protesters, you could justifiably deduce that she was a Nigerian. I hope we do not get to that stage of generalised despair with its unpredictable outcomes before reason prevails. Or are we there already?

  • Guardians of democracy

    Guardians of democracy

    In the beginning, our republic opted for liberal democracy as the form of government best suited to the advancement of our common political, economic and social objectives. In any case, we had no suitable alternatives in view of the heterogeneous backgrounds of the various groups that were brought together by our colonisers.

    Liberal democracy combines two of the most contested models of governance. While liberalism underscores the importance of the freedom of individuals to pursue their ideals of life without fear of coercion from other individuals or society, democracy highlights the sovereignty of the people. Lincoln’s definition is apt. Democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people.

    Therefore, the conjunction of liberalism and democracy in liberal democracy makes sense. Individual freedom is maintained as long as the voice of the individual is effectively introduced into and entertained by the process that culminates in law-making and in the governance of the polity.  A true democratic system makes this possible through various processes and institutions: elections, referenda, community organisations, civil societies, political parties, etc. These are the institutions of democracy.

    In an ideal situation, where objective reason regulates individual inclinations and ego is kept in check, the institutions of democracy are sufficiently effective in protecting individuals from abuse and in greasing the wheels of democratic governance. In such a situation, every citizen obeys the rules, serves as his brother’s or sister’s keeper, refrains from corrupting and abusing the system and does his or her part in protecting the system from collapse. Needless to say, however, there has never been such an ideal situation. Humans have always been too human.

    It is with our understanding of the baseness of human nature that we device the means of protecting these institutions of democracy. We set up agencies for promoting law and order and the rule of law. These include the police and the courts. We entrust to them our individual lives and properties and we expect that should there be an unlawful breach by any fellow member of the republic, these agencies as guardians of our democracy will rise to the occasion to protect us not just from bodily harm but also from emotional abuse.

    The confidence that we repose in the guardians of our democracy is the heart and soul of the system. Compare this with a similar interest we have in one of the segments of our lives as citizens. I have in mind the economic system through which we enter into contracts either as buyers and sellers or as creditors and debtors. We cannot trust the fulfilment of such obligations to individual goodness; therefore, we rely on the courts to protect the terms of the contract and are assured that we can seek redress in case of an unlawful breach. If there is a generalised skepticism about the effectiveness of these agencies in protecting contracts, the economic system is bound to breakdown and collapse.

    By the same token, if there is a generalised cynicism about the effectiveness of the guardians of democracy in the discharge of their sacred responsibilities for the protection of the institutions of democracy, it is a short cut to anarchy. For individuals would have no reasonable alternative to self-help in such a situation. There is little or no difference between the state of nature where everyone fends for him or herself, with its attendant uncertainties of life and limb, and a state of society in which one is at the mercy of others who are illegitimately protected by powerful interests at one’s expense.

    Since the pronouncements of the Supreme Court on the election petitions by governorship candidates from various states, there have been comments, some adverse, others favourable on the performance of the court and its eminent jurists. None of the comments can or should be ruled out of court. In a free society, the freedom of opinion and discussion is guaranteed. More importantly, the justices are human and adorning them with the robe of infallibility is dangerous. Indeed, as humans, it cannot also be ruled out that some of them are subject to extra-legal or extra-judicial influence and ideologies. And the fact that there have been individual defences here or elsewhere against such accusations or challenges amount to little. Surely, an accusation that is left unanswered amounts to acquiescence even if the answer doesn’t cut it.

    In the case of the United States Supreme Court, I have always been stunned by the fact that a president nominates a justice ostensibly based on the justice’s knowledge of the law and his or her qualifications for the bench, but in reality based on his or her judicial philosophy, which could be liberal, conservative or moderate. And when senators are called upon to advise and consent, it is the judicial philosophy that dominates their mind. How is it not to be expected that particular judges will decide in particular ways? There is no pretence about it. Hence the conflict between Senate and President whenever there is a vacancy.

    In our case, there is a shameful deception, which was laid bare by no other person than Chief Obafemi Awolowo in a powerful 1980 paper titled: “On Man’s Injustice to Man.” That paper was a response to Chief Graham-Douglass’ paper titled: “Judicial Process Today: Constitutional Interpretation”, which had been read at the Commonwealth Law Conference in Lagos. The Graham-Douglass paper had sought to defend the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Awolowo v. Shagari and others, that is, the election petition of Chief Awolowo against the declaration of Alhaji Shagari as the winner of the 1979 presidential election.

    Chief Graham-Douglass had suggested that “the public interest is a potent –not just potential—factor in the production of judicial decision in cases of constitutional significance and consequence” and that in the case of “Awolowo v. Shagari such was the intensity of public interest generated by the case and such was the extent of the judgment of the Supreme Court that not many Nigerians would have castigated the court for manifestly taking into consideration and predicating its decision inter alia on the repercussions of the decision and the manner in which it would either assuage or frustrate the public interest.”

    Among the factors of public interest that the justices were understood to have considered were the fact that the Head of State had received messages of congratulations from world leaders on the conduct of the election, that market women from Lagos and Southwest Obas had visited the President-elect with solidarity messages, and the outgoing Head of State had completed his handing over notes for the new administration to take over, etc. The argument then was that the Supreme Court had to take all of these into consideration in its decision. Public interest must trump legalism; the argument seems to suggest.

    Of course, Chief Awolowo turned the argument into shreds, debunking all the judicial precedents identified by Chief Graham-Douglass. The interesting point, however, is that while dwelling so much on public policy and public interest as good ground for judicial decision, Chief Graham-Douglass goes on to suggest that in the case of Awolowo v. Shagari and others, the court’s dismissal of Awolowo’s appeal was based on another ground, that is, the “fractionalising of a legal entity” as Chief Awolowo puts it. And because that judgment was not supposed to serve as a precedent, it is clear how much of a moral burden it has proved to be on the Fatayi-Williams Court to this day.

    Based on Justice Fatayi-Williams’ alleged political sympathy for the ruling party in Western Region in 1964 and 1965, Chief Awolowo raised several questions about the manner of the jurist’s appointment as Chief Justice in August 1979 just as Awolowo’s election petition appeal was formally submitted. Other two candidates considered were Justice Udo Udoma and Chief Rotimi Williams.

    The Supreme Court, like any other court, is a human artifice which is not immune to human frailties. Citizens must be on guard to protect the eminent jurists from their humanity.Their Lordships must appreciate this. Besides, it is the duty of citizens to jealously guard their freedom from narcissistic judicial philosophies.

  • MUSWEN’s Foundation for Ibadan quintuplets

    MUSWEN’s Foundation for Ibadan quintuplets

    Is it they (human beings) who would share out the mercy of Allah (to others)? It is We (Allah) who share the possession of those bounties among them as their means of livelihood in this temporal world. And it is our duty to elevate some of them over others in ranks and in statuses. So that some of them can be masters while others are servants. Definitely, the blessings apportioned to you by your Lord are by far better than those which the ignorant ones are struggling to amass” Q.43:32   

     

    Preamble

    Human life in the midst of other creatures is a paradox. And the paradox is due to the reasoning faculty with which man is endowed.

    However, rather than using that exclusive grace to gratify Allah for honouring him with leadership and control of the environment, man seems to have turned that endowment into an instrument of competition with Allah.

    But for the undeniable reality of death as the main determiner of the limit of life, man would have proclaimed himself God.

    Unfortunately for him, however, death is not an attribute of God. Thus, it is impossible for anybody who might have tasted or can taste death to be God. No living organism, animate or inanimate, has ever escaped the dragnet of death and none can ever do. That shows one of the manifest distinctions between the Creator and the creatures. As humans, our passage through this ephemeral world is a mere transit just as our imagination of God is far from the reality of His being. We only live to die as against feature of God who neither sleeps nor dies.

     

    Breaking News

    On Monday, February 15, 2016, virtually all Nigerian local electronic media throbbed with the news of the birth of a set of quintuplets at the University of Ibadan College Hospital (UCH), the first of its type in Nigeria (Quintuplets are five children born at once by the same woman). Within a few hours, the news reverberated across the continents of the world through the cable network and newspapers.

    The mother of the bountiful gifts, Mrs. Shakirah Razaq Yusuf, a woman in purdah, is a 28-year-old wife of an Ibadan born Alfa by the name Abdur-Razaq Yusuf Ewenje. Both the wife and her husband are of very humble backgrounds who are forced to live an ascetic life by virtual penury. That confirms the promise of Allah in Qur’an 42 verse 50 thus:

    “To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates whatever He wills. He bestows female children upon whoever He wills and bestows male children upon whoever He wills. And He bestows both male and female children upon whoever He wills even as He renders whoever He wills a barren. Verily, Allah is all-knowing and capable of doing all things”

    Madam Shakirah and her husband had had two children before the birth of the quintuplets. Their immediate reaction to the birth of those unexpected quintuplets was one of dilemma and confusion.

    Yes, they prayed for safe birth of a healthy child or children from Allah, but they never dreamt of such unimaginable Allah’s blessing that came to be too much of a divine largess.

    Thus, the gift that would have ordinarily brought an aura of joy immediately turned into a mixture of threat and fear. How to settle the hospital bill and how to feed and clad the quintuplets as well as the older two children that became a foremost matter of concern for the couple.The children have since been named. The three boys are named Ahmad, Muhammad and Mustapha respectively. The girls were named Hamidah and Hamdalat.

     

    Other quintuplets

    In the olden days, bearing more than one child was perceived as a demonic aberration which some people considered as a taboo. Thus, children like twins, triplets and others were seen as a shame to the family which must be disposed of immediately.

    Such children were therefore secretly killed or openly offered as sacrifice to the then gods. This situation was not peculiar to Africa. It was global. With education and advancement of civilisation however, the world came to realise that birth of multiple children was rather a blessing than an aberration.

    In modern times, the first publicised quintuplets were reportedly born on April 29, 1896 in the United States of America. Called the Lyon quintuplets, they were the first American quintuplets born alive. The last survivor among them died on May 14, 1896 barely two weeks after birth.

    Later on, in 1934, another set of quintuplets was born in Ontario, Canada. The children were all girls and identical. Born to the family of Dionne, this set was known to be the first quintuplets to survive to adulthood.

    Many other quintuplets have since been born in different parts of the world with various traits and characteristics. But the lack of records about them does not help their exposure through the mass media.

     

    Paradox of Life

    Of all treasures in the life of man, there is one that cannot be legitimately purchased with money. That treasure is children.

    Children are a special natural gift from Allah that cannot be replaced or exchanged with any commodity or chattel. Those who have the stupendous means of caring for children may not have the grace of bearing children.

    Those who have no means of nurturing children may be divinely favoured to bear them in abundance. The paradox is evident in the case of the Yusuf family that is now grappling with a dilemma and confusion over the upbringing of the quintuplets with which it is blessed.

    A Yoruba musician once succinctly captured this situation in a rhythmic and captivating song that vividly described the value of children thus:

    “No moneybag can legitimately purchase them; no royal fiat can fetch them legitimately without the will of Allah; which commodity on earth can be likened to children? Is there anything that is comparable to children in human life?

    “Children are the ultimate treasure whose value cannot be measured in terms of diamond, gold or silver; they (children) are like a sharp sword in the capable hand of a strong warrior; they (children) are owned at early age but they grow up into adulthood to own almost everything  that can be purchased….”

     

    MUSWEN @ UCH

    Moved by the milk of humanity and kindness, as usual, last Sunday, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) paid a purposeful visit of joy and glorification of Allah to UCH.

    The objective was to rejoice with the family of Alfa Yusuf Ewenje whose wife delivered a quintuplet penultimate Monday. Three of the children were males while two were females. All the children were said to be responding very well to medical care and pediatric nurture.

    The news of these Allah’s wonderful bounties had been in the media for some days as it was the first time that UCH, in its 59 years, of existence, was having an airy but joyful feeling of such a divine gesture.

    While holding its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Ibadan last Sunday, MUSWEN decided to establish a foundation for the upkeep and education of the quintuplets to the University level. Thus, led by its President, His Excellency, Alhaji (Dr.) Sakariyau Olayiwola Babalola OON, a team of MUSWEN representatives broke out of the meeting to pay a visit to the quintuplets in appreciation of Allah’s bounties and in assuring the poor parents of the Ummah’s support and solidarity.

    After seeing the condition of the quintuplets and their parents, the President of MUSWEN announced a foundation in the name of MUSWEN to see the five children’s education through the University. This means that MUSWEN has taken up the finance of the children’s education from the primary school level to the University degree level.

    MUSWEN President also made an instant personal donation of a handsome amount to the couple and prayed for the survival of the children and Allah’s wherewithal to enable the couple take proper care of them.

    Alhaji Babalola then called on all goodhearted Nigerians to join hands with MUSWEN in maintaining the proposed foundation for the well-being of the quintuplets.

    Meanwhile,a special bank account has been earmarked for the foundation pending the inauguration of a committee of trusted people who will manage it. Those who are interested in lifting their brother’s load and tilling the holy land may request for the account details. God bless you all!

     

    Variety of motives

    Before MUSWEN’s visit, quite a number of individuals and groups (Muslims and non-Muslims), had rushed to see the quintuplets at UCH with different motives.

    Some had been there to adopt some of those children; some had cunningly attempted outright purchase of the children while some others had seen that divine gesture as an opportunity for undue evangelism.

    But as the umbrella body and ultimate mouthpiece for all Muslim individuals and Organisations in the South West, MUSWEN decided to act promptly not only to save the young couple of any embarrassment (financial or psychological) but also to give a sense of spiritual coverage to the concerned family.

    This further confirms the fatherly role imbibed by MUSWEN as a responsible umbrella of the Muslim Ummah in South West region. Bravo! God bless MUSWEN.

     

    UCH’s gesture

    Contrary to the general impression about UCH by members of the public, the famous teaching hospital displayed a unique gesture.

    Following the naming of the quintuplets at the children’s ward of the hospital last Monday (February 22, 2016), the authorities of the UCH announced a free medical and pediatric treatment for the mother.

    According to the announcement made by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of UCH, Mr. Deji Bobade, the authorities of UCH decided write off the bill incurred by the poor couple as their own contribution to humanity.

    They thus returned the amount so far deposited for medical care and treatment of the children saying the outstanding balance would not be collected from the poor couple. Thus, the quintuplets would remain in the custody of the hospital at no cost until the children are mature enough to be discharged.

    This humanitarian gesture is highly appreciated and commended by Nigerian public who see it as a new dawn in UCH’s administration.

     

    Brief History of UCH

    The idea of establishing a teaching hospital for a proposed University in Nigeria was first nursed in 1943 by the colonial government which set up a commission headed by Sir Walter Elliot.

    The Commission consisted of 14 members three of whom represented the British West African colonies. They were Reverend I. O. Ransome-Kuti of Nigeria, K. A. Korsah of the Gold Coast (Ghana) and E. H. Taylor of Sierra Leone. Soon, another Commission of 11 members was set up to complement the one headed by Elliot and to determine the principles that would guide the proposed higher educational institutions in Nigeria. The latter Commission was led by Mr. Justice Cyril Asquith. Following the submission of reports by the two Commissions in 1945,

    The University College, Ibadan was established on November 17, 1948 with three founding faculties; Arts, Science and Medicine. Although the  construction of the four and a half million pound sterling (£4.5m) Teaching Hospital had not been completed in 1956 when Queen Elizabeth II visited Nigeria, she nevertheless commissioned it in anticipation of its completion in 1957. Thus, the UCH was officially opened on November 20, 1957 with its imposing architectural masterpiece to the delight of all and sundry.

     

    Today’s situation

    Today, however, while the UCH remains an intimidating architectural edifice, the needed services therein remain a sorry case due to lack of befitting maintenance. Most of the equipment have become antiquated even as the necessary modern facilities are not provided. It is unbelievable that the eight-storey structures in that hospital are without functioning lifts.

    On inquiry, yours sincerely learned that only two lifts are available for use in the entire complex of the 800-bed hospital out of which only one is functioning haphazardly.

    Even the only lift said to be functioning is worse than a bakery oven. A rechargeable table fan has to be put inside the lift not as a relief from a possible effect of suffocation but as a mere decoration to show the members of the public that ‘we care’.

    The implication of this is that patients who may be rushed to that hospital on emergency who need to be conveyed to upper floors for immediate medical attention may face terrible difficulty in reaching their destination within the complex.

    The appalling situation of UCH requires an urgent attention of the Federal Ministry of Health. This once great institution was one of the best four Teaching Hospitals in the Commonwealth. Today, it is probably the worst. In such an environment, it is even difficult for the medical personnel to function as expected. Nigeria deserves a better place to be called a Teaching Hospital for our country’s Premier University.

  • Senate v. Marafa

    Senate v. Marafa

    The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a sacred institution, which deserves the respect of every citizen. But when its actions or attempted actions elicit screaming and scary headlines from the media, caution is warranted.

    In the matter of Senate versus Kabiru Marafa, one of its own, the following are recent sample headlines: “Planned suspension of anti-Saraki senator heightens tension at Senate” (The Punch); “Unity Forum Senators’ speaker in trouble” (Nigerian Observer); “Senate mulls suspension of Senator Marafa, 10 others” (Daily Post); “For allegedly disrespecting the Senate, read what will happen to Senator Marafa”, (NAIJ.COM); “Row in Senate over move against anti-Saraki senator” (The Nation); “CCT trial: Team Saraki moves to silence opposition in Senate” (The Eagle Online); and “Senate moves against top anti-Saraki senator, Kabiru Marafa” (Premium Times).

    While it took quite a bit of patient Internet surfing to fish out the original Marafa interview itself, news and comments about Senate reaction comes to live pretty fast and they are more embarrassing to that distinguished body than the interview.

    Here’s a sampling of the readers’ comments on the Senate-Marafa news in various media outlets:

    “Why should he be punished for saying his views”? (NAIJ.COM); “Very shameless Senate and senators” (Premium Times); “As far as am concern (sic) I see nothing wrong with Sen. Marafa’s interview granted by (sic) Punch. He’s entitle (sic) to that constitutional right, so let him express the more…” (Premium Times); “Senator Kabiru Marafa stand your ground. We want many like you to populate the house…” (The Punch); “Thought we are in a democracy. Free speech is the heart and head of democracy…” (The Punch); “What sort of privilege leaves out decorum and probity?””Truth is the only constant thing that stands the test of time…” (The Punch)

    One of the commentators had a direct hit on the nail head. It makes a huge difference that we abandoned monarchical and feudal systems. Many subjects had their heads chopped off in the dungeons of kings just for disagreeing with their imperial majesties. It also makes a huge difference that we are no longer a colony. Recall that one of the grandfathers of modern Nigeria, Herbert Macaulay, was a regular in the colonial jail because he regularly “embarrassed” the colonial government. And we are the better for the victory over military dictatorship and its various decrees, which constrained the freedom of thought and discussion.

    We opted for liberal democracy and it comes with identifiable freedoms all of which are entrenched in our grundnorm, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One of them, the fundamental foundation of liberal democracy is the freedom of thought and discussion. This freedom supersedes any institutional rules that may conflict with it and no institutional privilege can be canvassed against it. That our distinguished senators appear to ignore this important principle is itself an embarrassment.

    The foremost defender of the liberty of thought and expression in the history of liberal democratic governance is John Stuart Mill. It is always wise to remind ourselves of the principle at such a time as this:

    “It is not in constitutional countries to be apprehended, that government, whether completely responsible to the people or not, will often attempt to control the expression of opinion, except when in doing so it makes itself the organ of the general intolerance of the public. Let us suppose, therefore, that the government is entirely at one with the people, and never thinks of exerting any power of coercion unless in agreement with what it conceives to be their voice. But I deny the right of the people to exercise such coercion, either by themselves or by their government. The power itself is illegitimate. The best government has no title to it than the worst…..If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”

    And there you have it from the High Priest of Liberalism. A progressive party in government cannot forget its distinguishing mark as the protector of human freedom in all its manifestations, including in the expression of personal opinion. Even if the whole country rejects the opinion expressed by Senator Marafa in his Punch interview, it is the responsibility of the Senate of the Federal Republic to not only accommodate him, but to protect him from the coercion of the public. That is what senators swear to do when they took their oath of office.

    Assume that the senator’s opinion is indeed wrong, all that is available to the rest of the public or the Senate is to expose his error and let the two or more opinions enter the market place of ideas for contest. The truth will thereafter prevail because the erroneous opinion will have been exposed.

    It follows that citizens will be able to examine the views expressed by Senator Marafa along with the corrections put out by other members of the Senate who feel that he is wrong. As intelligent human beings, it should be assumed that citizens will make up their mind about who is right or wrong.

    After the controversy broke out and those headlines screamed at me in every media resource that I accessed, I decided to check out the record of the senator’s interview. What I found was amazingly benign. Indeed, at many points and in many junctures in the course of the interview, the senator defended the Senate as an institution, including in the matter of its budget.

    The reporter asked Senator Marafa if he agreed with former President Obasanjo’s allegation of corruption against NASS. Marafa responded that he didn’t see Obasanjo’s letter and didn’t want to speculate. But from what he read in the papers, Obasanjo wanted NASS to make its budget public and he Marafa considered it “a genuine call” and the Senate President equally agreed with the President’s suggestion.

    On whether the budget of N120bn to N150bn for NASS can be justified, Marafa observed that “sharing of money should not be the basis of the performance of legislators. Maybe the less they earn the better.” But he quickly added that this was another good reason for laying bare the budget because just looking at the numbers is not sufficient for accusing legislators of corruption.

    With regard to the controversial budget of N4.7bn for cars, Marafa responded that he didn’t think that “it is the right thing to do” and called for its abandonment. “That is my opinion and I stand by it”, he stated. On whether NASS is doing enough about austerity measures, the senator objected to the question and suggested that the problem with some Nigerians was that they “tend to just say things without properly looking at the implication of everything.” He added: “If you want me to function, you have to equip me very well.” He then went into a lively discussion of how much the United States invests in its senators and congressmen and congress women.

    On the issue of whether the jostle for power in the 8th NASS was justification for Obasanjo’s allegations, Marafa countered again that it was not jostling for power as such, but that there is “abuse of the laws of the Senate and the laws of the country. And when the reporter pressed further concerning the length of time some senators have served in the Senate, including those who have been there since 1999, Marafa argued that experience matters, again comparing the United States where there is no term limit with Nigeria where legislators are changed at will on the grounds that the privilege must go round. He saw the limitation on experience as a drawback.

    Overall, I do not see what is subversive to the Senate as an institution in Marafa’s publicised views. And if some senators feel otherwise, what they ought to do is to call him out by exposing his errors. Threatening suspension on account of a senator’s public expression of opinion is an unfortunate example of the much dreaded tyranny of the majority.

  • Where are the Muslims?

    Preamble

    This article is not new. It was first published in this column in 2008. Its repetition here is in response to demands made by many readers who heard of it but were never privileged to read it. The recurrence of its relevance must have influenced their demand.

    The situation that warranted its publication in the first instance was bad enough for contemporary Muslims but not as bad as that of today. Modern Muslims’ understanding of Islam and their attitude to that divine religion is not only appalling but also disastrous.

    Heresy has gradually crept into belief and the mode of worship of some of them and has thus badly coloured their conception of Islam. Readers should please note that the article is not exactly the same in contents as it was during its first publication. It had to be retouched to suit the current situation. Here we go:

     Genesis 

    In its 70th year of operation in 1992, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) throbbed with gladdening but disturbing news to the Muslim world. It disclosed that the global Muslim population had risen to 19% of the entire world population. Quoting the Catholic world authorities, the media outfit added that with that figure, Islam had overtaken Catholicism as a single religious denomination in the world. The population of the Muslims before then was 17% of that of the entire world. However, Muslims were still outnumbered by the combined Christian denominations even as Islam remained the fastest growing religion in the West.

    Reaction

    With the news quoted above, the first reaction of any serious Muslim should be a question: which Muslims are we talking about, the qualitative or the quantitative? Of what benefit is an ineffective Muslim population in a religion that is known for quality in all its ramifications? These questions become relevant when one remembers the great efforts made by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in laying the foundation of Islam as compared to the structure standing on that foundation today.

    It is better to imagine the sight of a snail without its shell than to actually perceive it. No normal person will prefer to live permanently in the night without an experience of the day. Water is said to be drinkable only if it comes from a flowing stream. Any water from a stagnant source will only be water in name and not as much in use. 

    The similitude of Islam and Muslims is like that of a snail and its shell. They share a common destiny and remain as inseparable as the sun and its beaming light. None can afford to part with the other without dire consequences. If, like a snail, Islam is left to wander about without a cover where are the Muslims?

    Islam without Muslims 

    Islam totally personifies the divine legal theory that sustains the magnificent grandeur of the universe. That theory is fully embodied in the divine Book called the Qur’an. Muslims, on the other hand, stand as the practical showcase of that theory. Without Islam, there would have been no Muslims. And without Muslims, Islam would have remained a permanent abstraction randomly tapping the imagination of mankind.

    Ironically, the world of Islam has turned a new phase at the instance of its adherents called ‘Muslims’. And with that new phase, the falconer seems to have been estranged by the falcons. Muslims, like the shell of snail, are found everywhere but without Islam. And the latter, as long prophesied by the Messenger of Allah (SAW), is rapidly becoming an orphan.

    Now, Islam is like a snail without its shell. If that great religion is vividly present in any part of the world today, it is in the West. And that confirms the fact that effective quality rather than idle quantity is what Islam needs to thrive. But where are such Muslims?

    Arabs’ Disunity 

    Today, there are about 23 Muslim/Arab countries in the world. Most of them are in the Middle East. Others are in North Africa. The combination of these countries controls one fifth of the entire wealth in the world because of the enormous natural resources with which they are endowed. But in their quest for security other than that of Allah, they entrust all the wealth at their disposal to those who are waging war against Islam. More than 75% of the Muslim Arab wealth is invested in the West or kept in Western bank accounts in the name of foreign reserves. Part of that money is not only used to fight Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine, it is also given out as loan to poor African countries at throat-cutting interest rate in the name of London and Paris Clubs.

    Where are the Muslims?

    Today Muslim Arabs are so disunited, disorganised and islamically disoriented that they cannot even cooperate with one another in the face of common challenges let alone form a united, formidable Ummah as prescribed by Allah. Rather than coming together to solve common problem, some of them prefer to team up with their known antagonists to fight their fellow Muslim brothers.

    That is what happened during the Iranian revolution of 1979 when that country was fighting for emancipation from the shackles of Western imperialism which had been condoned for a long time by the Shah Pahlavi to impress the United States as his godfather. Rather than cooperating with Iran to rid the region of   imperialism, what Iraq did was to take advantage of the then prevailing situation to attack Iran on behalf of America using the weapon freely supplied to her by the latter. The devastating war which ensued from that attack lasted for eight sorrowful years before the aggressor eventually called for armistice having realised the impossibility of winning the war. In all these, here are the Muslims?

    Turkey and the Caliphate 

    In her own bid to imbibe the so-called Western civilisation, Turkey, the then Caliphate seat, decided to voluntarily fettered herself to stake of secularism, a notion imposed on her in the early 1920s by Mustapha Kamal Ataturk who fortuitously weaned the country from the ladle of Islam. That unfortunate notion which obliterated virtually all traces of Islam in Turkey was later entrenched in the country’s new constitution. It must be recalled that Turkey, with her 89% Muslim population was the last seat of Islamic Caliphate which Ataturk forcefully brought to an end in 1924. In all these, where are the Muslims?

    Nigerian Situation 

    Here in Nigeria, the situation is by far worse. Mosques, which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) established as the permanent axis around which all Muslim activities must rotate, have been totally reduced to the level of meeting for Salat alone. Unlike their non-Muslim counterparts, most of the people we call Imams are not trained for the office they occupy. They only claim to be Imams a few years after their graduation from local Madrasas.  Very few of the Mosques they lead have bank accounts. The Imam and members of the Mission Boards of most Mosques act as unofficial treasurers as the bulk of the money collected is instantly shared among them.

    Against the Prophet’s prescription, most of our Mosques are without libraries or study rooms where the young ones can take advantage of computer and internet to be thoroughly educated through researches. It does not bother our Imams whether or not those youths come to the Mosque. What bothers them is the absence of rich people who can donate pocket-able money to the Mosques. Where are the Muslims?

    The world’s oldest Universities  

    The three oldest Universities in the world today are situated in Arab countries. They are Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia.

    All of them were established well over one thousand years ago and they started in the Mosques. Yet they were all preceded by the University of Cordoba which was the very first University ever established in the world. It was established by a second Umayyad Caliph, Abdur-Rahman III who ruled Spain from 912 to 961 CE.

    This further confirms that the idea of University education got to the West from the Muslims. Thus, while Islam is built on a solid foundation of knowledge, Muslims now choose to live in a ramshackle abode of ignorance. Today, only a few Muslim schools are good enough to compete with schools established by non-Muslims. But more embarrassing is the fact that overwhelming majority of about 10 million Nigerian children said to be out of school are Muslims. It can now be seen why most of the Western oriented Muslims in the South West of Nigeria see Islam as an anachronistic religion unbefitting to their social statuses as they cross over to other religions in droves. Yet, it is the minority in the class of such Muslims (especially those who are not privy to the knowledge of Arabic and Islamic studies) that lifted Islam in Nigeria to its present level. If this is the case and there is no improvement, where are the Muslims?

    The functions of the Mosque

    In Islam, Mosque is not for Salat alone neither is it to be headed by half-educated elements in the name of Imams. It is rather an all-encompassing centre for all aspects of Muslim lives. Thus, a Mosque should ordinarily, make provision for a school, a library, a hospital, a trade centre, a bank/treasury, a Parliament as well as a court of law.

    To limit the function of Mosque to prayer alone therefore, is to subject it to a great disservice to Islam. Mosque is more of a congregation than an ordinary building. Muslims who worship regularly in the Mosque must have something to gain economically, socially, politically or perhaps medically besides the rewards accruing to them from the observance of Salat. Coming for congregational prayers five times every day without any temporal gain does not help the course of Islam. This divine religion is about temporal and spiritual lives and not the latter alone.  The Mosque ought to have endowments for widows and scholarship programmes for orphans and indigent pupils. It also ought to have empowerment programmes for the jobless. And those who are employed as Imams and other officials in the Mosque ought to be well treated in terms of training, remunerations and social welfare if only to encourage them in shunning corruption and redundancy. If these are not in place, where are the Muslims?

    Islam and Christianity in Nigeria

    Islam preceded Christianity in reaching the shores of Nigeria by about 500 years. The one came in the 11th century. The other came in the 16th century. Yet the gap, in terms of education and development between both, is as wide today as that between the rise and the set of the sun. If this is blamed on colonial rule and Western conspiracy, on what should failure of Islamic education be blamed? The Qur’an which embodies the language of Islamic worship is known to have been translated into only few Nigerian languages (Hausa, Yoruba and a few others). And this is the best that has been done so far, in about 1000 years, to make that sacred book understandable to millions of Nigerian Muslims. Now that can be compared to the translation of the Bible to dozens of Nigerian languages by Nigerian Christians. If majority of the adherents of a religion like Islam are tied to the apron of illiteracy and ignorance, how can such a religion be understood? The Bible which came to Nigeria 500 years after the arrival of Islam has been translated into at least about more than 40 Nigerian languages and further efforts are being made to do more. Where are the Muslims?

    Tertiary Education

    Now, with the liberalisation of University education in Nigeria which throws the door open for private Universities, compared to those of their counterparts, how many of those Universities have been established by the Muslims to cater for the growing population of their children in an environment where it may be very difficult for most of those children to get opportunity of University education without getting converted? And the few Universities established by committed and courageous Muslims are boycotted by fellow Muslims who hand over the nurturing of their children to non-Muslims. In such a situation, where then are the Muslims?

    Islam and the Media

    Islam is a corporate mission that requires a corporate means to propagate. The only means of propagating anything successfully in the world today is the media. If Islam must thrive effectively as a viable religion the means of propagating it must also be viable. Now, where are the Muslim media after the demise of Bashorun MKO Abiola and the dysfunction of his Concord as well as ‘The Monitor’ owned by the late Aare Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao? Is any other newspaper available especially in the Southwest of Nigeria today owned by a Muslim individual or group?

    If there is any hope for the future of Islam, the focus should be towards the West. And that is in confirmation of Prophet Muhammad’s prophecy of over 1400 years ago when he said that one of the signs of recognising the nearness of the ‘Last Day’ was for the sun to start rising from the West. The sun which the Prophet meant at that time was not the physical one. That sun is ISLAM. And we have started to see its rays coming from the West where the divine religion is growing geometrically and is seen as the fastest growing religion in that part of the world today. It could not have been otherwise. Islam is a religion of knowledge. It takes only the knowledgeable to recognise it as such. The West today is the home of knowledge and not mere literacy. That is why it takes a religion of knowledge to be fast spreading among the people of knowledge. If this is not the case in Nigeria, where are the Muslims?

    An Arab Poem

    Despite all their weaknesses, the Arabs are not lacking in language and intellectualism. Their oratory prowess is legendary. Today’s topic in this column reminds yours sincerely of the Arab proficiency in language as contained in the following couplet:

    “We often blame our deficiency on the particularity of an era; when actually, there is no innate deficiency elsewhere other than in us;

    We often condemn an era for our misdemeanour even when the era is not to blame; were the era endowed with mouth to talk, it would have condemned us too (in an irreversible manner); After all, no hyena eats the flesh of another hyena as some humans eat the flesh of their fellow humans”. We are our own enemies and that is food for thought.

    Conclusion 

    For those of us who are so much concerned about the situation of Islam especially in Nigeria today, there is a reluctant consolation. That consolation is from Allah, the real author of that divine religion. He said in Qur’an 15 Verse 9 thus: “It was surely’We’ (Allah) who revealed the Message (Qur’an) and it is ‘We’ who will certainly preserve it”.

    We pray the Almighty Allah to wake up the Nigerian Muslim Ummah from its slumber so that in the future, our great grand children will have no cause to repeat the question: “Where are the Muslims?”

    Erratum

    While tracing the emergence and history of some Muslim organisations in the South West of Nigeria in this column penultimate Friday, in an article entitled ‘Muswen’s Visit to MARKAZ’, yours sincerely inadvertently named Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni as the first President of National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO).

    My attention has since been drawn to the fact that Brother Adamu Abdullah of Sokoto (now a lecturer at Usman Dan Fodio University) was actually the first President of that Council. Any embarrassment caused by that error is regretted.

  • Immortal Muhammed

    Immortal Muhammed

    In the enduring wisdom of our people, being endowed with a good capacity for thinking is a prerequisite for the ability to be thankful. It stands to reason then that, if her citizens put their minds to the matter, they have many reasons to be thankful on behalf of Nigeria, the nation. That is, in spite of everything else that we know and experience.

    In the short history of her existence, and compared with nations her age, this country has seen the best and the worst. Citizens have worked together for noble causes over the years, especially in the nationalist struggle for independence. But they have also allowed divisive forces to have the best of their thought and action. Yet at the end of every twist and turn in the national race of life, Nigeria remains resilient and strong.

    Many horrific and devil-induced acts of inhumanity by humans against fellow humans have been allowed to afflict the nation.  While the civil war continues to be a reference point of our national capacity for self-immolation, and while its consequences are still living realities with us to date, there were other brutish national acts that predated and yet more that succeeded that thirty-six months of national insanity. And while not everyone lifted their fingers as co-culprits in every such case, many if not all were vicariously implicated.

    Consider the various military coups in which lives were lost since 1966. In every one of them, the coup leaders justified their actions by reference to the nation, that is, to us. They claimed to act on our behalf to correct certain unacceptable conditions. But in none of them were the people consulted before the military struck. On some occasions, the people welcomed the announcement with street jubilation, which suggested that the coup plotters were after the hearts of the people. And at least with regard to such instances, the people must assume responsibility for the senseless killings associated with the coups.

    It is ironic, though, that one of the most momentous of the coups that the country experienced was the one with the least, if any, human casualties. It was the coup of 29 July 1975 which ousted General Yakubu Gowon and brought in General Murtala Ramat Muhammed as the Head of State. Perhaps, due to its careful planning which ensured that the foremost victim was out of the country at the time of implementation, it was a palace coup with minimum violence.

    Yet the leadership of that coup and the administration that it launched initiated some of the defining achievements of the military in the government of Nigeria to date. With lightning speed and strong determination, they rolled out one initiative after another, one of the most celebrated of which was the announcement of a plan and procedure for return to civil rule in 1979. It was also to their credit that they kept the promise. The appointment of a 50- member Constitution Drafting Committee was another. And there was the initiative on a new Federal Capital which had Justice Akinola Aguda appointed as the arrow head of the search team.

    In the twinkling of an eye, the new administration had devised a courageous plan to tackle most of the knotty issues facing the nation. It had corruption on its radar. The military and public service was purged, though there were allegations of arbitrariness.Without saying a whole lot, they got a whole lot done in a few months. Nigerians had a renewed sense of hope in their government and not many minded its being a military administration. On top of it, that administration courageously engaged the world with a robust foreign policy that made Africa its centre and the remnants of brazen imperialism and shameless apartheid its target.

    Leadership is about action. It is about decisiveness, not wobbling. Sure, deliberativeness is important before decision. But one cannot sacrifice decision-making at the altar of carefulness. General Murtala Muhammed knew this much and ensured that he did not frustrate the patience of his fellow citizens with long and boring moments of indecision. It was as if he knew he had a short time to demonstrate his leadership capabilities.

    On Friday, February 13th 1976, barely seven months into the new administration, tragedy struck and the nation was thrown into mourning for the hope of national ascendancy that appeared dashed. In a sad twist of fate again, the man who carefully planned and executed a violence-free coup was gunned down violently in the public space in which he demonstrated his humility and love for the people that he led. He chose to ride in his car without the glamor of office and without a security detail that would have protected him from harm.

    Africans don’t have the monopoly of superstitious beliefs. In Western European and American superstition, Friday the 13th symbolises ill luck. So it was that on Friday the 13th of February 1976, Nigeria had its share of bad luck. It was a day that, as Chief Obafemi Awolowo put it, the dog killed the tiger and a community in which that happened was unsafe to live in. At that moment in time, Nigeria proved unsafe to live in.

    Characteristically, Chief Awolowo also did not let the opportunity pass without making his observations and sagacious comments. Dimka gunned down General Muhammed in broad daylight. The Head of State maintained his low profile. He had no convoy and no siren. He only had his Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Akintunde Akinsehinwa, and his driver and orderly. He reposed his confidence in God and in his fellow-citizens! He must have felt that if his people loved him as he loved them, he had nothing to fear. There were stories about his brushing aside warnings from concerned friends worried about his style.

    But what happened on the fateful day? According to media reports, the policemanon traffic duty, having no knowledge of who was in traffic, stopped the traffic in which the Head of State’s car was moving to allow an army truck pass! That was the opportunity for Dimka to get beside General Muhammed’s car. He killed General Muhammed and his ADC. What did the policeman do? He took to his feet on seeing what happened and recognising that it was the Head of State that had just been murdered.

    What did the rest of Nigerian onlookers do? The people, including vehicle owners and drivers in traffic, scattered. They let down the man who loved them and adopted a low-profile life style because he wanted to feel their pain. They let him die. As Chief Awolowo saw it, “at that tragic moment in time, we failed to display a spirit of vigilance and daring and a sense of patriotism and self-sacrifice which are among the indispensable ingredients of national integrity.”

    This is the aspect of our national life that we still have not come to terms with: a spirit of vigilance, a sense of patriotism and sacrifice. Everyone appears to be for him or herself. Egoistic tendencies run deep and wide. What ever happened to the bragging rights that, as Africans, we used to have about being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers? Now even those that voluntarily take appointments as police officers and other security personnel are often reluctant to attend to security challenges and crime scenes because they fear for their safety.

    Murtala Ramat Muhammed died when he was needed most to drive home the logic of patriotism and self-sacrifice in the service of the nation. However, if to be immortal is to live in the memories of loved ones, including fellow-citizens, there is no doubt that he has earned immortality. Of course, he wasn’t a saint. But he surely transcended the frivolities and vanities of his peers. And just by giving purposeful leadership when his country needed reassurance, and paying the supreme sacrifice in the process, he lives on in their hearts.

     

  • Education and ethically challenged role models

    Education and ethically challenged role models

    Let me start with a confession. In some of my previous contributions on education, I made some assumptions on the basis of my own experience as a child, a student, a teacher, and a parent and grandparent. Sadly, for me, I now realize that those assumptions may not be universally true. Indeed, it does appear that the cultural ethos of the moment has effectively invalidated those assumptions for many stakeholders in the educational enterprise. It is tragic!

    First, as a child, I was aware that my parents invested heavily both morally and financially in my education and left no ethically sound stone unturned for my success. My father was an activist parent in PTA meetings, serving as officers in several of them even after I had left those schools. With the little he had, he ensured that I had all school materials throughout the school year. He befriended the parents of my schoolmates to ensure that he knew what was going on. He was also in good relation with all my teachers and headmasters. At home, I had no other assignments during school days than to study. His watchful eyes followed my footsteps such that I had no place to hide for any juvenile mischief.

    Second, as a student, I just knew that the task that I needed to accomplish was to get a good education and that there must be no distraction. Therefore, I approached the task with all the energy that my little frame could muster during and after school hours. I knew that infractions such as cheating came with dire consequences; therefore, I avoided them like plague. In this, the community and its social and religious institutions deserve a lot of credit for reinforcing the message of hard work and moral norms that saw my generation through. It really takes a village.

    Third, I had teachers who dedicated their entire working life to the success of their students. They were well-prepared and well-motivated. Remarkably, many of my early education teachers had no formal teacher training. Yet they performed extremely well and instilled discipline and moral rectitude in their students. Sure, we thought that some of them were quite harsh. It was only later that we gave them the credit they deserved.

    Fourth, as a teacher, following the example of those who taught me, I knew well to take my job seriously. Having an excellent knowledge of the subject-matter, preparing good lesson notes, teaching with passion, and motivating children to learnare key to good learning outcomes. I did (and still do) all at the various levels that I taughtfrom elementary to university. Having satisfied myself of my input, I let the output take care of itself, believing that if my students did their part, they cannot fail any internal or external examination that was based on what I taught them. I have never been disappointed.

    Fifth, all loving parents and grandparents naturally want the best for their wards. Like our parents, we try to invest emotionally and materially in the future of our children both for selfish and altruistic reasons. After all, our destinies are linked with theirs. My assumption, born out of my own experience, is that to achieve their desire, parents seek to instill in their children the habit of hard work and discipline that they need to succeed in their studies and in their lives.

    In a previous piece on family involvement in education, I argued for the need to bet on our innocent children who we voluntarily bring into the world. I submitted that we bet on them when we create a future that is worthy of them and the country which they in turn can be proud to call theirs.

    I observed that we create that future by investing in their education from the cradle so that from the first time they open their eyes, they see a nation that cares and educates, just as they behold the love of an extended family of mother, father, siblings, uncles, aunties and grandparents who first welcome them with loving hands and cheerful faces.

    I reasoned that parents had to take effective ownership of family responsibility in the education of their children. And this has always been our tradition even in the pre-colonial days when our focus was on practical education for skills that were considered essential for a successful life—farming, trading, crafts, and family professions.

    The literature on parental involvement in education is convincing. There is copious evidence that when the family is actively involved in the education of their children, it has a positive influence on the achievement of the children not only in school but throughout life because it enables them not only to do well in examinations and earn good grades, but also to develop better social skills.

    Initiating and nurturing family involvement in the education of children is a double-lane approach by parents and schools because there is a lot at stake for both but certainly more for the parents. A school where accountability is taken seriously and where there are consequences for failure would leave no stone unturned in getting all hands on the deck for successful student outcomes.

    On the other hand, parents know that the future of their kids, and their own happiness and peace of mind are at stake. They therefore have a lot more reason to get involved. Careers are important, but as the elders remind us, the probability is very high that a child that is inadvertently left untrained and unskilled may end up destroying whatever legacy an illustrious career has succeeded in building. This is just as true of children that are spoilt on account of parental negligence.

    I still believe in all the foregoing and in the assumptions that have been the motivating force of my educational philosophy. The reader may then imagine my shock when it appears that my assumptions are not acceptable to many contemporary parents and teachers. Surely, they share the dream of successful children and students respectively. But they have a different approach to the realization of this dream.

    I have just got to know that the approach that many now favor, including parents and teachers, is the short-cut approach that has perilously impacted our development in all facets of our national life. It is the approach of cheating, also known as examination malpractice.

    Why is this appalling? Assume that,on their own, some students engage in examination malpractice.We would expect teachers and parents to rise up to the challenge, inflict serious punishment on the culprits to reform them and to serve as deterrent to others. But now, when parents and teachers are the culprits-in-chief, what is the hope?

    Parents and teachers are naturally seen as role models. Children look up to their parents and teachers as models or examples of decent character and moral values to be emulated. They are the closest to the child growing up. But instead of serving as positive models of character and moral values, many teachers and parents now not only just look aside in the face of immoral behavior on the part of their wards, they are alleged to actively encourage and sanction such behavior.

    In the matter of the unfortunate incidents of examination malpractice that bedevils our school system, principals and teachers are alleged to be in cahoots with parents who voluntarily pay the required fees for the purpose.Are these still role models?

    There is nothing mysterious regarding the consequence of examination malpractice for the future of the students, parents, and the nation. Many students with straight “A’s” in GCE are not able to move higher in the educational leader because they are unable to cope with the rigor of higher education. Those who make it also fraudulently through higher education end up back as teachers in the same school system that encouraged examination malpractice and the cycle continues. What you don’t have, you cannot give. And where knowledge is lacking, teachers and students resort to the easy way out. Meanwhile, the nation is the ultimate victim of these ethically challenged role models.

     

  • MUSWEN’s visit to MARKAZ

    MUSWEN’s visit to MARKAZ

    Preamble

    It couldn’t have been an idle talk when Prophet Muhammad (SAW) expressed an axiom of all ages and generations. After all, the Almighty Allah had told us in Qur’an 53 verse 3 that this greatest man that ever lived “never talked out of sheer whim; any utterance he made at all must have come from divine inspiration”.

    One of such utterances was about visits. He said while counseling Muslims: “Visit (associates) randomly to enhance love and harmony (in the society).

     

    Courtesy visit

    In the spirit of love, unity and togetherness, the leadership of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) paid a courtesy visit to the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Centre popularly called Markaz, Agege, Lagos State, last Friday.

    The powerful visitation team led by the President of MUSWEN, His Excellency Chief (Dr.) Sakariyau Olayiwola Babalola CON, FFP, DSC (honoris causa), who is generally known as Chief SOB, consisted of such eminent personalities as the Secretary-General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede OFR, FNAL; the Executive Secretary of MUSWEN, Prof DOS Noibi OBE, FIAC, FISN as well as the guru of the Islamic Education Trust (IET), Dr. Abdullah Jubril Oyekan.

    Others in the team included the President of Rahmatu Islamiyyah Organisation, Dr. Abdullah O. Awelenje; the Chairman of MUSWEN’s Finance and Business Committee, Alhaji Abdul Rafiu Ebiti, FCA; the Chairman, Ikeja Division of Muslim Community of Lagos State, Alhaji (Chief) Akande; the Chairman, Youth and Social Committee of Lagos State Muslim Community, Alhaji T. A. B. Osho; MUSWEN’s Taskforce Committee, Barr. YKO Abdul Kareem; the Secretary of MUSWEN’s Taskforce Committee, Prof. Abdul Ganiyyi Raji of the University of Ibadan and the Personal Assistant to His Excellence, Chief (Dr.) S. O. Babalola, Alhaji Hafis Timehin.

    Also in the team were the Secretary of Lagos State Muslim Community, Alhaji S. O. Giwa; the National Secretary of ‘The Companion’, Alhaji Musbau Sanusi; Dr. Misbau Junaid of the University of Lagos;Alhaji Ya’kub Ola Aje of Lagos State NACOMYO and Alhaji Raji Adelowo of The Companion.

    Still in the intimidating team were other members of The Companion such as Barr. Abdulsalam Oyetunde Abbas; Alhaji Abdul Gani Abdul Majeed; Alhaji Sikiru Alimi; Hassan Fajinmite and Alh. Rafiu Alabi, The Companion’s Executive Secretary.

    Yet, among the members of MUSWEN’s Taskforce Committee in that team were Dr. Wole Abbas of the University of Ibadan; Alh. Kamor Dairo; Alhaji Tajudeen Alabede and Alhaji Abdul Ganiyy Oyekunle as well as yours sincerely

     

    Purpose of the visit

    MUSWEN leadership paid last Friday’s courtesy visit to MARKAZ in fulfillment of Prophet Muhammad’s Hadith which counsels Muslims to visit one another randomly in order to enhance love and harmony. The visit was the second of its type to top members of the League of Imams and Alfas of the South West in recent times.

    A similar team, also led by His Excellency Chief (Dr.) S.O. Babalola as the President of MUSWEN, paid a courtesy visit to the President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello at Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State in August 2015.

    The Secretary-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe who is also the Chief Imam of Owo, Ondo State as well as the Chairman of MUSWEN’s Education Committee, Prof Muheeb Opeloye of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, along with a number of other Muslim personalities from Ondo and Osun states including the Secretary of Osun State’s Muslim Community, Alhaji Hahim Olapade, were parts of that glorious occasion.

    The joint emphasis in the speeches made on the occasion was on unity and cooperation of the Muslim Ummah especially in the Southwest.

    It is for the purpose of such unity and cooperation, based on trust, that the President-General as well as the Secretary-General of the League of Imams and Alfas were made members of Central Working Committee (CWC) of MUSWEN.  (MUSWEN’s CWC is the highest decision-making organ of the umbrella body).

     

    The choice of a Friday

    The choice of a Friday to visit MARKAZ was to enable the visiting team to join the observance of Salatul Jum’at and benefit from the usual scholarly sermon weekly delivered by the Rector (MUDIR) of that non-such citadel of knowledge.

    In his welcome address, the Rector of MARKAZ, who is also the publicity Secretary of the League of Imams and Alfas, Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, OON, laid emphasis on unity and cooperation even as he solicited for effective function of division of labour within the region’s Muslim Ummah.

    He described the role of the League as spiritual and that of MUSWEN as economic and administrative.

    He said with mutual respect and mutual trust, the two bodies could rightly pilot the affairs of the South-West Muslim Ummah without any rancour.

    He praised the relentless activities of MUSWEN and commended the progressive leadership of that apex body concluding that with sincere cooperation between the League and MUSWEN, Islam would thrive successfully in the Southwest .

     

    About MUSWEN

    For those who did not know, Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) is the umbrella body for all Muslim organisations, institutions and groups in the Southwest of Nigeria. This is the area comprising the present Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states.

    MUSWEN is the counterpart of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) which serves as the umbrella body for all Muslim organisations in northern Nigeria. Together, both bodies are like a dove of peace flying actively towards success with two positive wings.

    In the Southwest, MUSWEN is like a gargantuan tree with strong roots firmly planted in the belly of the earth upon which grows a towering stem and lively foliages sprouting joyously into the firmaments of the orbit.

    The League of Imams and Alfas serves as the roots supplying the tree with spiritual food and water while MUSWEN stands out as the stem and foliages supplying the society with wood, nectar and fruits.

    Thus, MUSWEN has become a vivid reminder of the Qur’an Chapter 14 Verse 24 in which the Almighty Allah says:”Have you not seen how Allah has presented the parable of good deed like that of a fruitful tree which roots are firmly planted in the earth while its foliages sprout gorgeously into the firmaments of the sky, yielding (edible) fruits every season by Allah’s grace? Allah addresses humans in parables that they may be mindful (of their deeds)”.

     

    Formation of MUSWEN

    The idea that led to the formation of MUSWEN as the umbrella body for all the Southwest Muslims started in March 2004 at the instance of ‘The Companion’, a Lagos based organisation of Muslim business and professional youth elite.

    That idea emanated from a thoughtful intention of correcting the mistake of the past which had made the Muslim Ummah in the region an easy ride for certain non-Muslims on matters of their legitimate rights.

    It will be recalled that when the European colonialists introduced government’s education grant in 1887 only Christian Missionaries could benefit from it because the Muslims had no single school for acquisition of Western education and the colonial government was not ready to fund Madrasah.

    It took the strong determination of a young man, Idris Akinola Ode Animashaun to change that situation through personal efforts. The ideological rifts between the two main faction in existence in Lagos at that time conspicuously deprived the Lagos Muslim Ummah of the advantage of its population and rights.

    It took  Animashaun (1835-1918) to turn round the screw of indifference in favour of Muslim progress. It was this man who arrived in Lagos from Ile-Ife in 1862 and later became a learned scholar in Islam that first acquired Western education privately and even became the first Muslim Principal of a government school.

    That laudable precedent later encouraged Muslim parents to enroll their wards in schools. And when the colonial government established a conventional school for Muslim children in 1896, Sheikh Idris Animashaun volunteered to serve there as a teacher to ensure that those children were taught (Islam) their parents’ religion and he was made the Principal.

    (For details of this story, please, read Professor H. O. Danmole’s biography of Sheikh Idris Akinola Ode Animasaun. The book is entitled ‘A Protagonist of Western and Islamic Education in Colonial Lagos’) It was published in 2011.

     

    Emergence of Muslim Organisations

    Several years thereafter, some Muslim organisations began to spring up in Lagos. The first of them was Ahmadiyyah Muslim Mission that reached Nigeria in early 1900s. That Mission later broke up into two main faction from which several other organisations such as Jam’atu Islamiyyah; Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria; Nawair-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria; Zumratul-Islamiyyah and a number of others sprang.

    Each of those organisations was operating independently with little consideration for the unity of the Ummah. The advantage of proliferation of organisations at that time however, was the keen competition among them particularly in the realm of Western education.

     

    Formation of MSSN

    The above trend dragged on until 1954 when a group of secondary school pupils in Lagos came together to establish Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) with the late Dr. Lateef Adegbite as its first and longest serving President.

    That new development was a technical revolution that enabled Muslim school pupils to assemble from time to time on matters of Islam and other common interest just as it created a rare opportunity for them to choose matrimonial partners among themselves.

    Within a very short time, MSSN became a national Muslim organisation for school pupils who would not, ordinarily, have been privileged to join any adult organisational group.

    Unfortunately with time, however, MSSN also broke into factions as members who had graduated from tertiary institutions refused to vacate managerial offices for those who were still students if only to groom them for competent leadership.

    Today, MSSN is a mere matter of nomenclature.The present situation of Muslims in which youths are still largely not educated at a benefiting level is quite unfortunate and intolerable.

    It was one of the means of ending this gloomy situation and igniting a glow of hope that gingered MUSWEN into coming to life as a formidable platform for the Muslims of the South West to prove their mettle.

     

    NACOMYO, FOMWAN, NASFAT and Others

    Forced by political expedience in 1980, some religiously persecuted young working class Muslim men and women   in Ibadan decided to establish another youth organisation into which thousands of MSSN alumni could graduate after leaving the school.

    This new thoughtful organisation adopted various names at state level until it finally settled for National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO).

    Its first President was Alhaji Ishaq Adekunle Sanni (popularly known as Kunle Sanni). And in 1984, another organisation called the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), which is exclusive to Nigerian female Muslims.

    Its first national President was Hajiya Aisha Lemu. Yet, a few years thereafter, an un-assuming Muslim organisation stormed Nigerian Islamic orbit like a colossus. Its name is Nasrullah Al-fath Society of Nigeria (NASFAT).

    Its formation in the 1980s was as revolutionary as that of MSSN of the 1950s. And its rising profile, like that of FOMWAN remains unimaginable. Each of these organisations is like a crescent in its own right, signaling the direction of the future movements of Nigerian Muslim youths.

     

    The Missing Link

    Despite their vibrancy and progressive paces, all the aforementioned organisations have no common forum at which they can deliberate together and take common decisions on vital issues when necessary.

    It is this link that MUSWEN came to fill. Thus, MUSWEN can be called the Parliament of Nigeria’s Southwest Muslims. That is why, in the constitution of MUSWEN, all Chairmen and Secretaries of State Muslim Communities as well as those of independent organizations and certain individual stakeholders are classified as members of MUSWEN’s Central Working Committee (CWC) which is the highest decision making organ of MUSWEN.

     

    MUSWEN’s Vision

    MUSWEN’s vision is of a united and effective voice for Muslims in the South West Nigeria under a strong, veritable and collective leadership. This had eluded the region for a very long time due to ideological differences and unnecessary variations in interpretations of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

    The overall aim is not just to raise the profile of the Muslims in this part of the country but also to imbue the Muslim youth of the region with the necessary Islamic ethics with which to enable them to live a true Islamic life as ordained by Allah through the Qur’an and Sunnah.

    The body was inaugurated in Ibadan on August 10, 2008 with the attendance of virtually all the front line Muslim Obas, Chieftains and other stakeholders in the region.

    His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto was the Special Guest of Honour on that occasion where all Muslim organisations in the Southwest were duly represented not as guests but as full members. Their presence indicated their commitments.

    With MUSWEN the hope of better days ahead is quite bright.

  • Infrastructural development and contractor impunity: A case study

    Infrastructural development and contractor impunity: A case study

    Consider with me the following three theses:

    First, infrastructural development is key to economic breakthrough even in an era of dwindling resources.

    Second, Nigerian governments have not been unmindful of the importance of infrastructural development as evidenced by the various budgets and development plans since the beginning of the republic, and especially in the last 16 years.

    Third, unfortunately, the terrible disease of impunity that has hitherto characterised government activities and projects, especially in the last dispensation, also afflicts contractors working for government on infrastructure, including especially federal roads. Thus even when the government has discharged its responsibilities and mobilised contractors with funds, nothing tangible gets done with contractors abscondingwith mobilisation funds, leaving projects uncompleted and in some cases unbegun.

    The first thesis is uncontroversial and doesn’t really need justification as has been attested to by experts and confirmed by the experience of other nations. The United States is a good example of a nation that invested in infrastructure right from the beginning of its birth and maintained its dominance by reinvesting in infrastructure. Even during its most trying period at the depth of its economic depression, the visionary leaders of the US attacked the enemy and dug the nation out of economic doldrums with massive public work investment.

    The link between infrastructural development and economic development is fairly straightforward. Though nations emerged from agricultural settlements, no nation can develop to its full potentials and take care of its population on the basis of subsistence agriculture alone. But for a successful revolution in agricultural development, a good network of roads is minimally essential for obvious reasons. So is a good system of irrigation. We cannot forget the need for power at least for the sustenance of irrigation and for the maintenance of a good storage system, which ensures food availability through the seasons. This is purely elementary. But we have not even got the elementary and rudimentary nature of the linkages right. Hence our predicament in the matter of sustainable development of agriculture even in the 21st century.

    If we choose not to be in a rush to advance and therefore we limit ourselves to agriculture and its infrastructural needs, it is clear that we are far behind in the reconciliation of where we are with where we ought to be. We have land masses that remain largely uncultivated mainly because farmers are condemned to middle-age methods of farming and even when they endure the drudgery, they are faced with the daunting task of evacuating their harvests to urban markets and many of the produce perish in the process.

    Second, our government is not unaware of the importance of infrastructure for economic advancement and national transformation. Our development plans in the 60s and 70s up until the mid-80s were meant to accelerate the pace of development with emphasis on infrastructure. Since 1999, there have been noticeable efforts in the same direction, culminating in the 2010 discussions between the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)and the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    As reported by the Bank in its prepared report, the government of Nigeria requested the bank to “prepare a report on the state of infrastructure in the country.” Among others, the Bank noted that “investments in infrastructure are critical to advances in agriculture, which is one of the key pillars of the Nigerian economy, and human development, including the delivery of health and education services to the poor.” The Bank then provided an assessment of the status of infrastructure in the transport, power, information and communication technologies, and water and sanitation sectors. It prepared an action plan for the country to achieve the goals set by 2020. That was six years ago. Needless to add, we have hardly started the implementation of the plan.

    One of the action plans with regard to the transport sector was that “about 145,000 km of the existing network (equal about 75 per cent of the total network) would be rehabilitated and selectively upgraded, including rehabilitation and upgrade of the tertiary network that serves rural communities. Some 7,993 km of existing federal primary and secondary roads will be dualised, with all of the primary roads completed and 1,685 km of the secondary roads in the federal network.” Due to space factor, I limit myself to just these two of the identified Action Plans.

    Shortly after, in July 2012, the government tasked the National Planning Commission with the responsibility to coordinate the preparation of a National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) for the country to be implemented over a period of 30 years. That coordination had hardly taken off before the government was sent packing.

    Now to the third thesis. At a retreat organised by the presidency on the implementation of the plan, former President Jonathan himself zeroed in on one of the major reasons for the failure of all the efforts toward the development of infrastructure in Nigeria. He observed that greed and corruption were the twin evils that militate against the development of Nigeria. I make bold to suggest that contractor corruption and impunity and governmental connivance are at the center of the evils that befall Nigeria and have drawn it backwards since its birth as a nation, and especially since the beginning of the Fourth Republic.

    Every year there is budget earmarked for road development, including reconstruction, rehabilitation, pavement, etc. of federal and state roads. However, in the most successful scenario, we may have a third of these partially implemented and none fully implemented. Not that the contractors are not funded. Usually, they and the monitoring authorities have a deal, which ensures that should the contractors abscond with the funds, they are not pursued or forced to complete the project for which they received funds. This is why abandoned projects litter our streets and the masses are suffering in silence. This is why we hardly see contractors punished for failure to discharge their contractual obligations even after receiving funds.

    The Okeho-Iseyin Federal Road is a case study of an abandoned project six years after it was awarded in 2009 to a contractor (name withheld) for about N1 billion for the 30 km road. The stipulated completion time was SIX MONTHS! And we have the contractor to thank for having partially completed 8 km in SIX YEARS. Prior to this latest experience, there hadn’t been any good report on the performance of the Federal Government and the incompetent contractors that it decided to have handle the fixing of the road. For hardly had they completed the job than the road started disintegrating even before they packed they equipment.

    In the current case, the ministry and its zonal office did not deem it necessary to sack the contractor company and in the last six years, it has been a frustrating experience of a most incompetent and inefficient execution of the project. The contractor has often abandoned the site such that one would conclude that the government had sacked him. Then he would reappear with an assembly of some old and dilapidated equipment that would suggest that it couldn’t be a Federal Government project. And yet, this is a billion Naira federal road rehabilitation project! The question is: why is an incompetent contractor handling a federal road? And why is the government not caring enough to ensure that its resources are not squandered and the people do not suffer undue neglect?

    Last year, Governor Abiola Ajimobi moved to fix the road. But as word reached the contractor, he cunningly moved his equipment back to site. Shortly after, he disappeared. Three weeks ago, the contractor resurfaced again with piles of laterite on the road, another clever gimmick to hold on to the project and continue with its shoddy job or to avoid the scrutiny of the new Minister of Works known for his conscientiousness and spartan discipline. It is time to either terminate the contract and give it to a competent contractor or force its efficient and satisfactory completion. For apart from its internal developmental benefits, the road is a major portion of the Oyo-Iseyin-Okeho-Wasimi Road, which when fixed, will facilitate trade with our Benin Republic neighbours.