Category: Letters

SIR: In most African countries, homosexuals are endangered by the Christo-Islamic rulers who are now the majority landlords. They limit God to what they find in their Holy Books, whereas for traditional Africa, God is mostly indecipherable and unpredictable; He does whatever He wills however He wills it.

I am aware that Christian theology describes God as the Mysterium Tremendum. Yet, Christians and Muslims cannot phantom that He can make or has made some people to be sexually attracted to same sex by natural orientation! They quote their Holy Books as if God were limited-to or by those Holy Books. They think that God will lock only what they lock, and unlock only what they unlock. God is thus limited to what they know of Him from their written traditions. They have robbed Him of His attributes as the Unlimited and Infinite Self-will.

That way, God has ceded His almightiness to powerful Christians and Muslims in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial arms of government in Nigeria, nay Africa. Hence in Nigeria, for instance, the Senate President, David Mark, could speak with final authority on the fate of homosexuals and same sex marriage. University dons? Well, conservatism, dogmatism, the effect of indoctrination, and religious prejudice have no boundary. Even the university scientist is afraid to speak on human genes and their homosexual potentialities or possibilities.

Epistemologically, when a phenomenon, such as homosexuality, is universally known throughout the whole world, and has existed from time immemorial (long, long ago before the first most popular Holy Book – the Jewish Scripture was assembled), denial of its divine origin is hypocrisy, prejudice, or ignorance. Anthropologists tell us that two to three percent of every human population is homosexual. The low percentage may explain why they are oppressed in human history.

With only about two to three percent of the entire human population, don’t the homosexuals indeed appear odd? It is not surprising, therefore, that the prejudice against them has been widespread and reflects also in some Holy Scriptures. Evidently, every Holy Scripture came to human beings through some human beings, and only God can tell us that they are all free of all prejudice.

Phenomenologically, God shines in the variety of the things He has made, as epitomized in day and night, light and darkness, fruitful and fruitless pawpaw trees, sweet and sour oranges, etc. Some rare individuals are said to have both male and female sexual organs in their private parts. Even if you call it organic or biological variables, are the homosexuals responsible for (or had a choice in) how they were formed in their mothers’ wombs? Yes, some non-human animals are also said to be homosexual!

Nigeria, nay Africa, should protect also prostitutes as a blessing to human society; their existence mortgages rape and provides for homeless harsh sexual desperation. Legal and constitutional protection of homosexuals strengthens human freedom as designed by God.

• Pius Oyeniran Abioje, Ph. D,

University of Ilorin.

SIR: The ‘carrot and stick’ approach advocated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the solution of the Boko Haram insurgency should be taken seriously by President Goodluck Jonathan. Among past leaders, Obasanjo has continuously shown concern, worry and proffered solution to this lingering crisis. Like all of us, he has his faults which many of us have at one time or the other kicked against both while he was in or out of power. Yet, it is often said that, messages are considered while, the messenger can be ignored. Obasanjo as a former president and military chief in this country has a lot to offer in terms of experience and tactics in security matters. We cannot for very obvious reasons sideline him when he speaks on similar issues just because we differ with his political moves. We should and must take him seriously because of our interest in building and achieving peace and unity in this great country.

For years now, the Boko Haram group has shown the capacity to harm Nigeria; it is desirable for the government of the day to look for the solution without minding where it is gotten from. Again, the argument by the government that members of this dreaded group are faceless is far from the truth. With this argument, they are simply providing for the security agencies excuses to look the other way while, innocent Nigerians are killed daily by this group. The Boko Haram sect are organized group of terrorists; they meet, discuss, money exchange hands, acquire weapons, in fact, no doubt, they must have sponsors. The truth remains that our security agencies are not doing enough to arrest this ugly situation. It is worrisome that till date this sect has not been infiltrated by our security agents while, the Boko Haram group has infiltrated the Police, SSS, Military and Presidency.

There is no doubt that past leaders would come in handy in dealing with this crisis. They have great wealth of experience that could be relevant in tackling this problem. President Jonathan should tap from their experience and professionalism. It is also important for the president to rejig his security chiefs, perhaps to make them aware of their duty. All the intelligence units of the security agencies ought to, by now, be working in unison to be able to break into the camps of these unrepentant Islamic militants.

Our past leaders must invest their wealth of experience in resolving this crisis. It is not President Jonathan the Boko Haram elements are fighting but Nigeria, which may spell doom for all if left unchecked. If these militants are left to gather powerful, wicked and satanic local or foreign support, we may be saying bye-bye to Nigeria.

• Uzodinma Nwaogbe

Maitama – Abuja.

SIR: We say no to autonomy for local councils. We also wonder at the apparent zeal to create more states despite prevailing realities. If our distinguished senators insist on autonomy for local councils as a third tier of government, let the states be abolished.

Enlightened opinion has rejected attempts by our legislators to amend a fundamental document guiding their operation. Such exercise should be more appropriately handled by an independent ad-hoc body so constituted. Only such a detached assembly can produce a thorough, dispassionate and enduring constitution. The Nigerian state glaringly slides downwards as it now exhausts 70% of its annual budget on recurrent expenditure, a clearly unsustainable profligacy. For a nation dangerously tottering on the brink, autonomy for local councils, creation of additional states, should only be treated as incidentals after much more critical and urgent agenda. Our distinguished senators need to rise above narrow partisan interests to produce a befitting document.

The only genuine reason for constitutional review now is to redefine our nationhood, so that a proper nation-state can evolve to give Nigerians hope. We want devolution of power back to the regions, or zones, as it was in the First Republic. We want to control our own resources, insignificant as they may be. We want to determine our own future within the context of a properly structured federation. In short, we want a truly peoples’ constitution, so that the Nigerian project can stand. Only our elite who earn their living directly from government may be pretending all is well, when the house has all but collapsed.

A properly structured federation cannot tolerate the six-zone imposition which the committee has assumed as sacrosanct. Nigeria consists of over 250 ethnic nationalities. The southern minorities herded into the so-called South-south zone number over 100, with as many distinct cultures and languages. If, for example, Izon land were geographically contiguous, nothing prevents Nigeria’s fourth largest ethnic group from having its zone. The Mid-West Region stood on its own in the First Republic. It can do so now. So also can the minorities of the former Eastern Region. Your amendment should therefore incorporate a minimum of five regions from southern Nigeria alone, please.

The argument between indigene and resident should never arise. The distinction between them is clear and should be left as already constitutionally provided for. Our worry is that abrogating one for the other suggests a subtle attempt to impose unitary government through the back door. A multiethnic secular state should forever abhor and reject the unitary system of government. Please, let the authentic wish of the people prevail, so that Nigeria can celebrate her centenary in one piece, and in peace.

•John Ingwu,

Calabar.