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Tag: beyond

  • Beyond mushy religion

    SIR: The most corrupt administration in Nigeria’s democratic dispensation coincidentally happens to be the most religious.  They preached prosperity theology.  Unfortunately, the burden of sustaining their ideology fell on the back of suffering masses.  The poor seems to be gullible.  Uplifting words that raise hope of escaping the mud of wretchedness win their conscience.  However religion in Nigeria has leapt beyond the bound of ignorance and stupor to bounce at the pedestal of social mainstream.

    A stranger visiting various markets, especially those in Onitsha, Anambra State, stands a chance of being unduly delayed.  Shops are not opened on time on certain days of the week because members of the line observe prayer service.  This could take up to two hours in the morning.  Imagine that you are driving for an emergency and your tyre ruptures and you want to run into the market to buy another one.  Upon arrival, you find the shops are cordoned off for prayers during business hours.

    One could find patience in watching a group of energetic men shouting praises in worship of their God.  The ambience subdues the instinct to be irrational.  Till business opens, the same prayer warriors will turn into the most shrewd and crooked traders.  Not truly all of them but when you have been cheated and sold bad products twice too many, you tend to paint these businessmen with a broad stroke.  You come to realize that there are different forces at work among these people.  The desperation to make money is distinctly separated from the desire to gain salvation.  Or the prayer is solely a part of the quest to get rich. And they comfortably inhabit these two spirits without seeing any form of conflict.

    Religion is nothing new.  As such, it must have a strong hold that binds people to it.  There is no culture that existed that did not have a semblance of religion.  The ritual of conducting oneself in a disciplined order loosely constitutes a form of worship.  The zealousness to confuse decent order of living in the name of religion becomes problematic.  We are all wired differently by our Maker.  Left only to our animal nature, we will destroy ourselves.  Attributes of goodness exist in all human beings.  These virtues have been strengthened through enlightenment.

    Different strokes for different folks.  Whatever belief system that appeals to one’s sentiments is understandable to rule one’s life.  It is not civilized to impose an alien doctrine over one’s spirit.  The consequences of such brainwash could lead to behaviours that are inimical to a grounded existence.  Thus you hear stories of pastors who impregnate young girls during private religious studies.  They convinced themselves that their belief system overpowers the erotic force.

    Let us worship the God of our understanding in separation from the discipline that allows society to function in a uniform manner.  One should show decency before religion.

    • Pius Okaneme,

    Umuoji, Anambra State.

  • Beyond Boko Haram

    Preamble

    This article was first published in this column in 2012. But despite its detailed analysis and the well researched impute of a prominent Nigerian of Christian faith in it, some religious charlatans who were seemingly sponsoring and benefitting from the Boko Haram carnage continued to insist on painting the truth black just to further enrich their evil benefit from that evil carnage. The exposure last year, of an illegal arms deal in South Africa by one of such foremost charlatans masquerading in the cloak of religion came to attest to the evil machination wrapped in the garb of religion by some Nigerian agents of Satan.

    With that landmark exposure and some subsequent revelations about the clandestine backers of the national calamity called Boko Haram, many readers of this column began to call for a repeat of the publication of this article. Thus, to oblige them the right of readership the article is brought back here today as found below:

     

    The Article

    “In the life of every nation, like that of every individual, there must be a time of tribulation. For truly religious people, such a tribulation is a test of faith and that of steadfastness. For an individual, passing or failing it depends very much on the strength of his or her faith and for a nation, the competence or otherwise of the leadership at the helm of affairs. Nigeria as a country is not an exception in this.

    For the past six years or thereabout, Nigerians have been forced to grapple with the intensity of an unprecedented insecurity culminating in bomb blasts continually but devastatingly killing and maiming human beings in their scores. This carnage which first began in 2006 with a major threat to the existence of Nigeria by some war mongering South-South youths has come to climax the decades of crises in the country engendered by economic, political, ethnic and religious motivations. And since the crises have constantly been engineered by government’s insensitive policies, it is instructive that the attitude of the same government towards those crises can hardly be suggestive of any serious readiness to proffer a permanent and sincere solution to them. The language that rents the air this time is ‘Boko Haram’. That language has virtually become a spectre putting both the government and the people on the run and giving them a fierce chase of their lives.

     

    Suffocation

    From whichever angle it may be perceived, Boko Haram is now a huge balloon of smoke oozing out of a protruding chimney and destructively polluting the air which everybody in Nigeria today is forced to inhale willingly or unwillingly. But unfortunately, rather than finding out the fireplace beneath the chimney that gives vent to the oozing smoke, the government just insists on dispelling the smoke even as the fire keeps burning. Granted that Boko Haram was inherited by the current regime just as the South-South militants’ menace was inherited by Yar’Adua regime that preceded this, nevertheless, the late President YarÁdua did not allow it to overwhelm Nigerians before finding a solution to it.

    The immediate past government’s idea of Boko Haram seemed to be quite different from what that evil body really was. In Goodluck Jonathan’s regime, Boko Haram became like a huge elephant surrounded by thousands of blind men. One could only describe the part he was able to touch on the body of the mammoth animal and not the whole of it. Without diagnosis, only a quack doctor would proceed to treat an ailment in a patient. But that was what Nigeria’s federal government under Jonathan did in respect of the Boko Haram’s carnage.

     

    Meaningful Research

    However, some serious-minded and sincere individuals who were convinced that the problem posed by Boko Haram was beyond mere surface scratching began to research deeply into the tap roots of that obnoxious body. One of such individuals was Jean Herskovits a female Professor of History at the State University of New York, USA who had been writing on Nigerian politics since the   1970s. The other was a well known and highly respected Nigerian Catholic Bishop, Mathew Hassah Kukah of Sokoto Diocese. But since both of these intellectuals held similar opinions on the issue, ‘The Message’ decided to bring the latter’s opinion because of Nigerians’ familiarity with his name and person.

    Bishop Kukah’s Disclosure

    Below is the verbatim text of Bishop Kukah’s public address on Boko Haram which was entitled ‘AN APPEAL TO NIGERIANS’. It was first published in   Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper of January 17, 2012. Please, read:

    “On the occasion of the Carol of Nine Lessons organized by NTA and Radio Nigeria on December 10th last year (2011), I was invited to deliver the message. I chose to speak on the theme, Do Not Be Afraid as a means of encouraging our people against the backdrop of fear and frustration that was mounting at the time. Since then, it would seem that things have gotten progressively worse in our country.

    In the course of my reflections, I sought to encourage my fellow citizens not to be frightened by the events of the time. I insisted that despite these tragic and sad events and the situation of our country, we needed to conquer fear. I argued that the message of Christmas was a message about the good news of the birth of the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, (God-with us) and the Saviour of the world. Against the backdrop of other developments in the country at that time, I concluded by calling on the federal government not to carry through its plans for the removal of fuel subsidy.

    Since then, things have gradually snowballed well beyond what one had either feared or hoped. On Christmas day, a bomb exploded at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, in Niger State, killing over thirty people and wounding a significant number of other innocent citizens who had come to worship their God as the first part of their Christmas celebrations. Barely two days later, we heard of the tragic and mindless killings within a community in Ebonyi State in which over sixty people lost their lives with properties worth millions of naira destroyed and hundreds of families displaced. In the midst of all this, on New Year’s Day, the President (Goodluck Jonathan) announced the withdrawal of fuel subsidy and threw an already angry and frustrated nation into convulsion.

     

    The Madalla Tragedy

    Right now, I feel that perhaps like the friends of Job (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar), who came to visit their sick friend and found the burden beyond comprehension, we find ourselves in the same situation. For, as we know, when they came and found Job in his condition, they spent seven days and seven nights, and uttered not a word (Job 2:13). Right now, no one can claim a full understanding of the state we are in. However, even if we cannot understand the issues of the moment, our faith compels us to understand that God’s hand is in all this. The challenge is for us to have the patience to let His will be done.

    The tragedy in Madalla was seen as a direct attack on Christians. When Boko Haram claimed responsibility, this line of argument seemed persuasive to those who believed that these merchants of death could be linked to the religion of Islam. Happily, prominent Muslims rose in unison to condemn this evil act and denounced both the perpetrators and their acts as being un-Islamic. All of this should cause us to pause and ponder about the nature of the force of evil that is in our midst and to appreciate the fact that contrary to popular thinking, we are not faced with a crisis or conflict between Christians and Muslims. Rather, like the friends of Job, we need to humbly appreciate the limits of our human understanding.

    In the last few years, with the deepening crises in parts of Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, and Plateau states, thanks to the international and national media, it has become fanciful to argue that we have crises between Christians and Muslims. Sadly, the kneejerk reaction of some very uninformed religious leaders has lent credence to this false belief. To complicate matters, some of these religious leaders have continued to rally their members to defend themselves in a religious war. This has fed the propaganda of the notorious Boko Haram and hides the fact that this evil has crossed religious barriers. Let us take a few examples which, though still under investigation across the country, should call for restraint on our part.

     

    An Instance

    Sometime last year, a Christian woman went to her own parish Church in Bauchi and tried to set it ablaze. Again, recently, a man alleged to be a Christian, dressed as a Muslim, went to burn down a Church in Bayelsa. In Plateau State, a man purported to be a Christian was arrested while trying to bomb a Church. Armed men gunned down a group of Christians meeting in a Church and now it turned out that those who have been arrested and are under interrogation are in fact not Muslims and that the story is more of an internal crisis. In Zamfara State, 19 Muslims were killed. After investigation it was discovered that those who killed them were not Christians. Other similar incidents have occurred across the country.

    Clearly, these are very troubled times for our country. But they are also very promising times. I say so because amidst this confusing debris of hate, anger and frustration, we have had some very interesting dimensions. Nigeria is changing because Nigerians are taking back their country from the grip of marauders. These stories, few as they may be, are the beginning of our song of freedom. Christians are now publicly crossing the artificial lines created by falsehood and bigotry. Let us take a few examples of events in the last week alone:

     

    Cooperation

    In Kano, amidst fears and threats of further attacks on Christians, a group of Muslims gathered round to protect Christians as they worshipped. In Minna and recently, in Lagos, the same thing repeated itself as Christians joined hands to protect Muslims as they prayed. In the last week, Christians and Muslims together in solidarity were protesting against bad governance and corruption beyond the falsehood of religion. Once freed from the grip of these dark forces, religion will be able to play its role as a force for harmony, truth and the common good.

    Clearly, drawing from our experiences as Christians, we must note that God has a message for us in all this. To elicit what I consider to be the message, I will make reference to three lessons and I know there are far more.

    First, these times call for prayer. At the height of our confusion during the Abacha years, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria composed two sets of prayers; one, Against Bribery and Corruption and second, for Nigeria in Distress. Millions of Catholics have continued to recite these prayers and we must remain relentless in the belief that God hears our prayers and that God’s ways are not our ways. We know that our Muslim brethren and millions of other non-Christians feel the same and are also praying in a similar way for our country.

     

    A Call for Solidarity

    Two, these times call for solidarity of all people of faith. We are a nation of very strong believers and despite what anyone else may say, millions of our Christians and Muslims do take their religion very seriously. However, you might ask, if that is true, why do we have so many killings in the name of God and of religion? My answer is that we have such killings because we live in an environment of a severely weak architecture of state which allows evil to triumph. It is this poverty that produces jealousy and hatred which leads to violence.

    We live in a state of ineffective law enforcement and tragic social conditions. Corruption has destroyed the fabric of our society. Its corrosive effect can be seen in the ruination of our lives and the decay in our society. The inability of the state to punish criminals as criminals has created the illusion that there is a conflict between Christians and Muslims. In fact, it would seem that many elements today are going to great extremes to pitch Christians against Muslims, and vice versa, so that our attention is taken away from the true source of our woes: corruption. As Nigerians, Christians and Muslims, we must stand together to ensure that our resources are well utilized for the common good. This is why, despite the hardships we must endure as a result of the strike, the Fuel Subsidy debate must be seen as the real dividend of democracy.

     

    Condemnation of evil Leadership

    Three, religious leaders across the faiths must indeed stand up together and face the challenge of the times by offering a leadership that focuses on our common humanity and common good rather than the insignificant issues that divide us. We therefore condemn in very strong terms the tendency by some religious leaders to play politics with the issues of our collective survival. Rather than rallying our people, some of our religious leaders have resorted to divisive utterances, wild allegations and insinuations against fellow adherents of other religions. In the last five or so days, text messages have been circulating across the country appealing to some of our worst demons. We are told that many senior clerics either believed or encouraged the circulation of these divisive and false text messages. We must condemn this for what it is; a grand design by enemies within our folds who are determined to destroy our country. Whatever they may call themselves, they are neither true Christians nor Muslims.

    For those Christians who have reacted in fear, they require conversion. If we wait for these evil men or women to decide when we shall stand for Christ, then we have surrendered our soul to the devil. If we fear to stand up for Christ now, let us remember that He has already said: Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my father in Heaven, Whoever denies me before others, I will deny him before my father in Heaven(Mt 10: 32). Again, Jesus warns that rather than fear at times of uncertainty, adversity or upheavals, we should be confident. He said: When these things begin to take place, stand erect; hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand (Luke. 21: 28). Furthermore, St Paul has assured us that; If we die with Him, we shall live with Him. If we endure with Him, we shall reign with him (2 Tim 2: 11-12). Surely, those who are asking us to go under our beds, to flee in the face of persecution must be reading a different Bible.

     

    Difficult Times

    These are difficult times but they are also times of promise. Our country has turned its back on all forms of dictatorships. Our hands are on the plough and we are resolutely committed to democracy. Like a Catholic marriage, we may not be happy but we cannot contemplate a divorce. God does not make mistakes.

    Although the freedom and growth promised by democracy are not here yet, we must remind ourselves that a better tomorrow is possible, a more united and peaceful Nigeria is possible. The challenges of the last few days have shown the resilience of our people and their commitment to democracy and a better life. We believe this is possible. The government must strive to earn the trust of our people. All sides must take lessons from the demonstrations and resolve to build a better and stronger nation. Let us hold on to the words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI when he told the President, religious, traditional rulers and people of the Republic of Benin in the Presidential Palace on the 19th of November: Do not cut off your peoples from their future by mutilating their present….There are too many scandals and injustices, too much corruption and greed, too many errors and lies, too much violence. All peoples desire to understand the political and economic choices which are made in their name; they wish to participate in good governance. No economic regime is ideal and no economic choice is neutral. But these must always serve the common good”.

     

    • Address by Rev. Father Mathew Hassah Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese (first published in 2012).

  • Problem beyond the polls

    Two days after the country’s presidential poll, the  immortal lines from Shakespeare’s Macbeth are relevant : “When the hurlyburly’s done – When the battle’s lost and won.”  Against the background of the continuing anti-terror battle, the hurly-burly is certainly not done.

    News of the latest garland for Boko Haram, the Islamist guerilla force that has terrorised the country since 2009, deserves attention.  The group’s insurgency was the fourth deadliest conflict in the world in 2014 and was responsible for 11, 529 deaths, according to a release by an international think tank, the Project for the Study of the 21st Century. It is noteworthy that the think tank said the figure of fatalities could be underestimated.

    However, the estimation of the human suffering resulting from the destructive imagination and vision of the insurgents is more accurate. “We are seeing tremendous suffering,” UN Assistant Secretary General Robert Piper was quoted as saying. He continued: “We estimate that only about 20 percent of agricultural land in Borno State (the hardest-hit area) was harvested last season.” Piper, the coordinator of the UN’s humanitarian work in Africa’s Sahel region, pointed out that the situation “leaves a massive deficit.”

    Also, Piper noted that there were “dramatic rates of acute malnutrition” among the displaced children in Nigeria. In statistical terms, he highlighted a recent survey of displaced children around Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, which showed that over 35 percent of them were malnourished. “That is very, very high,” he was quoted as saying.

    This picture of disturbing death and dying demonstrates that the hurly-burly is not done and the battle has not been lost and won.  Shockingly, what many internally displaced persons have gone through, especially those uprooted by Boko Haram, came to light via a statement by the Director of Information, The Catholic Church Diocese of Maiduguri, Rev. Fr. Gideon Obasogie. He said: “A good number of those trapped around the Cameroonian borders are gradually finding their way into Maiduguri. Counting their ordeals, some will tell you how they fed on grass and insects. A group from Pulka community alone buried over 80 children, who took ill in the bush and died.”  Over 90, 000 Catholics have been uprooted by the developing tragedy, Obasogie noted, adding that the church has spent over N3 million on internal refugees at different locations in Maiduguri, Borno State.

    Relevant to this appalling picture is the information by the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Sani Sidi, at last year’s opening of its annual consultative meeting with the heads of States Emergency Management Agencies. Sidi said about 734,062 persons were internally displaced by conflicts and disasters in various parts of the country; 676, 975 of them were displaced by conflicts and 66,087 by natural disasters. It is significant that he pointed out: “Disaster occurrences and the number of affected people have risen significantly in recent years.”

    It is not clear how NEMA arrived at these figures, and it is worth mentioning that they are a far cry from the statistics publicised by the 2014 Report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and the Norwegian Refugee Council, which indicate that out of 33 million internal refugees across the world, about 3.3 million Nigerians are internally displaced because of the Boko Haram insurgency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.  The yawning gap between the positions of the two bodies concerning the number of dislodged victims of the six-year-old violent campaign by Islamist terrorists in the affected areas is a cause for concern because it suggests that the scale of the problem may not have been captured and is likely to be beyond the range of the available figures.

    How devastating and disruptive Boko Haram has become is clear from its influence on the controversial rescheduling of the general elections.  To properly grasp the group’s role, it is useful to quote the February 7 statement by the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, on why the elections were postponed a week to the first vote. According to Jega, “Last Wednesday, which was a day before the Council of State meeting, the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) wrote a letter to the Commission, drawing attention to recent developments in four Northeast states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe currently experiencing the challenge of insurgency. The letter stated that security could not be guaranteed during the proposed period in February for the general elections.”

    Jega continued: “This advisory was reinforced at the Council of State meeting on Thursday where the NSA and all the Armed Services and Intelligence Chiefs unanimously reiterated that the safety and security of our operations cannot be guaranteed, and that the Security Services needed at least six weeks within which to conclude a major military operation against the insurgency in the Northeast; and that during this operation, the military will be concentrating its attention in the theatre of operations such that they may not be able to provide the traditional support they render to the Police and other agencies during elections.”

    It is not surprising that the magical and illogical six-week time frame set for the conquest of insurgents who have carried out terroristic activities since 2009 has passed with Boko Haram still threatening and frightening. Optimism won’t win the terror war, no matter how well-dressed.  The naked pessimism of the people is unmistakable.

    The reports of recaptured territories by the country’s troops in a regional collaboration with four neighbouring nations, Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, have been captivating largely because the people never knew exactly what had been captured. Reports said the contributions to the multi-national force total 8, 700 individuals and its objective is to “foster a safe and secure environment in the impacted regions.”

    With the eventual adoption of a frontal attack, it is comical that National Security Adviser Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) last year introduced a simplistic angle to the anti-terror campaign.  Dasuki’s amazing “Roll out of Nigeria’s Soft Approach to Counter Terrorism”, whatever its theoretical merits, represented an ill-defined all-inclusive method. According to him, “The soft approach provides us with a frame-work that identifies the roles and responsibilities of every segment of our society: the governors, local council chairmen, national and state assembly members, political parties, trade unions, the private sector, traditional institutions, ministers and other government officials, academics, in fact, a ‘whole-of-society’ approach that involves everyone vertically and horizontally to confront violent extremism.”  It was a mystifying approach and an exaggerated perspective that glossed over the fundamental point, which is, confronting and crushing terrorism with the logic of superior sovereignty.

  • Beyond the elections

    By the time this article is published, the presidential and national assembly elections would have been over. Possibly also, the results may have become a matter of public knowledge. Successful candidates would be jubilating while there will be gnashing of teeth by losers. That is the typical payoff in a zero sum game. This scenario is more likely to be noticed at the presidential level given the high stakes and bitter acrimony that attended the campaigns for that elated office.

    Possibly too, all the predictions of cataclysm of unmitigated dimension that have seen people fleeing back in droves to their ancestral homes may have come to naught or isolated violence leading to loss of lives and destruction of property may be playing out. These are the possibilities that we may have to contend with after the elections. But the last eventuality is the one most dreaded by all given the danger it portends for lives and property and our corporate survival as a nation.

    That is why on two occasions, both President Goodluck Jonathan and his rival Gen. Muhammadu Buhari have signed an accord to maintain the peace both before and after the elections irrespective of their outcome. It was very heart refreshing watching the two rivals embrace themselves after the accord to the admiration of people. That is the way it should be. It is not a do-or-die affair since the reasons ostensibly adduced for aspiring to that high office revolves around the promotion of the general good of the people. An election that results in grave harm on the citizens’ detracts substantially from the essence of representative democracy. It gives the sad impression that what counts most is the overall interest of the contenders rather than the electorate who remain the ultimate sovereign. That is the contradiction that comes with violence leading to loss of lives and property.

    If commitment to peace during and after elections by the two major contenders from the PDP and the APC are any thing to repose hope on, the election may come out successful. We hope this will be so. It is also hoped that politicians would go beyond the signing of peace accords and restrain their supporters from acts that may lead to break down of law and order. But if the ruinous attitude of our politicians and refusal to concede defeat are still much with us, there is every thing to expect that the outcome of the elections may not be completely acceptable to all.

    If this scenario leads to violence, the accord would have come as an exercise in futility. Then, our security agencies will have to contend with restoring law and order in the areas stricken by post election violence. And when this is juxtaposed with the challenge of insurgency in some parts of the country, the energies of the security agencies will be greatly stretched.  But where nothing of such happens, Nigerians would have been on the threshold of history. It would portray the country as one that has started learning the ropes in democratic conduct. It will be an unmistakable signal that our people are gradually internalizing the culture of democracy. Then, those who initiated the peace accord would have reason to beat their chests celebrating the success of their efforts. That would be a thing to cherish.

    But that will not be the end to it. Soon, Nigerians will begin to contend with the reality of the new dawn. They will have to face the reality of what prospects the future holds for the nation irrespective of who among the contenders won the presidential race. They will begin to look up for the new things to come in the way this country is run. They will begin to look out for fundamental changes in the structure and organization of the country such that can galvanize the creative energies of the constituents to fasten the pace of development.

    Promises have been made; hope has been raised to an all time high. And coming at a time the price of oil in the international market has declined considerably with attendant devaluation of the naira, Nigerians will be full of expectations on the change to come either from the PDP or the APC.

    We say change because from the way things are, it is obvious that things are not going to be the same again. The consciousness of the ordinary people has been drawn to the inevitability of change in the way things are run in this country. They have been sold to the desirability of change in the conduct of statecraft.  Their eyes have been exposed to the fact that every society is in a state of flux and nothing is as constant as change. Change will definitely come given the alternative paradigms that have been offered by the existence of a credible opposition.

    If the opposition comes to power, it will likely initiate policies to make the difference and justify its mantra. If the ruling party succeeds, it cannot proceed with business as usual and still hope to be in reckoning. So, something positive will definitely come our way. It is the similitude of dialectics in action; a clash between thesis and anti-thesis that will ultimately give rise to some form of synthesis. That is what one foresees from the chain of events that have been unleashed as the political parties sought to take control of the minds of the electorate. People have been awakened to the reality that our leaders both past and present have not taken the necessary measures to quicken the pace of development without the distractions that emanate from a convoluted federal structure. There is the consciousness that Nigeria in its present form, cannot progress without some tinkering in its structure.

    Issues of true federalism: devolution of power, resource control, revenue sharing, state and local government creation and autonomy are recurring decimals that must as a matter of necessity be re-jigged.  It is obvious that these are some of the deficits standing against the progress and development of this country. They also relate very positively to the acrimony and bad blood that go with competition for the highest political office in the country. The point has been made before now that we need to whittle down the overwhelming powers of the central authority for us to move fast on the ladder of development.

    Despite the allure of this, some vested interests have for very selfish reasons, stood against its realization. They still root for centralization to enable them control the huge funds at the federal till. Yet, they want corruption to be reduced to its barest minimum. This is a remote possibility given the composition of the country and the thinking that political ascendancy is largely for prebendal predilections.   These are the issues that face whichever party wins the election. We must therefore proceed beyond the euphoria of electoral victory to confront extant systemic dysfunctions that have overtime, stood against the peace and development of this country. Their handling will make the difference between erecting this unity in diversity on a firm foundation and on sand.

  • Agbaje vs Ambode: Beyond the résumés

    Segun Ayobolu’s column, ‘illuminations’ of last and penultimate Saturdays, in the Saturday Nation provided a great opportunity to have another close look at the gubernatorial gladiators that are jostling to rule Lagos state. They are: Jimi Agbaje of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Akinwunmi Ambode of All Progressives Congress (APC). In the said publications, Ayobolu dwelled on the Curriculum Vitaes(CVs) of both candidates, and consequently raised a poser.

    Attempting to answer the poser raised by Ayobolu is for me a duty not only to Lagosians or its residents but of course to an average Nigerian whose interest directly or indirectly has to do with Lagos. For the avoidance of doubt, let us look at the question again. In whose hand – Agbaje or Ambode, will it be safer and wiser to entrust the almost one trillion dollar economy of Lagos State, especially at this critical period of the state’s evolution?.

    Ayobolu was generous enough to lead us into the contents of the CVs of these two men who are angling to take over the governance of Lagos come May 29th, 2015. As characteristic of any debate, participants are expected to take  the side  of the discourse convenient to marshal their  points. However, the slight difference here is that the Ambode/Agbaje discourse has been helped with the candidates credentials thrown into the public domain. The basis for comparison has thus been made easy and convenient.

    My immediate reaction was to verify the source of CVs of the candidates Ayobolu referred to. That the information was obtained from the WEBSITE did not only make it authentic but representative of an official information that each aspirant would want the public to know about them at this material  point. The investigator in me did check the two candidates websites and confirmed the correctness of Ayobolu’s CVs claims.

    Discussing in whose hand Lagos will be safer and wiser, majority of the answers will surely favour Ambode. A quick perusal of the two gentlemen CVs readily puts Ambode shoulder high. And why do I say so? The status and character of Lagos viz-a-viz its metropolitan and cosmopolitan outlook, the volume of its business in the neighbourhood of a trillion dollars and need to harness the existing potentials to greater heights can only  be appreciated by an Ambode who has a sound finance  background and  coupled with his meritorious experience as a former civil and public servant at the local and state governments  realm during which he played roles such as Accountant, Treasurer, Auditor-general of Local Government, Permanent Secretary-Ministry of Finance and above all, the Accountant General of Lagos State simultaneously.

    Ambode knows Lagos State inside out as far as governance issues, policy and challenges are concerned having worked in both the formulation and implementation of policies stages that had been used to govern Lagos over the years. Ambode had been part of the Lagos Development Agenda Policy from the days of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during which Lagos State Revenue generation hit the billion-naira mark. So Ambode’s experience is in quantum.

    The way and manner Ambode demonstrated competence in managing the resources of the state during the locust era when the federal government almost strangulated the state, through the non-release of the state allocations, was the saving grace of survival of the state then. This surely puts him in a better stead.

    From the CV of Jimi Agbaje, his experience as a pharmacist of note cannot be faulted as all notable positions held are straight jacketed within the narrowness of a Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Association responsibilities. An appointment in the health sector either as a commissioner for health or in NAFDAC will have been a more appropriate pursuit for Jimi Agbaje.

    Talking about how crucial, time is, in Lagos evolution, Ambode had been part of the steady and critical evolution of Lagos State for the past 27 years as a policy maker and stakeholder until his retirement. And even after his retirement, his current consultancy service to Federal, State and Local governments on challenges in the world economy and best financial practices puts him shoulder high and makes him more current with global and economic trends today than Agbaje.

    At this point in time, Lagos State needs concentration and consolidation in its pursuit of global megacity status, increased profile in good governance, improved service delivery and financial prosperity which of course requires a genius who can deepen and widen the resource base for the greater benefits of Lagosians. Ambode knows where Lagos is coming from, where it is today and where it is going to and how to get there. Right from day one, Ambode will hit the ground running whereas this cannot honestly be said about Agbaje.

    Can we compare Ambode with Agbaje who has difficulty in understanding what to do with Lagos economy unless Goodluck Jonathan wins?. I felt sorry for Agbaje the other time when he was quoted as saying  that Nigerian economy by extension the Nigerian nation will collapse if Jonathan does not return; and again when he said that he was going to dot Lagos landscape with Internet hotspots in an economy in which energy is comatose. One wonders if these are his bold ideas. Truth is Agbaje still needs to learn the ropes when it comes to public and corporate governance. He lacks the requisite experience to govern Lagos state for now. Whereas Ambode is well equipped having served under the progressive leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and of course, the diligent actualiser, Babatunde Raji Fashola(SAN).

    But beyond the CVs of the duo of Ambode and Agbaje are other issues of antecedents, personal pedigree, political platform on which both are seeking the votes of Lagosians. Agbaje has the burden of a failed PDP hanging on its neck while Ambode carries the grace of APC, a party that is associated with progressive and sterling performances. Beyond the CVs also are the issues of personal accomplishments, serious-mindedness, sense of purpose and of course,  the understanding of the job at hand and capacity to do it.

    With due respect, Ambode has symbolizes the portrait of an all round personality required to govern a state like Lagos. This is carefully demonstrated in the scope and content of his campaign which dwell on policy issues, functional areas of development, empowerment of youths, business promotion and security, environment, promotion of  formal and informal sectors,  and of course, women development, among others.

    Serious understanding of issues and purposeful intentions are obviously missing in Agbaje’s campaign. Despite the big ideas concept being flaunted, all you hear is –JK is Okay, JK you Know JK you Trust. JK that is known and trusted for what? His pharmaceutical exploits? His jumping from one party to the other? His non-existent big ideas? Is it the establishment of Internet Hotpots all over Lagos or the promise of True Lagos or Lagos for all? What campaign promises are these? Is the current Lagos not for all? This campaign is clearly bereft of ideas and lacks any cognitive input.

    To answer Ayobolu’s question pointedly, one thinks Lagosians, Lagos Economy and its Mega City ascendancy  will be safer and more secure with Ambode than Jimi Agbaje. Ambode has the requisite experience, the professional and intellectual capacities, the right political and technocratic platforms, over the years, at both the local and state levels. He had been involved in policy formulation and execution to the glory of God and in service to humanity.

    The difference between Ambode and Agbaje is very clear like 7-Up. Lagosians will surely be safer and more secure in the hands of Ambode as the new Lagos State Governor come May 29,2015.

    • Akin Bashiru is a Public Affairs and Corporate Governance.
  • ‘Cross River must think beyond oil’

    ‘Cross River must think beyond oil’

    Former Group General Manager of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Prince Goddy Jedy-Agba, is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Cross River State. He spoke with reporters in Lagos on his vision, blue print and chances at the primaries.

    Why are you contesting for governorship in Cross River State?

    In the past seven years Governor Liyel Imoke has been doing a good job governing our state but come May 29, 2015 he would handover the baton of leadership as our constitution demands. I want to be the recipient of the baton. This is not a decision I take lightly, but one that I arrived at after a careful and persistent consideration as well as the need for a servant leader who places people over politics and service above all else. I took the decision to run for governor of our state in 2015 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after a great deal of thought. I consulted widely with my family, friends and close political associates in Cross River state and nationwide.

    I am running for governor because I believe I can add value to the governance of a state I love so much. My love for the state and its people knows no limit. I love the diversity, the can-do spirit, the communal life of neighbour-helping-neighbour of the people; and I believe in what Cross River state can be. And my passion to serve compels me once again to stand for what is right for all Cross Riverians, to make Cross River state what it can be. I offer myself as a Cross Riverian who is concerned about the widespread unemployment that is destroying the very fabric of our society.

    What is your assessment of Liyel Imoke Administration?

    I will say fantastic. Let me remind you that, in this democratic order, we started with the Donald Duke government and the Duke government could be described as a government that has laid that irreversible foundation for growth and development in Cross River State. What we’ve witnessed right now with the present governor is that he’s been able to consolidate and actualise the dream of the foundation of that growth and development. He has not faltered or wavered. He has been someone focused on the goals of the party and he has delivered. No matter what anybody has to say, he has performed.

    The perception is that the governor is not backing your aspiratuion. What is your view?

    Well thank God you said it’s a rumour. I don’t dwell on rumours; neither do I interact with rumour mongers. I will answer in this form. Most people don’t even know how to assess relationships. They assess it from what they hear from rumour merchants and political jobbers. My people have an idiomatic way of expressing it, they say teeth and tongue fight but they are always still together.Though its impossible for humans to exist without conflict but Governor Liyel and I do not have issues on any subject for that matter. Let us even look at the interest and future of our people and then situate our relationship within it. So,you mean if for whatever reasons, Governor Liyel doesn’t not just like my face, he will stop the good people of Cross River from benefitting from my wealth of experience? No. Not the Liyel that I know.He is a perfect gentleman and a man of honour and as far as I know him, he knows what is good for our state and we enjoy a very cordial relationship.

    The challenges of governance are enormous. What makes you think that you will make a better governor?

    My belief is that before our party can decide on a person that will carry the flag of the PDP, it would have been unanimously agreed that such a person is sound and competent enough to be the candidate. Beyond that, I bring cognate experience that is not shared by any other aspirant in Cross River. I believe strongly that the years that I have worked and the experience that I have shared with the top management staff at the NNPC gives me that competitive edge to be able to continue to drive the vision of Cross River State. If it is in terms of character, if it is in terms of capability, I possess all the good qualities that you can find in anybody that will want to become the governor of Cross River State. It’s more about the people and it has to be a people person. I know that’s where my strength is. A people person is one that can be a good caretaker of the resources of the people. That’s why I see myself as the best aspirant that you can muster right now.

    What about economic development? Do you have a blueprint that would buoy the economy of Cross River State?

    Of course. As a start, our dependence on crude oil as the main source of revenue, not only exposes our economy to foreseeable shocks, it endangers our security because unemployment is presently our greatest security risk. The petrol dollar made us to unwisely ignore every other sector particularly agriculture and tourism with its huge job creation potential, thereby robbing us of a source of massive employment for our teeming youths.

    This must change because there is the real possibility that revenue from oil could fall drastically in the very near future. The discovery of shale technology to produce synthetic crude oil from oil shale has the potential of making almost every country in the world an oil producer. The United States of America, which used to be Nigeria’s biggest customer, is no longer buying our oil. Australia, Brazil, Canada, China and Estonia are already using the technology to extract oil while Morocco and Jordan have announced plans to test the technology. Coupled with growing new discovery of crude oil in African countries such as Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya, there could be oil glut in the international crude oil market that will inevitably result in falling of oil prices and revenue.  By acting decisively to restructure the economy of our state through massive investment in agriculture and rural economies, modernising and expanding our infrastructure including affordable housing, promoting tourism, entertainment and sports, assisting existing and moribund industries and encouraging new ones to set up agro-based industries, we can jump start job creation and achieve greater, more sustainable economic prosperity.

    What is your vision and what should the people of Cross River State expect from you?

    Like most Cross Riverians, I dream of a  Cross River  where those who want to work will find appropriate jobs and those who want to set up businesses can do so without bothering about the infrastructure that will enable them to succeed. I dream of a Cross River where our youths can look at us with hope and we see them as worthy future leaders. I dream of a Cross River where our tomorrow will always be better than yesterday. I dream of a Cross River where, where you come from and the languages you speak do not matter. I dream of a Cross River where the interest of all is paramount and not those of the few. I dream of a Cross River where you do not have to know a big man before you get what you deserve. I dream of a Cross River of equal opportunity and no discrimination.

    Don’t you think the electorate have heard more of words than actions from politicians?

    Well, there is always a turning point in the lives of people, I believe my being the governor of Cross River State will mark the turning point in the lives of every Cross Riverian. But I cannot claim ownership of knowledge. I believe that through collaborative and inclusive efforts and participatory governance, all Cross Riverians, working together as a state-wide team can make this dream a reality in our life time. And thanks to Governor Liyel Imoke’s forward looking decisions and investment in critical sectors of our state,we have the chance to build a better future for ourselves and our children

    What is your greatest fear?

    Fear? No. I have since conquered the fear of failure, which is the most common for most people. Only those who dare, stand the chance of climbing the ladder of success. I am not afraid of failure because I have used the strength of courage to succeed thus far and in this new calling, we are going to succeed. There are many of us in the race. We are all qualified. We are all good men and women who mean well for our state. But I can do a better job of transforming our state and taking it to the next level of development. I need the support of everyone in the party to make this happen. I also believe that my candidacy will ensure easy victory for our party in the governorship election and help our dear president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan achieve a landslide victory in the presidential election with higher voter turnout in Cross River state than he achieved in 2011. The truth is that, I am ready to take up the unfinished business of building a Cross River state of our dream which began in 1999.

  • Omo-Agege: Delta beyond ethnicity

    Propaganda not propriety, sentiments not sequence have so far defined the search for Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s successor. At the last check, over 30 governorship aspirants are jostling with all manners of plots and power play. The domino effect is that shallow stereotypes and warped perspectives are thrown up daily in the public domain by a desperate crowd of power mongers and sympathizers

    A dangerous game in power politics is raging in Delta State. A lethal game plan called AGENDA. Today politicians seeking fortune at all costs have inundated our psyche with Anioma Agenda, Urhobo agenda, Ijaw agenda e t c. Majority of the contenders in the 2015 gubernatorial battle seem to have been entrapped in a particular obsession – desire for party ticket with ethnic card. When politicians hold tribalism as the only ladder to power, democracy is in trouble !

    One aspirant who has clearly shunned the temptation is Obaisi (Barr) Ovie Omo-Agege. A detached study of his manifesto, speeches, consultations and body language easily unveils a man with a carriage that looms larger than the toga of ethnic garb. Truly Omo-Agege does not see Delta from the blinkers of ethnicity, unlike most of his peers in the governorship race. Whether in words or deeds, enlightened public opinion can uphold that he has a pan -Delta agenda in his quest to govern. This perception is unassailable for good reasons.

    Though Urhobo by origin, Omo-Agege does not have the all too familiar tribal marks of nepotism, sectionalism and self centered clannishness, common with the typical Nigerian politician . He is averse to egocentric mindset. He is not persuaded by a narrow world view. His contacts and company transcends tribal, religious and political boundaries.  He is overly cosmopolitan. Omo-Agege symbolizes the soul of Delta, its destiny and essence. He embodies the cultured pacifist spirit of the Anioma, dignified comportment of the Itsekiri, vivacious robust tendency of the Urhobo, spartan courageous latitude of the Ijaw and easy going accommodating posture of the Isoko.

    This admirable personae is rooted in his pedigree. After graduating with excellent grades in law at Nigeria’s most sought after university, UNIBEN  in 1985, he went higher in 2002 to obtain an LLM (masters of law) degree in Tulane university, United States of America, rated among the top 20 universities in the world. A distinguished academic orientation that prepared him for a dignified future.

    It is no surprise that he took  a phenomenal flight from this tutelage into the political hierarchy of Delta state, serving as Executive Assistant and then  civil commissioner under the Ibori Administration in 2005. He would fulfill a waiting destiny about a year later when he rose to become secretary to the state government, the youngest ever, setting a trail blazing direction, through service of purpose and vision. In terms of experience in governance, Omo-Agege easily takes the piece of cake. He has the matchless competence, commitment and character to lead the people of Delta.

    In Delta North senatorial district where the much advertised issue of zoning or power rotation has continued to resonate, an Omo-Agege governorship will settle all prejudices and worries. He maintains strong age old links with the Anioma people, as his native Orogun and Aboh kingdom share historical bonds of genealogy, friendship and brotherhood. He went to Obinomba Grammar School, Ukwuani local government area in the heart of Delta north where he enjoyed a large community of life-long childhood friends. By cultural and sociological heritage, no one can be more Anioma than Omo-Agege. Those who lay claim to zoning within Delta North can only exclude him by spurious geography not sound logic.

    He has in his populist agenda, envisioned and articulated a brilliant road map for the development of Delta North and indeed Central and South senatorial districts. He has made a solemn pledge to fix the bane of Agbor –  erosion, acute water problem in Asaba- Ogwashi Uku – Issele uku axis and improve the road networks in Delta north. He is poised to provide people-centered security as well as basic social infrastructure and pursue a coordinated agrarian and industrialization programmes across the three senatorial districts for the good of all.

    Again the behavior of Omo-Agege as a politician deserves celebration. He was the first and only governorship candidate to concede victory to Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, after his  April 26, 2011 election for a second tenure. He went ahead to attend Uduaghan’s inauguration at the Cenotaph Asaba and openly congratulated him to the bewilderment of all, especially the political class who see election as war.

    Omo-Agege’s mellow and restrained personality owe much to his good breeding, education and self discipline. This polished, highly educated son of a legendary Justice will make a good Governor. With his political maturity, civility and excellent manners, Delta has everything to gain.

    • Jonathan Okolo is a public affairs analyst based in Asaba

     

  • Beyond Shekau

    Notwithstanding the claims and counter-claims about his death, the most important thing is restoring peace

    In a reflection of the haziness that has reigned since his death was first announced in August last year,  the recent news of the killing of a terrorist by that name heightened the confusion. Although the inevitable question whether Abubakar Shekau, the fiery face of the Islamist and terroristic guerilla force Boko Haram, is actually dead was answered in the affirmative by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) spokesman, Major-Gen Chris Olukolade, his official response did not fully settle the issue.

    According to his statement, “The troops captured some of the terrorists and their equipment. In the course of those encounters, one Mohammed Bashir, who has been acting or posing on videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group, died.”

    Interestingly, it would seem that things may not be so clear.  It is curious that a similar claim by the Cameroonian Army, supported by images, gave the credit to that country’s soldiers who reportedly carried out a cross-border raid inside Nigeria where they killed Shekau in an aerial bombardment of his hideout.  

    Either way, ignoring the circumstances, the death of the Boko Haram commander-in chief should reassure the troubled public that the country’s military may be winning the terror war after all, despite mounting criticisms of its alleged operational minuses. However, the matter may not be that simple.

    It is noteworthy that Olukolade said “the name Shekau has become a brand name for the terrorists’ leader”, adding, “On restoring normalcy after the encounter, inhabitants of the community who were victims of terrorists’ activities corroborated the information on the identity of Bashir Mohammed, alias Abubakar Shekau, alias Abacha Abdulahi, alias Damasack, etc.”

    The logical implication of the alleged use of the name for branding purposes is that another so-called “fake Shekau” may emerge from the ashes of the previous ones, with the scary suggestion of continuity. Of course, it would be unreasonably optimistic and a grave error for the military to interpret the claimed death of this particular Shekau as a definitive victory over Boko Haram. The anti-terror campaign just cannot afford complacency, even if it is true that the terrorists have lost their chief.

    It is hoped that what should be a setback for the insurgents would be exploited maximally by the military, which means that the force must seriously address every possible hindrance, especially issues related to the effective equipping of the fighters and their welfare. In this connection, the point should be emphasised that the intervention of Cameroonian troops, to the extent that their involvement possibly affected the believability of  the reported killing of  the Shekau in question, leaves a great deal to be desired. 

    The country must emphatically reclaim its capacity to defend its territory, and this certainly cannot be achieved through spin doctors who continue to paint a bright picture of a systematic weakening of the enemies without convincing evidence. It is worth mentioning that news of the killing of the rebel leader was accompanied by a claim that 135 Boko Haram terrorists were either captured or surrendered in Yobe and Adamawa states. Figures of captives or those who have surrendered will have to translate into a clear progressive crushing of the terrorists for any meaningful result.

    As things stand, with Boko Haram yet to respond formally to the development, it remains to be seen what turn the terrorism will take and the consequences. The military must be prepared. Without doubt, the battle is beyond the Shekau brand, and not to recognise this reality would amount to a trivialisation of the confrontation with evil. Indeed, whether Shekau is dead or alive is not as important as restoring peace.  

  • Beyond freedom for the Chibok girls

    Beyond freedom for the Chibok girls

    Attacks against the hapless Chibok community didn’t end with the abduction of the over 300 schoolgirls from the dormitory on the night of April 15. Since then Boko Haram has carried out several sorties into areas surrounding the town.

    It would appear, however, that pain and death have taken residence in the town. One recent report states that 11 parents of the kidnapped girls have died since their children went missing.

    Of that number, seven are among the dead from an attack in the nearby village of Kautakari this July. Four more parents are said to have died of heart failure, high blood pressure and other illnesses that the community blames on trauma due to the mass abduction.

    We have the assurance of the authorities that not only do they know where the girls are, but that their freedom is imminent. That should offer a measure of comfort to the grieving families.

    Still you cannot help but wonder what kind of girls would be returning from Boko Haram captivity. What sorts of unspeakable experiences have they been subjected to? Will they ever be able to live normal lives again?

    The world owes it to these girls and their community to ensure that the one day leaders of Boko Haram, their financiers and collaborators pay for their crimes against humanity. Our duty doesn’t end with demanding their release; we should faithfully document the atrocities of this group for the day they would face justice.

  • Beyond Boko Haram

    Beyond Boko Haram

    Preamble

    Today’s article had once been published in this column. It is however being brought back because of the popular demand for it by readers of ‘The Message’. And since readers are, like customer, kings in their own rights, who is yours sincerely not to oblige? Here is the article again. Please read on: In the life of every nation, like that of every individual human being there must be a time of tribulation. Such a tribulation is a test of faith and that of steadfastness. For an individual, passing or failing it depends very much on the strength of his faith and for a nation, the competence or otherwise of the leadership at the helm of affairs.

    Nigeria, as a country, cannot be an exception in this case.

    For the past few years, Nigerians have been forced to grapple with the intensity of an unprecedented carnage of bomb blasts killing and maiming human lives in their scores continually but devastatingly.

    This carnage engendered by economic, political, ethnic and religious tendencies first began in 2006 with a major threat to the existence of Nigeria by some war mongering Southsouth youths. It has now come to climax the decades of crises in the country thereby putting everybody on the edge. And since the crises have constantly been engineered by government’s insensitive policies, it is instructive that the attitude of the same government towards those crises cannot be suggestive of any serious readiness to proffer a permanent and sincere solution to them. The language that rents the air this time is ‘Boko Haram’. That language has virtually become a spectre compelling both the government and the people to be on the run as it gives them a fierce chase of their lives.

    Observation

    From whichever angle it may be perceived, Boko Haram is now a huge balloon of smoke oozing out of a protruding chimney and destructively polluting the air which everybody in Nigeria today is forced to inhale willingly or unwillingly. But unfortunately, rather than finding out the fireplace beneath the chimney that gives vent to the oozing smoke, the government just insists on dispelling the smoke even as the fire keeps burning. Granted that Boko Haram was inherited by the current regime just as the menace of the Southsouth insurgency was inherited by Yar’Adua regime that preceded this, nevertheless, the late

    President YarÁdua did not allow it to overwhelm Nigerians before finding a solution to it.

    The current government’s idea of Boko Haram seems to be quite different from what that disturbing body really is. Boko Haram has become like a huge elephant surrounded by thousands of blind men. Each one can only describe the part he is able to touch on the body of the mammoth animal and not the whole of it. Without diagnosis, only a quack doctor will proceed to prescribe medicine for an ailing patient.

    And that is what the Federal Government continues to do in respect of the Boko Haram’s carnage in Nigeria.

    However, some serious-minded and sincere individuals who are convinced that the problem posed by Boko Haram is beyond any surface scratching have begun to dig deep into the tap roots of those hardened insurgents. One of such individuals is Jean Herskovits a female Professor of History at the State University of New York, USA. She has been writing on Nigerian politics since 1970. The other is a well known and highly respected Nigerian Catholic Priest, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese. But since both of them hold similar opinions on the issue, ‘The Message’ decided to bring the latter’s opinion because of Nigerians’ familiarity with his person.

    Below is the verbatim text of his public address on Boko Haram which was entitled ‘AN APPEAL TO NIGERIANS’.  This address was published in The Guardian of January 17, 2012. It goes thus:

    Reflections

    “On the occasion of the Carol of Nine Lessons organised by NTA and Radio Nigeria on December 10th last year, I was invited to deliver the message. I chose to speak on the theme, Do Not Be Afraid as a means of encouraging our people against the backdrop of fear and frustration that was mounting at the time. Since then, it would seem that things have gotten progressively worse in our country.

    In the course of my reflections, I sought to encourage my fellow citizens not to be frightened by the events of the time. I insisted that despite these tragic and sad events and the situation of our country, we needed to conquer fear. I argued that the message of Christmas was a message about the good news of the birth of the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, (God with us) and the Saviour of the world.

    Against the backdrop of other developments in the country at that time, I concluded by calling on the Federal Government not to carry through its plans for the removal of fuel subsidy.

    Since then, things have gradually snowballed well beyond what one had either feared or hoped. On Christmas day, a bomb exploded at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, in Niger State, killing over thirty people and wounding a significant number of other innocent citizens who had come to worship their God as the first part of their Christmas celebrations. Barely two days later, we heard of the tragic and mindless killings within a community in Ebonyi State in which over sixty people lost their lives with properties worth millions of naira destroyed and hundreds of families displaced. In the midst of all this, on New Year’s Day, the President announced the withdrawal of fuel subsidy and threw an already angry and frustrated nation into convulsion.

    Right now, I feel that perhaps like the friends of Job (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar), who came to visit their sick friend and found the burden beyond comprehension, we find ourselves in the same situation.

    For, as we know, when they came and found Job in his condition, they spent seven days and seven nights, and uttered not a word (Job 2:13).

    Right now, no one can claim a full understanding of the state we are in. However, even if we cannot understand the issues of the moment, our faith compels us to understand that God’s hand is in all this. The challenge is for us to have the patience to let His will be done.

    The Madalla Tragedy

    The tragedy in Madalla was seen as a direct attack on Christians. When Boko Haram claimed responsibility, this line of argument seemed persuasive to those who believed that these merchants of death could be linked to the religion of Islam. Happily, prominent Muslims rose in unison to condemn this evil act and denounced both the perpetrators and their acts as being un-Islamic. All of this should cause us to pause and ponder about the nature of the force of evil that is in our midst and to appreciate the fact that contrary to popular thinking, we are not faced with a crisis or conflict between Christians and Muslims. Rather, like the friends of Job, we need to humbly appreciate the limits of our human understanding.

    In the last few years, with the deepening crises in parts of Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, and Plateau states, thanks to the international and national media, it has become fanciful to argue that we have crises between Christians and Muslims. Sadly, the kneejerk reaction of some very uninformed religious leaders has lent credence to this false belief. To complicate matters, some of these religious leaders have continued to rally their members to defend themselves in a religious war. This has fed the propaganda of the notorious Boko Haram and hides the fact that this evil has crossed religious barriers. Let us take a few examples which, though still under investigation across the country, should call for restraint on our part.

    Complicity

    Some time last year, a Christian woman went to her own parish Church in Bauchi and tried to set it ablaze. Again, recently, a man alleged to be a Christian, dressed as a Muslim, went to burn down a Church in Bayelsa. In Plateau State, a man purported to be a Christian was arrested while trying to bomb a Church. Armed men gunned down a group of Christians meeting in a Church and now it turned out that those who have been arrested and are under interrogation are in fact not Muslims and that the story is more of an internal crisis. In Zamfara State, 19 Muslims were killed. After investigation it was discovered that those who killed them were not Christians. Other similar incidents have occurred across the country.

    Clearly, these are very troubled times for our country. But they are also very promising times. I say so because amidst this confusing debris of hate, anger and frustration, we have had some very interesting dimensions. Nigeria is changing because Nigerians are taking back their country from the grip of marauders. These stories, few as they may be, are the beginning of our song of freedom.

    Christians are now publicly crossing the artificial lines created by falsehood and bigotry. Let us take a few examples of events in the last week alone:

    In Kano, amidst fears and threats of further attacks on Christians, a group of Muslims gathered round to protect Christians as they worshipped. In Minna and recently, in Lagos, the same thing repeated itself as Christians joined hands to protect Muslims as they prayed.

    In the last week, Christians and Muslims together in solidarity are protesting against bad governance and corruption beyond the falsehood of religion. Once freed from the grip of these dark forces, religion will be able to play its role as a force for harmony, truth and the common good.

    Clearly, drawing from our experiences as Christians, we must note that God has a message for us in all this. To elicit what I consider to be the message, I will make reference to three lessons and I know there are far more.

    Prayer and Solidarity

    These times call for prayer. At the height of our confusion during the Abacha years, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria composed two sets of prayers; one, Against Bribery and Corruption and second, for Nigeria in Distress. Millions of Catholics have continued to recite these prayers and we must remain relentless in the belief that God hears our prayers and that God’s ways are not our ways. We know that our Muslim brethren and millions of other non-Christians feel the same and are also praying in a similar way for our country. These times call for solidarity of all people of faith. We are a nation of very strong believers and despite what anyone else may say, millions of our Christians and Muslims do take their religion very seriously. However, you might ask, if that is true, why do we have so many killings in the name of God and of religion? My answer is that we have such killings because we live in an environment of a severely weak architecture of state which allows evil to triumph. It is this poverty that produces jealousy and hatred which leads to violence.

    We live in a state of ineffective law enforcement and tragic social conditions. Corruption has destroyed the fabric of our society. Its corrosive effect can be seen in the ruination of our lives and the decay in our society. The inability of the state to punish criminals as criminals has created the illusion that there is a conflict between Christians and Muslims. In fact, it would seem that many elements today are going to great extremes to pitch Christians against Muslims, and vice versa, so that our attention is taken away from the true source of our woes: corruption. As Nigerians, Christians and Muslims, we must stand together to ensure that our resources are well utilised for the common good. This is why, despite the hardships we must endure as a result of the strike, the Fuel Subsidy debate must be seen as the real dividend of democracy.

    Role of Religious Leaders

    Religious leaders across the faiths must indeed stand up together and face the challenge of the times by offering a leadership that focuses on our common humanity and common good rather than the insignificant issues that divide us. We therefore condemn in very strong terms the tendency by some religious leaders to play politics with the issues of our collective survival. Rather than rallying our people, some of our religious leaders have resorted to divisive utterances, wild allegations and insinuations against adherents of other religions. In the last five or so days, text messages have been circulating across the country appealing to some of our worst demons. We are told that many senior clerics either believed or encouraged the circulation of these divisive and false text messages. We must condemn this for what it is; a grand design by enemies within our folds who are determined to destroy our country. Whatever they may call themselves, they are neither true Christians nor Muslims.

    For those Christians who have reacted in fear, they require conversion. If we wait for these evil men or women to decide when we shall stand for Christ, then we have surrendered our soul to the devil. If we fear to stand up for Christ now, let us remember that He has already said: Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my father in Heaven, Whoever denies me before others, I will deny him before my father in Heaven(Mt 10: 32). Again, Jesus warns that rather than fear at times of uncertainty, adversity or upheavals, we should be confident. He said: When these things begin to take place, stand erect; hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand (Lk. 21: 28). Furthermore, St Paul has assured us that; If we die with Him, we shall live with Him. If we endure with Him, we shall reign with him (2 Tim 2: 11-12). Surely, those who are asking us to go under our beds, to flee in the face of persecution must be reading a different Bible.

    Difficult Times

    These are difficult times but they are also times of promise. Our country has turned its back on all forms of dictatorships. Our hands are on the plough and we are resolutely committed to democracy. Like a Catholic marriage, we may not be happy but we cannot contemplate a divorce. God does not make mistakes.

    Although the freedom and growth promised by democracy are not here yet, we must remind ourselves that a better tomorrow is possible, a more united and peaceful Nigeria is possible. The challenges of the last few days have shown the resilience of our people and their commitment to democracy and a better life. We believe this is possible. The government must strive to earn the trust of our people.

    All sides must take lessons from the demonstrations and resolve to build a better and stronger nation. Let us hold on to the words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, when he told the President, religious, traditional rulers and people of the Republic of Benin in the Presidential Palace on the 19th of November: Do not cut off your peoples from their future by mutilating their present….There are too many scandals and injustices, too much corruption and greed, too many errors and lies, too much violence. All peoples desire to understand the political and economic choices which are made in their name; they wish to participate in good governance. No economic regime is ideal and no economic choice is neutral. But these must always serve the common good”.

    •Address by Rev. Father Mathew Hassah Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese