Dear friends,
"There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man
was sincere and upright, God-fearing and shunning evil":
http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16403
There are so many ways of looking at our present dilemma: the
seemingly endless cycle of violence of the type that in part,
motivated to the secessionist state of Biafra.
As for I myself, I'm terribly biased. To begin with I have a very high
regard for Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio as certainly one of the greatest
Nigerian Scholars to ever prosper as a political and religious leader.
Otherwise, this Yoruba man ( another bias) only really knows the best
Kalabari the rest of the Ijaw people and the Igbos, including the
half Igbos (the Ikwerre and the Ekpeye people ) with all of whom I
lived in absolute peace and harmony for almost four years. Being at
home and happy living with them, they cannot be said to be strangers
to me, or me to them. I can only speak from that background &
perspective.
"The people of Nigeria have spoken."
I am also biased in other ways:
http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/2011/04/18/nigeria-africas-biggest-democracy-2/
Even as we pray for peace in the Middle East, Nigerians of faith -
who live by whatever faith are by now also world champions in enduring
suffering - a "shuffering and Shmiling" mostly caused by those
responsible for the political and economic misfortunes of the nation.
If everything was OK we would all be "enjoying" - at least be
enjoying peace and happiness – in freedom.
In the endless series of this kind of explosion of peoples' rage in
Kano, does the "scholar-activist" say "once again"about this kind of
passion which by definition is destined for an endless continuation,
until its root causes are addressed and eventually laid to rest? The
"once again" is a little misleading, there has been a pause here and
there, yes, but not a cessation of identity politics in which religion
is one of the core elements that differentiates Jesus from Muhammad
salallahu alaihi wa salaam and their respective disciples.....
The on-going violent demonstrations in Kano, is it religion-motivated?
At least a very calm and peaceful Goodluck Jonathan told Christiane
Amanpour on CNN that the violence in Jos was not religiously
motivated and gives his own judicious explanations:
Professor Falola's "Violence in Nigeria: The Crisis of Religious
Politics and Secular Ideologies" is a key to understanding both the
background and manifest causes of this latest eruption of vengeance
and frustration about what is basically perceived as injustice.
No doubt all the religious tensions after the religious success of
implementing Sharia in Zamfara - and all the blood that has flowed
mostly in the North – in Jos, Maiduguri, Kono, and the general
political fate of the country since Professor Falola's book was
published in1998, provides enough material evidence for a postscript
to the book, although as far as underlying causes go, there's not much
new : North is North and will continue to be true North, continue to
be true to their roots, even in secular Nigeria. Islam is not going to
bend – or keep on turning the other cheek in order to accommodate
Christianity and Christianity in turn - of course - does not want to
do the same or in self-defence, or in what was the bitter experience
of Biafra, to take solace in the Christian dictum attributed to
Jesus: "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the
sword will perish by the sword.".
What has emerged after the results of the presidential elections have
been declared is that the North is even more clearly delineated from
the South , and this political map shows the polarization:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13147831
However, if we are to view the presidential contest as primarily a
contest between these two main personalities ( Muhammadu and Jonathan)
what a cursory look at that map does not show but what the electoral
figures and statistics show is that the North has been quite generous
- more generous in voting for Goodluck Jonathan who hails from most
Southernmost creeks of Yenagoa at almost the tip of the Niger Delta,
whereas the South's East and West have met and in collusion (what is
traditionally referred to as West (wholly Yoruba) and East
(erroneously identified as wholly Igbo – although admittedly the Igbo
are a major mojo there) and they more than anyone else in the
Federation seem to have entirely rejected Muhammadu Buhari who
happens to hail from Katsina the Northernmost part of Nigeria.....
Now the article that Kotoh Bangura headlined ( and as is his habit,
does not further comment on) the article describes the city of Kano
as a kind of religious Berlin Wall/ buffer zone: "this dusty city
separating Nigeria's Muslim north and Christian south "
This leaves us wondering about the Middle Belt, which is surely a
point of gradual transition between the extreme North and the extreme
South, since it's that suitable admixture of Muslims and Christians,
giving balance and some equilibrium to the simmering national
stew.....
It's been variously said that Goodluck Jonathan has emerged as the
winner as a candidate of consensus and unity – as the most pan-
Nigerian candidate to emerge thus far. I beg to differ from this
popular/ populist perception – which that BBC political map also
denies.....
Once upon a time in Nigerian history, Chief Mashood Abiola was
certainly the man who won handsomely in both the North and South, in
what was a most free and fair election, one devoid of the usual
intimidations, religious acrimony and sectarian tension we now see,
with its epi-cenre spreading from Kano the fabled ancient city of
Nigeria. Fortunately my man Muhammad Buhari for love of Nigeria is
trying to quell the spread of the wildfire...and hopefully, in time
the nation will be healed ( and I don't want to hear some more
nonsense about " Afrikan medicine" )
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=Chief+Moshood+Abiola
And with reference to Chief Moshood Abiola, most of the diaspora
activists including those who are not yet scholars did not advocate
raising a posse to go and free Chief Abiola and instate him as
constitutionally elected president. But the Yoruba people are a peace-
loving people. Indeed, the case of Chief Abiola's undisputed election
victory and how messy external military intervention could have
been , has been my constant point of reference on the political
compass, when the advocates for Quattara were at the height of
advocating mighty Nigerian military intervention in the Ivory Coast
fracas. And the fracas has not ended yet, since Quattara, believe it
or not, is not the most popular president of the Ivory Coast and will
never be, because he is so hated by the many who will only be happy
when he is gone forever.....
Creative minds will look at the demographics, will seek and will
find a constitutional solution to the North- South divide and bring
the country together under a constitutional umbrella.
Our Brother Chief Goodluck Jonathan is not hated and in the
circumstances we all wish him and the people of Nigeria, the very
best.
--
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