1. Introduction Our State of Plateau is back in the news for the usual bad reasons. It was not as if the bad news had gone actually. For the umpteenth time, please stop calling the terrorists activities in central Nigeria as a crisis between Farmers and Herders. It is not a crisis, it is terrorism pure and simple! The definition of terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” Perhaps it is that, what happened is shocking to people outside the State. Fulani terrorists shifted operational focus and base from…
Author: Fr George Barde
Fr George Barde DISCLAIMER: I scripted these lines not as an Ngas man or a Catholic Priest, identities I hold dear and proudly cherish but merely as an intervention by a social crusader in the present political debacle we are transitioning on the Plateau. To stake my credential I will refer you to my articles on Igbophobia I wrote 3 years ago and the one I wrote on Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. INTRODUCTION The book, “The Road To Magadishu” is written by a Nigerian Journalist who believes that we are headed for the Somali failed State situation. The Rwandan genocide…
Introduction As you read this piece of testimony about the bandits who attacked the Priests FRS Emmanuel Okolo and Noah Monday, serving the Parish of St Raphael Fadan Kamanton, Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Nigeria, the 25 year old Seminarian who did not survive the gruesome attack, Brother Na’aman Ngofe Stephen was buried yesterday 12th September, 2023. The Funeral Mass was held in the beautiful Church beside the charred remains of the Priests residence. As the choir rehearsed for the funeral Mass inside the Church, the grave was being dug in front of the old Church building by the youths. The…
Introduction The Father of the Sokoto Caliphate Usman Dan Fodio 1754-1817 has this fine lines: “conscience is an open wound, only the truth can heal it.” Permit me to spare you every niceties and proceed accordingly. There are no bigots in Nigerian politics like an average northern politician and their powerful collaborators in the religious and traditional establishments. We see this everyday be it at social events such as weddings, political offices, job and business opportunities and social standing. The religion of Islam is strictly a religion of law and order. Rules and consequences. The discipline of jurisprudence (fiqh) provides…
To Survive You Have To Fight: Central Nigeria And The Terrorists (Part 2) 5. The Truth Of The Matter Land and life are the two assets that people come into the world with even before they achieve anything of their own effort. It is true that due to conditions and exigencies, individuals, families and entire groups could lose their lands. But they retain their lives! No wonder the right to life is fundamental and universal. Land could be lost through exigencies both genuine and trivial. Our people are losing limbs, life and land. Let us be very clear about…
1. Introduction Pope St Pius X said “in our time, the chief strength of the wicked lies in the cowardice and weakness of good men.” The killings in Riyom and elsewhere have gone unabated. The authorities both local, state and national continue to prevaricate. As usual, they have called for emergency security council meetings to instruct security agencies to rise up to their responsibilty to protect life and property of victims. They buy the coffins, if that is part of the arrangements or possible (most are buried without coffins), attend the endless mass burials, make pious speeches about the sacredness…
Fr George Barde The continuous deterioration of conditions of life in our life and livelihood in our country is the direct result of criminal indifference of the various authorities to the worrying situation. The plight of the most vulnerable victims has failed to hit the right ears nor land on appropriate tables. Vital office files continue to treat selfish and private matters to the detriment of the well being of all especially those consigned to live in the margins of society. Already the church, media, traditional institutions and civil servants are all if not more complicit than politicians for…
I have had course to argue that anyone who thinks that the Biafra agitation is a nuisance should know that nobody has the monopoly of nuisance, violence and domination. Those who don’t know what is good for them should allow those who know what is good for them to ask for it. Any human being that feels marginalized should have the right to ask for redress. I agree with Bishop Kukah who has said that this country is a criminal enterprise. People are treated badly and then told not to complain. Some people feel more entitled to nonsense than others.…
Some people are surprised or even incensed by the familiar rhetorics of Dr Mahdi Shehu an otherwise eloquent public commentator who came clean about his franktic desperation and sulk. Shehu Mahdi has been having positive reviews on the national space due to his interventions on national issues, until the trajectory of the apparent loss staring them in the face at the coming Nigerian elections 2023. Among other things he had said we northern Christians should not vote Peter Obi because there is nothing we shall gain in doing so and after all Peter Obi is a ‘die in the wool’…
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”. Psalm 103:1-5 How do we handle it when, after having received healing from the Lord, the enemy tries to knock us down with the same symptoms and whispers in our ear,…
“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’” Matthew 18:21-22. What a powerful message Jesus is sending in this moment. Peter understands that people need second chances sometimes. But what Jesus is saying is that we must continue to work with others even when they have wronged us. It can take a great amount of time and patience with some, certainly more than others. The important…
The problem I have with Christians is that they use their own religion to judge another religion. This explains why they can never understand certain things that happen in this country. To be honest a typical Muslim knows that blasphemy carries the sentence of execution. The only issue here is who determines blasphemy? Just anyone? Islam as a religion is a comprehensive guide on how to do everything and what to believe in life. It is very detailed and pinpoint about every day life issues including how you copulate etc. When Yerima Bakura Ahmed Sani of Zamfara introduced Sharia mostly…
