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 the conceptual instruments and contexts for the interpretation of the law. There are four sources of law: the Qur’an, the Sunnah (as distilled from the hadiths), qiyas (the concept of analogical reasoning) and ijma’ (consensus). All these sources do not support any of the hypocritical opportunism that now trademarks the life of an average northern Nigeria Muslim big man that has brought nothing but destitution.
By this statement, I am sure you would be taken aback because the reality of underdevelopment among black African countries is comprehensive. But if Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world and northern Nigeria accounts for 65% of this poverty then northern Muslim politicians who have successfully monopolized political power and it’s attendant opportunities should be properly addressed. This is because since the end of the first republic, northern Nigeria rides this country roughshod but the vast majority of our people have nothing to show for it. The blame for the laughing stock that we are in the comity of nations today should squarely lay with them.
But they don’t have shame because hypocrisy is their badge. Since after Saurdanan Sokoto and his loyal ally Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, development stopped in northern Nigeria meanwhile we have produced most of the key actors in national affairs. They have refused to grow the north nor allow others more serious minded like the southerners to help her to grow. At least the statistics between us show that they are doing better development wise. The stock in trade of the combine northern establishment (religious, political and traditional institutions), is the use of religion as a veneer to hoodwink the people (Mathew Hassan Kukah, Religion and Politics In Northern Nigeria). That is all there is. They reinforce the tradition of “Mallam ya ce” so that they can keep the people perpetually under their wicked servitude.
The average northern politician prides himself in using the vast ignorant and poorest of the poor population of the north as a bargaining chip for intimidations, cajoling and deceit of the other parts of the country. To say it properly, they use our very poor and vulnerable people to get everybody else to succumb to their political blackmails. They talk about the northern votes without talking about northern poverty and squalor. They talk about Islam without talking about the dignity of being a Muslim. They talk about the Prophet without talking about his examples of compassion and empathy.
Despite the differences in our religions, Islam just as Christianity may not have problems exactly but those who teach and practice it have problems definitely. They use it to take advantage of followers and use them as instrument for their wicked treachery. Does Islam not frown against poverty and ignorance? Does it not frown against injustice and insecurity, hunger and disease, corruption and embezzlement of public funds? Does Islam not encourage the search for knowledge? What about the millions of out of school children and almajiri? What about the invidious Boko Haram?
When it suits them, those are not the issues. The issues for them is a Deborah the and an Usman Buda who blasphemed. We eaither establish a society governed by rule of law and justice or pretend that might is right and establish a society of survival of the fittest. In that case no one is saved because no one has the monopoly of violence.
Only The Truth Can Heal This Country
Today every Nigerian walks on tiptoes as far as it concerns the North because the entire establishment have mastered the art of religious abuse and intimidation. Religiously inspired violence is a favorite tool, including the new trend of supporting jungle justice for any purported blasphemy as a pastime to show ‘Muslim’ reputation. From Buhari to his wannabes, they fall over themselves to sanction mob criminality as a means of currying political fortunes. Out of many instances; when Atiku deleted his tweet against the murder of Deborah to save his political fortune people did not understand. Recently, the Governor of Sokoto Ahmad Aliyu gave a terse statement warning against people blaspheming the Prophet when a mob took the laws into their hands instead of punishing the criminality of jungle justice. The problem with the culture of jungle justice is that an enforcer can be a victim as well. Sheikh Elzakzaky of Zaria and his Izala movement will understand this better.
It is either we accept that this country is secular and people and ourselves have rights as our constitution prescribes or we secede so that we can continue with our ancient Caliphate. Our politics and engagement with other Nigerians and even with other northern minorities like Christians and Traditional Worshipers and Atheists has been too intolerant. Since the time of Usman Dan Fodio and Sardauna Ahmadu Bello the north has always had very significant minorities. Today due to the politics of deceit and treachery from his mediocre successors, the north is the center of everything negative about this country. Indeed failures are those who use religion to divide the people instead of uniting them around common goals.
We must begin to reverse the gains of these narcissists and political anarchists who are using religion as favorite tool by saying things that everyone even the worst victims are afraid to say. The Lord Jesus himself tells us that “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”
The Islamic Republic Of El-Rufai And Co
Not many people will argue that El-Rufai is intelligent and a goal oriented public servant unlike his other co-bigots who have no results to flaunt. His reputation is unassailable in terms of social policies and services. But that is it. His reputation as a bigot has no rival. Even Buhari the patron of religious bigotry now have him to contend with. His foray in the APC party and eighth years of his Governance in Kaduna state has unraveled him. Southern Kaduna Christians can only hope for the day he will receive his reward.
When he spoke his very controversial plans about ensuring the enthronement of Islamic domination in Kaduna State and Nigeria as a whole, he spoke at a religious event with a full compliment of Islamic Clerics. The gathering was like a reception to receive progress report from El-Rufai, to honor him for his efforts and to assure him of full backing while he re-assure the esteem assembly of Islamic clerics of his unrelenting strides for the cause of his beloved Islamic religion. Shehu Sani a very respectable social crittic said the difference between Christian bigotry and Muslim bigotry is that Christian bigotry is discussed in English and everyone can hear but Muslim bigotry is discussed in Hausa which only those who speak it understand.
The APC party and their Muslim northern politicians especially El-Rufai and his many powerful Imams sold nothing to the Muslim electorates except the ticket of Islamic crusade as demonstrated in the all Muslims ticket at all levels of government.
If there was anyone to be ever accused of religious bigotry, it is the Muslim candidates and most of their electorates. The political messages of northern Muslim politicians in Southern Nigeria is different from the messages they give across Northern Nigeria. In the South northern candidates discuss Nigeria but in the North they discuss religion and ethnicity. Atiku Abubakar of PDP told an entire gathering of northern elites that they should vote for him because he is a northener. Kwankwaso did the same. Tinubu was sold to the north as an Islamic crusader who had chosen all Muslim ticket throughout his national politics. In the South West he himself sold himself as a Yoruba candidate. Only the vitiated Peter Obi told Nigerians to vote him not because of his religion or tribe.
Kano State ex-Governor Alhaji Umar Gandujje actually organized an entire clan of Muslim clerics to drum it across the north that the Muslim Muslim ticket is a jihad. This event brought about two thousand Muslim clerics in Kano and was reported on national TV. In all the mosques across Northern Nigeria, the battle cry was APC. All because they invented a divisive all Muslim ticket in a post-Buhari (you know what that means) Nigeria.
Now they and their collaborators are all doing well, ‘cashing out’ as we say, but those who bought into their hypocritical agenda having presented themselves as the epitomy of religious piety and Islamic crusade, are now left worst in their hunger, insecurity and disease.
Conclusion
In today’s Nigeria, El-Rufai and many northern Muslims mock Christians for supporting Peter Obi and supposedly loosing the election to Muslim candidates. In reality, they are the losers. The remains the poverty capital of the world; the disease capital of the world; the ignorance capital of the world with the highest out of school children; the violence and terrorism capital of the world and the most back ward capital of the world.
How is your victory important and of use to you? It is those who are alive that practice their religion not the dead. Religion should promote our dignity. Can we say religion and politics has promoted our dignity in Northern Nigeria?
