“I count him braver who overcomes his desires
Than him who conquers his enemies;
For the hardest victory is the victory over self”.
ARISTOTLE (384-322Bc)
When Schizoid hysteria and lunatic martyrdom becomes the driving force in any sect, religious collectivity, society or individual, it precipitates weird characteristics manifested in sectarian violence, hate, intolerance and fundamentalism. Hence, religion has become the greatest predator on man and Percy Shelley posited that “Earth groans beneath religious iron-age and Priests and Imams dare babble of a God of peace even whilst their hands are red with guiltless blood”.
Religion is a belief in the worship of the ultimate power greater than man. It is like a burning candle in a multi-coloured lantern, you see it from your own perspective. But the desire to make others see it from our own religious stand point or die is the cause of religious schism in Nigeria. It is a grotesque display of blind extremism and gross intolerance for one to be monotheistically fanatical. Religion is supposed to bring out the best in us as Muslims, Christians, Hindus etc. The cardinal matrix of love remains the organic fibre of all religions, but it has turned out to be otherwise. There is only one God which we call by many other names and He is the quintessence and perfect exemplification of love. We are therefore not serving God when we end up fighting and killing ourselves in the name of Islamism or Christianity. It is broad daylight solipsism for which we must all be ashamed.
Sometime ago, a Danish Newspaper made a sarcastic picturesque reflection of Prophet Mohammed and this immediately ignited Islamic violence all over the world. To compound matters the print media in France, Britain, America, Belgium etc re-ran the so-called offensive cartoon leading to and fueling more violence in parts of the world including Nigeria. It must be stated with unequivocal clarity that democracy in Denmark is not reflective of democracy in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Nigeria. In these other areas, democracy is still gestational and embryonic, and so matters that touches on what people love with passionate depth should be treated with some modicum of respect, but that does not justify the unleashing of horrendous mayhem on people of other faiths.
How a cartoon in far away Demark affects a Nigerian Christian remains a puzzle. Is the Boko Haram’s ongoing furore and rancid genocide in Maiduguri, Kastina, Bauchi, Gombe etc that has led to the loss of properties and lives right? Is the practice of Sharia conductive to Nigeria’s peace? Is the Islamic theology and practice inherently violent and intolerant? When will this recurrent decimal of Islamic fundamentalism and blind violence stop in Nigeria? Are reprisals by Christians the best way to respond? Wither goeth the principles, practice and tenets of Islamism and Christianity in Nigeria? Why have successive governments in Nigeria not been able to solve the problem of religious violence and intolerance in Nigeria? Is religion now equivalent to gangsterism? Is it now a Mafioso-like cult? Is religion a new version of terrorism? Is it an indirect protest against political, socio-economic dislocation?
Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960 the orgy of religious violence leading to a bounteous harvest of copses, loss of lives and properties has continued with unabated regularity. In 1962, 1963, 1964 Kano, Sokoto, Jos and Kaduna were very volatile cities of religious violence. The volatility was given a political colour in the 1966 pogrom that led to the mass decimation of the Ibos in Northern Nigeria, which led to the call for all Ibos to return home to Eastern Nigeria, culminating in the Nigeria/Biafra civil war (1967 -1970). In the 80s we witnessed in the Maitasine and Zak Zaki religious schism. Specifically, at the college of Education in the outskirts of metropolitan Kafanchan in Kaduna State at about 8:30pm on Friday March 4, 1987 activities were entering their second day of the “Mission 87 crusade” organized by the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS). It was holding at the Colleges’ convocation Square and the preacher, Reverend Abubakakar Bako, a one-time Moslem from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria mounted the dais and started to speak.
In the course of his remarks he made references to certain verses of the Koran in Arabic and sought to interpret what these meant in English. There were some Moslem students in the library which was not too far from the convocation grounds. They were listening to what the preacher was saying and they took exception to his interpretation of the Koran, arguing that he had no authority to do so. This later led to a religious conflagration that left in its wake genocidal destruction of lives and properties that has now crescendoed in the Boko Haram holocaust and the Chibok saga. The examples are innumerably many. But for how long are we going to continue to put up with this religious madness in Nigeria? It is now time to act. Enough is enough.
There must be a Federal Government Sponsored Bill seeking for life imprisonment and the death penalty for religious bandits and fanatics who terrorize, maim and kill others in the name of their god or whatever. The Federal government of Nigeria must educate and sensitize religious groups on the fact that Nigeria is a secular state and that they are statutorily obligated to the payment of Taxes to the Federal Government of Nigeria. This must commence immediately. The government must stop sponsoring pilgrims to their holy lands and all Pilgrims Welfare Boards must be reorganized to reflect the present religious realities on ground The Bible and the Koran asserts that God Almighty or Allah can fight His own battles. He does not need a galaxy of hypocrites, criminals, terrorists, miscreants, hoodlums and ignorant looters to fight for Him.
It must be courageously said that the violent antics of moslems over the years shows that Imams and Muslims scholars are preaching a Post-Modernism Intifada, Jihad and Fatwa for their selfish political ends and must be condemned in no uncertain terms. They must be prevailed upon to re-orientate themselves and their teachings. They must be told that love, friendship tolerance and brotherhood are the key words and that the idea of infidels does not exist as we are all children of Allah or God Almighty. The idea of a passport to Heaven for killing none Muslims is based on parochial judgmental fallacy.
The Federal Government must set up a new and vibrant council on religious affairs incorporating a broad spectrum of the memberships of all faiths. We are sick and tired of religious violence in Nigeria and any consequent reprisal from Christians will deal a fatal blow to the fragile edifice of Nigeria’s Nation hood. Boko Haram’s callous spilling of human blood, the breaking of limbs, the senseless bombings, the overflowing preternatural rage and arson has done tremendous disservice to the country’s floundering search for a confluence of national interests. The Federal Government must ensure that adequate compensations are paid to those who lost their lives and properties. They must legislate against religious violence. The legal statute posts that Nigeria is a secular state.
Finally, the Nigeria Police and the Army must be told that their mission statement is to protect lives and properties not be partisan when there is a religious fracas. Their failure to apprehend and arrest the spread of killings, bombings and burning to other towns and states in Northern Nigeria raises fundamental and disturbing questions about their readiness to contain larger theatres of violence in the future. Christians’ must be told that reprisal actions are grossly ungodly and illegal. They must however be commended for suffering under the yoke of fanatical attacks for many years now. It must be said that Christians and Moslems serve one God or Allah. But beyond this shared position, a careful study of the two religions reveals a striking congruence on many matters of doctrinal weight. Then why the quarrel? All Nigerians, worthy Christians and Muslims must declare that “Enough is Enough of religious madness in Nigeria.” Boko Haramism must be deracinated hook, line and sinker, President Goodluck Jonathan must show purposeful and cerebral leadership and the North Eastern Governors must shed the toga of brazen connivance and culpability. THE CHIBOK 234 ANGELS MUST BE RELEASED UNSCATHED IMMEDIATELY. It is a task that must be done with soldierly brevity.
CHIEF BOBSON GBINIJE
MANDATE AGAINST POVERTY (MAP)
WARRI. – 08023250378.
