Will religion be the time-bomb for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule?
Special to USAfricaonline.com
Did God mandate these
folks to kill in His name?
Or, are some religions truly the opium of the masses;
and, if I may, the narcotic of the elite?
Religion has remained a core, largely divisive part of the politics
of regions and ethnicity in Nigeria. Raw appeal to the religious
persuasion of candidates for public office are common. The Bible and
the Koran have become part of the staple of playing the divide and
conquer strategy in the geopolitics of the country of almost 110
million largely boisterous citizens. It has been so even long before
Nigeria's political independence of October 1, 1960.
In fact, since the British colonialist, Lord Lugard, led the amalgamation of the northern and southern regions of Nigeria in 1914, the Sokoto Caliphate, the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican church and its other variations have had ample leverage on who governs Nigeria. This reality was underscored by the power of the Sultan of Sokoto since 1890s until the late and infamous Gen. Sani Abacha came and plucked the previously influential Ibrahim Dasuki from the throne.
Even the late Alhaji/Basorun M.K.O Abiola, a Yoruba from President Olusegun Obasanjo's home state in the southwest of Nigeria, Ogun, was a major architect of Nigeria's presence in the controversial Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). He would have pursued this, I believe, largely, to enrich his share of the Muslim/religious vote and bona fides prior to his 3 attempts at becoming president of Nigeria. The Anglican Archbishop Olubunmi Okogie whom I had the privilege and opportunity to interview in 1988 does not make any subtle comments about "the need to have Christians to become active in improving the moral tone and direction of Nigeria." He is the nightmare of anyone who believes that if you slap a Christian he/she should turn the other cheek. In some sense, he's a revolutionary theologian who believes in protecting the daily run of evangelism and its adherents.
Fundamentally, it is not enough to treat the issues in Kaduna and Zamfara as isolated cases. USAfricaonline.com and NigeriaCentral.com can report that 4 other predominantly-Muslim populated states are planning to introduce their own efforts at following the traditional Sharia laws as their co-religionist and Governor of Zamfara has done.
Religious conflicts, among other factors, in the same northern region of Nigeria where thousands of Igbos and easterners were killed in 1966-1967 contributed to the declaration of the defunct Republic of Biafra. According to the former Biafra leader Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu, during an interview I had with him with USAfrica The Newspaper, "it was necessary in the face of the religious and physical assault on our people to draw a line of safety where they can return... which we called Biafra."
Currently, as the soldiers from the Kaduna-based One Mechanized Division and other state security agencies seek to restore calm in Kaduna, a strategic town which is seen as the heartland of northern Nigerian politics, some questions remain pertinent. Among them: How will President Obasanjo handle the festering problems of religious pursuits and his duty to maintain law and order? It is ironic that the same issues and questions he posed, with a subtle indication that it is not altogether impossible for the federal government to impose a state of emergency in Lagos due to the wanton brigandage of the Odua Peoples' Congress(OPC), a militant group of his fellow Yorubas who have fought and confronted various interests including the Governor of Lagos.
Also, how will the National Assembly respond to
the theocratic interests of some Muslims who wish to be governed
under the conservative and strict Islamic Sharia law, under Nigeria's
constitutionally-mandated secular state? What about the more moderate
Muslims who prefer the status quo? Is there a proper understanding of
the issue of separation of church/mosque and state in Nigeria? Will
religion be the time-bomb for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian
rule? Did God mandate these folks to kill in His name? Or are some
religions truly the opium of the masses, and if I may the narcotic of
the elite? The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind.
Nwangwu, recipient of the Journalism Excellence Award, HABJ 1997,
served on the editorial board of The Daily Times of Nigeria, and
traveled with and covered President Bill Clinton's visit to parts of
Africa,March -April, 1998. He is the founder and publisher of The
Black Business Journal, BBJonline.com,
USAfrica The Newspaper, NigeriaCentral.com
and the first African-owned, U.S.-based professional newspaper to be
published on the Internet, USAfricaonline.com
Copyright©February 22,
2000 USAfrica Digital Media Networks
The first
critical test of the mix of the full run of traditional
Islamic law with secular laws and values since Nigeria's
return to civilian rule in May 1999, has started with the
enactment of Islamic Sharia law Nigeria's northern state of
Zamfara.
40 killed
in latest
Nigeria ethnic clashes between Yorubas and Hausas
OPC killings turn on itself; 6 dead in Lagos
clash
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