By Abuchi Obiora
Apart from the originating factors of feudalism and serfdom (which brought about the abject poverty and penury in northern Nigeria), other factors responsible for the implosion of northern Nigeria with the spill-over consequence of mass idleness in that part of Nigeria, which are contributory to the growing trend of insecurity across the country, include religious factors and the centuries-old uneasy calm between the indigenous natives of the conquered Hausa land and the Fulani migrants of 1804.
This week, we shall make efforts to discuss the implosion of northern Nigeria and explain out the security implications to Nigeria of that implosion by taking a brief intellectual excursion to the domain of an informal knowledge which I call esoteric service and transcendental arts in my works written with the pseudonym, Rabbi Abram A. ben-Uriel.
As in the physical science law of implosion (which, in simple language, means ‘caving in’), all the subsisting laws in physical sciences derive origin from certain fundamental foundations and fixed principles of the multiple, yet related mathematically calculable processes guiding the earth and the whole gamut of the universal space in the spirit of ‘as above, so below’. We shall use this informal knowledge, one of the remaining fragments from the wisdom of the ancients, to explain certain occurrences in the socio-political space of Nigeria.
By the way, esoteric science and transcendental arts, a knowledge in which some members of my age bracket are conversant with, is the abstract science which explores the ‘philosopher’s stone’. For those people who must understand my cryptic explanation, the search for the ‘philosopher’s stone’, is made possible by the knowledge of the sages of old, to ‘turn base metal into gold’. In our primes, we were more interested in self and society development than the present generation of young people who are more interested in the acquisition of material wealth. This spiritual pursuit of our generation became the forerunner of Christian Pentecostalism in Nigeria as the first generation of Nigerian Bishops and General Overseers knew something about the mystical arts, sought the truth, sifted the wheat from the chaff, and embraced the Bible as the epitome of the truth.
Because nature allows no vacuum, any natural process whose expression is impeded overtime, takes the only option of implosion available to it. We shall briefly examine how northern Nigeria imploded in obedience to this natural law. Within available space, we shall cast some glimpses at the factors which brought about the implosion as well as explore their relationships to one another with a view to finding out how Nigeria attained the unenviable record of being one of the most insecure people in the world today. We shall also proffer solutions in these regards as how to take the country out of the woods.
The Fulani Jihadist expedition and Islamic expansionism of the Western Sudanese Islamic revivalist, Uthman dan Fodio of 1804 with the later interpretation of that expedition by subsequent generations of the Fulani in Nigeria as to ‘dig the Qur-an in the sea’ was the first and still the most prominent factor contributory to the explosion of northern Nigeria.
The religious mission of the Sheikh which later turned out to be pseudo- imperialism, having socio-political and economic motives, brought about the Fulani-Muslim uprisings which began in the same year from the defunct Hausa-Muslim empire of Gobir. It spread across other prosperous and defunct Hausa Muslim empires, including Kano, Rano, Katsina, Zauzau (Zaria), and Daura. It also spread east to the ancient empire of Bornu which was the oldest Hausa- Muslim Empire in Nigeria. The uprisings were very bloody and much of the long established civilization were destroyed with the very wealthy generation of trans-Saharan trade merchants of those ancient kingdoms and their resources sunk in the protracted wars.
The feudalism brought about by the conquest of the ancient kingdoms of the Hausa land, overtime, displaced the people of those ancient kingdoms, making them slaves in their own lands. This was the beginning of poverty and penury in the north and the earliest reason for the restiveness and unrest in northern Nigeria which led to the implosion of the north. Feudalism in the north gave birth to the presence of the Talakawas and the Almajiris who now maintain the inexhaustible supply chain of banditry, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups operating in Nigeria.
Apart from feudalism, another factor that brought about the implosion of northern Nigeria is the religious reason. Religious extremism which has become
the identity of some Islamic sects has periodically set the north on fire. There was the Maitatsine group and their own Islamic ideology. There is the Boko Haram group whose ideology is regarded by many elitist and scholarly Muslims as being skewed. There is also this subsisting, sad and unnecessary feud between the Shi’a Muslims and their Sunni brothers which have wantonly taken the lives of many young, educated, talented and bright Nigerian Shi’a Muslims who would have made both the north and Nigeria proud in their existence, if they had lived.
As for the blood of young Nigerian Shi’a Muslims shed by subsequent Nigerian governments as that group protest the injustice meted on them, I will say that a country that derives joy in shedding the blood of its young citizens is doomed. The unnecessary war levied by successive Nigerian governments controlled by the extant groups of Sunni Islam, notably the Izalas, the Salafists, Wahhabists, etc, with the strong influence of the Caliphate against the peace-loving Shi’a Muslim community in Nigeria, is another source of tension contributory to the implosion of northern Nigeria.
But for the peaceful nature of the Nigerian Shi’a Muslim community, the security situation in Nigeria would have been more compounded than it is today, if the Shi’as in Nigeria were to request their parent organization in Iran under the leadership of the Twelver Shi’a Marja, His Excellency, His Eminence the Ayatollah, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the spiritual leader and head of Shiism worldwide, to assist them ride the storm in Nigeria. Everybody knows what Iran and their home-bred group HAMAS can do to their perceived enemies. The notoriety of HAMAS in terror wars is proven by the fact that in spite of the strength of Israel firepower known to be one of the best in the world, HAMAS has shown to be a most difficult organization to handle as is shown in the on-going feud between Israel and Palestine.
I have written something before about Islamic fatwa or religious mercy killing in the Kaleidoscope. Religious mercy killing or Islamic injunction of ‘Fatwa’, is another factor responsible for the implosion of northern Nigeria. Religious mercy killing is an anathema to modern civilization.
Religious mercy killing existed from the time of Abraham through the pre-exilic and post-exilic period of the Jewish history. It lasted shortly before the debut of Christianity as a religion practiced by both the Jews and the Gentiles.
Many of the killings done by King David in defense of the Jews and the religion of Judaism were mercy killings. In the Old Testament book of Numbers, Philhas performed mercy killing it is reported that the Israelite god was pleased and was said to have removed reproach from the people.
But the same Judaism reformed by the message of Jesus Christ (who in instituting the founding doctrines of Christianity as an extant religion of Judaism, said that He did not come to destroy the law but to improve on it) in the New Testament, condemned all types of killings. He said, “They that live by the sword die by the sword”. Since this work is not to propagate any religious teaching, let me quickly say that modern civilization has embraced the message of sanctity of life long preached by Jesus Christ more than two thousand years ago. Most countries of the world, including non Christian and Muslim countries have expunged death sentences from their statutes, in recognition of the validity of the teaching of Jesus Christ, and march of civilization. This divine love portrayed in the teachings of Jesus Christ is so valid that no religion needs ‘fatwa’ for God to fight God’s battles, because even the violent Peter to whom Jesus Christ directed that eternal message, died by the sword.
My opinion, therefore is that since Jesus Christ (Glory be to Him) and prophet Mohammed (S.A.W) and their compatriots rode on horses and were driven in caravans, while today, we have the advantage and privilege to drive in posh cars and fly in private jets (courtesy of modern civilization), the distinguished Islamic Clerics and Muslim Scholars across the world should see the need and reason to have a second look at the Islamic religious mercy killing through judgment of the Islamic religious injunction of ‘fatwa’, to align with the march of humanity to modern civilization. The alternative to this review is the preponderance of cases seen by public opinion as abuse of the right to life of individuals as in the case with the judgment of the high command of the Boko Haram Islamic Jihadists on persons executed by them, and the death sentence recently passed by the Kano state Shariah system on a 22 year-old singer and musician.
In a development which a Nigerian indigenous Hausa-Muslim Professor analyzed as the unfinished business of Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio in sub-Saharan Africa, the Prof. said that the Mbororo (nomadic) Fulani, having not the advantage of their elitist and urban brothers and feeling abandoned and always used as canon
fodders to suit the whims and caprices of their elitist, urban brothers, have spread the message of terror across Nigeria.
Presently, the Mbororo rural Fulani from the west African sub-region are being used by their urban elitist brothers to institute and wage asymmetric war across Nigeria for what is suspected is to be the accomplishment of the task of ‘dipping the Qu-ran in the sea’, nay, to forcibly wholesale Islamize Nigeria. The urban elitist Fulani usually use the nomadic Mbororo Fulani as foot soldiers to levy their battles where the later inadvertently act as buffer zones and human shields to stop all attacks reaching the former. This ‘sacrificial lamb’ use of the Mbororo, rural, nomadic Fulani is exemplified in the summary advice of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam El Rufai, to the security agencies to execute the redundant Mbororo Fulani now turned kidnappers who were imported to Nigeria from the west African countries to execute a sinister project that was later scrambled by an act of God.
This, most probably, may be the reason for the deliberate efforts at pushing the frontiers of the asymmetric war zones deep into both the South East, the South West, and the South South.
The north central part of Nigeria (the Middle Belt) was thought to have long been subjugated to the authority of the urban elitist Fulani, with Emirates sprung up in place of indigenous traditional rural as in the displacement of the traditional stool of the Shehu of Bornu with an Emir who derives authority and is accountable to the Sultan, the supreme head to the Caliphate.
The greatest danger which also escalates the adverse security implications of the implosion of the north to the rest of the country is government attitude to it and the non-recognition of it as an important factor for the gross insecurity witnessed across the country. Officials of government have made statements which show either their insensitivity to the spill-over effects to the nation of the activities resulting from the implosion of the north, or the complicity of government in the whole saga of insecurity.
I did not believe myself when I read that some elders in northern Nigeria gathered themselves, and after not discussing the general insecurity bedeviling the country, the many lives lost daily in Nigeria as a result of the nagging insecurity and the export of banditry to the south by northern elements,
announced to Nigerians that they have agreed to a restructure of the country. They did not specify the type of restructure they propose, but they were very clear in telling Nigerians that the north does not intend to share the presidency of Nigeria with the south in the arrangement they propose.
I thought that I did not read well, when I first read the communiqué issued by those northern elders, so I read again and again and discovered suddenly that I experience a temporal tachycardia – my heart beat fast, and the next thing I experienced was a quick feeling of nihilist anger envelop me.
I know that millions of southern Nigerians who read that communiqué felt the same way that I felt. I asked myself: could it be true that I am a slave? Never to aspire to the presidency of my country, a position which is open to millions of people in northern Nigeria who are much less qualified than me in all areas of human knowledge and experience? Could it be true that northern Nigerian Fulani immigrants of 1804 believe that all Nigerians are slaves to them – wait for it – in the year of our Lord, 2021! I hissed and repeated the words of my brother-in-law and friend, William Omeregie, whenever he sensed danger. He would say, “wetin dey for eye, na water!”.
My late father told me the stories of my ancestors, and I can remember their names and trace them to the fourteenth century, all of them having lived in the geographical location where I presently live in my village (everybody in my village right now is remotely related to me in true blood relationship over hundreds of years, and I know through which parent I am related to everyone of them) live with my clan, my kindred, my siblings (and their families), and my children.
Will the Fulani immigrants of 1804 in Nigeria lay such claims to the places where they presently sojourn in Nigeria? At that point of thought, my greatest fear for Nigeria – violent dismemberment – seem to be in sight, wherefore with the new awareness now created in the hitherto conquered indigenous Hausa-Muslim people and the Middle Beltans, the Fulani in Nigeria may not even be able to lay claim to any part of Nigeria when the chips are down. The folly not to allow Nigerians to be so that they, too, can be, surprises me.
That mistake was a very bad one for the north to have told the south that the later should forget the presidency of Nigeria forever. This gives everybody food
for thought and those of us who thought we love one indivisible Nigeria and should be patriotic to it having spoken and written in favour of restructuring the country for the past thirty years, to re-examine our stand and weigh it with the mounting pressure and groundswell of opinion for total dismemberment of Nigeria. If and when dismemberment happens as it must happen if the north refuses to restore equity, justice and fair play by allowing a complete restructure of Nigeria in areas which will include Regional Police, Regional Armies, Regional Customs, Regional Immigration, Fiscal Autonomy, and total and one hundred percent Resource Control, those people from the north who presently threaten fire and brimstone will discover that they will not escape the heat of the fire, and the incinerating weight of the brimstone upon themselves. I think that it is only those who are politically and socially blind, deaf and dumb, that will not see and hear that Nigerians across all the ethnic nationalities are prepared more than ever before, to secure their freedom lost in the dubious and British-arranged Lugardian amalgamation of 1914.
Very recently, while responding to the reactions of the southern governors who showed their patriotism taking a common position to solving the problems of Nigeria, Senator Abdullahi Yahaya, the Senate Leader, was quoted to have said that, “the north can’t be intimidated or blackmailed by the so-called minority southerners. The political structures and institutions that is in place in the north can’t be broken by some hatred-laddened so-called southern governors. Nobody can ban the Hausa-Fulani open grazing in Nigeria without the endorsement of the President and the consent of Miyetti Allah. Southerners are all learners when it comes to politics. Wait and see how it will unfold”.
Well, as indigenous Nigerians, we have heard such arrogance from the Fulani-Muslim stock before and we are taking records. Meanwhile, I am sure that if we look at the man’s life history starting from the cut-off mark for his entry into a Nigeria University and the entry of his northern brothers into Nigerian Universities, we will discover that he has benefitted immensely from birth, including, possibly, his present position as the Senate Leader which gives him the visibility and impetus to taunt all of us in the south, from the same system that impoverished many qualified southern Nigerians to the point of death. This is why he wants the status quo perpetuated.
The type of statement credited to the Senate Leader adds salt to the injury of the people. But the only thing I can observe in his vituperations is that either he is short-sighted in his view of the unfolding politics of Nigeria, myopic to see the handwriting on the wall, or under illusion and naïve in his assessment of the present political situation in Nigeria. He may possibly be suffering from all of those three political immature conditions, having really not read the history of nations and the evolution of group consciousness with the characteristic response of concerted group action against oppression. For this later reason, the man may be talking from the point of view of a local champion.
Nevertheless, I agree with him that we should all “wait and see how it unfolds”. When it actually does unfold completely, people like him who struggle to make peaceful change impossible will find out that the possibility of a violent change which by their actions and non-actions they have made inevitable, will eventually sweep their feet off the carpet and cast them to the dark corners of forgotten history.
In another development, I was shocked to read the misplaced and unintelligent comparison of Nigerians who are legally engaged in spare parts business in northern Nigeria with the dangerous marauding Fulani herdsmen in southern Nigeria criminally involved in illegal trespass, killing, maiming, raping, kidnapping and banditry, by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
In his book, “Origin of Nigerian Civil War” (1969), produced by the Nigerian Printing Press, Apapa, The Right Hon. (Dr) Nnamdi Azikiwe wrote, “We seek for education to enable us to discover facts, and to be objective on analyzing social situations, balancing possible factors, collating these into acceptable theses, and formulating logical premises before arriving at conclusions which could be regarded as fair and reasonable”. This means that anybody who claims to be educated but fails to train his mind within this minimum limit expected of an educated person, is an educated illiterate who missed it all in all the years of his sojourn in the Ivory Towers. Many people who have not had experience of the Ivory Towers in their lives could be better than such a person.
My take in this matter is that the man who is supposed to be a legal officer with a higher than average sense of logic, which, by the way, makes a good legal officer, goofed to the marrow of his bones.
By his unequal comparison, he has simply succeeded to tell Nigerians his incapacity as a legal logician, foretelling the adverse implications of that incapacity on the Nigerian judicial system, to which he is the chief legal officer.
To cap up this discourse, my warning is that if the powers-that-be refuses to listen to the yearnings of Nigerians for a change of the political status quo, we will soon be witnessing a stalemate which may possibly lead to a crisis in the polity, with the worst case scenario in the polity, being an internecine war in Nigeria.
To stop the insecurity in the country, there is the urgent need for the government to rest the present agitations for self-rule across the diverse ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, not through military clampdowns which escalate the problem, but through being open to attend to the demands of the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria for the complete restructure of the country.
It is unacceptable for Nigeria to live in a so-called one-Nigeria with the urban, elitist Fulani strategically placed to man the armed forces, all aspects of governance including juicy political offices and all the plum appointments in the mainstream economy while their brothers, the nomadic, rural, Mbororo Fulani spread themselves strategically across the nook and crannies of Nigerian forests as if they lie in wait for an instruction to strike and militarily vanquish everybody and conquer the country for a Fulani nation
Finally, the Kaleidoscope mourns with Nigeria and the bereaved families of the men of Nigerian Armed forces and the crew of the ill-fated crashed Air force plane, for the officers and the crew members who paid the supreme sacrifice in service of the country. May their departed Souls rest in Perfect Peace. Amen.
ABUCHI OBIORA
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