President Buhari; A Honest Mistake

The only thing I dislike about Nigerians is our obsession with prayers.

When we deliberately get ourselves into a bad situation, instead of looking for ways to make amends, get out of the situation and learn from it we start asking God to do wonders, but God won’t do for a man what he ought to do for himself which is why God carefully created us and added a brain, not only to make us better but for us to only ask for his help when the situation is beyond our ability.

The hatred and desperation to put an end to the “Goodluck that wasn’t so good” led us into believing the“Change”without asking the details of what the Change has for us, we simply became too emotional during the run ins to the election, the opposition saw this and capitalized, our hatred, desperation and emotions to see the end of President Goodluck Jonathan became our Weakness. Showing these traits, APC went to work on our psychic by feeding us lies and propaganda just to fuel our hatred and desperation which In turn made us eager to vote out the “incompetent Jona” (a title I’m sure most us those that voted the present president must now feel they used too early). The election couldn’t come earlier and everything that happened during preparations for the elections were inconsequential as minds were already made up and when Nigerians started sharing this on social media “even if pdp show us a picture and video of tinubu and Buhari robbing the central bank, we will still vote Buhari” the APC knew it was a matter of when and not if they’ll win the elections, Nigerians played into their hands, made them feel like the gods they’ve proven they’ll never be and this made APC promised us things we knew are impossible but because we’ve been blinded by emotions and desperation we refused to read beyond the Promises and ask how.

95% of the Nigerians that voted Buhari did so because they “want the very best” for Nigeria and in Buhari they felt they have a man who loves Nigeria, as he is a former head of state, and also served under another head of state, such a man should understand everything about Nigeria and shouldn’t be overwhelmed by whatever “rots” he finds in the system; also as an election veteran, no man competes for same position three times in twelve years and won’t know what the seat demands but the current realities have shown that Nigerians elected a man that is overwhelm by the vastness of Nigeria, a man with no clear understanding of how to lead a multi ethnic and multi religious nation, a man that clearly still lives thirty years behind,, a man that feel Nigeria should be run like a village.

Having a man with no self improvement (education and current affairs wise) since leaving office and electing him president of Africa’s biggest economy without a debate or thorough questioning on his ‘HOWS’ is the deliberate mistake Nigerians made and will always live to appreciate, he won ‘our hearts’ by his Mr Integrity tag.

A man the believes corruption is the single biggest problem facing our nation and solving it will automatically fix every other things is not a man worth the highest office in the land, pre election when General Buhari granted an interview and promised to fix our economy with ‘the army, navy and air force” he clearly told us that there is no need probing further, that he doesn’t understand what makes an economy works neither does he know what it takes to correct the many issues facing our economy, currency and nation, but like I said earlier, the emotions and desperation got the better of us

Having him as our President right now has made it very difficult for the country to progress because nobody can readily point to the direction in which the country is headed economic, security, even anti corruption wise but he’s a mistake we all shall learn from. No man becomes great based on his intentions, better still public perceived intentions, he got there on who Nigerians think he was and not who is he right now, a man that refused to update himself on happenings around the world and upgrade his knowledge of what he actually knows no matter how little but many believes he’s still the right man for the job based on the integrity many believes he has and in also believing that while he’s there he’d concentrate on areas where he has much ability and knowledge while his vice will be in charge of other areas that require deep academic knowledge. So far it’s not been what we expect but lessons from his 4years if Nigeria survives till then are;

1. Integrity is not enough for lead a nation.
2. Debates before an election is as important as voting
3. Electing a brilliant man as Vice President won’t be enough cover if the main man is not at least averagely brilliant and a good vice won’t suddenly lead the nation right has it’s not his job
4. Electing a man based on who you think he is and not what he actually is can have a serious negative effect
5. Fighting corruption shouldn’t be a campaign promise, it’s a civic duty.

Gob bless Nigeria and I hope we survive till 2019 so we can apply these lessons in moving our nation forward.

President Buhari is a Honest Mistake.

Pres Buhari: Leadership Is Responsibility

“People desire change when things aren’t going exactly how they expect, but what there is the need for change when things are working out as planned” -‎ Anonymous
‎

How America might be responsible for Boko Haram Activities in Nigeria

For once let’s consider other possibilities for the emergence of Boko Haram and the continuous growth of their Arsenal, let’s look beyond Islam and the greediness of Northern elders, as much as we can’t rule both out, for now let’s look beyond them.

Truly, He Doesnt Give a Damn

Defending President Jonathan is actually the hardest job or hobby in the world right now because he’s a man not worthy to be defended or supported, he makes it hard everyday for any human with a functioning brain and conscience to even think of defending him.

Though we can’t blame him for all that has happened in Nigeria since he became the President in acting capacity and as the elected president but we must as well blame him for his ‘snail-like response’ or non-response to problems in Nigeria, Nigeria has changed from being the giants of Africa to the clown of Africa, though he’s not singularly responsible for that but his contribution to achieving that feat is immense and he’s still doing more to even take us further as the most dangerous black nation in the world, don’t even think about the GDP rebasing, the average man on the street won’t feel its impact and only a secure nation will attract investors.

From unguarded statements to dance of shame, its clear for even the blind in Nigeria to see that truly this man doesn’t give a damn, some Nigerians were murdered in Yobe state last year and instead of staying back to bring the perpetrators to book he choose to travel for a conference in Brazil because he wants to make a statement and show the world and indeed those committing these crimes that they can’t stop the government from functioning, weeks ago he went for a rally in kano while over 200 girls were kidnapped ‘under his watch’, a serious/competent president will want to know how terrorists were able to operate in a state under the emergency rule but instead he chose another dance of shame, one would have expected him to at least pretend that he cares (though we know he doesn’t give a damn) and cancel the rally/birthday party but he didn’t because he want to clearly show the criminals and those against his government that they can’t stop his government from functioning.

For every problem he has no interest in solving he create committees but a committee 18days after the chibok girls were kidnapped shows one thing and one thing clearly that our president has other important issues to deal with like rallies, campaigns, dance of shames and other important issues that will guarantee his reelection in 2015 and if not for the protests of Nigerians and the international communities he won’t even create a committee at all, and its clear that the girls will still spend more days in the den of kidnappers because until the committee submits their reports nothing will be done, I might be wrong here but how else can you explain his silence for so long, a normal leader would have at least pretend to care and address the nation but he doesn’t, because he doesn’t think those girls are eligible to vote in 2015 anyway so they can’t help achieve his second term ambition.

In conclusion, its safe to say we have a selfish robot with no feelings as our leader in Nigeria and he doesn’t care what we think about him as long as his ambitions are realized in 2015, though the opposition is also not good enough but how will the citizens that are afraid to go about their normal activities and business because of his incompetence come out to vote and re-elect him in 2015?

Dear President, improve security in Nigeria and you might just increase your chances of not losing scandalously in 2015

Boko Haram; A Misconception of Islam

Before one can begin to take a stand on “Islam” and “Terrorism”, it is significant to understand the enomity of these two divergent terms, albeit we have to agree that these two terms have become inextricably interwoven in this zeitgeist, and the media has contributed enomoursly to the complexity of trying to understand the nature of the problem, but it is only fair for one to understand Islam’s stance on terrorism and inorder to do this one must refer to its original sources, the Quran and Hadiths (the teachings of Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him) which are explicit in their prohibition of any form of injustice and skull duggery including that of wanton violence which seeks to instill fear, injury or death to (innocent) civilians.

On that account the Quran clearly states in chapter 5 verse 32 that: “We ordained for the Children of Israel (Believers) that if any one slay a person – (unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land) – it would be as if he slayed the whole mankind: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole mankind” , the verse did not specify “Muslim” or “Christian” but Mankind, that is to say Allah (God) does not take delight in transgression against one another irrespective of Religion, Race or Ethnicity. Another verse reveals: “Whether We shall show thee (within thy life-time) part of what we promised them or take to ourselves thy soul (before it is all accomplished), – thy duty is to make (the Message) reach them: it is Our part to call them to account. Q 13:40

But if they turn away, thy duty is only to preach the clear Message. There are several verses that aligns to the above like: Q 88: 21-22, Q 17:54, Q:24:54 and so many others. These verses clearly points out that as a Muslim, it is only your duty to preach and remind and not to compel or coerce anyone to adopt your religion either by violence or by subjecting them to hypocritical kindness.

Another verse goes on to explain that if Allah so wish, He would have made the world one religion, but it is His will for us to be created this way. Q 10: 99-100

The reason for providing the background information here is to enable us come to grip with the sophisticated nature of the problem and understand what we are dealing with, it is also believed that this should help whoever that believes in the synonymity of these two morally opposite concepts to clear up their vague assertions.

First and foremost, it is very necessary to note that Islam is not a religion of sects, it is a religion that seeks to regulate lives from which values can be derived. Islam as a word means “peace” and Muslims are expected to uphold this virtue in all aspects of life, on that note we can clearly assert that the brutal killings and attacks on the lives and properties of innocent people in the northern part of Nigeria under the guise of Islam is unIslamic, unjustifiable, UnGodly and barbaric.

This sect tagged “Boko Haram” which literarily translates into “western education is a sin” have disguised political themes under the auspices of religion, they have come to cause mayhem and shake the very core of our economy and society, perpetrating all sorts of immoral acts claiming a propagandized war against Western Education and Christians of which a meticulous approach of the subject reveals that their cowardly acts are aimed at intimidating, dividing and causing despondency among Nigerians. It makes it very important for us to point out the several incontestable facts that these acts of cruelty is not justified by Islam and neither is it a northern course. One of the prayers of any true Muslim is written in Quran 20 Verse 114:”My Lord! Enrich me with knowledge. How is it that the same religion that ordained us to pray for knowledge counters its own self by telling us “Western Knowledge or Education is a sin”? of course there is an obvious contradiction here. One of the Hadiths of the Holy Prophet states “Wisdom and knowledge are things that the believer lacks. He should take them “wherever” he finds them.”(Tirmidhi, Al-Ilm) futhermore, the pursuit of knowledge and the use of reason, based on sense and observation is made obligatory on all believers because Islam is a religion that encourages research and constant acquisition of knowledge for us to fit into the society. However Islam only limits us on using our acquired knowledge for the good of humanity and to fulfil our salvation to our creator.

If Islam is against acquiring western Knowledge then one should sight examples of foremost Islamic scientists in the 14th century who colored the European civilization at a time when Europe was considered a dark continent: Muhammad Ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi considered in some cases to be the father of Algebra, Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Kathīr al-Farghānī who was said to be involved in measuring the diameter of the earth, these are few amongst many. To further crown this point, In this zeitgeist one of the most renown Islamic Orator in the world, Doctor Zakir Naik is a surgeon, sighting more examples from the north where this group of people claim to hail from, we have Prof. Attahiru Jega (Political Science), Prof. Ruqayatu Rufai (Education), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha (pharmacy), Professor Sheikh Dangi (Accounting), Prof. Ango Abdullahi not to mention those in politics: Aminu Tambuwal (Law), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai (Quantity Survey, Law and Public Admin), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (Law), Sanusi Lamido (Economics), Shamsudeen Usman (Economics) and not forgetting Mrs Aloma Maryam Mukhtar (Law). All these men and women of accolades are popular not for proclaiming Islamic Knowledge alone but for excelling in western education mostly from northern universities and standing in mainstream politics.
Let us also bring to our cognizance that Kaduna State alone houses Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State University, Kaduna State Polytechnic, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, College of Aviation, National Institute of Transport Technology amongst many and as far as education is concerned , these institutions are renowned for conventional education. If Boko was Haram, then how did all these institutions find their way to the north?.

The Governor of Kano, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has recently thrown it to the world that “Boko is not Haram” by introducing a free education project for the people of the state from the primary to tertiary level and it is important to note that this form of education is not only Islamic but conventional having realised that if we don’t educate ourselves, how do we understand that the bloody and tyrannous killings cloaked as Jihad is unIslamic and outdated and now is the era of contemporary Jihad that requires intellects and verbal jousting.

More so, the “heroic” acts of Boko Haram and Shekau will not in anyway contribute to a religion that has already been in existence for centuries and stood through the worst moments, his actions are as hysterical as trying to make an ocean sugary, He is only making the Islamophobia grow stronger amongst the ignorant and It is also glaring that some politicians use this as a bludgeoning point to serve their selfish interests and paint the image of Islam wrongly, while others focus on using terror as a profit making enterprise.

While the Media serves the news to the permeable minds of the ignorant, one cannot debunk the fact that radicalised muslims have been used to perpetrate heinous acts, but from a vantage point, radicalisation is a human thing and not a religious programming as it is often percieved. We can’t keep Judging religions by its followers just like we can’t Judge a car by its driver. If a driver knocks someone down with a car who will you blame, the car or the driver?

Nigerians should also know that these Terrorists view us all as Nigerians and worthy targets and they don’t discriminate. Our divisions will do nothing but reduce our bargaining power for a better country from our leaders because we speak in divided religious and ethnic voices.

At this juncture It is suffice to quote the President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan in which he clearly stated that “Boko Haram killings have no link with religion” on that note we seperate Islam from this cowardly act of destruction.

I’m a Muslim, I’m not a terrorist and I don’t support terrorism.

Amir-Abdurrahman
@ameer_tsidi

The Anti Gay Law and Nigerians.

The concept of Homosexuality is an abomination according to the Holy Books, a taboo in African tradition and also to every extent it is morally wrong but that is not enough reason to hate or condemn anyone for being homosexual. Religiously and morally it is wrong to hate anyone for their choice or opinion in life but with the hate and condemnation homosexuals receive from everywhere especially from Nigerians one would think homosexuality is the only abomination in the eye of God which is not true.

Many of the things we do and see as normal are abomination in the sight of God but the society makes it seem like homosexuals are the greatest sinners in the sight of God, according to Ezekiel 18 v 10 – 13, homosexuals aren’t the only ones committing abominable offences even bankers and almost everyone involved in politics commit abomination but the society sees it as normal.

Instituting laws and tagging them like criminals shouldn’t be a state issue,, what two consenting adults do in private shouldn’t be a problem to the society and shouldn’t be an issue to be discussed in the parliament. Hating and condemning them won’t solve the problem of homosexuality, how do you convince those you’ve shown hatred to repent from their wrongdoings? Besides, making it illegal doesn’t make it go away.

The anti gay law cheapened our democracy and will probably pose more danger to the freedom of Nigerians than any other law in our history because there’s no way to prove anyone is gay and with the law enforcement agencies we have in this country more innocent people will be arrested, black mailed and tortured as gays and soon the law will be used as a weapon to settle personal and political scores.

More ground studies should have been done to itemize other options before laws are passed, that is why in America, not all states have legalised this act. The Okada ban law in Lagos is a clear example that in Nigeria the law enforcers don’t really understand the laws they’re enforcing neither do they know how to interpret laws, A law like this will give rise to many wrongful convictions and vile mob actions.

Homosexuals are our brothers and sisters and should be shown love, if we all claim to love God how come we hate our brothers for their choice in life? 1 John 4: 20 “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen”

Religiously, Homosexuals are like lost souls, they’re in sin but don’t know, to make them realise their mistakes they must be shown love and respect, prayed for and taught to be true to the order of nature,, by doing this we can convince them to forsake their wrong choice and change for good.

Nigeria; A Product Of Our Society

By Amir-Abdulrahman JA
President District 11 Outreach Project (DOP)

Democracy is a fair system in which the people get the leaders they deserve. Nigeria is a perfect example to fit into this description as our political office holders who are ambassadors of our paper-perfected Democracy are perfect reflections of our societal standards and what we stand for as a people. Why call our leaders idiots when we are bigger idiots? Why call them corrupt, when we are like them?

Our failed democracy is nothing but a result of inconsequential decadent hypocrisy and insalubrious sentiments that majority will always bring into everything especially when money is involved to buy our conscience and make us wave our sense of judgement. After the Last Presidential media chat, it became clearer that Nigerians lack the grace and acumen to advocate for change, we are talkers not doers and it is fair for any one to say; we don’t deserve good governance yet and not anytime soon. The incumbent administration is going to be 3 years old in office by 2014 and 5 years in total from the 2 years passed down from the Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua, we don’t need the United Nations, Transparency international or Amnesty International to tell us that in the past 3 years our Nation has been in a state of anomaly and almost heading for doom, a casual perusal and meticulous analysis of the subject will tell us so. In the last decade, N21 Trillion has been said to have fled the shores of Nigeria, the fuel subsidy was a total scam and innovations such as the SURE-P failed before they even got started, the last 3 years has threatened us with insurgency and incessant corruption cases.

The incumbent administration has failed in totality to address the major areas creating inferno and chaos in the Nation, instead they have exhibited great parochialism by playing politics while burning issues loom and threaten the sovereignty and unity of the Nation, yet we have people who are ready to fight you just for pointing out several incontestable fact that the PDP and the present administration has derailed the Nation 16 years backwards even if records show that I voted for the same people I criticise, their loyalists will accuse you of being blinded by religious sentiments. This is totally abysmal and uncivilized, to say I can’t spell out the ills of my government because I don’t share the same religious beliefs as majority of them.

If Nelson Rohlil-Ahla Mandela was a Nigerian, Nigerians will play tribalism and regionalism even when the state of the Nation is at stake, who cares? Nigerians are entertained by politics of backwardness and slavery, that is why despite the heinous atrocities of Late Gen. Sani Abacha against Nigerians and Nigeria, he is still being worshipped and praised by a vast majority of people in the North Like wise Lieutenant Col. Odimegwu Ojukwu in the East. In this zetgeist it is saddening that our politics is still being fraught with sentiments instead of important National issues, this is why our kingdom keeps crumbling and falling.

Nigeria is still one of the very few countries in Africa where political officers campaign with feeble projects such as bridge and road construction, portable water and Health care facilities after all we are educated illiterates who do not understand what “basic social amenities” means. Our politicians care about the hungry when they are voters and only care about the naked when they are women. We sell our votes for items as small as pack of maggi, bag of rice and in most cases for nickel and dime oblivious that selling our votes out is selling the future and our coming generation to continous slavery. Our politicians continue to offer such items because of the certainty that we are like them, we are what they are and what differentiates us from them is just time. while other Nations are moving to 2014 next year, Nigeria Is just stepping into 1961. This is hysterical but true.

The recent open letter of former Head of State General Olusegun Obasanjo to Dr Goodluck Jonathan has nothing to do with Nigerians, we are just being overtly partisan over paper-transactions (fraught with intentional and political innuendos) between a former president who ran a Nation of gorilla warfare and Lion-ist modus operandi and a serving one that runs a government of the elites and commitees where corruption is the currency for trade. Instead of dwelling on how to reclaim our Nation from these people in 2015, who have not even an infinitesimal idea of what the masses are going through. We stay analysing and looking for ways to take sides with them. It is disheartening that Nigerians are pleading with Obasanjo to help us stop President Jonathan from his 2015 ambition, this is to tell you that our powers as voters is zilch and has no effect on our democracy, we don’t need OBJ to act for us, if majority are dissatisified by his (GEJ) leadership, our votes should speak for us in unison. Allowing the same people interfere for us insinuates that Our fate, freedom and rights are being compromised, yet we are positioned to observe while we sing praises of them because they are from the same region as us.

One day at a gathering in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, a friend of mine told me that after he saw the natural resources possessed by Nigeria and our history of bad governance, that it is appropriate to say, Nigeria is not a Nation where heroes can be made, and it is going to take time for us to realise that we have the power to be better than the United States and China. Yes! Nigeria can’t possibly make heroes because the youths are bothered more by relationship status than the state of their Nation, we are obsessed with trivialities and enslaved by materialism that greatness has lost its adequacy in our hearts.

How can you demand for your rights when you live wrongly, a revolution starts with individuals doing the right thing. God did not send a prophet to lead the egyptians, they recognised their common enemy and proceeded. Muyideen Mustapha the 23 years old boy that passed away during the fuel subsidy protest in Kwara has been forgotten, his name blown with the dust on streets and sadly no place in history for him. Is it not true that we are not a Nation of heroes?

While we anticipate 2015, we should go back and look at the journey from 2011 till date, majority elected Mr President, he clearly represents us, so when we rain abuses and curses on him we should remember he is a product of our own system, the same society that made us, shaped him and we must learn to appreciate that fact.

The change we anticipate in this Nation, the utopia we dream of will only be a product of our individual-patriotism. Let us know our places, we should know that this is NIGERIA and we are Nigerians. Let us not seek the APC answer or PDP answer, let us not seek, the North, the South, West or East answer, Let us not seek the Christian or Muslim answer, let us seek for the right answer, Let us not seek to fix the blames of the past, let us accept our own individual responsibilities as citizens of tomorrow for the future. NIgeria belongs to us all and the earlier we put aside our prejudices, sentiments and bigotry aside, the better for us all. We can blame our pasts leaders for our present state, but we should be ready to blame ourselves for the failures of tomorrow. We must put aside our religious and ethnic sentiments and move forward without regression, although success may not be guaranteed but we must advance towards the path that will positively reshape Nigeria in the future and anything short of this is inadequate.

The next general elections in 2015 is just 16months away and to get it right then we must start doing the right things now, ask the right questions, stop being blind loyalists and act right, the enlightened ones should let the less enlightened know the dangers and consequences of selling votes and helping politicians rig elections, because if we don’t do these, Nigeria might get worse with each elections.

GOD BLESS NIGERIA

Our Culture Of Rewarding Madness In Nigeria

Nigeria is a nation where bad deeds are rewarded with applause and high praises, offences and deeds normally punishable in every other parts of the world are often treated with flagrant impunity and rewarded with jumbo contracts, amnesty or scholarships here.

A nation serious about curbing crimes and other vices will make scapegoats of anybody and everybody found wanting, anybody that violate the laws of the land whether written or otherwise. Laws are designed to maintain stability and balance in any society ergo it has to be obeyed and any society where there is a break down of law and other will be in ruins and chaos in no time

Negotiating with law breakers and criminals no matter their intent is an act any serious government should never consider, and in a situation where negotiation is the only possible option it shouldn’t be done in all sincerity because if the terms are fully implemented it will send negative signals; either portraying the administration as weak or the nation as vulnerable to any threats.

When you negotiate with the devil, you’ll always be at its mercy and the devil will always haunt you because instead of crushing it you offered peace to someone who won’t hesitate to crush you at any given opportunity.

We should ask ourselves these questions;

1. The amnesty given to the niger delta militants, did it achieve its aim?

2. Did amnesty solve or postpone the problems in Niger Delta?

3. What will happen when the payment stops?

4. For how long will Nigeria continue to pay for peace?

5. If Boko Haram accepts amnesty, will that stop another terrorist group from rising?

The main point of this article is not to discuss the issues of Boko Haram or Militants, rather it is to draw our attention to the rising culture of rewarding and applauding bad deeds in Nigeria:

The stowaway kid was recently rewarded with a scholarship, is that the right thing to do? If this kid is rewarded for exposing the lapses in our security, why should the 25year old man caught trying to do the same thing be punished? What does that say about us as a nation, if we reward the first offender but punish the 2nd offender of the same offence, where is the consistency in our justice delivery system? a nation that delivers different judgements to two people that committed same offence is seriously not consistent and shows how weak the administration of such nation is, if we don’t deliver justice the way it should be done, there will be increasing cases of law breaking and the reward given to the stowaway kid will surely send a negative message to other kids, they’ll surely grow up with the message that they can break the law and get rewarded and why not, if my mate is rewarded for acting bad why shouldn’t I receive similar reward.

In 3 years Nigerian government has amassed huge cuts on security alone and these are due to the accumulation of simple grass root crimes that were not met with swift and aberrant approach.

The continuous breakdown of law and order in this country is as a result of how we respond to crimes and until we start acting right, there might never be any reward for the huge yearly budgets on security which continuously affect other areas.

Nigerians: APC with Caution

Blind loyalty and selective amnesia are two big problems militating against the progress of Nigeria, we accept people without questioning them and when we are forced to question we tend to (deliberately) forget the important questions about their pasts because we like and want them in a position.

There is a popular saying that “the devil you know is better than an unknown angel” this statement remained true until PDP spent 14years in power without really changing our lives or Nigeria. So its safer to say now that the unknown angel is what we really want in Nigeria, we want an escape route from the grasp of PDP and their devilish ways of administration, since the party came into power in 1999, there has not really been many changes we can point to or any policy aimed at bettering the lives of ordinary Nigerians, rather they create selfish policies to enrich themselves at the expense of ordinary Nigerians.

Many Nigerians hate the PDP with a strong passion, we want the party out by all means in 2015, the APC is the party some of us are routing for but we must be careful and “APC with caution”

Like I wrote earlier that right now we are ready to accept the unknown angels, unfortunately APC is neither unknown nor are they angels, we can refer to them as the lesser devil, not as big as the PDP but not really different because we are yet to test them with federal treasury but we know what those of them that have been tested with state treasury did and how they became more than a thousand times wealthier than they were before assuming power.

The APC is made up of politicians who have been in power before either at state or federal level, each and everyone of them with pasts not better than that of PDP members, Nigerians should not allow our hatred for the PDP blind us from the obvious, yes ACN/APC governors are trying but in a normal society and with the money they get, if we are sincere and not limit ourselves to the mentality of expecting little or nothing from elected officers, AD/AC/ACN/CPC/APC and PDP since 1999 have all performed below expectation, neither care for the poor and given the opportunity they’ve all looted, none is corruption free and have been in many controversies.

We want an end to PDP, APC seems to be the only solution presently but we can’t just accept APC because we hate PDP, we must ask them questions; how does the APC seek to be different from what we are used to? Are they only using us to get to power or it wants ordinary Nigerians in its fold? they must convince us why they deserve our votes, we need to be assured that they want to serve us not rule over us like monarchs, we need to have their words that we won’t be imposed on like it is done in Lagos, APC need to show us how they hope to fix Nigeria, they must realize that they can only change Nigeria if and only if they act differently and bring fresh ideas.

The APC can boast of having governors who are working hard to fix their different states but can they say the same about their Senators and Reps? How will the party deal with human rights / constitutional rights infringement that is gradually becoming the order in Nigeria and why none of the serving APC Senators or Reps never thought of sponsoring a bill to cut the jumbo salaries and bonuses they receive and spend the money on infrastructures.

Ousting the PDP is not enough, we can’t afford to replace bad with worse, we must “APC with caution”, we can’t afford to suffer the same fate we suffered with GEJ, APC must give us the details of how they will curb all the excesses of PDP, we don’t want then to tell us what we want to hear, we won’t fall for that again, they should tell us in details how they will turn around the fortunes of the ailing nation.

God Bless Nigeria

Religion: Bane of Our Development

By Amir-Abdulrahman JA
President District 11 Outreach Project (DOP)

Religion as defined by the 8th edition of the oxford dictionary is the belief in the existence of a god or gods, and the activities that are connected with the worship of them, or a particular interest or influence that is very important in our lives. The former definition is a true reflection of what is obtainable in our society today. Let me further emphasize that religion has been the foundation of modern day division amongst humans after slavery and aside racism.
Nigeria is not left out as we happen to be the most religious nation in the world, of that there can be no question, although a vast majority of us lack the mental capacity to comprehend what religion truly means. The Epoch of civilization In Nigeria has produced two major religions, Islam and Christianity with others in existence but in faint forms. In the advent of whatever we have today as religion in which was believed to be the perfect alternative to relinquish us from the slavery of our “cultural barbarism”, NEITHER GOD NOR MAN HAS KNOWN REST. Today Nigeria is faced with a sharp division amongst her people, the different manifestations of this sad situation must be frankly addressed. The most dangerous of these is the widening gap between Christians and Muslims which has been pernicious to our national development overtime.

Over the years, religion has been a tool for political manipulations and indirect slavery. Our political elites use the propagandized form of religion to fragment the nation so as to continuously protect their political influences and build their power bases. This singular act has led to many forms of abysmal fanatism and has blindfolded us from seeing the wrongs in the actions of those on our teams. In recent times, we have being faced with several cases of crisis and blood sheds due to this division as the camaraderie that once existed between both parties is gradually effacing ergo arms and swords are being used in-lieu of proper conversations. Despite the heinous acts of brutal killings and destruction of properties, no one has being brought to face the law, evidently the perpetrators of these skull duggery are shielded by “super powers” in our political domain.
It is very comfortable to say religion as a subject has caused us more destructions than good. If we look meticulously at the chronicles of our nation we will realise that Nigeria has lost more to religious crisis than to any other form of crisis in her history, an example of a few among many is the Shariah crisis in Kaduna, and the crisis in Sagamu where innocent people were brutally murdered and properties were destroyed. A more recent case was the story in Kaduna after the presidential election of 2011 where PDP emerged the winner. Initially it started as a protest against the results of the elections after one of the contestants was believed to have ultered a belligerent statement on television, with time it generated into a clash between PDP and CPC thugs and transciently into a clash between Christians and Muslims where Churches were destroyed in Northern Kaduna while Mosques were destroyed in Southern Kaduna as vendatta leaving so many innocent people dead and some roasted like yam tubers.

However some regions suffer more than others. Development in the North is hindered as a result of this division which continously mitigates crisis.

The Northern region is known for the poorest infrastructures and unempowered people, most of their blithe leaders embark on pseudo projects that are fraught with corruption and nepotism knowing fully well that they can’t be questioned by their bigoted and shallow minded masses who have being locked in illiteracy and spiritual shallowness. Imagine a case of a governor being praised for sending almost 50 people on pilgrimage in a state that lacks portable drinking water. Kaduna as an example is verbally divided into Southern Kaduna (Mostly occupied by Christians) and Northern Kaduna (Mostly occupied by Muslims), a shocking scenario revealed when Governor Patrick Yakowa died, there were cases of jubiliations in mostly northern part of Kaduna dominated by Muslims because he was a Christian. How grim can this get? The crisis pattern however involves the destruction of churches in northern kaduna and destruction of mosques in southern kaduna.
Recently, more priority is being given to defence, as the administration amass huge amounts funding the military anti-terrorism war due to the case of the militants uprising in the north. A dreadful terrorist group who are believed to be against western education has held the region to ransome. Since 2010, the economic activities of the north has been crippled as a result of the situation. More lives are being lost and more people are fleeing the state to look for peaceful dwellings. The last 2years has being the nadir of this dreaded insurgence as several churches, mosques, schools and homes have being destroyed and innocent people brutally murdered.

The youths are further brainwashed with twisted religious texts and recruited as thugs to carry out heinous crimes against their own people who are on the opposite sides (other religions).

Lately, religion is no longer about preaching peace and morality, two virtues that are so much needed in a perilous time like this, it has become a game of lords, a big business, in which on one side we have perverted hypocrites concealing the truths to gain political immunity and earn their ungodly share of the national cake while on the other side we have a group that believes in propagating enemity between religions and further spread terror and violence. Sadly, majority of Nigerians are unaware that these vile unconscionable Mallams and Pastors who continously push their extremist followers are shielded by armed thugs. The question is: how many of their children or family members have being killed so far in any of these crisis?.

An act of “worship” doesn’t involve acquiring material wealth at the detriment of others as or creating enemity amongst people but vice versa. I heard a preacher telling his congregation that the Muslim “Allah” is different from the Christian”God”, how grim and hypocritical? that is how the animus keeps spreading by the same people who are suppose to preach peace and unity. In reality, we all serve one God, the only difference between us is our methods. The more we are advancing, the more these divisions are repackaged and rebranded to suit our orientations, Sadly, even the educated fall for these traps. Today a vast majority of Nigerians feel Christians and Muslims are enemies by virtue of our primordial acqauintances, In reality, this is not so. These clashes have left us with putrid nightmares, injuries and pains with no side being able to vanquish the other, it is pellucid and important for us to see that there is no war between Christians and Muslims and whatever we see and experience is painted by some vile religious leaders who head our religious houses under the detailed instructions of their dare-devils at the top.

Nigerians should know that, this division is the style of the oppressors, be it the government or be it the predominant group. They oppress, and then use religion as a means to control the masses, divide them and lead them to submission and defeat.

It is time for Nigerians to understand that these ungodly religious leaders are fundamental parts of the plutocracy in our government. They get fat largesse from these people at the top who continously use them as tools to create religious propagandas. Let me bring to our cognizance that these religious leaders that preach divisions and violence hardly lose any member of their families to the outcome of these crises, their families are abroad enjoying the benevolence of their ill gotten wealth or moving in convoys of armed men.

It is obvious that both sides (Christians and Muslims) cannot wipe out each other, the best is for us to create an enabling environment where both sides will coexist peacefully. We must avoid being too keen to instructions from some of these preachers and learn to sieve some of these twisted exegesis.
We must understand that religion is as corruptible a human activity as any other. Its frontliners aren’t really saints, they are human beings and they do what human beings do- lie, cheat, steal from their members, overstate their importance and degenerate opposing views unfairly.

This division is obstructing our development as a nation and our empowerment as a people. We must understand that lack of unity will only make us suffer more as we have being suffering in the past. No nation has ever achieved greatness in division but as a single unit hence for us to achieve anything as a great Nation, we must learn to function as a single impregnable unit where the perfidious feelings will be washed away or be prepared to lose Nigeria forever. GOD BLESS NIGERIA!!!

The writer is on twitter @ameer_tsidi
elevendistrict5@gmail.com