Nigeria as a nation of over 450 different nationalities, created merely as a convenience for the British Imperial government to serve it is military and economic interest now finds itself on the brink of collapse due to religious extremism. While some have suggested that the country is failed state, I would say, it is all but a failed state since lack of a central government is the last attribute of a completely failed state.
It can be rightly described as a weak state where every vestiges of a failed state are present in spite of a pseudo central government. At its creation, hardly was there anything that provided for a common goal, neither was there a shred of evidence that bringing together 450 ethnic nationalities was going to promote common interests, let alone national interest. At independence, Nigeria was already a weak state, unable to conduct credible elections, unable to conduct a credible census and unable to form a credible central government. Sir Abukakar Tafawa Balewa who was installed as the Prime Minister by Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, Premier of Northern Nigeria and leader of the Northern People’s Congress was fully backed by the British Colonial Administration.
There is no doubting the fact that Islam was already well established in Northern Nigeria, thanks to the Usman dan Fodio Islamic Revolution of 1804-1807 before Britain invade the geographical area now called Nigeria. Since British interest in Africa, howbeit, Nigeria was not to promote development or good governance but to promote a divide and rule philosophy based on their so-call three Cs (Christianity, Commerce and Civilization), this could not happen with the fourth C, which was, Conquest. Therefore during their so-called conquest of Northern Nigeria, they had to strike a deal with the northern emirs not to interfere with their religious as well as cultural practices. This deal continues to make the so-called unity in the country elusive. Of course, there can be no unity between people that promote their sectarian interests and who only want to control and imposed their religious doctrines on others.
In this brief article, I give a brief historical development of the Islamization of Nigeria that has come to full term with the appointment of Ustaz Umaru Yar’adua’s, a the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (I am aware of the infamous Supreme Court Ruling on the sham election). The also article focuses on the period between the so-called conquests of Northern Nigeria to date. The amalgamation of northern and southern Nigeria and the use of the Indirect Rule is said to have had a significant impact on the advance of Islam in the northern part of the country. For example, Crampton stated, It can hardly be doubted that the practice of placing large numbers of ‘pagans’ under Fulani District Heads and supporting the authority of these gentlemen by the powers of Government when and where necessary led to an extension of Islam. In the Emirates, where the rulers were Muslim, advancement was usually open to only Muslims. The ‘pagan’ heads tended to start wearing Muslim dress especially when they were called to meetings at the District Headquarters and this donning of the garb of the Muslim often proved the first step to Islam. The practice also gave the impression that the north was more Muslim than it was in actual fact (1978:50).
The Sultan’s response to the Lugard’s entities left no one doubt that the northern emirs were in no way about to compromise their civilized Islamic rule for a pagan one. The Sultan replied thus, From us to you, I do not consent that any one from you should ever dwell with us. I will never agree with you. I have nothing ever to do with you. Between us and you there (can be) no dealings except as Mussulmans and Unbelievers (“Kafiri”); war as Almighty God has enjoined on us. There is no power or strength save in God on high (Lugard 1928:159).
Lugard’s policies laid the foundation for future Islamization and the utter contempt of non-Muslim groups in Nigeria. Perham states: Residents who had not the time to visit outlying pagan groups, still less to study their obscure customs, were naturally tempted to accept the claims to suzerainty made by emirs with whom they were working, and who could with our support, so easily extend the machinery of Emirate Administration to fill the gap (1937:134). She went further to explain that the consolidation of Fulani hegemony over the non-Muslim areas was perpetrated by the Colonial Administration thus, Mohammedan rulers thus sometimes obtained for the first time an effective grasp upon people whom they had not done more than raid or mulct on an occasional tribute of slaves, and in some few cases they were allotted groups which had always maintained their independence (1967:134).
The Colonial Administration consolidated the hegemony of the Hausa-Fulani rulers over non-Muslim areas, and that the emirs, in this regard, were British junior partners in governing other peoples. This resulted in inordinately extending the natural limits of Fulani rule before 1900 to these areas thus justifying an internal colonialism. It should be noted that it was only in the 1930s and 40s that the emirate model was firmly consolidated and its usefulness and validity were no longer questioned. By this time also, the nonMuslims had been coerced into accepting the system. The search for a better social status and the hope for ready employment or recruitment into the Northern System by non-Muslims led to embrace Islamic superiority forced on them by colonialists through their cronies, the emirs. Thus, becoming Hausa was a means to escape from derogatory and lower status and the use of such names as pagans, uncivilized, kafir, and “bawa” meaning slaves.
All these put together eventually led to the subjugation of northern minorities under the Shari`a and Calipahal system of government. This was clearly expressed in the presence of Alkali (Shari`a) Courts throughout Northern Nigeria. When northern minorities became concerned
and opposed the imposition of Shari’a Law on them, the colonial government responded thus, Governor Sharwood Smith knew that the non-Muslim communities were afraid of the Muslim Law being imposed on them. “But the non-Muslims alarmed of the threats of reactionaries, were wondering what could preserve them from the full rigidity of Muslim law after the departure of the British.” The Governor voiced this concern for the need for reform... In 1958 the government mission was sent to the Muslim countries of the Middle East to study the relations between English and Muslim Laws... A joint panel of the Chief Justice of the Sudan, Sayed Mohhamed Abdul Rannat (Chairman), Professor J.N.D Anderson, Mr. Justice Mohammed Sherif, Judge of Pakistan Supreme Court was appointed to study the report of the government judiciary mission to Muslim countries (Turaki, 1993:172).
The result of the study of the panel was the adoption of the Penal Code of India of 1937 for the Northern Nigeria Penal code in 1959. This was said to be a compromise between the English Common Law and the Islamic Law and was meant to allay the fears of the non-Muslim groups in the north. The NPC government under the parentage of Sharwood Smith made great efforts to win the confidence of the non-Muslim groups and also weaken their demand for a Middle Belt Region. However, these efforts were soon to be short-lived by the departure of the British. After independence in 1960, religious and social intolerance, political oppression, alienation and occupation became the norms of the powerful politicians. Turaki states,
In 1965, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of Northern Nigeria made extensive evangelistic campaigns in the non-Muslim areas. His missionary itinerary included the preaching of Islam and the call of (on) all non-Muslims to become Muslims. These evangelistic campaigns gripped the non-Muslim groups with excessive fear of what might become of them. Stories started to circulate that after this peaceful Islamization, the next round will be the Jihad on those who rejected the call to Islam (1993:172).
I should add here that the Colonial Administration had not lay a solid foundation for ethnic integration and, therefore, was rushing to dismantle a system it had bred and nurtured to maturity. Between 1946 and 1959, the Colonial Administration built a political system that was going to take over from them at independence. The power-base of the system was made up of emirs and the nobility of the emirate system. Political power was handed over to Muslim emirs and their cohorts who had hitherto enjoyed the full patronage of colonialists and had long been prepared for this. The Colonial Administration did not concern itself with issues of social justice, the dignity of the worth of human personality, equality of persons or groups, political freedom for all, equal opportunity to all, democratic participation, and so on. It did not concern itself with building a just social order, but characterized differential treatment of ethnic groups, prejudice and discrimination against certain classes or groups of people, stratified inequality of ethnic groups and denial of participation to certain classes and groups. At independence, they handed power over to the Hausa-Fulani oligarchy, albeit, Muslims and their powerful emirs. These and many more issues have continued to plague Nigeria in her search for a viable political order. They are also issues related to the constant confrontation between the Muslims and Christians in Northern Nigeria.
At Independence, the stage had already been set for the Islamization of Nigeria. The northern government adopted a style of governance from Pakistan as demonstrated on the chart below. This process came full circle during the deliberations at the 1978 Constituent Assembly where Muslims insisted on inserting Shari`a Law and a demand to create a National Shari`a Court of Appeal in the Constitution. A demand which many nonMuslims in the Assembly saw as an attempt to Islamize the whole country and for which a heated debate led to walk out by all the Muslims in the Assembly. Prominent among those who staged the Walk out included Shehu Aliyu Shagari, who eventually became the elected President in 1979. Shagari himself did not pursue the dream of Islamizing Nigeria vigorously until his overthrow in 1983 by General Muhammdu Buhari who surreptitiously amended the 1979 Constitution through his Attorney-General Mr. Ofodile to make substitute Shari`a Law which had hitherto been “Muslim Personal Law,” to “Muslim Law.”
PAKISTANI TEACHING AND NIGERIA’S APPLICATION (CAN, 1978b)
PAKISTANI TEACHING NIGERIA’S ACTION
A natural democratic state is radically different from an Islamic state. The need to gradually and systematically Islamize Nigeria by all means
Non-Muslims cannot be full citizens of an Islamic state Discrimination against Christians in all facets of life Non-Muslims are to be treated as stateless The role of government in the crisis between Christians and
citizens in an Islamic state. Muslims. This is especially true when in most cases Muslims burn churches while the Police just stand by and watch
Non-Muslims can only stay in an Islamic state on the bases of treaty or agreement. Non-Muslims in the predominantly Muslim states of Nigeria are governed by pro-Islamic edicts and discriminatory laws Non-Muslims cannot be entrusted with responsible key positions in the civil or military service. The Babangida cabinet and Gumi’s statements were self explanatory. All key positions occupied by Muslims were from Northern Nigeria.
Non-Muslims cannot claim political rights in an Islamic state. Through decrees and edicts, Nigerian Christians have been denied political rights of : a. Lawful assembly b. Propagation of their religion. c. Religious worship in schools d. Expression of opinion on matters of Jesus Christ as contained in Muslim religious literature. Muslims go on rampage whenever the Qur’an is quoted by Christians.
Non-Muslims must be taxed more heavily than Muslims in trade and commerce Discriminatory prices for land, goods, food, fixed by Muslims for non-Muslims. According to Gumi, Muslims must not vote for non-Muslims.
Non-Muslims cannot be elected into the The decision to join the OIC was taken solely by Babangida legislative assembly. They cannot be members and his fellow Muslims. He ensured the removal of the cabinet or taken into the body where Christian as Minister for Foreign Affairs state policy is determined.
A non-Muslim who embraces Islam will have Nigerian Muslims have lured non-Muslims into Islam with his civic and military rights restored. money and better positions in civil and military service. Subsequently, Muslims have forcefully taken Christian girls into marriage by luring them.
Non-Muslims must have their separate cultural agency Nigerian Muslims are demanding their separate cultural agency. The separate uniforms and separate schools policy in Kaduna State is a clear example of this.
A non-Muslim who embraces Islam will have Nigerian Muslims have lured non-Muslims into Islam with his civic and military rights restored. money and better positions in civil and military services. Subsequently, Muslims have forcefully taken Christian girls into marriage by luring or kidnapping them.
Non-Muslims cannot be elected into the The decision to join the OIC was taken solely by Babangida legislative assembly. They cannot be members and his fellow Muslims. He ensured the removal of the cabinet or taken into the body where Christian as Minister for Foreign Affairs state policy is determined.
General Buhari was replaced by General Ibrahim Babangida who pursued the Islamic agenda with vigor. Just to remind the reader, it was during the Babangida era that Nigeria witnessed the first Muslim-Christian confrontation in 1987 at the Kafanchan College of Education. It was also during the Babangida era that Nigeria was formally registered as a permanent member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in 1986, having been registered as an Observer by the General Yakubu Gowon in 1973. It was also during the Babangida era that Shari`a Law gained recognition as Muslim Law in the 1989 Constitution. It was also during the Babangida era that a new organization that was purposely hatched to Islamized the country was born.
Islam in Africa Organization, the brain child of General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Umaru Yar’Aduwa’s older brother was formed in 1989. This organization was born when the Muslim community in Nigeria realized the opposition to Nigeria’s full Membership of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). This is evident in the rush to call the conference in Nigeria that led to the eventual birth of the organization. Islam in Africa was not conceived of until Christians protested the secret registering of the country as a full member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in 1986. Another motivation for the establishment of the organization was the abortive move by Muslims to insert the full application of the Shari`a Law in the 1989 Constitution. It was only after these failed attempts to Islamize Nigeria that a retired army officer and former chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters (1976-79), Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adu'a coordinated the formation of the IAO. With the help of the Council of Ulama and some of the Muslim elite, Islam in Africa Organization was formed. This is clearly evidenced in the Machiavellian method with which the conference was summoned in Abuja, which eventually became its headquarters.
After Gen. Babangida came the General Sani Abacha’s brutal regime that finally sealed the deal on Islamization of the country. General Abacha announced to the nation in a broadcast in 1996 that Nigeria has been accepted as a full member of the OIC and that machinery has been put in motion to ensure a successful transition. Gen. Abacha’s demise saw the inauguration of the General Olusegun Obasanjo government that sealed and delivered on a platter of gold what Muslims had been yearning for, a complete Islamization when he deal paid all arrears owed to OIC. Don’t also forget that it was Obasanjo who presided over the installation of Shari`a Law and Muslim rule in the Northern states. It was during the Obasanjo era we saw a resurgence of the demand for the implementation of Shari`a nationwide, a move that led to a lot of bloodshed in Kaduna State. This eventually saw eleven of the nineteen northern states implementing Shari`a as state law. Even though Muslims in Kaduna State claim the Law is infect in Kaduna State, it is not really as its application was left to the local governments that needed it and not as a statewide law.
How does Umaru Yar’Aduwa fit as the final piece on the puzzle as the sine qua non for concluding the Islamization process of Nigeria? Many in Nigeria do not realize that Umaru Yar’Aduwa himself is an Ustaz (Islamist). If you have followed Umaru Yar’Aduwa through live, you would have discovered that he is a dangerous Islamist. He was among the first northern governors to introduce Shari`a as State Law in Katsina State. Check the list of his political appointees and you will be convinced that Umaru Yar’Adua has a mission to Islamize Nigeria. Here is a short list. Ministers of National Planning, Finance and the Governor of Central Bank, all Muslims from Kano State; Chief of Army Staff, General Dan Bazzau, Muslim from Kano State, National Security Adviser, Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar from Kano State and until recently, Minister of Defense, Alhaji Yayele from Bauchi State. Others include, Controller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko from Katsina. Heads of such parastatals as Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the National Inland Waterways Authority and FERMA, all Muslims from Katsina State. Other Ministers include Agriculture, Culture and Tourism, Federal Capital Territory, Transport, Police Affairs, Women Affairs, Transport, as well as Works and Housing, all Muslims. Remember also that the Chief Justice and President of the Federal Court of Appeal are all Muslims.
The appointment of Dr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, an avowed Islamist was the final nail on the coffin. There was no doubt in any mind that by handing over the financial sector to Muslims from Kano state, it was clear that Ustaz Umaru Yar’Aduwa might have completed the plan for Islamization of the country. Sanusi Lamido Holds a Master degree in Shari’a Law and it was clear that he had both the financial and Islamic credentials to complete the job. Last week, Sanusi announced he was introducing Islamic in Nigeria. He explained that Islamic banking was not new to Nigeria as Habib Bank, a bank jointly owned by the Late Moshood Abiola and the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. Sanusi stated, It is in recognition of the benefits of Islamic banking that the CBN initiated actions to develop a regulatory and supervisory framework for Islamic (noninterest) banking in Nigeria, saying this is to create the enabling environment for attracting multibillion
dollar global Islamic finance industry to Nigeria and to enable Nigerians benefit from Shari’a compliant banking services and products (Lamido, 2009).
It is clear that implementation of Islamic Banking is one of the conditions that Nigeria must meet to be recognized as a full member of the OIC. Nigerians must understand that Sanusi Lamido holds a Master Degree in Shari`a Law and understands well how to position Nigeria as an Islamic State. One key area of being an Islamic State is Islamizing the Financial Sector; something Ustaz Umaru Yar’Aduwa understands fully when he positioned three Islamists in that sector. By introducing Islamic Banking, instituting Shari`a Law and killing the educational sector (thanks to Boko Haram), it has become evidenced that Ustaz Umaru Yar’Aduwa came with an Islamic agenda. The refusal of his government to negotiate with ASSU and other university unions is part of this plot. As long as we can keep the universities closed, more people will remain uneducated and therefore unable to challenge his Islamic agenda. Ustaz Umaru Yar’Aduwa might be called baba go slow as many call him but he is not definitely slow at completing the Islamization process. A few questions need to be asked of the Senate that approves the appointments. Does the Senate under General David Mark realize the dangerous direction in which Ustaz Umaru Yar`Aduwa is taking the country? Does Ustaz Umar Yar’Adua realize that the silence of the 52% percent Christian majority in Nigeria cannot be taken for a ride by his Islamization agenda? What if Nigeria Islamizes, of what advantage does that give the country in terms of modernization and development when even the so-called Islamic states of the Middle East, Asia and Africa are still underdeveloped? To what extent can we say that an Islamization agenda would help the fragile peace existing in the country when the majority is oppressed by the minority? How can an Islamize and radicalized Nigeria help us a trusted player in the comity of nations? These are questions Nigerians should be asking and calling their representatives to order.
I conclude by calling on the legislature to use the power for check and balances conferred on them by the Constitution to stop Ustaz Umaru Yar`Aduwa from violating the federal character principles and the Constitution. The Legislature has failed woefully in its oversight role and such further failure to do this might cause an uprising of an unprecedented nature that could hasten the early demise of Nigeria as a nation. The problem in the Niger Delta is already threatening the existence of the country as corporate entity and I dare say here that further breaches to the Constitution by Ustaz Umaru Yar’Aduwa would only hasten the demise of the country as an entity. A stitch in time saves nine. The earlier the National Assembly begins its oversight role, the better for the country, otherwise, they will wake up some day to find that the very institution they cherish much, that is, the National Assembly will soon become extinct.
Dr. Yusuf Danbaba Yariyok writes from Charlotte, North Carolina.
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