What informed my decision to write this piece is not unconnected with the recent outbursts of Sheik Gumi, a Saudi Arabia based Islamic cleric, and Alhaji Usman Farouk, a former governor here in Nigeria . Gumi, while delivering an address in Kaduna said “All good things in Nigeria are done by the Muslims” I followed the story on Sahara Reporters and as at this morning I have read about 212 reactions from individuals across the world. And whatever I want to put down to educate Sheik Gumi more on Nigeria ’s chequered history have been said by concerned Nigerians all over the world and I do not want to say anything further. I am sure Sheik Gumi read the 212 reactions and was stunned into disbelief that he had to do a quick intervention to do a kind of damage control. He quickly wrote another piece where he said that “Muslims Have No Enemy Worse Than Boko Haram”
What informed my decision to write this piece is not unconnected with the recent outbursts of Sheik Gumi, a Saudi Arabia based Islamic cleric, and Alhaji Usman Farouk, a former governor here in Nigeria . Gumi, while delivering an address in Kaduna said “All good things in Nigeria are done by the Muslims” I followed the story on Sahara Reporters and as at this morning I have read about 212 reactions from individuals across the world. And whatever I want to put down to educate Sheik Gumi more on Nigeria ’s chequered history have been said by concerned Nigerians all over the world and I do not want to say anything further. I am sure Sheik Gumi read the 212 reactions and was stunned into disbelief that he had to do a quick intervention to do a kind of damage control. He quickly wrote another piece where he said that “Muslims Have No Enemy Worse Than Boko Haram”
But no one was deceived and no one is going to be deceived any longer.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
I am sure Sheik Gumi would have learnt in the hardest way that you can teach that the earth is round and at same preach that the earth is flat. You cannot ask someone to travel to Europe for very important engagement on your behalf and while he is sitting inside the aircraft you detail someone else to go and dismantle the landing tyres of the same aircraft. In Igbo parlance, an adage says you cannot invite somebody to visit your house only for you to carry a big stick to wait for him at the door. Nigerians have learnt a lot of lessons from their leaders. They have seen it all and no one can deceive them any longer. Sheik Gumi has been speaking from the two corners of his mouth and Nigerians have seen it before. One can remember his late father’s dangerous effusions during the days of the annulment of June 12 1993 presidential elections. Sheik Gumi is traveling a familiar road known to all of us.
Alhaji Usman Farouk in his own scurrilous drivel has reminded Alhaji Asari Dokubo to go back to history to learn how the North made the Yoruba nation to swallow their words in the sixties before the civil war. What was Asari Dokubo’s offence? He warned the Boko Haram criminals and murderers that they do no have the monopoly to throw bombs, and that if they are throwing local hand-made bombs, he has the capacity to throw Scud Missiles (SM) and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (IBM). Responding Alhaji Usman Farouk representing the Northern Muslim Elders started mocking the Yoruba nation suggesting that events of 1966 can repeat itself in 2012. He has forgotten the events of June 12 and how it was resolved. History is my witness of how Yoruba used diplomacy, tact and wisdom to resolve June 12 war.
Now, it took 338 reactions as at this morning on Sahara Reporters site to call Usman Farouk to order. The rest is now history. But one thing came out of the outburst of both Sheik Gumi and Alhaji Usman Farouk: Boko Haram has sponsors who condemn the sect in the morning and in the night they hand over bombs to them, to kill, maim and destroy. And unless some well meaning Nigerians emerge in the North to put a stop to this mass murder, the North is finished in terms of anything.
My friend Mr. Benny Alika, a lawyer told me that when there is a problem and somebody emerges to solve that problem he or she becomes the leader. Since IBB, Vee Pee Sambo, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Abubakar Atiku, Adamu Ciroma, Alhaji Kaita, Prof Jibril Aminu, Mahamadu Gambo, Yakubu Gowon, Buhari, Shagari, all the Emirs, all the governors, all the Senators, all House of Reps members etc cannot stop Boko Haram madness, let those who can solve the problem step forward.
Actions they say carry consequences. There will be price to pay for this mass murder being witnessed in the North in the fullness of time. We have not forgotten the murder of 12 Adazi Nnukwu indigenes from Anambra in Mubi, Adamawa State , the mass murder at the Catholic Church Mandalla in Niger State , the madness in the Deeper Life Church in Okene, Kogi State , the attack at COCIN, Jos etc. Actions they say carry consequences.
Some people have been accusing me of beating war drums since the Boko Haram stupidity and idiocy started. I am not beating war drums. The war has commenced a year ago. If you kill more than 1500 people in any country, in any situation if it is not war tell me what it is. When it comes to the issue of ethnic and religious tolerance, I think the North has a lot to learn from the Yoruba nation. They are more civilized than any section of this country in almost everything including religion. Our leaders in Lagos His Excellencies Governor Fashola and the Governor Emeritus Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are Muslims who are living with Christian wives. I know thousands of families in Lagos who are made up of both Christians and Muslims and yet they live together in harmony. Did you not see Dr Fayemi’s wife sitting with Muslim women recently in Ekiti State just to show that leadership goes with responsibility and sacrifice. Compare this with the attitude of Mr. Habib Abba Habu, the Consul-General of Nigeria in New York who says: “I am a Muslim; I can never enter a Church”. We must learn from the wisdom of the Yoruba nation on the issue of religious tolerance.
Northern Nigeria is in ruins today courtesy of Boko Haram. Real good leaders must emerge to reclaim the North from lunatics and murderers. The same also applies to Nigeria where leadership has totally collapsed and the people are left at the mercy of lunatics. Nigeria needs a new leadership to protect it from the both the Boko Haram lunatics and all other forms of lunatics that have seized the country today. These must be leaders that will make strong decisions that will create the future the North and Nigeria desires.
Joe Igbokwe
Lagos
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });