It is increasingly disturbing the way and manner
President Muhammadu Buhari has been running the affairs of this country,
ostensibly called the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Perhaps more
disturbing is the obviously dangerous quiet and/or siddon look that
prevails in the kingdom of the so-called civil societies in Nigeria over
this obnoxious trend. And, by the same token, no less disturbing – and
even shameful of all (you may add) – is the fact that the Obasanjos and
the IBBs of this hell of a country - who once upon a time baselessly
accused the erstwhile President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of mainly
appointing his Ijaw people into positions of leadership – have suddenly,
though somewhat helpless (for fear of being probed), learned to keep
mute regarding what they see and/or say nowadays.
In the same vein, “our” Soyinkas of the literary realm who in their
various vociferous, melodramatic and vocabulary-laden polemics and
diatribes, used to advance millions of reasons in preference for and in
defense of their present-day democratic dictator, General Muhammadu
Buhari, as against the candidacy of a mild, educated, metropolitan,
nationalistic and excessively tolerant democratic ex-president, Dr.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, no longer could talk and/or talk sufficiently.
All of whom, like the cowardly Ogundipes of the 1960s, have suddenly
rolled back to their shells. And none, for now, sees nor wants to be
seen to have seen the dangerous slide from secular to Islamist state
which President Muhammadu Buhari has plunged the country into.
Equally no less unfortunate is the apparent conspiracy of silence by the Ekwuemes of this world who (despite their likely and understandable plea for age alibi) once stood courageously in the way of the “devilish” intent of the then Head of State, General Sani Abacha, which intent in no small measure is no less the same now both in content and actions of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. One therefore wonders what has happened to or become of the guts of the Ekwumes of today in the face of the growing Buharislamization of Nigeria.
Perhaps more complicit in this unbecoming sealed lips approach to
Buharislamization of Nigeria are the yesterdays’ Arewa men of “power
must shift to the North” campaign. No doubt, in their complacency so
far, they neither can see any longer nor perceive any wrong in Muhammadu
Buhari’s perilously unrelenting efforts to run the affairs of an
otherwise secular state along the line of a Sunni Islamist republic –
like President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey is doing. And like the
proverbial irresponsible adults at home, these Yesterdays men seem so
far to be rather glad watching the she-goat delivering while tethered.
Stupid enough, while the engine of the ship of the nation is fast
getting closer to knock, these same men appear to be telling those who
care to listen that the North is squaring up for another civil war to
“preserve” the unity of Nigeria by all means(?). Hence, for them, it is
better for their people to go for war than to live to see Nigeria being
restructured. Hmmm...! By implication, instead of urgently and jointly
working towards salvaging Nigeria from running its abysmally high
temperature of destructive proportion, these doddering elements seem to
be busy espousing and encouraging the Islamist and porous economic
agenda of this rudderless administration. Any wonder, therefore, that
President Muhammadu, who incidentally is of the same age bracket with
them, reportedly feels that Nigerians are not in any way
suffering/experiencing hardship at all?
As it were, it need not be overemphasized that virtually every action
and/or inaction of President Muhammadu Buhari nowadays is rightly
perceived to be tainted with religious/Islamist undertone and
coloration. For one, if it is not the controversy on his policy of
dragging Nigeria into an unholy alliance with Saudi Arabia-led Islamic
coalition against Islamic terrorism, it will be his reported
anachronistic and highly controversial policy proposal to reduce
exchange rate for Islamic pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Or, if the stench is
not emanating from the litany of his lopsided appointments, it will be
emitting from the un-secular words of his bizarrely fanatical
declaration of public holidays for Islamic festivities. And where
perhaps his religious bigotry fails to manifest in the way he refuses to
react at times to religion-related happenings and/or Fulani herdsmen
attacks across the breadth and length of the country, it will readily
find expression in the deplorable mannerism he will eventually adopt in
circumstances where he is impelled or compelled to react. Needless to
say that the latter was well demonstrated in his terse statement in the
wake of the recent brutal murder of an Igbo woman (Mrs. Bridget Patience
Agbahime) in Kano by some Islamist fundamentalists who reportedly
stormed, blocked and performed ablutions in front of her (deceased’s)
shop, which following her objection to this absurdity led to her
untimely demise. In fact, it is interesting to recall at this juncture
that “our” President hardly rounded off his so-called condemnation of
this ugly incident in that very statement without implicitly
pontificating unnecessarily about the need for religious tolerance by
the person(s) in front of whose shop(s) ablutions was performed and
those who wittingly fomented trouble by indulging in such despicable and
trouble-courting act (?). Of course, don’t ask me, this is the same
President that wants and demands respect from the citizenry and faithful
across religious divides (?).
What is more, here we are talking about a “man of good conscience”
and President who reportedly ordered the immediate release and
empowerment of arrested Boko Haram terrorist detainees (all of whom were
Muslims) and, on the other hand and at some other time, allegedly
ordered and supported the brutal murder of many innocent, unarmed,
hapless and lawful protesters and members of the Indigenous People of
Biafra (IPOB) – all of whom were Christians. Yet, in all this, nobody
seems to be talking. Perhaps because his name is Buhari, the “lover” of
his Hausa-Fulani people and religion - Islam(?).
Onyiorah Paschal Chiduluemije is a journalist writing from Abuja. He can be contacted at duluemije4justice@yahoo.com and by phone at 08052250171.
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