By Prince Charles Dickson PhD
One boasts only about things proper to boast about; whoever heard of the boast, “By this time yesterday I had given my parent-in-law the beating of his life.”?
When I speak, I am not ill-informed, I speak the truth, they are not unjustified: it’s the basic fact. They are not exaggerated, biased or an unresearched portrayal of our Nigeria, it is the bitter pill called truth often bitter to swallow. I do not speak or write outside the geography of the law and civility, and when I err, I publicly state so…
So, before I tell you about that Muslim/Muslim ticket of last year…I will run around and come back, hoping that my readers get my drift and our leaders find their conscience, but most importantly that Nigerians realise that they are largely the problem themselves.
Let me also remind us that when a goat’s day “to die” arrives, it says there is nothing a butcher can do to it. (A person who does not recognize and heed danger courts death.)
In my friend and patriot Dr. Baba Adam’s words “Interestingly – “…when the City Planners sat down to design Washington, D.C., they intended to build a city that would intimidate and humble foreign heads of state…” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-/americanpresident.htm …the planners succeeded… just look at the Capitol, the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Mall, WWII / FDR Memorial, the Pentagon, Martin Luther King Memorial, the Smithsonian – especially Air and Space, Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery VA, etc…
In my admonishment, I wonder which one thing have we stuck to and done well and achieved its purpose without forgetting why we were even on it–are we ready to change or doomed to repeat the same mistakes differently?
Do you remember President Jonathan Cassava Bread…Remember that noise like a tsunami over Sanusi and Islamic banking. Okay hold on, let me help you, do you remember Goodluck Jonathan placing a ban on foreign rice in the Presidential Villa and ordering that only Ofada rice and bread with local cassava input be henceforth served at the Villa as a way of promoting local rice production? That year N992.57 million was to be spent on food for just two men at the Villa, we wondered what kind of cassava and ofada rice. I am sure many of us can’t remember. But could we have also forgotten that we were regaled with rice pyramids and farmers loans targeted at only rice farmers, na d rice we no see again…
I purposely refused to remind us that in 1982, the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, presented the first cassava bread, which was produced with 10 per cent of cassava flour and 90 per cent wheat flour from its research work to the Federal Executive Council, under the administration of President Shehu Shagari.
Let me remind us that in Lagos state, after increasing LASU tuition from N25,000.00 to N250,000.00, the state with the ‘proceeds’ would send some street sweepers to London for training.
According to former LAWMA MD, Mr Ola Oresanya, the training would enrich their knowledge of how the environment is kept clean in advanced societies.
Today, I dare anyone to show me 15 Bakeries in 15 states that make solely cassava bread and are making a profit or street sweepers London style…?
Who recalls that year, “We were in a season of anomy,” according to Wole Soyinka, forget the big words, it was that era of the disappearance and reappearing act of Charles Taylor.
One dies according to one’s weight; the robin does not die, making a resounding noise “on hitting the ground.” (One acts according to one’s worth) Whether Muslim/Muslim or Hindu/Christian, it simply looks like the President’s best efforts are translating into untold hardship for the generality of the nation.
Herein now lies my point, Religion, as a form of soft power, wields significant influence in Nigerian politics. The use of a Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket exemplifies how political actors navigate religious identities to garner support and legitimacy. While this approach can consolidate support within specific religious communities, it also poses risks to national unity and interfaith relations. Understanding the nuances of religion as a soft power tool is crucial for analyzing Nigeria’s political dynamics and developing strategies that promote inclusive governance and national cohesion.
In summary, the interplay of religion and politics in Nigeria is complex and multifaceted. As political actors continue to leverage religious identities, it is essential to foster dialogue and policies that bridge divides and promote unity in the diverse Nigerian society, because, after all that drama last year, we have forgotten to remember and will remember to forget that our economy is not in good shape.
Haba! Nigerians are not as difficult, we will forget, because all they ask for is the basics of life which Allah has blessed us with the resources to have. We believe if we beat our in-laws, it will solve the problem.
The fact of the matter is that while religion plays a significant role in shaping socio-political landscapes across the globe, Nigeria is no exception. As one of the most religiously diverse countries in Africa, with a substantial Muslim and Christian population, religion often intersects with politics. This intersection is particularly evident in the context of Nigeria’s last presidential elections, where religious affiliations of candidates influenced certain voter behaviour and political strategies. This has not in many ways helped Nigerians out of the current doldrums.
Like Washington DC unlike Nigeria, when the City Planners sat down to design Nigeria, we are no longer sure what the intention was, was it a Muslim/Muslim ticket, was it a Fubura vs Wike or was it all the ungoverned spaces littered everywhere, did they plan a nation that would have half her productive youth all thinking japa… my friend left Nigeria as a professor and currently is truck driving and he justifies his decision, telling me “Doc, I did it for the kids”. Now, I am not sure what Nigerians in predominantly Christian states voted for, I am not sure when all that Muslim/Muslim ticket noise was on, we thought about the pagans, atheists and Babalawo visiting Nigerians amongst us, and I am not very sure we interrogated the real issues, be that as it may—May Nigeria win!