AREGBESOLA- A FUNDAMENTALIST IN POWER? PART 2 (A two part series detailing the advent of a radical fundamentalist to the heights of political power in Nigeria) Continuation............................... ..........I also asked a moderate Muslim I knew about the existence of such and he also claimed ignorance. It is worthy of note here that the Hijra year is actually counted from the day the Prophet Mohhamed moved to the holy city of medina as a symbolic day for Wahabi adherents. This wasnt really an issue for me then as I was of the belief that a leader can promote his beliefs within reasonable limits as far as it didnt infringe on the sensibilities of other religions but with Aregbesolas antecedents i thought this was a move in the wrong direction. I let this supposedly one-off episode pass without issuing any press release however my suspicious glands were truly woken up. The second disturbing incidence happened when some indigenes of Osun State from the Oshogbo axis laid a compliant on our table about persecution and harassment of females wearing mini skirts or revealing clothing in public! This I found rather perturbing as the last time I checked Nigeria was a secular society where what one wears is a function of ones fashion sense! I was reliably told that Aregbesola had started his own version of morality policing in the capital and that the primary target of these pests were the female stock. This puritanical policing met some opposition from the students of the University town of Ife who felt their human rights were being infringed upon. Inasmuch as I knew that the Governor was a frequent visitor to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I never thought that he would also try to adopt their puritanical approach to governance where an entire quasi religious outfit is dedicated to monitoring the strict moral adherence of the populace to the moral codes as highlighted in the holy book! This one actually sent me reeling in thought as I was now officially worried about Aregbesolas Salafist tendencies! Take note that the only other areas that practice such creeds are Sharia states in the North and in particular Sharia based countries such as Saudi Arabia and the then Taliban Afghanistan! Then came a more disturbing trend that sent shock waves across social media. It was widely reported that the Aregbesola administration had made it a point of duty to surround itself with a radical Islamic sect In the Iwo Axis called Jama’t Ta’Awunil Muslimeen, TAWUN. It was alleged that he even went as far as sponsoring an entire radio station for the continual propagation of the Wahabi message of the sect. It should be noted that the teachings of the sect falls in line with that of the evangelical arm of the Islamic renewal movement that was earlier identified above as a likely precursor to the more violent strand that is being experienced in the North East of Nigeria. Also take note that these Wahabi organizations have unlimited resources for funding as any of them that makes it to Saudi Arabia can access state funding from the Saudi Government towards the continuous dissemination of their brand of Islam. The uproar that greeted that move from Nigerians made Aregbesola deny any involvements with them and even saw him proactively distance himself from their activities. The radio license earlier granted this movement was quickly revoked thanks to the diligent opposition in Osun State; but your guess is as good as mine; a leopard never changes its spots. It didnt take too long for his intentions to manifest again, this time around in a bold affront to the other major religion in Osun- The Baptist Christians. This time around Aregbesola had couched an educational policy which necessitated the merging of all schools into Elementary, Middle and High Schools without consideration for the mostly faith based schools that had an heritage borne our of missionary work that was carried out in the earlier parts of the 20th Century. This move so infuriated the Baptist convention that they actually came out and staged a protest blocking Hijab wearing students from entering the school premises. There was a heavy police presence as the tensions threatened to escalate into all out brawl between the Christian and Muslim population of Iwo. Take note that it is the same Iwo where the TAWUN made their original base. Ultimately the tensions gave way to the manhandling of a School principal in one of the faith based schools in Ejigbo where some Muslims entered the school and beat up the principal supposedly for asking a female Muslim student to take off her hijab in class. These tensions took both parties to court and for the first time in the history of Osun State both religions were at their tethers end. Aregbesola has been battling with this till date and has made spurious efforts to placate the angry clerics, even sending his godfather Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Osun state CHristian Association of Nigeria CAN with a view to defusing the escalating situation. All this to no avail as Aregbesola has since come under the radar of the South West Christian Association of Nigeria as a person to watch regarding a hidden Islamization agenda. These anecdotes will not be properly chronicled if I do not clearly state my own personal observation of the inner caucus of the Salafist State of Osun as I recall an incidence when the Honorable Speaker of the House in Osun state Hon. Najeem Salam referred to opposition in the state as infidels. This drew a lot of ire from me as I happen to be an opposition figure in my state and for the speaker of the house to refer to me as an infidel simply shows the inner workings and mindset of the administration. This comment really got me worried as the punishment for being an infidel is death according to the hard line Salafists which happen to be the brand of Islam that the Governor follows. The Aregbesola administration went further to disorient the people of the state by also introducing them to a strictly Islamic financial system where the states finances are now an extension of the Islamic world! This he did by seeking and getting a N10Billion Sukuk (Islamic) Bond for the state to build schools. If another governor had done this I would have probably applauded his nerve for going ahead with this policy at a time where religious sensibilities had polarized the nation; however coming from Aregbesola I just felt that this was another attempt at Wahabinization of Osun State. How best to take over a state than to control their financial future by making them perpetually indebted to a school of thought. His excuse was that if Great Britain could do it he also was within his ethical rights to pursue the Islamic bond. The difference however is that The British were not Salafist neither did they have a Salafist agenda. I return to my perception of the man Aregbesola again as I remember our first encounter when I observed that his trouser was not covering his ankle. I initially found this amusing till I learnt in my research that this was a cardinal code for the Wahabi adherents as anyone whose trouser covered his ankle was perceived as one displaying pride and therefore prejudice against their faith. I went further to find out how a man that grew up in Arigidi Akoko in Ondo State could suddenly become an adherent to this potentially violent strad of Islam that was considered an affront to the mostly moderate Sunni Muslims as is traditionally practiced in Nigeria. In my need and quest for knowledge to understand the driving force behind his fundamentalist tendencies as a Governor, I had to go to a backwater suburb of Lagos where he supposedly picked up his zeal for Wahabism. This was supposedly nurtured in a small mosque in an area called Shasha district in the Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos State. It so happens that this was where his political career also started in earnest as a grassroot mobilizer for the former Governor of Lagos State Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; during his 1999 Gubernatorial aspirations under the defunct Alliance for Democracy. I found out in my research that Aregbesola was considered a youth mobilizer due to his influence amongst youths at his local mosque in Shasha. Here he was a hardline fanatic Alfa as they are called in the local parlance. Providence would smile down on this future Governor as he was ultimately introduced to Tinubus adopted mum Alhaja Habibat Mogaji- the erstwhile Iyaloja of Lagos State. The key that really explains Aregbesolas Wahabi agenda is here revealed; as we are made to understand that he was actually introduced to the powerful Iyaloja by one of her trusted Marabouts from the Agege Central Mosque area where Aregbesola also used to pay perennial visits for consultation and spiritual guidance on the sacred teachings of the Wahabi sect! Here he had proven to be a truthful and faithful Wahabi. Alhaja Habibat Mogaji then took the young and ambitious Aregbesola under her wing and subsequently handed him over to her son Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who at this point, with the backing of the Yoruba elders was sure to become the next Governor of Lagos State. This was the humble but calculated beginnings of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and as the saying goes the rest is history. Herein explains the reason why Aregbesola cannot depart from the Wahabi agenda as they gave him his ideology, created a political platform from which he could launch his political career and finally gave him the contact that he needed to assume political power! It is no longer a hidden fact that Aregbesola will continue to toe the line of his Salafist benefactors! It all now begins to add up as my visit to this mosque then showed me what I was really up against in my beloved Osun State. I was actually facing a hard knock, hard line Wahabi fundamentalist with state resources to back his resolve to punitively convert the State of the living spring to a quasi Sharia State where all vestiges of secularity are subjugated into a much more wider network of the Salafist agenda! If this is the lot of our people in Osun then so be it; but it should be on record that his policy thrust appears to be one aimed at seducing the populace on the tenets of the Wahabi sect. The reality is that upon further research one will find that his Wahabi leanings are not too far fetched as proven in the above anecdotes where Aregbesola has shown his true colors in his approach to governance and leadership. It is clear to the discerning mind that once Aregbesola gets a second term in office it would be to consolidate on his strangle hold of the polity and then finally lunge forward in his brazen propagandist agenda of hoisting a new Wahabi flag in the heart land of Yoruba country. This would explain his trysts with the Northern Elite via the APC, his preoccupation with trips to Saudi Arabia, and his obsession with fundamentalist principles. If Aregbesola succeeds, he would have succeeded In doing what the more moderate Othman Dan Fodio was unable to achieve in his lifetime; that is the creation of a Salafist enclave in Yoruba land! Once our cultural capital Oshogbo is captured there will be little left to fight for in the ongoing history of the Yoruba people. We would have lost that which our forefathers strived to preserve. A polytheistic society where everyone is allowed to pursue his faith whichever way they find pious without infringing on the inalienable rights or sensibilities of other religions. Aregbesola has funds and the political backing to carry out his agenda unless the entire people of the South West realize his developmental Trojan horse early and stop him in his stride. The August 9 Gubernatorial elections in Osun is one that will go down In History as one that would either define Yoruba land as a secular society or the beginnings of a hard line fundamentalist regime that will ultimately destroy all that we hold dear; most importantly our indifference and moderation when it comes to matters of religious piety. Finally for those that may endure the pains and patience to read these lines wholeheartedly and with an open mind, let it sink that even if you chose to assume that this is just another political wishy washy or just the products of an opposition politician in Osun, it would do you a lot of good to know also that behind every malignant rumor is an iota if truth! Oodua a Gbe wa o This article was written by Chief Daniel Bankole Afilaka; the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Osun State Chapter of Labour Party, a Peace Ambassador, an Author and social commentator. He possesses an unrivaled passion for his State and an undying patriotic zeal for Nigeria that cannot be denied even by his detractor.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 11:45:44 +0000
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