Although this is long, but please read: fault me if you feel I’m wrong or jump into the ship with me and together let us move Nigeria forward. I attended a political awareness meeting sometime ago. I did a little jotting as I listened to the main speaker reel out the challenges they face, especially in his state where settlers dominate the political scene at the expense of the original owners of the land. At the end of his presentation, more to me his lamentation and frustrations, I obtained permission to make a few observations. Please read the summary of my observations. There are stark realities we cannot run away from anymore in Nigeria. We need to realise that until Nigeria breaks up (if God wills it so) and each ethnic group goes its way, we will continue to live together in spite of our religious and ethnic differences. That means that we must find a way to live together peaceably. Until then, Christians and Muslims will have to find common grounds to cohabit and move forward together, not separately. God knew ever before now that these two dominant groups would live in a country known as Nigeria, and for reasons best known to Him allowed it to be so. The Hausa/Faulani must realise that he cannot do without the other ethnic groups that make up Nigeria; the same thing applies to all other groups. The questions we need to ask ourselves notwithstanding our ethnic and religious divides are: do we want to play politics of exclusion or politics of inclusion? Do we want to engage negotiation and persuasion to get what each wants or take up arms to take forcefully what we perceive as belonging to each group? Is not foolhardiness to think that we can obtain by force what ordinarily negotiation and persuasion can get for each group? I am convinced that neither PDP nor APC is a Christian or a Muslim party; that amounts to an insult of our collective intelligence. This is where Bosun Emmanuel’s religious/political tirade is fraught with danger. Again, I say this unequivocally that nobody constitutes enough threat to God’s power in Nigeria that should warrant we all begin to carry AK47 and other dangerous ammunitions to fight a war that is spiritual rather than carnal. Who can fight for the Almighty God? When did God begin to need me to help Him? What makes Him God and not man, is it not because He can accomplish whatever He desires with or without me? I have come to know that those who beg God (in the place of prayer) don’t beg men. As we pray, let us go out there and be part of the process that produces the movers and shakers of the nation. I honestly abhor this gimmick by some misfits trying to hoodwink the rest of us on the religious leaning of one political party or the other. Let us even assume that a particular religion controls the PDP, what can you do where its candidate wins the governorship of your state? Will you move out of that state to another because of certain policies you consider unfavourable inimical to your religion? Is it not this politics of exclusion that has boxed some of us into this mess? I am glad that RCCG has denounced Bosun Emmanuel’s attempt to use it as a platform to propagate his political message. We all will do better to get out of our cocoon and be part of the process or else we will continue to be stranded on the sideline while others are having a field day out there. We have a choice to make; and as I always tell my people in our village church; it’s all in our hands. God bless Nigeria, and truly, we’re a blessed nation.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 10:04:17 +0000
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