By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.
The falcon is screaming itself out, yet the falconet cannot hear. Justice is judged of her valiant and equity is executed on the street by her own beneficiaries. The centre indeed can no longer hold. The voice of the shepherd is lost on the sheep to the subtle momentarily soothing whisper of the hireling luring it to the slaughter slab.
Deafening the nation is a noise of confusion coming from the church shouting Islamization agenda! Islamization agenda!! Islamization agenda!!!
Of course, this agenda is real but it is not something that noise and empty threats can drown.
Truth must be told this agenda is beyond our country. It’s a drive-by Islamic fundamentalists to have control of Africa, the strategic position, economy and size of Nigeria make her a soft target for the realization of an agenda far from being noble.
In the East African country of Kenya, the Al-Shabaab had their worst hit on that country in 2019 at the Dusit D2 Hotel Complex, with the use of a suicide vest.
In Uganda, ISLAMIC State Central African Province claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Central business district in Kampala.
In the west African country of Burkina Faso, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State attacks on the country have recorded over 2000 deaths and 1.8 million displaced persons.
This international terror network operation in Africa has triggered the historical terror that predates the territory named Nigeria by her British colonial Master. A result of rivalry between the West and Shua Arabs for territorial control during our colonial days, that is the reason we are where we are. While the West is done in Africa but not dusted, returning home yet tying the apron of the former colonial states to their skirts. This is made obvious by their support for inept leadership succession who are unable to lead our independent states out of dependency on former colonial states. Shua Arabs of course have nowhere to go and have therefore found life in the terror activities of Islamic fundamentalists to fulfil their RUGA (meaning my land in fulfude) dream.
We must speak and write to prick the consciences of the Christian faithful who in their present situation are not better than subjects of traditional rulers of African states who thrive through conspiracy with the colonial masters against their own people. The individual Christian must take his faith and fate in his own hands. Some Pastors today are trading the number of the members and branches of their church for political relevance and dividend with politicians.
If, in spite of your faithfulness to tithes and offerings, your pastor still feels the need to trade out your collective demography for personal gain then something is wrong. Standing with Northern Christians is sacrosanct to our existential continuity as men of faith and of tribes. One statement made at the St Francis-Owo attack is you could be next! Owo in Ondo state is between Benin in Edo State and Osogbo in Osun state, with an average driving distance of an hour. Owo is a driving distance of 4 hours from Lagos. Can your Lagos and my Lagos be the next?
History doesn’t lie, people lost to history are dead while they yet live. Historically, this Fulani ethnic warfare is wrapped under religious garb, the first causalities are the non-Fulani Habe Kings of Hausa states, overthrown by their own people under the quest for practising true Islam which established the present Emirate structure in 1804.
Second, are the Hausas and other indigenous non-Fulani Northerners, especially the Christians, hoodwinked under one North, already subdued.
Third, are the Christian Middle belt deceived under one regional camouflage now being ravaged by herdsmen unchallenged.
The fourth will be the southern Christians lured under a Muslim-Muslim/North-South presidential ticket and this is where we are in 2022.
And the fifth will be the Yoruba Muslim casualties who should be smelling the coffee now before we are all faced with the final onslaught of Muslim – Muslim/North-North tickets in 2027.
In all these battles, the victims are first their foot soldiers who are sent to divide and dislodge their own people before realizing their folly.
The average period of slumber or comatose is 35 years before they wake up if they ever do!
In their deception they are appealing to your liberalism, to say religion doesn’t matter and you are foolishly running with it without putting their perspective in the context of their actions. I love a public statement circulating on this, which I have modified to get home my points.
“YOU say RELIGION does not matter but some people want Hijab to be worn in all public Secondary Schools.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but you cannot sell alcohol in some states in NIGERIA, but the taxes from its sales can build you a Mosque.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter in NIGERIA but we have a Constitution that recognises the CRIMINAL CODE in the South and PENAL CODE (Sharia law) in the North.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but HISBAH is a religious police backed by law and its officers can arrest a normal Police officer.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but Leah Sharibu was denied freedom because those that negotiated the release of the kidnapped Dapchi school girls were of different RELIGION.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but a Northern Christian is bad for political business.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but enact religious beliefs into our laws. If religious beliefs inspire the laws that govern us, then the influence of RELIGION shouldn’t be downplayed
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but a Christian woman was killed in Abuja because she was preaching close to a Mosque. Her killers are still walking around freely and will vote during the coming elections.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but our government continues to waste the resources of a constitutional “secular state” on sponsorship of pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem every year for political patronage.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter yet churches are set ablaze by those shouting “Allahu Akbar”
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but you cannot build churches in major cities of Northern Nigeria, and when you do it is never going to be without Government approval.
YOU say RELIGION does not matter but when we had a Christian PRESIDENT, our president now, said then, “an attack on Boko Haram was an attack on the NORTH”.
Only two countries in the world today have dealt ruthlessly with terrorism and terrorists, Israel and Egypt. I won’t refer you to the example of Israel, because of the diplomatic biases of this Administration.
Nigerians should go and study what happened in Egypt in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and look out for similarities with the goings-on in their country.
In 2011, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt formed a party, Freedom and Justice Party and used that platform to install President Morsi (an Islamic fundamentalist and member of the Muslim Brotherhood) in 2012. Thankfully, in 2013, the Egyptian military got wind of the game of the Islamists and quickly moved to remove President Morsi. Consequently, the military saved the country from sliding fully into the hands of the fundamentalists.
In February 2013, the Islamists in Nigeria, masquerading as democrats, formed a party, All Progressives Congress, and used that platform to clinch power in 2015. They installed a man who was the grand patron of BH who never hesitated to speak publicly in favour of the terrorists.
Since he had chosen a famous pastor from a majority ethnic group as Vee Pee, ethnic sentiments blinded many within the Vee Pee’s Church family and ethnic group from seeing the agenda of the terrorists. They rejoiced that their brother was the second in command to the new president.
After over seven years in office, we all have seen what the Islamists have done to the Vee Pee’s office and are now set to advance their evil agenda. That’s the reason for the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Regrettably, many citizens still think it’s all about politics and is vigorously discussing the 2023 elections. Some are glad that their ethnic warlord has been named the ruling party candidate.
Sadly, the experiment that failed in Egypt is working in Nigeria because our military is in bed with the terrorists; at least General T.Y Danjuma said so. Since our military has been captured by the Islamists, the onus now lies on the ordinary people to fight and save their country. Unfortunately, not many of them truly know what’s going on. If you refuse to see the similarities between the Egyptian experiment and the politics of 2023 in Nigeria, then you are blind and irredeemable. May God help you!
Professor Bolaji Akinyemi was the former Minister of External Affairs and, before then, the Director-General, of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.
Disclaimer:
The opinions and views expressed in this write-up are entirely that of the Writer(s). They do not reflect the opinions and views of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or any of its employees. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of materials herein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or its employees concerning the legal status of any country, its authority, area or territory or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. Equally, the sketches, images, pictures and videos are gotten from the public domain.
