The Bad, The Worse and the Ugly: Talibanization of Nigeria

By

Debo Awosika-Olumo

dawosikaolumo@neo.rr.com

“Man is subject to innumerable pains and sorrows by the very condition of humanity, and yet, as if nature had not sown evils enough in life, we are continually adding grief to grief and aggravating the common calamity by our cruel treatment of one another”. –Joseph Addison

When you think that you’ve seen all the bad, the worse and the ugliness that could come out of Nigeria, thus, you are faced with another mind boggling issues that make any rational human being to wonder if there is any hope for the country called Nigeria.

I have decided not to enter into the fray at the introduction of Sharia law by some opportunistic and failed self appointed leaders of the Sharia states in Nigeria because of the following reasons:

• I wanted to have a fair judgment and opinion of the motive of the advocates and proponents of this law;

• I want to see how fair a group of privileged people can interpret a law that gives all power to an individual opinion or facts seen by the myopic interpretation of a judge;

• I want the whole world to see the hypocrisy and stupidity that had made the Northern part of Nigeria, one of the most socio-economically, educationally backward region in the whole world. 

“Cruelty is, perhaps, the worst kid of sin. Intellectual cruelty is certainly the worst kind of cruelty”.-G.K. Chesterton

The interpretation of the Sharia in Nigeria has been a demonstration of intellectual cruelty at its worst because of the following reasons:

• How can a reasonable person explain the cutting of the hands of goat and cow thieves and the same group of people are organizing riots and public demonstration for the release from prison of a man who funded assassination of Nigerians and also stole billions of dollars form the treasury.

• How do you explain the clamoring for Babangida return as the president of Nigeria; if you cut the hands of goat thieves what should be the punishment for Babangida and his ilk. Babangida and his ilk today are billionaires not because they inherited money from their families or worked hard and invested wisely but only because they were public servants and looted the treasury.

• If the interpreters of the Sharia, cut the hands of the goat thieves, what should be the punishment for the past and present robbers and treasury looters that had and are still governing the country today.

“Cruelty is contagious in uncivilized communities”. - Harriet Ann Jacobs

It is very disturbing and disgraceful that Nigeria, who has always been the pride of Africa and the black race as a whole, in the 21^st century is degenerating into an uncivilized community. When looking for an example of evils, cruelty, pains and sorrows humans have added to aggravate the calamity of humanity, Nigeria is a perfect example.

This assertion of cruelty, evil, pains and sorrows is supported by the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) report that 70 out of 120 Nigerians are living in poverty. In spite of being the world’s seventh largest producer and sixth largest petroleum exporter, Nigeria is at the bottom rung of the development ladder particularly on a per capita income basis, according to the 2000/2001 Human Development Report on Nigeria. To further appreciate this calamity, the so called Sharia states have more dismal statistics than the rest of the country. This is further explained below as initially and rightfully described in one of my previous writings:

1. The richest out of government service generals and politicians in the country and possibly in the world. Despite this benefit, the Sharia region has the lowest private and indigenous investments of any area in the country.

2. The highest rates of unemployment about 75% and poverty rates in the 70% also.

3. Increased numbers of Alimanjiris (miscreants)

4. The highest maternal death. Southwest region reports annual maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 165 per 100,000 live births, although, this is high, but the Northeast region reports 1,549 per 100,000. The worst in the world.  A study conducted in the northern part of the country indicates that 25% of all deliveries take place in the home with no assistance or attendance present.---WHO

It is very disheartening that when you think you’ve seen and heard the worst from this shameless and failed self appointed Taliban band leaders, they will not stop from extending their failure and shamelessness to the whole nation. The most disturbing occurrence of late is the conviction and sentencing to death by stoning of a poor woman Amina Lawal for having consensual sex with an adult  that led to pregnancy and birth of a baby. This is very disturbing because most of those sitting in judgment over this woman are rapists; they are having or permitting sexual relationships with children in the name of religion, which causes these children to have Vesico-Vaginal Fistula {VVF} (traumatic connection between the bladder and the vagina), hence, this young girls urinate with their vagina. Immediately this situation occurs these young girls are discarded to become a pariah and stench to any other man. The Northern part of Nigeria has the highest rate of this man-made disease (VVF) in the world. Furthermore, where is the man and what is the punishment of the man that fathered this baby.

The stupidity of these actions such as cutting the hands of thieves and stoning to death the mother of a baby are as follows:

• The states that could not provide basic health care systems to majority of their people are spending the scarce health care resources in the cutting of hands and treatment of the culprits.

• After the cutting of his hands how do you want the man to fend for himself and his family;

• The root cause of the stealing and the poor woman having sexual relationship out of wedlock is poverty and wants caused by mismanagement, embezzlement and looting of the treasuries by the rogues in power.

• Every civilized mind knows that motherhood as well as fatherhood are important factors in the raising of a well mannered and productive citizen, hence depriving this baby with a runaway father the benefit of a mother is a cruel and undue punishment to the innocent child of Amina Lawal.

Another disturbing phase in this shameful and disparaging situation is the comment of Nigeria president I quote "I don't think what is going on will lead to her death," Mr Obasanjo said. "Indeed if it does, which I very much doubt, I will weep for myself, I will weep for Amina and I will weep for Nigeria." Mr. President, this is not the time to weep for yourself, or for Amina or for Nigeria. This is the time to act for yourself, for Amina Lawal and for Nigeria and save the country from this terrible stench.

“The vast majority of the race, whether savage or civilized, are secretly kind-hearted and shrink from inflicting pain, but in the presence of the aggressive and pitiless minority they don't dare to assert themselves”.- Mark Twain

Mr. President, this is the time to assert yourself and act, if there is anytime you need to demonstrate to the nation that you are “real general” and not a circumstantial one, this is it.

“The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it: so fine that we are often on the line and do not know It.” -Elbert Hubbard

My President according to Carl Sandburg “Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test come. And those that had it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.” Mr. President, a Yoruba adage states that  “Half word is enough for a reasonable person, when it gets to his mind it becomes whole.”

Another disturbing issue is the religious intolerance that is permeating the country, in which a group of people belonging to one religious group believes that it is only their “way or the highway.”

I read with amusement the opposition of Muslim groups in Nigeria against the hosting of the “Miss World” beauty contest in Nigeria. I am not a supporter or fan of the pageant, but I would not claim self righteousness like those people who banned alcohol in their states and are sharing the Value Added Tax (VAT) derived from it with the states that allowed sale of alcohol.

After reviewing all these facts, for anyone to say that there is no need to discuss the future of Nigeria or that anyone who after reviewing this grimly status of the nation and profess an alternative direction either in form of secession, confederation etc. is insane or a  “chicken little crying the sky is falling” really needs his or her own head examined. “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it”. –Albert Einstein.

Hence, the danger we are facing in Nigeria is not the people but the inaction of the leaders and the ‘political geniuses and mercenaries’ who lack the ability to forebode.