By Martins Oloja
‘All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not’.
‘All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.’
‘All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]’.
‘Some of you say, “We can do whatever we want to!” But I tell you not everything may be good or helpful’.
‘Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up’.
‘Everything is allowable, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable, but everything does not build others up’.
(I Cor. 10:23)
I have quoted various English versions of these same very important ancient words to the very inordinately ambitious politicians who do not care about the very delicate and fragile nature of this federation at the moment. They don’t care if Nigeria comes to harm again as long as they have their way. They are on the march again. They do not care if the country goes up in flame again in the name of political ambition. They don’t believe the master strategist and leader of leaders who told a lot of carefree believers before that, some of you say, ‘We can do whatever we want to’ But I tell you not everything may be good or helpful…’
Where is that diplomatic oracle called John Campbell who once wrote a book titled ‘Nigeria On The Brink’,where is your follow-up, ‘Nigeria on the brink again’?
Indeed, the out-going governing party that has collected another ‘certificate of occupancy’ to Abuja’s powerhouse is strangely leading us to another brink. They don’t want to know anything about national cohesion or that notion called nation building. They don’t want to know about the complexity of our diversity in this already convoluted federation. They just want to be in office and in power, no matter who is crushed, no matter what happens to the vulnerable ones. That is why we need to ask: who is on Nigeria’s side? The question has become necessary as it appears that some politicians and political leaders who are warming up for the morning after May 29, are about to set Nigeria on fire as soon as the new President is sworn in. The implications of the Muslim-Muslim ticket that produced the president-elect and vice president-elect are still staring us in the face. They want to tell us that they have had a breakthrough with that and so they want to take the weapon of mass disaffection to the National Assembly in June, 2023. They are brazen. Their audacity is bewildering that even in National Assembly leadership, it doesn’t matter as long as the Chairman of the Joint Session of National Assembly hails from North West dominated by Fulani and Muslims.
They are claiming that they want the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to emerge from the North West because from May 30, 2023, the head of the Executive arm will be from the South and the head of the Judiciary will also be of southern extraction. Yet the elephant in the room is that the fixers in Abuja are not campaigning for the Senate and the Speaker to hail from Christian-dominated North Central Nigeria. That is why it is expedient to ask the very restless former Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari what he would like to achieve with his very virulent campaign for the North West to occupy the office of the Senate President in June when the 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated. Is Yari really on the Nigeria’s side? Let’s take the question to the office of the Chairman of the ruling APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu who seems to be speaking in tongues again about the zoning arrangement he once endorsed in writing: Are you on peaceful Nigeria’s side?
What is this thing about the peaceful Nigeria’s side? It is Nigeria where we can relive the old National Anthem (composed by Frances Berda) we relinquished in 1978. I mean Nigeria, our Nigeria we will not hate because of the attitude and recklessness of our political leaders and politicians. Nigeria we can call our own. Nigeria, our own dear native land, where we can proudly claim, though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand. We are talking of Nigeria Nigerians all, are proud to serve; Nigeria where our flag shall be a symbol we can proudly carry everywhere we go.
Nigeria, where truth and justice reign. We mean Nigeria where our fathers will no longer eat sour grapes that will set the teeth of their children on edge. I mean Nigeria where no man is oppressed for his belief or because of where he comes from. We are talking about Nigeria where leaders will respect the federal character provisions in the constitution our leaders have sworn to defend. Oh, Nigeria where the law and no man rules. We need Nigeria where men who rule are not ruled by women of easy virtues. Nigeria on whose side our leaders will be! We need a secure Nigeria where anyone can proclaim ‘I am proudly Nigerian’ without being paid to say so by failed state actors who want to win election.
Certainly, if after the inauguration of the National Assembly next month, we wake up to the reality that the President, the Vice President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of Nigeria are all Muslims, what will happen? The answer to this question may blow in the wind, but even if silence greets this development, that silence will be golden. Though Senator-elect Abdulaziz Yari and his campaign managers are saying it doesn’t matter anymore in Nigeria, let us hasten to warn again through the ancient words above:
‘Everything is allowable, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable, but everything does not build others up’.
When amplified this means: ‘All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive….’
Here is also why the journey Yari and co have embarked upon can put a sharp knife on the already weak thread that holds us together: the out-going President Muhammadu Buhari will on May 29 hand over an already poisoned chalice to his successor. Let’s not run away from this reality: In the last eight years, the best men and women for most jobs in all the strategic sectors, intelligence, security, military, para-military, communications and information technology, transportation including aviation, etc are not only from the North West and North East, they are Muslims. Let’s give a few examples to deconstruct this parochialism that has set the tone for another crisis of nation building for the next leader. The Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Police Affairs, the Chairman and Secretary of Police Trust Fund are all Muslims from the North.
The Chief of Army Staff, the Director General of State Security Service (SSS) the Director General National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Defence Minister, Chief of Navy, Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service, Comptroller General of Immigration, Comptroller General of Nigerian Correctional Service (formerly Nigeria Prisons Service) are all Muslims from the North West/East.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the Vice Chairman/CEO of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); The Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); The Aviation Minister, the Director General/CEO of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); the Director General/CEO of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), (the two key agencies, yes there others) are Muslims from the North; The Minister of Transportation (after R.Amaechi) Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) are all Muslims from the far North; the Minister of Petroleum Resources,(the President is Minister); the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Limited are from the North West and North East; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Director of Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) all are Muslims from the North. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT) and the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (the pioneer development agency set up by law in 1976) and more than 90% of the members of the cabinet (called Mandate Secretaries) and Chief Executives of agencies of the FCT are all from the North and they are Muslims.
The Chairman and Secretary of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) are from the North and they are Muslims. The Minister of Power, the Managing Director/CEO of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) are Muslims who hail from the North; The Chairman of Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and Managing Director/CEO, are also Muslims from the North. There are more agencies still unrecorded here. But these agencies and institutions of governance in Nigeria shape and control our destinies. People are always conscious of who govern them.
This is one area where the outgoing Buhari (an army General and former Head of State) woefully failed the nation. He said to us at his inauguration on May 29, 2015: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody…” There is now no doubt about where he really belongs and what his mission really is. Not many will be surprised if the Letter Writer General of the Federation, Musikilu Mojeed (‘Premium Times’ calls ‘The Letterman’ writes on our outgoing President Buhari as ‘The Strong Man Who Threatened to Impose Fulanisation, Northernisation and Islamisation policy as fundamental objective and directive principle of state policy’.
That is why Senator-elect Yari and his gang should be made to be on the side of Nigeria where everybody will enjoy peace because there is fairness and justice for all tribes and faiths. I mean Nigeria where no man or woman is oppressed. Let the Yaris of Nigeria be resourceful enough to study the weight of evidence of unfairness that the outgoing President has foisted on Nigeria and will hand over to his successor on May 29 before they continue their campaign for Muslims as presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly. In the main, our leaders at all levels should stand for a genuinely peaceful Nigeria where Christians too will be happy and proud to campaign and pray for Nigeria as our and not their country.
