Re: Split Nigeria between Muslims and Christians
My concern is that the Libyan President has unfortunately demonstrated that he does not know Nigeria at all by that comment by simplifying the problem the way he did. Secondly, I do not see how the split of the country can in any way address the causes and effects of these numerous religious crises, if […]
My concern is that the Libyan President has unfortunately demonstrated that he does not know Nigeria at all by that comment by simplifying the problem the way he did. Secondly, I do not see how the split of the country can in any way address the causes and effects of these numerous religious crises, if at all that was his genuine concern. The composition of Nigeria as it is today has made that suggestion very impracticable.
But one thing we must not miss in the message is that the world is tired of our problems as expressed in the numerous ethno-religious crises with the attendant colossal loss of lives and properties. If we take a hard look at the Gaddafi’s comments from that angle the better for all us.
Our problem is not Islam or Christianity. It is also not Muslims or Christians. Far from them all. Our problem is largely the failure of leadership at all levels to engender purposeful followership for the common good of all. Our problem is that of class struggle between those who are sucking or benefitting from the system at the top but who will go down to widen the cleavages of religious and ethnic differences among the people. Our problem is that of a docile majority who seems to be contented with its exploitation and its readiness to even support the exploiters through such primordial factors like religion and ethnicity.
I, for one, will never support the call for any form of disintegration of Nigeria by whatever means. Not even the one suggested by a compatriot which he euphemistically termed “peaceful disintegration”. All we need to do is to be able to honestly, selflessly and patriotically address some of the major internal contradictions facing us, because they no doubt exist and they are many. Wishing them away would amount to dangerous pretence. Our potentials, anywhere you go to, lie in our unity as one country. Both as leaders and the led, we owed our children a better, peaceful, united and prosperous Nigeria.
We must not lose sight of the import of Gaddafi’s suggestion: the world is, and I think even we Nigerians too are, tired of this problem. Whatever solution we are searching for should be in the context of one Nigeria. The earlier we do that the better for all of us.
Abdulrahman Mohammed Alfa, Post Graduate Student PSMTP, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Greenhill, P.O. Box AH 50, Achimota-Accra Ghana.