Before I explore why Miyetti Allah will kill Nigeria, I would like to quote from my previous articles. Nigeria is better and more significant as a united entity subject to the acceptance and respect for the religions and ethnicities of all the people. Countries that have witnessed disintegration have started by allowing reckless statements and superiority sentiments like those credited to Miyetti Allah in the recent time. Nigeria is getting divided day by day by these words of war, and the indecisiveness of our political leaders will help those without the capacity to see the significant benefits of a diverse society where equity and justice reign.
The late Sanni Abacha was an example of a decisive leader when it comes to keeping the country together. Don’t get me wrong; I am not eulogising Sanni, the late dictator. Sanni did a lot of havoc for which his name and memory should be a lesson for leaders. He saved millions of Nigeria’s monies according to Buba Galadima, a purported co-custodian and signatory to the Abacha savings accounts for Nigeria. I hope Buba is helping the federal government to trace the rest of the stolen wealth. Otherwise, it is a case of another offhand comment without consequences.
Abacha was decisive according to one of Femi Fani-Kayode’s speeches to have ordered the execution of the nine people involved in the killing of Gideon Akaluka who was beheaded in Kano in 1995 for desecrating the Qur’an. Abacha rose to the occasion by proclaiming no place for the evil as big as cutting off a man’s head and hanging it in a video celebration for desecrating the Qur’an. Gideon was taken from the police station by a mob of people led by nine so-called educated Islamic scholars with Sudan based radicalisation experience. Abacha as good as he was in the looting of the fund, or sorry for keeping money abroad for subsequent government was braved enough to identify the effects of religious fundamentalism in a secular nation like Nigeria. He knew Nigeria would become a foregone name if nothing is done and ordered the execution of the perpetrators without remorse.
Akaluka was not the only Nigerian who suffered from religious riots from the mostly uneducated youth of northern Nigeria and weapons in the hands of selfish-oriented politicians who used religion as a tool to divide us. We can recall the likes of Christianah Oluwasesin, Grace Ushang and multitude of Igbo traders and Christians. These are before the wave of banditry, Boko Haram, herdsmen killings in Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, and the entire north.
We are lucky that there was no courage or there was a deliberate decision not to instigate reprisal attacks which could have led to another civil or religious wars in the past. Some people are left with the scars of the past unrest while the country remains one even with clear division and agitations. The recent agitations by the Igbo, Ijaw and Yoruba nations for restructuring are the cumulative effects of the perceived injustice in Nigeria. The violence in the country has been lopsided to a section and a religion. We must know that no tribe or religion is licensed to cause mayhem. Others who are perceived to be peaceful can be pushed into defending themselves and their territories if no action is taken to protect them.
For Nigeria to build on its past no matter how unjust it might be, we need to stop the drum of war by the likes of Miyetti Allah and any other ethnic groups. While the IPOB, the Ijaw, Middle Belt and the Yoruba groups have been more civilised in their approach, the entitlement mindset and speeches of the Miyetti Allah need to be checkmated by the elites of the north and leaders if they desire to see a united country where their children will live and prosper.
For Nigeria to build on its past no matter how unjust it might be, we need to stop the drum of war by the likes of Miyetti Allah and any other ethnic groups
Whether it is a piece of fake news or not, the recent statement credited to the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore group is unfortunate and a setback in the process of building a nation. Bello Abdullahi Bodejo is occupying a leadership position and is seen as the spokesperson for the association. He was reported to have said the Fulanis will rule Nigeria forever and will occupy any land they want in Nigeria. He further posited that they would deploy their security outfit, just like the Amotekun in all the states of Nigeria. I don’t think Bodejo understand his utterances or does he think speaking that way will create fear or unite Nigerians.
He must have said that because his past statements for his association have either gone unpunished or criticised by leaders, especially the Fulanis leaders. At the inception of Amotekun in the south-west, Mayetti Allah was reported to have urged the leaders of the south-west to drop Amotekun or lose the presidency in 2023. Bodejo also referred to the Yoruba nation as the most primitive for trying to keep peace within her region. This show the smacks of indecency of an ethnic association in Nigeria. While the IPOB in the south-east is peaceful in her approach and have reasons to claim marginalisation of the Igbos since the civil war ended. Those in the south-south have legitimate agitational reasons for being the goose that lay the golden eggs. Yet, with the most deprived environment and arrested development. I still wonder the grouse of the likes of Boko Haram and the Miyetti Allah with their violence and divisive words for a war they cannot fight alone.
Boko Haram is our visible and known enemy for violence killing of Nigerians, Miyetti Allah is sowing seeds of discord among the future generations. It will help if you read how divided Nigerian youths are with their comments on social media in reaction to Bodejo’s purported comment which is not the first. We are already showing the signs of bitter inter-ethnic words which led to the breakup of Yugoslavia.
We need to caution the leadership of Miyetti Allah before they kill Nigeria with their words of war whether they deny their claimed ownership of the country or not. There is no fire without flame. It is just a wild imagination that Nigeria can be fulanised or make a country with one religion. That’s impossible! We need to wade war against associations that focus on what divides our nation than what unites us. Nigeria is a secular country, and it will remain that if our unity is to be guaranteed.
In 2018, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III faulted the calls for the proscription of the Miyetti Allah claiming the association has not asked any herdsman to kill people. The incidence of herdsmen killing has not abated. But more worrisome is the preaching of ethnic and religion fundamentalism and superiority by the same association. Those who had called for the proscription of the association may not be far away from the truth. Leading Fulanis have not denounced the association. Is Miyetti Allah singing a secret song them?
Today, we have Miyetti Allah untouched despite its divisive words and superiority proclamation of the Fulanis. Are the other ethnic groups threatening the existence of Nigeria like the Miyetti Allah?
I am sure the presidency and the ruling class in Nigeria will not want Nigeria to go the way of the Yugoslavia. It is time for the political power to be decisive- from the presidency to the state governments and kill what could kill Nigeria. The jostling of some ethnic nations within Nigeria to be admitted into the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) should worry our leaders except there is a plan unknown to us. If it is the oil that is uniting us, we should know that there are countries with diversity without oil and they are doing well leveraging on their multi-ethnicity resources and unity to do exploits among nations.
The presidency is not also helping matters with the recent lopsided appointments. It is as if Nigeria is only for a section of the country. We are more divided than ever, and someone in charge should be mindful of how this will end up dividing us. Injustice don’t breed unity but disunity. The major problem is that our leaders are mostly building their wealth and political influence at the expense of the poor and powerless majority. Posterity will judge what the leaders do or fail to do with our children as the weapon of vengeance.
It is high a time we started to build a new Nigeria dream different from what the colonial masters and our founding fathers besieged on us. The awareness level of the various federating nations is high, and the agitation to end Nigeria is just starting except a set of selfless leaders rise to the occasion. This is difficult as most of the political leaders are representing themselves and not the people. For once and in the interest of the majority, let stop the drum of war through injustice and sectional entitlement mindset.
The task of building a new nation goes beyond Bodejo’s knowledge. Averting war and building a united country is not the same as rearing cattle, a business he is using the 15th-century techniques to execute in the 21st century. Bodejo and his team should realise they need Nigerians as their market, face their business and stop their divisive utterances. Though, Bodejo has denied his last statement, yet the damage has been done by dividing Nigeria and Nigerians along ethnic and religion sentiments.
Nigeria needs a team of more progressive politicians who will build a new Nigeria for all and without fear in correcting what should be corrected. We need people who will start living the value they want to leave behind. We are in search for Nigeria’s new fathers and leaders who will become living legends as noted by Dr Martin Luther King Jr in his famous quote. “An Individual has not started living fully until they can rise above the narrow confines of individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of humanity. Every person must decide at some point, whether they will walk considering creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness”
We are at a point where the need to build equality, diversity, inclusion and widely range belonging in our national life. We reject the rhetoric of war from anyone especially the notorious religion organisations who sees everything from a negative point of view.
Babs Olugbemi FCCA, the Chief Responsibility Officer at Mentoras Leadership Limited and Founder, Positive Growth Africa. He can be reached on [email protected] or 08025489396.
