[dropcap]A[/dropcap]re you arguing that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed, proposes to use the numerical strength of Northern Muslims in the Senate to push for an expansion of Sharia law and education in our constitution?
Are you surprised? His specialisation is Sharia and all he thinks is Sharia.
My position is different because I prefer to challenge my fellow Christians. I do not normally judge people by their tribes, religion and region because that is where our strength lies as a people.
Sadly, religion has become a very potent tool against the people.
We are experiencing this today because while our Muslim politicians use Islam to amass political power, Christians use it to amass material wealth. In both cases, the people suffer. Especially the poor and uneducated.
While Christian leaders take money from the poor, Muslim leaders take power and education from their people while deceiving them that they are one in unity.
I once received a message from somebody who wanted me to speak about a school in Taraba State where students and teachers do not attend school but the teachers receive monthly salaries. The headmaster only come to school to monitor the silence and drive lizards away from the walls.
To buttress my point, only 28 students were enrolled in Zamfara State (home of Sharia law) for the common entrance examination in 2018. Taraba enrolled 95 students and 50 students were enrolled in Kebbi State.
Education is power and eye-opener. They take power from the people by brainwashing them with religion. Meanwhile, in that same examination, Lagos State enrolled 24,465 students, FCT 7,699 while Rivers enrolled 4,819 candidates.
Today we have the highest number of beggars, gatemen, shoe makers coming grom the North. The insecurity in the north is the worst. Their so-called leaders want to be worshipped as they occasionally give free food and use children as under-aged voters every four years.
If they are sincere about Sharia law, they should tell us which corrupt Muslim leader has been amputated for stealing according to Sharia law? Governor Abdulallahi Ganduje, a.k.a Gandollar is still using his right hand after being caught in a video receiving bribe in dollars. Senator Danjuma Goje is still using his hands he allegedly used in stealing N5 billion from Gombe State when he was governor. Yet they have used the same law to amputate the hands of poor Muslims who stole animals. The first Nigerian to be amputated under Sharia law was Buba Bello Jangebe in 2000.
He was convicted for stealing cows. In 2011 an Islamic court under a judge named Muhammadu Abubakar, ruled that the wrists of Auwalu Abubaka and Lawalii Musa should be cut off for stealing a bull. Under Sharia law, somebody convicted for adultery is stoned to death. Some have been flogged publicly.
Ironically, nothing happened in 2017 when Senator Buka Ibrahim, a Muslim from Yobe State, who was also a former governor of the state, was caught naked in sexual escapade in an hotel with two ladies as recorded on video. Sharia law was silent because the law is usually suffered by the poor. The time has come for the poor to say no!
While most Muslim leaders continue to use religion to amass political power and oppress less privileged Muslims, Christians are busy using religion to amass economic power by preaching hopeful prosperity while hopelessly impoverishing the people. In acquiring political power, Muslim leaders also acquire economic power.
Christian leaders hobnob with government for selfish gains. If not, why did Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor as President of the Christian Association of Nigeria allow his private jet to ferry $10 million in 2014 purportedly to buy ammunition for the Nigerian Government from South Africa when we have the Nigerian Air Force jet?
Why have Christian leaders refused to courageously speak up when Omoyele Sowore was unlawfully arrested and detained against the rule of law and Christian principles? Do we wake up as Christians only when Muslims push their religion in order to expand their political space?
The more we remain silent to national issues, the more others will take advantage of us. Did we not keep silent when the same Justice Tanko Mohammed ridiculously told us that termites ate his school certificate?
The time has come for Nigerians to realise that our problems are not from our differences in region, religion or tribe, but in our politicians who in their desperate greed and self consciousness, continue to polarise us through our various attributes that ought to strength us.
Our common enemy is the Nigerian politician. We must vehemently resist any agenda of law that imposes religious ideology on the Nigerian people. Religion must be treated as a private matter.
Frederick Odorige is a student of the National University of Public Service, Budapest Hungary. He is from Delta State State of Nigeria. He has a Masters degree in International Public Service Relations, a Certificate in Diplomacy and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from the University of Benin, Nigeria.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
