Part 2 of 3
Yesterday’s Prophecies, Today’s Bad Dreams
An alternative subtitle for this section might have been, “Beyond PVCs.” By strange intuition, some observers of the Nigeria political landscape have been unable to share in the ‘PVC’ hype; they have been unpersuaded with the common agitation to ensure registration and possession of a Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) in the opinion that the good outcome of the next elections would rest solely on that. In some societies, yes; in some other societies, unfortunately, No.
Early in this political dispensation, we published a burden in an online post entitled “Body Language.” Not everyone liked it. One or two readers wasted no time in lashing back, one of them doing so in language that is not fit to repeat here. Apparently from the perspective of their political affiliations, they interpreted the message as being ‘politically motivated,’ as ill-intentioned ‘ethnic bias’ pretending to be prophecy. Today, that prophecy, in several respects, already mocks us impudently in the face, more real than a bad dream; and some of those that then scorned have regretted their earlier hastiness.
Talking of body language, we have heard it frequently lamented these days about a Government in place that ‘has little respect for the law.’ A group of human right lawyers lately mourned that there were heaps of court injunctions that the present Federal government is yet to honour. If that is true, will they respect future court orders? Could a man be without some grand agenda who puts his own people in every strategic gate of the nation? The National Security Council is virtually an Islamic and Fulani caucus. It has never been so bad. The heads of defence, the army, the air force, the police, the immigration, customs, education, media, the intelligence agencies, the Federal electoral agency – INEC, organs of the judiciary, and so on, are deliberately and blatantly Muslims; hard core defiant Muslims. Could all of this be simple coincidence, or a ground plan ahead of some decided agenda merely waiting for a date? Could anyone have done so much by consecutive stubborn mistakes? Will this Person conduct a fair election? Will his brother whom he has put there as Head, for whatever Purpose they are already sworn to, release a credible election result? Will the blood of humans mean more then than the blood of heathen dogs and baboons which had meant nothing before?
There have been suppressed outcries in sections of the country about suspected plans to deliberately disenfranchise those sections, especially the largely Christian south as well as Christian communities in the north of the country. Voters cards are generally inaccessible in those places and registration process is as hard as going through the proverbial eye of a needle, etc. In the largely Muslim communities, however, it is alleged that INEC officers go from place to place to ensure registration, and even children are mass registered. Does all this describe a scene where Somebody is about to conduct a credible election, or would respect the ‘unfavourable’ outcome of one? What some have seen, who see, is a Pharaoh who, in the event of a voters’ situation that threatens his perpetuation on the throne, would create national crises using his armed ethnic militia already posted into the nooks and crannies of the country, thus warranting the unleashing of Constitutional prerogatives that would legitimise continuing on the stool. If they ‘saw’ well who have so interpreted the times and seasons, we need more than PVCs to take us to Promised Land; we need radical divine intervention. Does that mean anyone should throw away their voter’s card? No, but this season calls for much more that only God can give. It is why some seers say they see no election coming, as if to say we might have been rehearsing in vain for a show that will never be.
No Islamization Agenda
We have had it vigorously denied, even by our own Christian Vice President, that there is ongoing Islamization in Nigeria aided by the present government system. His view is strangely strongly shared by some christians on his side of political affiliations. Maybe somebody needs to explain what ‘Islamization’ means. It does not necessarily mean the forced conversion of non-Muslims; it means the enforcement of an Islamic worldview and outlook upon a society, even where the people do not immediately convert.
Is Iran an Islamic country? Is Saudi Arabia an Islamic country? Yes. Is every resident of those nations a Muslim? No, but there is an unmistakeable law and aura of Islam which is thrown over everyone, in one way or the other. It does not take a billboard for even the blind to see it. It comes out in the culture, in the educational system, in the architecture, the dress codes, the laws, the institutions of government, the holidays observed, everything conforms to that religious creed. Such a society carries the bold ‘stamp’ of Islam from the very gate: airport, seaport, highway, etc.; it is ‘called’ by the name of Islam even if it carried its own label. That is part of what those who understand are protesting against in Nigeria. Islamization does not in all places at all times mean forceful conversion; that may be ultimate; it is the bringing of everyone under their black flag, as a Muslim or as a dhimmi – a slave of Islam.
Should Nigeria by stealth or by force be ascribed the identity of Islam? Does the sustained gruesome killing of Christians look like anything other than a jihad? When employment and recruitments into government agencies have to respect Islamic holidays, the Islamic religion, and Arabic; when Christian businessmen and women are being deliberately wrecked, and Muslims empowered over them; when school uniforms and other official attires have to be hijab-compliant, what more do we say? We pardon our brethren who do not see what the rest of the world already mourns. Sometimes it is sorcery; high level blinding sorcery, against which we also need to battle over their adamant heads.
We have had strange deaths lately, which is another side to the conflict. Some of the deaths smack of sophisticated enemy intelligence operation with stealth toxins, etc. The casualties have been prominent and vocal anti-establishment advocates of justice. The General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr Musa Asake, from Southern Kaduna in the terrorised Middle Belt region of Nigeria, died overnight after a strategic Kingdom meeting in the middle of this month of May. The media announcements were a subtle mockery of us. They said that he had died ‘two weeks after leading a mass church public protest against the killing of Christians,’ as if to say, ‘Behold the end of your spokesman; march out again let’s see.’ We are not surprised that the government media, almost entirely under Islamic and Fulani supervision, would put the narrative that way. The month had hardly ended before there was another ‘breaking news’ of the death from “an undisclosed ailment” of Dr Bala Takaya, Chairman of the Middle Belt Forum. All the deaths have occurred on a Sunday morning or thereabouts. Strange deaths of high profile spokesmen within the same embattled region, within a short period of each other.
Two months ago, in the last week of March, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the same troubled Middle Belt region of Taraba State, Rev Dr Ben Ubeh, was crushed to death by a truck where he had been standing by his car off the road on his way to an “official engagement” in Yola, another state capital in the same region. It was Sunday morning. Was there a Friday plotting for the Sunday actions? On top of all of that, the recent murder of catholic priests and worshippers during an early morning mass, as it had happened in Enugu State about a year ago. With all of these, it is strange that anybody would still allow themselves to be paid to call this jihad a backyard conflict between cows and grasses, between herders and farmers. What grasses were what cows looking for in the church where the priests were killed? Time to wake up.
Continued in part 3 of 3
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From The Preacher’s diary,
May 28, 2018.
