VTMBH Article: Body
Nigeria went into convulsions again on Nov. 20, and by the end of the almost one week of unrest in Kaduna and Abuja over 200 lives, and property running into millions of Naira, had been destroyed.
It was not Nigerias first crisis this year. According to government statistics, over 1,000 lives have been lost this year to various ethnic and religious conflicts all over the country. Yet, even the most battle-hardened Nigerians have found the latest bout of unrest unsettling. Many are wondering if this might not be proof that the differences between the countrys constituent parts are widening irretrievably.
The immediate cause of the crisis was an article written by a reporter for Thisday newspaper, which was considered offensive by most Muslims. Even though many agreed that the reporter, Isioma Daniels, should have exercised better judgment in the article, the explosion that greeted the article made many wonder if indeed the rioting was due to the article. Moreover, Thisday has copiously apologized for whatever its transgressions might have been.
At the heart of the anger was the Miss World Beauty contest, which Nigeria was hosting. While Christian and Muslims groups spoke out against the contest as sinful and ungodly, Muslims saw it as a slap on the face because the contest was billed to take place during Ramadan, their holy month. By the time the organizers realized the depth of the opposition and decided on a shift in date, it was seen as too little, too late.
But does this justify the destructive rage? Nigerians have an unequally divided opinion over this. While many voiced condemnation of this incident, some felt that the rioters have a genuine grievance to express.
Levi Obijiofor, a professor of communications, aptly captured the mood of many Nigerians in an article in The Guardian: On paper, Nigeria and Nigerians say they are a united entity. In practice, the various ethnic and religious groups that constitute Nigeria show deep hated (yes, hatred) for one another. They cannot live together in peace. They cannot resolve disagreements peacefully. The cannot engage in public debate without one group brandishing a gun or a rough-edged machete. Some ethnic and religious groups even feel the only way they can assert themselves in Nigeria is by attempting to eliminate people of other ethnic and religious backgrounds. The highpoint of this union of incompatibles is that political and religious leaders preach tolerance but practice intolerance. Street thugs in Kaduna and Abuja have just provided further evidence that Nigerian unity is a huge joke.
On the other side, former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari said although he found the activities of the rioters condemnable, it could be justified by the amount of provocation they were exposed to.
One thing that mars any justification for the riots was the disconnect between protest and violence. Though the Nigerian constitution allows for protests, the orgy of destruction and loss of lives caused by the rioters have shocked most Nigerians. And because it has become a regular occurrence to attack Christians and Southerners any time there is a disturbance in the North, many Nigerians are wondering if now is not the time to hold a meeting of all stakeholders in the country.
At the heart of this divergence of views is the sometimes diametrically opposed ideological and religious differences in the country. While most Nigerians are highly religious, a number of Muslim states in the northern part of the country have sought to fuse religion and governance into a common ideology. The extension of the Sharia legal code to include criminal adjudication by several states in the North, has agitated several Nigeriansespecially as judgments delivered by badly trained Sharia judges have continued to create image problems for the country.
There is a feeling among Nigerians that the country should be working to resolve problems created by over 30 years of military misrule, rather than create additional ones. Among ways advocated for a resolution of the problems is a sovereign national conference, or a conference of ethnic nationalities.
The call for a sovereign national conference has become a refrain in South-West Nigeria because of its immediate past experience under the military. Despite initial opposition, ethnic groups from the East and South-South have also joined the demand. This demand has gained added urgency in the wake of the Kaduna riots and matters were not helped by the public call for the murder of Daniels from the Deputy-Governor of the Zamfara State.
The federal government has been resolutely against this. Both the executive and the legislature have always asserted that as elected representatives of the people, it is their responsibility to discuss issues affecting Nigerians and not other extra-deliberating assemblies.
With the anger among Nigerians, it is safe to state, as Obijiofor said, that, Regardless of what politicians might say, Nigeria is simply clinging loosely and desperately on the precipice of disintegration.
One source of angst has been the perceived kid gloves with which successive governments have treated perpetrators of violence in the past, especially for those that occur in the North.
Afenifere, a Yoruba pressure group, is of the opinion that things go beyond the common belief that the riots were religious. It asserted that they had a political coloration. Afeniferes National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, said the group was concerned about the partiality of the federal government in dealing with cases of riots in different parts of the country.
Afenifere, he said, is puzzled as to why the Kaduna and Abuja crises were treated lightly, whereas in other places such as Odi in Bayelsa State, Lagos State and Zaki Biam in Benue State, the federal government came with heavy hands.
It appears as though the government is determined to address these fears. Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has ruled out the usual practice of establishing a commission of inquiry to look at the riots. Talking to newsmen following the arrest of those alleged to be involved in the riots, Makarfi said his government is determined to prosecute the men to the letter.
This has been supported by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. In his reaction to the carnage, he told journalists that we will do whatever is necessary to confront the situation. This situation has to be confronted. Those who instigated the crisis are callous and they must be brought to book.
If this is not done, then Nigerians might be left to wonder what use is a country that could neither protect their lives or property. Then things might really start to fall apart.
It was not Nigerias first crisis this year. According to government statistics, over 1,000 lives have been lost this year to various ethnic and religious conflicts all over the country. Yet, even the most battle-hardened Nigerians have found the latest bout of unrest unsettling. Many are wondering if this might not be proof that the differences between the countrys constituent parts are widening irretrievably.
The immediate cause of the crisis was an article written by a reporter for Thisday newspaper, which was considered offensive by most Muslims. Even though many agreed that the reporter, Isioma Daniels, should have exercised better judgment in the article, the explosion that greeted the article made many wonder if indeed the rioting was due to the article. Moreover, Thisday has copiously apologized for whatever its transgressions might have been.
At the heart of the anger was the Miss World Beauty contest, which Nigeria was hosting. While Christian and Muslims groups spoke out against the contest as sinful and ungodly, Muslims saw it as a slap on the face because the contest was billed to take place during Ramadan, their holy month. By the time the organizers realized the depth of the opposition and decided on a shift in date, it was seen as too little, too late.
But does this justify the destructive rage? Nigerians have an unequally divided opinion over this. While many voiced condemnation of this incident, some felt that the rioters have a genuine grievance to express.
Levi Obijiofor, a professor of communications, aptly captured the mood of many Nigerians in an article in The Guardian: On paper, Nigeria and Nigerians say they are a united entity. In practice, the various ethnic and religious groups that constitute Nigeria show deep hated (yes, hatred) for one another. They cannot live together in peace. They cannot resolve disagreements peacefully. The cannot engage in public debate without one group brandishing a gun or a rough-edged machete. Some ethnic and religious groups even feel the only way they can assert themselves in Nigeria is by attempting to eliminate people of other ethnic and religious backgrounds. The highpoint of this union of incompatibles is that political and religious leaders preach tolerance but practice intolerance. Street thugs in Kaduna and Abuja have just provided further evidence that Nigerian unity is a huge joke.
On the other side, former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari said although he found the activities of the rioters condemnable, it could be justified by the amount of provocation they were exposed to.
One thing that mars any justification for the riots was the disconnect between protest and violence. Though the Nigerian constitution allows for protests, the orgy of destruction and loss of lives caused by the rioters have shocked most Nigerians. And because it has become a regular occurrence to attack Christians and Southerners any time there is a disturbance in the North, many Nigerians are wondering if now is not the time to hold a meeting of all stakeholders in the country.
At the heart of this divergence of views is the sometimes diametrically opposed ideological and religious differences in the country. While most Nigerians are highly religious, a number of Muslim states in the northern part of the country have sought to fuse religion and governance into a common ideology. The extension of the Sharia legal code to include criminal adjudication by several states in the North, has agitated several Nigeriansespecially as judgments delivered by badly trained Sharia judges have continued to create image problems for the country.
There is a feeling among Nigerians that the country should be working to resolve problems created by over 30 years of military misrule, rather than create additional ones. Among ways advocated for a resolution of the problems is a sovereign national conference, or a conference of ethnic nationalities.
The call for a sovereign national conference has become a refrain in South-West Nigeria because of its immediate past experience under the military. Despite initial opposition, ethnic groups from the East and South-South have also joined the demand. This demand has gained added urgency in the wake of the Kaduna riots and matters were not helped by the public call for the murder of Daniels from the Deputy-Governor of the Zamfara State.
The federal government has been resolutely against this. Both the executive and the legislature have always asserted that as elected representatives of the people, it is their responsibility to discuss issues affecting Nigerians and not other extra-deliberating assemblies.
With the anger among Nigerians, it is safe to state, as Obijiofor said, that, Regardless of what politicians might say, Nigeria is simply clinging loosely and desperately on the precipice of disintegration.
One source of angst has been the perceived kid gloves with which successive governments have treated perpetrators of violence in the past, especially for those that occur in the North.
Afenifere, a Yoruba pressure group, is of the opinion that things go beyond the common belief that the riots were religious. It asserted that they had a political coloration. Afeniferes National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, said the group was concerned about the partiality of the federal government in dealing with cases of riots in different parts of the country.
Afenifere, he said, is puzzled as to why the Kaduna and Abuja crises were treated lightly, whereas in other places such as Odi in Bayelsa State, Lagos State and Zaki Biam in Benue State, the federal government came with heavy hands.
It appears as though the government is determined to address these fears. Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has ruled out the usual practice of establishing a commission of inquiry to look at the riots. Talking to newsmen following the arrest of those alleged to be involved in the riots, Makarfi said his government is determined to prosecute the men to the letter.
This has been supported by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. In his reaction to the carnage, he told journalists that we will do whatever is necessary to confront the situation. This situation has to be confronted. Those who instigated the crisis are callous and they must be brought to book.
If this is not done, then Nigerians might be left to wonder what use is a country that could neither protect their lives or property. Then things might really start to fall apart.