For the attention of:
Gen Danjuma
Jerry Gana
Babacir Lawal
Labaran Maku
Dogara
etc, etc, etc
A LEARNED CHRISTIAN FRIEND FROM NIGER STATE WROTE THIS INSIGHTFUL WRITEs UP. KUDOS TO HIM!!!
Niger state started as a Muslim christain ticket. But today its Muslim muslim ticket.
The fault is the arrogance of Christian community. An inflated balloon egoistic sense of their self importance.
When Engineer Kure wanted to go for second term. He called my Bishop jonah who was the CAN chairman of Niger state that he wants second term. My Bishop who has already turned the pulpit to anti government platform. The Bishop refused him flatly. Said he will not support him. The governor walk away. Promising that he can do without him.
My Bishop wass a strong loyalist of Jerry Gana, and Prof Jerry was against the government. Even when both were in PDP. Jerry sponsored Engineer Mustapha Sani Bello, then a minister in Obasanjo’s government, and directed the Christian community to vote for PRP. We voted.
As usual, the PDP won and completely crushed the PRP. That election was really a litmus test of Muslim – Christian electoral strength in Niger sate. The entire Christian community suffer till date because of that decision of opposing an incumbent governor.
Engineer kure remains the best governor in Niger state till date. Even bringing in some christian commissioners, and his developmental drive.
Even then I knew that CAN will regret that decision. Jerry Gana led them on. And in the last minute ran away to avoid sanction for anti party activities. He fought a governor using christain Community because obasanjo promise to make him a president after him. Unfortunately he lost to yardua .
After that election the deputy governor Shem Zagbayi who is a christain became a puppet. In trying to prove to his boss that he is relevant. He went to get an audio recording of Jerry Gana and his cohort plan to destabilise the kure government. Instead of it to work for him. The recording work against him. The political stakeholders interpret it to mean that christains cannot be trusted in the politics.
Jerry rode on Babaginda back to political relevance, yet he refused to acknowledge Babangida as his godfather.
After Kure’s government, apart from Senator David Umaru no Christian leader rose again to prominence (even Umaru too has lost it now). The ones making noise today are the ones Kure brought to limelight. And nobody has risen after that.
OK. There is a Christian Commissioner for justice presently, Dan mallam, but he rose by befriending the present governor Sani Bello a Muslim.
Back to Kure’s regime. So all these set the stage for change of political calculation.
At the end of Kure government, Obasanjo set out to destroy Kure’s legacy and he brought out his boy Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu from Pension Board Abuja and installed him as PDP governorship candidate. The zone (C) are to produce a running mate, and they quickly favoured a Muslim from there. And that is how we got the first Muslim Muslim government. After their tenure the next governments was/is still on Muslim-Muslim and nobody is even complaining again. Its now the standard.
Political Lesson 1. Self interest.
1. The same pattern of arrogance is what played out on kaduna. Southern kaduna are my brothers. But this sense of entitlement that play out in Niger state happen in kaduna. Power is negotiated. Northern muslims are like ancient athenians. Who themselves are realist like claiscal Greece. All the rhetoric of fairness, bla bla bla could not match a good negotiation that protect their self interests and their power in Nigeria. You irritate them when you make them feel guilty and putting them under obligation to support a Muslim Christian ticket. They don’t care less about past favors and friendly feelings. North is like Japan and Holland. Very vast culture but they share something timeless and universe with nothern Nigeria. SELF INTERST.
2 political lesson 2.islamic culture.
In 16th century Portuguese missionaries tried for years to convert the people of Japan to Catholicism, while at the same time Portugal has monopoly to trade between Japan and Europe. They failed. It backfire. But later when the Dutch arrived in Japan. Japan was relieved. They need the Dutch for their knowledge of gun and navigation, and here they are people who careless about spreading Dutch Christian religion. Dutch want only trade. Japan king swiftly move to evict the Portuguese. From then Japan will only deal with patctical minded people.
This has greatlesson in our politics. I feel its arrogance for peopel to say Tinubu must pick a christain northerner.
North is a Muslim society. Even if we have large population of christains here and there. But cumulatively, they are Muslim. And not just Muslim but practical Muslim culture like Japan with their own Japanese culture. Colonial masters try to impose Christianity on them. And it failed. Toady South is trying to impose securalism on them.it will also fail.
Northern relationship with South is purely self interest. trade and development. South should stay clear of their religion and islamic culture. They hear your criticism of shariah in the North, hijab judgement, blasphemy, and name calling of almjiri, and numerous social issue that reflect your mind versus their cherished culture. All these come together to inform their opinions.
If you want something form north. Talk about something that will protect our self interests and you bypass this religion issue and talk about how you can help arewa with military operation of superior guns, Sophiscated weapons, superior navigation that will flush out bandits and restore security on our farms and homes.Or talk about our r trade. Our society.
But get the hell out of preaching political fairness in Muslim Christian ticket. That will never sell here. We don’t even want to hear it.
Conclusion.
The sad reality is that this Muslim Muslim ticket will work. Crush the opponents. And get elected. And nothing will still happen. We the christain community will lose out. Not because we didn’t vote. But inspite of our votes against it. It still prevail.
Why is it that always, always, its only the Muslims brothers that are fighting to protect arewa.
On Northern interest, our hausa fulani have done more than enough to protect it politically . Northern Chrustains are not found in the fore font. I hardly hear a christain governor speaking for the North. I hardly hear a northern Christian talk about one north. One people. Look at the igbo christain shouting biafra. Biafra. Nnamdi kanu want to die for it. How many northern Christians have spoken fiercely on arewa project. The South insult us. You join them to insult your brothers.
When its time to share office. The christain are coming out to say fairness. Redistribution of someone else reward. So that you take from those that deserve it amd give to those who don’t. No way.
My advise to my Christain community in the North. Repent. Start protecting arewa interest today. When you do it with sweat. One day. One day. You will get to represent the beehive or in human language. The Northern region.
