Sauses of religious crises in nigeria Essay

This es place is an attempt at identifying the remote and immediate causes of the changeless religious crises in blue towns and cities, if youd quite a the so-c tout ensemble in al conduct nerve center belt policy-making z oneness of the north. In expressing this view, there is no invention on my part to mock the bones of those who died so long agone and who tried, however ineffectually, to lead their race.The thrust of this piece is that the nuisance of religious crises in the northeastern is essentially a result of the economic consumption of organized faith to home run policy-making goals using religion to confuse or destabilize which range the stage for what we experienced time and again series of violent provocations, re works and antipathetic reactions all in the name of religion. This manipulation of religion is orchestrated and masterminded by selfish elements at bottom the so-called elite class of both the Moslem and Christian religions, herein referred to s imply as the manipulators.The motive for the manipulation of religion is a self centred one, a means by means of which selfish politicians render to attain undue political leverage in an otherwise politically competitive level playing field. The reason for this is, in the words of the new-fangled Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman to enable this class (the manipulators) to cover themselves with religious and ethnic disguises in place to further entrench division among our people (and) slow down their arouse at any cost.This is because any single one of them (the manipulators) can non appear as what he really is in the political economy of Nigeria. He has to observe a cover. He cannot claim political leadership openly on the grounds that he is, or wants to be, an exporter-importer, a contractor (etcetera) he has to have cover as a Muslim or Christian the manipulation of religion in Nigeria today is essentially a means of creating the condition for this fancy-dress ball, for this charade of disguises. (See Dr. Y. B. Usmans The Manipulation of Religion in Nigeria 1977-1987).Ever wonder why religious crises in Nigeria are essentially a northern affair? Kafanchan, Zangon-Kataf, Tafawa-Balewa, Yelwan-Shendam, Jos, Kaduna, Bauchi etcetera in or so places it happened much than than once.Between 1804 and 1812, an Moslem state, what we now referred to as the Sokoto Caliphate was established as a bye-product of the Muslim right movement started by Shehu Usmanu Danfodio in Hausaland at about 1774. The Sokoto Caliphate comprised of a bountiful chunk of pre-colonial Hausaland Kano, Katsina, Gobir and Zazzau Western flank of the pre-colonial Borno before the Shehus of Kukawa Hadejia, Gumel, Kazaure, Katagum, Misau and Gombe Benue valley and the Bauchi plateau, including the present Jos Plateau Nupe and Ilorin emirates.The Sokoto Caliphate was regarded as a bye-product of the Islamic reform movement because Shehu Danfodio did not readiness out to conquer lands and territor ies, alone rather to call, as swell Abdullahi Fodio wrote in Tazyin al-Waraqat to the revival of Faith, and Islam, and good works, and to abandon customs contrary to them.Following the creation of the Sokoto Caliphate, the successors of the Shehu and the flag bearers failed to sustain the spirit of the Islamic reform movement rather they were so much after the luxury of life and the delights of power. As Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio lamented in Tazyin al-Waraqat I am left in the midst of liars and hypocrites who say one thing and do entirely another, people who do not value knowledge and its pursuit people whose preoccupation is attainment of political power for the procurement of sensual comfort through concubines, flutist, gorgeous attire and brisk horsesHaving derailed from the path concretely mapped out by Shehu Danfodio, the successors of Shehu and the flag-bearers found it more convenient to subjugate and exploit both the non Muslim Hausas (Maguzawa) and the several atomic num ber 6 animist minority tribes and ethnic free radicals within their domain than to call them to the Islamic faith. For one hundred years, these non Muslim communities were fit only to serve the Caliphate as major suppliers of slaves, concubines, food and raw materials.In 1903 the Caliphate was overthrown by the British. When the Whiteman came with the Christian religion to this doomed people, a marriage of convenience was inevitable he offered them wish they accommodateed his religion. The rest is history.In my article titled Nigeria Washing Our distasteful Linen in Public published by Gamji in 2007, I described the features of northern Nigerian Christianity when I wrote The Northern Nigeria brand of Christianity is, probably, the most politicised version of Christianity on the surface of todays earth. Christianity in the North has a distinct meaning and flavour from anywhere else. In the North, Christianity is, more or less, a political banner, movement or platform upon which a ll non-Muslim ethnic Northerners flock in opposition to what they perceived as Hausa and Fulani led oppression, both real and imagine.This northern Christian mindset is clear if one look at what the number northern Christian consider the political (read Christian) Middle belt as distinct from the geographical Middle belt. The average southern Christian, until very recently, views issues with the Hausa and Fulani led north essentially in regional and tribal terms. The Northern Christian reduces all issues, social, political and even economic, within the North simply to Islam v. Christianity. Islam is viewed as the symbol of Hausa and Fulani corrupt power and materialism which must be fought at all cost. Some church leaders indicate to their followers that the secret of their wretchedness can be explained in the prosperity of the other side. This set the background for the fear of the other side. How slowly fear leads to distrust, to hatred, to dehumanisation and, to death.Which wa y out of this quagmire? Manipulation is the cool off cause of all these crises. Manipulation wrote Dr. Y. B. Usman means essentially controlling the action of a person or group without that person or group knowing the goals, purpose and method of that control and without even being certain that a form of control is being exercised on them at all. From the foregoing it is clear that the manipulators succeeded in manipulating the people because the people are not aware of being manipulated.The corollary to this premise is that the people will not accept to be manipulated if they are conscious and aware enough to see through the manipulators lies. The one million dollars question then is How do we equip the people with the tools necessary for them to be not only conscious and aware of the manipulators tricks, but also to be able to effectively resist them? Dear have-to doe with Reader, let us brainstorm to come-up with an answer to this question. This I believe, will be a right step in the right direction towards finding a lasting solution to this nuisance of incessant religious crises in our dear country.