Sauses of religious crises in nigeria Essay

This essay is an attempt at identifying the remote and ready causes of the incessant sacred crises in northern towns and cities, if youd rather the supposed middle belt political zone of the north. In expressing this view, there is no intention on my part to mock the bones of those who died so abundant ago and who tried, however ineffectually, to lead their people.The thrust of this piece is that the nuisance of ghostly crises in the North is essentially a result of the use of religion to score political goals using religion to confuse or change which set the stage for what we experienced time and again series of carmine provocations, reactions and counter reactions all in the name of religion. This manipulation of religion is orchestrate and masterminded by self-serving elements within the so- travel toed elite class of some(prenominal) the Muslim and Christian religions, herein referred to simply as the manipulators.The motive for the manipulation of religion is a self c entred one, a manner through which selfish politicians chancek to attain undue political leverage in an differently politically competitive level playing field. The reason for this is, in the row of the late Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman to enable this class (the manipulators) to cover themselves with religious and ethnic disguises in order to further entrench division among our people (and) slow kill their awakening at any cost.This is because any single one of them (the manipulators) can non get along as what he really is in the political economy of Nigeria. He has to find 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 take cover as a Muslim or Christian the manipulation of religion in Nigeria today is essentially a means of creating the context for this fancy-dress ball, for this charade of disguises. (See Dr. Y. B. Usmans The exercise of Religion in Nigeria 1977-1987). of all time wonder why religious crises in Nigeria be essentially a northern affair? Kafanchan, Zangon-Kataf, Tafawa-Balewa, Yelwan-Shendam, Jos, Kaduna, Bauchi etcetera in most places it happened more than once. mingled with 1804 and 1812, an Islamic state, what we now referred to as the Sokoto Caliphate was established as a bye-product of the Islamic reform act started by Shehu Usmanu Danfodio in Hausaland at about 1774. The Sokoto Caliphate comprised of a large 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 bring in 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 set out to conquer lands and territories, but rather to call, as sheik Abdullahi Fodio wrote in Tazyin al-Waraqat to the revival of Faith, and Islam, and good works, and to abandon customs contrary to them. side by side(p) the establishment 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 agent. As Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio lamented in Tazyin al-Waraqat I am left in the middle of liars and hypocrites who say one thing and do entirely anformer(a), people who do not value knowledge and its pursuit people whose preoccupation is growth of political power for the procurement of sensual comfort through concubines, flutist, beautiful clothing and brisk horsesHaving derailed from the path concretely mapped out by Shehu Danfodio, the successors of Shehu and the flag-bearers rear it more convenient to subjugate and exploit both the non Muslim Hausas (Maguzawa) and the some(prenominal) hundred animist minority tribes and ethnic groups within their domain than to call them t o the Islamic faith. For one hundred years, these non Muslim communities were fit only to table service 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 hope they accepted his religion. The rest is history.In my article titled Nigeria washout Our Dirty Linen in Public published by Gamji in 2007, I described the features of northern Nigerian Christianity when I wrote The Northern Nigeria label 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 weapons platform upon which all 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 straighten out if one look at what the average northern Christian cut into the political (read Christian) heart and soul 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 in time 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 service 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 easily fear leads to distrust, to hatred, to dehumanisation and, to death.Which way out of this quagmire? Manipulation is the root cause of all these crises. Manipulation wrote Dr. Y. B. Usman means essentially absolute the action of a person or group without that person or group knowing the goals, purpose and method of that control and without even be conscious 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 result 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 habilitate 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? in a heartfelt way concerned Reader, let us brainstorm to come-up with an answer to this question. This I believe, will be a right step in the right prudence towards finding a lasting solution to this nuisance of incessant religious crises in our dear country.