And Four Other Things…
I thought the federal government had shown enough good faith in allowing Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky to go for medical treatment abroad, but it would appear the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) is trying to turn it into a circus. The level of public sympathy he currently enjoys derives from the fact that the military massacred hundreds of his followers and he has been in detention for over four years. This is totally indefensible in a democracy. However, we have now entered the phase in which those who would normally not touch El-Zakzaky with a barge-pole are now his sympathisers and chief advocates just to play politics. Opportunism.
Ask Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, the emir of Kano, why there is so much insecurity in Nigeria and he will establish a link between monetary and fiscal policies, youth unemployment, poverty and crime. Ask Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar, the emir of Gwandu, the same question and he will tell you straight off: “It’s the homosexuals, stupid!” There are emirs and there are emirs. Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, the former Zamfara governor, once blamed fornication for the outbreak of meningitis in his state. Since he left office, EFCC and ICPC are also discovering other possible causes, such as his eight-year mismanagement of state resources as well as personal aggrandizement. Shame.
Anytime President Muhammadu Buhari is in Daura, his home town, there is always uninterrupted power supply. So was the case during the Eid al-Adha last weekend. Unable to stomach the deceit, leaders from the five local government areas under the Daura emirate told the president that they only enjoy 24-hour electricity when he is in town. It reminds me of when Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, then military president, visited Ondo state in 1991 or 1992. One resident wrote an open letter to Babangida, asking him to “please visit again” because suddenly, “the bad roads were either tarred or repaired, the streets were cleaned up and we had 24-hour power supply”. Sham.
The Ekiti state government has started something unusual: naming and shaming those convicted of rape in the state. The first dishonour goes to Rev Asateru Gabriel, now described as “formerly” of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Ifisin-Ekiti, who was convicted for defiling a seven-year-old girl and is currently serving a five-year jail term. Many would consider this to be a good sociological initiative. The typical Nigerian is more worried about being publicly shamed than feeling guilty for doing a bad thing. We prefer shame to guilt. Nonetheless, I would be more delighted if this will go hand-inhand with a massive crackdown on rape in our society. No rapist should go scot-free. Perverts.