CURRENT SECURITY CHALLENGES:
ELECTIONS 2019 AND JUSTICE DISPENSATION
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CATHOLIC LAWYERS, ABUJA CHAPTER
Rev. Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua
(Director, Department of Mission and Dialogue, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja)
Once upon a time, a young man asked Socrates, “Wise Sage, at what time do I begin to teach my child wisdom?” Socrates replied, “How old is your child”? The man responded, “Five”! Then Socrates told him: “You are six years late already. For Socrates then, even the unborn child has the right to survive gracefully. The current security challenges in Nigeria could be attributed to the bad seeds that were planted in some children many years ago. The collapse of the traditional structure, poor parenting and failure of government at all levels could breed potential criminals. Insecurity is a result of criminal activities and those who commit crime were once innocent children. Criminals are made not born given that every child came into the world innocent. No child is born a criminal. The child builds on what the parents planted in him either by commission or omission from birth. This is further enhancedby a failing society, bad company and lack of jobs for the youths after graduation. An idle mind is the devil’s workshophence some criminals today include graduates and jobless professionals.
Parenting and child formation is a divine obligation. From the puppy you may identify the dog that would wag the tail just as from infancy; you could identify the traits that would accompany the character of the child when he becomes an adult. God gave to the parents the vocation to form the child. In Genesis, God says: “ I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him” (Genesis 18:19). In Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, the Sages have these to say: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself, brings shame to his mother” (Proverbs 29:15). “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol” (Proverbs 23:13-14). Here we can go further to say that good parenting saves the child from becoming a criminal that would be a challenge to security in the society.
In the past African Children were formed through riddles, songs and stories just as the Jewish children were enjoined to pass on the law and the commandment of God to their children unceasingly. “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Children have the right to know the circumstances that surround their births. A child should know his real parents and this information must come from the parents or surrogate parents if the child is adopted. Whatever a child needs to know about himself, a parent should not wait until the child begins to ask. Leaving a child in ignorance can provoke him when he becomes an adult. This could be a risk to the parents and the society. Parenting should not be left solely for the housemaid. Parenting is a vocation that God has given to father and mother.
I do not intend to teach Lawyers the constitutional provisions of parenting here. I will not venture into citing the sections and sub-sections but just enough to say that the Nigerian Constitution takes adequate care of the obligations of the parents and the rights of the child. In brief, the child has the constitutional rights to survival, care and development. The rights to parental care, protection, maintenance and education are well articulated in the Nigerian Constitution. Parental rights and responsibilities also include provision of a home for the child, protect and maintaining the child, disciplining the child, medical treatment, naming the child and financingsupport. When these rights are violated, the society should be prepared for security challenges when the child becomes an adult.
The presentation: “Boko Haram: Some reflections on causes and effects by Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, published in 2009 by MISSIO, is a clear anatomy of one of the roots of insecurity in Nigeria. I found in his presentation a compass that points to the shore of our enquiry which I titled, “if this song never exists” in my book, “Dialogue in Context, A Nigerian Experience”. According to Kukah, when both themissionaries and the colonial State started a program of education, the Muslim ruling classes still remained restrained and suspicious of the intentions. They decided to experiment by sending the children of the slaves and lower classes within their communities. It took a while before the ruling classes sensed the value of education as a tool of modernization and subsequently but gradually began to send their own children to school. When the first generation of Muslim elites decided to send their children to school, these children were often the subject of derision among their own mates and friends. Thus, those children who believed they had remained faithful to Islam by holding on to Ilimin Islamiyya, derided their friends who sought Ilimin Boko by singing derogatory songs against them whenever the latter set out to school. One of those verses went something like this:
Yan makarantan boko,
Ba karatu, ba sallah
Ba bin hanyar Allah
Sai yawan zagin Mallam
The translation of the song is:
Children of western schools,
You don't study, you don't pray,
You don't follow God's path,
You only abuse your teachers
This song is a symbol of an attitude not only in the Northern part of Nigeria but everywhere that education was rejected. Although this song had long been forgotten in the Northern part of Nigeria, it appears that Boko Haram is re-echoing it by attacking schools, killing and abducting the students. The way and manner our public schools are given less attention by government is an indication that this song is still in the psyche of some leaders. If this song did not exist, the illiterate youth would not allow anybody to use him for terrorist’s activities. The planting of ignorance often gives rise to reaping the whirl wind akin to the Prophesy of Isaiah: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7). For Paul, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one that sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8).
In a society where intelligence, professionalism and merit do not count, might is perceived to be right. The powerful always source for poor illiterates and jobless youths to play the role of useful idiots and willing tools to grab power. This is apparent in the military psych of some Nigerians who have experienced military dictatorship more than democratic leadership. In Nigeria today, there is no clear difference between the military and civilian rulers. The apparent difference is the change from “Khaki to Agbada” while the mind is colonised to perceive reality in the context of force and violence. Some Politicians who were never soldiers become militant by using ignorant youths as thugs to win elections.
They promised the young thugs heaven and earth but after the elections they abandon them without retrieving the weapons of human destruction at their disposal. The result very often is irresistible destruction. Presently the rulers lack the capacity to stop insurgency. One day the lion would devour its owner given that “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). The security challenges of today includes terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, herdsmen attack and religious intolerance. The big question today is how we arrived at this level of insensitivity to human value? Can we trace the root to the collapse of the African village setting where hospitality was a core value? Today where a person comes from determines his security as witnessed in many parts of Nigeria whenever there is violence. We often forget our common humanity and a common destiny. We sometimes do not remember that Justice has no tribe, religion and colour. Justice does not discriminate. Justice is the hope of the common person especially when oppressed.
The report by Hamza Idris and Yahaya Ibrahim on Sunday, 27 January 2013 that the Shehu of Borno appealed to the fleeing subjects to return to Maiduguri reveals the need to recapture the African traditional justice. To displace people from their native homes is an abomination and a sin against justice. This is so because even strangers should have a space in the home of an African. Here is the statement of His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al- Amin El-Kanemi, the Shehu of Borno and vice chairman of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Nigeria: “If we go back to the traditional system of administration, a situation whereby a stranger comes to your domain, his first port of call is the palace of the village head who will know why he comes, what his occupation is, for how long he would stay or has he come to stay permanently? This is done before the visitor is allocated a place to stay and a land to farm. If we have a register that we keep all these things, you would know who your subjects are. If such powers were given to the village head, and district heads, most of the challenges will be over. I feel if we can go back to that era, things will augur well.”
Many Nigerians do not remember that “though tongue and tribe may differ in unity we stand.” The traditional rulers were highly respected because of their sense of justice. They were treated like deities such that in Etsako, Edo State of Nigeria, there was a saying that “Ogie na gbelamhi ga, oyi’sera (the king who the hunters venerate with animals does not go into the bush hunting). The kings were so revered because it was the faith of the traditional African that “kings are made from heaven by the transcendent God”. Then people were aware of the consequences of their crimes because no bribe could stop the deities and ancestors from dispensing justice. According to Oma Djebah, “Nigerian traditional rulers often derive their titles from the rulers of independent states or communities that existed before the formation of modern Nigeria. Although they do not have formal political power, in many cases they continue to command respect from their people and have considerable influence”.
Before the advent of the current democratic system of government, the traditional institutions were points of reference in the sustenance and maintenance of peace in their communities. Even after independence, cases of quarrels; theft, and all sorts of crimes which were traditionally referred to as “abomination” were referred to the Community head (chief) and the council of elders. Very serious matters were referred to the king (the royal father). It was an abomination to bring into the community the police to arrest an accused person without reference to the Chief. Even when a case was reported to the police, no police enters the community to arrest an accused person without first reporting to the traditional ruler. Unfortunately, traditional rulers today can be arrested or kidnapped by their subjects.
Still the question lingers: How did we arrive at this level of security challenges? Could things have fallen apart when the Niger Coast Protectorate of 1891 and the 1879–1900 the Royal Niger Company and the eventual sale of some part of Africa to the British government in 1900 with the emergence of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate that were merged in 1914 into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria? While it may seem childish to keep hanging on this reminiscence, we need not forget the European history that they called themselves barbarians as they fought with each other before they came to Africa.
Today, the question of who signed the accord of the 1914 amalgamation still lingers. If it is the Europeans who fought different types of war for over a hundred years before the renaissance signed the accord of amalgamation, then their barbarism could have been transmitted to Nigeria. Unfortunately, this is accepted by some Nigerians without rational enquiry. Is it not funny that some Nigerians still prefer to be Euro-Africans who are culturally alienated or at best remain at the level of cultural hermaphrodite? The 1999 Constitution even with the amendments in 2010 is silent about the specific roles of the traditional rulers.
Before the 2011 elections the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria revealed in an interaction with Benue State traditional rulers, at the palace of the Tor Tiv in Gbokothat “a constitutional framework had been established to ensure that traditional rulers across the country were given definite roles to play in the affairs of the country”. Some people have suggested the creation of “a Council of Traditional Rulers at the federal level and the reintroduction of the House of Chiefs which existed in the First Republic at the state level. These discussions suggest that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria need a contextual approach that will guarantee the safety of the royal fathers and their royal reverence. It may not be unconstitutional for the laws of the nation to protect the African Traditional Institutions in a secular state.
The traditional institution can identify and fish out suspected criminals in the communities if charged with the responsibility and accountability of the happenings in their domains. This could also assist the Police operations. “Man knows man” in every community. In the village, the people who are peaceful and the people who are prone to crime are known. This is where the traditional rulers become very relevant. They can use their traditional means like age groups and the masquerades to fish out potential criminals. There is a saying in Africa that “a child who says that the parents must not sleep also denies himself of sleep.” It follows then that the king also must protect his personal and royal integrity by giving traditional relevance to the royal crown and the staff of the royal office. If these symbols are carelessly desecrated, the king would face the justice of the ancestors.
Alexander III who was the ancient Greek king of Macedon around 323 BC was known as Alexander the Great not because of the power he wielded over his subjects. He was not protected by his helmet of bronze but by the fact that he was buried in the heart of his people who held him in zenith esteem. This explains why he was able to raise an army that made him the most successful military commander in history. He was never defeated in battle. His “Linen Cuirass” was traditional Greek body armour that was made of stiffened layers of linen with steel scales around his waist as a symbol of chastity. His respect for women kept him undefiled and fortified against any form of distraction through lust. He was disciplined and focussed to gain the respect and obedience of his subjects. His traditional “Gorgon head symbol” shows his wisdom and the content of his royal character. This similar attitude is expected of the African king to win the favour of the ancestors, the protection of Almighty God, and the support of the subjects who will be eager to listen (obedience) whenever the royal majesty gives a command.
In civil law, a suspect is not called a criminal until there is enough evidence that the crime under investigation was committed with full knowledge, consent and volition. The human person is so complex that science has not been able to comprehend the dynamics of the totality of human actions. Even Medical Science cannot boast of a complete knowledge of human anatomy. Many factors are involved in the analysis of human actions and acts of man. In dealing with security challenges, there is need to examine the role of human conscience which is formed by parenting, environment, culture, religion and education.
Theologically, true Conscience is the voice of God in a person. It enables a person to judge between good and evil. It helps a person to identify and respect natural laws and civil laws that are derived from divine laws. In psychology, conscience is the police of the mind that reminds a person of right and wrong while in spirituality conscience is like a guardian angel that directs a person to know the difference between virtue and vice. Acts based on conscience have a lot to do with the security of the community and the nation. The conscience of a person depends on his upbringing, formation and horizon. People behave based on the type of conscience. The following are the different types of conscience:
In dealing with insecurity, the type of conscience of the agent of crime is important. According to Dr. Vincent E. Rush,when you violate a value that is residing in your innermost judgment, you commit psychological suicide because you lose your self-respect. And when you lose your self-respect, you have lost it all. If love is giving, if love is sharing, you have to believe you are somebody in order to give. Consequently, we may not conclude that criminals are persons who have dead conscience. This calls for a critical examination of the role of government, religion and environment in dealing with the current security challenges. The human acts and acts of man today are so complex that very often criminals are elected into leadership positions that put their fellow criminals in charge of security. The result is the case of requesting the person who has stolen your treasure to help you search for it. How do you explain the incidents when the security agents have aided, abated and actively joined in criminal operations? You may judge their type of conscience!
Many people have indicated the need for a National Sovereign Conference to reassess the civil war giggle, “To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.” Is this dream still attainable in the face of ethnic and religious divides that have taken the form of terrorist activities in Nigeria? The name “Nigeria” was a result of the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates by Lord Lugard. Professor B. J. Dudley is of the view that “before 1960, Nigeria was merely an arrangement in which fierce unwilling rams looking in different directions were shackled together”. Some people argue that the government of 1914 did not seek the views and consent of the people before grouping them into one country. Who were the original authors of the Nigerian Constitution and the subsequent amendments? Has the Nigeria constitution be able to provide justice and unity to Nigerians?
In Parrot Newspaper, October 12, 1960, Sir Ahmadu Bello is reported to have said: “The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather, Othman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the North as willing tools and the South as a conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us and never allow them have control over their future”. In December, 1964, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe is reported to have said, “I have one advice to give our politicians. If they have decided to destroy our national unity, then they should summon a round-table conference to decide how our national assets should be divided before they seal their doom by satisfying their lust for office. I make this suggestion because it is better for us and many admirers abroad that we should disintegrate in peace and not in pieces.” Obafemi Awolowo, in his “Path to Nigerian Freedom”, Faber & Faber London in 1947, stated that “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression.
On June 13, 2011, some media reported that Chief Ayo Opadokun enjoined President Goodluck Jonathan to convoke a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to enable him address the imbalances in the system. The challenge is that the reports of National Conferences are not implemented in Nigeria akin to the Aburi Conference of January 4-5, 1966. Why was this Conference held in Ghana? How come that this conference could not serve as a proactive measure to stop the civil war that lasted from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970? Perhaps we may draw from the comments posted on the internet by Max Siollum on May 20, 2007 that: “Many do not realize that Nigeria has already had half a dozen constitutional debates-none of which has ever resolved the nagging problems which have dogged Nigeria from independence till today. Nigeria has wasted billions of Naira on constitutional debates and constitutions that are no longer in use, and a future sovereign national conference is unlikely to discuss anything that has not already been covered in the previous constitutional debates. Ironically the best recorded of these constitutional debates was never implemented, and Nigeria has been paying the price since. To plan for the future, Nigeria might do well to go back into its archives and learn from the sovereign national conferences which it has already had”.
Many Nigerians have “sold their heads to buy a cap.” Therefore some Nigerians of today need mental reengineering and reconstruction of attitudes to life. Some past leaders and elders in Nigeria have turned themselves into “untouchable” evildoers who devour the citizens as if they were eating bread (Psalm 53, 4). When Saudi Arabia was suggested as a venue for dialogue with Boko Haram, I wondered what happened to our sense of history concerning the Nigeria Sovereign Conference that was held on January 4-5, 1967 in Aburi near Accra, Ghana. This venue was chosen because the eastern delegates led by the then Governor of Eastern State Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu’s safety could not be guaranteed anywhere within the western or northern part of the country.
The consequences of the July 1966 coup in Nigeria went beyond the killing of Major General Aguiyi Ironsi to a serious tension and violence that led to the mass murder of people in various parts of the country. Political attempts were made to resolve the conflict. General Yakubu Gowon attempted to return the country to civil government as soon as possible. The Inter-regional Constitutional Conference that was held on September 12, 1966, in Lagos had as a primary agenda the degree of federalism. On October 24, 1966, the Constitutional Committee met again but the Eastern Nigeria was not represented because the safety of their representative was not guaranteed. This perhaps led to the Aburi Conference outside the land that “we hail” in the old national anthem. The AburiMeeting did not succeed in finding a solution for Nigeria’s quest for unity.
There was a time the Church did not allow everybody to read the Bible without guidance because of the risk of misinterpretation. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi in the “Islamic Horizons” of the November / December 2001 believes that Qur’anic verses are misquoted and taken out of context to prove that the Qur’an promotes violence by some people whereas Muslims are enjoined, “Do not take life, which Allah has made sacred, except for a just cause” (Qur’an 17:33). According to the Qur’an, killing a person unjustly is the same as killing all of humanity, and saving a person is the same as saving all of humanity (Qur’an 5:32). There are about 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule and many verses from the Bible that the Christians could use to unleash terror when interpreted out of context.
An ideology is a conviction that cannot easily be destroyed at least not with a gun. This explains the courage of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden. The ideological guide of Osama bin Laden (1957-2011) has been linked by some people to Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, and Sayyid Qutb. His initial goal was to ensure the withdrawal of Western military forces from the Middle East and the establishment of an Islamic state that is guided by the laws of Allah. Osama bin Laden believed that “the only Islamic country” in the Muslim world was Afghanistan under Mullah Omar’s Taliban. The religious ideology of Bin Laden was labeled illegitimate by the Wahhabi’s doctrine that only political leaders can call for jihad. Wahhabi Islam is behind the Saudi royal family whereas Bin Laden called for the overthrow of the Saudi government. While he was “resisting western domination”, Wahhabism focuses on correct methods of worshipping God, removing idols, and ensuring adherence to Islamic law.
We need to reflect on the initial ideology of Boko Haram at the beginning. What was “Halal” (allowed) and what was “Haram” (forbidden) for the group. The terrorism in Nigeria aims at causing religious war by killing priests and Christians in the Church during Mass. Nuriye Akman is very worried that Islam has carried the label “terrorism” whereas, Islam states, “do not touch children or people who worship in churches”. Reacting to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, Nuriye said, “One of the people, whom I hate most in the world, is Osama Bin Laden, because he has sullied the bright face of Islam. He has created a contaminated image. Even if we were to try our best to fix the terrible damage that has been done, it would take years to repair. Fethullah Gűlenreleased a press declaration renouncing the September 11 terrorist attack on the USA and affirms that “terror can never be used in the name of Islam or for the sake of any Islamic ends. A terrorist cannot be a Muslim and a Muslim cannot be a terrorist.
Another possible ideology could be the internal conflicts and reactions against the incumbent government of a nation. This is an indirect coup d’état of a hidden untouchable power. This ideology is a conflict of civilization and not a conflict of religion hence Akbar Ahmed in the forward to the book, “Islam” by Hesham A. Hassaballa and Kabir Helminski, proposed a dialogue of civilization as recommended by President Mohammed Khatami of Iran in the United Nations. The first suicide attack on Israeli soil was committed in 1972 by the Japanese Red Army. The use of suicide bombing by Hamas falls into the category of strategic terrorism analyzed by Robert Pape. Terrorism began to appear in Europe at the time of the break-up of medieval order.
Al Qaeda sees itself as an alternative to the modern world, but the ideas on which it draws are quintessentially modern. Some scholars argue that terrorism should be seen as a strategic reaction to American power akin to a reaction to any strong empire. The Russian, Ottoman, and Habsburg Empires, for example, all suffered from terrorist attacks and had terrorist organizations. The Black Hand, Young Bosnia, NarodnayaVolya and others spawned from their multiple ethnic groups, religions and national identities. The Boko Haram in Nigeria pays allegiance to ISIS. The root of this terrorist group started with religious intolerance which some elders in the North encouraged until they started attacking Mosques and killing Muslims who did not believe in their ideology. Today Herdsmen terrorists attack is suspected to be an Islamic agenda and the International communities are expecting the Federal Government to openly condemn the killings by the Herdsmen. Some argue further that if the Federal Government could negotiate with the terrorists for the release of the Chibok and Dapchi girls, then they should have the courage to bring them to justice. Otherwise, the government could be perceived as enabling terrorism. If ransom is paid, this would amount to empowering the terrorist to acquire more weapons to kill innocent citizens.
In the face of the terrorist’s attacks, some Christians are trying to proffer biblical arguments in favour of violence. Some say that the Bible prescribed reprisal in the following New Testament passages: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword” (Matthew 10, 32-34; Luke 12, 49-53). Jesus did not call for a holy war even though he did not overlook the sensitivity of religion. He was aware that “a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” (Micah 7:6; Matthew 10:36). Jesus demands total commitment from his followers: “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).
The word “sword” in the original Jewish context suggests that the implication of following Jesus in the Jewish society would be heroic in the sense of self discipline, fortitude, and faith in total surrender to the will of God. In doing this even the peace in the family will be affected because those who do not share the Christian faith would fight and persecute the Christian who is schooled in the attitude of turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). Jesus did not recommend violence and vengeance. In the Garden of Gethsemane Peter acted in defence of Jesus by cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Jesus stopped him saying “put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52-53). Jesus said, “I have come, so that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus did not command us to defend him but to proclaim him as the word that gives life and not the sword that destroys life.
According to Archbishop Fulton Sheen “we are fools for Christ’s sake” but this does not mean that Christians should stretch out there heads for slaughter. Jesus questioned those who assaulted him: “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me” (John 18:23)? A Christian must be a peace maker and not a sword swinger. The reaction of Jesus to the unjust pain and suffering makes him a model of peace. Whether this attack is from within or without, it would be a contradiction for any Christian to chant, “In the name of Jesus” while killing a person. Jesus did not teach or practice either physical or moral violence that anybody can reference in an act of terrorism. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Without the “New Testament”, the stories of war in the “Old Testament” could be used to support violence. This is why Jesus came to give light to those in darkness, those who dwell in the shadow of death and guide us into the way of peace” (Luke 1:76-79). He thought his disciples not to resist those who do evil (Matthew 5:38-42). Jesus warned against the kind of vengeance and reprisal that was practiced by the Jewish ancestors who believed in “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” (Matthew 5:38; Exodus 21:24). The desire of Jesus for human beings is to be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50). He lamented and wept for Jerusalem for their ignorance of the message of peace. He wished that if only Jerusalem had known the value of peace (Luke 19:42). That the Jewish authority did not accept Jesus and his message of peace could be the reason for the crisis and conflicts that still exist in the Middle East till date.
In preparing for the 2019 elections we need to interpret the signs of the present times. The political climate could remind one of the events that led to the civil war in Nigeria. While the blood of human beings keep flowing like the proverbial dogs and baboons, the political elites are more concerned with the campaigns for 2019 elections. Some people are already playing the roles of willing tools as long as they can make money from the ugly situation. Presently, selfish interest is overriding tribe and religion notwithstanding that even ethnicity and religion is being used for political gains.
Among the events that led to the Nigerian Civil War of July 6, 1967 - January 15, 1970 could be the way and manner political parties were formed along tribal, regional and ethnic allegiances. For example, the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) was owned by the North; the Action Group (AG) by the West and the National Conference of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) was owned by the East. This was a clear indication that Nigeria was never united. Presently, many people see the ruling party as a continuation of the jihad of Othman Dan Fodio. The prayerful procession of the Church nationwide and the statement of the Catholic Bishops when two priests and seventeen Catholics were slaughtered not in the farm but in the Church appear to confirm this fear. While many people are regretting the support they gave to the incumbent government in 2015, others want the government to have a second term in 2019. While some people are encouraging the citizens to register and get their Permanent Voters Cards, those who have lost hope in credible elections are afraid that there may be electoral violence in 2019 akin to 2011.
Ethnicity can lead to a break in justice just as religion is becoming an issue in the present dispensation. Today, political parties are formed not on ethnic affiliations but many ethnic divides and persons are demanding for restructuring. This is a fall out of power rotation without due consideration of excellence and capacity which had often led to electoral violence. Some people do not understand that “do or die” ambition never produces good leadership. Some people are wondering why the government is failing in the issue of security without prejudice to the fight against corruption which some even still perceive to be lopsided. Some people are asking: If Nigeria has the capacity to send out military troops to secure peace in other countries, why has it taken the military and the police so long to restore peace to the Country? How come that the rate of kidnapping, ritual killings, bunkering etc are on the increase? Why do some security agents remove their uniforms at the sound of guns by armed robbers? So many people are afraid that the injustice in the appointment of a particular tribe and religion to key security positions is a strategy towards 2019.
5. Conclusion
As we prepare for the 2019 elections, we need to pray and call for national repentance: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). The elders and true Nationalists need to revert now to true African values like the Sages of the Old Testament to reform the youths (Proverbs 3:1). The challenge of security thus calls for discernment and docility to the voice of God (cf. Deuteronomy 28:68). The judiciary will have enough work to do in 2019 when those who fail elections will take their cases to court. Will the legal luminaries be courageous enough to dispense justice? What can the judiciary do in a situationwhen the some rulers in the Executive do not respect the rulings and judgements of the Court? Can the lawyers still dispense justice when even the Judges are threatened and harassed by the political warriors? We pray that God may assist Nigerians to do the needful and restore Nigeria to the status of an ideal and civilised nation! Nothing is difficult for a willing heart! May the Lawyers have the will to be courageous and incorruptible to dispense justice to the oppressed in Nigeria!
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