Nigerian Flag
By Sam Eyoboka
THE Na-tional Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, has taken its campaign to save Nigeria from Islamism to a new dimension as it appealed to four ethnic nationalistic groups to impress it on Generals Yakubu Gowon, Olusegn Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma to take a clear stand for Nigeria’s national value system.
In a new memorandum to leaders of the socio-cultural organization for the Yoruba people, Afenifere, the regional socio-political group, the Middle Belt Forum, apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze N’digbo, and the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, the Christian elders urged the ethnic groups to persuade the trio to intervene to remake post-COVID-19 Nigeria.
In the memo, titled “Nigeria is not a mistake: It requires reinventing,” and signed by the NCEF chairman, Elder Solomon Asemota, SAN, the group maintained that the British colonialists deliberately handed the 386 (out of 389) ethnic nationalities to the Fulani who unfortunately saw themselves as successor colonialist which led to arrogance and desire to change the system of government from democracy to Sharia.
“However, the NCEF does not see this conspiracy as sufficient to break Nigeria into bits but recommends Re-Inventing the country which is the main reason for this memorandum. “It is stealth jihad for the courts especially the Supreme Court, the last hope of the ordinary man, to be Sharia constituted to influence Sharia over democracy.
”Above all, it is stealth jihad when the whole object of imposing Sharia on Nigerians is to constitute the Muslims as “us”, and the Christians as “them”, in a country where the Christians had labored to promote civilization and modern living both at home and in the Diaspora.
“The memorandum shows how the Sharia movement through stealth and conventional jihad ensured that Nigeria remains Dar-al Harb, the abode of war. Nigeria post-COVID 19 must be fully re-invented and transformed to a Democratic entity,” the Christian Elders said.
The Christian Elders contend that it is not enough under the circumstances, to say that “our heroes past who are still alive spoke to the Islamist President in private. If they did, then it is time for them to do so in public.
“We believe that it is the void created by Generals Gowon, Obasanjo and Danjuma, who understand our national value system that is now being filled by members of the Sharia movement to corner the wealth of Nigeria for the use of a few.
“NCEF is grateful to God that these men are still alive, because they are Christians who should be able to put a stop to conflict of ideology of Democracy and Sharia and the drift of Nigeria to Alice in wonderland. The three Generals must come out openly to say which side they belong: Democracy or Sharia.
“They cannot be on both sides. The NCEF is convinced that the demand for Sharia ideology is merely a camouflage to control the wealth of Nigeria through the use of force and deceit (stealth jihad),” NCEF stated.
Continuing, the Christian Elders said the leadership of PANDEF, Afenifere, Ohaneze and Middle Belt Forum must persuade the Generals who are living heroes to intervene and in particular speak to all the soldiers, Emirs, Obas, Ezes, Chiefs and in particular the Sultan of Sokoto to soft pedal in promoting Quran as his Constitution.
“The Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria on January 1, 1914, is one of the few “gifts” the white man gave the black man. The amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorates in Nigeria provided for Africans a new hope of salvation and civilization.
“Amalgamation was able to provide in Nigeria a home for one in every four black person through the world. Amalgamation ‘united’ two races – (a) the Native Nigerians with about 386 tribes, who are Negros and (b) immigrant group of brown skin, Arab descent from the Middle East today’s Hausa, Fulani and Kanuris.
“The mistake made by the British would appear to be the inability to have appreciated the incompatibility of the two ideologies of ‘democracy’ and ‘Sharia’ that they were leaving behind. Britain had all the opportunity to have converted all Nigerians to democracy.
“The solution, therefore, is that Nigeria must enter into post-COVID-19 negotiation on the basis of equality of its ethnic nationalities: 389 in total. There is no free lunch; there is also no freedom on a platter of gold.
“We must take back our freedom by peaceful means, after all, native Nigerians are supposed to be educated. To import Fulanization or Arabization on other Nigerians as discussed in the Memorandum and that seemed to have worked in the past can no longer work in the future. The eyes of Christians and other Nigerians are now opened.
“The NCEF is of the view that Amalgamation of January 1, 1914, is not a mistake, but a very important event that gave birth to Nigeria in the 19th century that now requires re-inventing. There must be re-inventing of Nigeria,” the Christian Elders added.
Author:Nwafor