Opinion

By Ismail Hashim Abubakar

A few days ago, while at our university campus here in Rabat, I heard shouts outside the premises resembling a public demonstration – something quite unusual and often carried out orderly in Morocco, without the slightest chance of being hijacked by hoodlums. I could not understand what people were saying because they spoke in Darija, the local, broken Arabic dialect spoken colloquially in Morocco. I tend to pick some sentences in normal circumstances, especially when spoken to me directly.

So, I asked my Moroccan friend what was going on, and he answered that people were chanting pro-Palestinian songs and shouting anti-Israeli slogans. I found that interesting given the special place of Jews in Morocco, who, according to Aomar Boum, the author of Memories of Absence:  How Muslims Remember Jews in Morocco (and translated into Arabic as “Yahud al-Maghrib wa Hadith al-Dhakirah” by Khalid Saghir) used to number more than 200, 000 before the creation of Israel and up tp around 1950s, but in post-independence Morocco, their number slashed to less than 5000, as they engaged in gradual exodus to their newfound state. But I noticed that the small protest was officially unwelcome when suddenly security guards of the university closed its gates and prevented the intrusion of protesters, who were mostly, if not entirely,  students of the university. I would only come to know the exact cause of the protest a few minutes later when, together with my Moroccan friend, we were encouraged and directed by some officials of the university to follow a way that led us to one beautified public lecture hall to participate in a conference, about which we were neither aware nor essentially prepared to attend.

I went straight to the front row in the hall and found a seat where I could watch and listen with much attention, while my friend preferred to sit at the back.  It quickly dawned on me that the conference themed “al-Diyanat al-Samawiyah Hamilat Risalat al-Salam” (Heavenly Religions Carrying the Message of Peace) was, besides, a few delegates from a Moroccan council of Islamic knowledge, hosting the Archbishop of Rabat, Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero and a Jewish Rabbi, Rabbin Mardekhai Chriqui, coming all the way from Jerusalem.

I started enjoying the proceeding when the MC made her introduction in Arabic and coalesced it with the famous verse of Surat al-Hujurat upholding the spirit of humanity and emphasizing racial and ethnic diversity as a distinct human property. And I did not bother much when she switched to French, which I assumed was the translation of what she said in Arabic, though I do not understand. When I looked at my phone, as the audience awaited the Jewish speaker to take over the stage, I just clicked on my WhatsApp and saw my friend’s message, telling me that he had gone out and we might meet in the mosque. I would have also gone out, but I was lured to stay to listen to the heavily bearded Israeli Rabbi, perhaps because that was my first time to see a real, self-identifying Jew physically and, in fact, a religious authority for that matter. When the man took over the podium, he spoke briefly in Darija, which I luckily understood as he minced his words slowly as if lamenting that he had to do that before switching to French. In the Darija, the Rabbi just excused that although he spent about 40 years in Morocco, he was not good at Arabic, so he informed his audience that he would prefer to switch to French, which he then did without any ado. At this juncture, I also decided to exit, without knowing if his speech would be interpreted in Arabic or not, and without bothering if too many speakers would speak in Arabic later. (A link to the conference is https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fY6eoZ6RObA&t=703s).

The most relevant part of this story is that there are indeed initiatives of interfaith dialogue worldwide, and this seems to have come to define interreligious relations among members of heavenly religions. But it is also a fact, as this anecdote demonstrates, that some actors in the interfaith program may be unwelcome, detested or rejected. This is precisely what reminds me to offer my humble thoughts on the current brouhaha about the interfaith issue, which has just become a topic of discussion, at least in northern Nigeria.

Perhaps a few people will disagree that the matter was dragged to the public domain by the removal of Shaykh Nuru Khalid, the chief Imam of the Friday mosque at Apo Legislators’ Quarters, less than two weeks ago. That happened over a sermon he delivered on the collapsing security situation in Nigeria. The Imam would have been hailed as a hero and a  champion that deserved accolades by the entire northern Muslims, but for his flirtation with the controversial phenomenon of interfaith. After all, distinguished scholars who have become a sort of religious canons in Nigeria like the late Shaykh Ja’far Mahmud Adam, the late Shaykh Muhammad Auwal Albani Zaria and the few ones alive like Shaykh Bello Yabo, Shaykh Murtala Asada Sokoto, Shaykh Idris Abdulaziz Bauchi and a few others are known to be showing impatience toward any untoward development that affects (affected) the poor Nigerian masses. These scholars have uttered bitter homilies and persistent tirades against governments over neglect of their primary responsibilities, particularly protecting lives and properties. Their prominence and public acceptance are partly glued to their decision to maintain a frugal life, remote from the corridors of power, hence capable of speaking truth to power, no matter whose ox is gored.

Naturally, by siding with the masses, Imam Nuru Khalid, who was psychologically martyred when fired from his job, should have been catapulted to such a prestigious clerical position. But in his case, this was impeded by his affiliation to interfaith organizations, often seen with Christian groups who, it seems, trust him as one of the symbols of moderation and tolerance, which may not be entirely untrue. The attention of the Muslim public was recently attracted by his unpopular view when in the aftermath of Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara’s blasphemy saga and the ensuing arguments, Nuru Khalid voiced views that did not go well with the majority of enthusiasts, particularly on the shortlived misunderstanding between Prof Ibrahim Maqary and Dr Abdallah Gadon Kaya, two rising scholars in northern Nigeria.

At that time, Nuru Khalid was exposed as an advocate of interfaith, which in Hausa people wrongly render as wahdatul adyan (unification of religions), thanks to the widely circulated clips of Shaykh Albani, which popularized this view and mentioned Nuru Khalid as one of its agents. Hence, when Nuru Khalid was removed from his imam position, many commentators in the North merely clung to his affiliation to the interfaith group to further endorse, celebrate or justify his removal. But the mosque did not cite that as a cause for his sack or regard it as a fundamental problem of the Imam. However, Nuru Khalid’s sudden transformation as a hero in the milieu of Nigerian Christians, some of who might not have known him before, his public revelation about some international groups proposing to finance a mosque project for him and his more open hobnobbing with Christians have further thrown him into disrepute among Muslims, who still sense that this interfaith phenomenon is nothing but attempts to eclipse the teachings of Islam and collapse all religions into one new faith.

Another figure, also seen as a vital organ in the interfaith dialogue program, coincidentally also bearing the name Shaykh Nuru Lemu. Although sounding calm and soft-spoken unlike his namesake, Nura Lemu has taken it up to himself to clear what he thought are misconceptions being circulated about the interfaith dialogue initiative. In an audio clip shared via social media, Nuru Lemu claimed that interfaith is never a new invention nor devoid of a rudimentary religious basis, tracing it to the time of Prophet Muhammad when he designed a pact of peaceful coexistence with Jews as citizens of Madinah, and when he entered into a truce with Quraysh polytheists in the famous treaty that would be known as Hudabiyyah. Nuru could have cited the pre-Islamic treaty known as Hilf al-Fudul, which the Prophet participated in, and pledged to partake in a similar one if a need for that would arise. In fact, Nuru would have cited numerous Quranic verses upholding peaceful coexistence and dialogue between Muslims and members of other faiths, as can be discerned in chapters like Surat Ali-Imran, Surat al-Ma’idah, Surat al-Mumtahanah, etc. Since the second biggest religion after Islam in Nigeria is Christianity, it is interesting to make a case with the verse that says: 

“You shall certainly find the Jews and those who associate partners with Allah the most vehement of the people in enmity against those who believe, and you shall certainly find those who say, `We are Christians,’ the nearest in friendship towards those who believe. That is so because there are savants and monks amongst them and because they are not haughty ” [Surat al-Ma’idah verse 82].

Nuru Lemu, who is one of the heads of a mega religious and educational centre in Niger State, a neighbour to Abuja, where his sacked namesake is based, added that the dialogue would also concentrate on intra-Muslim relations. Thus, it will work out ways to dent and lessen the growing discords and animosities among Muslims occasioned by ideological rivalry and sectarian division. 

From this viewpoint, it is not hard to convince Muslims that the interfaith issue is a healthy, innocuous mission that Muslims would warmly welcome as a process of living up to the expectation of their scripture and broader Islamic vision.

However, it must be clarified that interfaith dialogue may have a  unique interpretation for Christians different from what Muslims may be ready to accept. Muslims do not appear prepared to assimilate the neo-liberal interpretation of Islam in such a way that they would compromise established Islamic values and fundamental teachings. Muslims may fail to implement specific injunctions of Islam based on human weakness, but they will hardly portray them as outmoded, irrelevant and unsuitable for the modern situation.

Christians, for instance, as evinced by the obsession of Mathew Kukah in his anti-Islam columns and public discourses, may conjure that interfaith dialogue would henceforth guarantee them an institutional legitimacy of marrying a Muslim woman, or it may make Muslims feel reluctant in missionary work while they (Christians) continue to win converts either directly by luring pockets of northern animists or through the new atheism phenomenon that trend mainly in the virtual world and cyberspace. Christians may conjecture that Muslim females, especially in Yorubaland, where the controversy keeps erupting, will relinquish their fundamental right of wearing hijab. In fact, many Christians would wrongly assume that interfaith dialogue, when successfully embraced, will encourage Muslims to keep mute on tragic instances befalling their fellows, such as the series of ethno-religious crises that broke out in places like Jos, Tafawa Balewa, Southern Kaduna, Lagos Sagamu, etc. 

In retrospect, to what extent are Nigerian Christians ready to accept Prophet Muhammad as God’s apostle just as Muslims uphold Jesus as Prophet as a fundamental condition of being a Muslim, without which one will be outside the fold of Islam? Or at least, are Nigerian Christians ready to reserve some respect for Prophet Muhammad so that they will shun all utterances and actions that may be considered blasphemous, which, needless to say, fuels religious crisis and further strains relations between Muslims and Christians? 

Nigerian Muslims would be very willing to uphold peace initiatives. Still, they will be very unlikely to accept any interfaith interpretation that warrants silence and reprisals in situations where their fellows are innocently attacked and persecuted anywhere on Nigerian soil. Muslims will invoke the same scripture which warns them not to ally with their enemies –  whoever they might be, which enjoins them not to give in to treachery, which cautions them on prospects of being bamboozled and hoodwinked by their enemies and which reminds them to be prepared for self-defence. Therefore, the interfaith initiative appears to be a neutral concept that can be applied positively or negatively and can be abused or misinterpreted disproportionately.  But, clearly, its application goes hand in hand with contexts and real-life experiences.

Ismail wrote from Rabat and can be reached via ismailiiit18@gmail.com.

By Dr Babayo Sule

The revolution in social media, no doubt, made life fascinating for the present generation in information dissemination and data assembling but most importantly, in harnessing dialogue among inter-cultural and diverse complex groups cutting across the universe unprecedented. Many societies are positively utilising the leverage of social media to develop their political and socio-economic sectors individually and collectively. However, in Nigeria, social media is dangerously setting us on the path of collapsing our values and tolerance and it is ambitiously threatening to magnify ignoramus into the regalia of scholarship while scholars are being relegated to objects of caricature. This is anticipated in the warnings of Daniel J. Levitin in his Weaponised Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era and Nicole A. Cooke’s Fake News and Alternative Facts: Information Literacy in a Post-truth Era, that the era of honest ideas and truth is fast passing and this is palpable more in our environment where things are twisted deliberately for sentiment or personal agenda. This has manifested in the recent development in national issues where the bedevilling monster of insecurity is becoming worrisome. The high level of ignorance in understanding, interpreting, comparing and linking issues in Nigeria bordering religion, politics, economy and other social issues is nauseating. This is evident in the use and abuse of the term ‘Interfaith’ by social media interlocutors. 

The two Arabic terms are mixed up unconsciously by itinerant merchants of social media but most surprising, by even some religious Sheiks either deliberately or out of ignorance. The term ‘Wahdatul Adyan’ (unification of religions) in the Arabic language can never be the same as ‘Hiwar Al Adyan’ (interfaith dialogue). Unification of religion means collapsing of faith to become one while interfaith dialogue means debates, comparative studies and discussions of understandings as well as the relationship among followers of a different faith. The word ‘Hiwar’, dialogue, was mentioned three times in the Qur’an 18:34; 18:37 and 58:1.

How can Islam, for example, collapse and become one with Christianity when Islam philosophises the unity of Allah (SWT) while Christianity accepts the doctrine of ‘Trinity’ or how can Islam unite with Judaism that does not believe in Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad (SAW), at least, the current version of it? Or how can Christianity unite with Judaism that does not believe in Jesus Christ? Can Islam ever accept any form of law besides the Shari’ah principles? 

A scholar, popularly known as ‘Digital Imam’ made some utterances on escalating insecurity situation in a delivered sermon which eventually led to his removal. The crux of the matter is that I am not in support or opposing what the Imam uttered in his furious outburst. Many messengers have their philosophy, style, methodology and perspective of conveying messages based on their training, background, experience and the environment. How or why the Imam decided to deliver the message in the mode he did was not the main concern here. Some may see it right while others may see it as unfit and all are right in their perception. I am not in defence or support of the Imam and his words nor am I his spokesperson but some misperceptions, distortions and misrepresentations of the term ‘interfaith’ need to be cleared to avoid the created confusion. However, the annoying aspect of the issue is the way the ‘message’ was totally ignored and the messenger is being crucified on account of being what they called ‘Interfaith’. 

And what is interfaith? Is it a polytheistic process or a pronouncement that will disqualify one from Islam? Does interfaith has a basis from the religious roots and branches? Is our education level annihilated to the extent that our social media pedestrians could not understand what it is or is learning Islamic scholarship withering away to the level of misunderstanding Islam or misusing it? What is the link between sermon on insecurity and participation of Digital Imam in interfaith? Interfaith means dialogue among the various Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity to promote peaceful co-existence and to understand more the philosophy of each other to avoid sustained mutual hostility. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines interfaith as activities involving persons of different religious faith. Going by this definition, who is not involved in activities with persons of different faiths in Nigeria?

Islam is a religion that by virtue of its philosophy encourages logic, wisdom and reasoning. It challenges its believers to ponder on signs and symbols of the divinity and unity of Allah and the truthfulness of the religion. Allah (SWT) dialogues with His Angles on the wisdom, logic and the reason for creating the weak Adam (AS) and placing him on earth despite the weakness and the vulnerability to sins (Q. 2 verses 30-35). If Allah (SWT) wishes, He will simply create without consultation or dialogue and made the Angels prostrate compulsorily without any resistance or disobedience by Satan but for His prior knowledge of all, He wanted it that way. Is there no lesson for mankind in it to understand that reasons and logic are used in dialogue to convince?

Allah (SWT) in many places commands that believers should reflect and find faith in Islam not follow what is bequeathed to them by their ancestors presenting to them logical arguments, scientific facts, miracles and points of pondering. Prophet Nuh (AS) engaged his people in peaceful interfaith dialogue to convince them to believe in his religion for 950 years using alternative views and arguments (Q.7 verses 59-64; Q.10 verses 71-73; Q.11 verses 25-49; Q.21 verses 76-77; Q.23 verses 23-30; Q.25 verses 37; Q.26 verses 105-122; Q.29 verses 14-15; Q.37 verses 75-82 and Q.71 the complete chapter).

What about Prophet Ibrahim (AS)? He could have argued forcefully with the divine support and protection and ridiculed his people for worshipping idols that they had created with their hands but instead, he chose the path of wisdom and logic and the power of peaceful dialogue to make them understand particularly being careful of the presence of his father among the idolaters. Several Qur’anic chapters and verses (Q.2 verse 258; Q.14 verses 35-41; Q.19 verses 41-50; Q.21 verses 51-73; Q.26 verses 69-104; Q.29 verses 16-27; Q.37 verses 83-113 and Q.43 verses 26-31).

In all the chapters and verses above, Ibrahim (AS) used a superior dialogue with wisdom, chosen soft words and logic to explain his faith before the idolaters. Then take the instance of Musa (AS) who had not only debates with the Pharaoh and his people but went the extra mile in the demonstration of faith and interfaith dialogue under the command of Allah (SWT) in the Pharaoh’s palace. Many chapters and verses (Q.7 verses 103-173; Q.10 verses 75-93, Q.11 verses 96-99; Q.17 verses 101-105; Q.20 the complete chapter; Q.25 verses 35-36; Q.26 verses 10-68; Q.27 verses 7-14; Q. 28 verses 1-50 and several others too numerous to mention all here). It should be noted that Prophet Musa (AS) dialogued with his people profusely in convincing them against Shirk (polytheism) after he rescued them from Pharaoh using logic and wisdom (Q.2 verses 40-61; Q.7 verses 137-141 and Q.20 verses 83-97) and Prophet Musa (AS) also dialogue and went into a voyage of discovery with Khidr (AS) (Q.18 verses 60-86). 

Other Prophets (AS) dialogued in what is closer to interfaith with their people which time will not allow for all of them to be enumerated here but some few cases are still necessary. Prophet Ilyas (AS) dialogued with his people and showed them a reason to desist from worshipping a lamb as mentioned in Q.37 verses 123-132. Prophet Yusuf (AS) also convinced his inmates’ partners and his people of the unity of Allah (SWT) through an interfaith dialogue (Q.12 verses 37-41). Prophet Isa (AS) was shown the path of dialogue by Allah (SWT) when he was asked if he is behind the instigation for people to worship him when he responded beautifully, respectfully, logically and scientifically in this way (Q.5 verses 116-120) and he also tried and convinced his disciples on the miracle and powers of Allah (SWT) when they challenged him for manna (Q.5 verses 112-115) and elsewhere (Q.19 verses 30-33), Prophet Isa (AS) dialogue with his people to convince them while in his infancy that his mother Maryam (AS) was innocent and that he was a miracle of Allah (SWT). 

The most astonishing aspect of those who wanted to confuse interfaith with unity of faith is their lack of acumen in understanding ‘Asbabul Nuzul’ (purpose of revelation of Qur’anic verses) otherwise they would have saved their ignorance before the public humiliation. One of the outstanding characteristics of the Makkan chapters and verses of the Glorious Qur’an is the dialogue between the Prophet (PBUH) and Makkan infidels to scientifically show them the logic and reason of worshipping Allah (SWT) alone and the dirtiness of idolatry. These chapters and verses are too many to mention here. When Christians from Najran (Nazareth), a place near Madina in those days, heard the preaching and teaching of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Jesus Christ, they approached the Prophet (PBUH) for interfaith dialogue and that was the reason for the revelation of Q.3 verses 33-83 as mentioned by Al-Ghazali in his book ‘Asbabul Nuzul’ and also as narrated by Imam Ibn Kathir in his ‘Tafsir’ (Qur’anic exegesis or commentary). 

The Prophet (PBUH) did not only engage in interfaith dialogue but he agreed that Muslims under threat and vulnerability can seek shelter in other places of different religions when necessary. He asked his companions to migrate to Ethiopia where a Christian king was ruling, Najjash (Negus). The Makkan oligarchs, Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyan sent a delegation to King Negus to convince him to return the Muslim believers to Makka so that they could persecute them until they revert to idolatry. They went to the king with gifts and presents but he rejected their request.

The representatives of Makkan infidels adopted emotional manipulation by telling King Negus that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers were also saying evil things about Mary and Jesus Christ (AS). The king summoned Muslims to his palace and questioned them. One of the companions, the Prophet’s cousin, Ja’afar Bin Abi Talib, explained to him their idolatry and decadent situation before the emergence of Islam and went ahead to recite before him the Surah Maryam Q.19 verses 16-40. The scholars of history like Ibn Hisham and Ibn Kathir reported that king Negus and his people wept on hearing these verses which was the reason for revealing Q.5. verses 82-85. Later. King Negus converted to Islam and the Prophet (PBUH) prayed for him from Madina which served as the juristic justification for ‘Salatul Gha’ib’. 

Apart from the above views on interfaith dialogue, many companions of the Prophet (PBUH) were reported in authentic hadiths by Bukhari and other reporters and scholars of the history of engaging Jews in Madina, Christians and pagans in interfaith dialogue using the Qur’an and other sources heard from the Prophet (PBUH). Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the medieval Islamic respected scholars devoted an entire book of two volumes in interfaith dialogue with Christians titled Al Jawabul Sahih li man Baddala Dinal Masih (Answer to those who Altered the Religion of Jesus Christ). Besides, contemporary Islamic jurists have their views on interfaith dialogue. For instance, Ismael Raji Al Faruqi characterises dialogue as Da’awah which includes preaching Islamic teachings, promoting virtues and avoiding vices and providing comprehensive knowledge to understand the purpose of life. 

The Christians and Jews are addressed with respect in the Qur’an ‘as people of the book’. The Prophet (PBUH) was reported to have been visiting the ill in Madina irrespective of their faith (Tirmidhi). The Prophet was sympathetic, patient and understanding with people of other faith. He never imposed Islamic laws on them. Abu Hurairah narrated that once a group of Jewish scholars came to the Prophet (PBUH) and declared that one of them committed adultery. The Prophet (PBUH) judged the matter using the Jewish scriptures and not Islamic laws (Al Tabari).

In essence, most Islamic jurists agreed that Islamic teachings are not in favour of eliminating the preaching of other faiths. Islam is, instead, in favour of counterbalance as a means of creating a harmonious environment instead of confrontation. This is mentioned in the Quran (Q.22 verse 40). It is based on this that the power of Qur’anic dialogue challenged the entire universe to produce its like or to ponder on the saved corpse of Pharaoh Menerpter as a sign of miracle of Islam and the Glorious Quran open for a challenge by those interested. An attempt to do so earned Islam valuable converts such as Professor Mike Moore, Professor Maurice Bucaille, Professor Gerald Dirk, Dr Gary Miller and many famous global scholars of various fields of human endeavour. 

The question to ask ourselves is, if not because of the flavour and the assistance of interfaith dialogue, how could the gallant intellectuals armies of Islam confront the entire world with intellectual discourses of comparative knowledge? The blessed Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, Sheikh Dr Zakir Naik, Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips and other ones who stand tall in the hall of fame of comparative religion and remain unchallenged by all religions when it comes to dialogue and reasons. How many hundreds of thousands or millions have they converted to Islam successfully? Could those against interfaith serve Islam in this capacity? What about the blessed Adnan Oktar aka Harun Yahya who solely demolished Darwinism and Marxism by the mighty power of his Islamic dialogue pen?  Have we forgotten our own, Sheik Auwal from Jigawa State who has been busy propagating Islam in America? What about the blessed Sheik Hussaini Yusuf Mabera? What about the good work of the Da’awah Institute of Nigeria in bridging the gap of knowledge closer to what even a layman can comprehend? Please what is the name of what they are doing? What about Nigerian Inter-Religious Council? What is it and who are the members? It is a civil society of interfaith dialogue and action involving the supreme spiritual leader of Islam, his Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), other distinguished scholars of Islam and Christianity just for the information of the misguided interfaith antagonists. 

It is frightening that the Nigerian Ummah is gradually drifting towards Al Qaradawi’s description of extremism and Abdulkadir Oudah’s ignorant followers and incapable scholars. Al Qaradawi in his book, Islamic Awakening Between Rejection and Extremism warned that extremism is an uncalled duty to Islam by ignorance which has six symptoms including bigotry and intolerance, commitment to excessiveness, uncalled for austerity, severity and harshness, thinking ill of others and Takfir stage which is the dangerous one. Abdulkadir Oudah in his view argues that Islam and Muslims are suffering from the comity of ignorant followers and the inaction of incapable scholars aided by amoral leadership.

The debates on interfaith by some scholars wrongly and the perception of ignorant followers exhibited this fear and it is tilting towards the symptoms of extremism warned by Al Qaradawi which we must be cautious of. Of course, some of the views may not lack relevance to late Dr Yusuf Bala Usman’s postulation of the manipulation of religion in Nigeria but it is shameful and uncalled for. Saying an opinion or a view before the public must have a moral burden. Ibn Qayyim Al Jawzi in his book Ilamul Muqi’ina an Rabbil Aalamin exponentially exposed us to the intricacies of those who can speak on Islamic issues and fatwas and the chain of authorities that can qualify one to be among them. I don’t think the interfaith interlopers qualified to be among the ones listed by Ibn Qayyim.

I am not in any way in convergence with Digital Imam on that fateful sermon. It is wrong to advocate for a boycott of the election in a democratic clime. It is an unpatriotic, irreligious and social disservice.  We differ completely in this perspective. Instead, I am an unrepentant advocate for voting and election and a transparent one for the better. In an era where the leaders failed glaringly but their failure is not instilling remorsefulness in them to desist from power scramble, how could the voters sacrifice their legitimate opportunity to vote? In essence, I am calling on Nigerian voters not only to vote but to vote a protest vote on target. To identify candidates on their own, sponsor them, vote for them and guard their votes to succeed for better governance without regarding any party (parties that lack ideology or even principles) do not matter in developing democracies more than individuals in elections. 

Based on the above observation, I am suggesting the following as remedies against this detrimental degeneration that will consume us if we are not careful.

1. The Digital Imam and other religious leaders should invoke the saying of Allah (SWT) in delivering their messages Q. 16 verse 125 “call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and reason with them in the best manner possible. Surely your Lord knows best who has strayed away from His path, and He also knows well those who are guided to the Right Way”. 

2. People should desist from throwing themselves into the arena of knowledge and scholarship based on anecdotal stories and emotions while those who know but are trying to divert the subject matter or discussions should fear Allah (SWT) and relay that which is the truth because “Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it)” (Q.50 verse 18) and “And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned” (Q.17 verse 36). 

3. Matters should be dealt with accordingly instead of manipulated. Matters of security discussed by a cleric should not be dismissed away for trivialities such as interfaith. Interfaith is a different subject matter so also a sermon and issues of insecurity why lump them unnecessarily?

4. The social media abuse should be checked by authorities before another Tunisian model is engineered deliberately out of ignorance or sentiments. Government has the legal duty to do so. In an era where wise people are using social media for business, we are busy abusing it for the promotion of ignorance.

5. A strong Shura committee is needed to check fatwas and online scholars that are incapable of judging a simple matter or need rigorous scholarship training before their views can see the light of the day. 

6. Ahlul zikr should kindly intervene and educate our Ummah on critical issues to avoid misperceptions, distortions and misrepresentations of facts that can drag our youth into ideologies that will throw our society into further disaster.

Dr Babayo Sule is the H.O.D International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences, Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State.

By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

“The current trajectory is a road to desolation. Let us get around the table and talk. Let the elite in the closet come out and let’s debate our future and forge a consensus. The elite conspiracy of silence and some community leaders should end.” – Governor Charles Chukuma Soludo

The above quote was made by the Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukuma Soludo at a low key but a colourful inaugural ceremony to mark the beginning of his tenure in office on Thursday, March 17, 2022.

It is not surprising for the Governor to have solicited the support of stakeholders and other community leaders in the state in order to surmount the challenges currently being faced by the state and the entire eastern region in general.

When Soludo was announced as the winner of the last November gubernatorial election in Anambra, he clearly knows that one of the most contending issues that people might look up to him to proffer solution is nothing but the rising insecurity that has engulfed the state and the entire Igbo nation.

It is no longer news that the eastern region of the country has, over the years, become a hub for maiming, killings and wanton destruction of citizens’ properties, occasioned by the activities of some miscreants tagged as ‘unknown gunmen.’ But truth be told, the origin of these so-called “unknown” or “faceless” gunmen can be traced to the military wing of the members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB group, known as Eastern Security Network, ESN.

The group, under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently languishing inside the Department of State Service, DSS dungeon after being rearrested in Kenya, last June and flown back to Nigeria, after he previously fled the country, upon breaking the bail conditions.

The IPOB group has over the years been actively clamouring for the creation of an independent Biafra nation from Nigeria.

According to them, the eastern region and Igbos have been marginalized and treated as second class citizens in the country in terms of appointment into political offices, resource sharing and allocation, and governance, among a host of other allegations. But alas, instead of the outlawed group adopting a legitimate manner of registering their grievances, they subscribed and resorted to violence.

The notorious group has carried out several attacks on government facilities including security outfits, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC Offices, markets, and prisons among other strategic locations. It can be recalled that the ‘unknown gunmen’ in March 2021 unleashed terror on Owerri, the capital city of Imo State, in a night raid. Reports indicated that the guns-wielding men attacked Owerri Correctional Center, thereby releasing not less than 2,000 inmates and subsequently burning some sections of the facility.

Again, they also went ahead and attacked Imo State Police Headquarters, killed some security personnel, looted the armoury and eventually set ablaze security patrol vans that were packed at the premises. Since then, their activities have become more pronounced as they intensified their attacks at will, killing various personnel of the security forces of Nigeria including the Police, Military, DSS Operatives, Prison Warders, Road Traffic Officers just to mention but a few.

It is also on record that IPOB militants have been enforcing sit-at-home order every Monday across the entire five states of the eastern region since when Kanu was re-arrested. According to the group, this is to serve as a means of solidarity and to force the government to capitulate to their demand for his unconditional release.

However, this order has been crippling the economic situation of the region thereby dragging it to the cross. A lot of people who live from hand to mouth are denied such opportunities on a weekly basis as markets remain closed as well as schools, banks, government agencies etc. In fact, this lingering terror activity of the group is like a cankerworm that has been eating deep into the flesh of the entire eastern region people.

Reports indicated that there are some incidents where a lot of people are killed and their business places destroyed by the proscribed IPOB group members under the pretext that they have flouted the sit-at-home order.

Not only that, a number of elites in the Igbo region cutting across traditional rulers, politicians, public servants and business moguls were murdered by these blood-sucking demons. The unfortunate murder of Ahmed Gulak and that of the husband of the Late Dora Akunyele in their own pools of blood by the IPOB militants were, to say the least of their heinous acts.

Their nefarious activities are just too numerous to be outlined in this piece. Thus, let’s just leave it as a story for another day.

Meanwhile, it is gratifying to learn that presently, Governor Soludo of Anambra has stepped up an effort to stem the rising tides of insecurities haunting the state and the region at large.

Soludo, while featuring in an interview with the Channels Television, promised to grant amnesty to IPOB members who agree to call it a quit by laying down their arms. Though his plan has been countered by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, emphasizing that the vicious group have been causing violence to the entire Igbo nation all under the pretext of actualizing the Biafra nation, they however welcomed the idea of rehabilitating the aggrieved Igbo youth in order to have everlasting peace in the region.

To that effect, the Governor has just appointed and unveiled a 15-member Truth, Justice and Peace Commission to stop the activities of the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB). The committee is headed by the human rights activist, Prof Chidi Odinkalu with Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu as Secretary.

With these recent unfolding developments mapped out by the Governor, it is hoped that the IPOB members will lay down their weapons and embrace peace so as harmony and normalcy could finally return to the Igbo nation.

Mukhtar, a public commentator, writes from Kano via ymukhtar944@gmail.com.

By Shafi’i Sheikh Jr.

I tried to resist the temptation to speak on matters that fringe around governance and government policies. This is because there are things that an observer can only see if he resists the temptation to jump into the fray and become an actor himself. But recent happenings have reawakened my enthusiasm to march to the stake like the man my mom had always desired me to be and take the bullet in the chest should the need arise. 

In 2015, we supported APC with our sweat and money chanting “change” wherever we found ourselves so much that it caught every household’s mood. Why? Because we thought a Buhari-led government would have no trouble handling the heaps of problems bedevilling our mettlesome Nigeria. 

Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of why we-the masses brought Buhari to power in the first place. 

First of all, Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil-producing country, was rapidly growing its economy, but the wealth had not been shared appropriately. Half of Nigeria’s population was living below the poverty line. The corruption that was partly to blame was eating into every fabric of Nigeria’s being. 

Secondly, the menace of Boko Haram was spreading wider than it started and had already claimed over 20,000 people and forced out some 3 million others from their homes. We accused the previous Goodluck E. Jonathan-led administration of not taking the menace seriously and posited that Buhari, who’s from the region, would do better if given the opportunity. 

We, therefore, came out en masse to vote Buhari into power. The 2015 election was and still is of massive significance in Nigeria’s turbulent history because, for the first time in Nigeria’s history, an opposition candidate won a presidential election free and fair. 

The president-elect (as he then was) told his supporters that “We have proven to the world that we are people who have embraced democracy. We have put the one-party state behind us.”

“You, Nigerians, have won. The people have shown their love for this nation and their belief in democracy,” He mentioned. 

It was the beginning of a new era. Nigeria and Nigerians refurbished a new hope. But these hopes were soon quashed by his incompetence to constitute a cabinet after 100 days in office. It was opined that a leader who couldn’t form a cabinet for that long is ill-prepared for the most important job in the country. 

Albeit hinging his voter appeal on waging war against corruption, fighting terrorism, and revamping the economy, the Buhari-led government had nothing to show except a plethora of controversies that embroiled his first 100 days in office. 

Today, the government only succeeded in pulling us from the shackles of Boko Haram into a dungeon full of kidnappers, IPOB and the so-called Unknown Gunmen. 

Ours is a country where lives are no longer sacred. Education has been exiled, social amenities are declared “extinct”, and food! Well, you’ll have to take a bank loan if you want to eat healthily. These terrorists attack and operate in broad daylight. 

Even after the president’s declaration in 2019 that Nigeria has “technically won the war” against Boko Haram, the country is still ravaged by insurgencies ranging from kidnappings to coordinated attacks on security forces and population centres. 

The recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train is a clear example that Nigerians will not forget for a very long time.

If holiday refers to that time of the year when one usually takes time away from home, work, or business to travel and relax, then this so-called government has betrayed Nigerians and gone on a holiday! 

Shafi’i Sheikh Jr. is a student of the Nigerian Law School, Kano Campus. He writes from Jos and can be reached via talk2sheikh.esq@gmail.com.

Ishaka Mohamed

According to a New York Times bestselling author, Joyce Meyer, patience is not simply the ability to wait — it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.

Many Nigerian youths have been eager for the outcome of their applications for the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP). Well, the waiting period is almost over because forty days from now, successful Fellows will have been deployed to their host organisations. This is according to the mail sent to many applicants, a version of which has also been posted on Facebook by the official page of the scheme: Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme.

That said, I write this purposely to advise all the applicants. I have categorised them into three.

The first group are those who have been pushed by impatience into using rude comments on posts by two Facebook pages: UNDP in Nigeria and Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme. I presume they’re really fresh graduates who, probably, haven’t been following recruitment processes in Nigeria. I’ll outline only three out of the countless cases of delay in the country for them. 

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) started a recruitment process in 2019 but failed to complete it until 2022.

N-Power Batch C application started in June 2020, but the deployment of beneficiaries never happened until after 15 months. 

The Kaduna State Teachers’ Service Board (KSTSB) started a recruitment exercise in 2018 but managed to employ 7,000 secondary school teachers in July 2022. In fact, as of the time of writing this article, that’s nine months after their employment, none of these teachers has been posted to a school, let alone being paid a salary.

Therefore, there isn’t any need to feel too disappointed over something that is highly expected. It’s worth stressing, however, that it’s OK to clamour for a positive change in whatever concerns us, but decorum is highly recommended, at least for a young graduate and job seeker. So, rude comments should be done away with.

The second group are the over 340,000 applicants who won’t be selected. Yes, a total of 365,679 people applied for the scheme that needs only 20,000 Fellows per annum.

With or without cogent evidence, there’ll be lamentations from almost every angle when successful applicants are eventually picked. Many will blame favouritism and the like. A good number might lose interest in applying for other jobs, claiming that it’s by whom one knows. I urge all unsuccessful applicants (yet to know, though) to avoid losing momentum because of this; it’s simply part of life.

Now, to the third group, the privileged few, I advise that you think twice before leaving your ‘small’ job for the programme. Although it’s said that Fellows will be fully paid as graduates, being deployed doesn’t guarantee prompt payments. You must be realistic to yourself by keeping an alternative means of livelihood.

Of all of the schemes I’ve observed in Nigeria, only NYSC is somehow consistent in the payment of allowances. I’ll mention three others that have significantly failed in this regard.

One, as of January 2022, many of the past N-Power volunteers were still owed stipends. That was after 18 months of exiting the programme. And even while in the scheme, a significant number of these youth often received overdue allowances.

Two, the Special Public Works Programme for 774,000 unskilled labourers ended in March 2021, but a good number of the beneficiaries weren’t paid their N60,000 stipends until after nine months (end of December 2021).

Three, some Nigerian youth were placed on a three-month paid internship called the Work Experience Programme (WEP) from August to October 2021.

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development promised each intern a monthly allowance of N30,000 within the period of their engagement.

But such never happened, as the payment commenced in November 2021 and continued, inconsistently, through February 2022.

Some may think that NJFP will be different; I pray so, too. However, the scheme has already shared a pattern with its predecessors. In August 2021, it was promised that the first batch would be inducted in about two months’ time (October), only for the statement to be changed after seven months.

Based on the above instances, I reiterate that you keep an alternative source of livelihood before engaging in the programme. This is especially important for those who’d be posted to states other than their current settlements.

On a final note, if you’re privileged to be deployed to a private organisation, make sure to sell yourself. Much as many organisations usually aim to rightsize their employee base, none will be willing to lose a diligent young graduate if you really present yourself well.

Ishaka Mohammed writes from Kaduna. He can be reached via ishakamohammed39@gmail.com.

By Bilyamin Abdulmumin

The nation has woken up with yet another round of controversial news, as the committee to the National Assembly mosque, Apo legislative quarters Abuja, deemed it fit to suspend the renowned Islamic cleric Sheikh Nuru Khalil before sacking him later. The committee cited incitement and lack of showing remorse as reasons for the suspension and the final sacking, respectively.

Last week’s Friday prayer sermon the Sheikh delivered was the action that earned him the sack. In the sermon, reeling from the Abuja-Kaduna train attack tragedy, the Sheikh supported a boycott of the upcoming 2023 general election should the government fail to protect the lives of Nigerians. This message immediately went viral to generate a heated debate among the public on social media.

Those who support the message have some reasons. Because it was just history that repeated itself; before the 2015 general election, Nigeria, especially the North, was literally on fire. Amidst the chaos majority of the northern Islamic clerics openly criticized the government of the day – PDP, while drumming support for the opposition – APC.

Fast forward, seven years later, the table has turned. The APC is in charge, and similar to the eve period of the 2015 general election, the insecurity is threatening the country again. So, for this category of view, what is good for the goose should also be good for the gender.

Some try to strike a balance. According to these people, the Sheikh’s sermon was right, but they argue that leadership comes with responsibility. So, a leader with a large audience has both privilege and responsibility. Some of these responsibilities are eschewing opinion, unlike any ordinary person who doesn’t mince words. In other words, the Sheik should have a tread with caution. 

Some categories look at it from the extremism tendency. According to them, some extremists, such as Muhammad Yusuf, the Boko haram leader, started as a spokesperson to the masses. First, he became a fierce critic of the government, but later, when his antics escalated to insurgency, those masses clapping for him became the most victims in the end.

Some sought to politicize the controversy. According to them, the Sheikh has pitched a tent around the opposition – PDP, so they claim he has been a critic of the Buhari government for the last seven years. These critics sealed their arguments with the allegations that the Sheikh was appointed an Imam at a mosque built by Atiku Abubakar, a new Jumu’at Mosque behind the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) Quarters, Abuja.

The peculiarity of any argument is that if anyone is allowed to explain his view, one will somehow see a reason for their claim. The above four viewpoints on the same thing are good examples.

By and large, if there is anything this raging debate achieved, it is one thing: it made Nigerians forget the series of other pressing issues like the ASUU strike, fuel scarcity, the naira to dollar depreciation, VP Osinbajo, Minister Pantami, and Farooq debates, even the plight of the actual victims of the attack (may theirs be a speedy release, harmless). One Nigerian coined this scenario: “one rising issue after another makes Nigerians forget their suffering; Nigerians live for the moment.”

Bilyamin Abdulmumin is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at ABU Zaria. He is also an activist for a better, informed society.

By Kasim Isa Muhammad

It is socially impertinent how the vulnerable youths in the Potiskum LGA, Yobe State, have succumbed to excessive drug abuse and addiction without realizing how dangerous it could be for their lives, mental health, and what they uphold shortly.

The increase in drug abuse has become a subject that needs actual consideration and drastic action to combat its rapid growth among youths. Potiskum is the epicentre of carrying out various business and educational matters. It has been the giant pillar of Yobe State regarding population and contributions to con-constant revenue generation and youth engagement towards persuading education for the future. 

But on the other hand, the locality is enveloped with thousands of dumped youths who have chosen drug abuse and are helplessly living around some areas of the town. They hardly work for themselves, and even if they did, the credit is artfully exhausted on hard drugs, thereby keeping them unconscious and capable of being involved in any act of immorality.

However, I noticed that some of them have unintentionally become addicted to sedative drugs due to unemployment. I’ve been seeing them in a place where they hide out and observe this deadly menace. I had an informative interview with one of them, who told me about the main ingredient that drove him to such activity.

Nonetheless, the most significant point here is to draw the attention of the government and public agencies with the responsibility of fighting against any felonious acts that can socially affect society. Both parties should immediately intervene to curb the growth of drug consumption and find a lasting solution.

The government should provide job opportunities for the youths, support them with funds to raise a small business scale, and educate them. Providing efficient job opportunities can securely remove the most vulnerable youths from illegal acts. It will also keep them from sabotaging government and public properties, thereby decreasing the crime rates in the town or the state at large. 

Nevertheless, those drug abuse victims urgently need government or private agencies’ support with funds or facilities to grow a local business or enrol them in schools. The majority of them dropped out of school due to insufficient funding and parental support. 

Furthermore, the Federal Agencies in charge of controlling drug abuse and illegal consumption should stand firm in their determination to conduct secret general patrols, seize any hard drugs, and send any guilty person to a correctional facility.

Regardless, it is very harmful to society and the government to spare those victims without any necessary security intervention. If such illegal drug consumption continues to grow among the population, the children will believe that nothing is wrong with dealing with hard drugs. Moreover, the government may find controlling the kids’ law-breaking mentality challenging.

Kasim Isa Muhammad wrote from Potiskum, Yobe state via kasimimuhd1999@gmail.com.

By Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim

The Abuja-Kaduna train attack has finally halted the speculations regarding Boko-Haram’s expansionism into North-West territories of Nigeria. Although warnings sounded as far back as 2-3 years ago were suggestive of the existence and operationalization of such an active expansionist agenda, it wasn’t until January 2022 that I saw what I consider the first official acknowledgement of the expansionist efforts of BH. This acknowledgement was contained in Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs’ annual security report wherein lies observations of escalating relationships between Boko-Haram groups and bandits.

It should be recalled that Boko-Haram ceased to exist as a single entity since 2014/2015 when factionalism befell the central entity. This factionalism yielded 3 different groups distinguishable by certain ideological and tactical contrarieties. They are; The Shekau Led Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (JASLWJ), The Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) supported Jama’atu Ansaril Muslimina fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru) and The Islamic State (IS) supported Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). And they have been fighting one another for influence and jurisdiction ever since. 

Interestingly, establishing an influential presence in North-central and North-west Nigeria has always constituted a major aspect of these groups’ grand agenda. But for years, it had proven hard for this objective to be achieved by any of the groups even after staging several operations in the 2 subregions as none of them was able to establish that desirable level of hegemonic presence and influence. 

However, among the three groups, Ansaru remains the most influential in the North-west even though it is thought to have hibernated after the face-off that ensued from the factionalism. Terror watch reports suggest that while in hibernation, Ansaru embarked on a strategic recruitment exercise targeting NW’s most dominant non-ideological criminal groups – the bandits – through infiltration, training, tactical assimilation and arms supply. Apart from Ansaru, Shekau-led JAS through some commanders(like Adamu Bitri before he defected to ISWAP and eventually died) also established and maintained contact and relationship with leaders of some bandit groups. 

Last year, Nigeria’s terror network experienced heightened volatility due to the escalation of the conflagration between the two major terrorist organizations —the Shekau-led Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) and Al-Barnawi-led Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) — operating in the North-east and Lake-chad basin. This resulted in the death of Abubakar Shekau by suicide which sparked serious disarray within the network and rendered the JAS somewhat defenceless. 

Consequently, ISWAP issued an ultimatum to all JAS commanders and fighters to either defect to ISWAP and pledge allegiance to Al-Barnawi or vacate all former JAS territories which now fell under their control. Some commanders and fighters complied and defected while many others surrendered to the Nigerian Army with the aim of becoming beneficiaries of the Nigerian government’s amnesty program(Operation Safe Corridor). The third group of JAS commanders and fighters who neither defected nor surrendered to the Nigerian army were thought to have migrated to NW to forge alliances with bandit groups. 

By implication, the above-stated events suggest that while Ansaru continues to remain the closest to NW bandits, ISWAP and former JAS fighters might have also re-ignited links with bandit groups in the NW. While ISWAP might have taken over control of the vast network of bandit groups that were formerly affiliated to Shekau-led JAS due to the carpet-crossing of JAS commanders (some of whom are the keepers of the link between JAS and the bandit gangs in the North-West just as Adamu Bitri) to the ISWAP side, JAS fighters that refused to surrender to both ISWAP and the Nigerian Army might, however, have also migrated to NW to forge alliances with bandits and escape ISWAP’s wrath. 

Now, the changing dynamics, improved weaponry and renewed offensive tactics seen in recent attacks thought to be staged by bandits are testimonials to an improved alliance between Bandits and members of BH groups. These attacks carry BH signatures all over from attacks on public infrastructure (as in the case of the two train attacks) to attacks on military formations (e.g NDA and the Birnin Gwari Army Forward Operational Base) and the efficient use of IEDs for offensive have increased in frequency in NW states. The recent videotape that was released in the aftermath of the release of the Bank of Agriculture’s MD also signals this unholy alliance. 

At this pace, North-west Nigeria is on the verge of becoming a deadlier terror zone than the North-East ever was. This is because we are dealing with two groups with complementary terror/criminal expertise synergy which holds the potential for the establishment of the most sophisticated terror network Nigeria has ever seen. The bandits indubitably boast of an unmatched knowledge of the local terrain and geography of North-west’s forests and other ungoverned spaces while BH groups, be it Ansaru or ISWAP, boast of a very deadly extremist-ideological core with a sophisticated array of terror-based expertise and affiliation to global terror networks through Islamic State(IS) African subsidiaries(for ISWAP) and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) (for Ansaru) that allows them access to global terror resources and funding.

The bandits also have numbers sourced from a rich population of child soldiers. Their numerical preponderance, nonideological-cum-uneducated nature and relatively young base makes them extremely vulnerable to indoctrination and a suitable source for terror manpower. Sadly, the use of child soldiers for terror activities is attributed to both ISWAP and Ansaru, but ISWAP has gone further to institutionalize child recruitment and indoctrination using international terror recruitment standards. Hence, ISWAP might leverage this rich child-soldier manpower source opportunity more effectively. 

As I write this piece, I must confess to experiencing the oscillation of an overwhelming shockwave of fear that has been travelling through the deepest core of my body since I discovered ISWAP’s new recruitment and indoctrination strategy through open-source terror watch networks. And here is why:

The largest bandit-manpower source is predominantly the forsaken, uncivilized and uneducated population of forest-based Fulani. Several testimonies from victims of kidnapping further affirm that the bandits are mostly young boys aged 14-18. They have been adjudged to be tremendous in terms of population and now BH groups (ISWAP, ANSARU, fmr JAS) have infiltrated the vast bandit network due to the government’s avoidable mismanagement of the entire situation which metamorphosed from the farmer-herder crisis. Unfortunately, the continued mismanagement of this crisis now holds the potential of further transfiguring into an implosive generation-long extremist insurgency.

ISWAP has instituted a new recruitment and indoctrination initiative. This initiative aimed at recruiting an army they term “The Empowerment Generation” focuses on training and indoctrinating children aged 8-16 as seen in a propaganda video released by the group. The implementation of this training and indoctrination exercise is done through the instrumentality of a well structured educational institution named “Khilafah Cadet School”. Cadets, otherwise called “Cubs of the Caliphate” are drilled in extremist Islamic education; tactical military, arms and infantry training; and Jihad and enemy execution techniques. 

This school boasts of having a well-structured curriculum consistent with global terror standards and a strict entry requirement as students have to pass entrance exams before getting admitted. The school is well-funded and resourced. The scariest aspect of the video is the scene that shows the cadets practising special force warfare tactics. In the scene, the cadets are shown entering a building in special forces style to extract enemies. The enemies used for this drill were Nigerian soldiers captured by ISWAP. After the extraction, the 3 soldiers were made to kneel and they were all shot in the head by three different child soldiers barely aged 15. The precision, the tact and the efficiency in execution are consistent with that which is usually seen in war movies. 

The “Cubs of the Caliphate” are a product of a long-term strategy envisioned by ISWAP to continue the ideologically-driven war for another generation, serving as a formidable and inexhaustible manpower source for the terrorist army. As I watched that video, I reflected with fear on the young bandit population in the NW and the possibility that most of them might end up getting admitted into such kinds of indoctrination programs as a result of the strategic alliance between bandits and these terror groups. I could not help but weep at this gruesome picture of the future, asking what if Boko-Haram groups succeed in assimilating a major section of the young bandit population operating in this part of the country? 
The catastrophe that would result from this scenario is indescribable. Nigeria has managed to mismanage every security situation that it had ever faced. But we cannot afford to continue mismanaging this crisis for the future looks gruesome unless a de-escalation happens. But how do we tame this menace? 

The only security situations in Nigeria that the government had been able to manage to an extent are those that benefitted from robust dialogue and amnesty programs. And the closest we got to destroying insurgency through the use of brute force was when mercenaries were hired to fight Boko-Haram in 2015. But just like dialogue, the implementation of completely annihilating military offensives is as well another efficient option in countering terrorism and insurgency. But in Nigeria’s context, this method carries the smell of impossibility all over it. In fact, brute force clearly constitutes precedential failures in the fight against terror and insurgency in Nigeria.

The highest level of brute force(since the completely annihilating one has so far been simply unachievable) we have been able to exert could not tame Niger-Delta Militancy, it hasn’t been able to crush Boko-Haram for almost two decades now. And it is yet again proving inefficient in the fight against bandit-terrorists even before the infiltration of the very tactical and well-resourced Boko-Haram groups. 

We are left with two options; the Gumi option of dialogue and strategic engagement with stakeholders in the affairs of these bandits with the aim of securing a ceasefire and ultimately, surrendering of arms in exchange for amnesty and redress(before they completely get assimilated into the ideological war BH groups are fighting) or the Elrufai solution of engaging the services of mercenaries to perform a sweeping operation targeting all forests and hamlets harbouring these bandit-terrorists and their BH affiliates since the implementation of such method by our military seems impossible. 

Principally, the fundamental responsibility of every government is to safeguard the lives and properties of its citizens. Nigeria’s government under President Buhari has failed in that responsibility but we can no longer tolerate this failure for it holds the potential of consuming us and the country at large. Nigerians must rise up and demand an end to this barbarism NOW! 

Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim is a political/public affairs analyst. He writes from Zaria and can be reached through haleemabdul1999@gmail.com.

By Abdulsalam Alkali

Almajiranci is an informal educational system that is predominantly practised in Northern Nigeria. Almajirai are teenagers ages 4-17 who are sent away from their dwelling by their respective parents to seek Islamic knowledge, a source for sustenance and clothe themselves by begging for alms from people.

The Almajiri system has produced prime leading Islamic intellectuals in Northern Nigeria. Still, along the cord, the system has been altered with the rise in population, making it a system that makes children of tender age susceptible to danger.

It’s awful how Almajirai are abandoned to cater for themselves even though parents should be responsible for their children’s needs and provide them with education. Sadly, parents choose to neglect their responsibility towards their children and abandon them at the early phase of their lives. This is unfair and should be tackled; else, it will erode our societal values.

Numerous discussions and symposia have been held on the predicaments of the Almajirai and how to reform the system. But it is all an exercise in futility because there has been practically no action to stem the tide.

The government, civil society organisations and traditional leaders have a role to play. First, the government should enact legislation prohibiting parents from taking their children to the Almajiri school. In addition, the government should make primary and secondary school free and compulsory so that poor and vulnerable parents can send their children to both formal and informal schools for our society’s good.

Abdulsalam Alkali writes in Maiduguri, Borno State, via abdulsalamyusufalkali71@gmail.com.

By Sulaiman Badamasi (Mahir)

Social engineering (also known as human hacking) is the art of psychological manipulation of human beings to trick them into making privacy blunders to giving out delicate confidential information. The perpetrator (social engineer) digs background information of the potential victim to identify key necessary weak points and possibly gain the victim’s trust to use the information against them. Before the emergence of social media, it took social engineers a long, frustrating time to acquire as much information as possible about their targets.

However, the dawn of technology saw the 21^st century as the swiftest ever in terms of information circulation. The world has appeared at a height where a single tweet (for example) reaches a billion people in seconds. Thus, information runs fast, businesses nurture, distances diminish, causes foster, coverage enlarges, relationships are created/strengthened, thus making us and our lifestyles more publicized and learned about.

Despite its tremendous impact on making life more relaxed, social media compels us to unconsciously reveal vital personal information about ourselves, families, friends, etc., which could be easily used against us. In other words, what you need to know about people to trigger any havoc on them and their close ones is almost certainly on social media. People’s personal info has become so plentiful that they have a copy of their voter card, national ID card, and driver’s license posted on social media.

Moreover, people reveal their workplaces, positions, type and colour of their vehicles, wives and children (by number, names & faces), schools where their children attend (including class, level, course, location), the colour of their children’s uniforms, favourite food, the interior of their rooms, the kind of electronic devices they own/use, current location, movement plans and means of transportation (motorcycle, car, truck, train, plane) with picture evidence. You know when they sleep/wake, to mention a few.

The recent #KanuTrain attack is a decent scenario of how our personal information can be used against us. The intruders appeared to have readily gathered background details of some of the passengers, including their sitting positions on the train and their social profiles. In a video interview, the killer of Hanifa, the primary school pupil who was allegedly abducted and murdered by her teacher, explained how he took his time, gathered adequate information, and built up his fraternity before executing the unfortunate assault.

The fact is, no ill group/individual strategizes and carries out a successful attack devoid of having sufficient information, which of course, we give generously. Without data, plans go wrong, and they (perpetrators) hardly take these risks nowadays. Repeated evidence has struck our screens on how ill-doers use human informants, drones, and social media accounts to gather information about target victims before carrying out attacks on them, including military bases.

Ethical hackers do not just attack or penetrate internet environments or webservers. Instead, they do footprinting and reconnaissance to know the strengths and identify weaknesses in the system they plan to attack and then exploit them.

Have you ever wondered how your profile pictures can be grilled to reveal more information about you? We often change profile pictures on several occasions. Let us assume you have been on Facebook for ten years and have changed your profile picture ten times (once each year). These ten naturally varying images can be processed using deep learning and natural language processing to understand, for instance, the rate at which you are ageing, how happy/angry/suspicious/innocent you are looking, how healthy or otherwise, to mention a few.

A 30-minute walkthrough of the pictures you have uploaded in the last five years reveals what calibre of people you do mingle with, the state of structure your house is in, the number of countries, states, or towns you have visited, conferences you have attended, how beautiful your wife looks like, which of your siblings/parents/children you love the most, and more. Do you know that a data scientist who knows where you have been going for one year or less can use that data to predict where you will possibly be going next?

All these can be used to perpetrate evils against you/us, thus, informing a possible abductor/kidnapper whether you look like someone who/whose family can afford a ransom payment. Knowing a lot about your family tells them of the softer target amongst them. Of course, they would find it easier to abduct that daughter of yours whose school name, picture, name, age, the colour of the uniform, time to and from school you have made available than you.

Unless we have underlying valid reasons to do so, making our private information and our families public could make them more vulnerable to unnecessary access. Life now looks as if the more your sensitive information is made private, the less you are prone to some unfortunate events.

So, beware!

Sulaiman Badamasi (Mahir) can be reached via sulaimanmahir@gmail.com.