25052018 - BENUE KILLINGS: ETHNIC CLEANSING OR JIHAD? Soyinka, Northern leaders tango

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018
RAMADAN is here again, the
blessed month in which Allah
showers His mercy and blessings
upon His servants. In the month,
the Holy Quran was revealed and
there is a night of power, better than
a thousand months. The gates of
heaven are opened and the gates
of hellfire are shut, the devils are
chained and the believers’ sins are
forgiven.
It is a period that takes adherents
away from immorality, corruption
and evil. It perks up penitence,
enlivens moral rectitude and
latches Muslims to a renewed life
of love, care and peaceful coexistence.
It is a period of reflection
and devotion.
In line with the injunction of the
Holy Quran, fasting is obligatory
upon every Muslim. “To you who
believed, decreed upon you is
fasting as it was decreed upon
those before you that you may
become righteous (Qur’an 2:183).
Ramadan:Time to reflect for better Nigeria
The essence of fasting, which is one
of the five fundamental pillars of
Islam is to evoke positive change
in the attitudes of Muslims to other
fellow human beings – learning
self-restraint against anger,
provocation and adversity. It leads
to empathy to the privations of the
poor and less privileged.
Apart from forgiveness of sins,
and opening of the doors of mercy,
the divine recompense is huge. In
one of the authentic sayings of the
Prophet, it was stated that the
reward on every virtuous deed is
increased from ten to seven
hundred times. (Sahih Muslim)
No wonder the month enjoys
universal prominence while every
Muslim regards it as one unique
opportunity for spiritual and moral
rejuvenation.
Expression of faith is a personal
phenomenon, but attainment of
goodness and sound moral
conscience of a society is a
collective responsibility.
Therefore, the moral elevation the
period seeks to achieve is not
different from what adherents of
other faiths profess.
Why will a Muslim pounce with
anger on a fellow human being,
after learning the act of selfrestraint?
Why will a herder pull
the trigger to cut down the lives of
others? Why will some deviants
attack places of worship, killing
innocent people, when Allah has
said: whoever kills a soul has killed
the whole humanity (Qur’an,
5:32)? Why will leaders at various
levels be arrogant and insensitive
to the plight of the followers?
If we do not refrain from bad acts,
fasting becomes nothing but
hypocrisy. The Prophet said:
“Whoever does not give up false
statements, evil deeds, and
speaking bad words to others,
Allah is not in need of his
fasting.”(Sahih Bukhari)
For peaceful co-existence, mutual
respect, brotherhood and harmony,
let us all – Muslims and non-
Muslims – learn the act of selfrestraint.
Let us shun anger,
meanness and hate. Let us make
Ramadan count; let us make
Nigeria a happier place for all.
By Ayodele Simon
IAM a 40-year-old woman; a mother, a
wife, a working-class citizen and a
member of the fast disappearing middle class
in Nigeria. I have voted only once in my life.
Yes, just once! This was during the 2007
elections where I voted the late Umaru Yar-
Adua for president.
Am I a bad citizen? I do not believe so. I just
have not utilised my civic duty or
responsibility to vote. Why? Because like many
other middle-class citizens in Nigeria, I do
not believe in party politics; I do not vote ACN,
PDP, CPC, APC, SDP, but I believe in, NO, I
WANT actual solutions to the numerous
challenges that beset us as a nation, and I will
only vote for a candidate with solutions, not
the party he or she belongs to.
Donald Trump played the solutions card to
the average, unassuming Americans, when he
promised to make “America great again.” He
promised them safer borders, more jobs for
Americans, less immigrants, a smaller
government with fewer regulations and even
a wall he promised to make Mexico pay for!
Trump swayed the voters in his favour,
including voters in hitherto solidly Democratic
states that were taken for granted as Never-
Republican states. As a result, the American
people voted for solutions; they voted for an
individual who, even though at times was not
forthcoming with the truth on several issues,
but who they still believed could make things
happen for the American people. In other
words, they did not vote Republican or
Democrat, they voted Trump!
Let us come back to Nigeria. Has anyone of
us taken a few minutes, apologies, a few days,
to bother to read and understand the very
recently passed 2018 budget? Can anyone
please tell me the percentage allocated to
education? Seven per cent! Yes! A budget of a
OPINION
Between Nigeria and Atiku Abubakar
whopping N9.1 trillion has allocated a paltry
7% to education. Now, what about healthcare?
How much of our commonwealth has been
allocated to healthcare? The answer is 3.9%!!!
Clearly, this shows how little importance the
current government places on the education
and health of Nigerians (amongst others). Little
wonder, therefore, why some of our graduates
struggle to string or write proper sentences;
or why the life expectancy of an average
Nigerian is 53 years. Wonder no more.
What about our economy? In Nigeria today,
we have five or six different exchange rates
for conducting international business
We need a leader who
believes in and empowers
our youth who are known to
thrive if given the
opportunity to do so
transactions. Guess which the best exchange
rate is you can get for your transactions? For
the importation of books? For the importation
of medicines and medical equipment? For the
importation of building materials to build
more schools for our future generations? No,
of course not! Out of the multiple exchange
rates in our economic space, the best exchange
rate incentive you can get is for the importation
of petroleum products! How unserious.
I didn’t vote for Muhammadu Buhari in
2015. I didn’t vote for him because I didn’t
think his ‘change’ was anything more than a
marketing slogan or a sales pitch as opposed
to a real body of solutions to our many
problems. On the other hand, majority of
Nigerians fell for and voted for this concept of
change, as they saw it. To these Nigerians, I
now ask these questions: Are you better off
now than you were in 2015? Are you safer now
than you were in 2015? Are you more
financially stable now than you were in 2015?
To those who voted for change, “how
market”? I thank you for the vicarious
punishment that you have served to us, the
non-voting citizens who are waiting for a
candidate with actual solutions to our
numerous problems.
For me, at this moment, only one person
comes to mind that appears to have actual
plans and workable solutions to these
numerous problems. Atiku Abubakar talks,
walks, sounds and appears to have something
worth looking into.
As I read through Atiku’s policy initiatives
and achievements from the past few years
(visit www.atiku.org); as I research more into
the person that he is - a statesman, a
businessman, a seasoned politician, a father,
a husband to three wives (one is Yoruba, one
is Hausa and one is Igbo) and a genuine
philanthropist, my hope is rekindled that all
may not be lost for Nigeria. Did you know that
Atiku as an individual and as part of several
corporations, directly employs more than
50,000 people in Nigeria? Actions speak much
louder than words.
Did you know that in his time in office as
Vice-President of Nigeria, from 1999 to 2007,
Atiku was responsible for assembling,
directing and overseeing what is, generally,
regarded as the most dynamic and effective
economic management team in the history of
Nigeria. Far-reaching and wide-ranging
economic reforms/programmes were
undertaken leading to the restructuring,
opening up and transformation of most sectors
of our economy, a marked improvement in the
quality of life of many Nigerians and the
commencement of a journey to economic
revival and boom.
With the prospects of an Atiku presidency
now looming, for the first time in my adult life
and as a female living in Nigeria, I sense that
palpable change and possible redemption that
all those who truly love this country yearn for.
For the first time in a very very long time,
there is a new spring to my step every time I
think about the opportunities for growth and
advancement for my generation in this country
with an urbane, dynamic and cosmopolitan
Atiku at the helm of affairs of government.
Fellow Nigerians, what we need at this
critical juncture in the life of our country is a
leader who can plan for our future beyond
resource-driven booms and a leader who can
assemble a forward-thinking team that will
help build an economy that will be sustainable
for the long-term. A leader that will focus
squarely on reducing our chronic
unemployment and create opportunities that
will keep pace with our rapidly growing
population.
We need a leader who believes in and
empowers our youth who are known to thrive
if given the opportunity to do so. From
listening to and reading about Atiku
Abubakar, I am now firmly convinced that he
is that kind of leader.
Come February 2019, I will vote for a man
that promises solutions to our lingering
problems. I will vote for a man that
demonstrably promises a better Nigeria. I will
vote for a man that is a tried and tested
statesman; a man with well thought out
policies and trackable plans. I will vote for a
man that understands the meaning of GDP,
Sustainability, Monetary Policies, Diversity,
Inclusion.
*Mrs. Simon, a banker, wrote from Lagos.