'Men never do evil so completely as when they do it from religious convictions' Blasie Pascal.
The periodic killings of innocent Nigerians under the guise of religion since the return of civil rule about two years ago is fast becoming another ugly scar on the political life of this most misruled and abused nation.
Most of these riots have taken place in the northern parts of the country and in almost all these riots the target have always been the same: southerners and middle belters whether Christians or Muslims. The rioters are also irresistibly drawn to churches, shops and other business establishments owned by the non-Muslims northerners which they loot, burn or vandalise after they must have either killed or maimed their victims. In indulging in these acts of stone-age barbarism, the vandals often claim to be fighting the cause of Islam. But not all Nigerians are fooled by their antics.
We all know that since the northern faction of Nigeria's ruling class, to use their favourite phrase 'conceded power' to the south specifically to the south-west at the inception of this administration it has not hidden its angst over developments in the country. Bowing to pressures created by its own byzantine politics at home and the international community, it was forced to concede the presidency to the south in the awake of Abachas unexpected death. In doing this, members of the ruling mafia, adepts at manipulating persons and institutions for their selfish ends had hoped that in Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, just fresh from Abachas gugal, weak and with no strong political base, they had found the right man who would play the perfect puppet head of state while they direct affairs in the background. They had succeeded in similar arrangee business with Obasanjo in the man's first coming, and also with Chief Shonekan's interim rubbish after the June 12 annulment. But as George Eliot reminds us 'nothing is so good as it seems, beforehand.
Trouble started when Chief Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, the man the owners of Nigeria invested so much hope to look after the estate started behaving as the landlord. He started showing his true colours the very moment he was sworn in by appointing service Chiefs and other key officers of his government. Though a good number of the appointees were from the north, the self-appointed 'champions' of northern interests whired about the region being marginalised. They let it be known that 'North' does not mean the geographical North but the north as defined by the mafia. It is the north of coup plotters, billionaires generals, powerful traditional rulers, oil bunkers, commission agents and election annulers.
By the time the president retired the political soldiers from the force, ordered the trial of Abacha's men and his son, Mohammed for sundry crimes and sacked the maggot-infested PTF headed by former military usurper, General Muhammadu Buhari, it was clear that the battle line was drawn between president Obasanjo and his northern sponsors.
Take the winding up of the PTF, for instance. The man at the centre of it all, General Buhari has since been fuming and cursing. Overnight, he has turned a Jihadist and sworn to see that his beloved religion, Islam, is rammed down the throats of all Nigerians. The manner the Daura-born general has been mourning the lose of the PTF job leaves no one in doubt that he sees the loss as a greater personal calamity than when his brother Muslim, General Ibrahim Babangida in August 1985 sacked him from State House as Head of State. Then Atiku. That traitor ? The least said about him, the better.
But for all his sins none unsettles the group as the president's intention to run for a second term. And they are determined to stop him by hook or crook, Forget about official doublespeak, the body movement from Aso Rock indicates that the president's intention to run for a second term and these powerful Nigerians are far from being amused. Any body still in doubt about this will do well to listen to the warning of Chief Sonny Okogwu, General Babangida's brother-in-law on the matter earlier in the year. According to the Asaba Chief, when the landlords handed over power to Obasanjo, they had entered into an agreement with him to run for only a single term. The import of his wanting to go for a second term therefore amounts to bad faith which must not go unchallenged. Characteristically, the presidency has denied any such agreement. But going by the nature of the nation's Jankara market politics, one is inclined to believe Chief Okogwu.
This is not the first time the group has given conditions before throwing their weight behind a presidential candidate. During the 1983 presidential election, the Kaduna mafia, a-well-known faction of the country's ruling cabal had given the late Chief Awolowo, then UPN presidential candidate conditions under which they would support him against the then incumbent president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, whom they felt disappointed them. It is therefore unlikely for a group that knows what power is to hand it over on a platter of gold to another without, at least, ensuring that the new helmsman does not rock the boat.
Since Chief Okogwu came up with his startling revelations some 'bloody revolutions' have been happening with predictable regularity in the major northern cities of Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Jos and Minna. These spate of riots are designed to make the country ungovernable and create a situation of anarchy to soften the ground for the military wings of the oligarchy to strike and restore the balance of forces in its favour. It is a carefully planned agenda masked behind Islam and Sharia.
But before this self-serving, greedy and bankrupt cabal start celebrating we may need to tell ourselves a few home truths. Should they eventually succeed in their evil design of removing President Obasanjo through any foul or unconstitutional means, they will find no country to rule. Nigeria of the 21st century is quite different from Nigeria of the 60s and 70s. So far, Chief Obasanjo is one man holding this country together in an uneasy union.
Second, whenever Chief Obasanjo completes his tenure it will be the turn of the people of the South-South to produce the next president. They will be following by the people of the South-East. Those thinking that after Obasanjo the Presidency will go back to the north must be joking. All the geo-political zone must have a shot at the presidency. It is a pre-condition for our continued existence as one nation. The days of the master-servant relation are gone for good.
Third, it is not only members of mafia but all sections of the country have one grouse or another against Obasanjo's government. The people of the South-South have not forgotten 'Odi' nor do they understand why the president is playing games with 13% derivation. The Tiv people of the Middle Belt like their South-South counterparts keep wondering why the federal government is quick and decisive in dispatching punitive forces to quell civil unrest in the minority areas of the country but turn a lame duck over the sponsored mindless killings of innocent Nigerians by blood-thirsty thugs in core north masquerading as muslims. The Igbos of the South-east still feel betrayed that 31 years after the civil war, the injustices that led to that war are yet to be addressed.
Even the Yorubas, the president's tribesmen, still hold him with much suspicion. They see him more as a northern stooge than one of them given his rigid opposition to resource control, true federalism, restructuring and a sovereign national conference which tallies with the stand of his northern masters contrary to the belief by the rest of the country that the resolution of these fundamental issues hold the key to lasting peace and unity in the country.
And these various groups have not because of these genuine grievances turned against the Hausa/Fulani muslims living among them neither have they embarked on a systematic destruction of their mosques and other investment of their guests. It is not for lack of murderers, arsonists and hoodlums in these parts.
Lastly, by these unprovoked killings in the north in the name of Islam or sharia, the northern oligarchy is demonstrating that apart from knowing how to scheme for power, it has a rare capacity for making enemies. This is so when viewed against the background that most of the victims of these feral attacks are from the predominantly Christian areas of the Middle Belt, the South-east and the South-South on whose backs its members traditionally ride to power.
They may soon discover that in the final analysis they are going to be the real losers in their suicidal mission.