Of Insecurity and Wrong-Headed Policies Standing My Ground

As I expected, I had some feedback on my piece of last week, ‘Kano Hisbah: A Clear and Present Danger?’ – both good and bad. I have absolutely nothing against Islam, nor was I being partial to Christianity in my said editorial – I was simply telling the truth, and upholding the provisions of the Constitution.

As a student and teacher of the Constitution, its provisions must come first. So, for those who condemned me as being partial to Christianity – rather, I am partial to Section 10 of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, because I am a supporter of peace and One Nigeria; and one of the only ways that we can achieve peace in a multi-religious society like ours, is by strictly adhering to the provisions of Section 10 of the Constitution, and laying less emphasis on religion publicly. I stand my ground on this issue. Religion is personal, and best kept that way.

Some Other Truths:

Since I seem to have ingested a good measure of truth serum, here is the truth about two other issues which occupied the front burner recently – Workers/Doctors strike and granting amnesty to Nigerian criminals.

1) Labour

This is a home truth – the remuneration structure of this country is warped, and Government is doing nothing to improve it. We have Incessant strikes, caused in my opinion, by Nigeria’s age-long inequitable remuneration system; a system which is very much at variance with Sections 16 & 17 of the Constitution. Take for example, Teachers, Medical Doctors, and Judges – they are being exploited by Government, while their conditions of work are unjust and inhumane.

In civilised countries, the wealthiest professionals are Doctors, while Judges, Teachers and Lecturers function in optimal conditions and are well taken care of. In Nigeria, NASS members, a good number of whom possess only basic educational qualifications, are paid fabulous salaries and allowances for doing little or nothing, while for instance, Doctors, who risk their lives and save lives daily, are paid peanuts. Imagine a $10 hazard allowance! Apparently, Nigeria has about 72,000 registered Doctors, out of which only about half are practicing. Already, the ratio of Doctors to our population of over 200 million people, is inadequate; and now, a good number of them are trying to ‘check out’ to places like Saudi Arabia to seek greener pastures and better working conditions. Is Government just going to watch them go? I guess so, if Government is not prepared to improve their working conditions. After all, freedom of movement is a fundamental right, and nothing stops Doctors from relocating to places where they are better appreciated.

I still cannot quite understand a system where those who are less educated and do less work, are better remunerated than those who are not only educated, but perform crucial tasks in society. It is not only inequitable and therefore, unconstitutional, it shows Nigeria’s lack of appreciation of education. No wonder there are so many out of school children! Why bother to go to school, at least beyond primary or secondary level, when you will just end up being unemployed, or paid next to nothing if you are even lucky enough to secure a job after graduation? You are better off becoming a Politician after secondary school!

Section 16(2)(d) of the Constitution provides that workers should be paid at least a reasonable minimum living wage. Is N30,000 reasonable in this day and age? No. This is the plight of majority of workers in Nigeria; and this type of ridiculously unrealistic salary structure, is a major catalyst for corruption and criminality. There is no better time than this, for Government to re-evaluate our remuneration structure.

2) Repentance and Amnesty

Another truth to be told, is about this issue of ‘repentant’ Bandits and Boko Haram insurgents, and what to do with them. A few weeks ago, I shared my views on amnesty, and concluded that I did not particularly believe in it, at least not what Sheik Gumi is asking for ‘Bandits’ anyway. And, even if it may seem to have worked in the Niger Delta, it is definitely not a blanket solution to all the different types of insecurity we are experiencing today. Amnesty is usually for political crimes, arising from those who may have been fighting for a cause, and should not be for vicious criminals. One of the main arguments against granting amnesty, is even that it encourages criminality.

Truth be told, it wasn’t as if granting amnesty to the Niger Delta militants was a voluntary, joyous step that Government took. On the contrary, Government was constrained to do so. It was an economic decision. With all the bombing of oil pipelines and installations, kidnapping of oil workers and so on, the militants had leverage, because their activities impacted extremely negatively on oil production and output; and oil being Nigeria’s main source of revenue, the sector where we have the most FDI, the economy was affected badly. A drop in oil production and export, coupled with dwindling oil prices, IOCs going to look for safer environments to continue their business, the global trend going in the direction of seeking alternatives to oil, you will all agree with me, that this was not a good combination for the Nigerian economy.

The fact that the Niger Delta is seriously polluted and lacking in infrastructure, amongst other drawbacks, is no secret. And, so we could see that even if some believe that the Niger Delta militants had gone about registering their dissatisfaction the wrong way, they did/do have a genuine and legitimate cause. Having mumbled and grumbled about this cause to not much avail, maybe they felt that taking drastic steps, would be the only way to get Government’s attention – and they did.

Luckily, the solution that Government put in place – amnesty and training for the Niger Delta militants etc, proved to be fairly effective in this situation.

But, is it the proper step to take, and will it be effective in the case of the insurgents and bandits? A pertinent question to also ask at this juncture, is whether the Boko Haram insurgents even have a legitimate cause or any cause at all, in looking at some of the conditions which may qualify them for amnesty? That Western education is an abomination? I think not, because Islam, the religion they claim to profess, encourages the quest for knowledge, for both the female and male. Their outlandish belief also goes against the spirit and purport of Section 18 of the Constitution which sets out the educational objectives of Government – eradicating illiteracy and providing free education up to tertiary level if possible, plus adult literacy programmes.

Do the Boko Haram insurgents, who have been recognised by the Global Terrorist Index as the third deadliest terrorist group in the world, deserve amnesty, when Governor Zulum has declared that at least 100,000 lives have been lost due to the heinous crimes they have committed? Or would this same fact be the reason to grant amnesty, in order to stop the killings? I wondered whether Governor Zulum’s position on amnesty for repentant insurgents was borne out of helplessness more than anything else, since over 10 years later, the insurgents have not been decimated by Government, and are still causing chaos in the Northeast, possibly with no end in sight. That this is the position that Governor Zulum and other proponents of amnesty have been constrained to take in the interest of peace for their people, with no other solution to stop the violence and mayhem in sight, just as Government was forced to take the same position in the interest of our economy in the Niger Delta situation.

Do we then restrict this amnesty to the Boko Haram insurgents, or extend it to the Bandits, Kidnappers, and Herdsmen who rape, destroy and kill for one form of financial gain or the other, be it for ransom payments or forcefully making use of peoples’ crops and farms for their cattle to graze, some of whom Sheik Gumi is seeking amnesty for? If coldblooded killers, kidnappers and rapists are forgiven because they claim to be repentant, and they are allowed to go scot free, then, I submit that, every inmate in every prison in Nigeria should also be allowed to go home, once they openly declare that they have repented. Fair is fair. Should the suspected Herdsmen/criminals who cruelly murdered the 36 defenceless people in Plateau State, majority of whom were women and children, be forgiven because they claim to be repentant? They are murderers, and law amply provides for their crimes. Thankfully, President Muhammadu Buhari clearly stated in the recent past, that his administration would “continue to deal with insurgents, bandits, kidnappers and other criminals who constitute a threat to innocent citizens across the country”. I concur. My dear readers, what is your opinion on the issue of amnesty?

Conclusion

While this administration is not particularly the cause of many of the issues Nigeria is presently facing, they cannot be absolved of a good deal of blame because they have compounded matters with the way they have responded to them. Government’s decision to then cow the media into submission with intimidation, threats of arrest and closing down media outfits in order to stop them from reporting their failures, not only runs foul of Sections 22 and 39 of the Constitution, if yet another truth be told, is a further step in the wrong direction.

Dear Editor

Re: Kano Hisbah: A Clear and Present Danger?

Dear Editor,

Hisbah under Ganduje, who fancies himself as “Khadimul Islam” (servant of Islam) has been empowered, and is thus, metamorphosing into something else. Though, they have always been present in Kano, under this Government which seems to not only accommodate but praise their petty atrocities, Hisbah acts with impunity at a whim, despite they themselves being found wanting in morals and character. In February, the Hisbah Commander was caught in a hotel cheating with a married woman. This shows you that there is a deficiency of Islamic Knowledge and ethics, even within Hisbah members.

I am not, however, against Sharia law, as most of the culture in the Northern States that practice it has been almost completely usurped by the Islamic way of life. Therefore, it seems a suitable alternative to regard as customary law in these parts. However, like you rightly pointed out, Shari’a law needs to find a way of existing within our constitutional framework, and by any means, it should not trample on the rights of innocent citizens who do not adhere to the Islamic Faith. One of the main facets of Shari’a law is that it applies to only Muslims, as practicing Islam is itself part of the Shari’a. Therefore, people who are not Muslims should not be compelled to practices which are alien to their chosen way of life. The Qur’an has a verse which categorically says: “There is no Compulsion in Religion” (Qur’an 2:256). This verse automatically negates the acts perpetrated by the Hisbah. As for the Hisbah itself, it should be constrained to Shari’a Courts and administrative offices. It should by no means be given the power to act like the Police, neither should they be allowed to carry on without some sort of supervising body

A.W.,
Abuja

Dear Editor,

A clear and present danger. But, is there enough consideration and provision for adherents of Islam within the context of our constitution? The counter argument is that, the Nigerian Constitution is built strict on a judeo Christian foundation and core values. There is a school of thought (which should not be discountenanced) that states that the coloniser – Britain, founded all Nigeria’s national institutions, systems, processes and legal grundnorms on Western based cultural idiom, and on a purely Christian worldview. As a result therefore, Islam has to find its own space, and this is the reason for this disequilibrium we are now experiencing; and until an accommodation of Islam is achieved on an equal footing within our constitutional framework, these disquieting experiences such as those you just described and even the extremes ones, will continue.
B.I.,
Abuja

Dear Editor,

That’s how Afghanistan started. Ditto Iran. Sudan. Too many examples. As Saudia is moving forward, Kano is going backwards.

S.J.,
Abuja