The Yoruba may not be perfect for any hypocrite; but they are clearly far ahead of others in Nigeria at least in terms of religious tolerance. In many other respects they generally certainly know where they are going and what they want. They have traitors like the Igbo and others do, but at any critical moment they have a "core interest" which they are all committed to. Now, what core interest have "Igbo leaders" articulated, unlike the clear Fulani goal: contiguous territory to the coast, especially seaports and waterways?
Whereas the Yoruba had for centuries known that Christian, islam, Anglican, Catholic, etc are all foreign cults and deities that should be subordinated to Yoruba identity and not vice versa, and in effect ingrained the essence of the secular state, it is today very difficult to educate an "educated" Igbo man that these sects are secondary to his national survival, and are basically weapons of slavery and colonial mentality. From Awo till today most Yoruba friends I know are secular politicians and intellectuals, but today the jetsam and flotsam called Igbo politicians, leaders, intellectuals, what have you, are after the church you attend - "uka I n'aka", the denomination you belong to, the God (actually god) you worship, the foreign and/or domestic imperialism you are enslaved to, etc., and they assess and treat you on that basis, including as we learn, admissions into schools. Go to Anambra state, the showcase of the Igbo, and see and hear things for yourselves. Wise Igbo elites have thrown Zik's civilized secularism overboard and introduced (foreign) religions as part and parcel of primitive Igbo politics, in a joint enterprise to exploit and impoverish the Igbo masses.
Except they are stopped in their cruel tracks, and compelled to join the Yoruba and other civilized world in appreciating the civilizational principle of the modern democratic secular state, dragging foreign or any religions into politics will be source of "the fire next time" in the East - God forbid. Nigerians cannot be seeking to end violent Islamic caliphatism, but turn round to have it's Christian or other variant imposed East of the Niger.
Therefore, neither Yoruba Christians nor moslems are "mad". The MURIC renegade and other attack dogs of the Caliphate are on their own, and when the time comes the Yoruba know how to deal with them, including addressing the question of whether the Yoruba who got Islam long before the migrant Dan Fodio, have any reason under the sun to be subjecting themselves to the Caliphate in citing new moons, declaring fasts, observing sallah holidays, and heading the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, etc.
Thanks greatly.
By Prof. Obasi Igwe
No comments:
Post a Comment