I will start this piece with an extensive quote from Femi Abbas, a columnist with the Nation newspaper in Nigeria. The pedestrian attempt to justify a "Sultan of Nigeria" title is an assault on basic understanding. All of those who gathered at the proclamation site had, at one time or the other, been at the forefront of subjugating Yorubaland in favor of either northern military rule or their civilian apologists. No matter how highly placed an individual is, that individual is not infallible, hence the presence of such an individual should not be intimidating to the extent that the rationality of an action in his or her presence cannot be questioned. Here is a quote from Fem Abbas:

SULTAN is an Islamic title which means AUTHORITY. Whoever is legally crowned in that venerable office is legitimately vested with the authority to give Fatwa or delegate such power to any other competent Muslim Cleric. The office should therefore be for the entire Muslim society in Nigeria and not just a city, state or tribe. Sultanate came to replace Caliphate at a time when Caliphate was becoming irrelevant because of the gross abuse to which it was subjected through power struggle. To try to restrict it to a locality here in Nigeria, therefore, is like limiting the scope of Islam by sheer whim and caprice. No sensible oceanographer will want to confine the movements and operations of a whale to a brook. This new reality is long overdue.

The three Sultanates of Oman, Bahrain and Brunei, which Femi Abass used as justifications, are inhabited by Muslims, by and large they are Muslim countries, so they can choose whatever Islamic titles they want for their leadership. But is "Nigeria" an Islamic country? Of course not. So why then a "sultan of Nigeria?" Mischief. Period.

"Nigeria" is the umbrella for all sorts of evil, and this is one of them. Yoruba Muslims are under no compulsion to accept a Sultanate they had no input into creating, for Islam in Yorubaland predated the Caliphate. That Muslims in Yorubaland had always initiated moves that become national in islamic affairs does not mean all of such moves are altruisic and acceptable to all Muslims. Recall also that this proclamation is coming on the heels of the debate, among Muslims, on which day the Eid falls, pitching the Southern (Yoruba) muslims against the north. Abdul-Lateef Adegbite, one of the attendess at the proclamation, was a champion of the review of the day of the Eid. At the last Eid-el-Kabir, when the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, under the Sultan's presidency, declared December 7, 2008 as the day of the Eid, many Yoruba Muslims cried foul, basing their arguement on the fact that Muslim non-pilgrims are supposed to be fasting when pilgrims are on the mountain . This had always been a bone of contention. But this piece is not about who is right or wrong on that issue, but to expose the politics behind the proclamation of that title. Femi Abbas claimed that the declaration was made in the" South by Southern Muslims on their own volition" and then asked " what can anybody say to controvert it?" The question is: was the declaration on the agenda for the day or was the day advertised as the foundation-laying ceremony of an Islamic Vacation Cente? It is on record that the loss of Ilorin to the jihadists was as a result of the mischief perpetrated by Muslims in Ilorin. The subterfuge that characterised the Ilorin campaign is what those who made the proclamation are now engaged in. It is a supreme assault on our intelligence for anyone to proclaim a particular religious title on a diverse religious entity.

The attempt by Femi Abbas to cloak the procalamtion under the guise of anti-colonialism is even more laughable. The Sultan of Sokoto Caliphate was an expression of the political authority over the imperial areas of Dan Fodio's Jihad conquests. The sultan was the leader of the emirs, the war leaders who carried the banner of the Caliphate to their conquered areas, hence all those areas with emirs are appendages of Sokoto. But then, the march to "dip the koran into the sea" was stopped at Osogbo. A new strategy has now been developed. They want to dip the koran into the sea by this proclamation. This will not stand. Yoruba Muslims have to make a choice and the time for that choice is now.

"Unity" is an issue on which muslims agree upon; but what has happened has nothing to do with unity but a politically motivated surreptitious move, as has always been the modus operandi of the caliphate, to overrun areas of opposition. A cursory look at its history will reveal the fact that it has never taken on any formidable opponent head on and won; hence its resort to subterfuge, mischief and in this situation, it found accomplices in the Femi Abbas, Alao Arisekolas et al. only waiting to strike the death blow. Again, Yoruba Muslims have to ask or answer this question: Was the proclamation of "Sultan of Nigeria" on the agenda for that day? For such a weighty proclamation could not have been an after-thought, or a sudden, unplanned move to acknowledge the leader in the course of the proceedings. It was a surreptitious move to kill two birds with one stone-- to have the Sultan's authority as unquestionable such that muslims are bound to follow any directives from him (and who else will benefit form this other than those southern muslims who made it happen?) and with his military background, coupled with the resurgence of northern irredentism, what else can be better than have the muslims in the "opposition west" submit to the Sultan's authority? All that will be left is to mop up politically. Hence, the need for Yoruba Muslims to ask and answer the question raised above.

Robot  # 1 | 03.01.2009 06:02

Sultan of Nigeria? This apparent misnormer is being justified by Femi Abbas, a columnist with The Nation newspaper in Nigeria. This is a poser to all Muslims in southern Nigeria since the declarartion was made in their name....Read the full article.

Thomas Dappa  # 2 | 03.01.2009 06:21

The idea of a "Sultan of Nigeria" is not just preposterous in my opinion but unjustified as well. It seems that some Nigerians are for ever willing to make inflammatory and incendiary suggestions with impunity. For goodness sakes, Nigeria is a secular state (constitutionally). So, until the day that changes by the popular demand of the people, why don't we let the religious fiefdoms remain in their confines as they are currently? Such comments are very insensitive especially in a country filled with religious fanatics who will seize every opportunity no matter how needless to cause mayhem and shed innocent blood!

Rhemaman  # 3 | 03.01.2009 06:52

Femi Abbas must be a big time dreamer. The sultan of Nigeria my foot!. This is the same way IBB smuggled Nigeria into the OIC. The Sultan of Sokoto is just what the name says, case dismissed

LoveNigeria  # 4 | 03.01.2009 17:31

The day is fast approaching when muslims in Nigeria (the whole world actually) will dump allah in a hurry and cling to the God of Israel! Right now allah is on a one way ride to perdition (his time is very short) and his grip on Nigeria will be completely broken. Sultan, Sharia, fatwa, Caliphate enjoy while it lasts. Religion of peace! excuse me while I spit.

Agidimolaja  # 5 | 03.01.2009 22:59

Sultan of Nigeria? Bunch of useless rubbish! That is all I will say to it for right now.

tanibaba  # 6 | 04.01.2009 02:03

=LoveNigeria;308399>The day is fast approaching when muslims in Nigeria (the whole world actually) will dump allah in a hurry and cling to the God of Israel! Right now allah is on a one way ride to perdition (his time is very short) and his grip on Nigeria will be completely broken. Sultan, Sharia, fatwa, Caliphate enjoy while it lasts. Religion of peace! excuse me while I spit. Sometimes i wonder why some people find it difficult to resist commenting on articles for which they have little or no understanding. The comment above is, unfortunately from someone who will claim anyday that he is educated. If what we write is a reflection of our thoughts, state of mind and cerebral development then it is not out of place to state that this comment is not only uninformed but is also from an illiterate untutored mind. The post clearly implies that there are two Gods - Allah and the God of Israel. What a farce? God is an english word and Allah is defined by Britannica Concise Encyclopedia as : Standard Arabic word for God, used by Arab Christians as well as by Muslims. According to the Qur'an, Allah is the creator and judge of humankind, omnipotent, compassionate, and merciful. The Muslim profession of faith affirms that there is no deity but God and emphasizes that he is inherently one: "nothing is like unto him." Everything that happens occurs by his commandment; submission to God is the basis of Islam. The Qur'an and the Hadith contain the 99 "most beautiful names" of God, including the One and Only, the Living One, the Real Truth, the Hearer, the Seer, the Benefactor, and the Constant Forgiver. So please do yourself a favour by educating yourself on any issue or subject before you rush, like a drunken palm wine tapper to your keyboard.# By this definition of Allah what you are saying is that God is on His way to ...... I hope you dont want Him to send you to perdition this year The article is not about Allah, it is about the politics of religion/domination in Nigeria. Can you please educate yourself and then post an informed sensible comment. Thank you taslim

Lapalapa  # 7 | 04.01.2009 05:20

Interesting article. But one thing I don't really understand is that this author seems to suggest that "Sultan of Nigeria" will be an appropriate title for the "Sultan of Sokoto" if the Yoruba Muslims agree. If that was the case, I think that would be an extremely easy consensus. The question is, "is it right to talk about the sultan of Nigeria?" What is the meaning of this development? Does that automatically make Nigeria an Islamic country? Is Nigeria currently an Islamic country? What is an Islamic country? Well, those of us that have lived in Nigeria in the past 20-30 years knew about the purported agenda to islamize the country, starting with the smuggling of Nigeria into OIC. But then, people were made to believe Nigeria was still a secular country. We witnessed the commissioning of the "National Mosque" in Abuja, and we were still secular. We witnessed the building of churches and/or mosques in Aso rock and almost all the Governors' lodges in the country, and we were still secular. We saw the construction of a mosque and a church at the Murtala Muhammed airport in Lagos, and we were still secular. We saw the systematic violent extermination of Christians in the North, and we were still secular. We heard people declare that we could only have Muslim heads of state, and we were still secular. And now, "the sultan of Nigeria" has emerged! Are we still secular? Whoever is reading this, my main goal is to let you know that this is just a part of a well-planned agenda to islamize Nigeria. We can scream and shout but it will not stop anything. I am just afraid that Nigeria is finally arriving at the fork in the road where Lebanon arrived several years ago. The bad thing about religious wars is that they never end. The only solution to this problem is to act quickly and reconsider the Nigerian federation before it is too late.

Eja  # 8 | 04.01.2009 06:21

=tanibaba;308496>Sometimes i wonder why some people find it difficult to resist commenting on articles for which they have little or no understanding. The comment above is, unfortunately from someone who will claim anyday that he is educated. If what we write is a reflection of our thoughts, state of mind and cerebral development then it is not out of place to state that this comment is not only uninformed but is also from an illiterate untutored mind. The post clearly implies that there are two Gods - Allah and the God of Israel. What a farce? God is an english word and Allah is defined by Britannica Concise Encyclopedia as : Standard Arabic word for God, used by Arab Christians as well as by Muslims. According to the Qur'an, Allah is the creator and judge of humankind, omnipotent, compassionate, and merciful. The Muslim profession of faith affirms that there is no deity but God and emphasizes that he is inherently one: "nothing is like unto him." Everything that happens occurs by his commandment; submission to God is the basis of Islam. The Qur'an and the Hadith contain the 99 "most beautiful names" of God, including the One and Only, the Living One, the Real Truth, the Hearer, the Seer, the Benefactor, and the Constant Forgiver. So please do yourself a favour by educating yourself on any issue or subject before you rush, like a drunken palm wine tapper to your keyboard.# By this definition of Allah what you are saying is that God is on His way to ...... I hope you dont want Him to send you to perdition this year The article is not about Allah, it is about the politics of religion/domination in Nigeria. Can you please educate yourself and then post an informed sensible comment. Thank you taslim Oga Taslim, please give us your own point of view regarding this matter.

iamgod  # 9 | 04.01.2009 08:01

If the Sultan of Nigeria will create mass employment opportunities, power in our homes, food on our tables, houses over our heads, security to life and limb, and good motorable roads, Im all for the idea. Anything asides from all these, its just worthless drivel.

konkomitant  # 10 | 04.01.2009 09:23

Is there no other means of propagating Islam than trickery and bloodshed. I hope many people will not be suprised when Allah tells them on the judgement day that their holy war and holy tricks has prevented them from entering into paradise. SULTAN OF NIGERIAN MUSLIMS will be a better title than Sultan of Nigeria. Live and lets live.

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