Nigeria is indeed a funny nation, a nation of unbelievable comedies. Those who choose to avoid all the anger and heartache associated with the paradox, double standards, hypocrisies, injustice, sectionalism, brutality, and general inefficiencies associated with the Nigerian system, will probably live a long and healthy life full of laugh’s as they contemplate the Nigerian cinema playing out before their eyes.

Here once again is another typical Nigerian comedian. A religious zealot that typifies all that is wrong with our nascent nation. A man that identifies more with Saudi Arabia than his huddled suffering Nigerian masses North and South. A classic example of how not to be a Nigerian. Alhaji Ahmed Sani Yerima, the Governor of Zamfara, who against the dictates of our secular constitution, and against all odds introduced Sharia laws in his state in 2000, sparking off massive riots that consumed the lives and properties of thousands of innocent Nigerians.

Sharia laws prescribe stoning, amputation, and flogging amongst others as punishment for crime. The introduction of sharia laws pioneered by Yerima, spread like wildfire in the North, grievously threatening once again the fragile foundation of the state. The very idea of sharia challenged like never before in post-war Nigeria , the raison d’etre of Nigeria . It brought to the fore the many contradictions inherent in our forced union.

Apart from being a religious zealot, the man is also a known segregationist, and architect of several discriminatory policies in public schools and general administration in Zamfara state. His government introduced mandatory levies for non-indigenes and followed up with a total ban on non-indigenes in public schools in the state. There has also been a stronger emphasis on segregation, with non-indigenes increasingly relegated to the infamous “sabon gari” strangers quarters.

Admittedly segregation and discrimination is nothing new in the North. The sabon gari segregationist phenomenon has been a way of life in all Northern cities, and such discriminatory policies in public schools, employment and general administration  is a common feature in almost all Northern states, but yet this are the same people that shout “one Nigeria” the loudest.

In the case of Ahmed Yerima he has gone a step further by wanting to be the president of Nigeria . In Zamfara state his 7 year administration has left the people as destitute as ever. The state is entirely dependent on resources from the South, including value added tax (VAT) on the sale of alcohol which incidentally is banned in Zamfara state. I wonder why a state that bans the sale of alcohol, even when the Governor secretly drinks the finest French Cognac, should collect VAT on the sale of alcohol from other states.

The question is; what does a man like Yerima, hardly a Nigerian in letter and spirit, inefficient, corrupt, and intolerant, with the blood of thousands of innocent Nigerians in his hands, as a result of his ill conceived sharia adventure have to offer Nigerians?  If not that Nigeria has gone bananas, how can such a comical zealot, aspire to rule a multi-ethnic, multi-religious Nigeria , after the assault, pain and anguish he caused to millions of Nigerians? 

Some school of thought, believe his wider unspoken mission, is to turn the whole of Nigeria into a sharia state, as was the case in Sudan, a situation that pitched the Southern Sudanese against the North in a conflict that continues todate.It will be foolhardy to assume, characters like Yerima who represent the fault lines and the greatest obstacles to nationhood do not harbour such extremist ideas.

The tragedy of Nigeria is that most often, those, whose very ideals, beliefs, and actions oppose the very idea of Nigeria , are the ones who get entrusted with power. That was why at independence power was given to those who opposed independence, as against those who actually fought for independence. For Nigerians this should be a period of vigilance, to prevent zealots like Yerima from ever getting near the seat of power.

Comrade Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu

Email: lawrencenwobu@yahoo.com 

Robot  Villager

# 1 Some school of thought, believe his wider unspoken mission, is to turn the whole of Nigeria into a S...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 07.10.2006 08:01

Onos  Villager

# 2 Lawrence: No mind the yeye man jare. Only in his dreams would he become the president of Nigeria. Posted by Onos| 07.10.2006 22:55

Son of the Delta  Villager

# 3 My humble suggestion is that they should hack of his hands if he is guilty of corruption.Sharia should be applied in the case of that demon called Yerima. Posted by Son of the Delta| 08.10.2006 13:53