Golden Rule Of The Holy Book

LOVE GOD AND LOOK UP TO YOUR NEIGHBOR AS ANOTHER SELF 

FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF NIGERIA  

Introduction

At the meeting with 13 new presidential hopefuls on December 10, 2018 in Lagos, one of the hopefuls Mr. Omoyele Sowore suggested that the future belongs to his generation and that old people of the NCEF have no business trying to tell them how to live their future  as the past and present shaped by the Elders are failures.  The Chairman of the NCEF apologized for the way his generation handled the past and present that have not been successful.  The NCEF members as a result have come together to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

This memorandum is a compilation of facts and events based on the experiences of members of the NCEF all of whom have between five and seven decades of public service in both the private and public sectors.  They have decided to pass on their experiences to the younger generation of Nigerians so that they can make a correct evaluation of the “Nigerian question” and provide appropriate constitutional solutions.

It took some time after independence of 1960, for most of the National Christian Elders who were youngsters then, to appreciate the ideological divide between Northern and Southern Nigeria at the time before and after amalgamation.  During this period, freedom meant different things to different Nigerians especially Christians in the South and North. Southern Christians that formed the majority in the South before it was split into East and West in 1939 and thereafter the West into two West and Midwest in 1963, the South as a political entity ceased to exist and was secondary to the three regions of West, Midwest and East.  Unfortunately, the North would not allow the ghost of South to die and be buried, when the unity of the South was threatened, they could not discover the threat in time, but when they did, became philosophical claiming that God is in control.

In the case of the North, the question was its inability to manage freedom.  General Gowon divided the North into six states and the South into six while the South took full advantage of statehood; the North was unable to manage this freedom.  As a result, it retuned to “North” mentality without constitutional backing, all in a bid to establish a caliphate.  The slogan “Go on with one Nigeria” (GOWON) became “go on with one North” the rendering the unity slogan of the civil war 1967 – 1970 irrelevant.  Today the North seemed to have returned to the slogan in 1966 the “basis for unity is not there”.  The ideological difference between Northern and Southern Nigeria was identified in 1958 by the Willinks Commission set up to look into the fears of minority and the ways of allaying them, wherein Fulani-Hausa as an ideology, was defined as “a system of rule and of society of which an important ingredient is the operation of Muslim Law. Some witnesses have specifically referred to this system of law as an object of fear.”

Other ethnic nationalities not being part of Fulani-Hausa did not appreciate what is meant by being Fulani-Hausa means being a Muslim and once any Nigerian converts to Islam, he is regarded and treated as Fulani-Hausa and become an instrument in the promotion of Sharia as an ideology.

This memorandum begins with the various reasons why Amalgamation took place in January 1, 1914 and, since then (104 years after), Nigeria has been “under-resourced, sapped by corruption and distrusted by the population” kleptocracy and government dishonesty thus having corrosive effect on popular confidence it ought to get.  Nigeria’s security apparatus (some call it fifth columnist), seemed determined to turn Nigeria from a Democracy to an Islamic Sharia caliphate. The unfortunate aspect of this strategy is that no matter what the South or democrats do to improve the country for the benefit of all, Sharia proponents have no words of encouragement, appreciation or gratitude but resort to conventional and stealth jihad.

There is no doubt that even if there is secession today, Nigeria and what is left, will still be part of West Africa, with the same climate, vegetation and neighbors – West Africans.  Therefore, it is necessary that Nigerians examine why amalgamation and when we got it wrong.  Insecurity across the country, we submit, is as a result of the impunity and disregard for human rights and the rule of law that have eroded state legitimacy.

  Reasons for Amalgamation

1. Lord Scarborough, Chairman of the Royal Niger Company was reported by Lord Lugard as having declared “that the coast ought to pay for the development of the interior, any other will be a suicidal policy.” The coast has, since amalgamation, paid for the development of the interior.
2. Lugard said “the country is essentially one” – which Kirk-Greene described as “a far cry from the decisive feeling often voiced in 1966 and 1967 indicative of grave doubts whether any fundamental basis for unity existed at all.”  The basis exists but has been sabotaged by conflict of ideologies – Democracy and Sharia.
3. Movel pleaded for amalgamation when he wrote “that the present dual system of administration with its artificial territorial boundaries, its differing methods and its inevitable rivalries has served its turn and should be brought to an end as speedily as possible.”  [ED Movel, Nigeria and its People and its Problems, 191] These differences and rivalries continue till present day.
4. The Times of Nigeria in 1914 wrote “that unification of 1914 is, broadly speaking, the conquest and subjugation of Southern Nigeria by Northern Nigeria.  Northern Nigeria System, Northern Nigeria laws, Northern Nigeria Land Laws, Northern Nigeria Administration” must be made to supersede every system in Southern Nigeria.  This conquest and subjugation continue in various ways as in ethnicity and religion.
5. In the novel, Greenmantle [1916], Buchan, the author, described Islam as a “fighting creed represented by the Mullah who will stand in the pulpit with the Quran in one hand and a drawn sword in the other.”  This explains why and how the “Muslim” North took over the Christian South.
6. Perhaps no other country in the modern world is more a creature of empire than Nigeria.  This creature (Nigeria) must not be killed or allowed to self-destruct in a “war” without end. 
7. The people of Nigeria (had) come under the protection of the British flag with their eyes shut “when their eyes are open to appreciate the significance of the raising of the flag (British), they may have reason(s) to be grateful for its presence”.  The move from Democracy to Sharia is to make Nigerians completely blind.
8. The two parts of Lugard (dual mandate) were (a) to make money; and (b) to develop the colonies for the benefit of the indigenous people themselves, which suggest that both the colonialists and the people can benefit from colonialism. The present brand of colonialism does not want their colonial subject to benefit.  
9. The North largely depended on the annual grant from the Imperial Government and was barely able to balance its budget while the South had a surplus. The anomaly therefrom was a country with an aggregate revenue equal to its needs, but divided into two by an arbitrary line of latitude”. The North was dependent on a grant paid by the British taxpayer, which, in the year before Amalgamation, stood at £136,000, and had averaged £314,500 for the 11 years ending March, 1912. The South has continued, till date, to subsidize the North.
10. Loyalty throughout the war of Muslim rulers Lugard wrote, “has been remarkable and arose from genuine conviction”. This explains why Nigeria was, in effect, handed over at independence to the Muslim rulers.
11. Indirect rule worked with good result in the North so Lugard decided to introduce it to the South. Indirect rule in 1914 is understandable with few qualified personnel, but not in 21st century with surplus graduates.
12. On Education, Lugard wrote: “Of the many problems which Amalgamation presented there was none comparable in importance and urgency with that of education. The problem differs so profoundly in the North and South not merely in its history and the stage which had been reached, but in some respects in its very nature, that it is desirable to review briefly the conditions of each Administration separately”.  In Southern Nigeria, of which the coast area had been open to European influence for upwards of half a century, there were (as might be expected) a very large number of schools, by the agency of which a great part of the coast population had attained a degree of education varying from a few barristers and doctors who had qualified in England, to the less than half educated school boys who, with a smattering of English and arithmetic, seek admission to the lower ranks of the clerical and other services. In 1913, the average attendance at Government schools in the South was about 4,600 and, in assisted mission schools about 12,500. To these must be added a number of pupils vaguely estimated at from 20,000 to 30,000 in unassisted schools, which were under no control or inspection by Government, but of whose very numbers or existence the Government had no precise information.”
13. Education in Northern Nigeria was, as has been stated elsewhere, clearly stated that it was only in 1903 that the Moslem States in the North were conquered, and access to them became possible. The task of organizing an Administration absorbed all the energies of the small staff, while the natural suspicion and dislike with which the Christian Government was, at first, regarded by the Moslems rendered it inadvisable, even if it had been possible, to embark on any educational efforts at first. The earliest attempts to formulate a policy were made in 1905, but it was not till 1909 that Mr. Hans Vischer was able to form a small class of pupils at Kano, whose ages varied from 6 to 60. They were mostly sons of chiefs and men of influence¸ who had been brought from various provinces under pressure by Government. An industrial class was also formed by bringing artisans from Kano city, who plied their native trades and gave some instruction to pupils. The experiment was, however, regarded with intense suspicion and dislike by the Moslem chiefs, who thought they saw in it some deep-laid plan to subvert their religion; and the fact that Mr. Vischer had formerly been a missionary in Nigeria is said to have accentuated this fear. Moreover, the obligation to send their sons to a distant province was very unpopular among the chiefs in outlying districts. Towards the close of 1913, I was to create two new schools (at Sokoto and Katsina), so that when Amalgamation took place there were, in all three Government schools, an average attendance of 354 pupils, all in the Moslem area. Meanwhile, many different missions had arrived to reinforce the efforts of the Church Missionary Society. They had opened altogether 43 schools, with a total attendance of about the same as that of the Government schools, and were almost entirely confined to the non-Moslem districts. No financial assistance had been given to these schools, and they were subject to no inspection or control by Government. Thus, at this time of Amalgamation, the total number of pupils in Government or mission schools was between 700 and 800, out of a population of some nine million. Government did not interfere in the indigenous Koranic schools, where reading and writing in the Arabic and Ajemi character, and memorizing passages from the Koran formed the curriculum. They were estimated at some 25,000 with over a quarter of a million pupils. These Koranic schools had produced a literary class know as ‘Mallamai’, learned in Arabic and the teachings of the Koran and commentaries, from whose ranks the officers of the Native Administration, the judges of the Native Courts, and the exponents of the creed of Islam were drawn. They are a very influential class, some of them very well read in Arabic literature and law, and deeply imbued with the love of learning.
14. On the Influence of Missions, Lugard wrote: a review of the Administration would be incomplete without a reference to Christian missions, which, in the South, have exercised so great an influence on the development of the country, and borne so predominant a part in educational progress.

The above facts notwithstanding, a quit notice was issued by the Arewa Youth Conservative Forum to Nd’igbo to leave Northern Nigeria by October 1, 2017.  A mark of ingratitude and hatred to a section of Nigerians who individually and collectively, helped to develop the North.  Sharia States would not grant Christians certificate of occupancy for land to build Churches.  Any contract that weighs heavily on one side such as in Nigeria, between the North and South breeds strife like an amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria where the North gains every advantage to the detriment of the South.   

The above also show very clearly, the political and educational status of both Northern and Southern Nigeria at the time of Amalgamation in 1914.  Unfortunately, after amalgamation, independence and the creation of 36 states with one federal territory as capital, the dichotomy of North and South, promoted by the dual ideology of Democracy and Sharia, Negros and Negroids is still being propounded.  It is journey that will lead to nowhere.

Dual Citizenship in Nigeria 

There is no clear evidence that amalgamation unified Northern and Southern Provinces into one country of equal citizenship. While the South provided the finance for the development of the two Protectorates, the North had the privilege of special treatment. On Missions in Northern Provinces, Lugard wrote: “at the time of the conquest of the Mohammedan Emirates in 1903, I declared that the British Government would not interfere with the religion of the people, and ‘every man should be free to worship God as he chose’. The Emirs, though they have not been very consistent in the matter, no doubt view with dislike and distrust the efforts of Europeans to convert their people to Christianity, the more so that the administrative and judicial systems, and the social life of the people is, to such a large extent, based on the teaching of the Koran, and so intimately associated with religion, that the Emirs not unnaturally fear a weakening of their authority  and a breakup of the social system if their religion is undermined. The Government, in these circumstances, has considered it right to be guided by the wishes of the Emirs and their councilors, who have given such abundant and striking  proofs of their loyalty during the War, in which their co-religionist, Turkey, is opposed to us. While cordially recognizing mission activity in Pagan areas, the Government has desired to discourage propaganda in Moslem districts.”  It may be superfluous to remind Nigerians that the colonial masters were Christians that had respect for Islam and protected the religion.

In conclusion, Lugard himself had very strong views about Nigeria. He was a believer in deeds and, like so many of the most ardent imperialists, mistrusted, cerebral indulgences.  He was committed to the British Empire and supremacy, although he happily entertained Nigerian friends at home in Surrey at retirement in the 1930s. The ambiguity of Lugard’s position was common to imperial servants. They were often friendly with 'natives', while maintaining, openly, the superiority of the British. It is very easy to discover what Lugard thought about the empire because, in his retirement, he was one of the most prolific authors and theorists of imperialism. He coined the phrase the 'dual mandate' in the colonies, which simply recognized that the colonial powers, particularly Britain, had not colonized Africa and Asia merely through philanthropy.  Let it be admitted, at the outset, that European brains, capital and energy have not been, and never will be, expended in developing the resources of Africa from motives of pure philanthropy; that Europe is in Africa for the benefit of her own industrial classes, and of the native races in their progress to a higher plane. [Emphasis Supplied] [Kwasi Kwarteng Ghosts of Empire, pgs. 288 – 289]  This superiority mentality which persists till date, had blurred the sense of contribution and resulted in the promotion of class structure – the rich and the middle class, the Negros and Negroids, the North and South.  

Lord Lugard’s Biases for Status

In a lecture at London's Birkbeck College in 1928, Lugard stated firmly that the ‘only institutions that will survive are those in harmony with native mentality and tradition'." He praised what he called the ‘African system of Indirect Rule’, in which rulers would continue to be under the guidance of a ‘higher civilization’. He recognized that they would ‘not be fitted for independence within any period of time now visible on the horizon’. His attitudes to race shared some of the patronizing assumptions of his time: he urged that native culture should be protected from the disintegrating effect of the impact of civilization’. --- The emirs who ruled the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria were not particularly liberal or enlightened. They were absolute rulers who were nearly always at war with one another. Yet these were the very people whom indirect rule benefitted. Once the British had subjugated Northern Nigeria, they gave back to the emirs and chiefs many of the powers which they had taken away.   [Kwasi Kwarteng, Ghosts of Empire, pg. 291]  The reason is that it is only through indirect rule that the few British officers can colonize such a large population over a vast territory.  Unfortunately, now that there are sufficient educated Nigerians, minority rule of one tribe and one religion still persists.  All attempts to broaden rulership by democratic process is being resisted and democracy manipulated to become the rule of minority through rigging, vote buying and disregard for electoral laws.

The above, conclusively, is the crux of Nigeria’s problem - a caliphate system in a democratic Nigeria paid for with oil from the Niger Delta assiduously working to promote Sharia as an alternative source of legislation.  

Emergency Act No. 1 of 1961 

Why would anyone contemplate Emergency Law immediately after Independence in 1960, the answer to this question can be regarded as the “poisoned chalice” on Nigeria Unity.

Chief S. O. Ighodaro, the then Attorney-General, Western Region in 1960 had requested Dr. Ajayi the legal draughtsman, (third in rank to the Attorney-General in the Ministry of Justice in Ibadan after Sir Darnley Alexander who was then the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary), to provide for him, the AG, a legal opinion on the extent and limit of the emergency powers provision in the Independent Constitution. Upon further enquiry, Dr. Ajayi was informed that the Western Regional Government had heard rumors “that the Federal Government was planning to create a situation where they would be able to declare that a state of emergency existed in Western Nigeria whereby they would then proceed to dissolve its Government and Houses of Assembly and Chiefs and then govern the Region directly through Federal-appointed functionaries”.   [Emphasis supplied]

The legal opinion was submitted by Dr. Ajayi after consideration of sub-Section (1) to (4) of Section 65 of the independent Constitution of the Second Schedule to 1960, Statutory Instrument No. 1652 of 1960, issued by Her Majesty, Queen in Council in England. 

Sub-Section (3) defined period of emergency as follows:

(a)    the Federation is at war; 

(b) there is in force a resolution passed by each of the Houses of Parliament declaring that a state of public emergency exists; or 

(c)     there is in force a resolution of each House of Parliament supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of the Houses declaring that democratic institutions in Nigeria are threatened by subversion.   That under the well-known rule on statutory interpretation known as Noscitur a sociis, paragraph (b) of Sub-Section (3) above-mentioned would need to be considered in the context of the existence of a situation similar to that referred to in paragraph (a) which referred to the Federation being at war and paragraph (c) which referred to a situation whereby a Parliamentary resolution declares that democratic institutions in Nigeria were threatened by subversion. It was, therefore, Dr. Ajayi’s view that any Parliamentary resolution which declared that a state of public emergency”, must undergo the above test.

Contrived West Regional Crisis of 1962

Justice Ademola called Dr. F. A. O. Ajayi, SAN to come to his office and listen to the conversation between him and the expatriate Commissioner of Police of Western Region. The CP had informed Justice Ademola the then Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that the Federal Government was intending to declare a state of emergency in Western Nigeria.  This was in May, 1962.  Both Justice Ademola and Dr. Ajayi after the telephone conversation, went and reported to Chief Awolowo who telephoned PM Tafawa Balewa. The Prime Minister denied any such contemplation.  The PM concluded that “only a mad-man would contemplate doing such a thing which would, no doubt, lead to the ruin of the economy of the entire country.”  The Prime Minister play Taqiyya on Awolowo, as the state of emergency was declared.

The Governor of Western region Sir Adesoji Aderemi had removed Chief Akintola from office as Premier on the ground that it appeared to him that Chief Akintola no longer command the support of a majority of members of the House of Assembly and appointed Alhaji Dauda Adegbenro as Premier.  The Supreme Court held, by a majority decision, that the Governor had no constitutional power to remove the Premier from office on the basis of a letter signed by a body of members of the House and must, in doing so, be guided by a motion of the House of Assembly expressing lack of confidence in the Premier.  In the last week of May 1962, a contrived fracas took place in the House of Assembly, thereafter a state of emergency was declared and a number of the governing parties and opposition were detained by Dr. A. A. Majekodumi who was appointed administrator. 

Disruption of the Senate and the House of Representatives and State Houses of Assemblies has become a regular feature in our political landscape and, only last month, (November 2018), the same disruption took place at the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly. It is very clear, from the above facts, that some Nigerians are opposed to democracy and the rule of law.  In the circumstance, it is safe to conclude that those responsible, then and now, are opposed to constitutional government as the source of legislation in Nigeria. It is pertinent to note that “indeed, throughout the period of the declared state of emergency in Western Nigeria in 1962, no emergency Act of Federal Parliament was ever passed or emergency regulations ever made expressly declaring vacant or suspended, the offices of the Western Regional Governor; the Executive Council; the Ministers, the House of Chiefs and the House of Assembly. This was the beginning of the interference of the Executive in the functions of the Legislature and has become a regular feature.

The Emergency Administration of Western Nigeria from May 29, 1962 to December 31, 1963, from facts available to the National Christian Elders Forum, show that not a few are still of the view that that was the day when the wrong turning was taken in Nigeria's political history leading later to the controversial Western Nigeria elections of 1965; the people's bloody revolt against the rigged results; the first ever attempted military coup- d’état in the country on January 15, 1966; the first Military Regime from  January 17, 1966, the counter coup d’état of July 29, 1966; the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970, the prolonged succession of military regimes and the consequential strangulating of the democratic culture and its practitioners; indeed all the current topical issues that are encapsulated in the expression of the National question.

There are some Nigerians who do not want Democracy but Sharia and, at the slightest opportunity, try to subvert the Legislature which is the main instrument of Democracy and Democratic practices. It is therefore in the interest of Nigeria that Pastors and Imams jointly cleanse the nation of the curse brought upon it by greed. By enshrining Emergency Act as the first Act passed by Independent Nigeria, the NCEF is convinced that it is the root of the conflict between Democracy and Sharia in Nigeria.  It is not the Military coup of January of 1966 but the Act of 1961 that laid the foundation for Emergency Rule.  NCEF is convinced that had the Emergency Rule of 1962 not taken place, the coup of July 1966 would have been avoided and Nigeria would have been at par with Malaysia, Singapore, India, China, etc.

Muslims in Nigeria and Democracy

It is very clear from the facts available to most Nigerians including a majority of Muslims that Democracy and Sharia are incompatible.  This is correct.  This can be clearly seen in the statement of Alhaji Saleh, who was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.  Professor Omo Omoruyi in his book Tales of the June 12 wrote: “Alhaji Saleh told me that, in his own words, his definition of democracy: “Professor, my vote is not the same weight as the vote of the Emir of Bauchi and the vote of the Emir of Bauchi is not the same weight as the vote of the Sultan of Sokoto”.  He then said “that is why we are not going to accept the mandate which Chief Abiola is claiming”.  He added that if I was able to develop a new political education programme to reflect this new and curious philosophy of democracy, I would get money and much more from the Head of State for the Centre and for myself.  It was obvious that he was thinking of buying me just as many people I had always respected gave up their honor and collected money from the regime’s handlers during this period.” [The Tales of June 12, Prof. Omo-Omoruyi, pg. 34]

Professor Omo Omoruyi continued that he had the statement of the SGF in mind when he granted an interview to Tell Magazine and used the opportunity to re-emphasize some facts which people seem to ignore concerning June 12.

1. That Chief Abiola’s mandate was not in dispute (this was an indirect reply to the SGF). 
2. That the former President bared his mind to me on the “genuine fears” of those who felt threatened by the outcome of the election.
3. That annulment was not the only option available to the former President when we held discussions on June 21/22, 1993; 
4. That the designers of the Transition programme did not anticipate some of the problems that cropped up including the “genuine fears” of those threatened by the results of the election.
5. That when these fears surfaced after the election, effort was made to accommodate them within the June 12 election. 
6. That the design, in retrospect, ought to have separated the announcement of the election results from the formation of government, as was done in South Africa. 
7. That the election would not have been held but for the specific directive of the President on June 11, 1993 to the effect that the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) should go ahead with the election. 
8. That the President assured the NEC Chairman that the military would defy the court.” [pg. 35]

It is clear, from the above, that traditional institutions in Nigeria have genuine fear of Democracy.  The solution has not been contemplated.  To substitute Democracy for Sharia as a system of governance in the 21st century is, in our view, an attempt to re-invent the wheel.  European kings and Catholic Popes tried to stop Democracy in their countries and the world but failed woefully.  The existing kingdoms in Europe today Great Britain, Spain, etc are not those who accommodate Democracy and survived.  The contest between Democracy and Sharia in Nigeria therefore, is not only unnecessary but also retrogressive.

Unity in the Executive

Professor Omo Omoruyi further wrote: “more monumental political and administrative changes occurred under military rule than during civilian governments.  For instance, during the first period of thirteen years of military rule (1966 - 1979) the country was transformed from four federal units (regions) to nineteen federal units (states). General Yakubu Gowon created eight additional states in 1967, just before the beginning of the Civil War, to bring the total to twelve.  General Murtala Muhammed created further seven in 1970. It should be noted that Nigeria changed from a Parliamentary system to a Presidential system of government in 1979. What Nigerians did not know was that the Presidential system was a necessary concomitant to the “unity in the executive” implicit in the military government that Nigerians knew about between 1966 and 1979. There is something unique in this innovation. It was common knowledge within the leadership of the Northern officer corps in 1976, that the military encouraged this innovation when it was thought that General Murtala Muhammed, a Northern officer from Kano unlike Northerners before him, civilian or military, would continue to command the kind of nationwide support he received after the overthrow of the Government of General Yakubu Gowon in 1975. Unfortunately, by the time General Muhammed was assassinated on February 13, 1976, the message had already gone out to the drafters of the Constitution that what the military wanted was a Presidential system of government. As a member of the Constituent Assembly, I can recall how, in 1977, the Northern leadership in the Constituent Assembly wanted the Presidential system in the draft Constitution changed. To all the key Northern leaders in and out of the Constituent Assembly, the Presidential system was an invitation to group suicide. They could not conceive of how a Presidential candidate from the North would have to go round the country soliciting for votes, a practice completely alien to them. They never campaigned outside their local area in the two Federal elections in 1959 and 1964 during the short spell of civilian rule. We should read the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly of 1977/78 to appreciate their fears. What should be noted is that Alhaji Shehu Shagari, leader of those who wanted the innovation rejected, became the inheritor of the system. What an irony! The first period of the military in power, which entrenched an undisputed rule by the military clique from the North, harmonized its relationship with civilian political leadership from the North.  The period also saw a corresponding diminution of the powers of the Southern officers in the military, and the undisputed diminution of powers from the Southern politicians.  The second period of military rule which commenced on December 31, 1983 saw further creation of states and further diminution of the power of the Southern officers in the military.  The state of the federation increased to 30 under General Babangida and it was further increased to 36 under General Abacha.” [pgs. 4 – 5]  It is important to note that the 1979 Constitution was what the military wanted, but not what is good for Nigeria.”  

Presidential System has since proved to be an invitation to group suicide, 1979 Constitution and the 1999 Constitution thereafter, are Constitutions for the unity of power in one tribe and one religion as opposed to Parliamentary System that protects diversities. 

It has now become very clear that the Presidential System was intended to harmonize power and wealth earned by the whole country in the hands of one tribe and one religion under the guise of the North.  Democracy is weakened in a Presidential system as practices presently in Nigeria, in contrast to the Parliamentary System that provide for a Prime Minister - one amongst equals.  Presidential System has failed Nigeria amd it is time we returned to the negotiated Parliamentary System that has held India together and allowed her to develop from 3rd to 1st world.  Uniting power in the hands of one man, one ethnic nationality and one religion has failed Nigeria.  It has returned Nigeria back to the 18th Century

Coup of 1975

John Campbell and Matthew T. Page in their book Nigeria What Everyone Should Know wrote: “of the military Chief of State, the most noteworthy was Yakubu Gowon who led the National Government to victory in the civil war and, at its conclusion, instituted a policy of “no victor, no vanquished” [pg. 44] that promoted national reconciliation.”  One may add that no cent was borrowed to prosecute the war, Niger Delta paid for the war. When General Gowon was overthrown in a bloodless coup in 1975, he was accused of reneging on agreement to hand over power to civil authority yet power was not handed over to civilians until four years later.  President Shehu Shagari held forte for only one term of four years before he was overthrown in 1983 and, it thereafter became a military affair up to 1999 – 16 years. Olusegun Obasanjo, a retired General and former Head of State (1976 - 1979) ruled for another eight years 1999 – 2007 as a civilian president.  The military, during this time, were Muslims and it will be correct to say that it laid the foundation for Sharia as an alternative source of legislation in Nigeria. 

Some writers and, in particular John Campbell and Mathew T. Page asked the question and gave answers as to “why the military ruled Nigeria for so long and what was its legacy”.  Nigeria What Everyone Must Know is a well written and concise book which the NCEF recommends to all Nigerians.  The reasons given in the book include:

1. Preparing for the restoration of civilian democracy;
2.   The court system preserved a quasi-independence and human rights to some extent were protected;
3. Critics sometimes disappear or die in automobile accident typical of military regime and dictatorship;
4. The military controlled the press nevertheless for Nigerians “on the street” freedom of speech endured;
5. The military controlled the oil revenue and corruption escalated in the Babangida and Abacha eras;
6. Military co-opted, neutralized or eliminated potential centres of civilians’ opposition;
7. Military bloated the Civil Service and the universities with its own appointees, starved both of funding and overtly coerced, critical organizations such as the Academic Staff Unions, the Bar Association.  the Civil Service, etc were weakened; and 
8. Political parties of the second republic were banned and then re-constituted in different forms by the military. These parties had no particular ethnic or regional identity and no real policies beyond getting their candidates elected when civilian government was restored.

The conclusion among many Nigerians today is that the ills of the country are traceable to the “twin evil” of colonialism and a generation of military rule.  It is the hope of a majority of Nigerians that this twin evil should end with the Presidential election of 2019 while the country is re-structured to promote Democracy and Freedom.

Democracy and Sharia as Two Instruments for Legislation

It has become very clear to the NCEF that General Gowon was not overthrown because of his failure to hand over power to civilian rule. It was, in our view, to institutionalize Sharia as a alternative source of legislation in Nigeria.  This explains why El-Zakzaki is still in detention notwithstanding the bail granted by the court under the Constitution.

Architect of Sharia in Nigeria

Sheikh Abubakar Gumi was the major promoter of Sharia in the history of Nigeria.  He also promoted techniques employed by the Ikhwan to achieve the goals of Sharia which included: expanding the Muslim presence by birth rate, immigration, and refusal to be assimilated; occupying and expanding domination of physical spaces; ensuring the “Muslim Community” knows and follows Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt’s doctrine;  controlling the language we use in describing the enemy; ensuring that non-Muslims do not study (Sharia) doctrine; co-opting key leadership; forcing compliance with Sharia at local levels; fighting all counterterrorism efforts; subverting other religious organizations; employing litigations - the offensive use of lawsuits and threats of lawsuits; claiming victimization/demanding accommodations; condemning “slander” against Islam; subverting the Nigeria education system, in particular, infiltrating and dominating students’ union activities; demanding the right to practice Sharia in segregated Muslim areas especially in the North; demanding recognition of Sharia in non-Muslim spheres; confronting and denouncing Western society, laws, and traditions; and demanding that Sharia replace Western law.  Many of the foregoing techniques entail, in one way or the other, influencing and neutralizing the Nigerian government at all levels.  The success of the above strategies in Nigeria led to the impunity the President enjoys today in appointments, in the armed forces and intelligence and security agencies.   

There was no doubt that General Gowon would have prepared a democratic structure before he handed over.  His overthrow paved the way for various forms of jihad which included the conventional (jihad) that began with Maitatsine in Kano, Jimeta and Bulumkutu then Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen.  What is important to note, is that after Maitatsine in Jimeta in 1976, no commission of enquiry has thereafter been instituted not even for the recent Melete massacre of November 2018.  In a democracy, a commission of inquiry ought to and should have been instituted to prevent future occurrence and, if/when another occurs, the solution is available to the Government.

In the above circumstances, there is need for 

a.    Re-structuring so that a righteous Nigerian is elected to return Nigeria to the Parliamentary System of government agreed upon by our founding fathers; and 

b.    The strengthening of democracy as the sole source of legislation in Nigeria.

It is only then that Nigeria and Nigerians will know peace. 

Promotion of Sharia by some past Military Rulers

The book Soldiers of Fortune, Nigeria Politics from Buhari to Babangida by Max Siollun could have been titled the formal planting of the seed of Sharia in Nigeria. The military was presumed to be a patriotic defender of the National interest.  The whole strategy then and unknown to non-Muslim generals was to establish Sharia as an alternative source of legislation and ultimately to convert Nigeria from a constitutional Democracy to an Islamic sultanate. 

Some Nigerians today, are making mountains over the zoning formula and asserting that it must be a Northerner for the 2019 election yet Shagari was overthrown by a Muslim dominated military just as Abiola was prevented from becoming president. The office of Head of State, was for 16 years occupied by Muslims till 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo was elected President.  The issue of zoning did not matter because the three Generals had an objective - Sharia as alternative source of legislation.  They were convinced that by the time Obasanjo took over (1999), Sharia would have been properly entrenched.  This did not happen until Obasanjo took over and 12 states adopted Sharia under.  Criminal law, there was amputation and a woman was convicted to be stoned to death before world opinion prevailed and she was set free.  It is pertinent to point out that vacant seats in the Emirate in the North were filled by retired military officers.  It is difficult not to agree that these strategies were intended to strengthen the Emirate System. 

Democracy being the best government invented by man is also the most resilient.  After the internal rivalry between Buhari and Babangida had been settled with Babangida as the victor, Babangida had nine years and Abacha four years to entrench Sharia. Max Siollun wrote: “it is pertinent to point out that the group of officers that brought Gowon to power in August 1966 formed the foundation of all succeeding military regimes until 1998. Although leadership of the regimes changed, the personalities behind the coups and regimes did not. The 1966 cadre created successive drastic military regimes for the next 12 years. The young non-commissioned officers NCOs) and Lieutenants who blasted Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi out of power in 1966, became the colonels who ousted his successor General Gowon in 1975, and they subsequently became the Brigadiers and Major-Generals who overthrew President Shagari in 1983. These officers included Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha, Muhammadu Buhari, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Aliyu Mohammed, Joshua Dogonyaro, Jerry Useni and Ibrahim Bako. Military rule became more toxic than the incompetent civilian rule, because soldiers can get away with much more in government since they control the state’s instruments of violence, and do not have to worry about becoming unpopular enough to lose elections”.  It would appear that Buhari now as President, wants to complete the work he began in 1983, which included stealth and conventional jihad.  He is being resisted not by the populace but by Democracy especially the principle of separation of powers.

Babangida

Max Siollun wrote “Babangida was the first Nigerian ruler to come to power by design rather than by chance. He was at that time, the only Nigerian military leader that actively sought political power prior to coming to office, prepared for it and waited patiently for it to come his way. All of Nigeria’s previous leaders had power inadvertently thrust on them. Balewa became prime minister due to the Sardauna of Sokoto’s lack of interest in the job, and even shed tears when re-appointed prime minister in 1964. Aguiyi-Ironsi, Gowon and Murtala Muhammed had power bestowed on them after coups they did not take part in. Obasanjo became head of state after the assassination of Murtala, and Major-General Buhari was nominated as head of state by the faction which planned and executed the December 1983 coup. Even the elected President Shagari originally had no interest in becoming president but was nominated as the NPN’s presidential candidate despite being dis-interested in becoming president. In contrast, Babangida’s rise to power was no twist of fate and occurred by deliberate planning and design. He was probably the most prepared military ruler in Nigeria's history. [pg. 68]  Max Siollun  went on “Coup” is a benign term for what is, in effect, the double crimes of treason against the state, and mutiny against the military hierarchy. Treason is the gravest offence that a citizen can commit against his or her country, and mutiny is correspondingly the most serious offence that a military officer can commit. The possibility of being prosecuted for staging a successful coup was slim, since those who could prosecute the crime were members of the deposed government who were now either under arrest, in hiding or fleeing from the military. Only failed military coups are ever prosecuted. Successful coups are termed “revolutions”: As Babangida put it: “Not all coups succeed, but those that succeed, you don’t call them illegal. This is because the moment you succeed, you put our constitution away and declare martial law. And who would come and challenge you?” [pg. 19]  At this stage of Nigeria’s history, deliberate efforts were made to use Taqiyya (deceit) to change the country’s political system in ways that suggests jihad – especially stealth jihad as shown by the case of one Major Bamidele and Abusive State and Local Government creation, Revenue Allocation.  In fact, the 1999 Constitution was the product of stealth jihad.

Major Bamidele’s Conviction and Execution

Major Bamidele was a forlorn figure. He had found out about the plot against Shagari and reported the issue up the chain of command t0 his GOC, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari. Unknown to Bamidele, and unfortunately for him, Buhari was one of the conspirators. To prevent Bamidele from leaking the plot, Buhari ordered his arrest and was detained for two weeks. He was not released until after the coup against Shagari had been successfully executed in 1983. When Bamidele once again learned of a coup plot, his conduct was conditioned by the unforgettable lesson his experience with Buhari in 1983 had taught him. This time, he kept quiet and did not report the plot. Nonetheless, he was arrested again, this time for not reporting the latest plot. In pleading for clemency, he told the SMT: “I heard of the 1983 coup planning, told my GOC General Buhari who detained me for two weeks in Lagos. Instead of a pat on the back, I received a stab. How then do you expect me to report this one? This trial marks the eclipse of my brilliant and unblemished career of 19 years. I fought in the civil war with the ability it pleased God to give me. It is unfortunate that I’m being convicted for something which I have had to stop on two occasions. This is not self-adulation but a sincere summary of the qualities inherent in me. It is an irony of fate that the president of the tribunal who, in 1964, felt that I was good enough to take training in the UK is now saddled with the duty of showing me the exit from the force and the world.” [Max Sillolun Soldiers of Fortune, pgs. 86 - 87]  He was subsequently executed for a “crime” known only to Sharia, which shows the consequence of dual ideologies of Democracy and Sharia in one country – Sharia laws became prominent in the jurisprudence of Nigeria through military decrees and later found its way into the grundnorm of Nigeria – the Constitution. Thus the 1999 Constitution can be legitimately described as spoils of stealth jihad.

Abusive Revenue Allocation and Representation, Northern and Southern Nigeria: Rewarding non-contributors 

The following statistics are thought provoking even as some will brand the write up “evil and a lie”, but facts and numbers don’t lie. Mathematics, they say, is a universal language. 

A study of the following will set the records straight as it unravels the deep seated injustice that defines our existence as a Nation – Nigeria.  Out of the total of 360 House of Reps members, the entire South has 169, while the North has 191.

Here is the breakdown:

South-East - Imo 10 Reps; Abia 8 Reps; Ebonyi 6 Reps; Anambra 11 Reps; and Enugu 8 Reps Total 43. 

South-South - Akwa Ibom 10 Reps; Bayelsa 5 Reps; Cross River 8 Reps; Delta 10 Reps; Edo 9 Reps; and Rivers 13 Reps Total 55 Reps.

SOUTHEAST & SOUTHSOUTH GRAND TOTAL =98 only.

South West - Ekiti 6 Reps; Lagos 24 Reps; Ogun 9 Reps; Ondo 9 Reps; Oyo 14 Reps; and Osun 9 Reps Total 71 Reps.

North West - Kano 24 Reps; Kaduna 16 Reps; Jigawa 11 Reps; Katsina 15 reps; Kebbi 8 Reps; Sokoto 11 Reps; and Zamfara 7 Reps Total 92 Reps.

North East - Adamawa 8 Reps; Bauchi 12 Reps; Borno 10 reps; Gombe 6 Reps; Taraba 6 Reps; and Yobe 6 Reps Total 48 Reps.

North Central - Benue 11 Reps; Kogi 9 Reps; Kwara 6 Reps; Nassarawa 5 Reps; Plateau 8 Reps; and Niger 10 Reps Total 49 Reps.

FCT 2 Reps

GRAND TOTAL OF THE NORTH =191

The question is, how dare you upstage this people in a vote?  Even if South-East, South-South and South-West joined together it cannot upstage the North.

A large portion of the revenue generated in Nigeria is from the South but the allocation details tell a different story altogether as the figures below portrays.

Revenue Allocation

North Central receives 20%; CONTRIBUTES 0.00%.

North East receives 16%; CONTRIBUTES 0.00%.

North West receives 21%; CONTRIBUTES 0.00%.

Every month, the 19 Northern states receive a minimum of 57% of 100% of oil revenue to which they CONTRIBUTE 0.00%.

South West receives 16%; CONTRIBUTES 3.97%.

South East receives 11.00%; CONTRIBUTES 25.07%.

South South receives 15.00%; CONTRIBUTES 70.64%.

Abusive Local Government Creation

Nigeria has 774 LGAs.

This is another glaring unjust exercise deliberately arranged to create more Local Governments in Nigeria in order to create more revenue for the North.

The North has 19 states, and 419 LGAs while the South has 17 states, and 735 LGAs.

Working with the data from the office of the Accountant General as published by the Ministry of Finance (2013 April), the 357 LGAs of the 17 Southern states receive 45.1% of even as they provide almost 100% of the revenue. Conversely, the 419 LGAs of the 19 Northern States receive 54.9% when they provide 0.00%. With the existing situation, the North will never allow restructuring because they know that the existing injustice will be rectified

Now we can see that the North is seriously draining and stifling the development of the South and this is why one Nigeria, as it exists, is the biggest example of impunity ever.

We CANNOT be silent about all these because he that is silent in the days of the adversity of the oppressed, has taken the side of the oppressor. This must change and whoever we nominate as the preferred presidential candidate, must re-structure Nigeria for Justice and peace to reign.

Participation in Social Life of Nigeria by Nigerians especially Christians

Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and devote themselves, as far as it necessary, to work and care for the good of all.  By ‘authority’ one means the quality by virtue of which persons or institutions make laws and give orders to men, and expect obedience from them. Every human community needs an authority to govern it. The foundation of such authority lies in human nature. It is necessary for the unity of the state. Its role is to ensure as far as possible the common good of the society.  The authority required by the moral order derives from God: ‘Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority, and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude and good-will. If authority belongs to the order established by God, ‘the choice of the political regime and the appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the citizens. [Catechism of the Catholic Church. pgs. 416 -  418]

It is therefore incorrect to say that God gave us, Nigerians, Buhari or Abacha.  It is the system that gave us these leaders.  Therefore, it will be wrong for any pastor or priest to say that God spoke to him that x or y is selected by God to be Nigeria’s next president come 2019.  It is stealth jihad to suggest to Nigerians that “God hates stinginess”, the statement that prompted the Press Release from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.  Part of the release reads: “We have observed that the political atmosphere is very tense and also noticed the political realignment that is taking place. Some politicians are changing political parties and urging their supporters to switch over their support to their new parties as well. Given this development, we wish to use this opportunity to make it clear that the Catholic Church remains ever apolitical and does not endorse or subscribe to any political party. Consequently, we hereby declare that no Catholic clergy or religious should publicly endorse any candidate for political office. Liturgical ceremonies must never be used as an opportunity for political campaigns. Similarly, ecclesiastical properties should not be used as places for support for any political candidate or party. All priests and religious should avoid giving the impression that the Church favors one candidate over another or one political party over another.  These are difficult times in the history of Nigeria. As people of faith we must work hard and also pray hard for the future of Nigeria. During the military rule, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) composed the Prayer for Nigeria in Distress. Dearly beloved in Christ, Nigeria is in distress. We, consequently, call on Catholics to recite this prayer at all Masses and other liturgical celebrations. We entrust Nigeria into the hands of God and implore Him to improve the situation in our country. May God intervene in the life of Nigeria once again, so that we can enjoy true peace, justice, and prosperity. May God bless Nigeria.”

We hope that all Churches in Nigeria will issue similar statements as the impression is given that some Church leaders out of financial inducement collaborate with the Islamists to reduce Christians to a minority in Nigeria while in fact, they are the majority.  No one can dispute the fact that Christians are the educated majority in Nigeria and must make this majority to the advantage of all Nigerians.

It has therefore become necessary to refer to the social teaching of the Catholic Church

Call to Action: Need to become involved in Action 

In the social sphere, the Church has always wished to assume a double function: first to enlighten minds in order to assist them to discover the truth and to find the right path to follow amid the different teachings that call for their attention; and secondly to take part in action and to spread, with a real care for service and effectiveness, the energies of the Gospel. Is it not in order to be faithful to this desire that the Church has sent on an apostolic mission among the workers priests who, by sharing fully the condition of the worker, are at that level the witnesses to the church’s solicitude and seeking? It is to all Christians that we address a fresh and insistent call to action. In our encyclical on the development of peoples we urged that all should set themselves to the task: “Laymen should take up as their own proper task the renewal of the temporal order. If the role of the hierarchy is to teach and to interpret authentically the norms of morality to be followed in this matter, it belongs to the laity, without waiting passively for orders and directives, to take the initiative freely and to infuse a Christian spirit into the mentality, customs, laws, and structures of the community in which they live.” Let each one examine himself, to see what he had done up to now, and what he ought to do. It is not enough to recall principles; state intentions, point to crying injustices, and utter prophetic denunciations; these words will lack real weight unless they are accompanied for each individual by a livelier awareness of personal responsibility and by effective action. It is too easy to throw back on others, responsibility for injustices, if at the same time one does not realize how each one shares in it personally, and how personal conversion is needed first. This basic humility will rid action of all inflexibility and sectarianism; it will also avoid discouragement in the face of a task which seems limitless in size. The Christian’s hope comes primarily from the fact that he knows that the Lord is working with us in the world, continuing in his body which is the Church –and, through the church, in whole of mankind- the redemption which was accomplished on the cross and which burst forth in victory on the morning of the resurrection. This hope springs also from the fact that the Christian knows that other   men are at work to undertake actions of justice and peace working for the same ends.  For beneath an outward appearance of indifference, in the heart of every man there is a will to live in brotherhood and a thirst for justice and peace which is to be expanded.

Thus, amid the delivery of situations, functions, and organizations, each one must determine, in his conscience, the actions which he is called to share in. Surrounded by various currents into which, beside legitimate aspirations, there insinuate themselves more ambiguous tendencies, the Christian must make a wise and vigilant choice and avoid involving himself in collaboration without conditions and contrary to the principles of a true humanism, even in the name of a genuinely felt solidarity. If in fact he wishes to play a specific part of a Christian in accordance with his faith –a part that unbelievers themselves expect of him –he must take care in the midst of his active commitment to clarify his motives and to rise above the objectives aimed at, by taking a more all-embracing view which will avoid the danger of selfish particularism and oppressive totalitarianism. [Catholic Social Thought (The Documentary Heritage) by David J. O’Brien & Thomas A. Shannon pgs. 283] 

It is as a result of the above teaching of the mother Church that NCEF set out to decide the best course of action to be taken by Christians in Nigeria to solidify democracy in the face of the onslaught of Islamist Sharia.  Some Church leaders seem to confuse the real meaning of secular state.  It does not mean a state without God, where the Priests and Imams influence will diminish.  On the contrary, it means as Lugard said over a 100 years ago, freedom for every man to worship God as he pleases.  In sharia, Imams are part of the government in democracy, from over 100-year experience of the Church, the Church and State are separated and for good reasons.  Christian Pastors are not the equivalent of Muslim Imam and rule of law is the same as rule of caliphate.  Nigeria is better off as a Federal Democratic Republic than an Islamic Caliphate. 

Meeting with New Presidential Candidates for 2019 Election

Below is the list of aspiring presidential candidates and parties that attended the meeting in Lagos

Present                Party 

Mr. John  Dara            ASD 

Apostle Sunday  Eguzolugo            JMPP 

Mr. Olujimi Tewe                ANN
(Alt. Mr. Fela  Durotoye) 

Pastor Emmanuel Etim        CNP 

Oise Ihonde                 ACPN
(Alt. Dr. Oby Ezekwesili) 

Dr. Obadiah Mailafia         ADC 

Mr.  James Onuoha            APGA
(Alt. Maj.  Gen. John Gbor) 

Dr. Olusegun  Awe-Obe        PT
(Alt. Mr.  Gbenga Olawepo) 

Rev.  David Ize-Iyamu         BNPP 

Mr. Omoyele Sowore         AAC 

Mr. Tosin Akande             YES Party
(Alt. Mr. Alistair Soyode) 

Mr. Chike Ukaegu            AAP 

Prof. Kingsley Moghalu        YPP 

In his welcome address, the Chairman of NCEF said in part: “Our country is in severe distress and as each day passes, the uncertainty hanging over her becomes more uncertain. Every index of national cohesion and progress has broken down. It is an understatement to say that nothing works in Nigeria. It is not because we lack manpower or resources, but simply “leadership.” Those who are determined to hold on to leadership in Nigeria do so with the mentality of Feudal lords which is not for the Common Good or for the benefit of all Nigerians. Feudal mentality serves personal and clannish interests not national interests. Leadership in Nigeria is sectional, clannish and divisive. It is not clear how long the country can continue to totter and wobble under such clandestine conditions.  The problem of Nigeria is foundational, rooted in the biased policy of Frederick Lugard and the British Colonial power. The Colonial masters intentionally promoted minority rule over the majority as well as the supremacy of one religion over other religions in a multi-cultural, multi ethnic, and multi religious society. The object of the Colonial power was to divide and rule Nigeria; that attitude persists till today. Our challenge is to build a nation in which genuine democracy can thrive and provide the basis for healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. Since 1999, Nigeria has been practicing a corrupted form of Democracy in which votes do not count, political godfathers impose candidates, and primaries are won not by presidential programs but as an auction in which the highest bidder obtains the party ticket. This is not Democracy. Nigerians must be circumspect before giving support to any political candidate and be sure that the emergence of such candidate conforms to the norms of genuine democracy.

Today, the political arena is straddled by two parties that have been in power since 1999. The National Christian Elders Forum is of the firm opinion that both parties have outlived their usefulness to Nigeria. They must be replaced. 

Today, Nigerians are offered a choice between “lesser of two evils”. These two parties no longer hide their identity; in fact, they brazenly display it with impunity. NCEF rejects evil as an option for Nigerians, whether they are Christians, Muslims or Traditionalists. It believes that Nigerians have suffered enough and politicians should no longer take their perseverance and patience for granted. It is time to demand a “righteous” Government for Nigeria.

Therefore, the only hope for Nigeria is the New Presidential candidates. Nigerians must be persuaded, in the next few days to THINK NEW. What the country requires are New Leaders, New Faces, New People, New Political Parties, New Methods so that a New Nation can emerge.

However, for a New Nation to emerge, a lot of sacrifices have to be made. We came together as Elders because the Nigeria we see today is not the same we experienced while we were younger. We owe an obligation, to present and coming generations, to do everything within our ability to ensure that a new country emerges. Some of us have had six to seven decades of active service in this country and some participation on both sides of the civil war of 1967 – 1970 and we are prepared to work more to ensure it gets better.

The immediate challenges that we need to confront and resolve are as follows:

1.    How to get New Comers to become the Third Force

2.    How to get partisan leaders (new Presidential Candidates) to accept a common candidate   

3.    How to sell this candidate to Nigerians and the world

This consultation meeting is to impress on your minds that great sacrifices must be made if we are to correct the ills of the past. All of you are eminently qualified to be the President but the reality is that only one person can be President. Therefore, if there is no consensus, none of you would make impact and those no longer qualified to rule shall continue to be in power. The National Christian Elders Forum is therefore willing to listen to all of you that are present here today on how best you think we can handle the situation and move forward. We believe that you are motivated by genuine altruistic motives in presenting yourselves to contest. We have no doubt that you have the interest of Nigeria at heart. We need consensus so that a righteous government can emerge in Nigeria. May God grant us all the Grace to do what is right.  God bless Nigeria.”

At the end of the deliberation between the presidential candidate and NCEF some major resolutions were unanimously passed.  They include:

1. Consensus building is desirable to harmonize the New Presidential Candidates but given the time constraint, it may not be feasible. 
2. The Presidential Candidates suggested that endorsement of a candidate from a reputable body may be a workable option. 
3. The Presidential Candidates unanimously proposed that the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) should assess the Presidential Candidates and endorse one of them so that votes and resources can be harmonized to contest against the two main political parties. 
4. The Presidential candidates stressed that the Christian Elders should ensure that emphasis in the endorsement is on “righteous” candidate. 
5. The meeting also resolved that the Christian Elders should ensure a broad based process and ensure there is good coordination of the endorsement. 

It is on the basis of these resolutions that NCEF decided that from the history of Nigeria, Christians do not have a party like the Muslims who were able to use Islam to acquire the parties while Christians relied on ethnicity.  As a result of this mis-match, Muslims seemed to have taken over the country “Historically, Nigeria used to have three parties at Independence. These were Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC), National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) and Action Group (AG). With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that both NCNC and AG have collapsed into NPC which has been exercising power under different names and promoting minority rule of one ethnic group and the supremacy of one religion over the others. These two factors are the major destabilizing forces in Nigeria, today. The major parties that emerged from 1979 could be regarded as NPN (NPC 1), PDP (NPC 2) and APC (NPC 3). What is happening now is that the minority rulers want to withdraw NPC 3 in 2019 and bring back NPC 2. It is the same group of people; the same Party. Nigerians should not be deceived. In reality, Nigeria is being run as a one-party state. The solution is for the ethnic nationalities to shun politics of divide and rule which effective means minority rule and unite to build new political parties that would guarantee them liberty, equity, justice and fairness. Nigerians should emancipate themselves from mental slavery and deliberately support the emergence of a new political class that will be accountable, responsible, and competent. From 1999, both NPC 2 and NPC 3 devalued Naira by over 1,600% and increased the price of fuel within the same period by 625%. Jointly, they impoverished and pauperized Nigerians and turned the country into the poverty capital of the world. If they had stopped at economic mismanagement, it might have been somewhat tolerable, but they compromised national security and since 2008, fuelled religious insurgency and filled Nigeria with the blood of the innocent. Thousands of Nigerians have been murdered and there is no end in sight. A religious war has been raging in Nigeria for 10 years and these two parties could not put an end to it. Should such parties deserve the vote of citizens?”

Return to Parliamentary System

We had indicated earlier that Nigeria moved from Parliamentary to Presidential system in order to unite power in the hands of one tribe and one religion.  It is on this basis that we regard all the presidential candidate irrespective of ethnicity and religion as all qualified in their individual right to be president of Nigeria. However returning to Parliamentary System will provide sufficient leadership from which one can be chosen to be “first” amongst equals.  In the circumstance, the duty of the NCEF is to identify only one presidential candidate with the rest working together to re-structure the country to what it was at independence and later under the Republican Constitution of 1963.

The strategy is to use a presidential election to re-structure with a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution, thereafter approved by the people of Nigeria in a referendum.  This is a task for you all as a group because only a constitutional revolution can save this country.

Once again, we list all those who appeared before the NCEF and passed the unanimous resolutions to the effect that “the presidential candidate unanimously proposed that he National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) should assess the presidential candidate and endorse one of them so that votes and resources can be harmonized to contest against the two main political parties.”  

Present                 

Mr. John  Dara             

Apostle Sunday  Eguzolugo             

Mr. Olujimi Tewe               
(Alt. Mr. Fela  Durotoye) 

Pastor Emmanuel Etim         

Oise Ihonde                
(Alt. Dr. Oby Ezekwesili) 

Dr. Obadiah Mailafia          

Mr.  James Onuoha           
(Alt. Maj.  Gen. John Gbor) 

Dr. Olusegun  Awe-Obe       
(Alt. Mr.  Gbenga Olawepo) 

Rev.  David Ize-Iyamu          

Mr. Omoyele Sowore          

Mr. Tosin Akande            
(Alt. Mr. Alistair Soyode) 

Mr. Chike Ukaegu             

Prof. Kingsley Moghalu         

This is a win, win situation for those who were at the meeting of Friday, November 29, 2018 and others who wish to free themselves from the apron-string of the two candidates – President Buhari and former Vice-President, Abubakar Atiku and their parties APC and PDP.

Better late than Never: Christian Based Political Parties

It is unfortunate that we have to begin afresh to promote a political party based on democratic principles as opposed to Sharia.  It is necessary here to draw from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) established in 1996 and, today, is in control of the National Assembly of Pakistan. “Pakistan Movement for Justice is a centrist political party in Pakistan founded in 1996 by former international cricket captain and current Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan. As a result of the 2018 general election, PTI is the governing party of Pakistan as the largest party in the National Assembly in the ruling coalition. Pakistan’s 2018 elections were held on 25 July 2018 throughout the country. The elections resulted in a clear majority of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in National Assembly with 116 won seats.  Nigerian elected political parties wish is in tune with proportional representation and seats allocated to party candidates in proportion to the party’s victory at the elections.  In Nigeria, parties are elected not the candidates, yet winners take all.  This is recipe for degrading and destruction of Democracy which is doctrinally incompatible with Sharia.  The various difficulties experienced with the way Democracy is practiced in Nigeria is by design to make it difficult as an excuse to give way to Sharia as the only source of legislation.  

In 1999, the third party was the Alliance for Democracy (AD) that was created to accommodate the Southwest, whose candidate Abiola who won the election of 1993 but was denied victory.  Had the AD continued, it would have been the 3rd force.  It is never too late to begin in politics.

Kingsley Moghalu and his running mate, Mrs. Umma Getso of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) are chosen by NCEF as First Amongst Equals

We have chosen Professor Moghalu and his running mate, Mrs. Getso for the following reasons:

1.     Preparedness: Prof. Moghalu is, in our view, the most prepared of the new breed presidential candidates jostling to be President in 2019. He started early, declaring his intention to vie for the Office of the President on February 28, 2018, a full year before the elections. He has built up a significant nation-wide political structure and traversed various regions of the country in town hall and other consultations with grass-root citizens and other stakeholders. 

Prior to announcing his intentions, Prof. Moghalu wrote, published and launched a 275-page book titled Build, Innovate and Grow: My Vision for Our Country, his manifesto. The book contains 25 “visions” covering leadership and governance, nation-building, economic transformation, and foreign affairs.

His B.I.G. vision is evidence of the kind of preparation for seeking high public office that is unique in our country. Combined with practical political structures on the ground across the 36 states including the Kingsley Moghalu Support Organization (KIMSO), Kingsley Moghalu Volunteer Force (KMVF), Youth for Kingsley (Y4K) and Women for Kingsley (W4K), there is evidence of a high level of preparedness for the 2019 elections and for assuming the Office of the President.

2.     Qualifications, experience and track record: Prof. Moghalu combines the highest levels of intellectual attainment with practical experience at leadership levels in nation-building, economic management, and international affairs.

He holds a doctorate degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics, a master’s from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA, LL.B. from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, International Certificate in Risk Management from the UK Institute of Risk Management as well as executive education in macroeconomics and financial management, strategy, corporate governance and global leadership from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Institute, Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

He worked for the United Nations for 17 years, playing key roles in the rebuilding of previously broken nations such as Rwanda, Cambodia and Croatia, as well as management reform in the UN, and rising from entry level officer to the highest career bracket in the world organization. 

Prof. Moghalu served as a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2009 to 2014. He led the execution of extensive reforms that stabilized the Nigerian banking sector after the global financial crisis, saving the Nigerian economy from possible collapse as well as payment system reforms such as the introduction of the Bank Verification Number (BVN).

More recently, he served as Professor of Practice in International Business and Public Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University from 2015 to 2017.

3.     Acceptability: Prof. Moghalu's candidacy as the YPP flag-bearer has drawn wide and deep support across the country and across demographic divides such as youth and older populations as well as gender. In a demonstration of his commitment to gender equity, Moghalu became the first presidential candidate since 1999, to select a woman as his running mate. Several independent polls have shown that he is the leading candidate outside of the APC and the PDP. This suggests a realistic chance of victory at the polls, especially if other “alternatives” were to rally around his candidature.

In the foreword of Moghalu’s book Build, Innovate and Grow, his vision for Nigeria, the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II wrote: “If any country needs a bold vision of how to turn its under-achieved potential into reality, it is Nigeria. Few are more equipped and prepared to offer such a road map as Kingsley Moghalu.  It is gratifying therefore, that after his critically acclaimed book Emerging Africa, which was a tour de force on continent-wide economic transformation in Africa, Kingsley has turned the full focus of his vision more precisely on our country Nigeria.” [pg. ix]  He continued “Here I must pay tribute to Kingsley’s contributions to our collective achievements in stabilizing and reforming the Nigerian banking sector after the global financial crisis, as well as his ability to effectively communicate those reforms to the Nigerian public. --- This is a book whose time has come - a BIG vision for our country indeed. I hope that it will inform and inspire public debate and policy action to improve the lot of our citizens today, and shape the future of our youth and children. It is a vision worthy of our engagement to make it a reality.” [pgs. ix – xi] 

Kingsley himself in the Preface of his book wrote: “I wrote this book in a season of anomie in Nigeria. Our country is clearly adrift. Our nationhood is questioned even as it is not yet formed. We are more divided than at any time before or after our civil war. Poverty and unemployment are rife. Across the land, the very security of life and limb is daily assaulted by mass killings. Where, we ask, is the state? New forms of terror have risen even as the battle to degrade Boko Haram rages in the Northeast. Fear and tension stalk the land.” He continued: “I wrote BIG because I am passionate about Nigeria and about how we can, together, attain our potential as a wealthy and powerful country that will take its rightful place under the sun.” and concluded “With Build, Innovate and Grow, I rededicate myself to the service of our fatherland. To paraphrase the immortal words of Nelson Mandela, this struggle to reinvent Nigeria for the better has now become my life. We all, working together, can get it done. Let's get to work.” Abuja, February 2018.  This as the saying goes, “is from the horse’s mouth.”  We could have rested our case on the above statement but that will not do justice to the man, his party and other presidential candidates we recommend should lead as first amongst equals.  

In this memorandum, we have shown that Nigeria’s main problem is the conflict of the ideologies of Democracy and Sharia and it is our hope that Kingsley will, as first amongst equals, be able to with his programme Build, Innovate and Grow Nigeria, a country he sees as “appears rudderless with no particular direction --- a country or a nation without a clear world view that simply cannot become a prosperous and powerful one.”  It is not a one man task; it is a task for all men and women of good will.  The NCEF is convinced that Kingsley and his team with the help of all Nigerians of good will including other new breed presidential candidates and Christians, Muslims, Animists and Traditional Religionists, will have all the support and resources to become the next President of Nigeria and after him a Prime Minister and Ceremonial President as it was in the beginning in 1960.  The ball is now in the court of Nigerian youth and they should be able to use modern technology to strengthen Democracy through a free, fair and credible election in 2019.  

Postscript

Moghalu is a Christian Igbo, not a religious fanatic.  We, of the NCEF, believe that Nd’igbo suffered most before, during and after the war of 1967 – 1970 and we have no doubt that Nd’igbo has produced more Christian martyrs in Nigeria than any other tribe and therefore are, in a better position than others to understand what it means to be a majority reduced to minority as has been done to Christians in Nigeria.  He has assured us that Nd’igbo will accommodate other Nigerians in Igboland and, federal character should include “non-natives in our midst” under the principle of neighbor as another self.  And above all, state of residence should replace state of origin to promote unity. 

Jihad is Real 

For the benefit of the doubting Thomas, former President Goodluck Jonathan asked the question in his book titled My Transition Hours [2018], in the chapter dealing with fuel subsidy to wit: “can an average politician be patriotic?  “One incident that made me believe that some of our own politicians are not patriotic was when I attempted to remove the subsidy on petroleum product. The conduct of very senior politicians during that saga was a cause for concern”. He continued “it was clear that if government continued to subsidize petroleum product; it would affect economic growth and may even collapse the economy completely. I was of the strong opinion that Nigeria has to develop the bulk of her revenue to capital development.” [Emphasis supplied]  [pgs. 20 – 21] 

“The Federal Executive Council took the decision to start deregulation from January 2012. Jonathan wrote “sometimes I ask myself if I am satisfied with the type of politics we play in Nigeria?” He continued, “the House of Representatives whose Speaker, then Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was hobnobbing with the opposition (he eventually defected to the opposition) did not help matters. Thinking that I had left the country for South Africa to attend the Centenary celebration of the African National Congress (ANC), Speaker Tambuwal convened the House to sit on a Sunday just to condemn deregulation. That was the first and only time in Nigeria’s political history that the Parliament sat on a Sunday. At that sitting, an opposition member of the House got up to allege that I had abandoned the nation at such crucial time to join festivities in South Africa (this is stealth jihad). Some Christian clerics met with me in the evening to discuss the issue. They pleaded that I should rescind the deregulation because of the impending crisis they envisaged. They told me that if I continued with the deregulation, I will be pushed out of power by the people.  I thanked them and told them clearly that I was not going to pull back because if I did not deregulate, the economy would crash, and the people would still push me out of power, I noted that it will be more honorable for me to deregulate and let the people push me out. My successor would still have to deregulate, otherwise he would not even be able to pay salaries. At that point, Nigerians would appreciate the decisions I took. I was willing to give up power to ensure that the right thing was done.” [pgs. 22 - 23]  These clerics surely are not collaborating with the Islamists; they came to see Jonathan out of concern.  He continued: “In addition to the Christian clergy that met Goodluck Jonathan were His Eminence, Rt. Rev. Nicholas D. Okoh, His Eminence, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde, Dr. Emma Dzzigau, Rev. Emeka Nwankpa, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba, Pastor Abba Mshelia, Rev. P. J. A. Olaiya and John Kennedy Opara. “That same evening Bishop David Oyedepo also came to see me on the same issue and I explained to him why the issue of deregulation was inevitable for the country.” He continued: “the protest continued unabated. In all of these, one woman I pitied most was my aged mother who was with me in the State House. Every day, she watched on television, protesters carrying a casket with my picture on it, and having the inscription RIP (Rest in Peace). I could only imagine her trauma. This is a woman who had had ten live births with only my elder sister and me surviving. The leaders of the Nigerian youth groups were forthright on the fuel subsidy issue. They were briefed just like other stakeholders. To their credit, no youth or student group joined the protests. Young people were nonetheless recruited individually to join the protests, but not under the banner of any group. That helped to minimize the impact of the protests. I have stated that Africa’s hope lies in her next generation of leaders. The behavior of these youth groups vindicates my opinion.  I have to thank the 7th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria led by Senator David Mark for their contribution in ending the protests. They held meetings with Labor and Civil Society leaders and other interest groups. The Senate’s intervention led to a robust negotiation with these leaders and finally, a middle course was agreed. The pump price of premium motor spirit, (petrol/gasoline), was moved to 97 Naira per litre. When international price of crude oil came down, we further reduced the pump price to 87 Naira per litre. Interestingly, at that time, the opposition insisted that the price of petrol must be reduced further to reflect the margin of drop in world crude prices. When opposition took over power they tinkered with deregulation but finally increased the price of petrol from N87 to N145. Even when the international price of crude oil fell, the price of petrol remained the same despite claims from the camp of the opposition during the electioneering campaigns that it should sell for far less than the price they met.” [pgs. 23 – 24]   

The narrative of Goodluck Jonathan read along with other narratives in this memorandum, show clearly that jihad in Nigeria is one of the two dictionary definitions which include “a spiritual struggle within yourself to yourself, breaking religion or moral law”, and also as “a holy war fought by Muslims to defend Islam”.  This is the more likely meaning in Nigeria as was reported by the Vanguard newspaper of December 13, 2018 in an article titled Kachikwu insists only fuel subsidy removal can solve fuel crisis, part of which reads: “in the midstream and downstream sectors, we have struggled. I would love to see a day when there will be no fuel scarcity in this country. But for that to happen, there are certain realities. The liberalization of the sector is going to be a panacea to be able to solve this. As long as we continue to subsidize products, create market unfriendly type practices, we would continue to struggle.”  The Islamists were bent on removing Jonathan to replace him with a Muslim who would continue the holy war on the promotion of Islam.

The NCEF has, no doubt whatsoever, that Christian former Heads of State of Nigeria, General Yakubu Gowon, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Ernest Shonekan and Goodluck Jonathan with the advice and assistance of Christian friends of jihadists, some listed above, who visited President Jonathan on the fuel subsidy issue as well as Christian leaders in NIREC in ‘unity’ could persuade Islamists that Christians now understand the meaning of jihad ‘war’ which seem to have been promoted by some Muslims since amalgamation. And the sooner this is done, the better, because there are thousands of Christian collaborators in the unholy wars. Our preferred candidate Professor Moghalu in addition to contesting for the office of the President of Nigeria is also to establish a youth movement to be better informed of the political history of Nigeria since amalgamation.   

Spies in our Midst

There is need to draw the attention of our future leaders to be careful of spies in our midst, some say fifth columnists.  These are people, men and women who, out of ignorance, and, in most cases, greed are prepared to betray their faith and country. Those who have been invited by us (NCEF) amongst the presidential candidates are well-meaning Nigerians to fulfill the obligation which most politicians of the past failed to do, which is the greatest mission of mankind on earth the love of God and neighbor.  Our Intelligence community is not serving the country Nigeria when it tries surreptitiously to replace Democracy with Sharia and, as a result of this experimentation, Nigeria has lost ground. Today, Nigeria is a sinking ship.  The Intelligence Community can stop the killings and insecurity in the North-East if they decide to do so.  Nigeria, in the view of NCEF, is God’s gift to the black race as compensation for the evil of slavery of the 17th century with democracy as the protector of this gift from God.  Unfortunately it has become clear to NCEF that over the years, the Islamist government have consistently conducted stealth and conventional jihad against fellow Nigerians, which includes: Act No. 1 of 1961; contrived Western Regional Crisis of 1962 and the State of Emergency that followed, the Pogrom against Nd’igbo that preceded the Civil War, Purge in the Public Service immediately after the overthrow of General Gowon fathom coup against Olusegun Obasanjo, the alleged implication of Gowon in the Dimka coup, Revenue Allocation where assets in the North, land population, landmass and population that should be available to all Nigerians are preserved while at the same time, assets of the Niger Delta are shared under an Abusive Revenue Allocation and, recently, kidnapping of the Chibok and Dapchi girls, and most distressing, the Melete case where soldiers sent to war without equipment were massacred. It is stealth jihad to pay the President of CAN to “proscribe” the Elders’ Forum.  The above notwithstanding, Nigeria still survives as a country in the comity of Nations.  These religious wars must stop in the interest of the Black race and the world.  

With the amount of money routinely allocated as “security vote” (or is it insecurity vote?) Nigeria has become less secure.  There is need for Nigerians to change tactics. Christianity has been infiltrated to the extent that Elders are being attacked by those who should listen to them and, as a result, the Church is divided and false prophets now rule the land.  Some Christians have become mouthpiece and foot-soldiers of the Islamists as collaborators and instruments of stealth jihad.  Democracy will therefore help to restore unity.  They can do so successfully and timely only if Christians have a party composed of majority Christians. 

Conclusion

Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914 should not be translated to “war without end” especially when the war is religious, and those against whom the Jihad is waged do not know of Stealth or Convention Jihad.  The Jihadist regards it as slanderous for a non-Muslim to read the Quran and, worse still, for the non-Muslim to quote verses of the Quran. We, of the NCEF, have decided to speak out because at the meeting with the Presidential candidates, one of them as stated earlier told us, that the future belongs to the youth and therefore we, Elders should leave them to plan for their future. We agree fully with him, but have, therefore, in black and white, put down some of the things we know including how and why the “poisoned chalice” was served immediately after independence. We recommend that new breed presidential candidates should set up committees to examine in detail the content of this memorandum, Golden Rule of the Holy Book “Love God and Look Up to Your Neighbor as Another Self”. We have no doubt that Islam, the religion of peace, has similar provisions. We added that the nation requires cleansing. We are convinced that God has plans for you, when you decided to be a presidential candidate which includes engagement with the public to compel the return to Constitutional Parliamentary Democracy. Most of you new breed presidential candidates would have contested for lesser offices in the National, State and Local Governments but for the Stealth Jihad against Independent candidacy that was removed from the 1979 constitution. We see your elevation to this contest for the high office of president as the desire of God to fulfill a very important objective – Restructure Nigeria to strengthen democracy for the wellbeing of Nigeria and the Black race.    We are aware that Professor Moghalu is asking for votes from all Nigerians, Christians and Muslims alike. We have chosen him because the two Muslim candidates of APC and PDP are handicapped in matters concerning jihad which they are obliged to pursue as Muslims.  We have given our preferred candidate latitude to be flexible to accommodate views of other Nigerian Muslims or Animists in addition to the view herein contained based on Democracy which is the by-product of Christianity, which has helped the world to develop and progress to what we know today as Western civilization of looking up to your neighbor as another self. 

Solomon Asemota, SAN

Chairman

For and on behalf of NCEF

Abuja, December 17, 2018