Connect with us

Opinion

Panorama: Tackling Reno Omokri’s Response to Buhari’s Comment

Published

on

By Sani Sai’du Baba

My dear country men and women, please permit me to begin today by expressing my deepest regrets over the previous week’s killing of innocent travelers passing through Plateau from Bauchi State. Indeed, that was one of the Nigeria’s saddest days in 2021. Although that was not the first of its kind, but the terrifying nature of this turned it to a burning issue of discourse, especially at a time when insecurity situation, ranging from banditry, kidnapping and other acts of terrorism has ravaged the country, with the north feeling most of the impact. No matter one’s political, religious or tribal affiliation, the images of the callous murder would leave one sympathetic and probably confused. And that explains why I fault Mr Reno Omokri’s response to President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to eat comment in respect of the dastardly act. To me, Omokri’s response to Buhari’s comment, posted on his verified Instagram page seems to add salt to the festering wound, and a deliberate attempt to demonstrate hostility against the Hausa/Fulani and Muslim North. I may not be wrong if I blame tolerance deficit in the two scenarios. Or on the other hand, the so called indigene/settler phenomenon or again the tripartite concepts. I consider Omokri uninformed or rather ignorant of the factors around the genesis of the violent conflict, with special emphasis to Plateau State.

For the benefit of hindsight, Plateau State has witnessed violent conflicts of differing dimensions, especially in Jos, the capital city, in 1994, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2010 with the last major crisis in 2017. But since then (2017), there have been cases of secret killings and night ambushes in different in parts of the state and casualties have been on both sides (the indigenes and the Hausa/Fulani community). Countless churches and Mosques have been razed, and hundreds of lives lost.

To quickly deliver my opinion on the root cause of the persistent violent conflicts in Plateau State, religion is largely the focal point because over the years, mosques and churches were largely the infrastructures destroyed while sparing political parties’ offices.

Historically, Jos is a Hausa settlement and this had been confirmed by Mr. Ames, a colonial administrator, who reported the population of Jos town in 1950 as 10,207, out of which about 10,000 people were of Hausa/Fulani origin. Before the arrival of the British, the present location of Jos was a virgin land and the situation as could be seen today shows no concentration of Berom or any of the tribes in the neighbourhood as being seen in the heartland of Jos town to the extent that major streets and areas in Jos were named after prominent Hausa people plus the fact that they had produced a total of eleven Hausa Chiefs who ruled Jos up to 1947 will, based on my understanding, authenticate their claims. Thus, having founded and ruled Jos, they cannot be considered as strangers or settlers who initially came to pass by. So the Hausa/Fulani established Jos, and nurtured it till it become a modern city without any help from any of the indigenous ethnic groups in Jos. This development is probably the reason behind the envy against the Hausa/Fulani in Jos, deeply rooted in the so called indigenes/settlers phenomena and religious differences which are the whole mark of the violence. The heterogeneous nature of Jos and Plateau State in general has been identified as a key factor to the conflicts in the area. Aside this, lines of ethnic identity quite frequently do coincide with religious affiliation. While the indigenes are mostly Christians, the Hausa/Fulani are predominantly Moslems. Which is why conflict between the two groups is often seen as religious.

Based on my opinion which reflects that of many discerning minds, Jos Muslims are the most peaceful and tolerant in Nigeria. I have my reasons. The first major conflicts in Jos was in 1994 when the indigenes and Hausa/Fulani group engaged in violent confrontation over the appointment of a Hausa candidate to chair the Jos North Local Government Council elections where the violence immediately took on ethnic and religious dimension. Despite constituting the large majority of Jos. Muslims could not hold any elective position in their own State. The same thing with employment in the Plateau State civil service. It was that bad. These are enough to portray the Hausa/Fulani as most tolerant and peace loving ethnic group in Plateau State. Also a strong reason is the commendable action of Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, the 83 years old Fulani man who saved the lives of 262 Christians by hiding them in his mosque on 23rd of June, 2018. Unfortunately only to payback by killing a Muslim retired army general barely 2 months after. Moreover, a small incident between a Berom and Hausa man degenerated into what became known as the Bukuru Gyero road fracas in 1998, leading to violence, destruction of property and loss of lives. In fact, between 2001 and 2004, there were about 63 conflicts with ethno-religious undertones around Jos and other parts of Plateau State and all believed to have been unleashed by the indigenous people of the Plateau.

However, all these worrisome issues on the killings and atrocities going on in Plateau State are not my primary focus today. This week, I wish to address Reno Omokri, an aide of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who robbed it on a festering wound. He spoke hurriedly on what he obviously has no idea about or he just decided to twist the truth to suit his caprice. Mr Reno must understand that he cannot speak on any religion until he studies it. Studying it not because anyone want him to believe in it but rather to gain ground for a valid argument. He cannot study controversial philosophical books and claim he has enough knowledge to speak on religious matters. He can tangle with the Karl Max’s of this world but not Islam as a religion. Reno is amongst a group of people that speak from both sides of their mouth. He thrives on controversy because that is where he gains his popularity. He is gradually losing focus. I fully agree with the saying of others referring to him as someone that lacks an identity. An Identity is what you believe and profess but not simply where your bloodline is traced to. I think he thrives by fueling disunity and hatred among his own people just because he dislikes the president, or his origin. Speaking truth to power is never synonymous to hostility.  The likes of Chief Dele Momodu speaks truth to power, but has not been seen insulting anyone. The truth must be seen to be constructive, polite and built on facts. During his interview with Dele Momodu on May 23, 2021, his portrayed himself as a hater of the North, Islam, Hausa/Fulani and President Buhari.

Back to the matter, he posted on his verified Instagram page on Wednesday 18th August 2021 about the President’s comment that he was not able to eat following the killing of the Muslim travelers that “However, Buhari never stopped eating when Christians were killed. Human life should not be valued according to their religion. So many Christians have been killed by radical Islamic extremists in Nigeria…” and he went on and on. Even though he was commenting on Sheikh Isah Ali Pantami, but his words against Islam were totally unrelated to the subject matter. So I now ask, what has president Buhari done when the same people of Plateau assassinated a Muslim retired major general Idris Alkali in Dura-Du District, Jos South local government area when he was passing through Plateau from Abuja to Bauchi on September 3, 2018? Or are the thousands killed in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Taraba not largely Muslims? Has the president done anything special on the basis of they being Muslims, Hausa/Fulanis? No. Where was Reno when president Buhari gave spectacular advantage on affected Christian’s faithful? Cases like that of Kolade Johnson is still fresh in our memories. Although what the president did to cushion the effect on his family was right, but he has not done similar thing when similar episode occurred in the North. It is obvious that Reno was only looking for the slightest opportunity to demonstrate his extremism and intolerance against Islam. What he fails to grasp is “GOD lifts high whom He pleases” irrespective of background, tribe or religion. If tribe is the criteria for success and religious endowment, then GOD would have never allowed his boss, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to emerge Nigeria’s President. Interestingly, no one promotes the activities of President Buhari and want to the president to succeed today like Dele Momodu is doing despite his disagreement with the government. That is what we need in this era of divide and rule.

Let me bring to Omokri’s notice that in Islam, the lives of people irrespective of religion are extremely valued. No one will kill and go scot free according to the doctrines of Sharia enshrined in Islam. Perhaps that is why, a mandated blood money/Diyya of about Eighty eight million three hundred and seventy six thousands naira N88,376,000.00 must be paid and compulsory 60 consecutive days fasting observed by whoever mistakenly killed someone and a restorative justice, and death sentence must be prescribed for any adult intentional killer in the criminal justice system in Islam. And these are not peculiar to Muslims killing a Muslim, the same applies when it is otherwise. All these are because Islam values the lives of human beings irrespective of tribes or religion. Only criminal terrorist kills according to Islam, and I believe it is the same thing in Christianity. Terrorism is not the monopoly of any religion. There is a special Islamic principle, written in the Qur’an that states: “Whoever saves one life, it is written as if he has saved all humanity” and that one life is irrespective of religion according to Islam. Despite all these facts and provisions, Reno blatantly said that Islam does not value lives.

Coming back to the situation in Plateau State, one will definitely begin to think whether such criminals in the state are either untouchable or untraceable by virtue of the unyielding effort of the government. So far, several committees and commissions of inquiry spanning from April 1994 to 2010 have been set up to investigate the remote and immediate causes of violent conflict in Jos. However, the current happenings are pointing to either lack of proper implementation of the committee’s reports, or the inability of such committees to identify solutions. The government and the two religions (Christianity and Islam) often in conflict should create a forum that will promote inter-faith tolerance in Nigeria, and Plateau State in particular. Politicians should be re-orientated towards shunning divisive politics and also see the various ethnic groups in the various areas of their jurisdictions as one so as to foster peace. Most importantly, people fuelling division and crises should be brought to book.

My sincere condolences to everyone over the recent Plateau massacre and all other senseless carnages across the country. May God continue to protect good Nigerians.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Opinion

Voice of Emancipation: Nigeria’s New President

Published

on

By

By Kayode Emola

In less than 48 hours Nigeria will welcome a new President, charged with handling its affairs for the next four years. Yet among the many challenges awaiting the new president, whether Nigeria itself can even survive another four years remains to be seen. There is no doubt that the Tinubu/Shettima presidency will need more than courage to keep Nigeria united for the full duration of their elected term.

Only time will tell whether Tinubu and Shettima will be sworn in come May 29, or whether we will instead have an interim government. However, one thing of which we are certain is that the era of Muhammad Buhari is over, never to be experienced again. Those who have survived living under Buhari’s misrule in Nigeria for the last eight years deserve an award for endurance.

We must not allow the expected swearing-in of a Yoruba man as Nigeria’s president on Monday 29 to make us complacent. Indeed, my Yoruba people, our task has just doubled.

Nigeria’s future is now looking more imperiled than ever before. The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) are already threatening to declare their own independent Biafra nation if Tinubu is sworn in come May 29. And the Biafra campaigners are not the only disgruntled people within the country. The vast majority of our Yoruba people and even the Hausa people are becoming embittered with the trajectory Nigeria has taken since independence. At this point now, the new president must decide if Nigeria will continue as it is, or ask the indigenous people to decide their future.

It is increasingly evident that Nigeria is not a sustainable venture, and that a trading post cannot become a country that can endure the test of time. The people within Nigeria never decided to unite and become a country, so trying to hold them to ransom can never succeed.

I will therefore urge the incoming president to rethink his policies if he has not thought about a peaceful way in which Nigeria’s dissolution can be established. Powering through and hoping that he can hold Nigeria together like his predecessor Buhari did will definitely not stand the test of time.

To my fellow Yoruba people who are singing hallelujah that a Yoruba man is going to be president. I want us to know that just as Buhari is leaving the Presidential seat come Monday 29, Tinubu will also not be president for life. When he leaves what will be the fate of the Yoruba people or the other nationalities that makes up Nigeria.

At this juncture in our history, it would be the time to give the indigenous peoples of Nigerians the opportunity to determine their future in a constitutional conference. Nigeria has gone past its due date and must now be prepared for decommissioning just like several countries such as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc has done in the past. If not, a dysfunctional disengagement may lead to utter chaos if not another civil considering the damage the country is currently doing to the lives of millions of frustrated youths. The rate of poverty is not abating with the currency being devalued on a daily basis putting more strain on the people’s finances

The handlers of Nigeria must acknowledge that the unitary system being practiced in Nigeria has utterly failed the people. The people must now be handed a lifeline in order to salvage a future for themselves and their future generations. Anything short of that may mean Nigeria may go the way other African countries such as Somalia and South Sudan etc have divided with years of bitter civil war which has resulted in the loss of millions of innocent lives.

Yoruba people should not shout ‘Uhuru’ yet because one of us is sitting in ‘Aso rock’. If history has thought us anything, whoever becomes president of Nigeria is there for themselves and not necessarily representing their constituents. That Tinubu will be president does not stop the call for an independent Yoruba nation, if anything, the call for an independent Yoruba nation should now become louder and clearer to send a strong signal to the local and international communities that the Yoruba people have finally made up their mind to leave Nigeria.

Continue Reading

Opinion

DNV: Namibia Welcomes First Digital Nomads

Published

on

By

By Dolapo Aina

According to Citizen Remote, “A digital nomad visa is a temporary permit that allows visitors to stay in a country while they work remotely. Multiple countries offer these sorts of visas, and most of them have a duration of twelve months, with the possibility to extend your stay. While they may not be for everyone, a digital nomad visa allows many remote workers to travel the world while they work from the comfort of their computers. They also help the countries impulse their economy by having foreigners stay for extended periods.”

Several benefits and fallouts of having digital nomads in a country include but not limited to positive country branding by the digital nomads who are residents in their host country. Digital nomads tend to amplify messages the host country might have been trying to get across to potential travellers. On the African Continent, only a few countries have latched on to Digital Nomads and Digital Nomad visas (and it is noteworthy to state that some African countries might not term it Digital Nomad Visas but have something in that guise.)

Since the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant fallouts, digital nomads and remote work have increased exponentially globally and in Africa particularly.

According to the Harvard School of Business, with the global shift towards remote work over the past three years, approximately forty-seven countries have developed digital nomad visa programmes. On the African Continent, a few countries offer Digital Nomad Visa. These countries are and in no particular order: Cape Verde, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles. Other countries on the African Continent have something within this category but officially, it is designated as Digital Nomad Visa.

On Tuesday, 9th of May 2023, Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board announced and welcomed Namibia’s first Digital Nomads.

According to a statement signed by Ms. Catherine Shipushu, who is the senior manager: Marketing, Branding and Communications of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, “Namibia officially recorded her first digital nomads just five months after the official launch of the country’s Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) on 11 October 2022. The programme was launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration and Security (MHAISS) and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), with the aim of enhancing economic activity in the country. The first two digital nomad visa applications were approved on Tuesday, 14 February 2023.”

The statement further revealed that the Digital Nomad Visa programme aims to capitalise on the growing global remote workforce by offering location-independent foreign professionals the chance to live, work, and experience Namibia for up to six months. These digital nomads contribute towards the country’s economy by injecting foreign currency in the ecosystem, but without usurping jobs meant for Namibians. Early results are encouraging, with over 121 enquiries about the programme recorded so far. Of this number a total of 20 applications were received, out of which nine were approved, with five rejections. The reasons for rejection were made known to include; applicants who do not meet the income requirements of two thousand dollars per month, and are thus unable to prove that they can effectively sustain themselves while in Namibia. Other applications were rejected because they were submitted while the applicants were already in Namibia on a different legal status such as a Tourist Visa, or they arrived in the country before approval of their application.

According to Ms. Catherine Shipushu; “The launch of the Digital Nomad Visa earned Namibia international praise, from Cape Town to Germany and as far as Australia. Additionally, we have witnessed a surge in queries and applications for the DNV through our website, further demonstrating the growing global interest. This demonstrates Namibia’s potential to harness the digital nomad trend and create new opportunities for local businesses in the tourism and information and communication technologies support sectors. As an effective marketing tool for Namibia, the DNV program has also created visibility through digital nomads documenting and sharing their experiences on social media and other mass media platforms, showcasing the nation’s natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and hospitality. This increased visibility has the potential to help attract more tourists, investors, and talent, further stimulating the nation’s economic growth and development.”

It is said that, by design, the Digital Nomad Visa complements, rather than competes with, the local workforce, ensuring digital nomads bring their own remote jobs or freelance projects to Namibia. This approach benefits the Namibian economy and its people while creating an environment for local entrepreneurs and professionals to expand their networks, learn from their international counterparts, and explore new avenues for collaboration.

Dolapo Aina reached out to Ms. Catherine Shipushu (senior manager: Marketing, Branding and Communications of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, in the Office of The Presidency) for more clarifications and insights.

On the abovementioned statement that the digital nomads contribute towards the country’s economy by injecting foreign currency in the ecosystem, I asked if this is the only criteria being looked at? What about those nomads who can attract global attention and global traffic into Namibia? How do you factor that into the policy? Ms. Catherine Shipushu stated that, “The Namibia Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) serves a dual purpose in enhancing the country’s economy. Firstly, it allows digital nomads to inject foreign currency into the ecosystem, contributing to economic activities and growth. Additionally, the DNV harnesses the power of digital nomads as ambassadors for Namibia. Through their documentation and sharing of experiences on social media and other platforms, they become valuable marketing assets, attracting global attention and generating publicity for the country. As part of our marketing campaign, we have engaged digital nomads, who are currently in Namibia, to share their unique perspectives and experiences, aiming to inspire and attract more digital nomads to choose Namibia as their preferred “work” destination. By leveraging their presence and influence, we strive to create a ripple effect of positive exposure and interest in Namibia, ultimately benefiting the local economy and fostering collaboration between local and international professionals.”

On the two thousand dollars per month projection, I asked if this was targeted at only Western nomads only or global nomads including African nomads who might not have the same financial muscle as their Western counterparts? And would this amount be reduced anytime soon? Ms. Catherine Shipushu stated that, “The requirement of USD 2,000 per month for the Namibia Digital Nomad Visa is not targeted exclusively at Western nomads. The income requirement serves as a benchmark to ensure that digital nomads, regardless of their nationality, have the financial means to sustain themselves comfortably in Namibia. The aim is to provide a positive experience for digital nomads and contribute to the local economy. The income requirement is based on the cost of living in Namibia and takes into account expenses such as accommodation, transportation, food and other essentials. The Namibian government understands the diverse backgrounds of digital nomads and aims to create an inclusive environment that welcomes global nomads, including those from Africa and other parts of the world, while maintaining a reasonable financial stability requirement. As with any programme, there is a possibility of periodic evaluation and adjustments based on feedback and the evolving circumstances.”

The launch of Namibia’s Digital Nomad Visa programme is a bold and strategic move that positions the country as a prime destination for remote workers from around the world. By embracing this global trend and offering a world-class visa program, Namibia stands to reap substantial economic, social, and cultural benefits.

Continue Reading

Adding Value

Adding Value: Understanding Oneself: Foundation to Success by Henry Ukazu

Published

on

By

Dear Destiny Friends,

“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” – Socrates

Please permit me to begin this article by asking a simple question. Who are you? By this, I mean what you stand for or represent and not what the world thinks of you. It is instructive to note that what the world thinks of you is your reputation, but your character is who you really are.

If an employer wants to know more about a prospective employee, they can ask an open-ended question such as how would you describe yourself in one sentence? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Have you ever experienced a challenge or problem at work? If yes, how did you handle it? All these questions are structured to inquire more about the personality of the employee.

One of the best things anyone can do in life is not only to understand who they are, but also understand what they represent. It will be hard to know what you represent if you don’t understand who you are. If you don’t understand yourself, it will be difficult to understand other people.

According to Forbes, only 15% of the world are self-aware. One begins to wonder, what about the remaining 85%. As a transformational Human Capacity Coach, my company is focused on helping people unleash their potential. To do this, we use our self-discovery and mindset training manual to know more about them by giving them a set of self awareness questions which they are required to answer to the best of their knowledge. It is rather unfortunate that a lot of people don’t know themselves. They just exist as opposed to living.

Self-discovery is truly lacking in our society. When you truly know yourself, you will know your strengths and weaknesses. When you know yourself, you will know your boundaries as regards what to accept from people and where to draw the lines; you will know your personality traits; you will have a clearer understanding of your career path in your professional life; you will know how to interact with people; you will know your core values; you will have a clearer version of your life purpose; and you will be self-motivated. The list is literally endless.

In the journey of life, we engage in a lot of activities we are not supposed to be engaged in. For example, we study courses we are not wired or love to study, and this makes understanding difficult. Some of us apply for jobs we are not passionate about just to pay bills. Some of us even marry partners we don’t really like due to circumstances. Again, the list is endless. All these can lead to frustration and depression if not properly managed. If only we can take a deep breath and ask ourselves some deep thought-provoking questions on what we really want in life, and the reason we are doing what we are doing, the result will be different.

There are many ways to understand oneself. You can understand yourself by staying silent, reflecting about, and observing your life. These acts will help you to practice self-awareness which will ultimately help you to look inward and enable you to understand your feelings, emotions, and your personality. Self knowledge will enable you to know your values, interests, temperament, life mission, and activities to engage in.

As human beings, one thing we should constantly engage in is learning new things about ourselves on a daily basis. Knowing oneself takes time. However, due to desperation, most people don’t practice the art of stillness. When you take time to understand what’s involved in a particular work, it will be easy to solve it in a more efficient and effective manner. There is a story told of a philosopher, who fell into a ditch in front of him because he was too busy to see what was ahead of him.

Again, let’s take the case of Japan with about one hundred and twenty-five million people, which is one of the most industrialized countries on the planet, yet it maintains a level of calm despite the busy nature of the country.

The benefits of knowing oneself is priceless. It will make you confident which will ultimately eliminate self-doubt. It will help you build better and healthy health relationships by attracting the people you need and eliminating people you don’t need. You will be less stressed because you will focus on what’s important as opposed to irrelevant things which will keep your temperament and mindset in good shape.

Self discovery will help you to know your self-worth because no one will price you cheap when you know your value, and you will feel happier.

Furthermore, self knowledge will help you in decision making. When you know yourself, you will be able to make better choices about everything, from minor decisions to major decisions. Your temperament and personality type will be better managed as a leader or rational being.

Self control: When you know yourself, you will better manage yourself. If you can’t manage yourself, it will be hard to manage other people. When you know yourself, you understand what motivates you to resist bad habits and develop good ones. Knowing your strengths is one of the foundations of self confidence.

Resistance to social pressure. Self knowledge helps you to focus on what’s beneficial to you as opposed to other people. According to Bill Cosby, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone. When you are grounded in your values and preferences, you are less likely to say “yes” when you want to say “no.”

In conclusion, take time and reflect on this question, who am I? This is one of the most important questions you will answer in your entire life. When you answer this question, you have solved 50% of your life challenges. If you can’t answer this question, and need assistance, you can use the email below to reach out for assistance.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator.  He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer Design Your Destiny and Unleash Your Destiny.  He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

Continue Reading

Trending

%d bloggers like this: