Ayo Ola
The Civic Consciousness Global Initiative, (CCGI) Nigeria, on Wednesday lamented the state of Nigeria.
The group spoke during a special hybrid press briefing tagged: ‘State of the nation,’ held at CCGI Secretariat, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.
CCGI Chairman, Prof Idowu Shobowale who spoke for the group, decried the growing insecurity, and extra-judicial killings or jungle justice perpetrated by some people.
He said it was saddening that past culprits of extra-judicial killings were not punished according to the law.
He stated that such laxity and according to him, lack of political will had emboldened some other people to kill some other citizens without recourse to constituted authorities or the law.
He said that a case under reference was the killing of Deborah Samuel, a 200 level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, in Sokoto State.
He said that justice must not only be done in the matter but must be seen to have been done.
Prof. Shobowale called for the restructuring of Nigeria, according to him, to promote growth and development in the country.
He noted that when Nigeria operated regional system of government, there was health developmental competition among the regions, leading to good governance and better life for the citizens and residents.
According to him, some regions performed very well.
Prof. Shobowale said, “This is an important release as a pointer to the problems of forced unity Unity in a nation being ruled with two constitutions in one: The case of Deborah Samuel’s murder.
Prof. Shobowale said, “The state of our nation has been very worrisome in the past few years!
“Insecurity has reached its highest level in our history as a nation, the event leading to the Nigeria civil war seems a child play when compared with the present happenings!
“We need not remind you of the gory details, but for the records :
The smuggling of the Islamic Sharia laws into our Constitution ab-initio has been the bane of divisions among all loving Nigerians. Those who smuggled it in had a hidden intention and those who saw the evil or danger inherent in it, out of fear of losing out kept quiet. The same attitude goes on today and unless the fraud is arrested boldly and firmly, the recurring stone age jungle justice will continue in our beloved Nation Nigeria. Few cases will suffice for the press as guide to our Rulers.
“The case of Tafawa Balewa University students on whom the sentence of FATWA (an Islamic death sentence) was pronounced in 2004 by a 31 year old FULANI man who is still walking around as a free man today!
“One of the sentenced persons in this School had been beheaded before CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) intervened to rescue the rest to Lagos!
“We also have the RCCG woman who was on her Daily Morning Evangelism (Morning Cry) in Abuja that was brutally killed!
“We cannot forget the case of AKALUKA who was beheaded somewhere in Kano and his head was hoisted on a stick and carried about in jubilation like a flag.
“The Head of State then, General Sanni Abacha ordered the death of eight (08) of the nine (09) culprits fingered in the case.
“The ninth person, though, incarcerated for two (02) years then, is today walking about now, a free man!”
He added, “There is also the very annoying case of a government teacher who was transfered to a school in Gombe state, Northern Nigeria and while invigilating in an internal examination, she tried to prevent a student from cheating by seizing the student’s bag and throwing it where other students’ bags were kept. The cheating student instantly raised a false alarm that the teacher had desecrated her copy of the holy Quran!
“The teacher was lynched and beaten to death!
“Sad enough that arms of equal military sizes are in the hands of non state actors, enemies of our sovereignty, for whom a more strategic decisive action is still being expected from the highest security authorities in the land.
“Our President, SIR, in the hope of a better and greater country, you have the assurances of our prayers for your person and office, trusting the Lord will grant you a happy ending of your tenure in 2023.
“Of concern is the deteriorating value for human life; the sokoto killing unlike many others before the advent of technology didn’t save us from a video sighting of an evil of psychosocial trauma.
“We are indeed traumatized!
“The killing of Deborah Samuel a 200 level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, speaks volume for our constitution, rule of law and administration of justice. We stand in shame with you before the global community! We therefore, condemn the killing of Deborah Samuel. We also need to call the attention of the global community to the protest for the release of certain persons who were arrested in connection with the crime. That religion is the reason is a fallacy, well meaning Muslims have come out to condemn the killing; notable among them sre His Excellency, Aminu Tambunwa, the Executive Governor of Sokoto state and the Supreme leader of Islam in Nigeria to whom all Muslims must defer in all matter of their religion. It is sad to note the the person and office to interpret the appearance of the moon is judged to be in error over is condemnation. Little wonder
“The practice of Islam in Nigeria is more political than religious.
“The mob in the video and those who came out to protest against the civility of The Governor and the Sultan are intellectually incapable of electoral decision. We should therefore as a matter of urgency, given the embarrassing level of our illiteracy condition of eligibility of voters in Nigeria. If persons to be voted into offices requires a level of educational qualification, it is needful that those to decide that fate must have an aligning level of knowledge.”
Prof Shobowale further said,”
Back to Justice for Deborah
“Diverse as the many faces in the video are, are reasons for which the blue murder was committed.
“The question it raises however is for the constitution to answer and for your office to defend. Our sympathy will be for your office if the 1999 constitution as amended has no answer!
“The question on very many lips is when will the next one happen? This lack of hope in us as a nation, we must rise to disappoint those who have the urge to continue to kill senselessly.
“We therefore want to make the following recommendations in the immediate:
“The arrested initiators in her class and their army of collaborators who took the law into their hands to kill Deborah must be brought to book.
“Long term recommendation, we can’t feign ignorance of separation that Islam expected between male and female, nor are we ready to be pretentious about the right of every Christian, may we therefore recommend that Christian students be given exclusively their faith educational facility where the hope of ignorantly annoying the faith of the muslim colleagues would not exist!
Give Nigerian one mutually agreed constitution where peace and justice truly reigns.”