Sooner, rather than later, the government will be consumed by the hydra-headed monster it has created. No matter how long it takes, one day we will come to terms as a united entity or a loose federation that, be it in the North or South, Nigerians deserve to be secure… we the people, and those who govern us, must stop doing stupid things.
Kano, a once proud, international centre of commerce and culture, has been overrun by religious charlatans, zealots and hypocrites. Kano has become the world headquarters of Almajirai and by extension, the centre of excellence for exclusion and downward mobility. No society progresses by truncating human development. No society grows by stifling liberty. When the Kano State Hisbah are not breaking beer bottles, they are seizing mannequins. Human development is psychic, physical, cultural and biological. It is a process which explores each person’s individual and social potentials. The dye pits of Kano are drying up, their leather industry is in a death spiral, the once flourishing textile economy is comatose. Yet, the focus is on faith without opportunity for learning, innovation and work.
There is a conspiratorial consensus among the elite and the clerics to suppress rational thought and discovery. How can the great city of Kano grow and thrive again under the prevailing circumstances? How can it give jobs to millions of its ballooning youths? How can Kano grow and progress? Progress in human society is not measured by economic growth alone. Progress and development are also measured by social justice – the extent to which the institutions of society ensures the fair distribution of wealth, and equal opportunity, through social insurance, public schools, public services, labour laws, taxation, public health and the regulation of markets.
Pakistani economist, Mahbub ul Haq, developed the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite index that ranks human development on the basis of life expectancy, education and per capita income. In 2016, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranked Kano 30 out of 36 States in the Human Development Index. Using the international HDI-methology, Radboud University in the Netherlands ranked Kano 27 out of 36 States in 2018. Amidst such dismal showing, last week, Kano State Hisbah prohibited “the use of mannequins at shops, commercial and private residences and other public places. This violates Islamic provisions, it is also responsible for immoral thoughts among some members of the public, all these are against Islam.”
Even though they were there on the orders of the state, the seizure of Igboho’s vests and the arrest of his cat by the raiders of the night showed they seemed ignorant that the law of Nigeria maintains an objective stand on subjective stuff like juju and witchcraft. Shooting small cats and arresting a helpless one are clear cases of cruelty to animals.
Except for the extreme pervert and those whose preoccupation is to legislate sexual behaviour, mannequins do nothing other than help customers to observe what would look good on them. Using a mannequin to display fashion is now a crime in Kano. Added to this new crime are the consumption of alcohol, wearing of sagging trousers, women using certain modes of transport and having some kind of haircuts, which are all in contravention of individual guarantees and constitutional rights. An allusion that the Sharia law overrides the Nigerian constitution.
In a week defined by mannequins and cats, the arrest of Chief Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Sunday Igboho’s cats was the crescendo of stupidity. From Muslim fanatics to Christian zealots, the mannequin ban and the arrest of the cats showed the inner confusion, contradictions and conflict of the Nigerian, indeed the African, whether individuals or groups, in matters of religion. We are torn between the belief system we know and keep in the Montana cabin of our minds and that which we embraced that we do not understand. The cat arrest produced the evidence of the individual and state’s deep belief in mysticism. One way or another in Africa, we lean on mysticism, even though our adoption of Christianity and Islam makes us dubious about it. It is a shame that the agents of the state, the Department of State Services (DSS), were not guided by the law but by naked power and individual beliefs.
Even though they were there on the orders of the state, the seizure of Igboho’s vests and the arrest of his cat by the raiders of the night showed they seemed ignorant that the law of Nigeria maintains an objective stand on subjective stuff like juju and witchcraft. Shooting small cats and arresting a helpless one are clear cases of cruelty to animals. Are animals now juristic entities under Nigerian law? Will the cat be interrogated in court? When are they parading the cat? How can what they did stand in the court of law, when these things cannot stand the verifiable scrutiny of judicial proceedings?
Not a single individual has been arrested in the North for killing or possession of firearms. Yesterday, Boko Haram appointed a governor for its territory in Borno State. Has the Boko Haram governor been arrested? Bandits are collecting taxes openly in the North, have they been arrested? The double standards in these two Nigerias cannot endure. It is a fact of nature.
The contradictions in our lives, our belief systems and the supernatural complex is also evident in our criminal code. In Nigeria, it is an offence to be in possession of a charm. Section 213(b) of the Criminal Code Act prescribes a penalty of five years imprisonment for possession of charms. Whereas, charms are now in form of rings, necklaces, creams, soaps, kayan mata, etc. How ludicrous!
The lesson that can easily be drawn from the saga of cats and mannequins is that of two Nigerias. Attacks on Nigeria’s sovereignty by Boko Haram started in the North. It was followed by herdsmen killings, kidnapping for ransom and now banditry. All these non-state actors wield AK-47 rifles openly. Sheikh Gumi has visited the dens of bandits many times, accompanied by state agents. Not a single individual has been arrested in the North for killing or possession of firearms. Yesterday, Boko Haram appointed a governor for its territory in Borno State. Has the Boko Haram governor been arrested? Bandits are collecting taxes openly in the North, have they been arrested? The double standards in these two Nigerias cannot endure. It is a fact of nature.
Sooner, rather than later, the government will be consumed by the hydra-headed monster it has created. No matter how long it takes, one day we will come to terms as a united entity or a loose federation that, be it in the North or South, Nigerians deserve to be secure. They are entitled to education; to healthy lives, with a decent standard of living; and have political freedom with guaranteed human rights. Again, we the people, and those who govern us, must stop doing stupid things. Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. Government must do the right things, and do things right. Nigeria must Think!
Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú a farmer, youth advocate and political analyst writes this weekly column, “Bamidele Upfront” for PREMIUM TIMES. Follow me on Twitter @olufunmilayo
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