Paradox of Religion (Published in The Punch 11/09/2012)

Paradox of Religion 

By Folarin Samson

I was listening to an FRCN lunch-hour show in which two clerics were guests, a Ustaz and a pastor. The subject was on religious conflict in the country. The atmosphere of the discussion was relaxed and gave the impression that Muslims were not at war with Christians and vice versa. There was unpretentious camaraderie in their tone as they both made their submissions, citing verses from their Holy books. Also, they were unanimous on one thing, that religion is not Nigeria’s problem. Instead, they averred, some disgruntled politicians are inciting restless and jobless youths to foment trouble in the country using the cloak of religion. The Boko Haram menace was a quick reference. That assertion is true on the face value. A deeper and closer look at our nightmares –corruption and recurrent violence- would show how perverted religious practice has damaged us as a nation. A sentimental approach will only blind our eyes to the solution to our problems and we’ll keep hunting shadows while the situation degenerates further.

It is first a paradox that Nigeria, considered the most religious country in the world, is also voted one of the most corrupt, crisis-prone nations on earth. It’s a disgrace to God. It beggars the question of the essence of religion. Religion is supposed to bind, not split. Religion is supposed to strengthen ethics and morality of society, not weaken them. It is supposed to correct societal ills, not perpetuate them. Religion should promote good neighbourliness and the sanctity of human lives, not bloodshed. These are the elusive ideals. Religion itself has been muddled up and now reeks of corruption and to say it is not a problem is to play the ostrich in a very bad situation.

Today, materialism sits on the pulpit of many assemblies with monstrous confidence. Many pastors are vain pursuers of wealth who shifted business after several failed adventures, with the hope of lining their pockets with God’s money. Their sermons are therefore pure motivational and psychological cook-ups that misinterpret God’s Word to fleece unsuspecting and impressionable members. New ways are continuously formulated to expand profit and not the kingdom of God. The new trend is schools. Those not satisfied with the tithes and offering of their members are floating schools run and established with their members’ money. Not too bad. But what annoys is that the children of these poor members don’t get to attend the schools because of their exorbitant school fees. So much for conscience and justice.  

Many of the corrupt political leaders are not pagans. They worship God in churches. They drop fat envelops during annual harvests and funds raising programmes. They take front seats on Sundays. And the man of God instead of telling them the truth that corruption is evil and will damn their soul in eternal hell, heaps undeserved encomium upon embezzlers and national criminals. The message for the day has to be changed and dedicated to a corruption laden worshipper drabbed in ostentatious regalia. Thieves steal and pay big tithes and nobody raises eye brows as long as the ministry is moving. No piercing message to rebuke them, it’s all fables and highfalutin lies. It is high time EFCC began investigating the pastors of convicted political thieves. Many pastors have a hand in our problems and lack the moral justification to criticize any politician when they can’t use the natural platform of their pulpit to preach and practice social justice. Few churches make exceptions.

Islam is one of the most organized religions in the world. Ever since the advent of the religion by Prophet Mohammed (SAW), many adherents have learnt to fear and respect their imams because they are God’s mouth piece. However, some men of questionable character are misusing this enormous religious power to undermine national security. Sometimes, it is the message of abuse and name calling of government functionaries, other times it is open attack of other religions and seditious, inflammatory remarks that completely fly in the face of the creed of the Holy Quran. Many of the religious violence in the North were presaged by religious convocations. One would have asked, ‘What preaching did they hear that suddenly filled them with murderous hate?’ And yet, the Islamic holy book says: “Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious...let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error” Al-Quran16:125; 2:256 so, something is wrong somewhere. When Boko Haram members attend Jummats, what preaching do they hear? Truth has taken permanent leave of the mouth of some imams because of pecuniary gains. Corrupt policemen sit comfortably under their sermons without being warned of the danger of collecting bribes on the highways, harassing poor citizens with state instruments. The strength of religion itself is its ability to compel obedience through the sanction of eternal punishment for wrong-doing.

It is true that there are men of reprobate minds who may not respond to the prodding sermons of their religious leaders. But the situation in which the country is presently calls for a reassessment of what the pulpit feeds the pews with. Religious leaders should know they wield a lot of power and influence that can be positively deployed for the good of society. They have a duty to God to preach the truth, and to society, to do the truth. Streets are flooded with religious centres and yet, nobody talks of supporting government work. How many religious centres care about orphans and widows? How many mosques are involved in humanitarian services? How many churches give scholarships and grants to poor members children? And yet, the Christian Bible says pure religion before God is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and be pure, nothing else. But how often do we preach these? Where do the monies go? People need to begin to ask the right questions from their religious leaders.

One thing is still missing. We are quick to forget like the FRCN lunch-hour show that traditionalists are part of society, even older than Christianity and Islam as far as Nigeria is concerned. Nigerian writer, Femi Ademiluyi had wondered in his classic novel ‘The New Man’ whether the impunity we witness today will subsist if political office holders are made to swear with Ogun, the irascible god of iron or Amadioha, the unforgiving god of thunder. Only someone prepared to end up in the pool of his own blood will dare do that. But this is a modern society where such “fetish things” are disregarded. So, people don’t take God serious, because he is very patient and yet they forget in His anger, He once wiped out a whole generation in early biblical days. It is instructive that God himself knew things like this could happen and that his house could be hijacked by charlatans, hence He gave a useful hint: “For the time will come that judgement MUST begin at the house of God….”1 Peter 4:17.

NB: piece had earlier been published in February in The Nation and Compass Newspapers

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NYSC Rape: when the law is mocked (published in The Guardian Newspaper)

THE case of the alleged rape of a former corps member by an Osun monarch is taking a sickening dimension. The latest being the revelation by the victim on how the traditional ruler forcefully had carnal knowledge of her despite her cries. The detail is too horrid to capture. The high point of the proceeding was however when the counsel to the Oba, one Mr. Taofeek Tewogbade, threw caution to the wind and shamelessly asked the judge to permit him examine the injury sustained in the course of her struggle with the king. In other words, the tipsy lawyer wanted her to strip naked in the full glare of the court audience. Expectedly, the sanctity of the court was violated and the gravity of the offence at hand momentarily paled as the court erupted in uproarious laughter. But two people were not laughing. The girl, who was in tears at such humiliation of her womanhood; and the counsel to the prosecution, who swiftly countered the immoral request with commendable fury. The judge understandably rejected the obscene prayer of Tewogbade. The truth however is that such a cruel demand by a supposed learned legal practitioner who has a wife and children not only evinces a deliberate ploy to insult the intelligence of the court and frustrate the prosecution, it is also a slight on womanhood. It is a mockery of the ex-corps member’s courage to stand up to be counted for her right.

The ordeal of the ex-corps member Miss Helen Okpara, a 23-year old Abia State indigene, started when she was in the course of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Osun State early last year. She was teaching in a secondary school. The traditional ruler of the town, Oba Adebukola Alli, the Alowa of Ilowa in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State sought her assistance in giving computer training to some of the villagers which Helen agreed to do in the spirit of offering community development service, a prerequisite of the NYSC scheme. The immoral king tricked her into following him into his house where he allegedly raped her. The girl was said to have sustained some bruises in the process of his forceful penetration. But Helen did not lick her wound in silence. She cried out and the NYSC responded and took up the case. Since the legal battle started last year, it has been a show of intrigues and gimmicks with the obvious intent of rubbishing the case.

In the earlier stage of the case, the community had raised a mammoth delegation led by its council of kingmakers to solicit the support of the state government. They were particularly apprehensive of a possible political undertone in the trial of their beloved king. They dismissed the rumour of dethronement and begged the Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration to throw in its weight behind them. When probably they could not get their wish, they pushed further. The Oba was said to be critically ill and needed urgent medical attention in the comfort of his palace. He was granted bail under the Justice Jide Falola’s ruling despite his counsel’s failure to produce a medical report to substantiate the claim.

Now that his royal highness is well enough to hunt some other girls, the table has been turned around and this dare-devil stranger has to be checked for attempting to spoil the good name of their king. It’s over a year since the evil deed was done and justice is being tampered with by sleight. She is being subjected to more emotional and psychological pain. Helen was said to have broken down in tears in court when the wicked request was made by Tewogbade. And this was after an earlier test had been conducted and tendered in court by a medical doctor. This was obviously calculated at festering her wound, disgracing her parents and by extension the entire family of the NYSC to which this writer belongs. That cannot be funny to any sane and cultured mind.

First, the hearing of this case has to be accelerated because of the afflicted girl. She had completed her youth service since July last year but the spectre of Ilowa still hunts her. The case has been adjourned to May 2, a long two months away. She cannot settle down in her home state because she has to show up anytime the case comes up for mention to bear the insults and cruel questions of some paid lawyers without conscience. Aside the danger of our bad roads, her presence in the court will stir up hostility among the people of the community together with probable threats and coersion. Also by now, some of her colleagues may have been working and probably married, but she cannot. Her names are everywhere in the papers and that not for a good reason.

She also needs the protection of the court. The judiciary will need to erect stiffer restrictions on how lawyers take the court for granted and make unwholesome requests targeted at insulting the intelligence of witnesses especially in sensitive cases like this. Section 228 of the Evidence Act which forbids provocative and insulting questioning of witnesses may be amended to compel heavy sanctions on such mindless contempt of court. When people get mock treatments like this despite a substantive medical report, many other victims of rape will prefer to keep quiet instead of aggravating their problems with undesirable publicity and ridicule.
The touching side of the story is the rather sad way the people of Ilowa have been desecrating the cultural values and ethos of the Yoruba nation by celebrating the atrocious conduct of their king. Gone are the days when such kings would not have only been deposed but also asked to open the charmed calabash as a sign of denouncement or commit suicide as punishment. A stranger came to your land to help your people, and instead of protecting her from her fears, you pounced on her and became the sly guard who was also the thieving demon. And all that the people of Ilowa could see in this tragedy of a king was political persecution, what a pity for their unborn generations.

The NYSC will do well to blacklist this community from its beneficiaries of corps members. Their shameful solidarity for the bad behaviour of their randy king shows the community is not safe for corps members. One is tempted to believe the people of Ilowa still think we live in the age when traditional rulers are presumed to be next to God and are seen as unquestionable and answerable to nobody. They are Kabiyesi with absolute authority who can claim anything that catches their fancy either by bargain or by brute. They must wake up from this illusion before being by-passed by the goodness of a modern society.

Finally, this case must not be aborted or frustrated by any out-of-court settlement. All corps members and indeed Nigerians are interested in it. The Brig-Gen Okorie-Affia led team must monitor all the processes as the case of Anthonia Okechukwu Okeke, another female corps member who three years after she was kidnapped has not been found is still pending. That case became messed up when the principal suspect after a short interrogation was let off the hook on a flimsy and faulty ground. The agonies of her traumatized parents have continued to echo in various media. The NYSC has a lot to do to prove it is capable of protecting the interest of corps members from all fronts.
•Samson is of the NYSC, Ebonyi State

NYSC kolanut servers and call to true national service (published in The Punch Newspaper)

It was in the news recently that some members of the National Youth Service Corps alleged being subjected to degrading tasks in the course of their national service in the National Assembly. Report has it that the only thing they do is to serve tea, kolanuts and confectionery during committee sessions and run errands for the lawmakers. They receive volleys of insults and rebuke, they further revealed, for making simple mistakes. It was all a tale of intellectual abuse and verbal bruise. The immediate reaction of the National Assembly’s Director of Information and Publications, Mr. Monima Daminabo, was that of non-challance as he swiftly dismissed the allegations for want of evidence. He believes the civil service is too disciplined and busy for such idle talks. An insider, however, revealed in confidence that corps members have nothing serious to do because the civil service in that realm is already saturated hence the only job they can best be assigned to do are those servile encumbrance.

The revelations from this episode should be of serious concern to every well-meaning Nigerian. It calls for an objective analysis of the condition corps members find themselves in their places of primary assignment. The first wisdom that can be gleamed from this incident is that corps members are many times posted to where their services are not required. So, where the organisation has no choice, the corps members are absorbed to be redundant. The NYSC is highly culpable for this repeated error. Secondly, it shows how corps members are regarded in many government establishments. If the lawmakers could watch as these youths serve kolanuts and sweets, then it speaks volume of the disdain and disrespect the ruling class has for the future of this nation. The implication for the latter is very grievous because it portends disaster for our future. No doubt, some of the corps members attached to the National Assembly would have some form of legal training. They had probably thought their privileged placement will give them exposure and experience in the tedious art of lawmaking. They also probably thought they would be eagerly accepted by the lawmakers since the campaign for youth empowerment was in full steam and this could also facilitate the gradual transfer of roles from the old generation to the new. Well, the National Assembly members had a different opinion of national service: serving tea, kola nut and sweets.

The last obvious thing to any discerning mind is that the NYSC is fast losing its relevance. What national integration or discipline is in serving kola nuts in the National Assembly? What cultural cohesion is in running around as an errand boy for a big man in a State House? How does posting of corps members to banks, oil companies, and private businesses justify the corporate objectives of the NYSC? This arguments favour the clamour for the scrapping of the scheme against the backdrop of the avoidable deaths of some corps members while busy serving Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan has however affirmed his commitment to the sustenance of the NYSC and is stepping up programmes for the security of corps members. The NYSC stays because Mr. President has spoken. What appears the general consensus now is a review to halt this human and intellectual waste. A review to strengthen the scheme and make it more productive.

Speaking on the review, the Minister for Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said corps members would no longer be posted to some organisations because they unduly exploit them to provide cheap labour. The organisations don’t bother to employ people since they can always rely on their steady supply of corps members every year, which has resulted in increased unemployment in the country. Good step in the right direction. But the quick poser is where will the myriads of youths who queue up for the mandatory scheme serve? The civil service is ever saturated, coupled with the bureaucratic chaos of duplication of functions. So it is completely out of the question. I know of corps members who simply do nothing than sit and chat throughout working hours and at the end of each day, return home not adding values to themselves or the state of their service. A corps member I was told, turned an Okada rider in his state of deployment because he had nothing to do in the ministry he was posted to. The common case of rejection of corps members at their places of primary assignment is enough evidence of the inappropriateness of posting corps members to the civil service.

One basic challenge confronting the NYSC since its 38 years of existence is how to effectively mobilise the many graduates of Nigerian higher institutions for the actualisation of its mandate. Thankfully, the Federal Government recently approved a new policy direction for the scheme that will refocus it on four key sectors: rural health, education, infrastructure and agriculture. The place of sincerity in pursuing these outlined development needs cannot be overemphasised. As a corps member serving in the interior of Ebonyi, one of the least developed states in the country, I agree that rural community is where to go. This is where you find schools without teachers because even indigenes don’t want to teach or live in the village. This is where you find hospitals without doctors because many doctors cannot imagine treating poor patients who cannot afford their medical bills. This is where you find people living in abject poverty because even their children have abandoned them for city pleasures. This is where you find young boys and girls with potential yet wasting away in teenage vices because of lack of proper orientation.

But arising from this great need is the grave concern for security. To gloss over this and proceed with rural deployment is to invite the wrath of parents and guardians of prospective corps members. It is heart-warming that Mr. President again recently launched a project that will help in tracking the movements of corps members and make help available when the need arises. We can hope for more of such laudable projects. However, a review of the NYSC to reflect the demand for geo-political zone posting may also allay the fears of many stakeholders. This could foster the envisaged rural postings of corps members for national development without attracting public outcry. Where traditional institutions exist, corps members may be handed over to community rulers and elders who will personally account for their safety.

Nigerian youths also need proper orientation. The NYSC is not forever. One year of selfless service offered in hard condition makes Nigeria a better place for those coming behind. So, the issue of influencing of postings on flimsy grounds should be discouraged and the Brigadier General Okorie-Affa led team has a big work to do in this regard. The NYSC itself needs to be restructured and equipped to answer to the repressed cry for help of those in the forgotten interiors. Places that can only see the glorious light of urbanisation and development when strangers visit and make inputs. The Federal Government needs to set up facilities to stimulate interest in these places and encourage enterprising and visionary youths to troop there with renewed vigour and commitment to national service. National service not induced by the urge to satisfy the criterion for securing appointment in a dream organisation, but genuine love for fatherland, for Nigeria.

•Folarin, a serving corps member in Ebonyi State, wrote in via childofdkingdom@gmail.com, 08030572852