KILLINGS IN THE NORTH: HISTORY WILL SURELY BE HARSH ON WE YORUBAS. - SAMUEL AJAYI
The first were those who supported based solely on ethnic and tribal reasons. They simply could not stomach another southerner continuing after 2015. To them, the north has been holding the short end of the political stick for long since the advent of democracy in 1999. These people would rather Nigeria burn than Goodluck Jonathan winning the election.
In the second were those religious fanatics who saw their prayers for a ‘kafir’ being ‘booted’ out of Aso Rock being answered when South-west politicians decided to work for Buhari. To them, it was an aberration for a non- Muslim to rule over them. They were Islamic fundamentalists and extremists who loathed southern Christians but saw those supporting Buhari as temporary “allies” then.
The third group is made up of mainly Yorubas in the South-west. But this group is further divided into three. There were those who genuinely felt concerned for the country. They believed, rightly or wrongly, that the former President was not doing well and therefore supported a change of guard. It is within this group you find those who later started criticising the current president with the slogan: ‘This is not the change we voted for.’ You hardly hear from them again.
The second were young people under the age of 35 who just got sucked into the choking propaganda of the change minstrels. Buhari was sold to them as an almost infallible creature who could do no wrong. Since they knew little about him (some of them were even under the age of 16 as at 2002 when he first ran for president), they swallowed the lies told them hook, line and sinker. As at now, this group is as confused as anything. They have been disillusioned.
The third and by far the largest sub-group were long time supporters of Tinubu and AD/AC/ACN and later APC. Wherever the former Lagos governor goes, they go. Whoever he supports becomes their man. Whoever he works against becomes their enemy. If it is confirmed today that he is against Buhari, the president automatically becomes persona non grata to them. In short, Tinubu dictates how their political hearts beat. They always claim to be progressives who are for FAIRNESS, JUSTICE and EQUITY. But they know all these attributes are only applied situationally.
While this last group within the third group (the Tinubu disciples) always rises to defend the president over anything, I find their silence over religious killings in the North very shameful, disgusting and height of hypocrisy since they always claim their support for the former head of state was based on principle and that they are for all that is fair and just. At no time have religious extremists been this emboldened in the North. A younger colleague’s cousin was killed in Kano early this year by people suspected to be Boko Haram members. Churches are being targeted, people are being killed for blaspheming and Fulani herdsmen are killing people. Yet, these my Yoruba kinsmen will even attempt to put a spin to it. If they are not stupidly claiming that the herdsmen are from Chad or Niger, and not Fulanis, they will be telling us that the wife of the pastor killed in Abuja was killed by robbers or that the woman killed in Kano was not beheaded but “mercifully” killed through clubbing and machete cuts!
Same Tinubu that unsparingly upbraided Ibe Kachikwu for saying he was not a magician over the then fuel crisis has not issued one SINGLE statement condemning killings in the North! It is a shame!
And this is the reason I believe that when the footnotes of this epoch are being documented, there is no way their verdict will not be harsh on these democratic and progressive pretenders whose patriotism and sense of justice and fairness are always SITUATIONAL! And never for the common good…
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