By Okey Muogbo
If you have never fully appreciated the meaning of “hate speech”, then listen to the vomit of Shehu Mahdi against Northern Christians and the people of the Southern part of Nigeria. How does his brain work? People of that mental frame existed in the crude and unenlightened pre colonial era and the first republic time. That an old man like Mahdi could in front of the camera pour out such uncivilized bile is a confirmation that something is wrong with his brain.
He should be taken to medics who should break his skull, remove every trace of his present brain and replace same with that of a decent human being. In fact, if they replace his brain with that of an intelligent animal, it will be better than what he is carrying in that skull; that will even be better for Nigeria. His evil comment was the second insult and humiliation northern Christians have received in the last four months. His vituperations was target against Peter Obi and the people of Southern Nigeria. But more shocking was his audience. How could Mahdi have talked to northern Christians as if they are slaves? Can you imagine Mahdi telling northern Christians who they are and how they should live their lives? The old man brazenly told Christians in the north not to vote for a Christian presidential candidate next year, particularly Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). And he laboured so much with a cocktail of lies to support his uncivilized and unnationalistic speech. The first humiliation meted to the northern Christians is the Muslim-Muslim ticket which the Federal Government’s Party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) is now parading. Never in the history of Nigeria’s politics and public administration have northern Christians and southern Muslims been insulted and trampled upon as in the decision of the Government Party to opt for a same-Faith presidential ticket. This is a topic for another day. But Mahdi’s Stone-Age brain didn’t find such humiliation bad.
Mahdi started his vituperations by calling them “my northern Christian brothers and sisters.” How “brotherly” is Mahdi to northern Christians when he has not seen anything bad in the utter disregard of his so-called brothers. He went ahead to reel out states in the northern with either majority Christians or large population of followers of Jesus Christ such as Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Adamawa. Is it not contradictory and self-indicting for Mahdi acknowledge that each of the 19 northern states of Nigeria has huge or substantial indigenous Christian population with voting power? What are the striking peculiarities of these northern Christians-they got converted many years before Nigeria became an Independent country; they accepted western education at the same time with with southern Nigeria Christians; they got huge and strong manpower resources very early and that they have more than skilled professionals in every sector to provided the right leadership for Nigeria. What is the justification for sidetracking them in the political leadership of Nigeria? Mahdi would not want such issues discussed. Is there any reason why northern Christians should occupy a slave status in Nigeria? The answer is No.
Mahdi went on to wipe up religious sentiment between the northern Christians and their genuine brothers in the south. In the process he stupidly committed blasphemy by calling mere Christian mortals “owners of churches”. Christians vehemently reject this senseless appellation. God is the owner of all churches. All Christian who initiate Christian fellowships and churches do so for God not for themselves. The likes of Mahdi take pride in committing blasphemy against Christianity. Christians have never organized mobs to stone them to death but human history, both ancient and modern, is replete with how “worms have eaten” all of them alive.
Not done yet with his blasphemy, he dabbled into tithes paid by northern Christians. He struggled in vain to ask his “northern Christian brothers and sisters” not to pay tithe to to southern Christian pastors. Stupid ignoramus, he doesn’t know that any pastor who feeds his family with Tithe money has condemned himself to eternal hell fire.
For the Mahdis, it is important to say that Christians in Nigeria are mixing well among themselves and striving hard to make heaven after their sojourn on earth. The immediate past head of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria, His Grace, the Most Rev. Father John Onaiyekan is a northerner, his successor and incumbent head of the Catholic Church is His Grace, Most Rev. Fidelis Kaigama is a northerner. The present second in command of the Anglican Church (the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion) is Most Rev. Buba Lamido, a Fulani from Adamawa state. The Dunamis Church, founded by a northerner, Senior Pastor Paul Enenche, has a very large Igbo and southern membership. These are few examples of how Christians intermingle in Nigeria today. One trillon Mahdis cannot succeed in turning Christians against themselves because Christian worship is heaven-focused. Dunamis Church for instance has branches all over the south and in Igboland in particular and this makes nonsense of the lie by Mahdi that northern Christians are not allowed to build churches in the south. There is an Islamic university in Ebonyi state and it has operated without hinderance. These lies from Mahdi justify a brain swap for him.
How, I have no doubt that northern Christians by now know what they want and know where and how to place Mahdi’s ignoble lies.
But the real issue is that Peter Obi is in the presidential race to rescue Nigeria. The daunting task facing Nigeria and Nigerians is how to stop the country from total collapse. All through his hate speech, Mahdi never questioned the competences of Peter Obi rescue Nigeria. He knew the Obi excelled as Governor of Anambra state. That State has the best income distribution in Nigeria today and it is very progressive. Obi is fast convincing despondent Nigerians that he has all it takes to rebuild the country. That is the reason all suffering Nigerians are joining the Obident Movement. It has nothing to do with Biafra or breaking up Nigeria. Nigerians have decidedly chosen to vote for a man who lives here on earth with them, not ancestors.
Muogbo is an Abuja based Journalist.
