Aisha Yesufu, the Nigerian political activist and social campaigner has advocated splitting Nigeria into 36 different countries, if necessary.
Mrs Aisha, herself a Muslim, was reacting angrily in a tweet she posted on Friday to the commentary by a famous northern Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, that Christians perpetrate more evil when in power than Muslims.
The cleric argued in a viral video that while it was true that ex-President Muhammadu Buhari tended to favour Muslims in his appointments in the last regime, the appointees didn’t “perpetrate injustice like the Christian officers” and Buhari’s nepotism was “not evil” and did “no harm to anyone”.
He then rolled out a list of political assassinations In Nigeria’s chequered history which he alleged were carried out by Christian military officers.
Sheikh Gumi expressed dismay that Buhari left power in May 2023 without negotiating a power “sharing formula” with his successor, Tinubu, “but disgustingly and cheaply surrendered power and went into oblivion”.
Apparently, it didn’t matter to Mr. Gumi that the current president Tinubu is a Muslim too, from the south, although married to a Christian.
Furthermore, Gumi demanded of the President the sacking of the current federal capital territory minister, Nyesom Wike – the first Christian to hold that office in 24 years.
Gumi also alleged that Tinubu “wants to bring the Mossad (Israeli intelligence) into our country? Let Tinubu be told that we’re not oblivious of the plan; we’re aware”, he warned.
Aisha, studying these tirade and divisive vituperations from a revered Islamic cleric, simply blurted out, “One Nigeria is not sacrosanct“, she tweeted. “After over 100 years together, it is long over due to sit down and have the Nigerian talk.”
A hardline unionist who harshly opposed secessionst doctrine of Nnamdi Kanu – leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Aisha added, “Do we want to be together or go our separate ways and it is ok to be 36 different countries”.
Aisha’s frustration may reflects growing frustration of many hitherto idealistic Nigerians coming to terms with the realities of Nigeria’s struggles to reconcile the diverse political and social cultures of her disparate peoples.
But Mrs Yesufu is not alone in taking Gumi to the cleaners.
The Leader Of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele in a statement he issued called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Sheikh Gumi and warned of threats of “religious crisis” if the the government dragged its feet.
Ayodele called Gumi a “Nigerian Taliban”, who “dined with bandits and terrorists” and is a part of “evil forces that can destabliize Nigeria”.
“The man is up to something”, he quipped.
Nigeria is the most populated African country with about 200 million people, 250 tribes and nearly equally split between Christians and Muslims – all creating schisms and sensitivities that has remained a challenge to nationhood and the fulfilment of her promise and potentials of greatness.
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