Surviving Onslaught Of Enemies Within: The Administration Of Mallam Ibrahim Shejkarau (I)

11 January 2011

By Ahmad Yahya 

Throughout the recorded human history love and hatred have never been known to become extinct. No period in human history, including that of prophets and saints, was ever known to be devoid of friends and enemies. As such it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a person who is loved by everybody or hated by all and sundry. If this assertion is accepted in the affirmative then enemies, the subject matter of this piece, can be categorized into external and internal. While the former are easily known and identified by their utterances and actions the latter are hardly discerned and therefore more dangerous. In the history of Islam, Muslims along with their faith have suffered more in the hands of enemies within. Beginning from the era of Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, down to our contemporary time internal enemies have been proved to be more dangerous and destructive to Islam than the apparent ones. They always swarm over whoever claims to direct peoples' attention towards Allah, the Creator, Fashioner, Nourisher and Sustainer of all. This is why those who suffered most were the prophets and those who adhered to their teachings and precepts. 

Never in the political history of Kano did any civilian administration ever attract such a large number of fatal foes each of whom is fully capable of inflicting an irreversible catastrophe. From its inception in 2003 to date, the administration of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, because of its claim to be Shari'ah-based, has been forced to oscillate between enemies of this genre, prominent among whom this article sets to examine. It is pertinent at this juncture to say that this write-up is purposely addressed to adherents of the Islamic faith, particularly those of Kano state. The enemies within referred to here are not confined to the narrow walls of the ruling party in the state. The whole which inside foes are the topic of these few lines is therefore Islam. This means those Muslims who intentionally set to thwart any effort aimed at the realization of Shari'ah governance in the state. They are scattered in many sectors of the larger Kano community, ranging from government functionaries, Islamic scholars, politicians, the affluent, down to ordinary poor subjects. 

Very unfortunate indeed is the role being played by some segment of the learned community, herein referred to as the Ulama'. These are supposed to be the vanguards of Shari'ah who should be at the fore front in any effort to revive and entrench Shari'ah. However,this segment of scholars, knowingly or intentionally, engaged in the act of sterilizing Shari'ah from different angles. Some considered their co-option into government as a money-making and fame-gaining opportunity. They only become active when an assignment, official or otherwise, involves money but deliberately plunged themselves into the state of inertia when voluntary effort, piety and personal sacrifice are desperately needed. Some decided to lay their weight on sectarian interest, thereby regarding their status as a golden opportunity to co-opt 'their own' into a merry-making of having a grab of the so-called 'state cake'. Others, having the privilege of being on a high echelon in the western system of instruction and able to fluently write and speak English but possessing a 'translated' knowledge of Islam, demean whatever comes from the side of the 'traditional scholars. This is based on the assumption that they are more eligible to run the affairs of governance than the former.  

Some, because of their perceived non-inclusion into the crux of government affairs or seeing that they deserve more than the position accorded to them by the administration, decided never to lend any helping hand when any shari'ah-based law faces recalcitrance by some sections of the society. Whether in their Friday sermons, daily lessons or normal lectures they never care to render a verbal assistance that may persuade the public to comply. Perhaps they do so based on the assumption that the government and the public may realize that things would have been better if they were the ones at the helm of affairs. Others even went to the extent of conniving, against the administration, with those whom they earlier diagnosed as being carriers of the deadly anti-Shari'ah venom. This is even though their 'new' associates still remain adamant over whatever relates to Islam or Ulama'. Interestingly, most of this type of enemies within did not play any role when the real struggle for the revival of Shari'ah and its inclusion in governance was going on. Neither did they render any contribution towards the codification of Shari'ah laws which replaced the erstwhile secular Kano State Laws. 

This explains why, and Allah knows better, their onslaught on the governor and the government failed to yield any significant results as Allah, in His Mercy, creates an awareness in the people in such a way that they ceased to allow themselves to be toyed with by anybody in matters that directly affect their lives in the hereafter such as the quest for the realization and entrenchment of Shari'ah in a state that has a long history of not only being a center of commerce but also that of true Islamic scholarship. 

Though the political legacy bequeathed to us by the colonialists was (and is still) based on the premise that politics is but a dirty game and a purely secular affair in which religion has no role to play, our first Muslim politicians co-opted and integrated their religion into active politics. They considered politics as an avenue where they could adhere strictly to, revive and protect their religion and culture in a geographical entity forcefully amalgamated with other entities containing people with different history, different culture and different religion to become what is known today as Nigeria. Ahmadu Bello, the late premier of the defunct Northern Nigeria, when accused of mixing politics with religion, replied that to him 'the two are inseparable'. Mallam Aminu Kano, the greatest political icon, once said that it is unwise for Muslims not incorporate their religion into politics. This is because, he reasoned, if they fail to do so worshippers of other deities would surely integrate their faiths into it. This beautiful legacy is now reversed by some contemporary politicians. They now consider politics as an opportunity to amass enormous wealth for the sake of which they are ready to sacrifice everything, religion and culture inclusive. A segment of these politicians constitute another type of enemies within. 

To be continued.

Ahmad Yahya  from Department Of Islamic Studies Federal College Of Education, PMB 3045, Kano E-mail: ahmadfaggekano@yahoo.co.uk

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