Lieutenant General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma needs no introduction. He is one of Nigeria’s illustrious retired army generals, no question about that. He and Nigeria loved each other and there was little or no role religion played in this love affair. He played a prominent role in the coup that brought General Yakubu Gowon to power. He fought in the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. After the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed, General Danjuma had been considered as a possible head of state until the then ruling junta settled for General Olusegun Obasanjo. Although he was bypassed for the highest leadership position in the country, General Danjuma remained a pillar of the Obasanjo regime until it handed political power to Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1979. During the second coming of Obasanjo, Danjuma served as the country’s Minister of Defence. He hails from Takum in Taraba where his people, the Jukun, have had murderous running battles with the Kutebs. Fortunately, the Kutebs are Christians.
That explains why for many Nigerians, General Danjuma’s statement alongside the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) made up of General Joshua Dogonyaro, Elder Moses Ihonde, Elder Shyngle Wigwe, Elder Solomon Asemota, Dr Chukwuemeka Azeife and other, alleging that a Jihad has been launched against Christians has come as a rude shock. Who launched the Jihad? When? Who leads it? How do you really Islamise Nigeria?
According to General Danjuma and his group of misguided Christian elders, “the NCEF is alarmed at the audacity and impunity of Islamists in Nigeria to attempt to forcibly transform Nigeria from a democratic nation into an Islamic theocratic state.” How do you “forcibly transform” into an Islamic state a country whose Vice President is not just a Christian but a Pastor, the Speaker of its House of Representatives is a Christian and the chairman of its so called ruling party is also a Christian? Or has it come to Danjuma’s knowledge that these highly placed Christians have been or are going to be replaced with some Mullahs?
The statement from Danjuma and company is in bad faith, coming weeks after what has been described as massacre of the Fulani in Mambilla, in his native Taraba state. Eye witness account, including testimony by a Nigerian Army General has revealed the pre-meditated annihilation of Fulani men, pregnant women and children, the wholesale torching of their settlements and the killing of their cattle, over which Danjuma has maintained sealed lips! The army general actually said Boko Haram insurgents would have been much more humane than these Mambilla evil attackers, and the general is not a Muslim! This notwithstanding, Danjuma and his gang of elders have gone to town with the propaganda of imaginary Jihad launched against Christians by only God knows who!
The grouping of so called CRK (and IRK) with Civic Studies, which formed the basis of the statement by this elders, cannot in all honesty be regarded as Jihad against Nigeria or its Christians. Permit me to quote from Danjuma’s injudicious statement again: “The brazen attempt at Islamisation of Nigeria has extended to the introduction of religion and national values subject which denigrates Christianity and promotes Islam”, the question is how does linking both religions to our national values belittle Christianity and support Islam? Why shouldn’t we try to establish a link between the religions we profess and our national values since these values, our concept of right and wrong have become largely collapsed? How does establishing connection between Christian Religious Knowledge and Islamic Religious Knowledge on one hand and our national values on the other, confer advantage on Islam over Christianity? How does this amount to attempt to Islamise Nigeria?
Surely, if this government really aimed to launch Jihad, it would have worked with Shi’ites!
The implementing agencies of the new syllabus have emphasised over and over that CRK and IRK are compulsory for Christians and Muslims, respectively, irrespective of the subject heading under which they are placed. The study in our schools of CRK and IRK as stand-alone subjects doesn’t make us good Christians or Muslims; the fear of God ought to be in our hearts and not where CRK and IRK are grouped. Integrity requires that we say the truth, notwithstanding our ethnic or religious affiliation. For too long, we have had elders, across the divide, whose insincerity has been demonstrated in the way they mislead those who look up to them and the country has become the worse for it!
I’m yet to see any useful purpose that Danjuma’s appalling alarm serves. I don’t know of any Christian that has been denied the study of CRK. This red herring by these Christian elders distracts citizens’ from holding the government accountable to its commitment to secure our country, reduce corruption, improve power supply and turn around the economy.
I have listened to Cardinal John Onaiyekan who is certainly a more distinguished and more globally recognised Christian than Danjuma or Asemota or Ezeife and he said he had seen no evidence that this government has an Islamic agenda – and Onaiyekan should know.
Has General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma now decided to defend Christians rather than the nation and the generality of its population? Is this general now reduced to a Christian leader?
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