In a country seemingly fated to fly over the fatal finish line of disintegration, free speech has become a prized, dangerous possession, even as many otherwise piercing voices have faltered, either silenced by those they have rankled and rattled, or by the sheer volume of the viciousness with which they have been hounded.
It appears that in Nigeria`s moment of pain and heartbreak, those primed to tip a once great country over the precipice have out of their chilling follies fashioned out an elaborate gag which they now seek to slap over the mouths of those who would raise a cry of alarm.
In these days when the Giant of Africa stands in critical need of voices who can voice the music that truth is while vetoing the jarring noise of falsehood, a certain Imam in Abuja spoke what many Nigerians already knew, on April 1,2022 and was speedily suspended on April 2,2022.
When Mr. Nurudden Khalid, the now suspended chief imam of Apo Legislative Quarters Juma`at Mosque in Abuja stood to speak during prayers on Friday, April 1, 2022, the horrors of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack of March 28,2022 gave background to a biting sermon wherein the Imam took Nigerian authorities to task over the attacks.
Particularly, the Imam found fault with the failure of the President to visit Kaduna State over the terrorist attacks saying that condemnation was not enough, while pointing out that the President had no qualms visiting the state when he was on the campaign trail in 2015 and again in 2019.
Apparently, the cleric went further to advice Nigerians that come 2023, they should be prepared to give as much as they got to those who continue to allow them to be swatted aside like flies.
The reaction of the mosque committee of Apo Legislative quarters was prompt and piercing. Announcing the immediate and indefinite suspension of Sheikh Khalid who apparently has been a thorn in the side of the government for a while, the committee said the decision was taken because Sheikh Khalid by his sermon incited public outrage and negated the tenets of Islam.
In a country which continues to harvest deaths and horrors every other day, is public outrage as it is or as the committee called it not in painfully short supply? Do we not stand in need of critical voices who can whip up public outrage until change happens in spite of the utterly empty promises of the authorities? In a country where the dizzying hypocrisy of many sees them hunting with the hound and running with the hare, do we not stand in need of leaders who can hold themselves and other leaders to account?
Regulatory agencies in Nigeria have become experts in the art of discarding the message and shooting the messenger. Whether it is in the so called regulation of the media, religious organisations, the entertainment industry and so on, ferocity is fastened to the big stick only when the dog to be beaten is one which has bitten the powers that be.
Yet, in taking decisive actions to weed out the criminals tearing apart families and communities all over Nigeria, institutional leadenness, listlessness and even lawlessness are summoned.
The irony is as grating as the hypocrisy is scalding. It is incredible that Sheikh Khalid has drawn the sledgehammer of suspension for saying things the way they are in a country where another sheikh held out himself for so long as the representative of ruthless bandits, even occasionally spewing fire and brimstones on their behalf, without consequences.
Of course, the truth sets free – it rips chains and lacerates lies. At the moment, Nigeria is bound all over by shackles that continue to hold fast in spite of the exertions of the Giant of Africa.
These shackles will never come loose as long as those who should speak up choose the cowardice of silence instead. The shackles will hold fast as long as the harvesters choose the chaff of lies over the wheat of truth.
When Nigeria finally recovers, it will have the clearest memories not just of the taunts of its enemies but of the silence of its friends. Nigeria will also remember people like Sheikh Khalid who in its hour of need looked the beast in the eye and called it out.
Kene Obiezu,
keneobiezu@gmail.com
