Around the time I started to brainstorm on my topic for the week, three major issues had dominated much of the digital landscape. One was the media frenzy surrounding the court remand of Ex-Queen Naomi Silekunola, ace presenter and radio owner, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and Mr. Fasasi A.B, Principal of the Islamic High School, Bashorun over the Ibadan tragedy that claimed 35 innocent lives. The other that preceded the Ibadan stampede but almost caused a digital meltdown, particularly on the influential social media platform X, was the Lekki banner that read: JESUS IS NOT GOD!
And the last, one that finally triggered the hot button of religious conflagration was the proposed establishment of a Sharia Court in the heart of the ancient and historic town of Oyo. By the way, two of the three trending and contentious issues apparently, were completely religion-related. And they were, not surprisingly, the most that revealed the lies of religious tolerance in Yorubaland, the danger of fighting religious bigotry, and the darkness of our fault lines.
I’m writing these words over the sounds of notifications humming from Facebook feeds, X tweets, and WhatsApp simultaneous and barrage of messages. I have just switched to X hoping to gain a deeper insight and perspective into the Lekki banner debacle. As I scrolled the feeds, it became evident that I was in for a long ride. Apparently, it also turned out that the various hot-button conversations on X have a brisk way of turning into a high-decibel slanging match where harsh words often used wantonly against perceived opponent of one’s idea or opinion had become the norm. In effect, I found out quite humbly, that it is nearly impossible to express view on controversial issues without breaking the ice of respective and cautious discourse or riling up the people at the other side of the table.
Meanwhile, as I felt uneasy at the hardline stances of both sides of the divides; finding a middle and common ground on such a very sensitive topic, one that could potentially open the eyes of both Muslims and Christians to a new frontier of knowledge became extremely difficult. Sadly, an opportunity to engage in a heart-to-heart conversation around faith drastically ended in the quicksand of social media echo-chamber. Unable to separate the wheat of intellectual discussion from the chaff of social media noise, I resigned to faith. Earlier, I was on Facebook, scrolling through my timeline in search of a balanced perspective that treats each party with courtesy, honor, and regard.
Conversely, Facebook, unlike the chaotic X, offered nuances and subtleties into hot water topics without setting the whole house ablaze. Although, one cold truth about social media is its design to primarily thrives on RAGE. Stir an emotional tribal, religious or political dogfight and watch friends stand on each other’s throat over issues that add little to the bottom lines of their lives. On Facebook for instance, I stumbled on contents that provided a clearer and richer perspective. One of them noted that the Lekki banner that questioned the divinity of Jesus was two years old and in those 24 months, no one had a problem with it until was captured on camera, separated from the rest of the banners hanging on the fence and pushed into the wild world of the internet. Then boom: the “insensitive description of Jesus” pushed the country on the brink of collapse. Think of the danger of thin slicing as explained by Malcolm Gladwell in Blink!
While exploring the pitfalls of decision-making in an age of information overload, Noreena Hertz in her book, Eyes Wide Open emphasized the dangers of over-reliance on social media for truth. Hertz warns that social media platforms amplify biases, prioritize sensationalism over accuracy, and create echo chambers that distort objective reality. She highlights the risks of outsourcing critical thinking to algorithms or influencers, urging individuals to adopt a more discerning approach to information. By advocating for deliberate, evidence-based decision-making and skepticism toward digital content, Hertz underscores the importance of maintaining control over one’s judgment in a world increasingly shaped by misleading online narratives.
In those few days, the breeze of religious conflagration that blew across the north and south of Nigeria almost threatened its fragile peace and volatile stability. Perhaps, President Bola Tinubu’s strategic choice of that same mosque to perform the last Friday prayer only helped to bury the issue once and for all. My observation of Nigeria is that debate or discussion over any contentious issue has always and may continue to be a winner-take-all affair where the outspoken swallow the slow but thoughtful talkers. Think of politics, religion, ethnicity, etc. And you will have a complete recipe for Nigeria’s descent into the nadir.
Back to the Sharia Court kerfuffle. The idea that an organization plans to establish a Sharia court sounds counterintuitive and preposterous. Whether a highly placed individual or highly influential organization, the fact of the law is that only a constituted authority has the prerogative power to establish a court. That we missed this vital fact in the discourse baffles me. It tells a lot about our knowledge of government. Shameful, really, because those considered highly knowledgeable also fell into the trap of ignorance. What an individual or organisation can do, which wasn’t even the bone of contention is the legality of creating a panel that will address personal affairs as the case may be.
In the United Kingdom for instance, the Islamic Sharia Council (ISC) based in Leyton, East London, established in 1982 only “solve the matrimonial problems of Muslims living in the United Kingdom in the light of Islamic family law”, for example marriages, divorce and inheritance issues. As a Registered Charity, the ISC according to the law is not a formal court of law, and therefore only deals with the Islamic Nikah marriage ceremony rather than civil marriage contracts. That is the UK, a predominantly Christian country recognizing Muslims alongside their values and principles.
Apparently, that similar outrage muddled up conversations in the struggle for Islamic Banking. Today, that banking system devoid of interest has come to stay and no one is being forced to subscribe or coerced to buy their stakes. Nigeria cannot be truly diverse while it stifles the voices and genuine concerns of a significant part of its people. But because we don’t talk to each other in Nigeria about issues that bother us in a polite, honest, and respective manner, we risk letting brilliant thoughts get sidestepped and sandbagged on the altar of sentiments and prejudices. Plus, our penchant for always twisting people’s well-intentioned perspective on issues means we get to missed than gain a lot on critical nation building issues.
In Nigeria Dancing on the brink, John Campbell, former US Ambassador to Nigeria offered a captivating, intriguing yet cautionary tale about the country, urging both domestic and international stakeholders to prioritize its stability and prosperity. He added that much of the country’s problem, similar to Chinua Achebe’s claims, stem from weak governance structure and ineptitude leaders. In the absence of a strong institution that can offer checks and balances, fear of domination automatically takes center stage. Obviously, the fear against Sharia Court, based on repeated pattern over similar contentious issues like the Islamic Banking, Sukuk bond, Hijab palaver, Nigeria belonging to Organization of Islamic countries (IOC), electoral misfortune of Muhammadu Buhari between 2001-2011 (because he was branded a fanatic) and Muslim/Muslim ticket over baseless and unfounded fear of Islamisation has remain the same. Given that the system and structure of government that we operate is a colonial legacy, and colonial masters are not Muslims, it is only reasonable that we allow diversity and plurality to guide and guard our decisions. Although, more often than not, controversy will not cease punching our nation’s protruding potbelly with great relish especially when it’s all about politics, religion and ethnicity.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @Upliftnuggets on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.
