There is a Kenya proverb that says, the Hyena cannot smell its own stench. This proverb encapsulates what is happening to the elites of Islamic northern Nigeria. From the Sultan of Sokoto to his subordinates in their emirates and the so-called northern intellectuals from Nasir El Rufai, to the younger generations like Buhari’s aides – Bashir Ahmad. These group has continued to cheer on Buhari as one misstep follows another. You would ordinarily expect a unanimous outcry from everyone about the callousness of increasing fuel prizes in a time like this when we are still amid COVID-19. But no, the Islamic north is on a criminal muteness that continues to worsen the polity in Nigeria. The violence from bandits, the violence from Boko Haram, and the violence from the government of Buhari are enough to elicit a reprimand from the Sultan, but no, an Islamic president must not be criticized. The present situation in northern Nigeria reminds me of Asa’s song that says there’s fire on the mountain top and no one is running. Buhari and his wife are showcasing their daughter and son-in-law. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika is launching his completed mansion and the uncompleted Enugu International Airport. And the national assembly is celebrating the approval of new loans. Buhari and the Sultan of Sokoto who active Fulani herdsmen via their patronship of Miyetti Allah are busily re-perfecting the reintroduction of RUGA through a Water Bill. If you are not worried and provoked about present-day Nigeria, you must have a heartless heart.

Boko Haram continues to decimate the formerly feared and respected Nigerian Army. Generals and corporals continue to voice the anomalies that point to sabotage and the ineptitude in the leadership of the armed forces, yet the former army officer turned Sultan is mute. Farmers in the middle belt which is the food basket of the nation can no longer go to their farms without the fear of losing their lives and farmland because of Fulani herdsmen and bandits. The educationally more backward northern Nigeria is becoming more backward by the hour because parents are afraid their daughters will be kidnapped, raped, and killed by Boko Haram, herdsmen or bandits. They are afraid about the indoctrination of their son into Islamic militancy and terrorism through the Islamic State-backed Boko Haram, yet the Sultan is mute. The fraud taking place among those administering government palliatives to Internally Displaced Persons, School feeding program, and COVID-19 intervention is mind-boggling, yet the Sultan is mute. His silence can be likened to the ostrich that buries its head on the ground hoping the trouble will go away. If the Sultan continues to ignore current happenings, what some fear most will most likely happen to his kingdom.

In many communities now in northern Nigeria, there is a complete breakdown of law and order. In a handful of communities, Boko Haram is the government on ground. And their reach, strategy, followership, and influence are growing. It will not be fiction for the Palace of the Sultan to experience a sacking that will exile him forever to Saudi Arabia if he continues his muteness and support of the worst government in the history of Nigeria. The youths of northern Nigeria are already hopeless. There is no job. They cannot go to their farms. Government policies do not address their diminishing prospects. And many are becoming easy prey for Boko Haram and other organizations that are looking for youths to increase their ranks. A word is never enough for those who care more about their kinsman holding onto power than Nigeria’s peace and prosperity. Hence, the Sultan who has never criticized or cautioned the provocative utterances from the Miyetti Allah that he heads, will never criticize Buhari or call for a real change. So, in a short-while the safety of the palaces of the Emirs through which Fulanis lord over Hausas will no longer be safe for them because of the government’s continued inability to safeguard lives and properties. To prevent this, northern elites who presently cannot visit their villages because of the insecurity in the north must do all that is constitutionally possible to remove Buhari and help to enthrone individuals with the leadership skills backed by their credible antecedents to lead Nigeria.

Ata Ukuta, Editor  – www.towncryyers.com