₦airaland Forum

Is-haq Akintola's Silly Comment

Ishaq Akintola writes a column for the Nigerian Compass titled Dawah and he runs a Muslim Rights Centre under whose platform he has made some interesting contributions to the Nigerian conversation. But his Friday, July 17 column titled "Put Arabic back on Naira notes" is irresponsible. He deplores the removal of Arabic inscriptions from the new national currency (N5, N10, N20, N50) by the Obasanjo administration in 2007, and argues that "it was a provocative, politically naive and parochial step".

He asks: "The question is what is wrong if Arabic is on the Naira? Is English not there? The Arabic on the Naira symbolizes the existence of Muslims in the country while the English on the Naira represents the Christian population. To remove the Arabic unceremoniously is to tell the Muslims that they do not belong." He wants the Arabic inscriptions restored. Wrong. Absolutely wrong and mischievous.

The English langauge is certainly not synonymous with Christianity. It is spoken, for example, in Pakistan, Malaysia, India etc. But it is Nigeria's official language owing to our colonial history. Nigeria has no state religion. But Akintola insists that the step is "designed to implement a Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) agenda". The introduction of Northern Nigerian and Muslim-Arabic emblems and symbols into the paraphenalia of Nigerian nationhood (the coat of arms, the national flag, the emblem of the Nigerian army) was part of the Northern and Islamic hegemonisation project of the military elite. Reversing those violations of the national spirit is in order. And Dr. Akintola's threat that certain "measures will be explored at the appropriate time if the Yar'çdua-Sanusi duo fails to reprint those denominations with their traditional Arabic graphics" is what I call silly,  Salam Alaykum.

First published on July 19, 2009

babapupa:
I have nothing against ND or any other group of people in Nigeria. I just detest shedding of innocent people's/fellow citizen's blood to achieve a bogus and non credible end.

“Some eminent Nigerians have graciously accepted to dialogue on behalf of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) with the Federal Government of Nigeria whenever the government realizes the need to adopt serious, meaningful dialogue as a means to halting the violent agitation in the Niger Delta,” Mr Gbomo said.

The Nigerians announced by MEND as its interlocutors include former chief of general staff, Okhai Mike Akhigbe; Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; Luke Kakadu Aprezi, a retired general and and Sabella Ogbobode Abidde, a US based political commentator.

babapupa:
Look at this ode?

what's criminality, cold blooded killing of innocent people got to do with tribalism?

must you people hide under tribalism at every turn and corner?

abi it's not on record that that mend kidnapped and killed innocent Nigerians.

where is the tribalism. I know how you guys play the tribalism game, but please try make sense sometimes,

babapupa:
Why is Soyinka messing up his name and reputation by messing with murderers and cold blooded killers?

citizenY:
This Ibori is insulting our sensibilities and I blame MEND and all ND youths and elders,

especially the youths in his village. But then, there are many other Ibori's across the

land. I blame all of us for allowing these characters to get any public space or respite.

"These eminent persons will be known as the Aaron Team and have our mandate to oversee a transparent and proper MEND disarmament process," the group said in an emailed statement.

"The MEND disarmament process will only come after the root causes of militancy and agitation in the Niger Delta have been addressed by the Nigerian government," it said.

But following a meeting between President Umaru Yar'Adua, the governors of the main states in the Niger Delta, and security chiefs, the government repeated its position that militants must lay down weapons before any talks could be held.

"MEND is not recognised by the federal government as the spokesperson for the militants, that is if they exist at all physically," Defence Minister and chairman of a presidential amnesty committee Godwin Abbe told reporters after the meeting.

"If MEND decides to test the will of government and choose to threaten the very existent of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the government is prepared to express the sovereignty of Nigeria in all its ramifications," he said

PapaBrowne:
@Porka
You've been decieved for too long that knowledge is in paper! A certificate is just a piece of paper.
Pat Utomi is a Prof. Whether he has a certificate in Economics I don't know, but I sure do k now that he has all the knowledge of a seasoned economist and that alone qualifies him as an Economist.
Do you need a degree in Political Science to be a Politician? Or a degree in Business Administration to be successful at business?

mccloud224:
@Beaf

Dem don start that one since.Na the ifa tell dem say make dem go ahead.Nothing do dem.Up PDP (people depriving people).Very soon, EFCC officers will be selling handsets in traffic hold up.

Rubbish people.

IG,walahi,so far you're the only northerner wey de make some sense here

posakosa:
Abacha was a gay

Babangida is a gay

and the problem is ?

 

illusion2:
Doesn't make sense this is 2009,most people should be able to read & write in latin(not English) characters. . . . . . . . . ,

[center]I was just shocked to read that the motto of the NIGERIAN ARMY is 'Victory From Allah' !

My God ! This guys have screwed us all up !!

How can ?![/center]

gadogado: i would trust ribadu over ibori any day!but i have to admit,its hard knowing whats true and whats ficticious. i dont beleive ribadu is 100% clean but he is much cleaner than ibori.

May I also ask if Otunba Mike Adenuga, the eminently popular business mogul and chairman of Globacom, whom he targeted and hounded into exile, is also a public officer?

The same Ribadu, master-minded the ex-convict plot against me. One night after a meeting of the co-conspirators to frame and denigrate me at all costs, Ribadu called the businessman to “shoot his mouth” as usual. That same night, the benefactor phoned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar alerting him of Ribadu’s plot against me.