WAEC Time-Table 2018: How exam body goofed, corrected self…plus disappointing reactions by religious sentimentalists

By Bashir Adefaka

…Buhari that is the fairest to Christians, if you would appreciate his fairness towards your religion, you would not join anybody in opening the kind of unfair discourse against his own faith like you are doing. Or do you want Muslims to believe that you as Christians are life enemies to them? It is not right…What has caused backwardness in Nigeria is injustice and that is what you have done here with this kind of post by …. As Christians you can discuss Islam but based on correct knowledge of Islam. The man who declared Eidel Maolud holiday that we have today is a Christian. General Yakubu Gowon. The best film that we watch world over about life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) titled THE MESSAGE was scripted, acted, directed and produced by Christians. Can you be as fair as those Christians?

My response on social media to one of the provocative comments on correction done by West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) to fixing of paper at the very period that Muslim faithful, teachers and students, should be in the mosque for their special weekly compulsory Jumat prayers has been adopted as main subject of my article this Monday. WAEC had fixed Chemistry paper to between 1pm and 4pm on a Friday for this year’s edition of the sub-regional examination.

I will try not to mention names because those that made such provocative and disgusting comments are my respected Christian people that ordinarily don’t have bad intentions, I guess.  But it is imperative and instructive that I act on those comments to encourage our religiously minded peoples of this country to learn how to be fair to one another, not only in matter of religion but also, in matter of tribal and political concerns.  Unfairness and injustice by one side against another in these regards are the bottomline of the problems of insecurity that we have had in this country.  I believe that any sane religious person in Nigeria, after reading my piece that I have decided to contribute to the peace and unity efforts in the country, will embrace change and correct self.

Moving forward, one of the comments had said it was things like the Muslims’ demand for WAEC correction of the injurious time-table that set us backward in Nigeria. Infuriated though but I controlled myself and said in the social media response as follows:

Mummy …: It makes us no any backward. Saudi Arabia is one of leading lights in the world. For respecting the sanctity of Jumat worship, what backwardness do they suffer for not tampering with time of Jumat for as long as the advent of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)? Dubai is where you go without bothering yourself about their Islam. Tell us that you love Dubai because on Friday they don’t mind to respect the time of Jumat prayer.

You see, Ma, this has always been the one problem between us. We should be fair at all times to ourselves. So long that you will think you, as Christians, are the only ones that have right of worship but Muslims don’t, can you tell me you still don’t know why we are backward in Nigeria? Deliberate injustice particularly by one religion against another. Your unfairness to Muslims is limitless. You and …… and other Christians are loved passionately by me not because you are Buharists but because politically you have been fair. Do not convince me that you only have capacity to discuss fairly in politics but not in religion.

I expect you to ask questions about ISLAM before you dismiss Muslims as causing backwardness to Nigeria over an issue that has never been problem before. You should ask who are the people kindling this injustice to cause problems. It is because you don’t believe my repeated position against CAN is correct that they have their agents in all government agencies who are carrying out their provocative agenda against Islam that you can be oblivious of the reality of what WAEC has done. If you believe, you will be fair, I trust you. If not, you should know that for seeing no big deal in stopping a worship on Friday or Sunday, you cause me some unexpected surprises. The two are different. Muslims pray on Friday; Sunday is for Christians.

Now let me tell you the BUHARI’S example of how he solved this problem in the past:

Muslims, knowing the compulsion of Friday special worship, during his military era had asked for holiday on Friday. They said if Christians could have the whole two days to themselves Muslims deserve one day on Friday. (To you ma, for taking two days holiday you don’t see your religion as causing backwardness to Nigeria?) For you to know we Muslims love Buhari not just because he is Muslim but because he is a man of fairness laced with impeccable characters and integrity, pragmatically. Afterall we remember fresh how Jonathan accepted from CAN that he was Christian President and how he treated Muslims of Nigeria like THIRD CLASS CITIZENS.

General Buhari said: Muslims go and bring your Qur’an. Christians go and bring your Bible.

He asked Christians to show him where it is stated in their book to rest (holiday) for the worship of their Lord. They showed him. He asked Muslims to show where in the Qur’an it is written they should rest (holiday) on Friday. They couldn’t find one.

Now listen …… and Mummy …., Buhari had powers to declare holiday for Muslims on Friday and no subsequent governments would change it. But it was read to him what Allah says about Friday to Muslims: “O ye who believe! When you hear call to worship on Jumat day, be fast to go to mosque leaving all activities. After you have worshipped, then, return to your activities….” Allah does not say stay off for one day to rest because of Friday special worship but for that period there must be no activities stopping Muslims from observing Jumat worship.

Buhari then said to Muslims, “have you seen why Christians have holidays for their days of worship but Muslims don’t need holiday?” I am not therefore surprised when Osinbajo said “I have been seeing Muslims but Buhari is a Muslim.”

Buhari that is the fairest to Christians, if you would appreciate his fairness towards your religion, you would not join anybody in opening the kind of unfair discourse against his own faith like you are doing. Or do you want Muslims to believe that you as Christians are life enemies to them? It is not right.

What has caused backwardness in Nigeria is injustice and that is what you have done here with this kind of post by …. As Christians you can discuss Islam but based on correct knowledge of Islam. The man who declared Eidel Maolud holiday that we have today is a Christian. General Yakubu Gowon. The best film that we watch world over about life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) titled THE MESSAGE was scripted, acted, directed and produced by Christians. Can you be as fair as those Christians?

The British that bequeathed us our Constitution are Christian missionaries in government. Do you think they were asleep while putting the laws together? No. They established the Constitution based on their thorough consultations, researches and studies of all religions. They could have declared Christianity and Islam state religions. But they realised that paganism also had its stronghold in Nigeria. In order not to cause trouble of INFRINGEMENT they (tactically) only emphasised freedom of religion PRACTICE and worship but didn’t mention one. They goofed for not declaring Islam and Christianity as state religions because paganism is the major crisis in our land. Any pastor or alfa that kills has always linked it to one herbalist or cultism, ditto Boko Haram. That is by the way.

So, to my fellow Christians of Southern Nigeria, don’t always think you have the monopoly of causing or sparking controversies through provocative utterances, actions and abuse of opportunity that you have as heads of our collectively owned public institutions. You should always consider, “What if Muslims are as provocative as we are, what would have been our security situation in the country?”

Finally, do not dabble into Islamic discourse without knowledge so that you don’t cause unnecessary issues with people who love you.

Thank you.

End of Article.

*Bashir Adefaka is Lagos-based media practitioner.

Feedbacks to the social media Response

Johnmac Chidiebere Clement

This Islamic, Islamic thing in Nigeria. Where has it lead the country to?

Ibrahim Baba Muhammed

Haven’t you read what was posted, and still making such irrelevant comment, is it not the same issue …. is trying to highlight, what kind of myopic thinking is that?

Bashir Balogun

Please think like adult johnmac

Aro Oloye Obirusu

I like the question as well as the answer

Lawal Yusuf

Johnmac, you read with open eyes, closed mind, so, you understood the post upside down. Try reading it with an open mind, you will understand straight.

Lukman Oladipupo Agbomabiwon

ori elomiran ti gbale…dis tells us dat no matter how we explain to them, they wont hear as they already made up their mind in d hatred for islam…

Aminu Abdulkarim

@Clement. And this christianity… This christianity THING, where has it led the country to?

Aro Oloye Obirusu

I like the answer as well as the question.

Aminu Abdulkarim

The right up was clear, but he was bringing another issue.

Lukman Oladipupo Agbomabiwon

deaf dumb and blind they are..

Ab Toro

Religion na politics

Omoyemi Yussuf

……….good work and research here brother, it was once said the bottom of the hell fire is preserved for those who in the time of moral and region crises preserve their neutrality, remain quiet or partial.
May God bless you, expand your coast increase you in wisdom.
God bless PMB and good people of Nigeria.

Adamu E. Aliyu

Thank God that they corrected it themselves

Abdullahi Aliyu

You are a catalyst and antidote to some poisonous posts targeting Islam and Muslims. May you live long.

Joy Crown

We shdn’t be biased, nothing is bad, bcos nigeria is not a one religion country, so if a time is giving to Muslims to HV their jummat, l don’t think this calls for an debate, bcos am sure all these people critics won’t agree to fixing exams on Sunday at all not to talk of fixing it to d hours of their services. Do u think if Nigeria is a country of one particular religion, Fridays will be like Sunday, that will be d resting day. Like in Dubai Friday is just like Sunday. So pls there are other pressing issues than this. Thanks.

Prince Ade

No doubt my brother that religion is politics. This is so because Allah makes us to realise that Islam is way of life meaning that you are right that religion is politics. Way of life means: Islamic religion takes care of politics; how to arrangement and organise society according to law and order for things to go on smoothly. As political setting, Islam gives the best of leadership-followership and followership-leadership relationship and responsibility. Islam is economy: I don’t need to talk much on this. I will only refer you to SUKUK that is today being enjoyed even by the race of the guy, Clement, who is asking as first comer “Where has Islamic thing led us to in Nigeria?” Ab Toro my friend, permit me to answer him here: Clement, go from Shagamu to Bayelsa, you will plaques stood along the road bearing SUKUK. Meaning that the projects are financed by SUKUK loans. Go to Osogbo and find out all the beautiful projects they are doing, how much of the funds came from your (Clement) American aids or World Bank. They are all SUKUK of Islamic economy. Now back to my friend Ab Toro. Islam is Justice: If we have adopted Islamic Judicial System, it would not have taken Buhari or any serious President like Buhari time to jail or secure death by beheading (like in China) or by hanging for looters of our commonwealth. This is why people like Femi Fani-Kayode are crying against Islamisation thinking that the North will push Buhari to introduce Sharia. But he goofed as always because he failed to realise that any serious Muslim in power in Nigeria knows that our Constitution is the fearest so far that I have ever seen. It allows each religious group to live by dictates of its religion. If we must have Sharia it will be for the Muslims and it is constitutional. But has the CAN of our constitutional society allowed us to rule ourselves by Sharia? Never mind anyway, nobody will introduce political Sharia. Muslims are already living their lives according to the dictates of the Sharia whether government introduces it or not. One of the Sharia way of life is what every body, Muslim, Christian even pagan, loves about President Buhari. In a Sharia society even, the Christians are allowed to rule themselves by their Book. How come in Nigeria we will be afraid of the unknown. There is no problem. We are okay by the Constitution that we have. It is the Christians that should let us be. Islam as a way of life is Sports: The Prophet of Islam (pbuh) said: “The best of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is stronger in health.” Can anybody tell us what this means if not that Islam is in support of sports and as a means of achieving good health? Moving further, Islam as way of life talks of medicine: The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him (pbuh) said “Allah has not let loose an ailment except that He has placed beside it the cure.” This is medicine. And there is proof everywhere that books of medicine in the world are written most by Muslims. If you doubt me, go to History Bureau in Sokoto and see the books written in Arabic Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio, may Allah forgive and keep his gentle soul safe till Day of Resurrection (Amin). Those books include book of medicine for the doctors, books of diagnosis of ailment, book on technology, researches, etc. And books on religions of the world, etc. Let me just stop here. I will want us to meet physically and plan a trip to Sokoto not Egypt this time around but Sokoto so that we can see things for ourselves. So, let us stop allowing all these sentimental members of our religious families to deceive us. We should find out how Papa Obafemi Awolowo, Sardauna Ahmadu Bello and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (Muslim, Christian, Southerner and Northerner) achieved their unity of Nigeria without allowing religious and ethnic sentiments divide them like we are today since under Goodluck Jonathan and People’s Democratic Party.

Prince Ade

Joy Crown: I know that you are near occupying the position occupied by King Negus of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in the hearts of Muslims all over the world include Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He was a Christian and ruled like Christian King (President) but he was the one to whom Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) sent some Muslims being persecuted in Makkah by Pagan of Makkah for protection. The Christian King Negus did not only protect the Muslims but also he made the Pagans who tried to incite him (the Christian King) against the Muslims eventually see themselves as empty because instead of accepting any incitement against the Muslims (which Christians working for Nigeria’s CAN don’t do today), he made the Pagans return empty, hopeless and greatly disappointed. May Almighty Allah reward you with goodness here in the world and guide you to the right path to meeting him well in the hereafter. Amin.