Nigeria — Nigerian religious and political leaders have criticised Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi's call for the partitioning of Africa's most populous nation into two countries - one for Christians and one for Muslims
Nigeria said on 19 March it was recalling its ambassador to Libya, noting that Gaddafi's remarks were offensive and irresponsible.
Gaddafi said on 17 March that partition had saved many lives in India and Pakistan. He asserted that splitting Nigeria into two "would stop the bloodshed and burning of places of worship".
Gaddafi's comments came in a speech to students and were quoted by the Libyan State news agency, Jana.
"The entire population of Muslims and Christians in this country has not shown any sign to say that they cannot peacefully coexist," said Methodist Church Nigeria Prelate, the Rev. Sunday Ola Makinde.
The Rev. John Hayab, spokesperson for the Christian Association of Nigeria in northern Nigeria, said Gaddafi's suggestion should be ignored. He noted that the former president of the Africa Union sponsors State terrorism around the world.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at in Nigeria described Gaddafi's statement as uncalled for. The Islamic group said Nigeria needs true federalism.
The head of Ahmadiyya in Nigeria, Moshood Adenrele Fashola, told the annual Convention of the Jama'at, "We should not be divided into two. This is because we are brothers and sisters. What we have in Jos is more ethnic than religious because no religion tolerates killing one another for no just cause."
Recurring violence in the central Nigeria Jos area, Gaddafi noted is a "deep conflict of a religious nature" caused by the federal state, "which was made and imposed by the British in spite of the people's resistance to it".
Nigeria's 149 million people are almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims.
The West Africa nation has a history of sectarian clashes which has resulted in the killing of many persons and the burning of property.
Jos, the capital of Plateau State in North Central Nigeria, has this year recorded three incidents of religious and ethnic clashes that has claimed hundreds of lives this year.
Makinde said it is cynical for anyone to suggest that partition would resolve an ethno-religious crisis when there has been a series of attacks launched on Islamic faithful "by fellow Muslims [extremists]".
"Why are Muslims and Christians in the South not in crisis? I wish to put on record once again, that any attempt to Islamise Nigeria will fail. What should be done at this moment is for justice to be done because life is sacrosanct and no one has the right to take another man's life," said Makinde.
The spokesperson for the Arewa Consultative Forum, a social cultural group in Northern Nigeria, Anthony Sani, said Gaddafi's call is an indication that he is ignorant of the fact that no Nigerian community has 100 percent of its inhabitants practicing either Islam or Christianity.
"The recent orgy of killings in Jos, the Plateau State capital, was not enough grounds for the country to be dismembered along such impossible lines as demanded by Gaddafi," Sani noted.
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India which Ghaddafi used as example was in a similar situation as Nigeria now is. The geopolitical situation was (and is) even more diverse. But neither the British nor the Indians considered it necessary to split along geopolitical lines. The reason was that, apart from the Muslims, the others were able and willing to work towards integration for the common good. They believed in the principle of "live and let live". Not so with Jihadist Muslims with their ideology of LIVE AND LET DIE. They have consistently demonstrated their culture of insensitivity and intolerance towards other. India has moved on since then and at the global scene, is a power to be reckoned with today.
EXCISION
The ultimate solution to the intransigence of the Sharia states, to removing the terrorism stigma; to saving thousands of lives perennially slaughtered by Sharia state Muslims and to moving forward and being reckoned as an emerging market along with the CIBS (China, India, Brasil and South Africa) is EXCISION. Excision of those states that have brought all the ills on the country.
No one says that there won't be challenges afterwards. India did have challenges after it separated with Pakistan. We can all see where India is today in terms of democracy, economy, science and technology, etc. You cannot make any progress with people who have no value for human lives, who are in partnership with terrorist organisations and states that sponsor terrorism and breed terrorists.
We do not need six countries. Two will be just fine. Who would believe that Zik had his political constituency in south western Nigeria before the north was forced on the southern region?. In a true democracy, your parents can come from Jos but you can still run for governorship in Anambra if that is where you live. That shows what potential exists for true greatness. The cancerous cells must be cut off. This is the only way to eradicate the culture of corruption and impunity. That is the only way forward!!!
Greetings from Copenhagen
excisionist(at)gmx.com
Nigerians should understand as some do that everyone is entitled to his/ her opinion on any issue of life,we should bother about what we do and say about ourseves as Nigerians. given Gadaffi as a leader should be taken seriously when he speaks, but we should not forget 1. He is human, 2. His views should not lead us as a sovereign nation to get so worked up.
We should instead bother about what we as Nigerians do to ourselves, which in actual fact is worse that what 20 Gadaffis can.
The killing must stop.