“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” These are among the most hauntingly beautiful words ever uttered in the history of human spirituality.
The Beatitudes in the Gospels speak about meekness, purity of heart, peace, charity and mercy, without which we cannot attain the ideals of true Humanity. These are the words that come to me during this Yuletide Season; at a time when our world is in such turmoil.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continues to wreak havoc upon a bewildered and traumatized populace. The war in Syria continues unabated, with its devastating toll on human lives and the humanitarian tragedy of desperate refugees trying to reach Europe and the West.
Tensions flared dangerously as Turkey downed a Russian military aircraft for allegedly violating its aerial space.
A few weeks ago a couple in California embarked on a suicidal mission of killing off their work colleagues during an end-of-year party. With hearts poisoned by hate, they were prepared to engage in a suicidal act, leaving behind a tiny infant who will now grow
up an orphan. It is part of the mystery of evil which the political philosopher Hannah Arendt famously termed “the banality of evil”.
This tragedy came at the heel of a devastating terrorist attack in the city of Paris that left more than 100 dead and over 300 severely maimed or injured. Paris, the city of my youth – la Ville de Lumière – in which I used to take leisurely walks in the tranquil gardens
of Jardin Luxembourg with my friends. All of Europe was in shock. President François Hollande declared it to be an act of war against the French people.
Back home, the agitation for Biafra has subsided for the moment. Nnamdi Kanu is going to spend Christmas and New Year in jail, having failed the bail conditions for his release from detention. We are yet to hear the last word on Biafra secession.
Happily for us, Boko Haram has been on the defensive. But it remains a real threat. Our beautiful and serene capital has been bombed eight times in the past six years. As we celebrate the Muslim Eid el Moulud and the Christian Christmas, worshippers of both religions will be ever watchful. As if that is not bad enough, a clash between the army and the Shi’i militants the other week led to the death of more than 100 people in the ancient city of Zaria.
As I write, news came that Cameroonian gendarmes, in purported hot pursuit of Boko Haram insurgents, violated our territory, killing more than 70 innocent civilians. It would not be the first time that Cameroonian gendarmes have killed innocent Nigerians within our own national borders. Tensions have also been on the rise with Chad because of the atrocities of Chadian soldiers within Nigerian territory. Those who insist that Boko Haram is a treacherous conspiracy by foreign interests using our neighbours may have a point after all.
President Buhari in his Christmas message declared that the Nigerian military have dealt a fatal blow on the insurgents. The head has been chopped off, and it is only the writhing, languorous body of the monster that is still lumbering about dangerously. Boko Haram has snuffed the life out of 20,000 of our people. There is also the humanitarian catastrophe of more than 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) who will need to be rehabilitated.
The insurgency has done untold damage to the soul and spirit of the Nigerian nation and people. What we are in dire need of is peace. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once remarked that “Peace begins with a smile”. A simple smile can change the world, bringing healing to a broken heart.
Peace begins in the human heart. Gautama Buddha wisely counselled: “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” A man who is not at peace within his own heart cannot live in peace with his family or his neighbours.
The Muslim Ummah recently sent Christmas good wishes to Christian faithful throughout Nigeria. It is a welcome sign. I once lived in the North African city of Tunis, in a lovely villa overlooking the ancient ruins of Carthage. My office was in a high rise building overlooking three contiguous ancient monuments: the ancient Ez-Zitouna Mosque on the right, the medieval Jewish synagogue in the middle and the Old Catholic cathedral on the left. It gave me a vision of what is possible in terms of peaceful co-existence among our ancient faiths. The Holy Qur’an and Hadith recognise Christians and Jews as “People of the Book”. We have the same
Father of Faith, Abraham. The Arab Spring began in Tunis, spreading like wildfire throughout much of the Arab world. But the spring soon became transmogrified into an icy winter of despair, as extremists sought to capture power through violent means.
The Tunisian Dialogue Group successfully championed the cause of democracy through dialogue and nonviolence. Their leaders — Houcine Abassi, Mohamed Fadhel Mahfoudh, Abdessattar Ben Moussa and Wided Bouchamaoui — were recently awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize for Peace. It confirms wisdom of Albert Einstein, that “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Love is the central message in most of the world’s religions. It is certainly the heart of the Christian faith. Harvard philosopher and sociologist Pitrim Sorokin drew scorn among his colleagues when he developed his theory of love as the foundation for peace. Come to think of it, in our day and age, when the love of many has grown cold, Sorokin was ahead of his generation.
But peace, it is clear, is not possible without justice. A situation of injustice breeds violence and frustration, which amounts to a negation of peace. There are manifold inequities in our country that cry for redress.
Ours is not a constitution based on the grundnorm of, “We, the People”. It is also replete with jurisprudential mischief. Wise men like Emeka Anyaoku who advocate a return to some form of regional federalism may well have a point.
Peace also requires an economic foundation. A hungry man is an angry man, as the old saying goes. An idle mind is also the devil’s workshop. We must rebuild our economy to open up opportunities for our teeming millions of unemployed young people. We must feed the hungry and clothe the naked, offering hope to the destitute and hopeless in our cruel and illiberal age. The 2016 Federal Budget, amounting to N6.08 trillion, recently presently to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari offers a glimmer of hope. As always, the devil is in the detail of implementation.
As we celebrate this Season of Peace and as we look towards the coming year, let me wish my gentle readers who have kept faith with me joy, peace and abundant blessings.
