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Thank you for starting this important conversation, Mark. You raised some valid points re Northern Muslims and their posturing as custodians of Islam in Nigeria that should cause all of us to do some introspection. However, the thread is begging for vital context... https://twitter.com/amasonic/status/1384393722834657280
...that’ll help paint a full picture. For starters, your comparison of the response to Babachir Lawal’s episode and that of Pantami or Buhari misses the point. BL was not called names due to perceived incompetence simply because he happens to be of northern extraction.
The name-calling was as a result of alleged corruption. A better comparison would’ve been Abdurrasheed Maina. Surely, you’ll be hard pressed to find any *serious* northerner calling an attack on Maina an attack on the north. If they exist then I’ll like to meet them.
In the case of Buhari, we have prominent handles on here that questioned (and continue to question) the academic credentials of a former military General to run for President. Not a day goes by that Buhari is not called an “illiterate Aboki”. Can you say the same for Babachir?
Perhaps Babachir’s saving grace is that his Middle Name is David and thus, isn’t doomed as a quota system graduate like the rest of us.
Do you now see why the average Muslim Northerner might consider an attack on Buhari as an attack on himself and his identity?
Do you now see why the average Muslim Northerner might consider an attack on Buhari as an attack on himself and his identity?
Similarly, opposition to Pantami started the minute he was announced as NITDA’s DG. As you can see from the screenshot below, many like FF didn’t waste time to write him off simply because he was an Islamic cleric. (I recognise that you were quick to correct him).
“Surely, this aboki Mallam’s PhD had to be from Saudi and not the coveted UK degree that is exclusive to non-quota graduates”.
[chuckles]
[chuckles]
What’s more, much like PMB, Pantami isn’t under fire for alleged corruption like Babachir was, but for faith-based utterances he made decades ago, which he has since renounced.
Do you now see why it is disingenuous to compare the response to Babachir and Pantami’s travails?
Do you now see why it is disingenuous to compare the response to Babachir and Pantami’s travails?
I’ve been following you for years and I know that you always try to be balanced in your commentary of the north. However, the same cannot be said for the David Hundeyins, Ndi Katos and Chetas.
And there are 1000s of them on here.
And there are 1000s of them on here.
Anti-Muslim North criticism on Twitter is normally so extreme to the point that a muslim northerner cannot provide any nuance to the conversation without coming across as extreme too.
I’ll end with a personal anecdote. I shared this tweet, which was completely whimsy-intended on New Year’s Day and what followed was a wave of condescension by people who were to eager to criticise a Zayyana that they failed to remember that half of a half is a quarter.
I dare say that if a Mark had tweeted that, people like @0lajide wouldn’t have been quick to condescend. But alas, a Zayyana can’t be clever. A Zayyana is doomed to perpetual blunders.
“A quota graduate will always be a quota graduate”.
“A quota graduate will always be a quota graduate”.
This is what the Muslim northerner deals with everyday on Twitter; insults, condescension and more insults.
The point of all this is that these things are not black & white. There’s a massive grey area that’s filled with bigoted people from every part of this country.
The point of all this is that these things are not black & white. There’s a massive grey area that’s filled with bigoted people from every part of this country.
