Usman dan Fodio and the Spirit of a Jihad Forgotten by Northern Political Leaders.

The famed Jihadist exploits credited to Usman dan Fodio in some parts of the West African region in late 1700, and early 1800 was not one ensconced solely in Islamization pursuit or agenda. And it wasn't a per se imposition of Sharia Law on the adherents of the Muslim faith he met in the course of his mission, either. He was a reformer in pursuit of enlightenment, and equal rights and justice for all.

He was against oppression and indiscriminate taxation of the less-privileged in the society. And he resented slavery and corruption within the local authority. In a nutshell, his espousal of the philosophy of puritanism, though symbolic of counter-culture, was most endearing and captivating. Indeed, he lived his words to the fullest, unlike the bogus prophets traversing our leadership corridors today.

He jettisoned a lifestyle he considered vulgar, replete with paganism and debauchery. His goal was not to spread his brand of Islam to fellow Muslims or to the non-believers. But in truth, sought to inspire faith and cleanse his host communities of the apostasy of the nonbelievers on the one hand, and the perversion of the Islamic faith by its leadership and adherents on the other.

Indeed, he was a Muslim, but in principle, he was a reformer. He was not motivated by greed or driven by capitalism or the theory of caste system. If Islam or Sharia law was involved in the struggle, it was simply a means of authority - how to govern.

His goal was not to subjugate but to invigorate renaissance, of idealism, rather than materialism. And that again remains a debate that may never end. 

His major short-coming, nevertheless, was the imposition of Fulani Emirs as rulers of the conquered territories, culminating in the near extinction of the Hausa culture in the North West and the Yoruba culture in the Middle Belt that he met on the ground.

After much studies on this man, I can only visualize him in the image and likeness of the late Aminu Kano, the last authentic Amistad of the Talakawa.

Today, all that is history, gone and completely forgotten in the Northern region of Nigeria. What Usman dan Fodio stood for, fought for, died with the passing of his great-grandson, Sir Alhmadu Bello.

In the past few years, the Miyetti Allah - Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, motivated by greed and the sights and sounds of one of their own as the President of Nigeria, has become more daring and ruthless. They are now the Lords of the Ring, the NRA of the American domestic politics.

While most African countries are embracing technological innovation and high-speed rail system, we are embroiled in a futile debate on whether to embrace modernized cattle ranching or allow Miyetti Allah to continue their destructive nomadic exploits

Enjoying the sponsorship of the faceless Cattle Merchants who command considerable influence in and out of the federal government, Miyetti Allah is unwilling to jettison the antediluvian Nomadic Cattle rearing culture that is transforming cultivated farmlands into battlefields. In the process, innocent blood is eating away our once vibrant and luxurious landscape.

Usman dan Fodio was a scholar and a distinguished author of many books. And he was an advocate of change. So, the question begs to ask: would Boko be Haramed under a Usman dan Fodio, the champion of change and enlightenment? Would Nomadic habit be the trend at the expense of mechanized ranching and popular education of the talakawa?

What about the Almajiri culture that Northern political leaders nurtured, tolerated, and continue to deploy as weapons of political destabilization and electoral fraud?

Everything going on right now in the North is inconsistent with what Usman dan Fodio stood for. You cannot love him and admire him, without loving and catering to the poor, fighting corruption, educating the less-privileged, and embracing the egalitarianism he championed throughout his life. He was against corruption and profligacy. You guys are not - you celebrate them.