A former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Obadiah Mailafia, has alleged that some northerners are issuing Nigerian passports and voters’ cards to millions of foreigners in a bid to actualise their “Fulanisation and Islamisation” agenda.
Mailafia who bared his mind in an interview with Saturday Tribune said the Northerners believe this may be the last opportunity they get to “reshape Nigeria in their own way.’’
He noted that “So, for Nigeria, I do not believe in our eternal indissolubility. From the way things are going, some people are hell-bent on destroying the country. They are pushing forward their evil agenda of Fulanisation and Islamisation.
“They do not give a damn what anybody thinks. They believe they are in power and this is perhaps the last opportunity they have to reshape the country in their own image. Through Pantami’s devious NIN palaver, they are allegedly importing millions of aliens and issuing them with passports, national identity cards and voter’s cards.
“They are fighting a demographic Jihad to ensure that the North is the demographic majority by subterfuge. And then they will have a free licence to call the shots in perpetuity. They have allowed hundreds of thousands of killers to invade our country. They are everywhere now,” Mailafia said.
On the recent controversy that surrounded Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the former CBN deputy governor noted that he belongs to the Salafi movement which does not believe in dialogue with other religions or civilization.
Mailafia noted that clerics like Pantami have brought sorrow and tears to Nigerians.
“I saw an old video-clip of him waxing lachrymose about the need to go to Langtang and wage war on “the infidels.”
“It is people like him, with their evil theology, that have brought so much bloodshed, sorrow and tears to our country. We heard very well what the government said in his defence. They did not white-wash his wickedness; they merely tried to rationalise it as the waywardness of youth.
“He belongs to the Salafi School, which emerged with the medieval philosopher and mystic Ibn Taymiyya. Unlike great thinkers such as Ibn Sinna, Al-Farabi, Al-Kindi and the rest, Taymiyya and his ilk believe there coldl be no basis for dialogue with other cultures, religions and civilisations.
”But they are a minority even in Islam. The majority of Muslims are civilised, enlightened, peaceful and tolerant people. The Salafi are the people driving Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabbab, ISWAS and other terrorists,” he said.
He argued that the old North to which he belongs no longer exists, following the deaths of the likes of Sir Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa.
“I need to politely correct you here. I am not from the North. I belong to the Middle Belt of Nigeria. The old North died with great leaders such as Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The old North died with Aminu Kano and Sa’adu Zungur of blessed memory.
“The leaders of the North today are very corrupt, morally bankrupt and murderous renegades. We in the Middle Belt have vowed that we shall — by fire by thunder – forge an independent course. Our destiny is different,” Mailafia said.