Y’s Men Hear About Nigeria

An Insider’s Look at Nigeria

On Tuesday this week I had the privilege of addressing the Y’s Men of Meriden, Connecticut. My talk was called, “An Insider’s Look at Nigeria Past and Present.” I began, as usual, with the map showing the African continent and all the countries that would fit inside – the US, China, and India – with space left over.

I showed artifacts from three early kingdoms or cultures in Nigeria, the Nok, Igbo Ukwu, and Benin. All existed before the Europeans “discovered” Africa in the 1400’s.

I talked about the difference in the British colonials’ treatment of the north and south from the late 1800’s to 1960 and independence. Christian missionaries brought education to the south, but were prohibited in the Muslim north. So when the colonial period came to an end, southerners were ready to take positions in the civil service and industry.

But the north has a larger population. This disparity was one of the factors that led to secession by the southeastern part of the country in 1967. Biafra, the short-lived country that seceded, was defeated in 1970. There were a series of coups and countercoups. Today there is a democratically elected government.

The Y’s Men had lots of great questions. I hope they will invite me back when my next book comes out. Then I’ll talk about customs and traditions.

Violence in Northern Nigeria

Last week there were clashes between Muslim and Christian youth in a market in Kaduna State. CNN reports that 55 people died. Recent reports say that 22 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

President Buhari has condemned the violence. The Premium Times says, “Mr Buhari appealed to all who call Kaduna home to do their best to uphold peace in their respective communities, warning that chaos does not help.”

And that’s not all. A group of Muslim protesters tried to march into Abuja earlier this week. According to VOA, “Security forces opened fire with live ammunition on members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) who had marched in their hundreds to demand the release of their leader Ibrahim Zakzaky.”

I was not familiar with the leader Zakzaky or his movement. I read more: “Around half of Nigeria’s 190 million people are Muslims. Although virtually all of them are Sunnis, Zakzaky has attracted an estimated 3 million followers as a preacher of Shi’ite Islam since being drawn to that sect by the 1979 revolution in Iran.”

Their leader has been imprisoned since 2015 but his followers are active. Many, I’m sure, are motivated by strong feelings of hatred for the evil West, especially America, and support for Iran’s Muslim leaders. But the lack of opportunity with high unemployment, and a leader or movement that provides young people with a sense of purpose, provides fertile ground for recruiting.

There’s a lengthy and scholarly article on Zakzaky, the IMN, and Boko Haram from West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center. It was written in 2013. It seems relevant today, though the number of Muslims is higher.

The author Jacob Zenn says, “Despite Nigeria’s geographic and cultural distance from Iran, there is no region outside of the Middle East where Iran’s ideology has a greater impact than in northern Nigeria. Nigeria’s pro-Iranian Shi`a Muslim community was virtually non-existent 30 years ago but now comprises about five percent of Nigeria’s 80 million Muslims.²

Halloween Sale

Today I sold my car, a 2007 Nissan Maxima, which I loved! But I do most of the driving and we only need one car. I’m happy to recapture garage space.

I took it to the dealer in Danbury, 40 minutes away. I called Clem after they gave me a price. He wasn’t too happy about selling it, and I knew he wouldn’t like the price.

I called Kelvin, our son-in-law, and he encouraged me to take the offer! So I came home with a check, the discarded license plates, the garage door opener, and good memories!

Now I’ll have to get new bumper stickers. The ones I want most are Peace Corps Family and DMGS – Clem’s secondary school in Nigeria. I’ll also have to replace the Mount Holyoke sticker, and WSHU, our local public radio station.

River Blindness Defeated in Two Nigerian States

My friend Anita gave me a brochure from The Carter Center. The cover is a picture of a man from northern Nigeria who was afflicted by “river blindness.” The disease is carried by a parasite, “spread by the bites of infected black flies that breed in rapidly flowing rivers and streams.”

For more than 25 years the Carter Center has worked with the Nigerian government and other partners on a mass drug administration program to counteract the disease.

I learned from the article that, “Nigeria is the most endemic country in the world for river blindness.” The drug Mectizan has been donated by Merck and distributed “by a vast network of local volunteers.”

Mectizan “kills the parasitic worms in their larval stage,” the article says.

The man on the cover is one of the last to suffer in two northern Nigerian states, Nasarawa and Plateau. Residents can now stop taking the drug because transmission has been halted. The program is still operating in seven of Nigeria’s 36 states.

Merck’s commitment is to provide the drug “as much as needed, for as long as needed.” Good for them and for the Carter Center’s support!