Ethics is sometimes referred to as “the study of values and moral behavior” and “Ethical behavior is acting in ways consistent with one’s personal values and the commonly held values of the organization and society (Nelson and Quick, 2008, p, 107). When we lie, cheat or steal to achieve a personal or group goal, others view our behavior as unethical. Using this standard of ethics, it is the means used to achieve an outcome and not the outcome itself that determines whether the decision leading to the behavior is ethical or not. Falling into this category are making false representations, not meeting promised commitments, and misleading others is based on the belief that organizational decisions that bring harm to one or more stakeholders are unethical. This is especially true if the relevant stakeholders are relatively powerless “at the decision makers mercy.” A more rigid standard in this category holds that individuals should not only avoid doing harm to others, but even more they should work to help others. “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do”.
Potter Stewart Schulman (2002) defines moral behavior as “acts intended to produce kind and/or fair outcomes (p.500). In attempting to define ethical decisions, Jones writes that “An ethical decision is a decision that is both legally and morally acceptable to the larger community”. (1991, p. 387)
In judging Nigerians base on these moral and ethical principles, it is can be comprehensibly observed that there is a clear slide of declining in our moral standard. “Since the initiation of Yar’adua/ Jonathan presidential ticket under the platform of the PDP by former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria has been plunged into an ethno-religious crisis. The nation no longer enjoys cordial rapport among its diverse ethnic groups. The case of Jonathan and Yar’adua is no longer a blessing to Nigerians. With the Muslims praying for Yar’adua to live long so that their religious man will remain on power and avoid ceding the opportunity to a Christian, on the other hand, the Christians are hoping for another brighter opportunity to have again another Christian President should in case Yar’adua passed away due to his protracted illness. All these struggles are not meant for developmental purposes but for selfishness and aggrandizement.
The presidency of Jonathan exposed more of our moral bankruptcy in terms of religion tolerance. Today, Nigeria is faced with a critical and a high degree of ethno-religious disunity among its citizens. The presidency and our religious fathers are to be blame for the nations disintegration because they have done nothing more or less to correct such anomaly. Moreover, the government has failed to convince us that the current champions of the heavy weight emotional and sentimental public speakers, Oritsejafor, Asari, Clark e.t.c. are not part of its cold war tactics against the north and Muslims from northern Nigeria.
The mortifying issue is that of Oritsejafor, the CAN president who is presumed to be a symbol of morality and righteousness but has radicalized himself to confront delicate national problems and political crisis. He usually capitalized his criticisms on hearsay rather than facts.
The case of Aisha Uzoechina, daughter of a Redeemed Christian Church of God’s pastor who converted to Islam and sought refuge at the palace of Etsu Nupe, Oritsejafor alleged that Etsu Nupe was responsible for coercing the girl to accept Islamic religion. An allegation that was later proven to be a faux pas due to the girl’s public statement that she converted on her will. Oritsejafor never came out to apologize for such gaffe.
Recently, CAN declared that the Borno state government is set to demolish churches in the state but later on the mouth that lied came out to retract its previous blunder without apology. The Ayo Oritsejaor led CAN is always contradicting itself with concocted stories against the Muslims of this country. The man is always set for counter attacking under the facade of defending the Christians.
The Almajiris were also not spared from the emotional attacks of Oritsejafor as he was deeply sick with the Federal government’s ideas of enhancing the Alamjiri system of education. He accused the government of being bias of trying to stop the Almajiris from roaming and begging in the streets.
At a time, when the nation is headed by a Christian president, a Christian senate president, a Christian Secretary to the Federation, a Christian chief of Army staff, a Christian chief of naval staff, a Christian defense minister, to mention just a few, Oritsejafor was claiming that Christians are treated as second class citizens in Nigeria. Wonders will never cease. How will this man react if a Muslim become the president of the nation and decided to have his people occupying the aforementioned sensitive positions? Why would a religious leader go into such controversial context that is capable of undermining our unity? What lesson or attitude did he want his followers to adopt? Is he trying to develop a Nazism ideology or Christ ideology? History has revealed that this was how Hitler started his Nazism (by brain washing).
Why would a religious leader be preaching against a census result? What moral lesson does one gain from such fallacies about the Census result? Is it the job of a religious organization to invalidate a census result?
With all these yelps, supposedly, the Northerners in Nigeria were all Christians will Oritsejafor bark against their population strength if it beats the Muslims south?
A census that was conducted in 2006 during the reign of a Christian president, Olusegun Obasanjo and was conducted by a Christian as the chairman of National population Commission (NPC), chief Samaila Makama is still stirring up a furor among the tribalists, Islamaphobics and some egocentric spatial perceptive elements of our society only because the result does not favor them. Oritsejafor and his cohorts will only be satisfied if the population scores are overturned in saying the south is populous than the north and that the Christians are the majority. Is it the manipulation of a census data that Nigerians are requiring or daily bread?
Is this man actually acting on the teachings of Jesus Christ or behaving under his personal revelation?
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world”,1 John 4:1.
At a time when the humble and modest Pope Francis, is riding a 1984 Renault car, our Nigerian pastors and their ‘Oga at the top’ are busy flying with their bombarded private jets that they bought either with tithes or received from political thieves as a gift. All these, are happening at a time when larger populations of the society are living in abject poverty.
Sadly, in our country, these people are considered the men of God.
The CAN president should at lease emulate his counterpart, his eminence, the sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar. His leadership qualities are more akin to the teachings of Jesus Christ (P.B.U.H). Perhaps, that was why the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan were nominated for the Nobel peace prize.
The Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka are people very much respected among the Muslims due to their religious tolerance and love for peace. They have preached peace and have done a lot to see that Nigerian Muslims and Christians are incorporated to live harmoniously not because they are chumps but as true followers of Christ they have to be Christians not pseudo Christians.
‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31
In another contrast, while the present pope Francis, a peace advocate, never supports the American style of using force and war on other nations, the Oritsejafor’s led CAN has been preaching to America to come and interfere into the Boko Haram crisis. A problem that was enkindle due to the 14 yrs of negligence rule by the PDP. The Oritsejafor’s led CAN has also deliberately portrayed the Boko Haram crisis as a Muslims vs. Christians battle in which the Christians are being maimed and killed by the Muslims and that it was a northern Muslim agenda to destabilized the nation to become ungovernable for Jonathan, a Christian. Whereas, the Boko Haram crisis was a political crisis purported under the facade of Islam by some Politicians. The Muslims also have fallen most victims of the disaster. Unfortunately, the only side of the story mostly promoted by the national and foreign media was the attack on churches.
The northerners are trapped to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. When you condemned Boko Haram, you signed your death warrant. When you keep mute you are being perceived as religious fanatic and a Boko Haram supporter by the Oritsejafors.
“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” Malcolm X
Alas, Oritsejafor had failed to tell us the relation between CAN and Boko Haram especially with a high profile member of the CAN and a politician popularly known of his Islamophobic politics, Prof. Jerry Gana. Hitherto, Jerry Gana has not publicly refuted the claims that he was the man who twice bailed the late leader of Boko Haram, Muhammad Yusuf. Who can help us to explain the motive of this clandestine relationship between CAN members and the Boko Haram?
The Muslims are actually helpless in these situations that they are often accused by their Christians brothers of not doing much to stop the attacks by Boko Haram. We keep wondering what mere condemnation would do in the face of bullets and bombs. In fact, most of us are of the belief that Boko Haram is a conspiracy against Islam and the Muslim North. Instances in which Christians were caught attempting to bomb churches and the arrest and interrogation of a Christian called Yakubu Bityong by the SSS on charges of financing Boko Haram and many cases similar to this are evident that there is a conspiracy in the issue of Boko Haram. Moreover, none of the most wanted leaders of Boko Haram ever caught has lived for more than three weeks in the custody of the SSS but he will be later reported that he has died from gun shot wounds. Why do they keep dying in custody?
Ismail Datti Sa’id
Anas Sa’id Ismail is a student of Preston university Ajman, U.A.E
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