KWARA AND CULTURE OF RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION

 JOHN OLAIYA contends that Kwara South is politically marginalised

Kwara is a heterogenous State. But one part of this status that has all along remained unattended to is religion. But discrimination on account of religion has always been the order of the day in this North Central State. Worse still, it is done with lots of pretence. The belief everywhere is that Kwara is predominantly Muslim and that has been the trend over the years. Outside the State, the belief is same that though Christians abound in Kwara, they are insignificant in number.

Ilorin, the State capital which houses the largest concentration of Christians in the State, is said to be often hostile to people of other faiths especially the Christians. The tradition has spread to other parts of the State where Christians are subjected to second-class treatments and by that, they are believed to have rare opportunities in public offices. Such people, few in number, are only favoured by someone who is an Ilorin man or has strong connections with Ilorin.

The same is said to be the story and fate of non-Muslims on the political terrain. This applies to political appointments and elective aspirations. The powers that be are the ones that decide who becomes what or who contests what in the State, particularly from the Southern part of Kwara. The Christians the trend affects most are the Igbominas from three Local Government Areas: Irepodun, Isin and Ifelodun. The other groups are the Ekitis in Ekiti Local Government and Oke Ero Local Government. So also are the Ibolos in Offa and Oyun Local Governments. The Igbominas are, however, worst hit.

Traditionally, discriminations manifest more during political seasons. It is to the effect that only the political chiefs in Kwara dictate who carries the ticket in all the parties. It begins by asking aspirants to first disclose their religion and that had in the past raised concerns. In many cases those of a particular faith may not get there except they are favoured by the perceived Lords of the manor.

The people of Ifelodun appear to be more affected by this feeling which they said is a reality. Come any political season, they can only aspire but the hope of getting there is often slim. Though they occasionally are lucky to get there, especially by God’s grace, yet aprons are often tied to the slots they get politically.

As if this is not enough, a particular section of Ifelodun composed mainly of Christians is most hit by this culture of discrimination. They have never been able to clinch political power no matter how qualified they are. The record in this dispensation is worse against them; and they have carried this burden since 1999. But now, they feel the time has come for them to talk.

Using the Ifelodun/Oyun/Offa Federal Constituency as a case study, facts showed that since this democracy started in 1999, all Members of the House of Representatives have been from a particular religion. They are Hon. Raufu Kolawole Shittu, (Offa LG, Muslim); Hon. Adebola Oyedele (Offa LG/ Muslim); Hon. Kolawole Yusuf; (Ifelodun LG/Muslim); Hon. Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim (Oyun LG/Muslim) Hon. Olarinoye Olayonu (Offa/Muslim); Hon. Ismail Kolawole Tijani (Oyun LG/ Muslim). This is a clear case of gross discrimination against Christians and Ifelodun Local Government as a Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.

Also, the people are worried that of the 18 Wards with nine districts in the Ifelodun Local Government made up of Share; Oke Ode; Oro Ago; Ile Ire; Agunjin; Ora; Igbaja; Omupo and Idofian the distribution is such that still deprives part of the district’s opportunities. They had never been given the privilege of having any elective positions since 1999.

The concentration of Christians in such district is believed to be used against them in a place where by birth, they have equal eligibility like the other eight districts. It is against this background that everyone has risen to make a case for a candidate that would cover the gaps created over the years at the expense of such areas that are so denied representations in Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency. Their deprivations include birth in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly. And instructively, for decades, there had never been a representative of such districts in either the State House of Assembly or the National Assembly.

The sing-song is that it will be good to give them a sense of belonging for once and give a Christian either elective or appointive positions. 

Over the weekend, a group tagged GURUS VENTURES (Reg. BN: KW 6934) TEAM OF POLITICAL ANALYSTS circulated a table in Ilorin which showed how much Kwara South, made up of seven local governments – Irepodun, Isin, Ifelodun, Oke Ero, Ekiti, Offa and Oyun – had been denied slots in political calculations in Kwara State. It also showed more prominently, the less reckoned with Christian population in the State.

The table, for instance, showed that Kwara has approximately a population of 3,393,550 people. The table showed that Christian population is on average 40% and Muslims 60%. To prove that Christians are discriminated against in Kwara State, the table showed that while Muslims occupy 18 out of 24 seats in the State House of Assembly, only six  seats are for Christians. Also, out of 20 Commissioners holding portfolios in Kwara, seven are for Christians while 13 are Muslims.

Currently in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, three seats are for Kwara and all are occupied by Muslims. The state has six seats in the House of Representatives and all are occupied by Muslims. Of the 26 Local Government Areas in the State, Muslims have 12 Chairmen and Christians just four. The table further stated that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had in the past alleged marginalisation of Christians in the state. They stressed that Christians are under-represented in appointments in Kwara without the issue being addressed by political leaders. It is clearly stated that political representations are grossly deficient, with Christians having a lower share of appointments which means less influence over budget allocation and projects.

The group also complained of centralization of most state developments in Ilorin to the disadvantage of the agrarian Southern part of the State that produces cocoa, kola nuts and other crops in the forest belt which lacks processing industries and road networks.

As the journey to 2027 begins in earnest, it is imperative that this lopsidedness and discrimination against Christians must be addressed. It is now time that a Christian must represent the Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency seat in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly for the first time since the beginning of the current democratic experiment.

Olaiya writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.

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HANTAVIRUS: IS NIGERIA READY?

PAT ONUKWULI argues the need to strengthen surveillance, sanitation and public awareness

Nigeria has no confirmed case of hantavirus, and the current public risk remains low. But as Spain evacuates passengers from the MV Hondius, a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak after arriving in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Nigeria must not confuse distance with safety. In a world where infections can cross borders faster than official warnings, the time to strengthen surveillance, sanitation and public awareness is before danger arrives.

Hantavirus is not yet a familiar name in Nigeria. It does not carry the public memory of Ebola, the political weight of COVID-19, or the recurring fear associated with Lassa fever. Yet unfamiliarity should never be mistaken for irrelevance. Some diseases announce themselves loudly; others move quietly until they expose the cracks in a country’s public health system.

The present concern is a multi-country cluster linked to this MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says the ship had passengers and crew from 23 countries, including nine European Union and European Economic Area countries, and has issued guidance for managing those potentially exposed to Andes hantavirus.  Reuters reports that all passengers on the affected ship are being treated as high-risk contacts as a precaution, with repatriation arranged through special transport rather than commercial flights.

Spain is central to the current response because the ship arrived near Tenerife. Spanish passengers were among those evacuated first, while other affected or involved countries include the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, France, Singapore, South Africa and others connected through passengers, crew, medical evacuation, quarantine or contact tracing. Argentina and Chile are also important because Andes hantavirus is endemic in parts of those countries, and investigators are examining possible exposure before the voyage.

This does not mean the world is facing another COVID-style pandemic. Health authorities continue to describe the wider public risk as low. But low risk is no risk. The lesson for Nigeria is not panic; it is preparedness.

Hantavirus is mainly a rodent-borne virus. People may become infected through exposure to the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, especially when contaminated dust is inhaled in enclosed spaces. Homes, farms, warehouses, food stores, markets, camps, abandoned buildings and grain stores can become risk environments where rodent control is weak.

The virus is not new. Its name is traced to the Hantaan River area in Korea, where early scientific attention focused on a severe rodent-borne illness. Different hantaviruses have since been identified worldwide. In Europe and Asia, they are often associated with kidney-related disease. In the Americas, including areas of Argentina and Chile, some strains are associated with severe illness affecting the lungs and heart. The common thread remains rodents.

This is where Nigeria must pay attention. The country is already familiar with rodent-borne disease. Lassa fever has taught that rats are not merely household pests; they can carry serious infections. In many Nigerian communities, poor waste disposal, open drainage, overcrowded markets, unsafe food storage and weak sanitation create the conditions in which rodents thrive. Hantavirus may not be in Nigeria today, but the environmental conditions that support rodent-borne infections are already present. Blocked gutters, refuse heaps, poorly covered grain stores, crowded markets and homes invaded by rodents are not theoretical risks. They are everyday realities.

Nigeria must turn its borders, clinics, and laboratories into a single early-warning system. Airports, seaports and land borders should screen seriously for travel history, rodent exposure, unusual fever, breathing difficulty and kidney-related symptoms. Health workers must also be trained to look beyond the usual malaria-or-typhoid reflex when fever presents with strange or severe patterns. Above all, laboratories must be ready to quickly confirm uncommon infections, because in outbreak control, what is not suspected is rarely found, and what is not detected early can spread like wildfire.

Public communication is equally important. Nigerians do not need panic; they need clear, calm and practical information. People should keep homes and surroundings clean, store food in sealed containers, block rodent entry points, avoid touching dead rodents with bare hands, ventilate closed rooms before cleaning, avoid sweeping dry rodent droppings into the air, use disinfectant where contamination is suspected and seek medical care early when serious symptoms appear.

The government must also treat environmental sanitation as a public health priority, not as a ceremonial monthly exercise. Markets, gutters, abattoirs, motor parks and refuse points must not remain open invitations to rodents. Local governments should take waste collection, drainage clearing, pest control and market sanitation seriously. Public health cannot survive on press statements alone; it must be visible in clean markets, functional drains and responsive primary health centres.

The broader lesson is that hantavirus lies at the intersection of human health, animal health and the environment. This makes a robust One Health approach essential, bringing together public health authorities, veterinary experts, environmental officers, researchers, community leaders and local governments. Disease prevention cannot rest on hospitals alone; it must also extend to the places where people live, trade, store food and dispose of waste.

The question is not whether Nigeria should panic. It should not. The question is whether Nigeria can prepare before it is forced to react. Hantavirus may never become an epidemic in Nigeria, and that would be welcome. But such an outcome should not depend on luck. It should depend on readiness. If the threat has not yet reached Nigeria’s doorstep, prudence demands that the country strengthen its defences before it arrives.

Dr. Onukwuli is a legal scholar and public affairs analyst. patonukwuli2003@yahoo.co.uk