City Crime
Talibans’ War Of Beards
In European history there is the War of Jenkin’s Ear, and in current history of Afghanistan, there is the War of Beards. In Nigerian colloquial Lingo, beards can be called bia-bia, and for the Taliban regime of Afghanistan, bia-bia is a symbol of compliance with and acceptance of Shariah law. To drive home the symbolism, the Talibans enacted a law which demands that hair dressers must not shave off any bia-bia from a bearded man. A hair dresser who goes contrary to that law stands the risk of having his arm amputated. Draconic law?
Going by the level of lawlessness and recalcitrance in modern societies, the need for Draconian laws may not be questioned seriously. In ancient Athens when lawlessness became unbearable, a law-giver called Draco, provided very severe penalties for offenders, as a measure to reduce lawlessness. It was another lawmaker, Solon (635-560 B.C.) who repealed all the Draconian laws because of their harshness and the excessively heavy penalties they carried. When a youngman’s reproductive organ was chopped off, for rape, there came the remark that Draco’s code was written in blood, not in ink. Draco was not a Taliban.
Apart from ancient Athens and Draconian laws, various countries and regimes adjusted their laws according to the demands and circumstances of the times. There was a time that debtors could be hanged in their state of insolvence, or their children sold away as slaves. Human consciousness and value orientations are progressive, rather than static; so also is the legal system etc. Change rules human existence.
Penalties such as stoning offenders to death on the spot or amputation of limbs, where crowds were allowed to watch such orgies, were quite common in various societies. Religious organisations and their leaders were in the forefront in the implementation and encouragement of such barbaric penalties. But soon it was discovered that lawmakers and those who implemented the laws were quite hypocritical and had sought to instill fears and docility in the masses. The level of hypocrisy and double standards became so glaring that silent protests arose in every society.
Hypocrisies in the administration of laws and penalties became such that Shakespeare in The Life and Death of King John, said: “When law can do no right, let it be lawful that law bar no wrong”. Similarly, “Thieves for their robbery have authority when judges steal themselves”. The history of law itself provided for such immunity that makes the law an ass, with the old axiom that laws are made by superiors for the inferiors to obey. A situation where there are such immunities, impunities and abuses, obviously hypocrisy advances into dogmatism, for the purpose of using power and fear as instruments to shield hypocritical institutions, or rulers.
All the wars in human history have brought to light the shenanigans of power merchants, whereby what cannot be achieved through “politics” is taken to the battlefield, as another arena of power politics. In this sense, “politics” is the soul of leadership; from monarchy, democracy, ecclesia, to gangsterism, whose sole goal is power. Millions of people can die in the politics of war, that power merchants may inherit power or sell weapons of war for gold. Thus there is a circle of hypocritically-induced conflicts, wars, losses and inheritance of power.
Obsession with power takes various forms, including fanatical adherence to ideologies, creed, belief system and several other propensities or vaulting ambitions. Such obsessive propensities, when coupled with charisma and ego, would know no bounds, neither would any obstruction be spared. It often happens that at the initial stage, followers and supporters or sponsors of such obsessive power monger, would rarely know the driving force behind their hero. But much later signs of mental aberration begin to show, perhaps after much harms had already been done.
Research works into power-obsessed phenomenon, have always shown that victims of such mental aberration rarely function alone as individuals, but serve as outlets for the flow of some radiations. Then a structure or some institutions serve as the arena for the maintenance and management of the influx of power. It happens that operators and loyalists of the structure or institution sponsoring the power enigma, show uncanny zeal, fanaticism and devotion that a cult system grows around the power structure. One power or group leads, with numerous foot soldiers.
In reality the enigma of power obsession is complex but it takes possession of the brain and then infects a wider audience in the form of passion and fanatical commitment or idolisation. There were some Nigerians who swore that they would commit suicide if late General Sani Abacha did not become life President of Nigeria. Thus, mass hysteria gives fuel to power passion, at the end of which a cult or belief system serves as the instrument of the exercise of power, whether or not one individual is the arrow-head of the mission. Once established, a power structure becomes intimidating.
When it comes to a belief system, fanatical or fundamentalist power structure can become monstrous. If religion and politics combine as the structure to express fundamentalism, then those who have different worldviews are heretics. Such opponents or unbelievers would be panel-beaten to an acceptable shape through laws with stiff penalties. An alternative is to accept and embrace the fundamentalists’ version of faith. Like Emperor Nero’s army, foot soldiers, including radical students, are handy for war.
When Reverend Jim Jones degenerated from radical evangelism into a monster in Guyana, many of his followers did not know, until they all perished in a forest swamp. In matters of religion and politics, coercive arms of the establishment are usually handy and ready to do great exploits in the service of power structures. Radical and fundamentalist adherents of faiths and politics soon develop a mindset, obsession and fixation, whereby they assume the posture of soldiers at war with those of different worldview. Symbol of radical fundamentalism is beard, moustache or bia-bia.
In the case of the Talibans of Afghanistan, avid enforcement of the beard culture is a visible evidence of a true and committed devotee. Culture of fundamentalism goes with adoption of the peculiar lifestyle of the founding hero. For example, adherents and admirers of Fidel Castro’s ideology cultivated beards, while fans of Odumegwu Ojukwu would sing songs about “Ojukwu bia-bia”, etc. Even university students copy the lifestyles of their role models.
Dr Amirize is a retired lecturer from the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State Government has vowed to enforce strict compliance with approved building plans by property owners and developers in the State to guarantee safety and adherence to regulatory standards.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi, in his inaugural meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Directors and staff of the Ministry, said he would ensure full implementation of the Physical Planning Development Law of the State.
He warned that the Rivers State Government will no longer condone a situation where developers make deliberate adjustment or completely deviate from approved building plan in the execution of their projects without recourse to the Ministry.
Hon. Bipi solicited the cooperation of the civil servants of the Ministry while promising to run an open door policy and be easily accessible.
He also promised to right the wrongs, make a positive impact and leave an enduring legacy in the Ministry.
He promised to enhance the physical landscape and aesthetic of Old and New GRA as well as other parts of Port Harcourt.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Surv. Wisdom Hebron, assured the Commissioner of maximum cooperation to foster a harmonious working environment.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has approved the payment of N85,000.00 as the new minimum wage for civil servants in the employ of the Rivers State Government.
This is the agreement reached during a closed door meeting presided over by the Governor and attended by representatives of organised labour under the auspices of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council in the State at Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nwaeke, who spoke on behalf of the Government, affirmed that Governor Fubara has graciously approved a new minimum wage of N85,000.00, adding that the government will begin in November, 2024.
Dr George said, “He (Gov Fubara) has pronounced a figure that is higher than the National Minimum Wage. He pronounced a sum of N85,000.00, which is higher than the minimum wage that was prescribed nationally.
“So, as the Head of Service and a major stakeholder in the labour family, I am very happy to say that the Rivers State Civil Servants have never had it this good since the inception of this State.
“The labour union leaders and all the other major stakeholders were happy with this development,” he added.
Responding to possible payment of arrears, Dr Nwaeke, said it is yet to be determined because a technical committee has been set up to critically work out a tenable payment chart, which will cater to issues of arrears.
He clarified, “Issues of arrears will be worked out by the committee that I am going to be Deputy to the SSG. We are already going to work on it in a technical committee that will now get the nitty gritty of the payment and inform the press later.”
On his part, the Rivers State Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Comrade Emecheta Chuku, explained that this is their first meeting with Governor Fubara to discuss the issue of the new minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Comrade Chuku pointed to the fact that the gracious approval of N85,000.00 new minimum wage is very appeasing to the labour leaders, adding that it demonstrates love for the workers.
He explained, “For the Governor to come, against all the crisis, against all the things that he is facing and more, to say he will pay N85,000.00 minimum wage, I think our hearts are full of joy.
“Of course, we have no doubt, knowing the kind of person we have as our Governor. He is a decent man; very responsible enough; and grew through the rank and file of the system. He understands what it takes to earn a living salary; he understands the difference between gifting money and paying somebody salary that can sustain him or her from the first day to the last day of the month.”
Also speaking, the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Rivers State Chapter, Comrade Alex Agwanwor, noted that the amount approved by Governor Fubara puts Rivers State Government ahead of Lagos State as the highest minimum wage paying State to civil servants in Nigeria.
He stressed, “Why do I say that? Lagos State said N85,000.00 and Rivers State is paying N85,000.00. The IGRs of Lagos State and Rivers State are not the same. So, for the Governor to agree to pay the same rate with Lagos, that means we are at the top of it.
“We are the best, and we want to continue to commend the Governor. We assure him that, as far as this State is concerned, labour is going to stand with him. We will be with him even until the next eight years.
“I want to commend His Excellency, Executive Governor of Rivers State, our own Number One Worker in Rivers State, he has, once again, proven that the workers in Rivers State gave him an award on May Day as the Champion of Labour, as the Most Labour-Friendly Governor in Nigeria. He, again, has shown that to us today, and I want to commend him.”
He added that they were returning to the State Secretariat Complex to inform workers of the Governor’s magnanimity and benevolence towards civil servants in the State.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has felicitated Muslim faithful as they celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad, urging them to show love, tolerance, perseverance, patriotism and commitment to the growth and development of the State.
Governor Fubara, in a message in Port Harcourt, the State capital, urged the Muslim Ummah to use the lessons of the 12th day of the third month of Rabi’ al-Awwal to reflect on the core teachings of the Holy Prophet, and interceed for one another as exemplified by the sacrifices He made for humanity.
The Governor charged the faithful in the State and across the country to commit to ensuring that they continue to benefit from the genuine policies and programmes of government put in place to make live easy for all living and doing business in the State, without discrimination.
He said, “I, on behalf of the government and good people of Rivers State, heartily felicitate all Muslim faithful on the occasion of the Eid-el-Maulud celebration, to honour the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and urge for prayers for the revival and unity of Nigeria.
“The occasion, yet again, provides an opportunity to reflect deeply on the need for greater application of the Prophet’s teachings bordering on piety, charity, patience, resilience, justice and peaceful coexistence,” he added.
Governor Fubara assured the Muslim community in Rivers State, and indeed, all residents of the resolve of his administration to sustain the tempo of providing critical projects and social services to improve the quality of life of the people.