Who Was The Wisest Man In Nigeria For The Year 2025? -By Joe Dauda

My pick for the wisest man in Nigeria for the year 2025 is the indomitable, sometimes cantankerous, and habitually fire-spitting Yoruba Professor, Ishaq Akintola.

For those who do not know him, Professor Ishaq Akintola is the very aggressive and sometimes controversial Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). To the best of my knowledge, Professor Akintola is the most vocal advocate of Muslim rights in Nigeria. I consider him the wisest man in Nigeria for 2025 because, after the food that people need to survive, security is the most important matter in society—more important than both clothing and shelter and the so-called economy. In fact, the absence of security is the worst single factor in society which can make every other thing no longer reliable. And Professor Akintola’s words had positive security implication for Nigeria. Much of the noise that was made in November was by people who deviated from the philosophical woodwork of his comments. I considered Professor Akintola’s words so consequential I was even beefing the Nigerian media for not amplifying them, repeating them for days, and generally ensuring that they got the treatment of a presidential address. For those who did not read his comments, below are the words of Professor Ishaq Akintola as reported by the Nigerian media in the wake of Donald Trump’s November threat to attack Islamic terrorists in Nigeria.

“Taken contextually, Trump’s threat should be seen as directed at terrorist groups. If that is so, our response to the threat is simple and straightforward. Terrorists are not part of us. Their methods stand in contradistinction to the tenets of Islam. We condemn terrorism, and we will not associate with those who kill and maim. We reject ideologies of kidnapping and extortion. They are alien to Islam. US strikes will make sense if they are directed at terrorist groups like Boko Haram, ISIS and ISWAP, who have been killing both Muslims and Christians. Bandits who have been kidnapping both Muslims and Christians should also be on Trump’s hit list. Trump and the US will be hailed if this is the objective.

Regarding President Trump’s threat, Nigerians should remain calm. There is no cause for alarm, particularly for peace-loving and law-abiding Muslims and other Nigerians. The truth is that the Nigerian government has been fighting these criminals. Our gallant soldiers have been in the trenches all along against these enemies of humanity. Both our government and the good people of Nigeria will be glad if America would confront them. We need such help, and it will be good riddance to bad rubbish if every Boko Haram, ISIS and ISWAP element in this country can be eliminated.

We urge law-abiding Muslims and other Nigerians to eschew thoughts of anti-Trump or anti-American actions over this threat. Nigerians should go about their lawful duties without entertaining any fear. The world is watching. In particular, we warn against the formation of any militant group by any Islamic organisation in response to Trump’s threat. Such groups are most likely to end up harassing innocent Nigerians, including Muslims. Muslim youths, North and South of the country, are advised to avoid public protests over Trump’s threat. We should allow the Nigerian government to handle the matter through diplomatic channels. To the Nigerian government, we advise persuasion and robust diplomacy. Threats should not be met with counter-threats.”