Featured

Bestiality Of Power: The Moorish Tragedy (3)

Published

6 years ago

January 20, 2020

The Moors, also called Moricos, were a race of Arab origin who lived in North-West Africa, with some of them invading and settling in Spain between the 8th century AD and 1492, the peak of their tragedy. Those of them who remained in Spain were subjected to stiff persecution and conditions such as being forced to be Christians, forbidden to speak or write Arabic, own any book written in Arabic and non-observance of their traditional ceremonies or festivals. Like the Jews, the Moors suffered severe tragedies and persecutions, but strangely they always grew prosperous through hard work, wherever they settled.
The issue of the travails and tragedies of the Moors over many centuries was raised at an International Conference, with a suggestion that the “Arab spring” and global terrorism associated with Islamic militancy have something to do with centuries-old root-causes. No doubt, the Moslem World has sad stories to tell about global oppression and persecution especially during the Dark Ages. The Christian World had actually referred to the founder of Islam as a false prophet, with available historical records of horrors and tragedies arising from persecution. The Punic Wars, destruction of Carthage and the Crusades serve as examples of hostilities.
No matter the origin and places of settlement of the Moors, they were resilient, hardworking and a shrewd race, capable of turning abilities into assets. They were people who could suffer severe pains, tortures and agonies in silence. They were Moslems and the Spanish Inquisition was their source of torment but the rich ones among them paid bribes to officials of the Inquisition to escape from the tortures which heretics were subjected to, so that they would recant and accept the Christian faith.
Historical records tell us that in 1563, Guerrero, Archbishop of Granada “had visited Pope Pius IV whom he told that his flock in Granada called themselves Christians but were such in name only. “The King of Spain Philip was begged to “Children between the ages of three and fifteen being taken from their parents to be brought up in the Christian Faith.” The Moors prepared to fight for their freedom and on 23rd December 1568, there was a revolt which was crushed in a bestial manner.
The King of Spain sent his half-half-brother Don John to command the army which dealt most cruelly with the Moors. History records say “men were massacred by the thousands, and the women and children captured that they might be sold as slaves”. The battle of Galera was bestial, bloody and callous, with Don John ordering that “not a living soul in Galera should be spared”. We are told that “for this gallant exploit, the Pope hailed Don John as the Champion of Christendom!”
The suffering of the Moors who could not be massacred became too much for the conscience of Don John to bear, that arrangements were made to relocate them in different places, with families forcefully separated. Like the Jews, the Moors who were allowed to settle here and there soon began to prosper, to the envy of their tormentors. Obviously, the hatred of the Moors was based more on their prosperity and resilience than on differences in their religions.
Like the Waldenese in France, the Moors, despite flogging and tortures, held on to their convictions but merely pretended to accept Christianity. In the various new settlements, complaints brought against them were that they never went to war, pretended to be Christians but were devoted solely to their work. The persistent persecution and plight of the Moors were such that some of them became bandits and mercenaries. An example of such mercenary was Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice. Similarly, the role of his personal assistant lago (his Ancient) depicts the degree of contempt the Moors were held in Europe.
There was a time when Spain was dominated by great Islamic scholars until about 1608 when Philip III put forward some schemes for ridding Spain of the troublesome Moors and create an all-Catholic Spain. Despite their travails, tortures and the anguish of splitting families, the Moors did not become heartbroken, even though many left Spain as destitutes. Expulsion of the Moors was a state policy which lasted for centuries, with attendant acts of bestiality. When Philip III introduced alcabala, a tax levied on sales and purchase like modern day Value-Added-Tax (VAT), the prime targets were the Jews and the Moors.
The Archbishop of Ribera was eager that the Moors should be expelled from Spain, since it was impossible to kill them all. Those who were clamouring for the extinction of the Moors did what they could in their own private ways to cook up complaints and bear false witnesses against the Moors, including charges of conversing in Arabic in their privacies.
Apart from the battle of Galera where the most atrocious bestiality and destructions were committed, other centres of butchery and massacre of the Moors included Granada and Valencia. In the district of Aragon, some of the Moors were allowed to continue with their industrious lives because of the level of prosperity which they created for the Spaniards. Even though six percent of the Moors were allowed to remain, those sent to Balary for deportation to various places were given most callous and bestial treatment. Many died.
Any Nigerian reading this true historical summary of the fate of the Moors in Spain would wonder what the motive of bringing up this matter could be, and may even doubt the veracity of the facts stated here. Some international conferences where studies in the bestiality of power feature as themes use such opportunities as a mirror for understanding current global events. Would any reader dismiss the axiom that history repeats itself from era to era, and that those who cannot learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat historical calamities!
For example, global terrorism associated with Islamic militarism, including Boko Haran etc, may have more explanations than what is commonly known. Is it not believable that the “bread” we cast upon the sea can return to us after many forgotten seasons? Whether the proverbial bread returns in the form of cake or unpleasant plague, the truth is that majority of humans can be described as grossly myopic. The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has records that are quite scary.

Bright Amirize

Featured

Fubara Dissolves Rivers Executive Council

Published

2 weeks ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.

Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.

The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”

Featured

INEC Proposes N873.78bn For 2027 Elections, N171bn For 2026 Operations

Published

2 weeks ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.

An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.

The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.

He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.

“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”

On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”

The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.

He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.

Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.

He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.

He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.

In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.

The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.

He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.

“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.

The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.

Featured

Tinubu Mourns Literary Icon, Biodun Jeyifo

Published

2 weeks ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed grief over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.

Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.

In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.

He noted that the late professor would be sorely missed for his incisive criticism and masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

The President also recalled Jeyifo’s leadership of ASUU, praising the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union over the years.

Tinubu said Jeyifo played a key role in shaping negotiation frameworks with the government aimed at improving working conditions for university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.

According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will continue to inspire generations.

He added that the late scholar’s influence extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he served as a mentor to numerous scholars, writers, and activists.

Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.

“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said.

“Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity. I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed.”

Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.