Destruction Of 337 Bottles Of Beer In Jigawa: Hypocrisy Gone Too Far By Ikechukwu Onyeama

When we pretend to have virtues, moral principles or religious beliefs, it perhaps makes us feel closer to the creator. More often than not, we rarely take into cognizance, the effect of such on others.

When we do not really exhibit such virtue in totality, we become nothing but hypocritical with or without the knowledge of it.

On Thursday the 12th of October 2017, an online news media had it that “ Jigawa LGA destroys 475 bottles, jerry-can of assorted beer”

According to the report, “Hisbah, a sharia law enforcement agency in Jigawa, has prohibited the consumption of beer in all part of the state.”

They however warned the beer vendors to change trade or face the full wrath of the law.

One will not deny Jigawa et al the right to make and implement laws that are aimed at bringing sanity to the state neither do I intend to debate the rightness or otherwise of the religious believe of a people so long as it does not infringe on my own individual right.

That said, it is expected of states that have adopted such moral or spiritual laws to have taken a holistic approach in the implementation so as to avoid being hypocritical.

In Nigeria, Nine states of Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kebi and Yobe have fully embraced this law.

One question which readily comes to mind is; what happens to the owners and manufacturers of this products who are legitimate companies operating and paying their VAT to the federal government of Nigeria?

In the same country, some markets are denied them yet they generate huge revenue for Government which is shared by all 36 states plus FCT without restriction.

It is common knowledge that one who abhors crime should not be in possession of the proceed. Consumption of beer falls short of “sharia law” in Jigawa, it is thus prohibited. So should the VAT (revenue) from beer.

Consequently, to avoid being hypocritical in our quest for spiritual uprightness, the states where this law have been passed and prohibition on sale of beer in implemented, should in truthfulness to faith, compel the federal government through the FIRS to separate the revenue from beer before it is shared.

By so doing only states that open up their market should also share from its revenue and the states that have closed their market for this product should not turn around and share from the proceed. It is highly hypocritical and defeats the whole essence of religious virtue which the “sharia law” seeks to promote.