African & Global History Storyteller 🧵
I turn history into engaging threads, stories & lessons you’ll never forget.
For educators, creators & curious minds.
History isn’t just facts — it’s stories that shape the world 🌍
I write threads on African & global history that educate, engage & inspire.
Expect:
■ Forgotten African empires
■ Global turning points
■ Clear timelines & actionable lessons
Follow for history told properly.
Religion Should Not Become a Political Weapon
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A brief deviation from my AI series.
I know I’ve been writing recently about Artificial Intelligence, Islam and ethics. Today, I want to briefly turn to another ethical issue on the use of religious authority for political influence, which deserves serious attention as Nigeria approaches another election cycle:
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As another election approaches, I have been reflecting on something I have personally witnessed, most disturbingly the use of religious authority to influence political choices.
Politicians know the influence religious leaders have. Some religious leaders, unfortunately, also make themselves available to that influence. The pulpit, minbar and altar can then become spaces where political preferences are presented with religious language, as though a particular political choice were necessarily the will of God, or God has appointed a campaign representative on Earth to help echo His choice of candidate. It is kind of giving the feel and vibe of Samuel the Priest, David the King in the Old Testament.
This is really disturbing and dangerous. The Qur’an commands justice and trust (Q4:58) and warns believers not to allow personal feelings to take them away from justice (Q5:8), and these principles do not become suspended during elections.
Islam should correct power, and not become its mouthpiece, especially in a democratic society like ours. We see how our decorated religious leaders turn their Mimbars, alters, pulpits, sanctified digital spaces, and all that applies to a campaign and manifesto platform on behalf of the candidates. I have personally witnessed some Jumuʿah where the Khaṭīb (one who delivers the sermon), animatedly and kinetically went heavy on how he wouldn’t support a candidate because he was not well welcomed in his secretariat office during visitation “after all he has done for him”, from his mouth, reminding the Jamaʿah/Ma’mūmūn (congregation) how he engineered the swift processing and collection of their PVCs in order to vote the same person when he contested. He concluded the Khuṭbah (sermon) with, “we will be letting you all know our candidate when the time comes”.
I have witnessed another ring light setting where the respected scholar mentioned the reasons why Muslims should not waste their vote on a non-Muslim because they will are “enemies of Islam” by all chance, but narrative changed two weeks later during the gubernatorial election, citing verses and historical events that encourages consistency and support for a non-Muslim who loves Islam, doing that “may motivate him to accept Islam”.
Agenda at play but people’s emotions are at high risk of faith compromise and damage.
Emanating from this, when people see religion being manipulated this way, some conclude that religion itself is the problem—that people should stop studying religion, stop patronising the religious authorities, or emotionally call for the ban on religion. While this can be understood from the point of loss of confidence in the phenomenon, well, I still beg to disagree.
We need to study religion more, not less. Even serious universities around the world maintain centres and academic programmes dedicated to the study of Islam and religion. Oxford, for example, has the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and formal programmes in Islamic Studies; Princeton’s Department of Religion has Islam as a field of graduate study and explicitly engages questions of religion, ethics and politics. (Oxford University)
The problem is not that religion is being studied, it is how religious knowledge is sometimes used. Religious education should help us identify manipulation, correct misconceptions, develop moral judgment and hold power accountable—not surrender our judgment to whoever claims to speak in God’s name. A believer should be able to distinguish between divine guidance and a human being’s political interest.
🪖 This is the reality of the job.
A Nigerian soldier in the field dusty, tired, but still focused.
Sitting beside a tank, calmly handling the small things while the mission continues.
No cameras. No applause. Just duty.
This is what commitment looks like when no one is watching.
This is the quiet strength that keeps the line holding.
To every soldier out there right now:
We see you. We respect the grind.
For God and for country.
The Great Oyo Empire. The greatest empire of the black race. Empire of Alaafin Oranmiyan, Sango, Aganju, Agboluaje, Atiba. From Jebba to Badagry, Ede to Togo, all major Yoruba sub groups, apart from the Ijebus, were part of the mighty Oyo Empire at one time or the other.
Fellow Nigerians
Today, we celebrate democracy and the enduring Nigerian spirit. For 27 unbroken years, since May 29, 1999, Nigerians have chosen their leaders through the ballot, witnessed peaceful transitions of power, and resolved disagreements in courtrooms and legislative chambers—not through violence. We have experienced the longest stretch of civilian rule in our history. Our democracy is not perfect, but it is ours, and we must continue to defend and strengthen it.
Many Nigerian hunters are just decimating our wildlife without caution. To make matters worse, they upload the videos and people hail them. Now, they have introduced a new level of madness. They invite Europeans and Americans tourists to go on hunting expeditions with them. The questions remain
1. Are these huntings carried out in public or private properties
2. Does the government know that these people are coming into the country for reckless and undocumented trophy hunting?
Prophet Muhammad did not die in battle, assassination, or some mysterious cover-up like critics online try to imply. Islamic history is actually very detailed about his final days.
Years before his death, after the Battle of Khaybar, a Jewish woman poisoned some meat offered to him. He tasted it, spat it out, and survived the immediate incident. One of his companions, Bishr ibn al-Bara, ate more of it and later died. Muhammad himself continued living for years after that event. Near the end of his life, he reportedly said he still felt the effects of that poison. Muslims see this as part of his suffering, not some hidden scandal.
When he became seriously ill in 632 CE, he was surrounded by his family and closest companions, including his wife Aisha, his daughter Fatimah, and companions like Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab.
His final days were not about power, revenge, or wealth. Reports describe him praying, advising people to treat others well, maintain prayer, and avoid oppression. One of the most repeated narrations is that his last concerns were about prayer and kindness to those under people’s care.
His final moments happened in Aisha’s room, with his head resting against her. According to Islamic narrations, his last words included prayers to be with “the highest companion,” meaning closeness to God.
No secret murder plot. No dramatic conspiracy. Just a man who spent 23 years preaching, became physically weak after a lifetime of hardship, and died surrounded by the people who loved him most.
What’s interesting is that even many non-Muslim historians acknowledge how transparent early Muslims were about his human moments. They documented his sickness, pain, grief, and death openly instead of turning him into an untouchable myth.
And Allah knows best💯
There has been controversies concerning who the original owners of ÈKÓ (Lagos) is. This is as a result of the two mutual claims which are Lagos & Benin. Between the mutually opposing sources, the name ÈKÓ have been in the middle of the controversy.
A thread
“Governor, you were elected on a promise of peace and prosperity, not to create widows and widowers, but to bring prosperity as promised, to bring inclusiveness as a government.”
- President Tinubu to Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang