THE CONCEPT OF SHARI AH: CURRENT TRENDS IN ITS IMPLEMENATATION IN NORTHERN NIGERIA.

The current political dispensation in Nigeria began on the 29th May 1999 amidst fear, speculations and minimal optimism that the nascent democracy would take the country nowhere. In spite of the so many issues, which are capable of tearing the country apart, if not properly handled, democracy has allowed them to persist in the country. Such issues include ethnicity and tribalism, corruption and favoritism misuse of power and mal-administration and above all the Shari‘ah issue. The post-independence experience of Nigerians has tended to lead to a revival of pre-colonial tendencies. Since independence in 1960, Nigerians has suffered through suffocating military dictatorships whereby dissent was cruelly suppressed, opposition was silenced at gunpoint, injustice and oppression were perpetuated with invidious insensibility. The civilian regime was on the other hand unable to sustain a true civil and democratic government. Transparency, accountability, fairness, rule of law and security were always jeopardized, leading to unmanageable and protracted crises and subsequent overthrown of 'civilian regimes. Both military and civilian regimes and administration in Nigeria were unable to establish a viable and stable administrative system based on a sound ideology capable of satisfying the yearning and aspirations of Nigerians. Accordingly, the Muslims as a result of this appalling living

condition and the poor economic development started advocating for the reimplementation of Shari1 ah in their respective state. They also continue to ask for a return to true federalism, which will enable the nation to have unity : in diversity and allow the system to accommodate the Shari1 ah. More so the Muslims communities are re-tracing their footsteps and expressing reservations about the ideological direction, which was force on them. As the governor of Zamfara Ahmad Sani lamented that- “It is in our effort to retrace our steps back to our roots, we find it pertinent to pursue new social and moral development policies taking divine injunctions as our basis.” It is therefore the objective of this research to examine the issue of Shari‘ah in Nigerian political context against the background of Islamic history and the Muslims communities and the rivalry generated by some Christians as a result of western influence; the research also intends to look at the concept, goals, achievements, prospects and challenges of Shari1 ah in the Northern Nigeria specifically in the state that adopted Shari1 ah legal system. It is the hope of the researcher that this research will help in no small way in sensitizing the Nigerian society about the position, status, principles, and philosophy of the Shari1 ah legal system and consequently generate more research on the topic.