By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any plan to postpone the 2027 general elections, insisting that the polls will be conducted according to the approved timetable.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance on Saturday during an interactive meeting with the commission’s staff and Resident Electoral Commissioners from the six South-South states in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Amupitan said preparations for the elections were already underway and that the commission had no intention of altering its statutory timetable, dismissing claims by some political parties that the polls might be postponed.

“Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled,” he said.

He reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting credible elections in accordance with the law.

The chairman also disclosed that Rivers State would receive particular attention during the preparations because of its strategic electoral importance and its position as the state with the highest number of registered voters in the South-South region.

According to figures released by the commission, Rivers has 3,736,434 registered voters, followed by Delta with 3,525,988, Edo with 2,865,263, Akwa Ibom with 2,566,198, Cross River with 1,928,978 and Bayelsa with 1,200,691.

The six states collectively have 15,823,550 registered voters.

Amupitan urged INEC officials to ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised because of operational shortcomings.

He also revealed that the commission had published the voters’ register online and at designated locations for public scrutiny.

He said INEC had received more than 5,000 claims seeking corrections to details such as names and dates of birth, alongside over 600 objections, all of which were being addressed.

The chairman announced that the final voters’ register would be released on December 15, adding that the commission was determined to resolve all outstanding issues before the deadline.

He explained that although INEC initially considered conducting a fresh validation of the voters’ register when he assumed office, the proposal was abandoned because of concerns that the exercise would take place too close to the general elections.

On the commission’s preparedness, Amupitan expressed confidence that lessons from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State election, would help improve the conduct of the 2027 polls.

He described the Osun election as particularly encouraging, noting that it recorded the highest voter turnout in the history of off-cycle elections in Nigeria and was adjudged credible by local and international observers despite earlier security concerns.

He said the experience gained from those elections would strengthen INEC’s preparations for the general elections.

Amupitan further disclosed that the commission was working with security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, to ensure the safety of voters, electoral officials, ad hoc staff and election materials.

He said INEC wanted all parts of the country to remain peaceful so that citizens could exercise their voting rights without fear.

The chairman also dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence or computer algorithms could determine the outcome of the 2027 elections, maintaining that the decision would rest with Nigerian voters.

“It is the people of Nigeria that will decide the outcome of the elections and not AI or any algorithms,” he said.

However, he acknowledged the growing cybersecurity threats associated with artificial intelligence and said the commission would explore technological measures to protect its digital infrastructure from possible attacks.

He warned INEC personnel, including members of the National Youth Service Corps serving as ad hoc election staff, against any attempt to compromise the electoral process.

According to him, any official found undermining the elections in their area of assignment would face punishment in accordance with the law.

The Daily Reality

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said Nigeria’s security challenges did not begin under President Bola Tinubu, noting that terrorism, insurgency, banditry and other forms of violence had existed in the country long before the current administration assumed office in May 2023.

Dogara, who is the Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, made the remarks on Saturday during the institution’s 16th convocation ceremony, where 836 graduands received various academic qualifications.

He attributed the country’s persistent security problems to years of porous borders, the proliferation of illegal arms, youth unemployment and the spread of extremist ideologies.

“Insecurity in Nigeria did not begin with this administration. This is no excuse, because the facts need no defence. Terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence did not arrive in 2023,” Dogara said.

He stressed that the challenges had developed over several years and were deeply rooted before Tinubu became president.

However, the former Speaker acknowledged that national security remained a major responsibility of the Tinubu administration, noting that the President had consistently identified it as a priority.

Dogara also congratulated the graduating students, urging them to recognise the importance of their talents, creativity and innovation in addressing the country’s challenges.

Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Professor Bode Ayorinde, said Nigeria had made considerable progress in expanding access to tertiary education but expressed concern about the employment and career opportunities available to graduates after leaving school.

Citing figures from the National Universities Commission, Ayorinde disclosed that Nigeria had 312 universities as of June 2026. The institutions comprised 77 federal universities, 67 state-owned universities and 168 private universities.

He described the figures as evidence of significant investment in human capital development, involving sacrifices by parents, governments and lecturers, but questioned whether the country was creating sufficient opportunities to absorb the growing number of graduates.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Omolola Irinoye, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to quality education, saying the university had continued to combine intellectual development with practical skills, character building and social responsibility since its establishment.

The Daily Reality

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Nigerians spend an estimated ₦75 billion annually on visa application expenses, with unsuccessful applications accounting for a significant portion of the financial losses, according to a report obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The report, cited by Sunday PUNCH, estimated that Nigerians lost about €11.5 million, equivalent to approximately ₦19 billion, to rejected Schengen visa applications alone in 2025.

It highlighted the financial burden of international travel on Nigerians, particularly because visa application fees are generally non-refundable, regardless of whether an application is successful.

The financial exposure, according to the analysis, goes beyond official visa charges to include application centre fees, medical insurance, hotel reservations, flight bookings and other documentation expenses.

It estimated that an unsuccessful visa application could cost an applicant between ₦350,000 and ₦1.2 million, depending on the destination and the services required.

Canada was identified as one of the most challenging destinations for Nigerian applicants, particularly those seeking study permits. The report put the refusal rate for Nigerian study permit applications at approximately 75 per cent between January and April 2026, meaning only about one in four applications was approved.

It attributed many of the refusals to concerns about whether applicants would leave Canada after completing their studies, as required under the country’s immigration regulations.

Within the Schengen Area, Belgium reportedly recorded the highest refusal rate for Nigerian applicants at 60.3 per cent, followed by Spain at 52.7 per cent and France at 47.4 per cent.

The overall Schengen visa refusal rate for Nigerians stood at 46.9 per cent in 2025, compared with 45.9 per cent in 2024. Approximately 250,000 applications were unsuccessful during the year.

The United Kingdom recorded an overall refusal rate of 33.1 per cent for Nigerian applicants in 2025. The figure reportedly increased to 35.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, while visitor visa refusals stood at an estimated 38.6 per cent.

The report also stated that Nigerians accounted for 44.4 per cent of African visa refusals by the UK, citing a cumulative figure of 1.34 million over 21 years.

For the United States, the analysis cited an estimated refusal rate of 64 per cent for African applicants seeking F-1 student visas, compared with a global rate of 35 per cent. It identified concerns about applicants’ intentions to return to their home countries as one of the factors behind such decisions.

The report further highlighted rising visa charges in some countries. Japan, for instance, increased its visa fees for Nigerians from July 1, 2026, with a single-entry visa rising from ¥3,000 to ¥15,000, while a multiple-entry visa increased from ¥6,000 to ¥30,000.

These new charges were estimated at approximately ₦126,000 and ₦252,000, respectively. Despite the increase, Japan reportedly maintained a relatively low refusal rate of between 12 and 15 per cent for Nigerian applicants.

The analysis also listed several other destinations and their visa charges. A United States B1/B2 visitor visa costs $185, while Canada’s visitor visa and biometrics fees amount to CAD185. Schengen applicants were estimated to pay €90 in visa fees, in addition to about €35 in application centre charges.

For the United Kingdom, a six-month visitor visa was listed at £127, while a 10-year visitor visa costs £1,128.

India was described in the report as one of the more expensive destinations in the comparison, with a listed visa charge of $588, although its electronic visa options for eligible applicants reportedly cost between $25 and $80.

The report also examined the requirements for travelling to Indonesia, noting that Nigerian applicants generally require a sponsor and approval through the relevant immigration process rather than relying on visa-on-arrival arrangements. It estimated the refusal rate for Indonesian calling visas involving Nigerians at about 40 per cent.

Malaysia’s electronic visa system was identified as a comparatively affordable option for eligible Nigerian travellers, with the application fee estimated at RM126, equivalent to between ₦40,000 and ₦45,000.

The report advised Nigerians seeking to minimise financial losses to consider destinations offering visa-free entry, visa-on-arrival facilities or electronic travel authorisation, provided they meet the relevant eligibility requirements.

It listed several West African countries, including Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo, Senegal, The Gambia, Liberia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone, as destinations accessible to Nigerian passport holders under regional arrangements.

Other countries mentioned as possible alternatives included Rwanda, Barbados, Dominica, Fiji, Mauritius and Vanuatu.

However, the analysis cautioned that travellers should confirm current entry requirements through official government channels before making travel arrangements, as visa policies and eligibility conditions may change.

It also noted that visa-free entry does not necessarily eliminate all travel-related expenses, while electronic travel authorisations and some online permits may still attract non-refundable charges.

The Daily Reality

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A fire outbreak has destroyed 75 permanent buildings and 35 temporary structures at Kofar Ruwa Timber Market in Kano State.

The incident occurred at about 7:39am on Saturday, according to the Kano State Fire Service.

The service’s Public Relations Officer, PFS Kabiru Isah Jafaru, disclosed this in a statement, saying firefighters were alerted by a timber dealer, identified as Alhaji Abba.

He said the service immediately mobilised personnel from several fire stations within the Kano metropolitan area to tackle the blaze.

“Several sections of Kofar Ruwa Timber Market were affected by the fire, destroying 75 permanent buildings and 35 temporary structures,” Jafaru stated.

He explained that the fire had already spread to several sections of the market before firefighters arrived but was eventually brought under control.

The intervention, he said, prevented the flames from spreading to other parts of the market.

Jafaru urged traders and business owners to remain vigilant and adopt necessary fire safety measures to prevent similar incidents, particularly during the harmattan season.

The Daily Reality

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

A woman was shoved to the ground after standing in front of a black ICE SUV outside the Broadview processing facility, according to video of the incident circulating online. The footage shows the woman holding an umbrella and standing directly in the vehicle’s path before an agent in a tactical vest approached and pushed her aside. She fell onto wet pavement.

The video does not show any prior confrontation before the push. It also does not show the agent continuing force after she fell; he appears to move on as the vehicle proceeds.

Supporters of the agent’s actions argued that blocking a federal law enforcement vehicle during an operation is unlawful interference and that officers may use reasonable force to clear an obstruction. They cited 18 U.S.C. § 111, which covers interference with federal officers, and said the woman refused repeated instructions to move.

Critics, including former Rep. Joe Walsh and other commentators, described the push as excessive and raised 18 U.S.C. § 242, the federal civil-rights statute. They argued the footage shows unnecessary force against a protester.

The incident has renewed debate over protest rights and physical obstruction of immigration enforcement operations. ICE has said its officers are carrying out lawful enforcement duties, while activists say they are exercising free speech. The woman’s identity and whether any charges were filed were not immediately clear.

By Uzair Adam 

The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has arrested a suspected gang leader, Ishaq Lawan Ibrahim, popularly known as Malam Keya, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The 27-year-old suspect was allegedly responsible for orchestrating violent clashes among rival gangs in several communities in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.

The Daily Reality gathered that Ibrahim, a native of the Yelwa area of Dala, fled Kano for Port Harcourt after the task force intensified its crackdown on street gangs following repeated incidents of violence in the area.

He was allegedly involved in gang-related activities in Jakara, Madigawa, Yalwa, Sanka, Kul Kul, Dogon Nama, Kuka Bulukiya, Dala, Shatsari and Dandalin Turawa, among other communities across Kano metropolis.

In a statement, the task force said it tracked and arrested the suspect in Port Harcourt following credible intelligence.

The operation was coordinated by the task force’s Head of Operations, CSP Bashir Gwadabe, who led the team responsible for the arrest and subsequent transfer of the suspect to Kano.

Confirming the development, the task force chairman, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado, said Ibrahim remained in custody and would undergo further investigation before being charged to court.

Rimin-Gado described the arrest as a demonstration of the agency’s determination to track down wanted suspects regardless of where they might be hiding.

He warned individuals allegedly sponsoring violence and criminal activities in Kano against believing they could escape arrest by relocating outside the state.

“Let me assure you that those who bankroll violence should know that no distance and no hiding place will protect them. This arrest is only the beginning. We will not rest until peace is fully restored,” he said.

The chairman further assured residents that the task force would sustain its operations within the confines of the law, ensuring that all suspects were subjected to due process.

He said the agency was committed to dismantling criminal gangs, identifying their sponsors and disrupting drug supply networks allegedly fuelling violence across the state.

Rimin-Gado also called on residents, community and religious leaders, parents and young people to support the campaign against thuggery and drug abuse by reporting suspicious activities to security agencies.

He urged parents to closely monitor their children and remain vigilant about activities within their neighbourhoods.

“You should also refuse to be used by anyone to disturb the peace of our dear state. Safety of Kano is a shared responsibility, and together we will reclaim our streets and secure the future of our state,” he said.

The task force acknowledged support from the Kano and Rivers State police commands, along with other law enforcement agencies, in facilitating the operation.

By Muazu Muhammad

As the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, marks his first year in office, the Nigerian Army has recorded another significant operational victory against insurgents, neutralising 48 terrorists and recovering a large cache of weapons and ammunition in Borno and Yobe States.

The latest successes followed the foiling of coordinated attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on military positions in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and the North East Theatre Training School (NETTS), Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

The operations, which took place between October 29 and 30, 2026, further demonstrate the Nigerian Army’s sustained offensive against terrorist groups and its determination to deny them freedom of action across the North East.

In Bitta, troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation HADIN KAI, successfully repelled an attempted terrorist assault on the night of October 29. The combined response of ground troops and air support overwhelmed the attackers, disrupted their advance and inflicted heavy casualties.

In a related operation, troops launched a decisive counter-offensive against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS Buni Yadi between the night of October 29 and the early hours of October 30.

The approximately five-hour engagement was coordinated by the Theatre Command, with effective integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities, alongside air and ground assets.

The counter-offensive resulted in 48 terrorists being neutralised, while troops recovered a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition.

Items recovered include 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.

The recovered ammunition comprises 30 rounds of 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary ammunition, 2,738 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 223 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 2,054 rounds of PKT ammunition.

Despite the operational successes, the engagements came at a cost, as one soldier paid the supreme sacrifice, while two others sustained minor injuries and are responding to treatment.

The military commended the courage and resilience of the troops, noting that their morale remains high as operations against terrorist elements continue across the theatre.

The latest victories come as Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu approaches his first anniversary as Chief of Army Staff, providing further evidence of the Nigerian Army’s sustained commitment to strengthening operational effectiveness, improving coordination and intensifying pressure on insurgent groups.

The heavy losses suffered by the terrorists and the recovery of their weapons and ammunition represent another significant setback to their operational capabilities.

As the Nigerian Army sustains its offensive operations, the latest developments reinforce its determination to restore lasting peace and security across the North East and other parts of the country.

The operational successes were disclosed in a statement issued on October 30, 2026, by Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

Abba Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has pledged 10 buses to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Abba made the pledge during a visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday, where he was received by the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Bukar Dalori.

According to a statement by Yusi Buba, an APC aide, Abba expressed support for Tinubu’s administration and announced the donation to boost the party’s mobilisation efforts.

The pledge followed his unveiling of the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, a support platform through which he plans to organise a two-million-man mobilisation march across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Abba defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC in January. His father, Atiku Abubakar, is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election.

By Oladoja M.O

Encouraging is an understatement when you consider how far we’ve come in health insurance coverage in Nigeria. It’s pleasing to see health insurance gradually becoming a bigger part of Nigeria’s healthcare conversation. More people enrolling, more attention to coverage, and the ongoing expansion and adjustment of health insurance programmes all point in one direction: we are taking financial protection in healthcare more seriously.

For a country where illness can quickly become a financial crisis, this is certainly worth celebrating.

But while we celebrate the numbers, we should also ask: what happens when the insured person actually walks into a hospital?

There appears to be an emerging culture around insured patients that we should not allow to become normal. 

You hear it in the phrase, “they are under HMO.”

Some patients have experienced delayed attention, dismissive attitudes and poor communication simply because their care is being financed through insurance. There are stories of patients being made to feel like a burden because someone else, rather than the patient standing in front of the provider, is paying the bill.

A social media post that circulated recently brought this into the open. Someone associated with a healthcare facility made a derogatory remark about a family who had come to receive care under health insurance. 

The concern isn’t just the statement, but the thought of what those people and many others may have experienced before that statement ever appeared online, and the comments under the post so proved a lot that people had been put through.

That was the one that became public.

How many others never do? An this is where health insurance meets something much deeper in our society: classism.

We already know that the ability to pay can influence how people experience healthcare. Health insurance is meant reduce that inequality, not create another label through which patients are treated differently.

And to note, quality of care is not just about eventually receiving treatment. It includes how the patient is received, how long they wait, how they are spoken to and whether they retain their dignity while receiving care.

Hearing from both sides, healthcare providers do have legitimate concerns about the economics of health insurance. Tariffs vs actual treatment cost, uncertainty of reimbursement, etc., factually, running a healthcare facility is expensive, and particularly for private providers, sustainability cannot be ignored. 

But while these are legitimate concern, it is a big problem when the gap is pushed down to the patient.

There are concerns about patients being asked to make additional payments even when the service is covered by their insurance, attempts to recover inadequate reimbursement through duplicating charges or claiming for services a patient did not actually receive, and patients routinely being asked to pay part of the cost even when the treatment falls within their insurance coverage.

Yes, this is not to indict healthcare providers, but we can all agree that these concerns are too important to ignore.

When the provider and insurer disagree about the cost of care, the patient should not quietly become the person who settles the disagreement.

I remember asking a question during a session at the maiden African Primary Health Care Forum in 2025, that how do we balance healthcare provision with the intention to make profit, without allowing profit to override the people who should remain at the centre?

Unfortunately, there was no easy answer. Truthfully, it is tricky.

Providers need to survive, insurers need to remain financially sustainable and government cannot carry every cost in the health system. Yet somewhere between these competing interests is the person who became sick in the first place.

This is why the response cannot simply be “let’s increase the tariffs” or “let providers absorb the loss.” Neither is sustainable. If tariffs rise without considering the wider financing burden, patients may eventually bear the cost. If providers continually operate below sustainable levels, quality of care will suffer.

And that’s why there’s need for a dive at whole financing structure.

The government needs to examine the real costs and obligations of healthcare provision and identify where targeted fiscal relief or support can ease pressure on providers without simply shifting it to patients. Insurers must reimburse realistically. Providers must be allowed to remain viable, but must also remain accountable for what they provide and claim.

Monitoring must become active!

Where systems have gaps, people will eventually find ways to exploit them. Claims should be monitored. Unusual billing patterns should raise questions. Services billed should correspond with services delivered. Patient complaints should not disappear into administrative files, and repeated non-compliance should have consequences.

This is not about setting providers against insurers. Everyone has a part to play.

The government must regulate and create an environment where healthcare financing is sustainable. Insurers must protect the integrity of the pool and pay fairly. Providers must deliver quality care without making patients pay for every weakness in the system. Patients must also understand their rights and speak up when something is wrong.

The point is not to remove profit from healthcare. That is neither realistic nor desirable. The point is to ensure that profit does not become more important than the person healthcare is supposed to serve.

That is the balance we need.

Because ultimately, the success of health insurance should not be measured only by how many people have been enrolled. 

It should also ask what those people experience when they finally need care, if the insurance actually protects them, if they can walk into a facility without being treated as a lesser patient because they are “under HMO”, if they receive the care they are entitled to without becoming the financial solution to a disagreement between provider and insurer?

Expansion of health insurance in Nigeria must weigh in on these questions. 

We are still building this system, and that gives us an opportunity to correct what is beginning to go wrong before it becomes normal.

Health insurance is too important to lose the very person it was created to protect.

The patient must remain at the centre, not at the receiving end of the system.

And the unintended negative stretches of this beautiful system must be confronted and, while we still can, nip in the bud.

Oladoja M.O. (Oladoja Mark Olamilekan) writes from Abuja and can be reached at: mayokunmark@gmail.com.

By Fatihu Ibrahim

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un.

I don’t know where to start. I am literally in tears. I still cannot fathom the reality and fragility of life.

Huzaifa is no more. Ya Allah! 😭

I can’t remember the exact first day I met Huzaifa, but I remember seeing him from afar during our 100 Level days. He was just a normal classmate to me then. We weren’t particularly close.

We started getting closer in 200 Level through Abdul Aziz Ahmad Malam Boy, our mutual friend.

We were in the same room in 200 Level, Room 64, the last room in Area One Hostel. Our room was right beside the hostel mosque, and we always joked about being “Baƙin Allah” (Allah’s guests) because we lived right beside the mosque.

Huzaifa lived across the hall, about five or six rooms away from ours. If I remember correctly, he was Malam Umar Sale’s roommate in the Department of Animal Science. They used to visit our room frequently, and since almost all of us were classmates, there were four Agriculture students in the room. Our room eventually became a mini headquarters where we studied, played and spent time together.

Huzaifa was a very calm and reserved person.

Most times, we would get caught up in some banter, and I would use my naturally superior talkative nature to bash Huzee in an argument. Even when he clearly had the better point, he would simply nod, smile and say:

“Fatihu, kai ko…? Ba a cinka da zance.”

I would laugh in triumph and respond:

“Dama na faɗa maka.”

Those little moments are memories I never knew I would one day desperately wish I could have again.

Huzee loved his family more than anything.

I have never met most of his siblings, except his sister, but somehow I knew all their stories. You could hardly spend an hour talking with Huzee without hearing about his younger brother, Sauban.

“Sauban did this… Sauban did that…”

Ya Allah.

I cannot even begin to imagine what Sauban is feeling right now.

I remember one day when we left Wudil together in the company of friends. As we reached Kano Line, Yahaya Rabi’u Abdullahi (Kundaz), in his usual banter, was trying to piss Huzee off.

His immediate younger sister, Khadija, if I remember correctly, came to welcome him and greeted us. Kundaz, just to provoke him, told Huzee point-blank that he loved his sister.

Huzee simply smiled and said:

“Zan ba ka number ɗinta.”

Whenever Kundaz wanted to tease him afterwards, he would ask:

“Kai, ina budurwata?”

And Huzee would just smile and say:

“Tana nan lafiya.”

That was Huzee. Calm, reserved and patient. Even when we were joking with him, he rarely got angry.

When he decided to venture into student politics, Malam Boy and I were firmly against it. His Level 2 result, whether it was first or second semester, I can’t remember exactly, was above 4.0, and we didn’t want politics to distract him from his studies.

But Huzee had a way of making you eventually agree with his point. He would calmly explain himself until you found yourself thinking, “Maybe this guy actually has a point.”

And no matter how intense the political rivalry became, Huzee never treated you as an enemy. That was one of the things I admired about him.

I still remember him complaining to me:

“Fatihu, ba ka da mutunci. Kana Gwammaja amma ba ka faɗa min inda kake ba. Rannan na zo wajen Siya-Siya. When I come next, dole mu haɗu.”

I never imagined that one day, those words would become a memory.

Perhaps what makes this loss even more painful is that this is not the first time we have had to say goodbye to someone from our circle.

Years ago, we lost another friend and classmate, Anas Rano. I thought I had somehow learned to live with that pain, but Huzee’s death has brought it all back. It is as though an old wound has suddenly been opened again.

One moment, you are young students sharing classrooms, hostels, jokes, arguments and dreams for the future. You never imagine that some of the people making those memories with you will one day become memories themselves.

Anas. Now Huzee. Maybe tomorrow, me or you. 😭

Ya Allah.

The fragility of this life is frightening.

We make plans, argue, laugh and tease each other. We worry about tomorrow. And then, without warning, someone is gone.

Huzee, I still cannot believe this.

From being a classmate I once only saw from afar to becoming a friend, a brother and a fellow student leader, you became part of a chapter of my life that I will never forget.

You were here.

Now you’re gone.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un.

May Allah forgive your shortcomings, have mercy upon you, illuminate and widen your grave, and grant you Jannatul Firdaus.

May Allah forgive Anas Rano too, have mercy upon him and grant him Jannatul Firdaus.

May Allah give Huzee’s parents, Sauban, Khadija, his siblings, his entire family, his friends, the UG15 family, classmates and everyone who loved him the strength to bear this painful loss.

May Allah preserve the rest of us, forgive us before our own time comes, and grant us a beautiful ending.

Adieu, Brother Huzaifa Sabo Usman.

Allah Ya jikanka, Huzee. 😭

Allah Ya jikanka, Anas.

We will never forget you.

Sai mun taho.