Month: December 2021

By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

Unless proactive measures are put in place and fully implemented, otherwise the commitment made by Nigeria at the just concluded 26th annual edition of the Conference of Parties (COP26) Summit on climate change in Glasgow, United Kingdom, to end deforestation by 2030 and equally attain zero-net emission in another 30 years later, will continue to remain a mirage! This is evident if one looks at the country’s unprecedented hikes in cooking gas prices, not to even talk of diesel and kerosene.

Many people will resort to cutting down trees for fuel, leading to increased emission, deforestation and fewer flora communities to absorb methane gases being released to the atmosphere occasioned by human activities. What a setback?

Due to the volumes of greenhouse gases being continuously added to the atmosphere triggered by humans, it was observed that the earth is now 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer compared to the pre-industrial level. The impacts of climate change are now evident worldwide, ranging from wildfires in Greece and Algeria to flooding in Germany and Turkey to drought in Australia and Northern Nigeria.

There is also the crisis of extinction of land and ocean species, rising sea levels, and increased drought. Like Nigeria, these issues lead to increased food shortage, animal migration, health risks, poverty, and displacements for developing countries. In 2020, the 10-highest climate change-induced disasters occurred in some of the poorest parts of the world. It cost over $130 billion, killing thousands and displacing millions. These costs are escalating every year.

According to the latest version of National Security Strategy 2019, a document released by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), climate change has contributed to excessive flooding across the country, causing enormous human and economic losses. Additionally, it has led to seasons of drought, which affected agricultural activities and caused shelter losses. In 2019, the National Emergency Management Agency revealed that floods had displaced approximately 1.9 million Nigerians.

Research by scientists from Europe, US and China predict that by 2070, a third of the global surface would be unsuitable for human life as the global temperature rises. The prediction included West and Central Africa, which will force the majority of the people to migrate to a suitable region. It is estimated that about 81% of Nigeria’s population would suffer from these extreme temperatures. Despite our preference not to relocate, the extreme temperature may drive many people to do so.

Nigeria has outlined measures and plans toward combating the effect of climate change over the years. These include establishing a national youth climate innovation hub to harness climate innovation ideas from young Nigerians and include them in decision-making processes. The country has also approved the national action plan on gender and climate change to ensure that women, men, youth, and other vulnerable groups optimally benefit from climate change initiatives, programmes, policies, and funds. Nigeria has also developed a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) — which aims to build a framework for climate change adaptation, planning and governance, and an adaptation communication that would highlight adaptation activities and efforts in the country.

It is heartwarming to learn that President Muhammad Buhari signed into law on Thursday, November 18, 2021, the climate change bill passed by the national assembly. In signing the law, the president has made Nigeria join an elite group of countries that have enacted emissions-target legislation aiming to eliminate carbon emissions. This is a big deal for an oil-dependent nation also ranked as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change.

The main objective of the climate law is to provide an overarching legal framework for achieving Nigeria’s long-term climate goals, including a net-zero carbon emission target, national climate resilience, an adequate volume of climate finance, and the mainstreaming of climate change actions into national development priorities. In addition, the bill places climate change action in the broader context of efforts to achieve inclusive green and sustainable economic development for the most populous black country in the world.

Nigeria has long maintained that it wishes to use its climate policies as part of wider measures to achieve low-carbon, resilient, and equitable economic growth. Therefore, the act seeks to facilitate the intensive and complex cross-ministerial coordination of climate change action and the involvement of businesses and the civil society needed to achieve long-term climate objectives while also promoting climate-resilient social-economic development in the country.

The act also sets out to establish a systematic approach for the country to identify the significant climate risks and vulnerabilities facing the country and how to strengthen existing capacities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

With this current development of enacting the climate change act, it is apt to say that Nigeria is on the right course towards averting the dangers of climate change.

Nonetheless, individuals should also, on their own, help in projecting this campaign by abstaining from activities that cause environmental exploitation, especially illegal cutting down of trees, which ultimately trigger climate change.

With the pledges made by the affluent nations and private institutions during the Glasgow COP26 to collectively provide a minimum of $100 billion annually by 2023 in order to achieve the mandates of reducing climate change, getting financial guarantees for Nigeria will not be difficult. However, it must adopt climate action as fast as possible because scientists keep telling us that the planet is burning. Therefore, our lives literally depend on this global joint effort that COP 26 in Glasgow has represented.

Mukhtar Madobi wrote from Kano. He can be reached via ymukhtar944@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

In an effort to put the menace of raping to an end, the Jigawa State government has on Wednesday approved the death penalty for child rapists in the state.

The Commissioner for Justice and the Attorney General, Dr Musa Adamu, made the announcement at a press briefing.

Sexual assault is one of the issues that linger for a long time in the country that need to be addressed.

Adamu disclosed that anyone convicted of raping a child below the age of 10 would be sentenced to death with no option.

“A total number of 196 case diaries while 178 pieces of legal advice were prepared in respect of the case diaries received. Earlier this year, Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar signed the Violence Against Prohibition Bill, which prescribed the death penalty for rapists but with the option of life imprisonment.

“But recently, the government has also signed the child protection law, which prescribed the death penalty for anyone that raped a child below the age of 10.

“Out of the total number of the case diaries, 90 were rape cases; 27 culpable homicides; sodomy has 31; kidnapping and abduction have a total number of 18 cases; incest two; two 2 acts of gross indecency; 20 armed robberies while road traffic offences have two cases.

“The ministry has prosecuted and defended a total number of 25 appeals before the Court of Appeal, Kano Division and has also completed the prosecution of 83 criminal trials before eight High Courts at Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Gumel Hadejia, Kazaure and Ringim. 34 convictions and 49 defendants were discharged and acquitted.”

By Muhammad Abdurrahman

The death of two foremost Islamic scholars, Professor Hussein Akande Abdul Kareem and Dr. Ahmad Datti, has been announced. Professor Abdul Kareem died in Lagos on Sunday, December, 26, 2021, while Dr. Ahmad Datti died in Kano on Thursday December, 30, 2021. An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has described them as two giant scholarly figures.  

MURIC’s reaction was contained in a statement issued by its director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Thursday, 30th December, 2021.

MURIC said: “Islamdom in Nigeria has been hit by the loss of two great scholarly figures who died within four days of each other. Professor Hussein Abdul Kareem died in Lagos on Sunday, 26th December, 2021 while Dr. Ahmad Datti died in Kano on Thursday 30th December, 2021.

“Professor Hussein was a former president of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). He was one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Welfare Foundation (IWF), the Islamic Study Group (ISGON) and many others Islamic organisations. He was a great motivator, a team player and a transparently honest man. He was a profound ascetic who shunned worldly luxuries.  

“A professor of biochemistry, he taught and researched in several local and overseas universities including the University of Khartoum, Sudan, University of Maiduguri and the Lagos State University. He retired voluntarily in 2006 and became a full time Islamic worker. He was nominated by the International Biography Centre, Cambridge, England as the International Man of the Millenium Award in 1999. Professor Hussein died at the age of 85. He has since been buried in Badagry, Lagos State.

“Dr. Ahmad Datti was an energetic Islamic activist of no small measure. A trained medical doctor, he was the president of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN). The deceased played a prominent role in the spread of Shariah in the Northern states of the country from 1999 onwards.

“A pragmatic Muslim leader, Dr. Datti encouraged Muslims to join politics in order to bring the teachings of Islam on probity, accountability and good governance to bear on politics and Muslim politicians. He practiced what he taught by becoming an aspirant of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the early 90s.

“He became a household name particularly in the whole northern Nigeria. He also participated in the activities of several Islamic organisations and he was the chairman, Board of Trustees of the Usman bin Affan Islamic Trust, Gadon Kaya, Kano. He died after a protracted illness at the age of 83. He was buried at the Tarauni Cemetery, Kano. Dr. Datti has left a vacuum that will be difficult to fill.

“The death of these two giant Islamic scholars has left MURIC in deep grief. We are devastated. We pray that Almighty Allah will overlook their trespasses and repose their souls in Al-Jannah Firdaus. We also pray that Allah will give their families the fortitude needed to bear the losses.

“As we commiserate with the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, MSSN, ISGON and the Lagos Muslim Community on the death of Professor Hussein Abdul Kareem, we equally condole with the governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, MURIC Kano Chapter and the good people of Kano, over the demise of Dr. Datti Ahmad.”

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued at least ten persons abducted on Wednesday in Zamfara State.

The victims were said to have been abducted in Bungudu Local Government Area when terrorist bandits stormed the Gada community.

In the attacks that lasted for hours, the terrorist bandits also killed a district head, Ummaru Bawan Allah, and abducted many others.

However, speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the state’s police commissioner, Ayuba Elkana, confirmed that his men had been able to rescue ten of the abductees.

He added that the rescue mission was successful after a coalition of police officers, soldiers, and vigilante members swung into action by chasing the terrorist bandits.

Zamfara State is one of the northwestern states that the activities of the gunmen have ravaged.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Police in Jigawa have confirmed the apprehension of a 26-year-old man for allegedly killing his wife in Sule Tankarkar Local Government Area of the state.

The confirmation was in a release signed on December 29, 2021, in Dutse by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, ASP Lawan Shiisu.

Reports have unveiled how the suspect hit the deceased with a stick when they had some misunderstanding that led to her death.

The statement reads: “On Dec. 27, at about 1250hrs, one Bulama Muntari Ubale of Baldi village Sule Tankarkar LGA, reported that, on the same date at about 1130hrs, a couple, one Yusuf Zubairu, aged 26, of Fulanin Mailefe in Baldi village and one Fatima Hardo Dare, aged 23, of the same address, were having misunderstanding between them.

“And in the process of the fracas, the said Yusuf Zubairu, a.k.a Sallau, used a stick and hit Fatima Hardo (now deceased) on her head.

“And when one Rabi Lawan of the same address came to intervene, the said Yusuf Zubairu, also inflicted serious injury on her,” the statement added.

However, the PPRO stated a team of policemen rushed to the scene shortly after receiving the report.

“The victims were conveyed to Gumel General Hospital, where Dare was confirmed dead by a Medical Doctor, while Lawan was admitted for treatment.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The President-General of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN), Dr Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, is dead.

A family source disclosed that Ahmed died in the early hours of Thursday, December 30, 2021, in Kano.

According to the source, the deceased had been battling with an ailment, and unfortunately, today, he answered the call of his creator.

Until his death, Ahmed was a renowned medical doctor, politician and Islamic cleric.

The former President-General was reported to have left behind a wife, ten children, and several grandchildren.

Thousands of Muslims attended his funeral prayer, which took place at Al-Furqan Mosque, Alu Avenue, Kano.

May Allah have mercy on him and forgive him.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has called on residents of the state to arm themselves and confront bandits, reiterating that it is “Islamically allowed for one to defend himself against attack.”

Masari said the state government would help those who are ready to own arms with the view to help end the menace. The governor lamented that the security officials alone could not tackle insecurity in the state.

Katsina State is one of the states in the northwestern part of the country that has witnessed incessant attacks by bandits. Reports disclosed how hundreds of people had been injured, killed or kidnapped in Katsina this year, with thousands more displaced from their homes.

Governor Masari made the call while speaking during a media parley with journalists at the Muhammadu Buhari House in Katsina. He added that the number of security personnel they have is insufficient to tackle the situation.

Masari was quoted as saying: “It’s Islamically allowed for one to defend himself against attack. One must rise to defend himself, his family and assets. If you die while trying to defend yourself, you’ll be considered a martyr.

“It’s surprising how a bandit would own a gun while a good man trying to defend himself and his family doesn’t have one,” the governor said.

“We’ll support those who come with the initiative to procure arms because residents need to also complement the efforts of security agencies. These people (security agents) don’t have the number to protect the people.

When President Buhari came, he even tried by increasing the number of our security agents, but it’s inadequate. Count it yourself, how many policemen do we have in this country? How many soldiers do we have?

“Even if we say every policeman should go back to his home state, it’ll still not be enough. So, if we fold our arms and decide to do nothing, we’ll be the ones to suffer most,” he lamented.

However, Masari added that the police would register all guns bought by the residents to ensure they are put to the right use.

By Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim

Nigeria is burning. We have to stop it. We can’t afford to lose our dear nation. But who can be of help? The media has a critical role in extinguishing the fire before it goes out of hand.

Information is power, thereby making the media a powerful tool for sending persuasive messages. The more the messages flow in our societies, the higher their ability to shape public discourse. Media is a powerful tool used in shaping public opinion and thereby changing the way people behave, think, and even live sometimes. Unfortunately, the power elites often use it to achieve their aims. In present-day Nigeria, where things are still falling apart, are the media organisations playing a positive or negative role? 

The media has the role of information dissemination, which is accurate, factual and unbiased to a large and scattered audience. Terrorism and insecurity information is not an exception. Therefore, the media should accurately inform the people about future threats, chaos and fear of terror attacks and how to avert them, should they occur.

Also, the media plays a critical role in every society by holding leaders accountable, especially in times of crisis. However, it should be noted that it is not lawful in any way for the media to undermine national security in the process of discharging such responsibilities. 

 Furthermore, it is no gainsaying that the media have to build a nation and not destroy its existing pillars. The media, in other words, can be said to be fire extinguishers and not fire fuel. Through this process, the media can only promote national security and harmony. 

The media can give several contributions to national growth and development if properly managed. However, when the reverse is the case, they will contribute to national underdevelopment or worse.

It is evident in Nigeria today that some media houses have been diverted from their role to being used to spread hate speech and fake news, which may result in violence or more troubles than the one Nigeria currently battles now. Supporting violence, sensationalism, and hatred will do nothing but add to the already burning fire in this country. However, these are not the responsibilities of the media, and hence, they should take heed.

A veteran journalist, Kadarai Ahmed, said, “Despite numerous examples that exist which have proved, including not too long ago in Rwanda, that the conduct of the media can help in, starting, promoting and perpetuating violence and ethnic strife, we have turned a deaf ear to pleas to not become a tool that enables hate. But we have failed to heed these warnings.”

“We have given platforms to the worst among us, the extremists and the bloodthirsty. We have turned militia leaders and criminals into champions. Instead of us to lead a calm and rational discussion on the existential challenges we face with a view to promoting actionable solutions, we have succumbed to hysteria and the next exciting clickbait headline.”

Therefore, the media can positively contribute to the prevention of terrorism, insecurity, and other threats by specifically portraying how other nations responded to such scenarios and how it yielded positive outcomes without bias. In other words, it is known as development journalism.

Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim is a multiple–award–winning journalist, fellow AIJC 2020, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa. He can be reached via awwalbinibrahim@gmail.com.

By Aliyu Nuhu

The federal government of Nigeria announced free rail tickets for Nigerians during the holidays, for ten good days. But the following day, all tickets went into an ambush of corruption, and people had to buy them at very exorbitant prices. As a matter of fact, people would have fared better if FG had not made the free offer. What went wrong?

As usual, with the shambolic government approach to issues, the process was left for corruption to dictate who gets and who doesn’t get the tickets. In addition, railway workers racketeered the process, leaving harpless Nigerians at their mercy. Government has its own problem, but we are our own worst enemies. We are wicked even to ourselves.

Even though not free, the airlines’ tickets are all being bought in advance by racketeers. You can’t book online. All flights have been booked, and you have to go to the airport and buy on the spot from touts and corrupt airline officials. A plane ticket from Abuja to Kano goes for 95,000 instead of 30,000. The worst is that the tickets are not bearing people’s names. So in the event of an accident, the families of victims will have serious problems with airlines and insurance companies. It also compromises internal security.

The federal government wanted to give rice millers N10m loans each as a loan. But right from the onset, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) itself sabotaged the process through corruption. NIRSAL was the disbursing agency. CBN appointed a vendor to receive the money and give the millers equipment worth ten million naira. But the vendor supplies goods that are only worth six million in the market. He makes cool four million doing nothing while the millers are saddled with ten million debt. This is Nigeria. Corruption finds official approval, and the rest of Nigerians keyed in.

This country is beyond redemption. No one can save Nigeria. We are too wicked, too lawless, too selfish and just too corrupt to allow our country to work. We corrupt everything!

Aliyu writes from Abuja, Nigeria.

By Aldelghaffar Abdelmalik Amoka

When I was admitted into the Ahmadu Bello University School of General and Remedial Studies (SGRS) in the 1992/1993 academic session, I registered with the intention to study medicine after the one-year remedial program. During the program, I started having a second thought on medicine and was considering Engineering. But by the end of it, I was offered Physics. I was like “what will I do with physics?”. This is a subject you can hardly find a qualified teacher to teach in secondary schools. So why physics? I wanted to change, but transfer rules changed that same academic year, and changing courses, especially to the so-called professional courses, became difficult.

I had two choices at the end of my first year when it was obvious I can’t change from physics. It was either I carry on with my studies or leave. So, l chose to stay but without any love for the subject. That continued till my final year when we were taught Solid State Physics by this Professor, an Indian, that changed my mind about physics. He made us see the beauty of physics. He made us see how basic physics is changing the world. He told us how physics concepts like the total internal reflection in optics have revolutionalised medicine and telecommunications. He was an inspiration. What he taught us in 1999 came to my mind when I had a shoulder operation in the UK in 2011 that was done without a visible scar on my shoulder.

That interaction in our final year made me desire I do my final year project under his supervision. I eventually returned to do MSc Physics under his guidance to tap more from his wealth of knowledge and personality. He introduced me to the field of dielectric physics, the field that opened the opportunity to my travel to some countries and has made me meet great minds. At the end of the MSc program, his recommendation got us a job in the department in 2005. I was walking towards the ABU North Gate when Prof’s call came in: “Amoka, where are you? Congratulations, the VC has approved your appointment. Please inform Tajudeen”. The best news for an unemployed graduate.

I was employed as an Assistant Lecturer under his guidance, registered for PhD in ABU in December 2005, and the work on dielectric physics continued. In August 2007, I informed him of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) scholarship opportunity that my brother told me about. Like he knew he had not more than a year to live from then, he encouraged me to apply. He followed it up till I submitted the scholarship application with the full PhD proposal that I was working on under his guide. A few weeks later, I was returning from Italy on a 2 weeks workshop trip in October 2007 and I called to inform him that I had arrived in Lagos when he informed me that he was sick and on his way to the airport. He got to India and was diagnosed with Cancer of the Colon. I became scared.

In January 2008, I received a handwritten note from him with a prayer request to make it through the cancer treatment. From the handwriting, I could figure out he was weak. I prayed hard that he get well and return soon. It was a shock when I made that call to India that early morning on Thursday, 17th April 2008, and I was informed that Prof was no more. The Giant was gone. He gave up that morning after about 6 months of battle with Cancer. I was broken. I have never seen anyone as humble as him. He has regard for everyone and he finds it so easy to relate with everyone including the cleaner. As the Head of Department, he made me realize that with proper management and financial discipline, which we lack these days, you can achieve a lot with little.

While I was still wondering how to proceed with the PhD without the only person that could supervise research work in material physics in the department, I got an email from IsDB of an award of scholarship for PhD under their Merit Scholarship Award for High Technology. The scholarship application was successful. It was unbelievable. Then the University of Leicester offered me admission for PhD in engineering research. That was how I met the famous Prof. John C. Fothergill, another Giant that I am standing on his shoulder.

Prof. Fothergill was such an amazing supervisor and shared similar characteristics with Prof. Hariharan. The 3 years 3 months with him was an amazing one with lots of memories. He doesn’t just bother himself with your personal development and the progress of your research but also your welfare. As he commends your efforts so do he point out the weakness to work on. With his tight schedule and the head of the department, I was always on his priority list.

Even after the PhD, John was concerned about my career development in my home institution. He sends to me any materials he finds useful to help my career growth and development. His notification and recommendation for a postdoc job in Norway got me the 2 years job. The postdoc job introduced me to partial discharges in power equipment components. He inspired me to start a lab. I did not just learn how to do dielectrics and electrical insulation research from Prof. John C. Fothergill, the British Professor of Engineering also taught me the benefits of writing in simple sentences. The Giant is still there for me to this day.

In my struggle to survive as an academic with all the peculiarities in our Universities in Nigeria, my path crossed with another Giant on whose shoulder I am standing. Academics are trained critics. They are also expected to have leadership skills. While I enjoyed being a critic right from my university days, I run away from leadership responsibility till I got a phone call in May 2020 during the ASUU strike about a letter for me and I told the caller I will pick it up when I get to the university later in the afternoon.

I opened the envelope and it was an appointment letter. I didn’t see that coming and could not run. The Giant found me worthy to lead (head) a Unit of the University. I was confused and scared as I have always had this feeling that critics hardly make good leaders. I later took it as a chance to see the other side of just being a critic. It has been tough but an amazing experience and have made me learn a lot. A colleague jokingly told me that I am an expert in reviving dead areas. I hope I will be able to live up to that expectations.

I think I am really lucky to have got many Giants on whose shoulders I am standing to see farther. If I have ever inspired or impressed you with my little efforts as an academic in the university, it was because God made it possible for me to meet these Giants in my life. They among other people paved the way for me to get here.

As the 2021 calendar year comes to an end in a few days, I wish to appreciate Prof N.I. Hariharan, Prof. John C. Fothergill, Prof. Kabir Bala, and all the giants on whose shoulders I am standing.

©Amoka