Month: January 2022

By Kabir Mukhtar Galadanchi

It gladdens our hearts how our brave military has been intensifying offensives and operations to root out bandits and banditry in the North-West, particularly in Zamfara and Sokoto, to bring back normalcy and peace to the banditry ravaged states and communities in northern Nigeria.

The military’s recent Ariel bombardments and ground offensive that resulted in the elimination of some bandits’ leaders have boosted the fight against banditry and the confidence of all the concerned stakeholders adamantly and consistently speaking about the rising level of banditry and general insecurity in the region.

In the past weeks, many notorious bandits’ leaders and other terrorists who specialised in kidnapping for ransom and killing innocent civilians were sent to their Maker. Thanks to the well-coordinated aerial bombardment by some section of the NAF launching successful aerial attacks and unleashing serious damage to the now jittery and fear-stricken bandits running for their lives to avoid the currently sustained military bombardments and offensives.

The elimination of notorious Alhaji Auta scared other bandits’ leaders to be on their heels, especially the ferocious Bello Turji, the de factor governor-cum-administrator in those areas. He collects taxes and imposes rules which all must obey to save their souls. This is an embarrassment to our leaders and our security forces, to say the least, and has become a usual trend that is still occurring unabated.

Bello Turji has continued to dare the authorities and positioned himself as a somewhat invincible and unchallengeable criminal that can do and undo whatever he so desires in the communities he’s unleashing his inhumane activities and savagery.

But the recent killing of Alhaji Auta has sent jittery and panic into his camp. He’s now coming to terms with the reality and shamelessly calling and appealing for dialogue and conciliation.

Our military must not in any way give this vermin a space to breathe and must not relent in sustaining those assaults until Bello Turji and his bloodthirsty lieutenants are eliminated. Instead, the military should give them their deserved justice with the barrel of their guns, aerial attacks or through whatever lethal way that will ensure their permanent neutralisation.

Nobody can deny that the unconditional release of some 52 captives by Turji resulted from the intensified military assaults. Eliminating him (Turji) will send fear to hundreds of notorious bandits leaders operating in Zamafara, Sokoto, and Katsina and reduce their activities.

Credible reports have it that Duna Baleri, Dogo Gide, and a host of other bandits leaders are now hiding and running from their devilish camps to avoid our military’s ongoing pressure and offensives. We pray that their nemesis will soon catch up with them in no distant time inshaAllah.

While saluting our military’s efforts, bravery and gallantry, we also pray that they should continue to be determined, persistent, and maintain doggedness in flushing and neutralising these enemies of the state that made life hellish and turbulent through their primitive violence and atavistic barbarism.

On our part as civilians, let us unite and confront this huge challenge collectively without sentiment or regard to religious, ethnic and political affiliations and underpinnings. Let us also cooperate with the military in providing credible information that will help them uncover and eliminate these evils once and for all.

Kabir Mukhtar Galadanchi wrote from Katsina. He can be contacted via kmgaladanchi20@gmail.com.

By Abubakar Umar Gbs

Dear Sirs/Madams,

Let me start with these questions: Who among you has ever included people with disabilities in their empowerment programs? Who among you has ever offered a single person with a disability a job? Who among you has ever appointed a person with a disability as his aide? Finally, who among you has ever sponsored their basic diploma, NCE, or undergraduate program?

Since the 2015 election, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the said region have suffered negligence from you even though they voted for you like everyone else. You do not consider them for empowerment, job provisions, educational supports, and so on. For basic education, many of their parents cannot take them to the only deaf school in Hadejia because of their physical location. There is no school for the blinds in the region, making it difficult for parents of blind children to take their children to school. The cripples, too, suffer going to school because of the absence of tricycles or other accessibility measures.

Please note that their defects made them require special needs, which means they should be given ‘special’ consideration in all aspects. Their needs should equitably be granted. They require inclusion, equal treatment, but this is not the case in the region as “those not in need are given more than those in need” or “those not in need are given what those in need needed the most.”

At this time, we have many PwDs from all over the region who have qualifications doing some handwork and are expecting jobs because their impairment may affect them doing other self-employed jobs. Some want to start a business but do not have the capital to kickstart. Some have hidden talents but do not dare to put them into practice or are being discriminated against in government and private companies, making them wait for government jobs which you (politicians) have the opportunity to offer them. 

There is one disabled lady who completed her NCE 5 years ago, but until now, she hasn’t secured any job or any seed capital to start a business as she complained.

Where are all those offers you are giving your people? Where are all those empowerment packs you are giving to your people? Did you know how it feels to have a defect in any body part? What if one of your children has a defect?

Imagine the son of less privileged parents with physical defects. They are citizens who have equal rights to education, health, and human rights. Sometimes, you will ask for what belongs to you from a serving leader like you, but you will be labelled a beggar. How can someone beg for what belongs to him? You begged them for votes that don’t belong to you but themselves and took them for granted after that. Their exclusion in campaigns has reasons as we can’t expect crippled men to take their bikes or join campaigners to go far and campaign. In the meantime, you can expect a blind man to do so too, so the deaf has his limitations.

Every citizen, irrespective of disability, race, tribe, or religion, deserves to be treated equally as per the constitution. Also, traditionally, persons with disabilities have equal rights, even if not constitutional. They have 100% rights, and that should be respected.

We know how well you perform, but the ‘well’ is not enough until you put PwDs’ rights on top of the agenda because society needs them. If they are neglected, they retort to some odd jobs to survive life which I don’t see their mistakes.

Thank you

Abubakar Umar Gbs sent the letter via abubakargbs@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

One of the renowned businessmen and philanthropists in Nigeria, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, has said that the current system of government has failed Nigeria.

Dantata stated this when he received a condolence visit by the Northern Elders Forum over the death of Sani Dangote and Othman Bashir Tofa.

He added that there is a need for a collaborative effort by the elders in order to bring to an end the disturbing multiple problems facing the country.

“You will agree with me that the Presidential system of government presently in operation has failed the nation; what we need now is to adopt the parliamentary system, which is less expensive,” he said.

Reports disclosed those on the entourage included General Sale Maina, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, President Coalition of Northern Groups, Nastura Shariff, Dr Sadiq Gombe, Hajiya Najaatu Mohammed, among others.

The Northern Elders Forum had also called on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, Deputy Governor Nasiru Gawuna, and Alhaji Yahya Hamma.

By Mallam Musbahu Magayaki

I write to commend and appreciate the unmeasurable feats of the Nigerian military personnel and other sub-security agencies for their bid to ensure that two of the well-known wanted bandits, Alhaji Auta and Kachalla Ruga, have met their waterloo. They spent many years operating their egregious activities of the gruesome killing of innocent people without regard to the principle of natural justice.

However, they were killed by a Nigerian Air Force aircraft, under operation Hadarin Daji, at Gusami forest and Tsamre village in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Nevertheless, at this point, as they (bandits) reach their cul-de-sac, our adventurous security personnel should not relent unless they spare them all.

Undoubtedly, the death of these two kidnap kingpins is a severe blow to their bandits’ like-minded abhorrent individuals. As such, more triumphant efforts to fish them out of their territories should now be re-engineered by both military personnel and vigilante units who work inexhaustibly day-in-day-out to safeguard the lives and personal possessions of Nigerians.

Yet, there is a need for the government of the federation, specifically the security sector, to organize orientation sessions with security agencies to be fully informed about the assigned task that they have sworn to do of protecting and upholding the country’s constitution. Because we live in a country where some of its countrymen portray sabotage as a virtuous way to satisfy their narrow-minded desires. As a result, they will devote all of their useless energy to changing the great sense of our security personnel to compromise the country’s state of peacefulness.

Moreover, security personnel should be fully equipped with sophisticated weapons techniques to finish off these ruthless humans (bandits) and frequent motivational incentives that would boost their morale to serve uncompromisingly. They should also be retrained in modern battle strategy. A famous West African proverb says, “When the music changes, so does the dance.” It is high time the government changed all its tactics against these despicable fellows.

Mallam Musbahu Magayaki Writes from Sabon Fegi, Azare.Bauchi State. He can be reached via musbahumuhammad258@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari.

President Muhammadu, on Wednesday, while granting an interview on Channels TV, reportedly said he had a favourite successor.

The President, whose tenure will be over in less than two years, dropped the bombshell during an exclusive interview on Channels TV on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

However, the president refused to state who the favourite successor was on the ground of their safety.

The President, in his own words, ” I wouldn’t (mention the name of my favourite successor) because he may be eliminated if I do. I better keep that a secret.”

The interview has generated ripples and different reactions across the political spectrum in the country.

By Abdulrahman Salihu

An accident is an unforeseen circumstance claiming the lives of many and inflicting injuries to several others for years. The number of people involved in just motor accidents in Nigeria has risen to 33751. Road traffic accidents statistics show that 5320 road crashes and 2471 deaths occurred in the first half of 2021 nationwide.

In Bauchi, more than 40 people died in ghastly motor accidents in December alone. Last week, four corps members were killed in a car crash after leaving orientation camp from Taraba to Yobe State. Recently, 13 people died on Christmas day in two separate motor accidents along the Lagos-Ibadan and Sagamu-Benin expressway.  

It is hard to read newspapers or watch TV without reports of motor accidents that are now prevalent; that is to say, things are getting worse every day. But who is to blame for the frequent accidents that became a new normal in the country where almost all drivers and traffic agents see themselves as saints?

Firstly, reckless driving plays a significant role in causing accidents due to overspeeding, overloading, unnecessary overtaking, failure to check their vehicle stability. These, among other causes, lead to several untimely death of innocent souls.

Similarly, some traffic personnel are neglecting their job by accepting bribes and letting go of violators of rules and regulations guiding road users. Moreover, potholes on the roads contributed to accidents because incidences of drivers having head-collision with oncoming vehicles are numerous. In trying to dodge potholes, they mostly end up in dreadful or fatal accidents with their cars on other lanes. So what are the ways out? 

Drivers should at all times check up their vehicles, avoid overspeeding, overloading, and unnecessary overtaking on roads to save lives that they could not create. Road safety and other traffic personnel should discharge their duties effectively without fear or favour. Anybody who violates traffic rules must be sanctioned regardless of his status to serve as a deterrent to others.

Federal and state road maintenance agencies should redouble their efforts to repair roads, and adequate personnel must be employed to have workforce capacity. Lastly, federal and state governments should construct more roads, expand narrow ones and dualize the existing highways to tackle the menace of road accidents in Nigeria.

Abdulrahman Salihu, student of mass communication from Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi. He can be reached via abutalatu72@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The foremost human rights activist and former senator, Shehu Sani, aligns with President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on having a police force under the control of state governments. The president has adamantly refused to consider state police a viable option despite Nigeria’s several security challenges and calls from different quarters. 

In an exclusive interview with Channels TV on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, the president reiterated his previous position regarding the issue.

Meanwhile, Shehu Sani, who has been critical of the Buhari administration, especially on poor management of the country’s security challenges, surprised many by agreeing with the president. He cited abuse of the police institution by state governors as part of his reasons on his official Facebook account following the president’s interview.

By Khalid Shafi’i

After our high school graduation, each day seemed to blur into the next. I had no structure or purpose, no reason to get up in the morning. I was going to bed late every night. I spent hours hanging out with friends at Amar’s house.

Deedat, Abdul, Serdeeq, Amar himself, and I will cocoon in the tiny room so much more than the sum of its parts when it encourages the soul to breathe. We would play games, surf the web, and occasionally chit-chat. Moments I’ll hold unto for the rest of my life. 

And one fine morning, after returning home, my phone buzzed loudly, waking me from a restless sleep. I reached for it blindly, knocking it from the nightstand. It fell to the floor with a clatter. And one gaze was enough to recall the caller, Leila.

Leila and I met at a friend’s birthday party. She’s beautiful, alluring, and angelic. She has midnight-black hair that always flowed over her shoulders, and even though I had never tasted her honey-sweet-looking lips, I can tell they were lilac soft. After all, we are not married, or not yet.

I know Leila wasn’t the type to fall for a guy like me. Nevertheless, I made a botched attempt to ask her out. And since then, I never heard from her again. So, I wonder why she still held on to my phone number. 

“Hello, Omar”. She called from the other end of the phone. 

I took a deep breath. Even though it’s been a while I heard from Leila, I still recall how mellifluous her voice was. It always sends a chill down my spine. Like a form of therapy, her voice would heal a psychic patient.

“Hi, Leila. Is that you?” I managed to answer.

“I know It’s been a while, but I’d love to hang out with you tonight if you wouldn’t mind? Meet me at Southern Fried Chicken.” She ended the call before I could protest, but as soon as I caught her words, I was confused.

Leila sounded desperate. “This could be my chance,” I thought to myself. Immediately, I got into the bathroom, cleaned up, wore my favourite clothes, and headed to SFC. Upon entering, I sighted Leila seated with grace, like the Queen she should be. One look was enough to see the restlessness she’s trying so hard to hide. 

“Hello Leila”

“Hi, Omar, I need your help, please. Help me, and I’ll not only love you but also remain indebted to you for the rest of my life.”

“Whoa, whoa Leila, take a deep breath. Make an order, eat something and let’s talk,” I insisted. Of course, Leila didn’t want to do that, but I was insistent. I could see how desperate she was to talk, but I refused to give her audience.

Leila was not in the right state of mind to make an order, so I waved a waitress and placed the order – for us both. Immediately the waitress brought the food, Leila pounced on it like a hungry lion would pounce on a deer after starving for a month. I watched in shock as she devoured everything within a short period.

“Why wouldn’t she eat in the first place? Whatever is wrong must be so serious to prevent Leila from eating despite being this famished.” I thought to myself.

Leila suddenly stopped in the middle of her food and said, “Omar, I am pregnant for a guy I just killed.”

Like a break in transmission, the whole place became silent, at least, for me. I looked up to see if really that utterance was coming out of Leila’s mouth.

“Leila, did you hear yourself? Tell me you’re joking, please,” I quizzed.

One look was enough to make me register the seriousness on her face. After that, I didn’t know what more to say. 

Looks could deceive, but Leila is in no way a killer. I mean, how could she? She’s a lady, a beautiful young lady, for God sake. I raised my head to look at her face again. I wanted to see that ‘killer face’, but NO. All I saw was an innocent, scared young lady. I was lost in my thought when I heard her say, “won’t you ask me how it happened?”

“Yes, please, how?”

“It’s a long story, Omar. But I’ll try to cut it short.” She said. 

“Please, do,” I answered, almost nervously. 

“We don’t have much time now. Omar, please help me dump the body, and I promise to tell you everything.” 

“What! Leila, I…..” 

“It was an accident, Omar. Believe me. I won’t put you in harm’s way,” she interrupted. 

“what If..” I began again

“No what-ifs, Omar. Nothing will happen,” she assured. 

“Okay, where is he?“ I agreed.

I quickly went to the counter, paid for the food I ordered and in no time, Leila and I headed to her boyfriend’s house, retrieved his body and set out to dump it. I was driving, with Leila seated in the passenger’s seat and the body…. Well, the body was a tad uncomfortably lying in the trunk of my car when, all of a sudden, we were stopped by the police.

I was nervous, confused and scared. But, surprisingly, Leila was a little more composed than I was. How could she?

“What should we tell them, Leila? We’re caught. What should we do?“ I exclaimed. 

“Keep calm”, she retorted. “we’re not caught yet unless you want them to figure us out now, keep calm. Let me do the talking.”

“Hello, Madam,” the Police officer asked. 

“Yes, Officer, any problem?”

“No, we just want to see your particulars.”

I passed the papers to Leila, and she did the same to the police officer. He inspected the documents and went away to a patrol car not far from us. My heart began racing. The officer responded to a call on the radio and nodded. It looked like he was receiving instructions to arrest us.

The officer passed the instructions to his colleagues and came back to us after. “Oga, open your booth abeg. Make we see wetin dey inside,” he yelled in Pidgin. 

“Nothing dey inside officer, we dey in a hurry to go the hospital. My mama no well,” Leila answered in the same language. 

“Eyya, sorry ehn… just open the booth, and you’ll soon be on the way”, the officer assured her. 

I was confused. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t me. I wanted to say to him that I was only helping her. I knew it was over for us. What was I going to tell my parent? Would they ever believe I didn’t do it? My friends, oh my God, how would I possibly explain this to them. 

“Oga just radio us say make we dey check booths. Queue don dey form, driver come open dis booth make I clear dis road,” he uttered.

His face was not friendly again. If I don’t open this booth, he might probably shoot me, I thought to myself. 

I came out from the car, went round like I would open the booth, but I didn’t. Instead, I dipped my hands into my pocket, brought out a fifty naira note and offered it to the police. 

“Officer, please accept this small change make we kuku japa for here. We dey in a hurry abeg,” I said, mustering all the courage I could. 

“Oga, open dis booth before I slap you now. You’re wasting my time,” he asked angrily. 

To be continued.

Khalid Shafi’i can be reached via alhausawiy_esq@yahoo.com.

By AD Raula

I thought I should be one of those facilitating the spate of hatred and senseless vilification against Kano State Hisba over the runs of their functions in protecting the social mores of Kano folks. I once defied Hisba in their command office over their discriminatory treatment of poor people, after which they even locked me off and set me into trepidation of prosecution. This came after they dealt with me deftly and violated my justiciable rights. However, I was granted bail on that night as they could not take me to court after the miniature intimidation. Still, their treatment then was horrendous altogether.

The narration above had happened when I went to their state command in Sharada to pursue bail upon receiving a call from my brother, whom they arrested along with coteries in birthday function at Sharada municipality of the state.

Nevertheless, I didn’t arrive at their office in Sharada till late in the evening. They explained their inability to vouchsafe the detainees’ bail in their custody (including my brother) pending when their lawyer would be available the following day. Subsequently, the backwash of what transpired between us (me and Hisba) was the release of the then commissioner of the environment’s daughter, who was also my brother’s confederate. But we were kept (other bail seekers and me) outside the premises impotently.

My crime in the Hisba headquarters was merely unravelling what they might have forgotten that they represent Islam and that everything they do has to be in line with Islamic manners and principles. In contrast, what they did to us was the blended injustice, and that’s how everything became worst as I couldn’t withstand their ill-usage approach.

Howbeit, the honesty of the matter is that Hisba, as the morality enforcement body, has its shortcomings and lapses just as police and other military bodies have. We all know that their satisfactory moral and shari’a services within which they were established are far beyond that of other federal law enforcement agencies. But, why do we tend to transmit condemnatory gestures to them and not appreciation instead, which I believe they deserve only encouragement rather than the opposite from us as the Muslims? Also, most of these Hisba folks live with their families on low monthly earnings that you can never survive on as their denigrator.

My firm belief is that the existence of Hisba and operations reduce fornications and other social vices to certain degrees that their abolishment or nonexistence would have brought. Similarly, the extent to which they are playing justice between parties is more appealing, acceptable, and equitable if compared with other securities in the country.

In closing, people should know that no codification of laws on earth or being made favour poor folks. On the contrary, laws are always at the side of those with power and wealth. So, please, pray for Hisba, support their effort or keep silent.

AD Raula wrote from Kano. He can be reached via raulerabdul6@gmail.com.

By Engr. Mustapha Habu

The Director-General, NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa, paid an assessment visit to Engausa Global Tech. Hub to assess the level of development achieved by the Hub and the impacts of its initiatives after it emerged as a beneficiary of a grant from NITDA last year.

ENGAUSA had been able to train 313 young people within two years (2019-2020). However, after winning the grant, the number surges dramatically. Today ENGAUSA has successfully trained 800 young people in 2021. The NITDA, in conjunction with ENGAUSA, will therefore conduct an end-of-training event in January 2022.

Before the end-of-the-year break commenced, Malam Kashifu assessed the expertise of 50 primary and secondary school kids, who were trained under a theme titled ENGAUSA CARCH THEM YOUNG.

ENGAUSA presented to the DG what was being invented by young people and Almajiris at ENGAUSA HUB. He was also happy and surprised how they make inventions without having gone to higher schools—as some of them are dropouts with expertise in drawing and innovation of the modern time.

Others on SIWES from various universities and those that have not got the opportunity to further their education are already into robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Hub introduced other graduates out of the 60 who established their firms after getting trained at ENGAUSA Hub. The firms include THE D E-SERVICES, DASHERE ELECTRIC SERVICES, SD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, and so on.

An outstanding mentee who invented a mathematics learning app called HausaMaths was also introduced to the DG. Another one also built a science and technology teaching app in the Hausa language called Bemitela.Africa.

The DG also met some young people employed by companies in Kano and Abuja, namely JETSON ENGINEERING (that deploys them to COSGROVE estate sites in Abuja), CHOSEN ONE GLOBAL TECH LTD, which has sites in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, and other states in the northern part of the country.

ENGAUSA HUB presented some 10 Almajiris enrolled for the ENGAUSA CATCH THEM YOUNG and have followed the footsteps of the rest in areas of graphic design and innovation. One of the Almajiris has even been employed by ENGAUSA HUB for his outstanding performance. Alhaji Yahaya Yusuf Kwande (who is not from Kano) is the one who sponsored the registration of the Kano Almajiris.

The able DG of NITDA assured ENGAUSA HUB that his agency would collaborate with the Hub in promoting such developmental projects across the states in Nigeria.

As of the time of writing this, ENGAUSA is part of the Technology Incubation Center (of NBTI) established to work under the custody of the Federal Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation. We also have a branch on Rijiyar Zaki Gwarzo Road and other cities that we plan to collaborate with within Jigawa, Kaduna, and Abuja to enhance modern skills and ease learning initiatives.

Our door is open for anyone willing to collaborate with us in making this a reality.