Month: July 2022

By Kasim Isa Muhammad

Someone I will not mention by name forwarded memes written in the Hausa language to my WhatsApp number. The content reads: “Tunda naga level coordinator din mu ya sa Shadda a status, na karaya.” This means “I lost hope upon viewing the brocade on the status of our level coordinator.” At first glance, of course, one would laugh it out. But, on second and more critical thought, the memes are a deliberate attempt to ridicule members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), whose salaries have been stopped for the past four months or so by President Buhari-led government.

That is one of the several unhealthy memes spreading on social media about ASUU members and their predicament due to the strike. Unsurprisingly, the person who intentionally shared this meme and his likes are bent on making caricatures of ASUU members. This explains the level of irresponsibility and how mean people can be.

In the first place, a university lecturer that converted their social media page for the sole purpose of business enterprise signifies that the lecturer in question is responsible and utilizing the strike effectively. When did engaging in business become a subject of ridicule? Or a sheer violation of the code of conduct?

Let me educate the public a little. The job description of all Nigerian academics includes teaching, research, home and community service, or any other duty as assigned by the Head of the Department. The work has been made flexible to enable lecturers interested in other genuine businesses to complement the paltry salary they receive each month.

Notably, lecturers in departments that are practice-based, such as law, medicine, mass communication, theatre, fine arts, and engineering, to mention a few, have the upper hand in multiple sources of income. This is because they engage in private practice outside the university job, which serves as’ Plan B’. 

Sadly, a portion of the blame goes to the government for reducing the profession to ridicule and making it less attractive because of the absence of a decent salary and deliberate stoppage of salaries whenever members embark on strike. Nothing like this can happen in a saner society.

Kasim Isa Muhammad is a student at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The National Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to embark on a nationwide protest 26/7 of July in solidarity with the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The union has been on a strike since February 14th, 2022, over the government failure to meet their demands.

The Daily Reality recalls that the issues are bordering on funding universities, as well as on salaries and allowances of lecturers.

The NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in a statement jointly signed with his secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, disclosed that the protest aimed at getting the university students back to school.

The statement read, “we bring you fraternal greetings from the national secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),” the letter read.

“In line with the decisions of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress held on the 30th of June 2022, we have scheduled as follows the National Days of Protest to get our children back to school and support our unions in Nigeria’s public universities fighting for quality education.

“Dates: Tuesday, 26th July 2022 and Wednesday, 27th July 2022.

“Venue: All the State Capitals of the Federation and Abuja the Federal Capital Territory. Take off Point: NLC State Secretariats and the Labour House, Abuja

“You are requested to immediately convene the meetings of your SAC to disseminate this information and to fully mobilize workers in the states for this very important protest for good governance,” the statement added.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN, has emerged winner in the presidential election of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, ECNBA, conducted an electronic election on Saturday, June 16, 2022, to elect the association’s president and 10 other national executives. 

Maikyau, SAN, polled 22342 in the election to defeat his closest rival, JK Gadzama SAN, who polled 10842.

Maikyau was born on February 6, 1965. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, in 1989, then attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus and was called to the Nigerian Bar on December 12, 1990.

Maikyau would be succeeding Olumide AKpata as the 36th president of the NBA.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is currently in the hospital for a leg surgery.

Media Aide to the Vice President, Laolu Akande disclosed the development on Twitter on Saturday, June 16, 2022.

Although Akande did not disclose the hospital the vice president is undergoing the surgery, he stated that the nation would be updated by Osinbajo’s doctors.

“VP Osinbajo is in the hospital today for a surgical procedure on account of a recurrent pain in the leg possibly sustained from an injury while playing squash. His doctors would give an update of the treatment later today.” Mr Akande tweeted.

The Vice President had earlier taken to his social media handles to celebrate his wife, Oladipo Osinbajo’s 55th birthday.

By Sule Abubakar

The contention has recommenced, and I wonder why I should be worried over my enemy’s self-immolating adventure. The brouhaha has resurfaced, and with the usual vigour, social media has been littered with a weightless torrent of abuse, criticism and name-calling! Please, as Nigerians would say, “No dey take a panadol for another person’s headache”!

The highly controversial topic of a Muslim-Muslim ticket re-appeared soon after Bola Ahmed Tinubu officially announced Senator Kashim Shettima, the former Governor of Borno State, as his running mate for the 2023 general election. Tinubu had been on the horns of a dilemma. A situation like that demands wits because any ill-conceived decision might result in the ignominious internment of his political career.

So, Tinubu did the inevitable thing. However, in a rare moment of candour, picking a Muslim running mate is reprehensible, and, admittedly too, that’s the inescapable political cross Tinubu has to carry if really he is out to win the 2023 presidential election!

On June 14, 2022, I noted something in my article “APC, Tinubu and the Burden of a Muslim-Muslim Ticket”. I said: “First things first, one of the principal objectives of any political party is to win an election. So, without being politically correct, APC as a party is out to contest the presidential elections, and with the sole aim of winning! And since winning is their major target, they have the constitutional right to decide what could help them actualise their plans. If it’s a Muslim-Muslim, Christian-Christian, Muslim-Christian or Christian-Muslim ticket they think guarantees their victory; the sole decision is theirs to make. And if the plan unfortunately backfires, with calamitous results, it means they’ve been hoisted with/by their own petard. You can call that a Frankenstein monster!” This is still very relevant in today’s controversy over the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

The obvious truth is this, Tinubu has to pick a ‘politically relevant’ northern Muslim to strengthen his chance of winning the election because, strangely enough, that’s the only Hobson’s choice before him! Hobson’s choice simply means taking the only available option or nothing! And according to some people, making such an insensitive choice is self-immolating. But if you critically evaluate your ethno-religious sentiments, you will see that that’s the right thing any sane person in Tinubu’s shoes would do. No serious politician, especially in Nigeria, succumbs to the pressure of religious balance to their political detriment. 

Picking a Muslim running is not even destructive; not picking it would’ve been more disastrous for Tinubu and the APC! And if Tinubu had not made that objectionable choice, it would’ve even been the deadliest self-immolating political choice in his political career – because a true leader makes a seemingly unimaginable choice and firmly stands by it. And that’s what Tinubu has just done here!

According to the structure of Nigerian politics, which I have keenly observed so far, religion is only relevant to our politicians before elections. After all, elections are conducted, they jettison religion and then drift back to their sacrilegious activities. To most Nigerian politicians, religion is an art or a tool of fraudulence that they use to bamboozle gullible Nigerians. This has been happening for years, but it takes careful inspection to notice this. I laugh when I see people who blabber on social media. The earlier you know that the election isn’t won through your monotonous jeremiads and sentimental religious outbursts, the better for all of you. Please, take my analysis as one from an unbiased analyst. 

Politics thrives on the wings of numbers. That is why candidates go for running mates that give them numerical strength. Tinubu knows this; hence, his desire to go for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. So, please, you should allow him to do what he knows best for him and his party! The same way other candidates chose those they think have more electoral advantage, that’s the same way Tinubu also chose somebody he thinks has more electoral value or advantage.

But, of course, Tinubu has the right to do that because the electorate has the equal right not to vote for him. But strangely enough, that’s even Tinubu’s only Hobson’s choice! And since you all think Tinubu has reached his political plateau by choosing a northern Muslim as his running mate, you can all rejoice because of his self-defeating, self-destructive and self-immolating crapshoot! After all, in politics, the downfall of one’s opponent is savoury!

Sule Abubakar wrote via suleabubakarmark2020@gmail.com.

By Aminu Muhammad

The personnel of Kano Road Transport Agency (KAROTA) have allegedly stabbed a Point of Sale (POS) operator and brutalised many others, including women in Kano, during the recent Eid-l-Kabir Durbar in Kano.

The victim, identified as Radiyuddin Tahir, who operated a POS service in the Sabon Titin Mandawari area in Gwale of Kano State, was watching durbar before his shop when the incident happened.

Radiyuddin sustains injury in the abdomen and is currently receiving treatment at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano.

Eyewitnesses said the KAROTA personnel became furious when they alleged that onlookers yelled at them while they were following the entourage of Kano emir.

An eyewitness, a relative of the victim, Salahuddin Nams’aiki, narrated how the incident occurred: “the emir had passed while KAROTA were in the last part of the entourage rallying with their vehicle and weapons. They headed toward onlookers, and we were watching in front of our shop. They just came and started hitting people. That was how they stabbed him and injured other people, including women.” 

Another eyewitness said men of the KAROTA were passing in their vehicle rallying when some people yelled at them and started mocking them, which infuriated them to start beating people indiscriminately around the area, leading to stabbing the victim.

The young man’s parents have accused the KAROTA personnel of stabbing Radiyuddin with a knife in his business environment. 

Malama Balaraba Shehu, the victim’s mother, said the unfortunate incident traumatised her because Radiyuddin has been an essential family supporter, saying, “By Allah, he [the victim] has been supportive to the family and me. My child isn’t a thug. He doesn’t smoke. Why would they beat him like this? I pray God to come to our aid.”

KAROTA Public Relations Officer Nabulusi Abubakar Kofar Na’isa, who confirmed the clash, said they were yet to get the formal report because KAROTA and other security agencies were involved in the incident, which he said was not led by KAROTA.

He stated: “There was a clash, but it was a joint task force operation which included KAROTA, NSCDC, FRSC, Police etc. not KAROTA alone is involved in the operation. And it is not KAROTA that was leading the team. 

“Just like he was injured, KAROTA operatives and others were also wounded. Four KAROTA officers sustained injuries; three of them were hospitalised, but they were discharged earlier today. So we are waiting for the report of the incident before taking any action. We cannot say anything now.”

A legal practitioner in Kano, Barr Abba Hikima, said carrying weapons by KAROTA operatives contravenes Nigerian laws, adding “we often receive complaints from people on how KAROTA operatives hit people or people’s vehicles. There is no law that allows them to wield a weapon of any kind. It contravenes Nigeria’s laws. Commissioner of Police should arrest those carrying weapons because it is against public order.”

Police Public Relations Officer in Kano SP Abdullahi Kiyawa neither answered several calls to his mobile phone nor replied to a message sent to him.

The Police, however, in a statement by the spokesman Abdullahi Kiyawa said the Sallah celebration was peaceful in the State, but 85 thugs were arrested across five emirates of the State.

• Director: Hafizu Bello

• Producer: Abubakar Bashir Mai-Shadda

• Screenplay: Naziru Alkanawiy

• Language: Hausa

• Company: Mai-Shadda Global Resources Limited

• Release Date: 9/7/2022

• Cast: Amal Umar, Nura Hussaini, Adam A. Zango, Sani Danja, Shamsu Dan Iya, Sani Mu’azu, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Sadiya Umar, Abdurrazak Sultan, etc.

You can hardly see a ‘thriller’ or a ‘crime mystery film’ in Kannywood’s archive. Recently, however, the trend has begun to change, as the rare genre is being explored by the veteran director Hafizu Bello. After presenting the murder mystery film HIKIMA in 2021, he came again with another one entitled AISHA. It revolves around the eponymous character, a rape victim who eventually dies, and her parents’ struggle for justice.

Aisha (Amal Umar) is a university student from a low-income family. Her father, Malam Balarabe (Nura Hussaini), tries his best to see her success. However, one fateful day, she is found lying, raped and wounded on campus. The police soon arrive and take her to the hospital. Meanwhile, the university management is more concerned about the school’s reputation. They, therefore, conspire with the police officer in charge of the case, SP Audu Makera (Adam A. Zango) and the doctor (Abba El- Mustapha) to hide the embarrassing incident.

Aisha’s parents are upset and anxious to know the cause of their daughter’s critical condition, but the doctor refuses to tell them. Therefore, her father questions the official report issued after she dies and files a petition to get justice. The audience is then taken to the courtroom, where everything is unmasked at the end.

Typical of mystery films, the plot is uncommonly twisted. Many sequences are cut before they end and later continued as flashbacks, particularly when the suspects are interrogated. There are more flashbacks as the defendants and witnesses talk during the court sessions. But all are flawlessly pieced together. The credit should go to the director, Hafizu Bello, who handles the film with the finesse of a devoted artist. Other crew members also did remarkably well. The cinematography is top-notch, and the locations are beautiful. There is also good use of costumes and props.

The film exposes the grim reality in some higher institutions where the students commit serious misconduct. It can also be a wake-up call for parents to be extra cautious about their female children. We see how Aisha duped her father into believing she would spend her night in the hostel but ended up in her boyfriend’s room, where the tragedy later befalls her. The film also highlights how the elite plot against the masses to protect their selfish interests.

Indeed, Aisha is a decent, well-crafted movie with a strong message and realistic narrative. However, the University setting and courtroom dramas make it somewhat formulaic, resembling the director’s previous film Hikima. It would’ve also been more intriguing if it had begun from the scene where Aisha is shown lying on the ground.

The film has an all-star cast, and the actors fit their respective roles. But some of them, like Yakubu Muhammad and Baballe Hayatu, are wasted as minor characters. The eponymous heroine (Amal Umar), the prime suspect (Shamsu Dan Iya) and the security personnel (Sani Danja and Adam A. Zango) all try to pull off good performances. However, it’s Nura Hussaini that steals every scene he features. The courage and anguish he communicates as Aisha’s hapless father seem extremely real. The lawyers (Sani Mu’azu and Sadiya Umar) and the judge (Kanayo O. Kanayo) also play their part with remarkable capacity.

Although Aisha is not a masterpiece, it’s better than the fluffs Kannywood churn out regularly. I, therefore, strongly recommend it—rating 3.5/5.

Reviewed by:

Habibu Maaruf Abdu

Kano, Nigeria

habibumaaruf11@gmail.com

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Flutterwave Graduate Trainee Programme has officially been launched, according to Flutterwave, a top African payments technology firm.

Through the training of technical and soft skills, exposure to Flutterwave’s solutions and products, and hands-on work experience at a large corporation, this program seeks to develop 200 young Nigerians. 

Additionally, the training will educate students on the culture, values, vision, and mission of Flutterwave, as well as its network of past and present workers.

With the primary goal of boosting the economy by producing skilled employment for young Nigerian graduates, Flutterwave published the application portal earlier in July 2022 to allow fresh graduates from all around Nigeria to apply for desirable roles in the company.

Chief Operating Officer of Flutterwave, Bode Abifarin, was quoted as saying:

“Flutterwave is an African company built to solve African challenges with African solutions. Some of the biggest challenges we have faced at Flutterwave have been solved by enlightened African tech experts with African needs in mind. Therefore, we would not be living up to our company’s ethos if we did not offer a leg-up to the young talent available and inspire and train them to ensure that the next future challenges in Africa’s tech scene are solved by talented young Africans.

“The graduate trainee programme and the job fair represent Flutterwave’s commitment to offering these talented individuals the opportunity to share their innovations and expertise with leading experts and tech entrepreneurs not only in Nigeria but across the continent. We hope that by powering the youth’s dreams, we power the continent’s tech scene as well.’’

Applications are expected to close on July 15, 2022.

Applicants for the upcoming Graduate trainee programme should apply via this link (https://flutterwave.com/gb/careers/graduates)

Applicants applying for the Flutterwave Job Fair are to apply through this link (https://flutterwavejobfair.disha.page/)

By Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr J)

The primary responsibility of any government at all levels is the protection of the lives and property of its citizens. But, with the prima facie evidence of security deterioration in this country, one would say, with certainty, that the government has failed woefully in that regard, declaring no one unsafe.

If the convoy of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can be attacked and one of the main correctional centres in its capital raided, causing some of the kingpins of the “Boko Haram” to escape, who and where else do you think is safe? 

The military and paramilitary forces meant to protect the country and its citizens from external and internal threats are paying off with their dear lives due to the lack of proper training, poor personnel and good enough weapons, to mention just a few. Their families, after their departure, live in limbo with little or zero support from the government.

From another angle, the judicial apparatus saddled with the responsibility of punishing the law infringers treads to and fro wearily in an ocean of fear of intimidations from the executive arm of government when discharging its duties. This, for sure, fertilizes the roots of injustice,  shawls the neck of corruption and fans the amber of criminality and lawlessness. Until when Nigeria would be out of this mess?

The 64 escapees of the “Boko Haram” members from Kuje Prison spell doom to the country. God forbids. But the sad truth is, if the escapees return to their camps and reunite with their colleagues, they would be restrengthened. And, there would be a possibility of new forms of attacks here and there, threatening a few months away 2023 general elections. Therefore, government and the general public should be cautioned. 

To abort meeting a bleak future in the store, the government should create an enabling environment by providing means of acquiring a sound education, employment opportunities and financial support to the teeming youths. It should ensure the recruitment of enough security personnel, give them proper training and enough modern weapons and pay their remuneration. Non Governmental Organizations and traditional and religious leaders should chip in, for the insecurity is everyone’s business. May Nigeria prosper.

Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr J) wrote from Gombe via muhammadrabiujibrin@gmail.com.

By Abdullahi A. Maiwada

Let me start this piece by aligning with the content of the second diagram illustrating that “Just because you are right, does not mean I am wrong. You just haven’t seen life from my side”. 

Shannon and Weaver produced a general model of communication, which is named after them, the Shannon-Weaver Model. It involved breaking down an information system into sub-systems to evaluate the efficiency of various communication channels and codes. They propose that all communication must include six elements:

Source

Encoder

Channel

Message

Decoder

Receiver

This model is often called an “information model” of communication. A limitation is that the model looks at communication as a one-way process. The addition of a feedback element remedies that.

Perceptual distortions mean incorrect understanding or abnormal interpretation of occurrences. It occurs when a person’s responses to stimuli vary from how it is commonly perceived.

In trying to communicate effectively, the sender should send his message through the appropriate channel at the right time to enable the receiver to decode the message correctly. On the other hand, the receiver should be open-minded and objective by decoding the message in the right context using standard parameters. 

Feedback channels are readily available for the receiver to effect a two-way communication by seeking clarification from the sender on grey areas. Also, feedback sometimes gives a communicator an idea about his heterogeneous audience. Basically, it defines their personality based on how they perceive their message and their frantic efforts to influence the perception of other persons. 

According to perception theory based on the diagram below by B. Berelson and G. A. Steiner (1964), first, a person gets exposed to particular media content (selective exposure). In other words, some individuals are exposed to specific media effects/messages while some are not. This screening aspect depends on many factors such as media reach, accessibility, age, cultural acceptability, etc.

Secondly, selective perception is the tendency to interpret communication messages based on one’s attitudes. People of distinct psychological characters perceive the same media content in different ways. This depends on factors such as age, values, family, opinions etc.

Third is selective attention, which is the process of screening a vast amount of information in which one has no interest through mental filters. The last two are selective retention and action.

Finally, I cannot round up perception theory without acknowledging the new concept of ‘Selective Expectation’ captured in the diagram below. This is propounded by Kola Adesina (2017). One of my mentors and a lecturer at the Mass Communication Department CUAB. 

In all communication, the meaning of a message is greatly dependent on the culture in which it is transmitted. The sender encodes a message, and the receiver decodes it. Between the sender, the message and the receiver, the noise gets in the way and complicates the process. Noiseless communication does not exist as there always is some noise entering the communication. Noise can be physical noise, for example, static or psychological. Misunderstanding of a particular message, i.e. distortion of meaning, is also a form of noise.

Thanks to digital media for enabling engagement using comment sections or messenger for those who choose to engage the sender privately. However, channelling the message to a third party by boycotting the sender will add more ‘noise’ to the communication. In such a scenario, the sender is right to perceive a receiver to be mischievous in a deliberate attempt to facilitate a distorted message. Eventually, this will lead to disinformation and a wrong narrative about the intended message. 

Abdullahi A. Maiwada is a superintendent of Customs attached to the Public Relations Unit, Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters, Abuja.