Month: November 2022

By Ibrahim Mukhtar

The members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Kano State University of Science of Technology (KUST) Wudil have issued a strong warning to Nigerians that the current happenstance in the Nigeria’s educational sector may be a deliberate attempt to destroy the country’s higher education.

In a press statement signed by the duo of Comrade Muhammad Sani Gaya, the Chairperson ASUU KUST and Comrade Murtala Muhammad, Secretary ASUU KUST, they maintained that, despite such evil intents, Nigerian academics have powerful excellent records all over the world.

Part of the release says:

“Members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) suspended its eight-month strike action in compliance with Court directives as a Union of intellectuals and law-abiding citizens. It is however, quite disheartening that the Federal Government under the present administration of Major General Muhammad Buhari (rtd) resolved to withhold seven months salaries of our members and payment of pro-rated salary for the month of October 2022. This decision is ill-informed and a clear demonstration of either government’s ignorance on the responsibilities of academic staff or a flagrant abuse of office. The duties are clearly spelt out in the laws establishing the universities, which are easily verifiable.

As at today, Nigeria ranked third (3rd) in Africa with highest number of documents in Scopus database as indicated in Scimago (https://www.scimagojr.com) due to volumes of research outputs. Equally, in other reputable international databases, the Nigerian academics are making the country proud despite the precarious working condition and deliberate underfunding.”

It was also reported in the release that members of ASUU KUST sensed that all these kind of ill-treatment that is meted upon the Nigerian academics is done in order to frustrate the lecturers to abandon their duties, as the current rulers of Nigeria have nothing to lose.

“The ill-intent of this administration to deprive teeming Nigerian youths from quality university education and destroy the public universities was clear from the ugly utterances of Ministers of Education and that of Labour and Employment. Furthermore, the act of withholding the seven (7) month salaries and payment of October salary on pro-rata basis is another testimony. The Federal Government may wish to be reminded that academics in the Nigeria Universities are not casual staff.

ASUU-KUST therefore condemned in strong terms, this singular action and call on Federal Government to immediately address the issues for industrial harmony to be sustained. Mischievously, the Federal Government deliberately refused to implement all the agreements freely/duly signed in 2017, 2019 and 2020. This is not unconnected with the fact that the wards of ruling elites are either schooling abroad or in private universities in Nigeria. For the records, we want the public to note that the union will never be distracted from salvaging Nigerian University system.” the statement further says.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

According to reports, Brigadier-General Mohammed Fadah, the director general of the National Youth Service Corps, has been fired by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Eddy Megwa, the NYSC spokesman, merely stated that a formal statement would be released on Friday when reached.

The Daily Reality understands that the president decided on Thursday, nevertheless.

Only six months had passed since Fadah was appointed director of the NYSC in May 2022 before he was fired.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

In order to allow customers to return old naira notes, the Central Bank of Nigeria has ordered commercial banks around the nation to open on Saturdays through January 31, 2023.

The N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes will be redesigned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and released by December 15, 2022.

The present notes will continue to be legal money until January 31, 2023, when they will no longer be, according to CBN Director of Corporate Communications Osita Nwasinobi, who was speaking at the CBN exhibition on Thursday in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.

Represented by the acting Director of Corporate Communications, CBN, Akpama Uket, the director said, “They [the banks] have also been instructed to receive the existing banknotes beyond the threshold stipulated by the Cashless Policy without charges to customers.

“Consequently, you must return all the current N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes to your bank before the expiration of the deadline.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Yusuf Aminu Anka, a law student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has emerged winner of the 2022 Rory Peck’s Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs in London.

Mr Anka disclosed the milestone on his verified Twitter handle on Thursday. 

“I’m honored to have won the @rorypecktrust, @sonyproeurope impact award in the midst of many courageous and important reportings from Afghanistan and around the world. I am extremely happy and proud of the support I receive from family, friends, and colleagues here.” He wrote on Twitter.

Mr Anka made a short documentary for BBC News Africa titled ‘The Bandits Warlords of Zamfara.” 

The award-winning documentary tells the story of banditry and kidnappings in Zamfara and its effects on people’s lives. 

Reacting to the award, Mr Anka said, “Every day, I am reassured that the story of Zamfara is significant not only to us but to everyone who values humanity.” 

The Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs honours the work of freelance journalists in long-form current affairs that examines a single issue, story or situation and has an impact on the viewer, policy or public awareness.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Things appear to be continuously falling apart in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the party has been unable to resolve its internal crisis.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State had on Thursday subtly endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi. This has inarguably caused more division in the party.

Governor Wike while playing host to the Labour Party presidential candidate and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed in Porthacourt on Thursday, pledged logistics supports for Peter Obi’s campaign.

“Each time you want to campaign in the state, let me know, all the logistics support, we will give to you,” Wike told Obi to the cheers of Obi’s supporters.

Wike who is strong stalwart of the PDP, had fallen out with the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, after he lost the party’s primary election to the latter in May this year.

Three months to the 2023 general election, Wike and four other PDP governors are requesting for the resignation of the party’s national hairman, Iyorchia Ayu. They were reported to have said they will not support Atiku Abubakar if their request is not granted. Unfortunately, neither the party chairman nor the presidential candidate is ready to accede to their demands.

Wike and his allies had argued that it is against equity to have the presidential candidate of the party and the national chairman of the party from northern part of the country.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Council of Legal Education, CLE, has released the 2022 Bar ll examination results.

The results of the Bar finals were released by the council in the early hours of Thursday. Students of the Nigerian Law School who spoke to The Daily Reality confirmed that they have checked their results.

The NigeriaLawyer reports that 119 students representing 2.05% bagged first class, 787 representing 13.56%, and 2460 representing 42.40% secured Second Class Upper and Lower divisions respectively. Also, 1323 students constituting 22.8% made a pass, while the conditional pass category had 185 students making 3.19%.

For a person to be qualified to practice as a legal practitioner in Nigeria, he is required to be enrolled at the Nigerian Law School and Pass the Bar Finals.

By Yakubu Nasiru Khalid

If Atiku Abubakar can be trusted, why did he contest the presidential election five times and not win?

Atiku is the most frequent presidential candidate in Nigeria. He started contesting for a presidential position in 1991 under several parties, including the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). However, he has consistently failed all the time. 

Also, General Muhammad Buhari, the current president, contested for the presidential position from 2003-2015 and failed three times.

Eng. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso is the second presidential wannabe who contested the presidential primaries election. He has never stood for an election at the national level. Standing election at the national level is a lot.

Note: Whoever blindly and persistently needs to take a particular post in politics should not be voted because he only needs the immunity, favour, or title needs to prefix on their name, not the country’s property. Nigeria will only remain poor and unstable If Atiku wins.

Eyes measurement is enough for a wise; all those presidential contestants are on the same boat as Buhari. They are only dying to prefix the title of president to their names, not to lead Nigeria to the ever brighter state.

There are two major popular political parties in the South All Progress Congress APC and People’s Democratic Party PDP. However, the New Nigerian People’s Party NNPP is rare because it has few supporters.

This means the South’s votes are shared among two parties, PDP and APC, and Asuwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu dominates almost all southern States. Therefore, Atiku will get fewer votes from southern Nigeria. This means Asuwaju Bola Ahmad has 63% of the votes, Atiku has 37% votes, and 10% will be shared amongst the rest parties. 

In the North, three political parties are populous, each with a large number of supporters. Atiku and Kwankwaso are northerners, and Bola Ahmad is from the South and the ruling party, APC. Kano is the largest state in the North that produces high votes, and each party will eat into the other. This means none has the majority. So they will be vulnerable to each other. Lagos’s votes are automatic belong to Asuwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu.

Casting votes for PDP or NNPP is a waste. So, vote wisely for the solution for humanity. Nigeria needs a fresh, diligent and experienced leader. Age or educational status doesn’t matter a lot. Vote for someone who optimistically thinks Nigeria will be economically strong with a political cloud. 

Yakubu Nasiru Khalid wrote via yakubunasirukhalid@gmail.com.

By Usman Ibrahim Na’abba

Ahmad Sulaiman’s face is cheerless as he continues to grapple with thoughts of how poor sanitation and adequate hygiene bother his community. Ahmad lives in one of the densely populated communities in Nassarawa LGA, Unguwar Gaya, in Kano State. Not only does he lament that their community efforts are all in vain, but he is not hopeful about the well-being of his community in the coming years.

Sanitation and proper hygiene have been among the critical focus areas for governments at all levels in Nigeria. Hence, prominent international organizations carrying out activities across developing countries have factored these challenges into their projects and programs.

Organizations like United Nations Children Emergency and Fund (UNICEF) have been present in Nigeria for decades delivering projects in child health and WASH. The priority given to Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is so because poor hygiene and sanitation advance the spread of child killer diseases like communicable diseases such as Cholera, Diarrhea, Typhoid, etc. Moreover, it allows for the continuity of Malaria, a disease Nigeria has grappled with for a long time.

For Ahmad, the dream of having a disease-free community continues to run farther as they continue to chase after it. For over a year, his neighbour’s soak-away pit has filled up to its brink, releasing some of its contents to an open culvert close to it in his community.

Sanitation has deteriorated over the years due to negligence. It is the responsibility of both citizens and the government to have a clean environment. He admits that “passing by the open is extremely excruciatingly nauseating and terrifying, not to talk of neighbouring the area”.

In the past administrations, Kano State has formally declared every last Saturday of the month for general cleaning of markets, motor parks, culverts, hospitals and surroundings around communities with strict restrictions on movement. The session ends by 10:00 am, and it’s almost always expected that proper sanitation of surroundings is effectively discharged – dumping of refuse is executed correctly, and drainages are cleared, among others.

People like Ahmad have now become more aware of the utmost importance of hygiene and are more responsible in ensuring they keep tidy surroundings to combat diseases. However, the current overflow of a soak-away neighbouring dramatically contributes to environmental and health menaces that his community battles.

“Every member of this neighbourhood is at risk of contracting a health problem. Even passers-by aren’t spared of the stinking smell coming out of the unkempt soak-away”, he said. The pit also leads to an open culvert linked to many houses around his community. Hence, the danger of the odd combination is incomprehensible.

“I have tendered complaints to the mayor of the community countless times. It has been over one year, and nothing has been done. Tenants occupy the house, and I’ve observed that they don’t really care about the impact of what their negligence would cause,” he admitted. Upon understanding the dangers associated with improper sanitation by the tenants, he also proceeded to meet them one-on-one, but that hasn’t been helpful either.

Tenants occupy a significant number of houses around the area, which is why there are numerous hygiene and sanitation problems. However, he explains that “only a few people are concerned about the health impacts of overflowing soak-away and refuge problems. This is because tenants often feel it is the responsibility of house owners to take care of such things rather than themselves”.

Towards the end of July, Ahmad’s concern rose due to the anticipated heavy rainfall and possible flooding by the Nigerian government through the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), which he believed could deteriorate their health plight because of the unkempt soak-away pit. He then, together with a friend, who is also his neighbour, collaborated and submitted a written complaint to the Kano State Ministry of Health through the office of its secretary.

Only after their report did the ministry of health send officials to their neighbourhood to check the extent of the problem. Because the property belongs to tenants, the officials from the hospital that visited said that “if they didn’t repair it, they would sell some part of the house that will be equivalent to the money to repair the hazardous soak-away for them since they are not ready to take any action”. As I speak, the soak-away pit is as it is now. Ahmad tried to call the officials again, but they couldn’t respond to him or come back to the community and take the action they intended.

Usman Ibrahim is a 200-level student of the Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University Kano.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Honourable Abdulsobur Olayiwola Olawale, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has passed away in Jos at the rally of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The deceased, also known as Omititi, served as a state representative for Mushin II.

A source who spoke to journalists about the death said, “It is true that he died, but you will understand that at this moment, I can’t put out a report to announce the death of a very good friend.

“He slumped and died. We both travelled to Jos and it’s sad to not come back with him to Lagos.”

Bola Tinubu, a 2023 APC presidential candidate, launched his campaign yesterday Tuesday in Plateau State.

Omititi was also the head of the House Committee on Local Government Services in the state assembly.

In 2017, the deceased politician was appointed the Sariki Adeen of Mushin Central Mosque.

By Habibu Maaruf Abdu

The famous Kannywood producer, Alhaji Abdurrahman Muhammad, popularly known as Abdul Amart Mai-Kwashewa, has received an honorary doctorate in Diplomacy and Public Management from IHERIS University, Togo.

This was disclosed in his Instagram post on Sunday, November 13, 2022.

“On the 12th of Nov 2022, I was honoured by the IHIRIS (sic) University Togo with a doctor of philosophy in Diplomacy and Public Management. It is indeed a great honour, and as such, I will like to thank the management of IHERIS university for this great honour. May Allah almighty make it useful for me and the entire Universe.”

Amart is the CEO of Abnur Films and the national president of the Yahaya Bello Network (YBN) group. He was recently appointed as the director of Northern Artists (Kannywood) for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.

This is IHERIS University’s second degree of honour conferment on a Kannywood personnel, having previously conferred producer-cum-actor, Usman Uzee, with a doctor of philosophy in Media and Communication Studies in 2021.

Recall that Ali Nuhu was the first Kannywood member to receive an Honorary Doctorate after being awarded a Doctorate in Entrepreneurship and Youth Development by the ISM Adonai American University, Cotonou, in 2018.