Month: May 2023

By Sulaiman Abba Aliyu

A person that went through formal schooling system and attained what he has attained because of that system will never downgrade the system. The system has done so well for him to downgrade it, he has reached his/its zenith, something many of the young bloods can only dream of and yet some among them find fault in a book published by him with a title they feel offended by, most without even going through the book. What happened to the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Don’t tell me you’ve judged it by its title!

I am not trying to justify what the author said for I believe he wasn’t trying to do so either. It’s just a friendly reminder from a person who has seen what you have not seen, worked where you haven’t worked, traveled places you didn’t even dream of. He’s not trying to downplay your “hard earned” degree, my dear graduate.

Let us get to the reality of things in this country and almost everywhere around the world. A degree is a paper issued to someone affirming that he/she has gone through the process of a university education and nothing more. If you are a university student or graduate or infact a student anywhere, you know that there are a lot of ways through which people earn their degrees, some earn it in a legitimate way and others otherwise. In universities, we have seen ladies complaining of how some lecturers harass them (demand for sex) so they will be awarded marks.

Again, how many of your colleagues cheat during exams and unluckily for them they weren’t caught up to their final years or even up to their graduation? How many more others do you know that theirs is just to memorize what is given to them even without understanding anything and passing the exams that way? I bet they are much more than those that are good at what they are studying. Do you then expect yourself as an employer to stick with first set of people just because they have a degree? For the sake of your company, your answer must be NO!

On the part of employers, how many people with good results have they employed and they delivered? Or do you mean because you have a degree and your employer knows how hard it is to earn a degree he/she won’t fire you if you cannot deliver? How many of those with lesser qualifications delivered in their work places because they have the required skills? Many! Or should they all be fired because they do not have a degree? Put yourself in the employer’s shoe and do what will save your company or enterprise.

I’ve seen and heard of so many people without degrees who excel in their endeavors. Some brought value to what they do beyond measures. Their biggest asset were the skills they possessed. And I’ve seen so many with certificates who destroy businesses because they lack the needed skills. These skills include; leadership skills, communication skills among others.

As a graduate, would you rather give your car to a mechanic with the skill of fixing the car or give a graduate with a first class degree with no skill to fix your car?

Your degrees are important nobody dares to downgrade them! But skills, if unemployed, increase your employability and if already employed, accelerate and simplify your job for you.

Do your degrees, if you can’t afford a degree find a skill and engrave it! You’ll appreciate yourself for making that decision.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A joyous celebration of a wedding ceremony in Kano turned into a very traumatic incident as some of the guests died and eight others ended up in hospitals after drinking tea prepared with local leaf, Zakami and unidentified pills.

The incident occurred on the weekend in Sheka, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.

Alhaji Usman Musa Zakari, the ward head of the area, confirmed the development to journalists on Wednesday.

Zakari said the figures circulating about the number of victims were baseless and unconfirmed, giving the name of the deceased as Mubarak Bala, also known as Diga and Ibrahim Khalil.

According to him, “It is true that the incident happened. It happened when the persons drank a tea prepared with a local leaf called Zakami and a combination of other drugs. Two persons died, and eight others were hospitalised.

“Although there are different versions of the stories being peddled, I delegated persons who went on a fact-finding, and we gathered that only two persons lost their lives. Someone told me four had lost their lives and I asked him to take me to the houses but he later told me that the figure was hearsay.

“Eight other persons were hospitalised after drinking from the tea, but they have all been discharged and going about with their day-to-day activities.”

However, the spokesperson of Kano State Police Command, SP Abdullahi Haruna, said no formal report was made to the police division of the area.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The last time I saw Abdulaziz was on the evening of Tuesday, May 2, 2023. He was on the way to the sick bay supported by Waziri and Albani. Nasir, the NAMLAS president, was also in their company. A bike was eventually called upon to convey them there. Sadly, that was the last time I saw him in flesh and soul. In his infinite wisdom, the Creator has decreed that “every soul shall taste death.” And the time came for Abdulaziz on the evening of Thursday, May 4, 2023.

As Muslims, we believe and submit to the will of Allah. However, a week after Abdulaziz’s demise, I still live in self-denial. Everything seems too sudden, and I still wish it is a terrible nightmare. It’s somewhat unfathomable that he did not complete the examinations he so much prepared for and started with us. Like many final-year law students, Abdulaziz’s mind was already in the Nigerian Law School, and preparation was underway. His demise was the least expected way to say goodbye.   

I have known Abdulaziz since we assumed academic activities in January 2017 at the Faculty of Law. However, we became closer in our fourth year when we shared room 90 of Ali Akilu hostel. He would spend much of his time listening to scholars of comparative religion. Videos of Zakir Naik and the late Sheikh Ahmad Deedat dominated his phone gallery. He had an unquenchable thirst for the study of comparative religion, and he was ever ready to share this knowledge.

A week before his death, he had addressed us after morning prayers in Al-Muntada Mosque and emphasised the need to study comparative religion. He undertook to take the course to willing participants in the second semester.

Like many of us, Abdulaziz was a man with dreams for a great future. When we lived together, he narrated the ordeals that led him to study law after he completed NCE and became a certified teacher. That’s a pretty long story, but the bottom line is that he had a reason to work hard, and he worked very hard. He knew where he was going and what it took to get there, and he was set for the journey to greatness at dawn. Sadly but with gratitude to the will of the Almighty, his light was blown out in his prime.

Allah endears his loved ones to people. Abdulaziz was loved by many. This was evident in the crowd that graced his funeral. His teachers, colleagues, friends, students and even non-Muslims were all at Haruna Danja Mosque to bid him farewell. The love the people had for him did not end with him; it extended to his immediate family.

A few days after his death, classmates and friends raised more than half a million for his wife and the two children he left behind. I think he is loved by Allah, who perfected his character and made him the darling of everyone whose path he had crossed. He always met all of us with a cheerful countenance, and he was never known for engaging in frivolities. As much as this is my opinion, I am not subjective. My opinion about him would not have been different if he were alive. 

Abdulaziz will be missed for many reasons and by many people. He left a positive mark on the lives of many. The local chapter of the Muslim Student Society of Nigeria (MSSN) of the Faculty of Law will miss him dearly. He had been a committed official since his admission to the faculty and was committed till his transition.

Abdulaziz’s teachers and classmates will miss him greatly. He was an exceptional student who spoke and asked questions in class when necessary. I remember vividly how he was asked to translate Suratul Kafirun by Professor Danladi in our last Jurisprudence and Legal Theory class. Unfortunately, that was just two weeks from his unanticipated exit. 

He also left a vacuum to be filled at the Kongo Campus Islamiyya, where he taught Tawhid, amongst other courses. His learned brothers at the Student Bench and Counsel, who had appeared before him while he was Khadi of the student judiciary, will miss his judicial wisdom and excellent understanding of Islamic Law.

Besides his family, whose pain at this difficult time is unimaginable, Abdulaziz will be in our pleasant memories for a long time. As the reality of his death sets in, I feel his absence. May Allah forgive him, forgive us, console us and take care of his family, ameen

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Meta, has announced that Whatsapp will unveil the first WhatsApp smartwatch later this year.

Zuckerberg disclosed this in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

The smartwatch will enable Whatsapp users to make phone calls and reply to messages.

“Announced at Google I/O that we’re shipping the first WhatsApp smartwatch app on Wear OS later this year. You’ll be able to start new conversations, reply to messages, and take calls on your wrist,” he posted

By Usaini Abubakar

While travelling in some parts of the Plateau state, please be cautious and vigilant. It’s unfortunate that some blood-sucking people don’t know their enemy and enjoy attacking innocent travellers passing their towns, not knowing we are all victims of the same system. 

I don’t honestly know their aims. Do they want to turn every federal road that crosses their towns or within the state into gallows, a wasteland, battlefields, graveyards of multiple unknown bodies, or maybe something else of their making?

I nearly lost my life yesterday! Not only that, but I nearly lost my breath, lost the life beating inside me, but my strength and courage and determination and experience, like echoes of vigil nights, disappeared within seconds. Not only that, but I think casualties are not the death of those who started the war or those prowling grievance.

Not only that, but I believe casualties are those who keep quiet, who have the opportunity to talk but keep quiet, and those who smile every day when their next-door neighbours are in tears. But how can we together hold and retrieve ourselves back from this brainwashing?

So, I began to wonder what’s more important than human life. What’s more critical than togetherness, than friendships and relationships and progress? What’s more significant than peace, development, progress, success, love, respect, responsibility, and understanding? What’s peace if we can’t go anywhere inside our towns?

What friendship if we can’t befriend someone from another tribe, village, or country? What’s love if we can’t love and respect what others revere? What’s the progress if we can’t put one block over another? What’s progress if we can’t come together? What’s the responsibility if we can’t be accountable for our mistakes?

What’s faith? What’s a belief if we can’t respect other people’s choices and generational values? What’s up if there are no others? How can you, without reason, kill someone for someone’s sin or mistake? Why punish an innocent traveller for a sin they didn’t commit or knew nothing about?

Imagine we spent half our day alongside the road linking Mararraban Jama’a to Abuja, waiting for death, revenge, hatred, or the taste of human blood to leave people’s minds. We stayed as the only means of safety in our possession. We waited for God’s intervention, waiting and waiting, and I pray for no one to wait for this type of wait… waiting without knowing where death would come from.

Usaini Abubakar wrote from Jos, Plateau State. He can be reached via usainiabubakaradam5091@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A patient in Ilorin has met with a sad fate when one Ayodele Joseph, the Chief Medical Director of Ayodele Hospital, sedated and raped her iside the hopital.

A police report revealed that Dr. Ayodele sedated the patient and eventually raped her without her consent.

It added that the doctor sedated the patient and raped her when she went to the hospital for medical treatment.

Ayodele was arraigned on a two-count charge of act of gross indecency and rape, contrary to sections 285 and 283 of the penal code.

The Daily Reality, through the police report, learned that the victim, who fell under the doctor’s trap, is also a professional nurse.

“Investigation into the matter however led to the recovery of the video recording containing sexual action of the defendant on the victim while medical text also confirmed that the said nurse was assaulted and raped”, the charge sheet disclosed.

Gbenga Ayeni, the prosecutor, informed the court of the gravity of the offence and the motion attached to the police report, which sought to remand the suspect.

The court granted Ayeni’s prayer for remand while the matter was adjourned to May 18th, 2023.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 
 
President Muhammadu Buhari asked the Senate on Wednesday to approve a $800 million loan to fund the National Social Safety Network Programme.
 
During the Senate’s Wednesday plenary session, Ahmed Lawan, who is the President of the Senate, read a letter from Buhari that contained the request.
 
The money, according to the President, will be distributed to 10.2 million low-income and destitute households for a period of six months, with a predicted multiplier effect of 60 million people.
 
To ensure proper implementation, the president therefore asked the lawmakers to take action quickly.

By Aliyu Yakubu Yusuf

Real Madrid and Manchester City played quite an entertaining one-all draw at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The much went as much as I expected it, with Manchester City dominating the possession, trying to dictate the tempo of the game and Real Madrid pressing the City players, trying to disrupt their rhythm and attacking at full pace through the electric Vinicius Jnr and the young prodigy, Rodrygo Goes.

That was the pattern for much of the game. Real Madrid will be a bit disappointed for not registering a win (no matter how slender) ahead of the second leg next week. Of course, it’s easy to criticise Guardiola for settling for a draw. But come on! We are talking about a FIRST LEG of a UEFA Champions League semi-final. Do you seriously expect any serious coach to attack Real Madrid all guns blazing and risk getting hammered via counter attack?

True, Manchester City players looked tired and disjointed in the closing stages of the game. I expected Guardiola to introduce Mahrez, Alvarez and/or Foden in place of largely ineffectual Bernardo and Grealish. But do I think I know better than Pep Guardiola?

This game can still go either way. Expect that when you are playing against Real Madrid in the UCL. However, from the result of the first leg, Manchester City will be the happier side. They played largely well below their capabilities (thanks to Real Madrid’s game plan and management) and still came out of the mighty Santiago Bernabeu unscathed.

On for the second leg!

Aliyu Yakubu Yusuf wrote from Kano and can be reached via aliyuyy@gmail.com.

By Auwal Umar

The transition process, as it is seen today in the Kano political culture, is something that can be squarely described as unprecedented if the nonchalant and lackadaisical attitude exhibited by the Kano state government is looked into properly. The transition chairman appointed by His Excellency, Governor-elect Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, had decried the total absence of any cooperation, not even lack of it, from the Kano state government to form its own transition committee with a deliberate view to scuttling the smooth transition process.

Myriad of pictures going viral of one of the best social investments that the state has ever witnessed was initiated by Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso in his second spell as a governor, on which he spent 2.4 billion to empower the teeming youth in the state with employment opportunities across the 44 local government areas. Unfortunately, despite the suffocation of the process to make it work as planned for the public to benefit, now this invaluable treasure meant for the public good has been reduced to something like booty looted at the last minute to deprive the good people of Kano of the initial goals.

In addition to thousands of sewing machines that have been metaphorically remanded and cut off from the general public good, some reports of many mysterious disappearances of public properties should be thoroughly investigated when Engr. Abba assumes the number one seat in the state.

It is normal for any right-thinking person to believe that a leader should be a father figure so engrossed in compassion, sympathy and empathy. Still, here in Kano, despite all the wanton destruction and disruption they brought to drag Kano down, all they have is total apathy towards the awful loss they brought about to the state. It is unimaginable to expect what we see today from the people who should regard the Kano people as their sons and daughters with every sense of mercy and magnanimity.

It should not go in vain; all the perpetrators have to be brought to book. Impunity is the main motive behind the abuse of any public office in this country. The more it is welcome, the faster public institutions are utterly weakened. The ills and evils meted out by these people should be revisited judicially. I hope they will serve as a deterrent to others.

Anyone that seems to be conversant with the art of governance knows fully well that Engr. Abba Kabir, alias Abba Gida-Gida has a hefty mountain to move. One can say with a sense of certainty that the outgoing government has braced for the moment to meet out their concealed evil intent against the incoming administration. May he take off his Babba Riga and roll up his sleeves to make Kano breathe again. I hope people should learn to forbear some certain inconveniences. Most importantly, Abban Kanawa needs sincere prayers from the teeming Kano populace for success.

Auwal Umar writes from Kano and can be reached via: auwaluumar9@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A 56-year-old man recounted how he punched his wife, Atinuke, into a coma over a dispute in Akure, the Ondo State, a development many people have frowned at.

The man, who simply identified himself as Akure, was said to have been a famous Lagos state ex-boxer.

The man said he punched his wife because she was very stubborn and refused to give him a television remote control when he requested it.

The Daily Reality gathered that the ex-boxer has since been arrested and detained by the police detective in the state.

It was learned that the suspect, who is also a driver, returned home on a fateful day and wanted to watch a programme on the television, but the wife insisted on watching another programme.

According to a source, “The husband asked the wife to hand over the TV remote control to him, but she declined. The husband did not waste time as he descended on her with several punches on her face.

“It took the intervention of neighbours to rescue the woman from her husband after the children ran out screaming and crying for help.

“When the neighbours entered the house to rescue the woman, they met her on the floor lying unconscious, and they quickly rushed her to the nearest hospital,” the source added.

According to the victim’s sister, the woman was rushed to the hospital and has been responding to the medical treatment.

Mr Funni Odunlami, the state police spokesperson, couldn’t be reached for comment.