Month: August 2023

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Nigerians have been advised against visiting the Niger Republic by Mustapha Sani, the NIS Comptroller in Charge of the Jibia Special Border Command, Katsina State.

This is because the Niger Republic is currently experiencing a crisis as a result of a coup d’état. Sanctions have been imposed on West Africa as a result of the event.

On Thursday, he addressed a joint celebration for the NIS’s Katsina State Command and the 60th anniversary of the service.

“Nigerians should stay at home and not attempt to go to the Niger Republic until the embargo is lifted. And we are determined to return any Nigerien we catch who is planning to come to this country,” he said.

He noted that the Service is deploying its officers to take care of the Katsina border to help curtail illegal movement from the Niger Republic.

“Despite the fact that we are divided by colonial masters, we share certain things in common like religion and culture, and that doesn’t guarantee them to enter Nigeria without valid documents,” he added.

“We have already put our officers on alert, and we have already deployed some to go and man the orthodox routes through which some of the foreigners use to enter into Nigeria and from what we have on the ground, we know it will be impossible for them to enter into Nigeria.”

By Abubakar Suleiman 

1. The 7 pm national broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the 31st of July 2023 was timely, especially as many Nigerians are still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives necessitated by the country’s current economic realities and hardship. The removal of oil subsidy and redressing of the multiple exchange rate system are undoubtedly the major causes of this new current of hardship and inflation. 

2. There is seemingly no love lost between the government and the hoi polloi; hence Nigeria’s presidential speeches or live chats are not accorded due relevance. The masses see them as the old regurgitated rhetorics or decoys used to sway them from nagging realities. 

3. However, no matter how much we have lost confidence in the government’s promises, we still need to give it the benefit of the doubt and allow it to test-run its policies and strategies. At the same time, critical stakeholders hold it as responsible and accountable as is humanly possible. 

4. The little over 1700 words speech tagged “After Darkness Comes The Glorious Dawn” sounds promising and reassuring that Mr President’s removal of the subsidy and his intention or action plan to cushion the effect of its removal are noble. However, the noblest of plans might still fail if the economic and even cultural behaviours of the actual or direct beneficiaries of lofty government interventions are not considered. 

5. Therefore, it is against this backdrop that I wish to interrogate some aspects of the government interventions in the broadcast speech that have hugely and negatively affected many practising Muslims in the past and will invariably have the same effect in the coming months. 

6. In his speech, Mr President rightly emphasised that his economic interventions will drive financial inclusion by onboarding beneficiaries into the formal sector, but I think this inclusion did not take into cognisance many practising Muslims’ behavioural approach towards accessing loan facilities as it contravenes a delicate aspect of our religious dictates – usury. 

7. For instance, the economic intervention with the noble, planned scheme of funding 100,000 MSMEs and start-ups with N75 billion, whereby promoters will access between N500,000 and N1million, is laced with 9% interest per annum and a repayment period of 36 months. Despite the loan’s appealing single-digit interest rate, many practising Muslims who want to venture into start-ups have been shortchanged because a “non-interest” model seems not to have been incorporated into this scheme. 

8. Plus, the aforementioned is also the case with interventions in the manufacturing sector that is aimed at funding 75 enterprises that have the potential to “kick-start sustainable economic growth, accelerate structural transformation and improve productivity.” President Tinubu earmarked N75 billion between July 2023 and March 2024 for this promising purpose. Still, the “9% interest per annum” is a huge stumbling block for practising Muslims. 

9. In the twenty-third paragraph of the text speech, Mr President hinted that the know-how of Development Finance Institutions and commercial and microfinance banks would be tapped for a viable and appropriate transactional structure for all stakeholders. 

10. Therefore, an encompassing financial inclusion plan that carries all members of social strata (especially practising Muslims) bearing the brunt occasioned by oil subsidy removal and the eradication of multiple exchange rates is feasible and should also be implemented. And this should be quickly considered to bring business ideas to fruition, resurrect dying businesses and lift millions from among the Muslim populace above the poverty line. 

11. If there is one thing Tinubu’s presidency should help the Muslim Ummah with, then it should be financial inclusion through non-interest loans and financing of businesses. 

12. As a matter of necessity, the National Assembly shouldered with the responsibility of making laws should look into the Acts of Banks and other financial institutions and tweak certain provisions that impede the development of viable and encompassing solutions around non-interest loans and financing of businesses. 

13. Consequently, the likes of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Bank of Industry, the Development Bank of Nigeria, the Bank of Agriculture, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and other financial institutions should have workable solutions around non-interest issues to bring a significant chunk of the Muslim population on board government’s socioeconomic interventions. It is a gateway to take many Muslims out of poverty, in sha Allah. 

14. Again, the other thing Muslims would find useful from this presidency is collaborating with state governments to find a way around street begging and almajiranci – reformation or whatever works. 

15.  As a matter of urgency, Ulamas or faith-based organisations should make these demands as bargains for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, for it will indeed augur well for Muslims going forward. These demands need nagging, strategic campaigns, and comprehensive media coverage. And immediate, mid and long-term results should be attached to these demands.

Abubakar Suleiman writes from Kaduna and can be reached via abusuleiman06@yahoo.com.

By Musa Kalim Gambo

Approaching the first 100 days since Bola Ahmed Tinubu took oath as the president and commander in chief of the armed and unarmed forces of our beloved federation, life seems to have taken a painful and difficult dimension. This comes from the orthopaedic approach deployed to heal our irredeemably crippled nation –now on the edge of a hopeless recuperation from the previous government’s futile attempts at ‘change’.

How did we get here? Renewed hope! We rode on the feeble back of an aged horse, ultimately believing we could reach a place distant from the troubles of our land. Tinubu inspired hope for a better nation, that life will be better for even those ‘papa-mama-pikin’ fanatics who would rather ‘waste’ their inconsequential votes, in the words of a certain Woman of God. However, Tinubu remains the best horse for this turbulent race and is just coming on board.

We shouldn’t expect birth from a government that is still on honeymoon. The intercourse is not over yet. Tinubu’s government is still on a rough foreplay with the crippled Nigerian state, so there will be no immaculate conception.

After all, Tinubu has never promised to sell PMS to anyone at a cheaper rate! He has rather, at different times, threatened to withdraw government subsidy from this critical element of our daily lives – he said, “no matter what”, he will remove the subsidy. He boldly reiterated that there was no going back when he eventually inherited a nation without such subsidy. His top two contenders made similar threats, so why are we disturbed that he is now fulfilling one of his campaign promises?

We clapped at the justification because we believed the popular narrative that a certain top few political and business elite was short-changing us in this whole subsidy deal. We did not call on the government to go after them. We just simply hold this toxic populist notion that some big men are feasting on our commonwealth, which often comes in the format of ‘them’ against ‘us’.

What should be known is that no amount of political gra-gra can flip the side of the wealth distribution coin to favour the overwhelming destitute majority in a failed system. The few profiteering elites will always find their way around unfavourable government policies and return the burden on the proletariat.

In an edition of the Daily Trust (25^th July 25, 2023), President Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, came up with the “Tinubu’s Seven Wonders in Seven Weeks” – a summary of his principal’s efforts as leader of Africa’s most populous nation, or rather the most complex and complicated country in Africa.

Abdulaziz started by reaffirming Mr President’s physical and figurative energy in grabbing some of Nigeria’s hitherto scary and untouchable issues with courage and decisiveness. Grabbing the bull of fuel subsidy and dollar rent-seeking by the horn is undoubtedly commendable – no one will disagree with Tinubu’s government. However, while Abdulaziz does his job quite well for his principal, it is possible that he is now too far and dining directly from the sound-proofed kitchen of power to hear the unending cries of the collateral victims of their policies. But Daily Trust’s editorial of July 24, 2023, which called for the reversal of Tinubu’s ‘chaotic subsidy policy’, painted a high-definition image of the situation. So it is possible that Abdulaziz’s “Tinubu’s Seven Wonders in Seven Weeks” is an attempt to neutralise the arguments contained in Daily Trust’s call for the reversal of the subsidy policy.

Now is not the time for arguments and counter-arguments; it is time to listen to the distant voices that defied the heat of the sun and, in some places, the threat to life by non-state actors to bring on board this much-anticipated government. The kindle of hope is still fresh and glowing, don’t blow it out.

Musa Kalim Gambo wrote from Zaria via gmkalim@hotmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Paris Saint-Germain has secured the services of Ousmane Dembélé from Barcelona for a fee of €50 million.

The decision was finalised on Sunday night, and the player has already arrived in Paris and is set to undergo a medical examination on Friday. 

The contract signing is expected to be completed by the end of the week, locking Dembélé into a five-year deal with PSG until 2028. 

A private clause was activated on Monday morning to facilitate the transfer with Barcelona set to receive just over 50% of the transfer amount. 

Meanwhile, PSG continues to reinforce their squad, and their next target is reported to be Gonçalo Ramos from Portugal. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting transfer window.

By Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu

In an attempt to gauge the current popular culture market in Kano, I visited my old haunt at Kasuwar Ƙofar Wambai today, 2nd August 2023. It was the place where virtually all Hausa popular culture media products were distributed in the late 1990s to 2000s. It was simply the best in West Africa, as media products from this market – which took over from the Bata market – were distributed to other parts of Hausaphone West Africa.

I was shocked at the fact that there were only three shops selling CDs/DVDs and cassette tapes. The market had been taken over by plastic household items and blouses/football jerseys! It was so sad to see such a vibrant market – the best in West Africa – down on its luck. Discussions with three forlorn merchants reveal two main reasons for this sorry state of affairs of consumptive popular culture media in Kano.

The first was the proliferation of Download Centres. In these places, films were ripped off DVDs or CDs and with a reduced resolution to fit a Smartphone screen – and dozens were packed on a microSD card and sold for peanuts. This denies the content providers of profit from their hard labour. A licensing compromise was agreed between filmmakers and Downloaders to everyone’s satisfaction. Thus, no more CD purchases that require both a CD player, a TV and electricity to play. Downloaders often get their primary source directly from the producers – thus eliminating the media production processes.

Second was the rise of TV series, popularised massively by Arewa24’s Dadin Kowa (although it was not the first). Now almost every producer has jumped on the TV series bandwagon and using YouTube to distribute their programs. With data getting cheaper, it means viewership has migrated to YouTube series dramas – where more money is made with AdSense clicks. Rarely does a producer bother now with a feature film.

Sad as I was with these developments, I perked up when I visited the shop of Alhaji Muhammad Kalarawi. He is quite simply the best ethnomusicologist in the market. His nearest rival, Musa Nasale, passed away some time ago (and no one knows what has happed to his catalogue of unique and rare music field recordings).

Alhaji Muhammad Kalarawi got his name from being the recordist of the late Kano-based Islamic cleric, Alhaji Lawan Kalarawi (d. 1999). The term, “ƙala rawi” means ‘the narrator said’. Kalarawi established himself as a fearless, acerbic preacher in Kano – earning him numerous jail sentences. He was really telling it like it was – bringing his incredible interpretations on leaders (both modern and traditional) and commoners alike. Thanks to modern media technologies, there are hundreds of Lawan Kalarawi’s archival recordings on YouTube and MP3 trawler/caching sites.

Kalarawi’s popularity was enhanced by his street speech mode with jovial, often bawdy commentaries, which made him immensely popular. I personally count three Islamic preachers in Kano as those I avidly listen to: Lawan Kalarawi, Ibrahim Khalil and Aminu Daurawa. All down to earth. Just as it is, without any excess baggage or appendices.

The current Muhammad Kalarawi has almost every incidence of the late preacher’s recordings. That is a huge treasure trove. In addition, he still has stacks of tapes and CDs of traditional Hausa griots, which are simply not found anywhere. I was so elated to know he is still in the game, despite the suffocating pervasive influx of Hausa Afropop in Kano (which studiously avoided the Wambai market). I wish research institutes such as the History and Culture Bureau in Kano, or Arewa House in Kaduna, would license Kalarawi’s priceless catalogue and digitise them for posterity. Once they are lost, they will be gone with the wind.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former military leader of Nigeria, has been picked by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to lead a mission to Niger for mediation.

He will be accompanied by Muhammadu Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, who commands great sway over the Muslim population both inside and outside of Nigeria.

Alieu Touray, the head of the ECOWAS Commission, is also a member of the group.

Patrice Talon, the president of Benin, and Mahamat Déby, the president of Chad, had previously been sent to Niger by the sub-regional bloc to meet with the coup plotters.

On Sunday, ECOWAS slapped sanctions on Niger, including a travel ban and a blockade, until President Mohamed Bazoum, who was overthrown by the military on July 26th, was reinstated.

Meanwhile, it summoned the sub-region’s defence commanders and threatened to deploy force.

A meeting of the defence chiefs reportedly took place in Abuja. Mali, Niger, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, and Guinea were not present, though.

The restrictions are already in place, as Nigeria started cutting power to Niger on Wednesday.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

In a recent development, President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has forwarded a second list of 19 ministerial nominees to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation. 

The list, presented by Femi Gbajamiabila, Chief of Staff and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, includes notable candidates such as Adegboyega Oyetola, Bosun Tijani, Bello Mattawale, and Dr. Isiak Salako. 

The chamber’s protocols were momentarily put on hold at 3:15 p.m. to accommodate the Chief of Staff’s entrance into the revered Red Chamber. 

Among the other nominees are Sen. Sabi Abdullahi, Dr. Mariam Shetti, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, and Uba Maigari Ahmadu. 

This comes after the Senate’s reception of the first list earlier this week, which included prominent figures like former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufai, former Rivers Governor, Nyeson Wike, and health specialist Prof. Ali Pate, among others.

By Zaharaddeen Muhammad Azare

Years back, people saw it as taboo to question or criticise what religious scholars said, regardless of how illogical it sounded. However, as people started becoming wiser and more educated, they discovered that religious scholars, as fellow human beings, can understand and misunderstand laws, ministerial statements and concepts. Thus their comments are subject to verification, reconstruction and even falsification.

What happened to Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara that led to his imprisonment in Kano due to his inability to defend his speeches that were considered blasphemous serves as a motivative factor for holding religious scholars accountable for their actions and inaction.

Many people see the case of a known Bauchi-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Idris Abdulazeez as similar to Sheikh Abduljabbar’s, which led to the imprisonment of Sheikh Idris too. But is Sheikh Idris indeed being imprisoned for blasphemy or political reasons?

To answer this question, I take us back to some historical antecedents. Sheikh Idris Abdulazeez is a religious scholar who sees himself as a representative of his people and believes that as a citizen of Nigeria should be politically active to improve efficiency in governance and promote the welfare of the citizenry.

Sheikh Idris supported and criticised political leaders, which seems to be for the public good; the scholar condemned the state government’s actions when Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar SAN who believed in the constitution, the application of the rule of law and the whole exercise and grant of human rights, was the state’s governor from 2015-2019.

The  Sheikh saw the then leadership as dust to the people of the state, thus needing elimination. And the then governor allowed him to voice out his opinions as an indigene of the state; the scholar condemned the ruled APC government and endorsed the incumbent state’s governor under the platform of PDP.

After the victory of the incumbent governor of the state Sen. Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, in the 2019 general election, the government started doing activities contrary to what the scholar believed to be right; for this, he began criticising the government and was tagged as an enemy. In the recent 2023 general elections, the scholar directed his followers to vote for the former Nigerian Chief Of Air Staff Baba Sadiq (Air Marshall) of the All progressive congress (APC), against his counterpart Sen. Bala Mohammed of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Bala Mohammed got re-elected.

Some see the case which led to the imprisonment of the religious scholar as revenge for he was not allowed to defend his statements, like what happened to Sheikh Abduljabbar in Kano, where Islamic scholars of different sects were gathered for him to intellectually defend himself in a public which failure to do so bagged his imprisonment.

Most people believe that not allowing Sheikh Idris Abdulazeez to defend himself originated from the fact that he has legal evidence for his statement and how deeply educated religious scholars influx into Bauchi from several states to attest to his statement before the organised debate was cancelled due to these reasons which could set the scholar free. He was later taken to court and got jailed. Not Sheikh Idris alone, who is in jail for nearly a month over the so-called public disturbance. This week, Some traditional rulers have been dethroned by the state governor for what he describes as  “involvement in partisan politics” during the 2023 general election.

Someone who can’t endure opposition shouldn’t go into politics in a democratic state.

Zaharaddeen Muhammad Azare writes from Bauchi state and can be reached via zahmuhaza@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A Kwankwasiyya movement, Kwankwasiyya Alheri, has called on the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to relieve all heads of tertiary institutions in the state for dancing to the political tunes of the previous administration of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The group alleged that some of these tertiary institution heads became the campaign agents of APC during the 2023 general elections and turned the premises of their institutions into APC campaign centres where different political gatherings were held.

This call was made on Wednesday in a statement signed by the Kwankwasiyya Alheri Spokesperson, Isma’il Usman Dan Iya, on behalf of the Chairman, Comrade Abubakar Danladi.

Dan Iya added that there were allegations that some heads of these tertiary institutions compiled names of Kwansiyya staff working in various institutions, willing to sack them if APC won the Kano state gubernatorial election.

The statement reads in part, “Meanwhile, the leadership of this association is passionately calling on His Excellency to relieve all these appointees as they are growing muscles to fight him again in the 2027 General Elections as they did in the previous elections.

“We are reminding His Excellency that some of these appointees still holding various positions laughed at and intimidated those that sacrificed their job and fought for your success.

“Additionally, the sacrifices of these people that support you should not be in vain, while carrying alone your enemies, who leak government confidential information, in your administration.

“Some of these offices include; Head of Service of the State, Head of all Tertiary Institutions, Appointed Permanent Secretaries, Local Government Chairmen, Supervisory Councillors, Education Secretaries, to mention but a few.

“His Excellency should be reminded that Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the godfather of the Kwankwasiyya movement, will never be happy with the delay in relieving these people [who worked against your victory], let alone his ardent supporters,” the statement reads.

By Abdurrazak Muktar Makarfi

A friend approached me, expressing his desire to write but unable to do so effectively. I promised to help him by sharing valuable tips on writing. These insights shouldn’t be kept to ourselves; they have the potential to inspire others too. Therefore, I’m eager to share them with the public, hoping to ignite creativity and passion in aspiring writers and touch hearts with the transformative power of words.

As promised, below are some tips that will help you on your writing journey.

Immerse yourself in the vast ocean of literature: Envelop your mind with the profound wisdom and eloquence of renowned authors. By delving into diverse literary works, you’ll embrace the artistry of language and discover the nuanced dance of words.

Forge a formidable foundation: Master the enchanting symphony of grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation. As the conductor of your prose, a firm grasp of these elements orchestrates a harmonious cadence that bewitches your readers.

Grace your prose with seamless transitions: Like silk threads weaving an intricate tapestry, the subtle interplay of transition words guides your readers effortlessly from one idea to the next. From “however” painting a brilliant contrast to “therefore” forging unyielding connections, your writing becomes a journey of revelation.

Dance with diversity in sentence structures: Allow the rhythm of your writing to undulate, embracing the grand waltz of varied sentence structures. From the tango of concise thoughts to the waltz of eloquent expression, each step captivates your readers’ hearts.

Paint a vivid tapestry with your words: Unleash the kaleidoscope of language, and adorn your prose with dazzling colours of description. Pluck the most resplendent words from your lexicon, imbuing each sentence with life, depth, and vividness.

Polish your masterpiece with an artisan’s eye: Like a sculptor refining a statue, meticulously chisel away any superfluous words or pedestrian phrases. Carve your prose into a masterpiece where every word finds its rightful place and the allure of elegance abounds.

Let the quill dance upon the parchment: Embrace the alchemy of creativity by transmuting thoughts into written gems. Through regular writing rituals, unleash your inner wordsmith, painting the canvas of expression with artistic zeal.

May these stylistic incantations lend wings to your writing, elevating it to new heights of artistic brilliance and captivating the hearts and minds of those who partake in the splendour of your words.