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By Aminu Mohammed

The inspiration for this article came from a short Facebook post by Bashir Abubakar Gazaki, who advised young people to invest their money in shares of good companies to attain financial independence. His followers’ lack of financial awareness caught my attention, as evidenced by the comments below the post, where many people asked him to explain the stock market. 

It is not surprising that personal finance is not taught in universities. I learned about stock investments through books such as “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Samuel Clason, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, and “Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest In That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not.” I read these books shortly after graduating from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. 

The books gave me insight into why some people, despite working for many years, still struggle in life. The inspiration from these books led me to purchase my first share during my service year in Adamawa state. Similarly, a fellow corps member from the southwest who knew the stock market advised me to invest in good companies.

Invest money in assets Instead of liabilities 

Investing your time actively and your money passively is an excellent way to secure your financial future. Passive income refers to the money you earn from your assets, such as property, shares, mutual funds, Treasury bills, etc., while you sleep. Unlike your job, assets generate income for you, whether you work or not. So, it’s crucial to avoid wasting your money on liabilities and start investing in assets.

If you earn a salary or own a business, it is best to save at least 10 per cent of your income and invest it wisely. Investing in shares doesn’t require a large sum of money. Suppose you know about stock trading. In that case, you can invest in the United States stocks or the Nigerian stock market, even if you start small with a low amount.

However, it is understandable that many individuals are scared of investing their money in the stock exchange, given the capital market crisis in 2008, where several people lost a significant portion of their funds. I have experienced losses in the stock market myself, particularly with the shares I bought in the defunct Oceanic Bank and Bank PHB. But I have also gained from stocks like Dangote Sugar, GTBank, and Zenith Bank. Life is all about risk; sometimes, we win, while other times, we lose due to unforeseen circumstances. But that shouldn’t stop us from exploring new investment opportunities, no matter how little.

Investigate companies before Investing

Investing in the stock market is a business that requires a long-term strategy and patience rather than a quick way to get rich. Having a good understanding of the companies you invest in is crucial. According to Warren Buffet, the Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the most successful investors in the world, the best way to achieve greater rewards is to think long-term. Buffet recommends holding stocks for at least five to 10 years to accumulate wealth. However, some traders still profit by trying to beat the market daily.

If you are hesitant about investing directly in stocks, you can consider mutual funds, designed for people who want to minimise risk but have lower returns. You can contact your local banks, such as First Bank, GTBank, UBA, Stanbic IBTC, and others that offer asset management services. These companies manage various types of mutual funds under the guidance of experts.

As a salaried worker, unforeseen circumstances such as job loss or a downturn in business can be devastating. Therefore, it is important to have a safety net in the form of investments to help you recover in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Consult a stock broker before buying any Shares

It is important to conduct thorough research and seek expert advice before investing in shares. Look for stocks with strong fundamentals and invest in them wisely. Diversifying your investment across different sectors and companies is recommended to maximise your returns.

It is crucial to emphasise that individuals with little knowledge about the stock market should educate themselves on basic financial concepts before investing in shares. The companies mentioned in this article are for illustration purposes only and to encourage young people to take control of their financial future through smart investments. Investing in shares is not a quick way to get rich, and seeking professional advice before investing is highly recommended.

I wish you the best as you strive towards financial independence and personal growth.

Aminu Mohammed wrote this article from Ingolstadt, Germany. He can be reached at gravity23n@gmail.com.

By Sabiu Abdullahi 

The British Council in Nigeria has thrown test-takers for a loop, announcing a 29% increase in the fees for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, effective February 1, 2024. 

This marks the second price hike in just five months. In September 2023, the fee jumped from N80,000–N90,000 to N107,500.

Now, applicants will have to shell out a whopping N139,000 for the Computer Academic and General Training Modules. 

The Council attributes the latest increase to “increased costs of the delivery of our exams,” claiming it will enable them to “continue to offer a wide range of services and comprehensive support.”

However, this explanation has met with widespread skepticism and frustration among potential test-takers in Nigeria. 

Many Nigerians rely on the IELTS exam for studying abroad, immigration purposes, and professional opportunities.

This repeated hike makes the test increasingly inaccessible to a large portion of the population, especially considering the current economic climate. 

The news has sparked heated debates online and offline, with concerns that the price surge could create unnecessary barriers and hinder educational and professional mobility for Nigerians.

Some are calling for “greater transparency from the British Council” regarding the specific cost factors driving the increases, while others are urging the body to “consider alternative solutions” to ensure affordability without compromising quality. 

With no word on potential future increases, the rising IELTS fee adds yet another layer of anxiety for Nigerians aiming to pursue international opportunities.

It remains to be seen whether the British Council will address the concerns of its Nigerian clientele or face continued backlash for its pricing decisions.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Taraba Command apprehended two suspects at the Jalingo Main Motor Park attempting to traffic 16 children to Benin in Edo.  

The suspects, identified as Daniel Madin and Federation Markus, were apprehended on Thursday. 

The children, aged between 10 and 16, included five girls and 11 boys, originating from the Zing and Bali Local Government areas of Taraba. 

Adamu Salihu, the State NSCDC Commandant, disclosed that preliminary investigations unveiled the suspects as part of a larger syndicate specialising in trafficking underage children, promising them a brighter future in Edo. 

However, these children often end up in dehumanizing jobs, and the earnings from such work are seized by their handlers. 

Salihu expressed concern about the alarming rate at which parents relinquish their responsibility for raising their children, handing them over to strangers for a meagre sum. 

He condemned the acts of forcing children into labour, prostitution, baby factories, organ harvesting, and money rituals. 

The commandant stated the urgency of halting this trend and called on relevant stakeholders in the state to take decisive measures against the rising scourge of human trafficking.  

The suspects and the 16 children have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for further investigation and prosecution.

By Uzair Adam Imam

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State declared that he harbors no political ambitions beyond his current eight-year governorship tenure.

He noted that his sole aspiration is to serve as governor and has no intentions of pursuing roles such as chairman, senator, or member of the House of Representatives.

Governor Sule stated firmly, “I have no dream of becoming even president. You can take it from me confidently that I have no intention to run for the office of a senator.”

He affirmed that after completing his eight years, he is open to exploring other pursuits.

Expressing confidence in his post-governorship plans, Sule conveyed his disinterest in seeking a senatorial position, urging viewers to hold onto the statement for future reference.

The governor also revealed his anticipation of a favorable Supreme Court judgment, signaling the conclusion of the court case.

With the legal challenges behind him, he expressed readiness to focus on governing the state.Governor Sule, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, served his first term from 2019 to 2023.

In the 2023 governorship election, he contested against the Peoples Democratic Party’s David Ombugadu.

Despite legal challenges, the Supreme Court recently upheld Sule’s election victory, solidifying his position as the state governor.

Sule reiterated that his primary goal is to govern the state, dispelling speculations of seeking a Senate or House of Representatives seat in the future.

By Muhammad Sulaiman Abdullahi

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government’s effort to forcibly uplift and upgrade Lagos State shouldn’t surprise anyone who knew or read about Nigeria’s history. The military initiated the idea of the creation of Abuja as the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria in the late 20th century, precisely in the late 70th. The idea was well thought out, well planned and well executed in good faith by successive military governments. 

The actualisation of Abuja as the capital city of the federation was one of the few tasks inherited and continued by more than one regime of governance. A Wikipedia article says that; “it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Planning Associates (IPA), a consortium of three American planning and architecture firms made up of Wallace, Roberts, McHarg & Todd (WRMT – a group of architects) as the lead, Archi systems International (a subsidiary of the Howard Hughes Corporation), and Planning Research Corporation. The Central Business District of Abuja was designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. It replaced Lagos, the country’s most populous city, as the capital on 12 December 1991.”

It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the whole world, not only in Nigeria or in Africa. “According to the United Nations, Abuja grew by 139.7% between 2000 and 2010, making it the fastest-growing city in the world. As of 2015, the city is experiencing an annual growth of at least 35%, retaining its position as the fastest-growing city on the African continent and one of the fastest-growing in the world.” This is Abuja for you. 

Everything about Abuja was well-planned by intellectuals of repute in the world. Its strategic location, terrain, weather and, above all, compatibility to all, comfort and suitability as the capital city of this complex combination. There are so many planned cities in the world, and they are done for a purpose. Right from the beginning of the amalgamation, those who perpetrated it had known that it would be so complex to manage. They, therefore, according to their expectation, helped in realising where the leadership would be easier for all. Thus, the idea behind the planned city of Abuja. And this shows how disciplined and committed the military were to the general development and progress of the country. If it were these set of politicians of today, such a momentous task would never be accomplished.

History recorded that the Yorubas vehemently rejected the idea of Abuja’s formation. The “biggest” opposition to the formation of Abuja was the then Yoruba chieftain and presidential candidate, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Awo pledged and promised to his people that if elected, he would hire the American Walf Disney Corporation – an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate, to convert the current site of Abuja into an amusement park. Perhaps Chief Awo’s dream is quickly becoming a reality under Tinubu’s administration.

Awo lost the election, and it was reported that one of the first works of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, when he assumed power, was to accelerate and lay the foundation of Abuja and push for its early completion. Successive governments took over from him, and the trend continues until these days when we see the reversal in quick gears.

I contested the supremacy of Lagos over Kano a long time ago, but later, when I visited the state in 2013, I concurred and agreed that Lagos state is so blessed and looks like other well-developed foreign cities, if not because of the roughness and ruggedness of some its people. The state is both naturally and artificially endowed. Its intellectuals also support it at the expense of all others. They are the kind of people who love themselves more than anyone else. We started seeing the manifestation of this love so early in this Tinubu-led government.

It is undoubtedly clear to anyone who pokes his nose into Nigeria’s issues that Lagos is by far more prosperous than all the 36 federation states combined. You may not be wrong if you call Lagos a country of its own. That’s why I find it weird when public structures are shamelessly moved to Lagos in the name of convenience, proximity and all other silly excuses. These flimsy excuses can look strong from the surface, but some hidden weaknesses may be uncovered after a deep X-ray.

I once asked a knowledgeable friend about the issue of population between Kano and Lagos. Those who promote Lagos promote it even where others are better. Almost all the time, I see conflicting and contradictory reports on the issue of population. He explained to me in layman’s language that Kano is the most populous city in Nigeria, and there is no doubt about this. But Kano’s population is a dispersed population while that of Lagos is the most densely populated city in Nigeria. 

Then, in the actual number of people living in the two states combined together, Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria. Even this, many people do not care to know. Back to the Federal Republic of Lagosia! The state has been leading in terms of infrastructural development, IGR, investment, inventions, entrepreneurship, companies and all that the world counts as the indices of development. This, no one can deny. Maybe Kano can only be ahead of Lagos in terms of decorum, legitimate earnings and legal dealings. But Kano, being the Centre of commerce, has for long been hijacked by many powers beyond an ordinary imagination to comprehend.

Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been reported to have moved some of its key departments to Lagos. Why? It was said that close to 60 per cent of Nigeria’s wealth revolves around Lagos state only. Then, why should CBN sit far away from the Center of money? In this respect, one should salute the courage and foresight of CBN to relocate. Those of you shouting, what do you bring to the CBN’s table to make the CBN move the headquarters to your state? 

FAAN also moved its key offices and officers and even issued a statement that they have done so for the good of the country. It was said that the former aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, was the one who forced them to be in Abuja. 

In the statement issued by FAAN, its PRO Obiageli, it is said that they don’t have enough space/offices to accommodate their personnel in Abuja. Whether this is true or false should not matter, as truth is so expensive in Nigeria, and lies are so cheap. Whatever may happen, they moved out, pending when there would be enough space for them. They would form a committee to start looking for whether they could move back to Abuja. But one important thing that Obiageli mentioned was the issue of 60% of Nigeria’s flights hovering around Lagos. This singular statement is heavier than all the other flimsy and silly excuses given. This holds water!

Abuja was not ordinarily built without any thinking. It was strategically chosen, located and designed. Abuja was one of the purposely well-planned cities in Africa, as explained. It was designed to be in the centre to ease everything for everyone. When it was established, as is the norm, many companies, government agencies, embassies, foreign establishments and above all, the seat of the government were all transferred to the location. This is how Abuja was made.

Today, under the Asiwaju’s government, silly excuses are forwarded, and some government agencies headed by Yorubas are taken back to Abuja without even consulting the two houses of assemblies. I thought such a decision must be backed by law. They should first take the issue to the National Assembly for consent. But even the movement is systematic. They started by saying we are moving “some offices”, maybe to outsmart Nigerians. Many other movements might have been shrouded in secrecy.

The preferential treatment given to Lagos state sends terrible signals to the remaining states. Yes, Lagos generates revenue, but don’t forget that many of Nigeria’s population resides in the North. Lagos is made to be a necessary location for all Northerners or their goods to pass through. To compound issues and systematically actualise this, the Northern land borders are shut. Therefore, everyone is systematically forced to carry his fate, money and energy to Lagos. The import and export solely rely on Lagos. Why all this centralisation? Something is fishy here. Are Yoruba’s up to something? Only time will tell.

Lagos state is rich enough to have its own Central Bank. It shouldn’t take everything away from the rest of Nigerians with the support of the president. Already through the shrewdness of its technocrats, more than half of what is supposed to be shared by all Nigerians is given to her alone, in the name of its ports and other cover-ups. If we go by the statement of proximity and suitability as issued by FAAN and CBN, then the Ministry of Defense should be relocated to Zamfara or Borno, NNPC to Rivers or Bayelsa, Mining and Solid Minerals to Zamfara, Borno or Yobe, among many others. 

Let Abuja be either disbanded for all Nigerians to take their share or be retained as it is. Developmental projects should be distributed evenly throughout the country. You have already forced so much of Lagos on all at the expense of all. Lagos has snatched away the lion’s share of the country’s earnings, and no one says anything. It is another country in Nigeria, so everything about her is different. The train, the power, the companies, and now Nigeria’s CBN, FAAN, among many others. Haba! Why all these? A stitch in time…

By Professor Abdussamad Jibia 

Those of us from Jibia LGA of Katsina state have been mourning for the past ten days. Last week, bandits launched an attack on the Kukar Babangida community of Jibia LGA. The infamous guests had visited Kukar Babangida many times, but this is probably the worst. They killed the ward head, Alhaji Haruna, along with nine others. 

Kukar Babangida is located about 15 kilometres from Jibia on the Jibia-Katsina highway. It was called Kukar Zaure until sometime during the administration of General Babangida when he launched the annual tree-planting campaign at the village. On that occasion, the then Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Muhammad Kabir Usman, renamed it Kukar Babangida. Of course, for a local community to be validly renamed, it must have the blessing of the emirate. In its case, Kukar Zaure was renamed by the Emir himself. The annual tree planting campaign was a very good practice of military regimes that politicians have abandoned for no apparent good reasons.

Magaji Zaure, which is his traditional title, refused to relocate to either Katsina or Jibia as many of his colleagues have done. He has always stated that abandoning his people and running away would be a breach of trust. This time around, he paid the supreme price. If you have been following my writeups for the past eight years, you would understand the kind of frustrations our communities have been subjected to with respect to insecurity. Lives have been lost, women and girls disgraced, people kidnapped for ransom, farmers displaced from their farmlands and communities occupied.

This introduction would only tell you how badly in need people like me are for a solution to the problem of insecurity. That is why my curiosity was piqued when I came across a video clip yesterday.

The clip, which is obviously a news item from a Hausa service of one of those big foreign radio stations, is about the launching of a vigilante group by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Association. The activity, which took place in Nasarawa state, featured a parade by the new recruits in their uniform, a fashion parade by Fulani youth and an interview with the President of the Miyetti Allah group, one Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Bodijo. Very senior police officers also graced the occasion.

According to Alhaji Bodijo, the aim of establishing the group is to assist regular security forces to “peacefully” arrest criminals without killing the innocent. Asked whether or not they have obtained Government approval to establish the group, he only expressed hope that the Federal Government and its security forces would give them the necessary recognition. “We shall also help Nigerian Governors to tackle the problem of insecurity”. 

In Nasarawa state alone, Alhaji Bodijo stated they will recruit 4,000 members. First, they have already screened 2140 selected from different (Fulani) families. He promised to end the security problem in Nasarawa state in six months. While stating they have their traditional sticks, Alhaji Bodijo pledged to seek Government approval to obtain weapons allowed by law.

First, let me commend the Miyetti Allah group for their concern about the insecurity problem bedevilling Nigeria and, for the first time, admitting the contribution of their kinsmen to the problem. That most of the bandits operating in the North West and North Central states are Fulani is not debatable. This became well known during the time of Buhari when he directed Governors in the North West geopolitical zone to dialogue with bandits. All the bandits’ leaders that met with Governor Masari were Fulani, and they are well known, with some of them still moving unscathed even when the Federal Government is spending billions of Naira of taxpayers’ money on insecurity.

With the resolve and non-cowardly nature of Fulani, I do not doubt that if the all-Fulani group decide to face their criminal kinsmen, banditry will come to an end in a very short time. But are they ready to do it?

Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore group has itself been criticised for aiding and abetting criminality on several occasions. Perhaps the best known for this accusation is the immediate past Governor of Benue state. We can also recall that at a point in time, a Zamfara state commissioner of Police issued a warning to the Miyetti Allah group to bring an end to banditry in the state or face the wrath of the law.

The tone of Alhaji Bodijo does not suggest that the Miyetti Allah group is ready to face the criminal elements among their kinsmen, fire for fire. In fact, he mentioned the name of a hardened criminal in the North West and stated that they are ready to partner with people like him to end insecurity. But Alhaji Bodijo has a reply for me if he wants it. What is news about partnering with bandits if the Government, with its security forces and an obligation to protect lives and property, has dialogued with them several times? 

But come. Why Nasarawa state? Does the Governor have any interest in the new Miyetti Allah project? Politicians can be unpredictable. Many of them have been accused of using ethnic militia for their political agenda. Governor Abdullahi Sule should come clean on this.

Or does the Nasarawa project have anything to do with the “innocent” herdsmen killed by the military sometime in 2022? We are aware that the Horijo, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, visited both President Buhari and President Tinubu to seek compensation for his tribesmen even though he has never done so with respect to the many innocent people killed by criminals suspected to be of Fulani descent. How are we sure that this project is not about revenge?

Assuming revenge is not the first idea. If an incident like the one in question happens again, can we rule out a confrontation between an armed Miyetti Allah vigilante group and the Nigerian Air Force? If the group has branches in all states of the Federation or at least the Northern states, would that not be a major disaster?

By the way, this is Nigeria, a multiethnic and multireligious nation. Any security outfit to be recognised by the Government at the state or Federal level must not be ethnically biased. While Fulani herdsmen (Fulanin daji as they are called) have a very good knowledge of the forest because of the nature of their occupation, the collaborators of forest-based bandits are usually hidden in the cities. The victims of banditry are mostly people in the villages, and they can tell the different ways in which bandits attack.  All these mean that an unbiased vigilante group must be composed of different categories of people, not just people with knowledge of the forest.

My advice for MACBAN is to modify their approach. Reach out to other interest groups and form an all-inclusive vigilante group. Government should do the screening with inputs from Miyetti Allah Kautel Hore and other law-abiding groups. 

Recognising the new group without modification is a potential disaster for Nigeria.

Professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia wrote from Kano. He can be reached via aujibia@gmail.com.

By Lawan Bukar Maigana

Unlike many other secondary school graduates who made their course choices based on advice received at a cafe during their JAMB/UTME registration, my decision-making process was different. I had clear aspirations when I graduated from secondary school, and nobody influenced my choices. I had always had a strong desire to pursue a career as a psychologist working in a psychiatric setting or as an outstanding journalist.

Unfortunately, the University of Maiduguri did not offer a psychology department, and financial constraints added to the challenges. Consequently, I chose Sociology and Anthropology as my first choice and Mass Communication as my second during my application years ago. However, I didn’t meet the cut-off mark for admission into Unimaid, and this setback led me to pursue Social Work at Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, where I completed my studies and graduated.

I found my time at the Polytechnic remarkably enjoyable because my lecturers and colleagues treated me exceptionally well, acknowledging my dedication to academic excellence by generously supporting me financially. My commitment to attending lectures, meeting assignment deadlines, delivering presentations, and thoroughly exploring course materials earned me this recognition.

However, a year later, I deliberately chose to apply for Mass Communication at Unimaid instead of opting for Sociology and Anthropology, despite numerous suggestions to pursue the latter—a field closely related to Social Work. I respectfully declined these recommendations because I sought a more demanding course to equip me with the necessary skills to achieve my desired career path. This decision was endorsed and validated by one of my senior colleagues who had recently completed his Ph.D. program.

Dr. Ibrahim Uba Yusuf, a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri, catalysed my decision to pursue Mass Communication. His words, “You have the qualities to excel in gaining admission and thriving in Mass Communication. Your aggressive commitment to excellence, despite facing challenges, speaks volumes about your potential.” 

His encouragement didn’t stop there; he cautioned me, “However, be aware that studying Mass Communication requires substantial financial investment. There will be numerous assignments that may strain your finances, potentially burdening both you and your father.” His guidance was pivotal in my choice to apply for Mass Communication through Direct Entry (DE).

Dr. Muhsin Ibrahim, a lecturer at the University of Cologne in Germany, recounted an incident where a young girl chose to pursue microbiology in her UTME without much understanding of the field. She revealed that she was advised at an internet café while registering for the university entrance exam, leading her to select a course she had little knowledge about—an astonishing decision made on a whim.

In reflecting on this, Dr Ibrahim unveiled a broader issue: the lack of proper counselling for many young people, particularly girls, when making important educational and career decisions. While some are enthusiastic about pursuing education, others may prioritise marriage. However, those with academic aspirations often lack guidance and support, sometimes falling prey to ill-informed advice. This can lead to unfortunate outcomes.

He emphasised the urgent need for parents, relatives, and especially older siblings, to actively engage with and support younger family members in understanding their aspirations and navigating life’s challenges. Dr. Ibrahim pointed out the common failure among brothers to have meaningful conversations with their sisters about their dreams and difficulties.

He concluded by urging immediate action, stressing that it’s never too late to start engaging with and guiding our children and younger siblings regarding their career choices after completing secondary school.

Lawan Bukar Miagana writes from Borno and can be reached via email: lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com.

By Abubakar Idris Misau

“…Muslims need to look no further than the Quran for guidance, where there are approximately 200 verses concerning the environment.”  — Ibrahim Ozdemir

Asked about what Islam has to say about the conservation of natural resources, here is my take: Like the secondary school students who would want to start arguing their points by defining the key terms of their topics, this writer defines Islam, conservation, and natural resources before connecting the dots. However, the terms are concisely defined, requiring only the essential information for even those unfamiliar with the terms to understand their existence. By defining the terms, the writer intended to allow as many classes of readers to take a message home from the article as possible. 

Meanwhile, unlike in the case of secondary school students, the intent of this article is not to score points but to reiterate, for it has often been neglected that Islam is the most compatible religion to science and remains the mother of many scientific disciplines. The religion explains and advocates for the conservation of natural resources – to say mildly. 

Islam, not because it was founded some 145 decades ago, but because it is often defined as such, is the Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred on the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. It has five pillars and six articles of faith. With the followers of this faith, called Muslims, numbering close to 2 billion worldwide, Islam is not only universally seen as the second-largest but also the fastest-growing religion in the world.

Collectively referred to as Ummah, Muslims believe that their religion, a Deen or comprehensive way of life, is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith revealed many times through earlier prophets such as Adam, Nuhu (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus) may peace and blessings be upon them all. Perhaps in the most concise edition, this can be said to be the meaning of Islam.

Conservation, however, carries different meanings depending on the time and situation in which it is used. For example, the meaning it conveys in the sciences as physics is not the same as that which it takes in arts. Meanwhile, in this essay, the meaning relating to natural resources is strictly considered. It is thus the triangle of protection, management and wise use of the resources in question for the benefit of current and coming generations. The natural resources meant to be conserved are the tangible and intangible materials drawn from nature – which are utilised with little to no alteration. Examples of such resources include vegetation, wildlife, land, water, sunlight and so on.

Given the above definitions, this article suggests that Islam as a religion and a way of life speaks about natural resources and even strongly preaches that they must be protected, managed and wisely used.

While there is no one place in the Qur’an where it is said, “Oh you who believe do well to conserve your forests…” and or that failure to protect wildlife could amount to crumbling in the fire of Jahannam; evidence from the same book and other sources such as the tradition of the Prophet (Sunnah) are very clear and enough to debunk [to say mildly] any opinion that is against conservation of natural resources – at least from Islamic viewpoint.

To start with, Allah The Exalted [SWA] says in Surah Yunus, Qur’an chapter 10 verse 14, “Then we made you trustees (Khalifa) on the earth after them, to see how you would act.” Other verses, such as in Surah Al-Ahzab (Q 33:72) and Surah Al-An’am (Q 6:165), directly emphasise the same message. In line with this, the Prophet [PBUH] said, “The world is a beautiful and verdant, verily God, The Exalted, has made you His stewards in it, and He sees how you acquit yourselves” (Saheeh Muslim).

According to Muhammad A. Chakaki, an independent environmental consultant and a founding member of the American Green Muslims in the Direct, that man is made the khalifa, trustee, steward, successor, custodian, …name it, “does not mean absolute power of humans over nature. … It is a trust, an immense responsibility.” Indeed, Chakaki’s explanation of this stewardship could hardly be far from the truth. 

For in Surah Al-Ahzab, chapter 33, verse 72, Allah [SWA] says, “Verily, We offered the entrusted property (Amana) to the heavens, and the Earth/land, and the mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish.” As man is allowed to use the natural resources upon which he is made a custodian, being warned against using it extravagantly presents stewardship as a double-edged sword: remaining as an honour whilst also a test.

At the heart of the famous George Washington University stands the Islamic Studies Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Of the highest order, Nasr is a faculty, an environmentalist, a philosopher, and an author of more than 50 books and over 500 articles. The erudite scholar expresses his environmental philosophy in terms of Islamic Environmentalism and Resacralization of Nature. According to the more-than-90-year-old distinguished academic, environmental crisis cannot be understood, much less solved, without a wider spiritual approach. In his view, man must humble himself as the steward he is and stop the dictatorial approach in his relationship with nature. [See, for instance, his book ‘Religion and the Order of Nature’].

While many of Nasr’s propositions are frowned at and thrown to the dust bin, labelled as too unscientific and religiously induced – because ours is an over-obsessed-with-technology sort of a world – the very idea that environmental crisis is a self-inflicted wound caused by human activity, remains a universal convention. Surah As-Shura has it all said: “And whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned…”

However, influenced by Nasr, in an opinion published by Aljazeera, a renowned environmentalist and a professor of philosophy at Uskudar University Turkey, Ibrahim Ozdemir said, “Islam teaches its followers to take care of the earth.” And that in his opinion, the one simple yet neglected solution to the environmental crisis is ‘interpreting the issue from an Islamic perspective’.

In this line of thinking, when this writer [of this article] writes, he shall discuss Hima (Protected Area), Waqf (Endowment), and Israf (Prohibition of Wastefulness), among other natural resource conservation concepts – from an Islamic viewpoint. Meanwhile, suffice it to say that climate change and its resulting environmental crisis are real, and Almighty Allah says in Surah Al-Ra’ad, “… Verily, Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves…” [Q 13:11].

Abubakar Idris Misau, a graduate of Forestry and Wildlife from the University of Maiduguri, writes from Yola, Nigeria. He can be reached via email at abubakaridrismisau@gmail.com.

By Bilyamin Abdulmumin

While toggling between TED videos, my mouse hovered over a talk titled “Can AI Catch What Doctors Miss?” which I decided to watch. The talk was given by a revered Cardiologist, Eric Topol. He espoused the possibility of AI surpassing expert physicians. To lend credence to his argument, he showed a picture of a retina to which he posed a question: can retina experts identify the gender by merely looking at this retina? He then replied that the expert chance of getting it correctly is only 50 per cent, while AI has an impressive chance of 97 per cent. So he argued if an AI could have such high precision compared to humans, how about relying on them to spot some diagnoses doctors have been missing? Dr Topol buttressed the idea with real examples.

A six-year-old boy suffering from an undiagnosed disease would shuttle between 17 experts, but for three years, his condition could not be diagnosed. So a decisive inspiration came to his mum, and she decided to consult ChartGpT by describing all the signs and symptoms she observed from the boy, and within a blink of an eye, the AI would successfully diagnose the condition:  “occult spina bifida”. After the doctors worked on the result, the boy became “perfectly healthy well”.

Topol finally closes his remark by recounting his conversion with an apprenticeship student one day after seeing patients together. He reflects the student how lucky he was to practice during an AI era, as he will connect with patients in a  way they could only imagine: the help of getting assistance for diagnosis.

This talk reminds me of my own mental note about ChartGPT—the prospect of the chatbot against the then-savior software like Grammarly, Quibolt, Google, etc.

Just as the advent of the phone rendered a plethora of gadgets obsolete—such as cameras, wristwatches, calendars, radios, recorders, calculators, tape players, speakers, torchlights, TVs, etc—the introduction of ChatGPT is poised to usher in a similar transformation. ChartGPT can make many tools redundant, including Grammarly, Quillbot, Turnitin, Google, Wikipedia, Britannica, and many more.

Crafting error-free text was a significant challenge for young writers: the intricacies of grammatical structures were daunting, especially for us bilingual individuals. But the advent of Grammarly, then, was revolutionary. With Grammarly, writers found relief from the hassles of English grammar intricacies. They could focus on generating a draft, confident that Grammarly would do the rest. But now, ChartGPT, in a similar vein, emerges as a game-changer.

Quillbolt is a six of one and a half dozen of another with Grammarly.

The quest for originality is paramount, mainly when composing a manuscript where maintaining a high degree of uniqueness—often limited to around a few per cent—is crucial. Authors submitting manuscripts endure a nerve-wracking moment as their work undergoes scrutiny through Turnitin software, hoping for a positive outcome. But with the introduction of Quillbot, much of this drama was alleviated. However, ChartGPT takes this capability to another level.

A mere decade ago, the idea that Google, with its dominance in information retrieval, could be overshadowed by a newer invention would have seemed far-fetched. Enter ChartGPT, and suddenly, the status quo is challenged.

While platforms like Wikipedia and Britannica offer ready-made articles, ChartGPT takes interaction to a whole new level. It doesn’t just provide answers; it collaborates with users to deliver precisely the information they seek.

Another hassling undertaking is programming. Coding used to be akin to a jewel in the crown or an elusive skill that felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. Few possessed the ability, and its intricate, time-consuming nature made those with such expertise exceptionally rare. However, for the proud coding masters, ChartGPT has emerged as a liberator. It can unravel the complexities of coding and teach it in a non-specialist manner. With ChartGPT, the once formidable barriers to coding knowledge are dismantled.

As Professor Topol reflected, I have also been in awe of ChartGPT transformations. Encountering it during my student years feels like a true blessing. Its impact on reshaping the educational landscape, especially in 2023, is remarkable. Being a student at this transformative juncture allows me to witness and reflect.

For optimal utilization of ChartGPT, however, a strategic approach should be involved. One has to initiate one’s efforts by crafting a draft before turning to AI for assistance. For instance, when comparing a request for a 250-word article on climate change without a draft to someone who provides a 50-word draft for improvement, the latter receives a more refined result. For even finer results, breaking down tasks into smaller components yields superior outcomes.

The same thing applies to coding with ChartGPT. If you ask ChartGPT, for instance, to generate a code for a specific task, there’s a likelihood that it might not run perfectly, leaving some details for you to fill in. However, if you start by writing your own code, even if it doesn’t run initially, and then turn to ChartGPT for assistance, it can swiftly identify and correct the errors.

Bilyamin Abdulmumin is a doctoral candidate in Chemical Engineering at ABU Zaria, a public affairs commentator, and a science writer.

By Ismail Ismail Tijjani

Large Language model (LLM) is a subset of Generative AI that focuses on generating human-like text based on the input it receives. Evidence shows how good it is in generating creative text formats, like poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, emails, letters, etc. Chatgpt plays a significant role in bringing LLMs to wider public attention, though it wasn’t the first one. I will use Chatgpt throughout this article because of its popularity, though there are other popular ones like Gemini, Bard.AI, LaMDA and much more.

Let me provide a very simple description of how ChatGPT works. Just imagine you enter a library and ask the librarian a question. The librarian will first try to understand your question and then scan the shelves, looking for books they think might contain your specific answer. Using their records and expertise, they connect related stories from different books and give you the best possible answer. This is what ChatGPT does in a few seconds.

ChatGPT underwent training using an extensive and diverse internet dataset, which covered a wide spectrum of content ranging from different subjects, styles, and perspectives. Its core skill lies in tranformer architecture, a neural network which is primarily designed for language processing to encode an input text, analyze its structure and meaning, and decode it to produce an output by predicting the most likely next word in a sequence.

Certainly, the introduction of new technologies often sparks heated debates. Critics often strive to oppose and even reverse these advancements. However, their efforts typically falter in the end. Some critics may genuinely misunderstand the technology, while others, perhaps a majority, are driven by the pursuit of publicity rather than accurate assessment.

ChatGPT wasn’t an exception. When it was launched in October 2022, some people argued that it would make students lazy, lead to job loss for editors, result in high plagiarism, breach copyrights, steal people’s data, exhibit sentiment, intentional bias, spread disinformation, create deep fakes, and much more. We will discuss some of these concerns below. Some of the allegations are true and have already been addressed, while others are false.

ChatGPT lacks the ability to discern whether information is biased, disinformation or false. It operates based on its programmed structure and produces results accordingly. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has taken measures to enhance the model. Although the technical details haven’t been disclosed, it likely involves implementing guardrails and filtering mechanisms to address accusations of misinformation, bias, falsehood and more.

For students and researchers, ChatGPT will serve just like an advanced internet search engine that will generate output after going into multiple webpages, saving time and stress hopping between sites. It will in no way make students lazy, However, some concerns related to students’ use will be discussed in a later article.

Its ability to remember previous prompts, though impressive, doesn’t imply sentience. It’s merely a clever technique within its architecture. This raises separate questions about the path to achieving true artificial general intelligence (AGI), discussed in my previous article. It is only a technique in tranformer that makes it capture it.

The impact of ChatGPT on jobs is a complex and nuanced issue with both potential downsides and upsides. While some job losses are inevitable, they will likely be offset by the creation of new ones. Adapting to this changing landscape through education, reskilling and responsible policymaking is key to ensuring a future where AI benefits everyone.

Despite the evident improvements seen since ChatGPT’s initial release, OpenAI must continue to dedicate significant resources to refining its model. This is crucial not only to mitigate legal risks but also to enhance its accuracy and reliability for responsible public use. While striving for absolute perfection is unrealistic, reaching a consistently high level of trustworthiness should be a priority. Additionally, users must be mindful of the model’s limitations and exercise critical judgment, fact-checking, and verification before relying on its output.

AI is here for good. Innovation often sparks a variety of perspectives, and AI is not an exception. Some people believe that AI has the potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as poverty, hunger, climate change, corruption and disease. Others are concerned about the potential for misuse, such as the development of autonomous weapons systems or the use of AI to manipulate people.

AI is not like any other innovation we have seen before in the history of humankind. It is among the most powerful of all, and it is likely to be among the last innovation that we ever need.

AI is already making significant positive impacts in various industries, such as healthcare, finance, retail, manufacturing and many others. Of course, like any industry, there may be individuals with malicious intent in the AI sector who are willing to exploit it for negative purposes. For example, I recently came across a women-uncovering app with high precision that raised concerns. However, the actions of these individuals should not lead to the shutdown of the entire industry.

We don’t shut down the arms and weapons industry because of terrorists, the financial industry because of fraud, the biotechnology industry because of bioweapons or social media because of misinformation and hate speech. Instead, we regulate them by establishing governing bodies to oversee their operations and foster collaboration between top companies, stakeholders, researchers and the government to develop effective solutions. This approach will also be applied to AI.

Our primary focus should be on humanity. It is crucial for everyone to actively participate and collaborate in order to develop effective solutions that will propel us and the industry forward as a unified whole.

Path to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) 1: the year 2023 stood out as an exceptional period in the AI industry, marking a significant moment when the masses truly connect with the essence of AI.

AI has been around for years, primarily utilized in backend functions like relevance ranking, personalization, spam detection, and more. ChatGPT was the remarkable innovation that astonished the world, revealing the true potential of AI. While it may not have surprised researchers who had already witnessed AI capabilities in the lab, its impact on a broader audience is undeniable to the extent that many non technical individuals use the words AI and ChatGPT interchangeably, thinking its same thing.

Other notable innovations in 2023 include Hugging Face, Google Bard, Capcutand many others, all these are great innovations we have seen in 2023.

Are these innovations clearing a path to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which informally means machines reaching human-level intelligence? This question remains unclear to researchers, as there are two camps with differing opinions on the matter. Some believe AGI is imminent, while others hold a more skeptical view.

Yann LeCun the chief AI scientist in Meta is among those with skeptical perspective, he believes that Language models like ChatGPT that people are using as an evidence that AGI is imminent are not as smart as a cat which is the truth and believes it will happen in decades or even a century — a point of view that I share.

For machines to achieve true intelligence, they must possess both cognitive and metacognitive abilities. While significant advancements have been made in cognitive AI, bridging the gap to metacognitive intelligence remains the key barrier. Researchers are diligently seeking solutions to overcome this challenge. For machines to be metacognitive intelligent, which necessitates the ability to sense the environment and effectively process and interpret sensory signals. Our discussion was focused on the process of it being intelligent alone, not as intelligent as a human being, which is the AGI. This clearly shows that we are nowhere near AGI.

The timeline of AGI is not only a matter of time but rather depends on the speedy research and innovation advancement. Improvement in advanced neural networks, symbolic reasoning, embodied cognition, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning will make a great impact in clearing the path to AGI.

The path to AGI is not a solitary trek for AI researchers. It demands a symphony of minds, where scientists, physiologists, engineers and other researchers from diverse fields join hands in a grand collaborative effort. Only through their combined expertise and tireless dedication can we hope to unlock the secrets of true machine intelligence.