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At a time when ignorance reigns 

When human’s soul lost its sense

Amidst Banu Hashim emerged a light

Which illuminations light the earth 

He led the Beduins on the right path

To save them from God’s wrath 

He was sent to the whole of humanity

To be the doctor of the heart and mind

I envy the cloud above his head 

Which followed and gave him shade

I envy the disciples that learnt from him

They learnt the Qur’an directly from him

I envy the soldiers that went on Jihad

For if I were there, I would work hard

I envy the eye that stared at his face 

It’s the most handsome of the Human race

I envy the she-camel that led his Mi’irage

For it was very great a voyage

I envy the spider that sprong its web

Which appeared to the foes as a cobweb

I envy the cup that gave him drink

For it fed his tongue, the truthful ink

I envy those that smelled his scent 

For his body emanated smell; fragrant

I envy the pot that cooked him food

Not excluding the recipes and firewood

He is Muhammad, the chosen one

He is Ahmad; the praised one

Those are the few I can mention

For his blessings have no dimension

Written by

Hussain Abdullahi,

©Avicenna

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The family of late Nigerian artiste, Olanrewaju Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan, has released an album of the late artiste posthumously.

According to the family, he was working on the album before he passed away.

“We are having the one-year remembrance of Sound Sultan, iconic Nigerian singer and we are having his official listening party for the album, Reality CHQ. This was the album Sound Sultan was working on before he answered the call of the Almighty. This is a very special project.” The late artiste’s brother, Baba Dee, said in a video he posted.

Sound Sultan reportedly died of throat cancer in the United States of America on Sunday, July 11, 2021, and was buried there in line with Islamic teachings.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Borno State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), under the leadership of Bishop Mohammed Naga, has expressed its joy over the emergence of a former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, as Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election.

Recall that Mr Tinubu announced Kashim yesterday as his prospective vice president if the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerges victorious in the next year’s election.

Reacting to the development in a statement, Bishop Naga described Kashim as an unbigoted person, stressing that “those who are not from Borno State may not know, but you and I know better.”

His statement reads, “Gov. Shettima, in the history of Borno State, is the only Governor that has sponsored the highest number of Christian Pilgrims every year since 2011.

“I am speaking boldly without fear or favour because as CAN Chairman, I don’t receive salary or kobo from the Government or any institution, but the facts need to be told.

“For example, when Gwoza people were driven from their ancestral homes, they fled to Maiduguri, and the Governor personally came to CAN Centre in Jerusalem ward two times in June and July 2014. He gave N10 million for their upkeep at first instance, but the victims weren’t many. By the end of October 2014, the IDPs from Gwoza increased to 42,000 in that camp alone. Governor Shettima came again and gave another N10 million.

“He also gave an additional N5 million to Christians from Borno who fled to Cameroon to be returned home.

“Sincerely speaking, as a Christian and a preacher, absolutely, I have nothing to fear about Asiwaju’s picking a Muslim as his running mate because he is not a religious bigot, and I am happy he has made his mind known to the public in the person of his preferred running mate.

“Seeing another presidential candidate applauding him is a plus for him and supporters of Asiwaju. Congratulations to the awaiting president and vice president.”

However, the coming of a Muslim-Muslim ticket from the APC has caused a lot of reactions, with several social media-based activists vigorously kicking against it, citing the sensitive religious atmosphere of the Nigerian society as their reason for resistance.

By Dr. Raji Bello

In media advertisements, the larger print that describes or promotes a product or service is often accompanied by a smaller or fine print which is less noticeable and often placed as a footnote. It usually contains the real truth about what is offered in the advert although consumers rarely read them.

Bola Tinubu has unveiled his running mate in Daura where he gave the nation a partial reading of the larger print of his advertisement. He said that he has found a competent and loyal individual to help him deliver good governance and that the person’s Muslim faith was merely accidental. It sounds good on the surface but we all know that his selection goes against the established convention of demonstrating religious and regional inclusivity on our presidential tickets. And we are all aware of the passionate debate that preceded the selection. It is clear that the main points articulated or implied by those who have insisted on a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the APC now constitutes the dark and sinister fine print in Tinubu’s advertisement of his new running mate.

There are three main postulates in the fine print which have underpinned Tinubu’s selection and which should make uncomfortable reading for anyone who is concerned about Nigeria’s future. They are:

1. A Muslim from southern Nigeria is not Muslim enough to represent the nation’s Muslims on a presidential ticket and he must be paired with a northern Muslim before he could appeal to northern Muslim voters.
2. Muslims in northern Nigeria will not vote for a ticket that has a northern Christian on it making any such ticket automatically unviable.
3. A “competent and loyal” running mate for Tinubu could not be found among northern Christians and he had to go against the convention to find one from the northern Muslim community.

An acceptance of Tinubu’s selection automatically implies the acceptance and internalisation of this fine print, and this is where the problem lies. It means that we, as a nation, are on the road towards formalising and even institutionalising common prejudices and bigotry at the highest levels of our polity. Kaduna state APC is already at an advanced stage of entrenching its ominous Muslim-Muslim formula for governorship contest contrary to established convention. Is this the country that any of us would like to bequeath to his children and grandchildren? Should hard calculations regarding the chances of victory take precedence over the future survival of this country? Isn’t Nigeria more important than any politician’s ambition or chances of winning? The antecendent of Abiola’s Muslim-Muslim ticket that is often cited as justification is not applicable because it had enjoyed implied consent of the Christian community at that time, something that is absent at this time. There is a big difference between exclusion with consent and without it.

All human beings (especially the Nigerian kind) crave inclusivity. Muslims in Plateau, Taraba and some Southwestern states have also cried out for inclusivity; so it is not something that only Christians seek. In Plateau state, with its significant Muslim minority, there is a long-running problem with inclusivity. Contentious issues that concern the “settler” Muslim population in Jos North has led to the exclusion of native Muslim populations in other local government areas as well. In Taraba state, the recent nomination of Christian governorship candidates by both major parties has spiked communal tensions with one radical Muslim preacher even calling for jihad. This came against the background of complains of marginalisation in state government appointments by the Muslim community in the state. But the case for more inclusivity in the two states will surely be undermined if the bigoted fine print of Tinubu’s advertisement is institutionalised at the centre.

We are already on the slippery slope towards eventual implosion and victories for the national and Kaduna APC tickets in 2023 will most likely move us to the high-speed section of that slope.

Raji Bello writes from Yola, Adamawa State.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The presidential candidate in the 2023 election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has given his reason behind picking a former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, as his running mate.

Mr Tinubu who was the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 described Mr Kashim as a competent and credible person.

“I chose him because he is competent, capable and reliable,” the APC candidate said.

He made the disclosure on Sunday in Daura, the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari, when he paid a Sallah homage to the president.

Stating why the homage was paid, Mr Tinubu said, “We came to pay homage to him (Buhari) and to share part of his holiday and lunch. And to discuss the question of my substantive running mate.

“The one we put in as placement has withdrawn today. There has been an announcement to replace him fully with a substantive candidate, Kashim Shettima.”

Recall that it took Mr. Tinubu a while before finally declaring his running mate unequivocally despite the pressure and outcry from Nigerians, especially on social media.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has identified Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2023 general election.

Tinubu disclosed this Sunday in an interactive session with journalists during a visit to President Buhari in Daura, Katsina State.

Reports had earlier hinted that The vice-presidential nominee may most likely be a former governor and senator from the Northeast part of Nigeria.

Recall that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State had on Saturday disclosed that Tinubu had settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Kashim Shettima was a Barno State former governor who served the state from 2011 to 2019.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is not recruiting, the General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Garbadeen Muhammad, said.

The General Manager made the declaration public in a statement issued in Abuja by the management. 

In the statement, Muhammad urged the general public to discard the rumour in the air that the company was recruiting. 

He reiterated that the information suggesting that NNPC Ltd. was recruiting was false and baseless. 

He stated, “the general public should please take note that NNPC Ltd. is not recruiting.

The statement noted that the NNPC has an official website to make announcements whenever the company intends to recruit. 

The official websites were identified as “(www.nnpcgroup.com); verified Twitter handle (@nnpcgroup); verified Facebook page (@nnpcgroup) and other credible media channels,” he stated.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The families of the seven captives released by the terrorists who attacked the AK-9 Abuja-Kaduna train have been reunited.

On Saturday, the terrorists freed a further group of seven captives after more than a hundred days in captivity.

According to reports, the terrorists released 11 of the remaining 50 hostages from the 61 victims of the kidnapped train passengers three weeks ago, leaving 43 hostages in their hideout.

The release of the hostages and their reunion with their families was announced on Sunday by Mallam Tukur Mamu, one of the negotiators and the media advisor to Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.

The hostages include Bosede Olurotimi, Abubakar Zubairu, Alhassan Sule and Sadiq Ango Abdullahi, Muhammad Daiyabu Paki, Aliyu Usman as well as only foreign national of Pakistani origin, Dr Muhammad Abuzar Afzal.

By Ibrahim Ahmad Kala, LL.M

The one-time Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice in the Second Republic, Late Chief Richard Akinjede, SAN once asserted that oral Advocacy is a special science and art skill of good courtroom lawyers which is likened to the scene in Julius Caeser that took the form of funeral orations by Brutus and Antony over Ceaser’s corpse. Having just killed Ceaser, the conspirators wanted Brutus to assure the Romans that all was well and that Ceaser’s death was necessary to prevent tyranny. Antony, Ceaser’s close friend, feigned solidarity with the conspirators and persuaded them that he too should say a few words over Ceaser’s body.

In comparing Brutus and Antony as orators, we should remember two other classical orators: Cicero and Demosthenes. When Cicero finished an oration, the people would say: “How well he spoke”.  But when Demosthenes finished speaking, the people would say: “Let us March”. Brutus was like Cicero and Antony like Demosthenes. Brutus won respect, but Antony started a riot.

The funeral orations which exemplify an extraordinary example of how Shakespeare can bear on the law, underscore the effectiveness of oral Advocacy which a lawyer should read before addressing the court in a major trial.

Regrettably, like Antony, Bar Shehu Usman Dalhatu on 7/7/2022 in his appearance while defending Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara before a Sharia Court of Kano State, caused stirred on social media and openly accused the trial judge of being unlike Ceaser’s wife of not sitting above board in the case. As seen in a viral video, the counsel was heard castigating the court for allowing the prosecution to ask “all sorts of questions such as asking the defendant when his father died? Which he argued, is not contained in the charge,” during cross-examination,  and “denying his client right to make a no-case submission”, saying no prima facie case was established against him. According to the Daily Trust report, the mild drama led the defence counsel, Dalhatu Shehu-Usman to walk out on the judge.

The Kano State Government had charged Kabara with four counts, bordering on blasphemous comments against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Aug.10, Oct. 25 and Dec 20, 2019.

With due respect to all, the entire scenario that played out in the court is, to say the least, highly nauseating and totally against the professional ethics required of players in the administration of justice in this country. In one of my previous articles on the relationship between the Bar and the Bench, I penned down as follows:

In R. vs. O’Connell (1844) p261 at 312-313 lifted from Oputa JSC’s book “OUR TEMPLE OF JUSTICE” p.14, Crampton J. said thus:

“This court in which we sit is a Temple of Justice, and the Advocate at the Bar as well as the Judge on the Bench are equally ministers in that Temple. The object of all, equally, would be the attainment of justice…”

Oputa JSC further distilled some guiding principles on the relationship between the Bench and the Bar as follows:

 “Lawyers and Judges being instruments of justice are honoured and honourable.

Such honourable men should not allow ‘the infirmity of human nature and the strength of human passion’ to lead them astray, let alone lead them to perpetuate an outright injustice.

The Legal profession is not just another avenue for quick money-making by hook or crook. To so conceive the profession, is to degrade it.”

Similarly, Richard Du Cann in his book: “The Art of the Advocate” speaking on the duty of the Advocate while quoting Lord MacMillan, a Lord Advocate-General in Scotland and a member of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lord’s declared the duty in fivefold as follows:

“In the discharge of his office, the Advocate has a duty to his client, a duty to his opponent, a duty to the court, a duty to himself, and a duty to the state. The duties, in fact, begin long before he rises to his feet resplendent in horsehair wig and stuff gown”.

Hence, it is not part of the duties of a Lawyer to win at all costs or at any cost. There is rather a heavy cost to winning at all costs and that cost is disdain and dishonour and the desecration of the sacred temple of justice. Judges and Lawyers have a prior and perpetual retainer on behalf of the truth.

All these, therefore, reflect very much the tradition of the legal profession on the relationship between the Bar and the Bench, and which is one of reciprocity. The smooth administration of justice envisages the existence of courageous, efficient, honest and fearless Bar and Bench.

The Bench is entitled to unqualified respect from the Bar and so expects it. The least Magistrate Court, Area, Sharia or Customary Court and the highest court of the land are equally entitled to this respect. Members of the Bar stand up when they address or are addressed by the Bench.

The counsel who easily picks up quarrels with the Bench acts in contravention of this important duty. The duty of respect which is as old as the profession itself is highlighted under Rule 1(a) of Rules of Professional Conduct as follows:

It is the duty of the Lawyer to maintain toward the Court, a respectful attitude, not for the sake of the temporary incumbent of the judicial office, but for the maintenance of its supreme importance. Judges not being wholly free to defend themselves against criticism and clamour. Whenever there is a proper ground for a serious complaint of a judicial officer, it is the duty of the Lawyer to submit his grievances to the proper authority. In such cases, but not otherwise, such charges should be encouraged and the person making them should be protected.

This aged-long tradition of respect has crystallized into a solid cornerstone in the edifice of the Bar-and-Bench relationship. You alone cannot change the position overnight. The tradition is so well established at the Bar that, even when counsel has nothing but rude remarks to make, by tradition he is expected to start by saying: “With respect”.

These ethics demanded the best of Man: obedience and decency, as it was demanded that Adam (A.S) should keep his own part of the bargain, and he did not; that was unethical and there came his fall.

The court is where counsel will spend the rest of his years at the Bar trying to persuade to his view. One cannot carry it along with him if, by lack of manners, one alienates its feelings beyond recall or consistently.

To be continued

Ibrahim Muhammad Kala Esq is the Head of Litigation Department, Court of Appeal Gombe division and can be reached via ibrokalaesq@gmail.com

By Anna Mohr

The movie, There is a way, directed by Falalu A. Dorayi and produced by Abba El-Mustapha, is a simple but effective feel-good movie retelling popular tropes and stories in a predictable but heartwarming way. Following the recipe of Shakespearean dramatics and clichéd Disney movies in the 2000s, such as Cinderella Story or High School Musical, it easily can stand on its own while also covering issues of the Hausa society and giving insights into its culture – an entertaining and so sweet movie you can taste the sugar on your lips.

Isham is a middle-class university student with a pure heart who wants to get his degree through hard work. He falls high over heels for Fadilla, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The two desperately want to be together but must face several problems threatening to destroy their relationship.

There is a Way was the first Hausa movie I watched, and although the story has already been told a thousand times, I easily became invested with it. Even though I rarely watch romantic movies, I have a soft spot for them. The quality of the film is fitting to the story itself: simple but refreshing. Please, do not expect finesse camerawork or outstanding dialogues – you will surely be disappointed. But the blunt storytelling is made up of dramatics that can easily compete with those of the Bollywood film industry.

The movie itself is certainly no piece of art. It is amateurishly made: the camera is wiggling, and the lighter colours in the scenes are sometimes glaring and unnatural. At the same time, the movie uses effects such as slow-motion, certain scenes are muted to create tension and dramatic music is played in between.

The story itself is predictable as typical for a romantic movie and has similarities to our Western fairy tales and Elizabethan or ancient love stories: Man meets a woman and falls in love at first sight, but their love is doomed, and they have to face challenges before being together. Also, the poor protagonist and his rich-born love interest are no rarity in this genre. Another aspect I recognized in the film is the flat characters: We have a pure-hearted hero who cannot do wrong. But instead, tragedy happens to him, and his pureness is challenged. I found that quite wasted because characters are made to make mistakes. They can only grow when they do wrong and when they fail. There is a sense of relatedness that I miss.

The characters themselves are introduced in simplicity. When Fadilla’s parents appear on screen, they are introduced with “Hello Mum” and “Hello Dad”, which is blunt and unimaginative to share the family ties with the viewer. The dialogues are just as direct. The movie is in English, and there is no dubbing involved, meaning that Hausa people speak a language that is not their own. That includes that the dialogues are often wooden and lacking finesse. “I will tell you the secret of …” is just one example of the movie’s very direct way of communication, and I daresay that it would have been more natural if the characters had spoken in their own language. The English script has some sentences that are generally not used, leading to many exaggerated dialogues. For example, “you harbour a criminal” when Isham is accused of cheating in an exam.

So, why do I like this movie?

Easy: Because it has charm. It is charming how Isham and Fadilla are swooning about each other. How they tell each other Shakespearean confessions of undyeable love as if they just teleported into one of his sonnets; how they are the embodiment of a Greek tragedy, a Hausa variant of Romeo and Juliet; how the world is joined against them, but they are still standing side by side.

Viewing the Hausa society and culture in the movie is also fascinating. When watching it, you may recognize that male and female characters are never touching each other – not mother and son, not father and daughter, nor the lovers. In addition, women are wearing scarves – hijabs – around their heads, so you cannot see their hair.

Another interesting fact is the mention of Allah instead of God, which I needed some time to get used to the first time I watched the movie. Also, certain issues are discussed: For example, the gap between poor and rich, the importance of education and the problem of corruption and blackmailing at university. These aspects convey the information I would not find out otherwise and give more insights than any textbook in school.

To put it all together, the movie is a people pleaser. You can easily be invested in the plot and follow the relationship between Isham and Fadilla, although the story itself is simple and predictable. At the same time, there are interesting aspects of culture and society. So, I recommend watching it!

Anna Mohr studies at the University of Cologne, Germany. She can be reached via amohr9@smail.uni-koeln.de.