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By Abdullahi Abubakar Lamido

Alhaji Halilu is a popular, wealthy businessman. Famous for his continuous investment in constructing mosques, people in his town, surrounding villages and neighbouring states came to know him as Alhaji Mai-Masallatai (roughly, the Mosques Builder). His main motivation is the authentic hadith that promises a house in paradise for anyone who builds a mosque for Allah.

Thus, whenever Mai-Masallatai is approached with a request for mosque construction, he gives an automatic positive response. Alhaji dedicated all his philanthropic budget to building mosques, with virtually zero allocation to any other act of charity. He never says no to a mosque request. Within some time, he had constructed mosques for almost all the communities within his town and neighbouring villages. His ultimate goal is to own wonderful castles in heaven, and, Alhamdulillah, he has got a guarantee for that in constructing mosques from an infallible mouth. 

Now, three things happened. One, as there are not many communities lacking mosques, people started requesting him to repair the mosques he built for them last five, ten or seven years; to rebuild their mosque, repair it, or buy them new sound system, new carpet for the mosque, electricity generator, or “solar” and so on. Mai-Masallatai gradually transformed into Mai gyaran Masallatai, from building mosques to redecorating and making existing mosques “befitting” and ultramodern.

The second trend then followed. Since Mai-Masallatai is not the only aspirant for paradise, other wealthy persons joined the mosque construction endeavour. As a result, the number of mosques increases – two or more mosques in an unnecessarily close distance. A  community that needs one mosque would request a second one for flimsy reasons; we have Sheikh XYZ, who should be an imam and has no mosque; why not get one for him so the society would benefit from his imamship! And any rich man who builds a new house would ensure that a mosque is embedded from the inception of the architectural design. So, each neighbourhood or street, and almost each “big” house, has a mosque attachment built by a person who wants paradise. Soon the third issue began to arise; imams scarcity.

It is noteworthy that Mai-Masallatai and all his emulators live and do business within a Muslim community that has thousands of orphans who live in hunger, disease, illness and squalor. They coexist with hundreds of widows who survive in shabbiness, battling the spiritual ills, psychological traumas and socio-economic vulnerabilities associated with poverty, ignorance and starvation. They reside in neighbourhoods bedevilled with noise, air and dirt population, with zero consciousness of environmental challenges; where people often urinate and defecate in the open, at public passages and places as crucial as mosques and marketplaces and stadia. They live in communities that use firewood as an energy source but with near-zero interest in planting trees.

Mai-Masallatai builds mosques for communities where well above 80% of the people cannot correctly recite the Fatiha and are mostly ignorant of the basics of purification, ablution and prayer. The worship places are beautiful, “befitting”, and “ultra-modern”. But the worshippers are ultra-ignorant, extra-hungry and super-poor. While the mosques are decorated, the mosque attendants are neglected.

The community severely lacks qualified imams and doesn’t have a plan to train religious scholars or imams. Nearly all are accidental scholars and imams. Most imams are less qualified, semi-qualified, or simply unqualified. Those with minimum requirements have no access to any “on the job training” and retraining. They have no grounding in jurisprudence nor appreciation of the complexities of their time and place. They might know a little of actually elementary Islamic texts, but not of their context. They continue to recycle their khutbas, reading for their congregation – often with a lot of mistakes – imported sermons presented for the 20^th-century audience in Egypt or Morocco or Saudi Arabia or Algeria (depending upon the inclination of the imams), which are compiled in a collection of sermons or al-khutab al-minbariyya. The sermons are in Arabic, reread for an audience dominated by over 90% of people who do not understand Arabic except, perhaps, “Allahu Akbar”!  

Dear reader, to what extent is your community better than Mai-Masallatai’s? Should building worship places take priority over building the worshippers? Should we continue to construct “befitting”, “ultramodern”, and “world-class” mosques for largely poor, ignorant and confused Muslim communities? Should we, while, of course, building mosques where they are truly needed, not also prioritize producing a Muslim population that is religiously educated, morally upright, intellectually sound, socio-economic dignified and religiously conscious. What better serves the essence of the mosque as an Islamic institution: a beautiful building or an educated congregation? Should building mosques be the only priority in a village where there is not even a single person learned in the Qur’an and the jurisprudence of purification, ablution, prayer, fasting, and other rituals?

More questions are begging for answers. For example, what will be more critical between saving people’s faith through addressing their basic needs of life, thereby shielding them from the onslaughts of evangelism and other anti-Islamic missions on the one hand, and mere building a mosque where there are no qualified imams and scholars to teach them creed and worship on the other? Should we continue to have “comfortable places” for ignorant and hungry worshippers rather than building conscious and educated worshippers? 

Given the current religious and socio-economic realities of Muslims in Nigeria, what should be the focus and priority areas of intervention in terms of philanthropy? Please don’t mistake my position. No Muslims will disagree regarding the centrality of mosques as Islamic symbol numero uno. Where there is no mosque, it is a collective responsibility upon the Muslims to build one to the best of their ability. What, however, may need reflection is the question of when, where and why building a mosque should take primacy vis-à-vis other Muslim priorities and when not. Is it not imperative, for instance, for us to begin to remind ourselves that much as we can get a shortcut to paradise through building mosques, there are other philanthropic acts that not only guarantee paradise but even assure of a choice area and unmatchable edifice in Jannah?

Abdullahi Abubakar Lamido is the Chairman Zakah and Waqf Foundation Gombe, Nigeria. He can be reached lamidomabudi@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The 12-year-old Boko Haram insurgency in North-Eastern Nigeria, especially Borno State, has led to a vast humanitarian disaster as it claimed more than 35,000 lives and displaced millions of people, according to local and international reports.

But one side of this catastrophe that is neglected is how hunger forced children orphaned by the insurgency and neglected by the Muslim community to be converted to Christianity.

Some of those children had witnessed how insurgents gruesomely killed their parents, leaving in them the hands of the helpless mothers.

The victims roam the silent streets of the suburb of Maiduguri bare-footed and are poorly and raggedly dressed, with nobody to even voice their frustration to. A large percentage of them have nowhere to call home or someone to brother or sister.

Such children were abandoned or taken to IDP camps to face other forms of abuse, torture, including sexual harassment for girlchild.

Giving an eyewitness account of this tragedy, a Borno-based scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Mustapha, narrated that after the mass killing of people by Boko Haram in Maiduguri, some Christian organizations came and took some of these orphans to their respective states.

Sheikh Muhammad Mustapha, who spoke on Sunday, December 26, 2021, during the graduation of 20 orphans trained and empowered by Khairat Islamic Trust (KIT), said the situation is unimaginable.

The foundation brought the orphans to Kano from Borno to help them open a new chapter in their lives.

He said if Muslim communities fail to take care of their [orphans] responsibilities, they will wake up and see all these orphans converted to Christianity one day.

He said, “Some of these orphans witnessed how their parents were merciless being killed by Boko Haram militant. As a result, they are left with no family – no one to call a brother or sister.

“After the mass killing by Boko Haram in Maiduguri, some Christian organizations came and took some of these orphans to their respective states.”

“Their aim is to convert them to Christianity and send them back to destabilize us in future because they look like us and speak our language. So we should try to stop this from happening.

Speaking also, the former Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, who commended the foundation, decried how the orphans were.

Prof. Yahuza Bello lamented that many people do not consider helping orphans as something important.

“That is why Khairat Islamic Trust came up with this idea of supporting these orphans financially and also worked hard to ensure that they acquire moral, spiritual, skilful and academic training which would enable them to progress further,” he said.

Orphans recount ordeal

“I was growing up as an orphan. There was a time I came to my mother crying that I didn’t have new clothes to wear on a Sallah [Eid] day.”

“Pity was my mother who also burst into tears saying had it been my father was alive; I will not have cried for Sallah clothes.”

Many of them recalled how their life became hard after the demise of their parents and how they roamed streets endlessly until the foundation decided to give them a helping hand.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Kano based non-governmental organization, Khairat Islamic Trust (KIT), has trained and empowered 20 children who lost their parents to the insurgency in the North East, Nigeria.

At the event titled: “Graduation, Empowerment and Re-integration of Orphans” held at Bayero University, Kano, on Sunday, December 26, 2021, the foundation donated a sewing machine worth N70,000 to each of the orphans.

Also, the foundation offered the students, who have completed their Qur’anic education, admission into western schools to complete their secondary schools.

Speaking at the event, the Emir of Kano, His Highness, Alh. Aminu Ado Bayero, represented by Alh. Aliyu Harazimi, Dan Amal, called on the general public to put hands together in helping orphans.

Bayero said that the reward for those who help orphans is Paradise.

Speaking also, the former Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, and Chairman KIT Board of Trustees, Prof. Yahuza Bello, said the foundation is a safe haven for orphans.

He added that KIT’s activities are purely humanitarian and has brought many orphans whose parents were killed by Boko Haram insurgents from Borno to Kano.

Prof. Yahuza Bello lamented that many people do not consider helping orphans important.

He added that many Christian organizations went to Borno and took these orphans to their respective states, converting them to Christianity.

“That is why Khairat Islamic Trust came up with this idea of supporting these orphans financially and also worked hard to ensure that they acquire moral, spiritual, skilful and academic training which would enable them to progress further,” he said.

Orphans voice out their excitement

The orphans who looked very excited said that they could not thank Khairat Islamic Trust enough.

“To be honest, I am very much happy today. I couldn’t have expected more than this even if my parents were alive,” one of the orphans Isma’il Salisu, said.

He added, “I call upon Muslim Ummah to join such a foundation in helping those who lost their parents. If good education is not provided for us, our thought [for a better future] might be lost.

“But now, what most of us wish to be are doctors, engineers, lawyers and the like. We think differently.”

While expressing his gratitude, Mustapha Muhammad Ibrahim said, “Not only me, all of us are extremely excited today.”

“We cannot actually thank this foundation enough. People should, en masse, join programs of this kind.”

On her part, Fatima Usman Hassan expressed how happy she was, saying that: “I pray that we will also do the same to other orphans in the future.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Dangi USA Association of Northern Nigerians has lambasted the atrocities of bandits in Nigeria, voicing a clarion call on the government to remember its cardinal responsibility of protecting lives and properties.

The association reiterated that since bandits had transgressed all common senses, they should therefore be treated as an existential threat that must be eliminated.

The call which was in a release signed Sunday by the Director Public Relations of the association, Kabir lsa Jikamshi, disclosed the grievance over the incessant killings of innocent souls.

They said that it is disheartening to witness the ongoing despicable acts of kidnapping, ransom collection and gruesome killing of innocent men, women and children especially in the North-Western part of the country.

The statement reads: “This banditry, presently constitutes a transgression that does not allow room for any negotiation. No previous grievances can justify the wanton destruction of lives and property. 

“Therefore, no one, neither the government nor private parties should negotiate in any form with the bandits.

“We call on the government to remember its cardinal responsibility of protecting life and property. Insecurity is persistent only in an ungovernable situation; Please do not abdicate your responsibilities. 

“The government should do more by taking the war to the bandits and enact the necessary legislation that will allow individuals to defend themselves without any reservation.

“This is a collective responsibility and all hands should be on deck. Thus, the general public must also remember that they have a very important role to play by supporting the efforts of the security agencies. “if you see something suspicious, say something”.

“Informants and any other individual or group enabling the activities of the bandits should be treated as one them.

“The catch and release of some of these criminals without trial is totally wrong and must stop,” the statement added.
Dangi Association also commiserated with the families of the victims of these atrocities.

“We pray the Almighty Allah will offer solace to the victims and their families. We feel the frustrations and anger of the Nigerian citizens.”

“We empathize with you for enduring these harsh conditions of insecurity and constrictions in the liberty of movement and performance of other daily activities,” they added.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Nigerian Army’s 32 Artillery Brigade said on Tuesday that it had begun a field training exercise in Ondo State to address any security concerns.

The “Exercise Crocodile Smile IV” training was also part of the Nigerian Army’s response to security concerns and civil disobedience in the state, Major Victor Olukoya, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, said in a statement.

The drill, according to Olukoya, was also in line with the army’s constitutional mandate of assisting civil authorities.

He stated that the exercise, which began on November 8 and will end on December 23, 2019, would be completed.

He said, “The exercise will be conducted in conjunction with other security agencies to further sustain the existing synergy between the Nigerian Army and other sister agencies in the state.

“This is a military exercise aimed at curbing various security threats such as kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, pipeline vandalism, hooliganism, and banditry.

“The exercise which is people-oriented shall be conducted in line with the Nigerian Army rules of engagement and code of conduct, guiding exercises of this nature.”

By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

The proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs), occasioned by illegal and porous national borders and a booming business of gun-running, are the main factors fuelling Nigeria’s security challenges, giving rise to criminal activities across the country.

The proliferation of SALWs is a global phenomenon arising from global conflicts. According to a study conducted by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey (SBM), it is estimated that more than 857 million SALWs are currently in circulation aside from twelve billion rounds of ammunition produced annually. An estimated ten million SALWs are in Africa, with one million in Nigeria.

This is connected with previous and ongoing conflicts in West and North African countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Chad, Niger, Mali and Libya. The proliferation of SALWs aid non-state actors, including Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, bandits, militants etc., while undermining the state monopoly of instruments of coercion. The threats posed by the proliferation of SALWs are of such magnitude that a security strategy that contemplates monitoring their flow and use is required.

Another report by SBM Intelligence noted that about 6145000 SALWs are illegally circulating among civilian non-state actors and criminals in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the country’s security institutions have a paltry 586600 firearms in their possession.  Indeed, the proliferation of arms across borders along with human trafficking and drug trafficking, especially in the Sahel region, ranks high on the chart of criminal activities constituting threats to national and regional stability in Africa.

Experts had identified a lack of effective legislation and enforcement mechanisms as a major reason SALW proliferation has a significant impact on crises both within and across many national borders.

To stem the rising tide of illegal weapons circulation, the federal government has established the National Centre for the Control of the Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW). The centre is under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Major General Babagana Monguno, with retired Major General AM Dikko as the Pioneer Coordinator. The National Security Adviser said the centre would operate similarly to the counter-terrorism and cybersecurity centres, both under his office.

The NCCSALW was established to replace the defunct Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons and is expected to serve as the institutional mechanism for policy guidance, research, and monitoring of all aspects of SALWs in Nigeria. Apparently, the federal government believes that the transition from PRESCOM to NCCSALW would provide more effective coordination and monitoring of progress regarding the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. When fully operational, the NCCSALW would have six regional offices that will work closely with security and intelligence agencies to prevent and control proliferated arms and track weapons in the hands of non-state actors.

Among several functions, the National Centre will be responsible for controlling the proliferation of SALWs in Nigeria, implementing strategies, plans, and policies for eradicating SALWs, and supervising the implementation of same by relevant government bodies. It will also create and maintain small arms and light weapons register and a national database, receive reports on firearms registration from the Nigeria Police, and update the database with such information.

In addition, it will also register, store and destroy firearms and ammunition possessed illegally by security agencies, criminals and other non-state actors, maintain a database of registered firearms dealers in Nigeria, among others. Furthermore, the centre will be responsible for updating and transmitting the national database to the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

In its relations with these inter-governmental bodies, the National Centre will identify legitimate national defence and security needs and obtain the required exemptions from specific international protocols to meet these needs. The National Centre is also empowered to carry out public education and awareness at national, state and local levels, to involve Nigerians in the efforts to control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

No doubt, the establishment of the NCCSALW is a move in the right direction. Still, to achieve maximum impact, it is expected to open up new regional and international cooperation and strengthen existing efforts.

In 2001, UN countries adopted the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

In the instrument, member states agreed to, among others, improve national small arms regulations, strengthen stockpile management, ensure that weapons are properly and reliably marked, improve cooperation in weapons tracing and engage in regional and international cooperation and assistance.

According to the UN, one of the most critical components in the fight against SALWs proliferation is weapons tracing. Hopefully, when the centre discharges its mandate fully, it will undoubtedly lead to a drastic reduction in national, sub-regional and regional illegal possession of SALWs, which will be crucial in mitigating the rising level of armed violence.

The NSA has recently declared that the government is preparing to constitute a security outfit responsible for safeguarding the nation’s porous borders. The move is very apt because it will curb transnational organized crimes, thereby reducing the level of security challenges currently facing the country.

Mukhtar wrote from Kano via ymukhtar944@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu

By Tahir Ibrahim Tahir (Talban Bauchi)

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) recently celebrated its ten years of service, having gone through many changes in its functions, duties, coverage and composition. It had existed under different names before now. Still, the amendments to the act establishing it have turned it into a Tetfund, with more coverage of tertiary education in the country.

At the Tetfund at Ten event, its Executive Secretary, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, was introduced as the apostle of research and development. A very apt description, narrating how he has turned the tide of the impact of Tetfund from infrastructure to research. The previous administration first appointed Bogoro, and barely two years after, the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) relieved him of his duties. Not long into the PMB administration, Bogoro was again re-appointed. This is a glaring testimony of the quality of stewardship he brings to the running of Tetfund. Tetfund staff rolled out the red carpets for him and welcomed him back to their fold amidst celebrations.

At Tetfund at 10, it was disclosed that 152838 infrastructural projects had been executed across the country. Thirty thousand lecturers have also been sponsored for Masters and PhD programmes. In addition, 68000 academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions have also been sponsored to attend local and international conferences. Tetfund has also supported 71263 lecturers under the Teacher’s Supervision Programme. Moreover, over two million books and 152000 E-resources have been procured by Tetfund.

The apostle of research and development came to improve funds for The National Research Fund, which had started with seed money of just 3 billion naira in 2011. Bogoro saw this fund’s growth by over 50 per cent, to an unprecedented 8.5 billion naira in 2021. So far, 9 billion has been accessed by lecturers to fund their research activities. Tetfund played a significant role in Covid-19 research. Tetfund approved four mega research clusters for Covid-19 vaccines and drug research and security and dairy research. The clusters had within the range of 250 million to 450 million to fund their research activities.

As the most pushful advocate for research in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, Prof. Bogoro has achieved near-global fame among education sectors’ stakeholders. In recognition of his efforts, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, named its research centre after him. This particular university is not even a beneficiary of Tetfund’s interventions and so cannot be accused of repaying him for any interventions in their school. Speakers at this event said Bogoro had earned for himself the appellation of Senior Advocate of Research, SAR. Bogoro emphasises advancing learning through research.

True to Bogoro’s advocacy for improved research and development, the Federal Government just received a draft executive bill for establishing the National Research and Development Foundation led by Tetfund. Bogoro, who received the bill on behalf of the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, thanked the Justice Ministry for drafting its staff to the exercise. This is a direct drive in turning Nigeria into a knowledge-driven economy. At the event, Bogoro stressed that Nigeria’s economy could not be competitive if it did not institutionalise Research and Development. He said that the most competitive nations placed innovation and creativity as the lead elements that drive society.

The Chairman of the drafting committee, Prof. Yadudu, commended Prof. Bogoro for putting the committee in place and his vision for the Research and Development Foundation. He also said that the country stands to reap bountifully when the bill is passed. “This is a bill which seeks to establish a National Research and Development Foundation to institutionalise, mainstream, and commercialise research and development; promote innovation and support enterprise development for job and wealth creation, for a knowledge-driven economy. This is the key thing,” Prof. Yadudu said.

Tahir is Talban Bauchi.

By Aisar Fagge

Surge Africa – a non-profit organization that advocates for policy implementation on climate change and resilience building laments how media in Northern Nigeria underreport climate change despite its apparent effect on agriculture which the North relies on as the major source for living for its people.

This was revealed on Thursday, December 23, 2021, at a workshop held at Chilla Luxury Suites, Kano. The workshop titled: “Media Workshop on Reporting Climate Change” brought Northern Nigerian journalists across print, broadcast, and online media to educate and sensitize them about the importance and necessity of climate change reporting in their respective media organizations.

In her presentation, Nasreen Al-Amin, the founder and Executive Director of Surge Africa, introduced participants to climate science and communication. She tasked them to spread knowledge on climate change, what causes it and its effect on the socio-economic activities of Northern Nigerians.

Another expert, Salihu Hamisu, who is researching how climate change is affecting the agricultural ecosystem in Nigeria, lamented, “Africa is not responsible for the climate change but suffers the most.” He recalled how in 1963, when Lake Chad was at its peak, over 30 million people from Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Nigeria depended on it. But now, as a result of climate change, the Lake has less than 10% of what it has, with over 70 million people earning a living from it. Hamisu added that with the current pace of drought and floods, Northern Nigeria faces an imminent food crisis.

Also, Adejumo Kabir, multiple award-winning journalists, presented papers on “Climate Reporting: Shaping Inclusive Narratives” and “Media for Climate Justice: Developing Stories for Social Change.”

Some participants spoke to The Daily Reality about what they learned at the Workshop. Mustapha Hodi, said:

“As a participant, I have learnt a lot about climate change, particularly the fact that Africa is the one bearing the brunt of emissions from developed countries. As a journalist, the workshop has helped me identify key areas to concentrate on reporting climate change.”

“By and large, the training has become a wake-up call to me to be reporting climate change frequently in a bid to create awareness to the general public about its dangers and even the opportunities it creates.”

Hannatu Sulaiman Abba was another participant from Arewa Media who said, “This workshop has shaped my mind on climate change. It develops my passion to advocate for climate change in our community, engage the government in policymaking and sensitize the public on the effect of climate change. This is indeed a big milestone in my journalism career.”

At the end of the workshop, participants were grouped into three to brainstorm and write a report on improving climate change reporting. Misbahu El-Hamza expressed his satisfaction saying: “My expectations were sufficiently achieved. What’s, even more, was how we worked as a group to brainstorm ideas that could be effective in steering social and policy change. Through this workshop, I now am equipped with the know-how to see the dangers as well as opportunities presented by climate change in my region of northern Nigeria and how to engage the public to mitigate and get the best out of it.”

By Muhammad Sabiu