Admin

By Abu Hibbah Ibrahim

Typical of a penultimate election year, pictures and billboards of aspiring politicians have littered major and minor roads in Kaduna State. People who share in the leadership ideologies or principles of the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, have all started indicating interest to succeed him. Also, people who are at variance with all he stands for have likewise thrown their hats in the ring.

In his quiet moments and as he drives out of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House through the state metropolis, billboards of different politicians erected in strategic locations staring at him, only God knows what runs in El-Rufai’s mind regarding his successor in 2023. It seems William Shakespeare had El-Rufai in mind when he captured in Macbeth that: “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”

As El-Rufa’is second tenure nears its end, and after exhibiting a tremendous performance, the next most audacious and bold decision left for him is to anoint a successor, rally his supporters around him and subsequently aid him in attaining victory at the polls. Verily, this singular act will make or mar the sustainability of his hard-earned and stellar achievements. More reasons why el-Rufai should be meticulous.

To understand the importance of having a credible and competent successor, let’s cast back our minds to the second tenure of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. After failing to extend his tenure, the infamous third term, Obasanjo, imposed a sick president on the country. Unfortunately, this singular act almost erased the decent achievements he recorded in his second term.

Interestingly, during his interview with Seun of the Channels Tv last Wednesday, Governor el-Rufai made sketchy explanations on who will likely succeed him. He highlighted that he would want someone from his team with whom they have developed and implemented policies to take on the baton of leadership from him.

Being a youth myself, I have a bias for Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, popularly known as Dattijo, considering his age. Of course, age in itself isn’t a recipe for good governance or positive results, but young age coupled with competence, experience, the ability to form a capacitated team and then lead them to drive reforms and produce results would do magic. And Dattijo exudes these sterling qualities in addition to the advantage conferred on him by age.

Plus, he has exhibited these qualities and delivered outstanding results as the Commissioner of Planning and Budget Commission of Kaduna state and Chief of Staff to the Governor. Under the governor’s tutelage and with his experience as a commissioner, he has been armed with the ability to allocate resources amidst competing demands or interests for the betterment of the state. In addition, he chaired the Infrastructure Council, one of the policy councils initiated by el-Rufai to fast track soft and hard infrastructural developments.

Dattijo is a development practitioner trained in the University of Manchester and a graduate of Economics from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University. With dwindling federal allocations, effects of COVID-19, the possibility of subsidy removal on petrol, and security challenges, economic difficulties will be harder for the state governments. However, I believe his deep knowledge of economics will help him navigate the state through tough financial times. Consequently, he has the mettle to sustain the growth in revenue mobilisation that has characterised el-Rufai’s tenure.

El-Rufai has done remarkably well in revenue mobilisation. This terrific effort has pushed Kaduna above the commercial nerve of Northern Nigeria, Kano State, in terms of internally generated revenue (IGR). Moreover, he has consistently invested in education and health as these two sectors gallop the highest percentage of the state’s budget. And as one Indian writer posited, “nobody bothers about education because results take a long time to come.” But el-Rufai cares. This fantastic idea of investing in critical sectors, especially education and health, needs to be continued.

Temperament and intellect. Ever since Dattijo’s body language signifies an intent to be the governor of Kaduna State, he has been under scrutiny and verbal attacks by some political opponents or sycophants. This is expected in electioneering, though. However, he has demonstrated thoughtful calmness and grace under pressure. He is even-tempered and not given to volatile gestures. These virtues are pertinent in a governor who would want to continue leading the Kaduna state towards greatness by reducing or eliminating ethnic tensions and building bridges.

On a final note, the saying that power corrupts people is a tag sincere seekers of the truth, or any discerning person cannot place on Dattijo’s neck. In all the leadership positions he has been appointed into by his boss, el-Rufai, he has served the people of Kaduna with humility, loyalty and hard work.

I believe Dattijo has the moral compass to build on el-Rufai’s legacies. He is blessed with intellectual rigour and has the courage to make sound, careful and bold decisions that hold generational transformation. Dattijo has officially declared his intention to succeed his boss. Therefore, I beseech Governor el-Rufai to rally other APC aspirants to support him. He is prepared and ready.

Abu Hibbah Ibrahim writes from Kaduna and can be reached via hibbahabubakar1505@gmail.com

By Muhammad Sabiu

President of the United States, Joe Biden, is set to travel to Brussels, Belgium’s capital, amidst the invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russia.

President Biden is expected to hold a physical meeting with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) leaders in a show of support for Ukraine.

Press secretary of The White House, Jen Psaki, has confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that the meeting would be held on March 24.

Ms Psaki was quoted as saying, “The President will travel to Brussels, Belgium, later this month, where he will join the extraordinary NATO Summit on March 24 to discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine, as well as to refer reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our NATO allies.”

“He will also join a scheduled European Council summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence and address other challenges related to the conflict.”

This is coming amidst condemnations and concern expressed by NATO allies as Russia continues to advance its invasion in parts of Ukraine.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The former governor of Kano State, Engineer Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has bagged a PhD in Water Engineering from Sharda University, India.

Kwankwaso was said to have defended his PhD dissertation on Tuesday, March 14, 2022.

This was in a Facebook post from his page and has later sparked to the walls and pages of other ardent Kwankwasiyya followers.

Of what has come as jubilation, many people have taken to their various social media platforms to celebrate the two-time former Kano State governor and senator representing Kano Central. 

The post read: “Congratulations to His Excellency Engr. Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, for your successful viva presentation in PhD Water Engineering today (14th March 2022) at Sharda University, India. 

“From his right is Prof. Gaurav Saini (his supervisor), from his left, Prof. Rameshwar Adhikar (Tribhuwan University), Kathmandu Nepal (his External Examiner) and other Distinguished professors during his successful Final viva presentation.”

By Muhammad Sabiu

Angel Di Maria, a winger for Paris-Saint-Germain, is scheduled to depart the French Ligue 1 club at the end of the season.

PSG will not give Di Maria a new contract in the summer, according to L’Equipe (as relayed by AS), allowing the Argentine to depart for free.

PSG’s current contract with Di Maria will expire at the end of the season.

PSG is yet to offer the former Manchester United player a new deal.

The 34-year-old moved to PSG from Manchester United in 2015 for a reported £56.7 million.

Di Maria’s playing time has been severely curtailed as his current manager, Mauricio Pochettino, continues to favour players like Neymar.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A stepmother identified as Elizabeth Abu, who allegedly burnt the butts of her stepson with pressing iron, was arrested on Monday, March 14, 2022. 

According to reports, the little stepson used his shirt to make a duster he was asked to bring to school. This angered the stepmother, who punished him this severely. The stepmother reportedly burnt his butts with pressing iron and rubbed pepper in his eyes and the burnt butts.

Mrs Abu has reportedly been on the run since the news of the dastard act broke on March 10, 2022, before her arrest today.

The Facebook user, Safiya Stephanie Musa, who shared the details of her arrest and others who reacted condemned the act in strong terms. Stephanie Musa posted, thus:

“And the wicked stepmother, Elizabeth Abu, who burnt her stepson’s butts with a hot iron, and rubbed pepper in his eyes, has been taken into Police Custody in Lokoja. How one can do this to a child because he used his cloth to make duster they were asked to bring to school beats me silly.Big thanks to the Governor and the Kogi Women Affairs Commissioner for taking action. The boy is currently in the hospital. May the Lord grant him full recovery without complications, Ameen.”

The Lokoja police command has yet to make any official statement on the issue while filing this report.

By Ibraheem Abdullateef

Praises may not come often. But the impact will always be felt – wherever it is being made. 

On the heels of the above, I write to the leadership of the Nigerian senate to commend them for conducting investigations into the N400 billion National Primary Health Centre projects awarded during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo 2006 but were abandoned for strange reasons by the contractors. 

The administration initiated the National Primary Health Centre to deepen access to quality and affordable healthcare facilities for the less privileged at the local levels. It was originally conceived to build in each of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria a sixty (60) bed-capacity primary health centres; complemented with a three-bed flat; doctors quarters, ambulance, drugs; and other basic hospital equipment. 

To prosecute the projects, the federal government deducted monies from the excess crude account of all the 774 LGAs every month until the budgeted funds required for the project was realised. Despite that, little or no notable jobs have been done 15 years after. The majority of the projects have not been started, while many are simply abandoned to waste across the country. I wail at this culture of abandonment, sleaze, corruption, and wickedness to humankind. 

The consequences of this suspected case of breach of contract, diversion, and misappropriation of public funds are far-reaching on national health. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cited by the Journal of Global Health Report, the Maternal Mortality Ratio in Nigeria is 814 per 100,000 live births in 2020. It accounted for about 20 % of the global maternal deaths. The malaria figures are as grim, if not worse. The World Malaria report 2021 revealed over 50 million cases and 207,000 deaths annually. It means that the giant of Africa accounts for at least 27% of malaria deaths worldwide. 

Findings from global health reports linked the high mortality rates and malaria cases to delay in seeking maternal healthcare, delay in locating medical facilities, and low-quality healthcare services for the patients. It is safe to conclude that the full implementation and execution of the National Primary Health Centre project would have improved accessibility, availability, and affordability of quality care services in all the 774 LGAs in the country. As they were not handled well, it might have cost the nation over 7 million lives, mainly women, infants, and young adults. 

It is good this has not been made to pass yet. Upon the motion by Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe of Kwara central and the adoption of the resolution of an investigation by the senate a fortnight ago, some of the unscrupulous contractors have started works on the abandoned projects. In Ilorin South Local Government Area, one of the LGAs making up Kwara Central, work has resumed at the site, and some of the equipment are being returned. But will that be enough to compensate for the delay in the last 15 years? Who are these people? What would be the price of justice? 

I urge the media, the civil society groups, and the security agencies to aid the outstanding Senator Oloriegbe and the 9th senate’s bid for justice and probity. 

Kwara Central Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe’s alarm shows uncommon bravery, patriotism, and excellent knowledge of the industry as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health. This should propel investigations into the case deep and thorough. The conclusion of this issue is weighty. One, it would stimulate healthcare services across the country. Two, it may grant due punishment or sanctions to wrongdoers, setting a template for future conduct. The third point is that it may lead to a review, introduction or implementation of stricter laws and processes, including the roles of the ministries and agencies, in bidding and drawing funds for projects. 

Looking at the history of Nigerian politics, I am aware that this is hard to pull off. But it is not impossible. Leaders are elected to make hard, cracking decisions in the interest of the people and nation. The nation, especially the Nigerian youths, is happy with this step and are proud of the 9th senate. We urge them to go all out for justice in the larger interest of the nation. Here is our word of courage. 

Ibraheem Abdullateef is the Kwara Central Representative in the Nigerian Youth Parliament 5th Assembly. He tweets via @_ibraheemlateef

By Nabeela Usman El-Nafaty

The 5th set of the beneficiaries of the Women Empowerment Program under the Zakah and Waqf Foundation, Gombe, have undergone a semi-final graduation ceremony on Sunday, March 13, 2022. The main graduation ceremony and inauguration of the new empowered (6th Set) is expected to hold after Ramadan.  

The beneficiaries who were inaugurated on February 14, 2021, numbering 88, were each given N10000 start-up capital. Those who reached the finish line were about 40. The ceremony had the attendance of the Chairman of the Foundation, the Heads of Women Empowerment, Education and Training, and the Chairperson of Wadata Multipurpose Cooperative Society (WAMCOS), among others. 

Malama Maryam Yaya, the Head of Women Empowerment, gave the welcome speech. She thanked the beneficiaries for their doggedness in completing a full year of biweekly meetings, savings and enlightenment, as they saved close to N1,200,000 since February 28, 2021.

The Chairman of the occasion, Vice-Chairperson of the Foundation, QS Ahmad M. Kabir, prayed for the Foundation and thanked its head for her tireless efforts to keep the program alive and functioning.

The VC’s speech was followed by the keynote address by the Chairman of the Foundation, Ameer Abdullahi Abubakar Lamido. He gave a detailed speech about the next level of their empowerment, including joining the WADATA Women Cooperative Society.

The Chairperson of WAMCOS, Malama Hanne Abdullahi, was the next on the podium where she welcomed the successful beneficiaries into WAMCOS. She emphasized the need to come to monthly meetings and make monthly savings regularly. She also introduced to them the idea for ‘special savings’, which is usually for long-term plans like the wedding of a daughter, registration fee of kids, hajj savings etc. 

The event’s highlights were feedback from the beneficiaries about how the Empowerment Program benefitted them in ways beyond measure. One of the beneficiaries, Kulu Muhammad, from Tudun Wada of Gombe, said that the programme was “like a person on a standstill in total darkness, and then someone comes with torchlight and shows him the way out of the darkness.

Another highlight of the event was the presentation of gifts to the most outstanding beneficiaries in performance, determination, frequent attendance to meetings, and savings. 

The beneficiaries were allowed to come and pick from items of their choice, including food flasks, clothes, kids’ wear, Hijabs, and shoes donated by some officials and volunteers of the Foundation. No one among the attendants of the graduation went home empty-handed. There were smiles everywhere and prayers to the Foundation for more success and greater heights.

By Alkasim Harisu Alkasim

Often, the people that idolise going to school are arguably the ones who, in the long run, turn out to be stinking poor. This is to paraphrase a friend that ardently considers schooling a total waste of time. This assertion is controversial. But, is my friend spot-on or not? It is, to some extent. Still, I have my buts. 

This argument has often generated a heated debate amongst us. Whenever it comes to my mind, it reminds me of Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The writer dissects factors that hinder the learned from earning big bucks. Kiyosaki argues that going to school is the biggest hurdle that denies one the chance to make a bank. He opines that a person spends twenty to thirty years worshipping books, yet, over that period, he scarcely becomes a big gun. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, one ends up jobless after this long journey. 

Debunking formal education, Kiyosaki argues that a person is not taught a single subject on how to make money from primary school to university education. The conventional subjects such as chemistry, physics, literature, etc., are what one seriously enrols in. In his opinion, students should be taught topics such as financial education. Education indeed discourages one from accepting jobs that are not money-spinning. For instance, somebody with a Master’s degree or PhD will feel ashamed to sew for a living, not to talk of driving the commercial tricycle (aka A Daidaita Sahu). 

Are the graduates the only ones to blame? This is a question we should all ponder. The government is blameworthy too. Like it or not, the government cannot give everybody a job. True. But it can establish a conducive environment to doing other jobs. I have never hunted for gainful employment, thanks to my passion for academia. I know this job in Nigeria does not make you a money bag. Yet, I have for long picked interest in it.

In the developed and even some developing economies, the private sector employs a great score of people. The government creates an environment that will aid it to carry out its businesses for the sector. Private sectors pay handsomely in such countries, especially in the western world. I wondered if you know that employment is scarce even in the UK. Even the rampant lack of jobs causes deviance and other criminal acts there. (See Haralambos and Holborn’s book on Sociology).

Of course, we walk tall. We don’t want to do what society looks down on. However, some of us make an exception here. I know of a person with a First Class honours degree in engineering who humbled himself and took up a job many of us can’t do. He ekes out his livelihood from selling coals, taking pride in it. He sees the world of the little he earns from what he sells. Life goes on. Nothing reduces his charm.

I was once in India for a higher degree. There, I saw a lot of wonders. We had a cook in our university who is a master in political science. It is said that people with first degrees in India outnumber the whole population of France. Remember, India is the second-most populous country in the world. Imagine somebody in Nigeria cooking for a living. I don’t say we can’t find one. But rarely can you find more than two in your quarters. Of course, people with degrees, or even diplomas in Nigeria, feel too big to do lowly jobs. I, nevertheless, think our arrogance is reducing because you can now see graduates doing menial jobs. Why not? There is a score of jobless First Class students roaming the streets.

I submit that people with higher educational qualifications always end up jobless or not raking it. People with lower qualifications or no qualifications are the ones that are the business moguls. Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Aliko Dangote are textbook examples. Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard, and he is now stinking rich. 

Indeed, formal education discourages and slows down creativity. It also dampens one’s enthusiasm. Honestly, the way an avid reader confines himself in his study speeds his entrepreneurial death. This is nothing but creative imprisonment. Whenever in his study, the reader seems to imprison his creative faculty in books. He brims with wishful thinking,  ideals and all what-have-yous owing to his fervent reading of all sorts of books. 

Having read a lot, he begins to idealise the world. He pictures and pores over how the world should be. But this is just his wildest dream. In his attempt to make the ancient Greece an ideal state, Socrates lost his life. He was sentenced to death for being a corrupt influence. In his book The Republic, Plato also romanticised how Greece should be,  how rulers should lead, the type of people to obtain in a state, and those exiled. After all, he died not having his dreams fulfilled.

Not very long ago, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels conceptualised and advocated a classless society in their works. For instance, they co-authored a book titled Communist Manifesto. In the book, they discussed how the masses could emancipate themselves from the domination of the bourgeoisie. In his three-volume book Das Kapital, Marx critically studied the architecture of the economies of European societies. Unfortunately, most of the ideations and philosophies of these great thinkers flopped. For instance, Marx’s classless society idealised where all and sundry would live equally has yet to happen. Marx, who died an atheist, lacked the knowledge that such a classless state is a paradise. So said Dr. Saidu Ahmad Dukawa.

May Allah awaken and help us embrace the realities of today’s world. May we not feel too big to do the most menial jobs we can find around. The journey is long. You can start unimportant and end up important, and vice versa. Remember that Margaret Thatcher was from a lower-class family. She went through rigours to make it to the upper class. 

Wonderfully, Thatcher became the first female UK Prime Minister. She was even taught how to speak, walk, and act in an upper-class-like way when voted into office. Like the UK and other democratically capitalistic countries, Nigeria also allows social mobility. Thus, try to move up the economic ladder. Just give it your best shot. You can. I, rest assured, know you can.

Alkasim Harisu Alkasim wrote from Kano via alkasabba10@gmail.com.

By Mukhtar Garba Kobi

Communication is one of the fundamental means people command, caution and interact with one another. It is as old as human beings because the first created beings (Adam and Eve) communicated. Primitive generations used so many ways in sending signals or messages to other people. They include beating metal gongs, lighting fires on hills, blowing flutes, beating local drums, firing Dane-guns, intense ululations, especially during marriage ceremonies, etc. Moreover, communication passed through generations. More advanced platforms and channels are created to enable people to interact with fellows in far and near places with ease from their comfort zones. 

Every day, sophisticated communication gadgets are invented and taken to markets. The more advanced features are added to social media platforms, the easier messages and information are conveyed to target audiences. According to Global Digital Overview, Facebook has 2.910 billion users, Instagram has 1.478 billion, Twitter has 436 million, TikTok has 1 billion, and WhatsApp has 2 billion active users.

With smartphones and data, people interact live through video calls, share pictures, upload movable images and audio messages, and get instant replies. Yet, despite these developments, youths in Africa and other parts of the world are so addicted to social media that some could not spend 30 minutes without logging in instead of studying for a better future, assisting parents with chores, learning skills to be independents, etc.

Regrettably, some users enjoy chatting in darkness by offing light, not knowing the brightness from phones screens harm their eyes. An eye doctor working with Makka Specialist Hospital in Bauchi, Abba Salisu Abba, explained that the pupil constricts when the light is more than what eyes can accommodate. But when the light is too low or in the darkness, the pupil dilates to search for available light. He further revealed that frequent staring at a light could result in itchy, watery, reddishness of eyes and, if nothing is done, could lead to blindness.

Some parents purchase phones, laptops, and tablets primarily to aid studies of their wards without regular supervision; it is unknown to them that most of their wards use such devices for irrelevant chatting or streaming pornographic content in late hours.

These days, young ladies in recent years shamelessly upload videos of them on TikTok dancing seductively in half-naked dressings; the act pushes some youths to rape teens, work sexually for sugar mummies or pay to satisfy themselves in brothels. Unfortunately, hours spent interacting with friends on social media platforms by students are high compared to the short time given for their studies or research; that has contributed hugely to mass failure during exams. A student from the State Polytechnic even told me that he often sacrifices his meal money to buy data primarily for chatting with friends. Sadly, many lost their lives after applying for jobs advertised on social media. They were pushed to early graves by their employers in unspecified locations. 

Shallow-minded adults and teenagers who heavily use social media platforms tend to believe whatever they come across and easily influence peers, thereby influencing them to snatch phones, kidnappings, or do other criminal acts to possess what celebrities have been bombarding them with on social media platforms. Consequently, most people in Nigeria believe that building crime-free societies is a collective responsibility, but only a few contribute in that direction. Parents no longer check the kind of postings, comments, pictures being uploaded or whatever their children are doing on social media platforms but are good at condemning others.

In summary, it is sacrosanct upon parents to be acting as watchdogs over the activities of their teenage sons and daughters on social media platforms. Parents should be collecting their devices and keeping them from them for days to know the messages coming in or people they are interacting with; this would help them determine the best decision.

Social media laws should work on all and sundry irrespective of positions, backgrounds or influences. The law should provide punishment for users sharing violent content, abuse, or false accusation to innocent individuals or groups to serve as a lesson to others. Furthermore, posting educational content on social media should be encouraged and youths doing that need to be rewarded by authorities; doing so would significantly improve students’ academic performances, thereby leading to good results.

Mukhtar Garba Kobi Wrote from Bauchi State.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will meet on Sunday for its National Executive Council (NEC) to assess the ongoing strike and determine the appropriate action to take next.

The union’s president, Emmanuel Osodeke, a soil science professor, stated this on Saturday but did not provide details about the scheduled meeting.

A member of the NEC who did not want to be named to avoid sanctions, however, indicated that the meeting would be held in Abuja.

Recall that about a month ago, the union declared a one-month warning strike to mount pressure on the Federal Government to have its promises fulfilled.

Therefore, tomorrow’s meeting is the determinant as to whether the strike will continue or not.