Sir, you are aware that the 2023 general elections have come and gone and the dust it has raised in the Bauchi State All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to settle. Also given that you are one of the prominent leaders of the party who definitely call the shots, most of the issues at hand clearly have your name, among others, written on them. It is therefore only right that you open up and clear the air on the grey areas where you are alleged to have worked in different dimensions with your party. This is important not only because it will help in making sure that your statesmanship and gentlemanly statue remain intact, but also because it will see to it that posterity remembers you as a true party man.
Honorable minister, it is alleged that you did not support the APC governorship candidate in Bauchi State, retired Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar in the just concluded general elections. It is also alleged that you did not support him because of the following reasons: 1. If the APC in Bauchi State gets a governor, you will seize to be the party leader in the state. You are therefore comfortable with the present arrangement; 2. If he becomes governor, Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar may not be submissive to you unlike the present governor who you are alleged to have been working together with; and 3. The Katagum factor.
While it is very difficult to believe all these allegations because of your known principles of altruism, you will do a great deal of service to your political party, the APC, if you clear the air especially when certain reasons are used to back the allegations. They are: 1. Throughout the campaign period, you did not attend any of the party’s rallies in Bauchi State; 2. The Bauchi State APC Chairman, who allegedly was brought by you from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has also not been on ground to discharge his responsibilities. It was alleged that you were together in Abuja; 3. In contravention to the agreement that a state governorship aspirant was to coordinate the APC Presidential Campaign Council in his state, you allegedly worked day and night to replace Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar with your friend; and 4. It is not yet clear whether or not you were in Azare, your home town, both during the presidential and governorship elections to vote.
With all these at hand, it is alleged that Mallam Adamu Adamu, the Honorable Minister of Education in an APC led administration worked hard to ensure that the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu lost Bauchi to PDP’s Atiku Abubakar. Similarly, you allegedly worked to ensure that most of those who vied positions to the national assembly in Bauchi State did not win. Certainly, this scenario is difficult to understand just as the entire picture is hardly legible. But you are in the best position to clear the air.
Jarmajo wrote from Kukadi/Gundari Ward, Misau Local Government.
Last week, I posted on Facebook the key requirements of international scholarships that prospective applicants need to fire successful shots. The post was necessitated by the fact that many graduates seeking international scholarships do not know what to have handy while applying for these scholarships. Such graduates often lose out, given the tight deadlines of most scholarships. Thus, I felt obliged to highlight these key requirements for prospective applicants.
Interactions from the post encourage me to get it published in a platform that has a wider range of prospective applicants beyond my Facebook followers. I must mention from the onset that the list below is not exhaustive, but captures just the basic requirements of most international scholarships.
Moreover, each of these scholarships has specific documents it requires from prospective applicants. Notwithstanding these specifications, few requirements continue to recur across scholarships. These are highlighted as follows:
International passport: this is a major requirement for most, if not all international scholarships. Sadly, this is an “unaffordable luxury” for most graduates grappling with the savageries of life and survival after graduation. The last time I checked, international passport costs about twenty-five thousand Naira. This is not to mention the delay that applicants encounter in some states of the federation while trying to get the passport.
More saddening is the fact that you could get the passport without clinching a scholarship till it expires [oops]! Never to mind this, you can use the expired passport to “intimidate” immigration officers on the highways while travelling if it doesn’t fetch you a scholarship. They respect it a lot. But on a serious note, you just need this document to fire shots at international scholarships.
Transcript: there is this heck about Nigerian universities and transcript! They say it is confidential. Wonder if foreign scholarships aren’t aware of this confidentiality: they keep asking for transcript from applicants! I was devastated few days ago when a friend received early-stage disqualification mail from Commonwealth Scholarship because of transcripts even as he met EVERY other requirement. Alas! The bureaucracy in MOST Nigerian universities over transcript is simply annoying. Maybe this is one reason I must have to delve into alumni politics someday: willing graduates should be giving their transcript upon request without much headache, after all, it is their performance and useful to them alone.
Anyway, regardless of this bureaucracy, you MUST get your transcript handy- whether the official copy or certified student copy- to fire good shots at international scholarships. How you do this, I don’t know. But for sure: you need your transcript to stand a chance at international scholarships.
Your essays! Very important. This is a major requirement of most- if not all- international scholarships. They want to know you. They want to know your skillset. They want to know your leadership potentials. They want to ascertain your “development impact”. The best way they can ascertain these is through your essays.
Consequently, every scholarship you may wish to consider is likely to demand for the following: Personal Statement (or Statement of Purpose), Volunteer/Leadership Skills, Career Plans- short term, on the award and long term, and development impact: how your research/study area connects to, or can facilitate development.
All these have very tight word limitations, and require that you are articulate and informative enough, albeit, succinctly. A bonus point here is to have these essays handy for yourself so you could simply edit them to suit specific scholarship demands rather than having to write them afresh all of the time.
Besides, it pays to have your essays written and edited, and have others read through and critic them for you well ahead of time: very important. A final bonus point on essays: most of these essay types have their templates online! Google them and see how you can fit your information into the templates. These essays take a substantial chunk of the assessment process aside academic credentials.
Letter of English language proficiency: proof of English language proficiency is a major requirement of most Anglophone scholarships. IELTS or TOEFL are the commonest among the numerous English language proficiency tests. However, these are expensive and require a lot of logistics – such as traveling, preparations (online tutorials), etc.
An escape route from these tests [narrow one though] is a letter of English language proficiency from the Office of the Registrar- or any authorised official- from your institution confirming that you were taught in English language at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.
Although some scholarships do not accept this letter, some do, while others only accept it as an interim measure, implying that you must still provide the international tests after nomination. Whatever the case, the letter fetches a candidate some valuable points, and is far better than having nothing at all to show as a proof of English language proficiency.
Emphatically, however, if one has the financial wherewithal, taking the internationally recognised tests [and scoring the required points] significantly enhances one’s chances at international scholarships.
Reference letters: this is one other key requirement of international scholarships. Typically, all international scholarships request for reference letters from candidates’ lecturers, heads of departments/institutes, research project supervisors or any other high ranking staff from one’s institution. For employed graduates, reference letters are also accepted from principals or colleagues at the office. Some scholarships accept reference letters from candidates in the course of the application, while others require candidates to supply referees’ email addresses where links are sent to them to respond directly on the scholarship portal.
It therefore pays for prospective applicants to request and have handy, reference letters from their chosen referees on letter-headed papers. This saves one the headache of always contacting referees for each application they are making, especially for scholarships that accept reference letters from candidates.
It is important to maintain good relationship with your lecturers so that they will be willing to reference you anytime you require a reference note. This relationship is very important as the process of submitting some of these references is usually tedious and require referees going through a lot to submit a reference.
Sadly, many students maintain very adversarial relationships with lecturers while in school, thereby finding it difficult to get reference notes from them after graduation. It is also important to use lecturers who know you closely as referees so that they can be able to comment authoritatively on vital issues- such as your academic performance, leadership, social and moral skills, personality traits and emotional quotient, etc. that typical scholarships demand from referees.
A big mistake that most candidates make is bumping into lecturers who scarcely knew them while they were students to ask for reference notes. Trust me; you cannot get the best from such lecturers!
Finally, patience! You need a large heart to accommodate rejections, oh yes! Although some lucky/well prepared applicants have clinched an offer at first shot, this is quite a rare feat. Be prepared to “chop breakfast” from scholarship bodies. This is not a negative prophesy anyway, but trust me, you are most likely to face rejection from scholarship bodies.
You’ll be told how thousands applied for the opportunity, and how they are not willing/able to consider your application any further [as if that is some piece of good news!] They delight in telling you that. Perhaps, worse are those that will go completely mute after application! Like the Hausa man says: Shiru Kaman an shuka dusa.
This could be extremely traumatizing given the enormous headache it takes to “successfully” apply for a scholarship and provide ALL that is required. All the same, you must keep yourself motivated at all times, pick up your broken self after each rejection and move on.
Seldom, some of the scholarship bodies are kind enough to tell you what disqualifies you. Nothing could be more benevolent than this! Work on that and fire better shots in the future. Your motivation all the times should be that one scholarship opportunity can change your life completely for better! Methinks you owe yourself this; hence, it should serve as enough motivation for you to take in good faith, as many rejections as may come your way and fire better shots. Success shall sure be yours someday, see you in glory, cheers!
Tordue Simon Targema teaches in the department of Journalism & Media Studies, Taraba State University. He is currently a Commonwealth Ph.D. scholar at the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. Email: torduesimon@gmail.com
Madinan-educated Professor of Islamic Law, Prof. Arsalan Muhammad, has distributed 40 bags of foreign rice to his students.
On Tuesday, Professor Arsalan, who is reputed for his generosity, donated 40 bags of rice to the 400-level students of the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The beneficiaries organised themselves into groups to receive the professor’s rare act of kindness.
The Daily Reality gathered that all interested students got the rice irrespective of their faith.
Professor Arsalan is known for his generosity and always reaches out to outstanding students with textbooks, handouts and even money.
Below is a brief biography of Professor Arsalan Muhammad:
Professor Muhammad Arsalan was born in 1968. He attended several local Quranic schools between 1973 to 1983. Arsalan started his formal education in 1983, got admission into Jama’atu College of Arabic Studies Zaria and graduated in 1987. He then proceeded to Bayero University Kano, where he obtained his Diploma between 1987-1990.
Muhammad Arsalan travelled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and got admission into the Faculty of Sharia, Islamic University Madina and graduated in 1995 and returned to Nigeria immediately and served his NYSC in 1996.
Muhammad Arsalan got admission for his LL.M. and appointment as a Graduate Assistant in the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, in 1996 and graduated in 2000 and proceeded to his PhD in 2001 and graduated in 2009.
Arsalan was promoted to the rank of Lecturer 2 upon his successful completion of his LL.M in 2000 and promoted to the rank of Lecturer 1 in 2005, and to the rank of Senior Lecturer in 2009, he was also promoted to the rank of Reader/Associate Professor in 2012 and finally promoted to the rank of Professor in 2015.
A mistake repeated more than once is not a mistake anymore. It is a decision. – Paulo Coelho
I am not sure if this write-up will reach the appropriate authorities. But, anyway, if it reaches them, they should please consider and solve all the problems facing students of this great learning environment.
This question keeps coming to my mind. I can say that most of the University of Maiduguri students recall that the school commenced its 2022/2023 academic session on 3rd January 2023 for its new students and 16th January 2023 for returning students. However, I can see that no one is talking about it, although it’s already getting to two months, and no proper academic activities have commenced yet.
Firstly, I’m not sure if this happens at a few universities. Still, it’s not proper to commence an academic session without placing your students’ results/academic statuses. But the case is different at the University of Maiduguri, and no effort is put into changing it. This same mistake happened last year, resulting in massive failure the following semester for those carrying over previous level courses, especially first-semester courses, because tests had already been conducted before the placement of the academic status.
It’s tragic to know that the University of Maiduguri, a university created in 1985, doesn’t have any active student portal for registration, hostel registration, etc. They always come up with a new portal at the beginning of each session, with many difficulties for students when registering. Many students could not apply for hostel last year due to such challenges, and the management is still not ready to sort out this problem.
Moreover, the university management doesn’t listen to students’ pleas on issues such as electricity, hostel maintenance and water supply. Sadly, students stayed in total blackout for weeks during the last examination session, which might result in massive failure in the semester examinations. Unfortunately, neither the school management nor the Student Union Government (SUG) takes serious action to solve the problem.
It’s sad to say that when the student representative met with the Vice Chancellor of the university, he boldly told them that the students should focus on their primary assignment and should not bother about anything other than that, which is impertinent.
Although the SUG is supposed to be a channel between us and the management and a representative when any matter arises, I think they were appointed without minding to know the exact duty of the student union, and at last, they failed woefully. Aliyu Fannami’s administration is the worst SUG administration the university has ever had.
Lastly, I’m calling on the JAGABAN of this administration to please put things into order. There’s still time to leave good legacies that will write your name with a golden pen in the university’s history, sir, because going down like this will only write your name as one of the worst JAGABAN the university ever had.
Best wishes, Sir!
Salim Toro writes from Toro and is a 400l student from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri. He can be contacted via salimabdulhamid0909@gmail.com.
The Governing Council of Kaduna State University has approved the appointment of Barrister Samira Balarabe as the new Registrar of the institution.
In a statement by the university’s management on Tuesday afternoon, the new Registrar will be the 4th of the institution. She succeeds Mr Samuel Manshop, whose tenure expires this month.
Barr. Samira joined the services of Kaduna State University in 2006 as an Administrative Officer I in the Registry Department (Legal Unit). She rose through the ranks to the position of Deputy Registrar.
She holds Multidisciplinary Academic Qualifications, which include: LL B. Hons (2002) and LL M (2022) with a specialization in property law, both from ABU, Zaria. She also has a Master’s degree in Conflict Peace and Strategic Studies (MCPSS) (2016), specialising in Conflict Resolution from KASU, Kaduna.
Barr. Samira also obtained her B.L. from the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja (2004).
The term ‘University’ has its roots from the Latin word ‘universitas’, which translates to ‘the whole’ or ‘the totality’. This is said to have originated from medieval Europe where groups of scholars came together to form communities dedicated to education and research. In essence, universities of good standing, regardless of ownership (public or private) are specialized spaces for universal education that have established traditions of research and innovations aimed at tackling societal issues. Also, these are the fundamental reasons why they are referred to as such.
Newgate University, Minna (NUM) can be counted as one of the best academic institutions that aim to promote qualitative education. This can be justified precisely through the NUM’s rigorous curriculum, exceptional faculty members who are experts in their respective fields with committed culture of inquiry that pushes the boundaries of knowledge.
NUM – the Newgate University, Minna, was licensed by the National Universities’ Commission (NUC) in April, 2022 as the first private university in Minna, the Niger State capital, with a reputation of an orientation that is focused around student-centered learning to meet the needs and interests of students within reasonable grounds. At the heart of the university’s tradition is a unique combination of research exploration and academic excellence, expressed through its motto ‘explore to excel’. Also, Newgate University, Minna entices students to embark on a splendid journey of self-discovery by presenting them with a diverse range of academic programs that are tailored to their individual passions and interests.
However, the university’s philosophy of exploration extends beyond academics to encompass a comprehensive range of extracurricular activities, such as community service, practical experience, among others that aid students in expanding their horizons and discovering their true potential.
Newgate has distinctive strategies and academic culture exemplified by its provision of four (4) distinct teaching and learning packages to its students: cognitive, digital, interpersonal and intrapersonal study packages. The cognitive package being offered by Newgate University instills in its students, the ability to devise innovative solutions to emerging challenges in their respective fields of study. Meanwhile, the digital component of the university’s curriculum ensures that students become responsive digital citizens, capable of keeping pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape. To enhance comprehension and facilitate recall, the university employs cloud-based teaching and learning techniques such as virtual reality, streamed lectures and relevant practical videos. At NUM, both the intra and interpersonal components of the study packages are given key attention, with emphasis on orientation and training that will equip students to assume leadership and negotiation roles, while instilling in them qualities of service, passion, adaptability and empathy. These components are intentionally designed to meet the growing global need for hard and soft skills which are crucial for employability.
The impact of Newgate University’s distinctive and impressive strategies to university education extends beyond the classrooms, to equipping students to become leaders in their communities and in societies at large. By providing a holistic university experience that emphasizes on critical thinking, creativity, innovation and problem-solving, NUM proves that, it can be a model for other institutions to emulate.
Muhammad Danjuma Abubakar lives and writes from Minna, the Niger State capital and can be reached on muhammadcares4u@gmail.com
About a hundred students sponsored by the Kano State Government at Digital Bridge Institute have expressed their worries over the state government’s failure to pay for their certificates five years after graduation.
The students decried that the state government has not paid the designated fees to the institute to enable them to collect their results since 2019.
They complained that the development is delaying their education as they are left stranded for over five years.
The students said they need the certificate to further their education and apply for various job opportunities, saying their future would remain bleak if the government refused to intervene.
The Daily Reality gathered that the Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had sponsored 100 students, 40 males and 60 females, to study at the institute in 2017.
The students were sponsored to study various ICT programs such as Software Engineering, Multimedia Technology, Networking and System Security, Hardware Engineering and Telecommunications.
Our future is bleak students
The graduates said their educational careers were at risk, saying the years they spent at the institute would be wasted if the government refused to intervene.
One of the graduates, who pleaded anonymity, said he missed many opportunities, including admissions to study abroad because he has not collected his certificate.
He said, “I was offered three admissions to study in India, but I could not go because my certificate was not given to me.
“Some of my colleagues told me that they even got job offers. However, they could not go for an interview since they didn’t have the certificate.
“I would have scored admission and graduated had I the certificate. Probably got employed in an organisation.”
Muktar Ibrahim (not a real name) said he wanted to further his education but could not lay his hand on his diploma certificate after graduation in 2019.
He said, “I wanted to further my education. However, I have no certificate to seek direct entry into the university.”
Aisha Hussain (not a real name) said it was painful that she was yet to acquire a degree certificate while some of her sisters and friends were serving their one-year mandatory NYSC.
She said, “We have long been expecting the payment by the government for the release of our certificates. It is sad that some of my sisters and friends have completed their degrees even though I started schooling before them.
“I also got so many opportunities. However, I hopelessly saw them pass as I could not go for any of them,” she stated.
Government ignores our appeals
Since graduation, the students said they have been pleading with the government to settle the outstanding debt to enable them to collect their certificates.
The students went to various media stations pleading with the government to come to their aid and settle the debt.
They said they also wrote letters to the Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, through the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education of the state.
However, all their efforts were in vain, as their plea did not yield any positive result from the government.
Some of these letters.
We are still not tired – students
The students who spoke to The Daily Reality said they are still not tired of sending their passionate appeals to the government to consider them.
They said they are still hopeful and pleading with Governor Ganduje to settle the debt before he leaves office this 2023.
Halima Ibrahim (not a real name) pleaded, “I urge his Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to help us and pay for our certificates.
The lady said her parents are poor and therefore placed all their hopes on her certificate.
Another student who asked not to be named said, “Your Excellency, we know you are good and kind to the poor. We are your children. We are pleading with you to consider us.”
Maimuna Sunusi said, “Our parents cannot afford to settle this debt. Therefore, we are pleading with His Excellency to pay for our certificates and not to waste the years we spent at the institute.”
Kano State Government response
Our reporter has made several attempts to hear from the government, but all his efforts were in vain.
While the Public Relation Officer of the Kano State Ministry of Higher Education, Sunusi Abdullahi Kofar Na’isa, denied knowledge of the development, the Ministry’s Commissioner, Mariya Bunkure, could not be reached for comment.
His name was Sadik. Perhaps about 11 years old. He walked into my newly allocated office in the old Mass Communications building of Bayero University Kano (Nigeria) in 2013. I was startled. He was a tiny boy with deep dark skin, a beautiful face with intense eyes and a dolphin smile. He asked if I wanted to buy Fura (steamed millet balls blended in cow milk, often used as dessert, although it could stand on its own as a nutritious meal). He did not look like any of the usual urchins who thronged the corridors of the building look for odd jobs – run errands, empty trash, sweep office when those officially charged – and paid – to do so did not. Intrigued, I ordered one. He disappeared and returned some twenty minutes later with the Fura in a transparent plastic bag. I paid him, and that was that.
He returned the following day. When I declined to buy it because I didn’t feel like drinking the Fura, he insisted I buy it for others. When I asked why, he simply retorted that I appeared richer than other staff because, first, I was a professor, and second my office was larger. I was amused by his evaluation of my finances based on my position. And true, my office was the largest for staff, but I was a new bride in the Department – having been wedded to Mass Communication after an amicable transfer from the Department of Science and Technology (thus the ‘double’ professor tag), and all stops were pulled to make me welcome. Based on his logic of having a larger office, if not a deeper pocket, I bought about ten and asked him to distribute them to colleagues.
Sadik was to become a regular fixture in the corridor. Always after 2.00 p.m. One day he came with a blue checkered school uniform. Mentally, I thanked the boy who gave him the ‘hand me down’. The uniform was from Musa Iliyasu College, located along Gwarzo Road, a few kilometres from the New Campus of Bayero University Kano. This was a private and prestigious high school in Kano, attended by the children of the well-to-do.
I was told, however, that the uniform was his own and that he was indeed a student at the famous prestigious college. Curious about the human aspect of this development, I decided to delve further. What I found was what I want to share with you regarding the world of Hausa women.
Sadik did not come from an elite home. He was from a large Fulani family living in a ruga (a Fulani cattle encampment) near Janguza Army Barracks in Kano – itself a few kilometres from Bayero University Kano, New Campus, along Gwarzo freeway. The unit was a father, three wives and eighteen children. Sadik was the eldest in his mother’s room. They were herders. Indeed, Sadik was born near Tamburawa along Zaria Road in Kano when the family was on the move in 2002. They camped near Janguza Barracks, where they located their ‘hometree’.
The mother was the one selling the Fura at Bayero University Kano New Campus that Sadiq marketed. She had a ‘stand’ near the Faculty of Engineering. She had a lot of customers in all categories of the university community. After all, even professors love Fura. Her interaction with the university community enabled her to develop an interest in education, and she wanted to get Sadiq to attend a school and eventually a university. She did not want Sadik to follow the family herd. His father, however, wanted the child to join the family herding tradition. The mother then engaged one of her customers, a professor, to drive to the ruga and convince the father to allow the child to attend school, to which he reluctantly agreed. The mother then took over the process of educating the child.
She enrolled him in a local private primary school inside the Janguza Barracks. After he finished, she inquired which was the best high school around, and Musa Iliyasu came highly recommended. She enrolled him there. An exclusive private school. Paid for from the proceeds of her Fura business. She bought a bike for Sadik to make it easy for him to attend the school, some five kilometres from their tent. His legs could barely reach the pedals, but he was enthusiastic about learning. After school, he would go to her Fura stand, park the bike and then trample all over the BUK mega building advertising his mother’s Fura (even boldly entering the Vice-Chancellor’s office to market the Fura), all the way till 6.00 p.m. when they close ‘office’.
I interacted with Sadik for three years. He was so curious, bold, confident and always lifting books on my desk, trying to read them, asking endless questions, his eyes always darting and roving all other office. He was truly an inquisitive and intelligent child.
In 2016 I temporarily relocated my place of work to Abuja, and that was the last I saw of Sadiq. I did not fully return to Bayero University till 2022. In the intervening period, I had wistfully thought of Sadik and finally decided to find out what had happened to him when I returned. It was a massive success story of doggedness by a traditional woman.
When Sadik finished Musa Iliyasu College, he told his mother he wanted to be a pilot. She asked him to find out how much it would cost. Off he went to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, where he learned the fees could be as much as ₦7.5 million. He informed his mother, who immediately asked him to continue the process of getting admitted. She would pay the entire sum – after all, she was already a millionaire with the large herd she had. She earmarked the number of cows to sell to raise the pilot school fees. Sadik did the entrance exams but did not scale the final test. So, he was not admitted.
He then applied to BUK with his JAMB score of 201 for Computer Science but did not meet the Post-UTME requirements for the program. Again, he faced rejection. His mother initiated the process of getting him alternative university admission and was advised to take him to Al-Qalam University, a non-profit Islamic university in Katsina. He went there and inquired about the admission process and the fees. With his results, he was admitted. His mother sold two of her cows for ₦450,000 and gave him the money to pay for the school fees in Computer Science and his accommodation in Katsina. He enrolled and started his program.
When he relocated to Katsina, she sent him money every day. She eventually gave him ₦200,000, with which he started a Fura packaging business, employing his co-tenants in the house he was renting. Soon, he established a small business employing other students. Eventually, he vied for and succeeded in becoming the Vice-President of the Computer Science Students Association of the Al-Qalam branch.
Sadik became a dedicated student with a consistently high CGPA, which could eventually lead to either a good second upper or a first in Computer Science. He was eventually elected the President of the Computer Science Students of his university chapter. One day, the officers of the Association came to Kano for a function during a school break and decided to see his house, especially after he told them he lived in a ruga. They were astonished to discover he was telling the truth – their respect for his modesty raised higher.
In January 2023, I was in my office at the Faculty of Communication BUK when someone walked in. I was bent on my laptop but did notice the guest removing his shoes and coming and standing in front of my desk, waiting for a pause in my typing.
I looked up at a tall well-built young man. I immediately knew it was Sadik. At 21 years, everything about him has changed, of course, but not his dolphin smile. He told me he learnt I was asking of him and decided to come and greet me. I was so happy to see him, and it was he who related to me what I had written so far. I immediately connected him to Sunusi Ahmad Baffa Dawakin Tofa, Chairman of the Kano State chapter of the Fulfulde Development Association of Nigeria (FULDAN), of which I was a patron. They promised to come together and see how Sadik could be part of community mobilisation awareness and a role model, especially for youth. Sadiq owes his success so far to his mother.
Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu and Sadik
***
Sadik’s mother, Hajiya Hauwa Suleiman Dikko, was not an educated, entitled, privileged woman. She did not go to school. Her class was the hard knock of life. As a young girl, she missed going to school with lunchboxes and rucksacks festooned with stickers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Spiderman, Hulk, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. She did not attend a privileged landscaped school with paintings of Micky Mouse and Donald Duck on their walls. She had no driver to chauffer her to school in an airconditioned SUV. No TV to return to after school hours in a nice airconditioned living room. No iPads to play with. No Netflix to relax her hard stressful day. No extra lesson teacher (Uncle John or Auntie Funmi) to ensure she passed those horrible subjects such as Mathematics.
Her contemporaries who lived such life finished successfully from their expensive private schools (of course, no private school would allow mass failure, especially from children of the privileged) and had gatekeepers to ensure they got admission into the juiciest disciplines in the university of their choice. If at all in Nigeria – otherwise, it would be off to Ukraine (before it became too hot), some obscure countries in Eastern Europe, India, Cyprus, the UK or preferably, Malaysia.
When such contemporaries returned, they had cushy jobs waiting for them and a relatively easy path to the top. Eventually, they are celebrated as women of substance – given awards (which they don’t need) and celebrated in academic papers and opinion pieces as role models of female achievement and doggedness in a patriarchal society. I don’t mind their high-profile visibility. I just believe the accolades are wrongly placed, or at the very least, the Point of View (POV) should sweep around.
My female heroes? Those I will be celebrating today, the 2023 International Women’s Day? Let’s start with Sadik’s mother. And hundreds of others like her. I am sure you know one or two in your locality. They are women, often widowed, left alone, with little or no inheritance, and who, with the little they have, were able to provide much-appreciated services in their communities and keep a tight hold on their families. They don’t engage in endless and fruitless debates about gender identity or reproductive rights nor women’s representation in political representation and their share of hegemony. Rhetoric. Talking loud and saying nothing. As my main Man sang, “Like a dull knife / Just ain’t cutting / Just talking loud / Then saying nothing”. (James Brown, 1970).
Mainly, restauranteurs, these local women build people and impact their communities. With their business – restaurant (ƙosai, koko, tuwo, ɗanwake, wake da shinkafa, alkubus, gurasa, ƙashin rago, etc.), public transport (Keke NAPEP, buses, Acaba/Okada, Ƙurƙura), estate (properties, rental apartments, plots of land) – they are the role models who should be celebrated. They don’t feel entitled and are privileged in the peace of mind they have and the mentoring they do in their communities. They have no PAs, SAs, fierce dogs at the gates of their solar-powered villas and mansions, no frowning ‘maigad’ to intimidate and scare away panhandlers.
They have no SUVs as the cost of one could serve as capital for a whole year for their business. They don’t even have cars, despite some owning a transport business or so. They do not take their holidays in London or Dubai – they have no time for holidays as they are busy serving their communities. They marry off their daughters, not in grand style, with furniture imported from IKEA in China but from local makers – thus contributing to local economies.
So, what should be the concerns of women on International Women’s Day? For me, with a focus on Muslim Hausa women living in traditional communities, how about integrating them into the modern sector digital economy? Instead of empty rhetoric about gender representation, why don’t we focus on enabling them to acquire skills such as mobile phone repairs and POS services – in the comfort and safety of their homes? Many women are now engaged with mobile phones and online trading and payments. Muslim Hausa women feel unsafe in approaching service centres where clusters of men provide these services. Empowering them to be skilled in digital knowledge in the lungu and saƙo (alleyways) of our communities works better than hot-air rhetoric and genuinely can make a difference.
On this day, I, therefore, award accolades to Sadik’s mother, Hajiya Mai Ƙashin Rago Fagge (with a whole street named after her), and countless others whom I am sure Jaafar Jaafar knows more. They are truly women of substance.
Today, being International Women’s Day, please locate any in your community, go right up to her and appreciate her. Celebrate her achievements and her silent but visible impact in the community as the REAL woman of substance.
PS: Some have asked about Sadik’s whereabouts. He is in his final year at Al-Qalam, Katsina, Computer Science, and from his results so far, he is heading towards either a First Class or a very good Second Upper.
Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu can be contacted via auadamu@yahoo.com.
On Friday, March 3rd, 2023, I attended two events at the Divinity School. The first was a lecture convened by Professor Ousmane Kane, and the second was a joint symposium called the Zaytuna-Harvard Symposium. These two events shared similarities in that they both aimed to highlight the intellectual heritage of sub-Saharan Africa in various fields of knowledge and the importance of traditional means of knowledge acquisition.
The former was a presentation by Ustadh Umar Sheikh Tahir, the son of a prominent Nigerian scholar Sheikh Tahir Bauchi and a current PhD candidate at Columbia University. His presentation was titled “Rediscovering 18th Century Knowledge Tradition: Alkashinawi’s (d.1742) Intellectual Networks in Bilad Al-Sudan and Hijaz.” The latter was a presentation by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, President of Zaytuna College, who spoke on “The Arts of Understanding Prerequisites for Unlocking the Islamic Tradition.” Sheikh Hamza Yusuf studied traditionally with scholars in Mauritania, West Africa.
Ustadh Umar presented the story of Muhammad Alkashinawi, a West African scholar from today’s Katsina province in Northern Nigeria. Alkashinawi developed proficiency in Arabic language, logic, mathematics, and jurisprudence in West Africa. When he moved to Hijaz, his scholarship was acknowledged, and he became a respected scholar from whom society was learning. When he died in Egypt, he was buried in the cemetery of scholars. Alkashinawi’s story highlights the journey of a scholar whose intellectual depth was developed in West Africa and whose scholarship transcended geographical boundaries.
The uniqueness of Alkashinawi’s work was not as prominent as it should have been, and Ustadh Umar’s work is more relevant in that he is translating Alkashinawi’s book into English. Interestingly, some of Alkashinawi’s work is only available at Yale University, and his book was not borrowed from the library at Yale for 120 years until Ustadh Umar asked for it.
The unborrowed book from Yale Library for 120 years
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf’s presentation highlighted the importance of traditional means of knowledge acquisition and how it translates into scholarship that transcends geographical boundaries. Both presentations mesmerised the audience, providing evidence that knowledge is a human heritage that belongs to those who work to acquire it. It is neither the monopoly of a region, ethnicity, nor race but a heritage that beautifies a society that values it.
During the symposium, I sat among the students of Zaytuna College. One of the students asked me where I was from, and I responded Nigeria. He then introduced me to one of his schoolmates from Texas, who was a descendant of Sheikh Uthman ibn Fodio. I found it interesting how the family of Uthman Dan Fodio crossed the Atlantic and still keeps the story of their genealogy intact.
Takeaway: Knowledge is a human heritage. It belongs to those who work to acquire it.
Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u, PhD, is a candidate for a Mid-Career Master’s in Public Administration at Harvard University, John F Kennedy School of Government.He can be reached via mjyushau@yahoo.com.
On March 3rd, the world celebrated International Writers’ Day. This special day honors the indelible mark writers have made on society, inspiring, educating, and entertaining us all through their words.
While many people may immediately think of famous novelists or poets when they think of writers, the truth is that writing is a skill that can be applied in a wide variety of contexts.
As for myself, I may not be identified as a professional writer yet, but I have personally authored over 200 articles. This in itself is quite a noteworthy accomplishment, and it demonstrates that writing is not simply a domain of a selected few, but rather, it is a skill that anyone can develop if they have something meaningful to share or communicate. Whether you’re writing for your own blog or for a company, the ability to effectively express yourself through the written words can open countless doors and lead to amazing opportunities.
In our current digital era, the demand for writers has grown exponentially. From copywriting to content creation, social media management to email marketing, etc. Today, businesses require writers to help them engage their audience effectively. As e-commerce continues to gain more prominence, companies need high-quality product descriptions and persuasive sales copy to attract customers. As such, freelance writers are increasingly on demand, making this an ideal time for anyone looking to earn an income through writing.
Writing, however, is not just limited to the professional realm. It can be an incredibly therapeutic exercise that allows you to express your thoughts and emotions in a healthy way. Journaling, in particular, is a popular practice that many people use to reflect on their experiences, thoughts, and feelings. By writing down your goals and aspirations, you can also clarify your vision and take tangible steps towards realizing your dreams.
In summary, the Writers’ Day was a day to celebrate the profound impact that writers have made on our lives. Whether you’re a professional wordsmith or someone who enjoys writing as a hobby, you can contribute to society by sharing your knowledge, insights, and experiences through the written words. Therefore, take a moment to recognize the power of writing and don’t be afraid to put a pen on a paper and see what kind of magic you can create.
Happy International Writers’ Day.
Abdurrazak Muktar Makarfi can be reached via; prof4true1@gmail.com
