Opinion

By Uzair Adam Imam

At least 20 surrendered Boko Haram fighters have died as a result of cholera outbreak that stormed Borno State.

A source told journalists in Borno that health workers with the support of Non-Governmental Organisations and the World Health Organisation are trying to control the fatalities.

He said, “At least 20 Boko Haram surrenders have died as a result of cholera outbreak in Hajj and four others died in Bama camp. 

“Also, three reportedly died in the Muna Garage IDP camp. Nearly 1,000 cases have been reported so far, and hundreds are currently receiving treatments in various health centres,” he added.

However, in what appeared to have contradicted the earlier statement, a top ministry of health staff, said the figures were incorrect.

The staff who pleaded for anonymity told journalists that only 11 repentant Boko Haram insurgents and three others in the Muna Garage IDP camp were killed by cholera, not 20 people.

He stated that, “the ministry and its partners are on top of the situation.”

The Daily Reality gathered there are about 12,000 Boko Haram fighters that have laid down their arms and surrendered to the troops of the Nigerian Army in Borno State.

By Muhammad Abubakar

Having watched this movie and seeing its lessons, I decided to review it. Doing so will, by God‘s will, will wake up those graduates—who are unknowingly killing, or more correctly, misleading themselves into believing that it’s shameful for graduates to get themselves engaged in a low-income business, let alone being a labourer.

The movie was released in 2018. It‘s directed by a veteran Kannywood director, Yaseen Auwal. The film is about the situation and the kind of life our nowadays students, particularly graduates, live.

Kamalu (Sadiq Sani Sadiq), the son of the lowest-income businessman (Rabi’u Rikadawa), happened to be a close friend to Bashir (Aminu Sharif Momoh), a brother to the husband of Jamila Nagudu. Their respectable, reasonable, deep-thinking friend, Lawal (Baballe Hayatu), always tries his best to advise not only Kamalu and Lawal but anyone too ambitious not to rely on the government job entirely. At least they should find something to do to improve their lives.

However—unfortunately for them, they always don’t see his advice as something important. One fateful day, Kamalu and Bashir came to the cafe where they almost every day buy stuff without payment. They lie to the tea seller (Ahmad Aliyu Tage) that when they become billionaires in the future, they will pay back everything he now gives them and give him more.

Unfortunately, the tea seller, Ahmad Aliyu Tage, rejected their request, complaining that he was tired of their ‘when-we-become-billionaires’. Luckily for them, Lawal came to buy something at the same cafe too. Although they undermined his sense recently, he surprised them by assigning the tea seller, Ahmad Aliyu Tage, to cook one packet of noodles alongside a whole roasted chicken for each of them. Sadly, this has not served them as a lesson.

One thing that inspired me is: Lawan never worried himself about a government job. He, in the end, made it, leaving them still suffering from poverty as usual.

The film is fascinating, indeed. We see how Lawal and Bashir suffer due to their laziness in going and refusing to hustle. As a result, they end up pushing a truck and teaching at primary school. In addition, the movie passes the message that: Whoever is not content with what God gives him will end up missing a lot in life.

The camera work and sound are up to the mark. And the subtitler has perfectly played his role. Even though he mixed with Hausa in some scenes, this is not an issue. Since the message is precisely delivered – this film was purposely made to call on the attention of graduates like Kamalu and Bashir.

It’s a must-watch film.

By Tordue Simon Targema

The Rivers State Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike’s puzzle is proving extremely difficult to crack by the presidential flag bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Like the proverbial lizard on the edge of the water jar, Wike has proven to be Atiku’s biggest dilemma in his current presidential bid. The options before him are weighty: to ignore Wike and put up with the consequences given the latter’s influence in the leading opposition party and seaming control over the party’s structure especially in the South-South geopolitical zone; or give in to his weighty concessions as an act of either compromise or cowardice and subjugation to the whims and ego of an emerging emperor in the party’s fold.

These are certainly weighty options, serious enough to cost an ambitious aspirant- desirous of occupying Nigeria’s topmost seat as a crowning moment of his age-long political career- his precious sleep.

As events in the aftermath of the party’s presidential primaries continue to unfold, Wike has emerged the most sought-after political bride in Nigeria. Just last month, he was entangled in a series of meetings in London with the three topmost aspirants- Bola Ahmad Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and his arch political rival, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who is at the centre of the whole palaver.

The meetings were graced by household names in Nigeria’s political arena such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, incumbent governors and several other political stakeholders. Prior to these marathon meetings in London, his Port-Harcourt residence had suddenly turned to a venue of political pilgrimage by Nigerian presidential hopefuls and their emissaries.

Apparently, Wike’s grudge seem like one massaging his personal ego after suffering a resounding defeat in a keenly contested jostle for the main opposition party’s flag. This explains why he has not hidden his rift with the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iorchia Ayu.

A day after the primary election, when Wike was busy nursing the agonizing wounds of the defeat, Ayu was caught on camera- flanked by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar- showering praises on Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State as the “hero of the convention”. Of course, Tambuwal’s abrupt withdrawal at the last minute in support of Atiku was, no doubt, influential to the latter’s victory; a move that Wike interpreted as a well-orchestrated conspiracy, laced with ethno-regional bigotry to edge him out of the race and scuttle his ambition of occupying the country’s top seat.

From that moment, he made his instant decision- and publicly so- that Ayu must go as the preeminent condition for peace to reign in the party. However, subsequent developments have further deepened the crisis in the party and made it messier for the party in general, and Atiku Abubakar in particular, to handle.

For instance, having lost the flag, one would have expected that as the first runner up, Atiku would compensate Wike with the vice presidential slot to run a joint ticket, or at least, give him the benefit to nominate a protégée to run as a move towards reconciliation.

Incidentally, having won the ticket from the North, the vice presidential slot automatically was expected to come from the South, and as the leading figure of the party in the region, all eyes were on Wike for the vice presidential slot. Atiku’s snubbing of Wike for the Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa is clearly understood by many political analysts.

Everyone would prefer a calm, cooperative and more introverted vice to a lousy, boisterous, loquacious, egoistic and power-drunk demigod who is so full of himself and intoxicated with self-invested powers and a sense of relevance that defies all principles of logic. Yes, this is my personal opinion about the person of Governor Wike, but I am sure many would share the same opinion about him, and it is likely the foremost reason why His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar snubbed him without a second thought to the damning consequences to his campaign.

Yes, Wike would have been a difficult candidate to sell especially in the Northern region where his controversial position on states control of the Value Added Tax (VAT) that Rivers State has the lion share, restructuring and other controversial national issues lurking the Nigerian federation leave him with more enemies than friends.

Yet, others dislike him for being excessively assertive and domineering, dictatorial in his approach to handling complicated political situations and crude in his dealings with delicate political matters without minding hurting sensitivities and stepping on toes. All these understandably culminated into Atiku’s eventual preference of Okowa, who is more subtle- if one is careful of using diplomatic- in his political approach as a co-flag bearer.

But having made his choice- barring all consequences, the effects are right here with him, and have, at the moment, overwhelmed the leading opposition party. How best His Excellency Atiku Abubakar and his party navigate the challenges confronting it and form a formidable all-inclusive campaign team remains to be seen, as efforts to woo Wike and his allies back to the fold have always hit brick walls.

Already, the presidential campaign team is set with Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State- Wike’s neighbour- as the Chairman and Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto State as the Director General. Key members of the Wike’s camp such as governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Wike himself are sandwiched in the list as members, with the exception of Makinde who is named the Vice Chairman (South).

The big question to ask at this point is: will these governors throw their weight behind the campaign as they should, given the prevailing state of affairs? Perhaps, some historical illusions would be in order to put things into perspective. One is tempted to infer that the complications that confront the PDP at the moment are capable of repeating the ugly 2015 nightmare.

Yes, Wike is a force to reckon with. It is to his credit that he sustained the PDP in states where it was nose-diving to oblivion. His macho in odd-hour elections such as Edo, Osun and Anambra among a host of other states confer on him, the prestige in the party that is second to none among his fellow governors. It is no wonder that they rally around him in his moment of great travails.

To be continued

Tordue Simon Targema writes from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Taraba State University, Jalingo. Email: torduesimon@gmail.com

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

Taxes and royalties collection is a fundamental avenue for a government to generate revenues to fund infrastructure and human capital development.

Adamawa State needs other sources of revenue apart from the free petro-dollar from the centre. The state is poor, with a fragile economy, including thousands of unemployed youths and people engaged in unproductive jobs.

The World Bank says – most developing countries with fragile economies “often face the steepest challenges in collecting taxes.”

There is a correlation between the timing of introducing new taxes, peoples’ economic strength and politics. No government can survive local politics if it introduces new taxes at the wrong time- especially when it faces a re-election bid. Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is seeking re-election in the 2023 governorship election.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s introduction of a new cattle tax regime appears ill-timed, unplanned, and poorly communicated to the concerned people. So many explanations from the Governor’s aides, yet no one understands them because the basics in tax administration were left out – new tax collection should be optimized, but with minimal burden on the taxpayers, it should be fair & equitable, and at the appropriate time.

The Adamawa state government said that the ‘Adamawa State Agribusiness Support Programme (ADAS)’ is designed to take full advantage of the agricultural opportunities within the state and will focus on three areas of the Crop Value chain, Livestock and Aquaculture. The government further said – the Agric bond will draw twenty-five billion Naira annually, which will be used to offset many of the state’s liabilities and loans, and open a window for generating huge revenue as well as galvanizing the market in the Agric business, especially the livestock subsector” including the upgrade of cattle markets in Mubi, Ganye, Song, Gombi, Ngurore, Tungo, Malabu, and Wuro Bokki.

The Fintiri government failed to do its homework in two areas – balancing the economic needs and political necessity. The cattle tax is as historic as northern Nigeria. The five thousand Naira (N5,000) imposed on every cattle is exorbitant and unaffordable according to many people in the business

On the other hand, there are thorny politics associated with the cattle tax’, and the people related to the business are complex and critical in the socio-political settings of northern Nigeria, thus before tinkering with the tax, there is a significant requirement for discussion, engagements, and understandings. The livestock business is a vital sector, so to speak!  as a result of poor timing and lack of discussion with stakeholders on the new increase in the cattle tax, the Mubi cattle market, one of the biggest in the north, didn’t operate last week. The security agents sealed the market on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.

Well, the Governor has found himself in a catch-22 situation because the upward review on tax for cattle and grains was one of the conditions the government must fulfil in accessing the capital market’s 100 billion naira agribusiness bond. Governor Fintiri has already collected 25 billion Naira from the 100 billion. And the investors are the ones to be collecting the taxes

Governor Fintiri is a history, policy, and strategy student, but often some of his decisions lack political strategy. He doesn’t have good political advisers or seeks any advice most of the time.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja, 08036070980, zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Aliyu Dalhatu

Journalism and politics are two distinct ways of serving the public. Know the limitation of the former and stop publishing fiction for your own interest.

Magaji Danbatta wrote in his autobiography “Pull of Fate”: “I knew that to be a good journalist, a reporter or a columnist, one must have a good command of English language, rich in general knowledge and specialization in one or more subjects which could come with wide reading. One must also be a keen observer and a clean thinker and posses the ability to mix with people easily, feeling equally at home with low, the high and the mighty” (p. 116-117).

That is not all, he also added that there are plentiful stories to be told if you are willing to be an all round journalist, such as healthcare, sports, legal matters, trade, commerce, cultural performances, entertainment, among others.

Journalism, whether we see it as a profession or craft, it deserves to be treated with high sense of accuracy, fairness, integrity and ethical judgement. Not quite long ago, I had a discussion with a one veteran journalist on the disgusting nature of the visual misrepresentation of journalism profession by guerilla journalists. One thing for sure that contributed to this journalistic ill is the emergence of Internet vis-a-vis User-Generated Content (UCG).

Though, media houses can use these new media technologies in reporting, editing, publishing and disseminating news and information to their diverse audiences, however, on the other hand, these modern technologies are now seen as the global social forces that have intensified in breeding yellow journalists on social media to disseminate and fabricate lies, disinformation, hate speech, misinform and defame the character of important personalities: politicians, traditional leaders, religious symbols and other institutions with the sole aim of seeking attention, patronage and other ethno-religious agendas.

Just recently, I attended a One-Day public lecture series organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Kano state Polytechnic.

As one of the special guests, I have learned a lot about the practice journalism profession from the Associate Professor, Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi, the Head Department of Mass Communition (BUK) who presented a paper on “The 21st Century Mass Communication Student” and the one on “Crime and Judicial Reporting” presented by the Chairman, National Union of Journalists, NUJ Kano state chapter, Comrade Abbas Ibrahim and the last one by Badamasi Aliyu Abdullahi a Bookworm, who talked on “Reading: A Pathway to Entrepreneurial Journalism.”

Such opportunity had exposed me to know that for you to be a 21st century journalist or in other words “a jack of all trades”, you should remember that the world is no longer a “global village” as coined by Marshal McLuhan but now a “global room.”

Therefore, in journalism profession, “it is better to miss the story than to mess the story” as advised by Comrade Abbas Ibrahim. Furthermore, publishing fiction is not journalism, but an act of junk journalism.

Mal. Aliyu Dalhatu writes from Kano State.

By Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani

It was a very horrible incident how a Chinese man unjustly killed Ummakulsum in Kano State on Friday, September 16, 2022. No one could understand the real motives about how the young lady died so young in the hands of the evil man who was alleged to be her lover.

In Nigeria, the lives of ordinary citizens are becoming so easily taken and only become viral on social media without pursuing the incident to a logical conclusion. Indeed, it’s a duty upon the authorities to unravel the circumstances in which criminal activities are occasionally occurring in our country. Perhaps, we take it for granted that a foreigner could be allowed to perpetrate this criminal act in our midst. Even though every immoral act stands condemned no matter who’s involved.

Ummi or Ummita, as she’s popularly known, wasn’t the only case that happened in the community. Most young girls find fun in associating with people of different colours and unknown backgrounds. We must be concerned and warn our sisters to be cautious of who they associate with, and the community should, of course, be wary of people of questionable character approaching our sisters.

Sadly, the search for  exuberant life exposes women and girls to rapists and urchins who hide behind the cover of white skin to harm and spoil, thereby causing untold psychological, mental, health and physical trauma to young ladies in the country. Even though this happened in a most horrible way, but it shouldn’t be left to fade and wane, we must take precautions. In most cities, for example, we see young girls hiding behind as secretaries or even direct lovers to these white men, resulting in disasters and the destruction of their lives.

In general, what you can’t take away from us is that our inbuilt traits are not dead in us. It is true we love foreigners, mostly white men, for the simple fact that we feel they are more distant from us and we crave to make them feel at home, make them feel more comfortable in Nigeria, but that should not be taken for granted to take advantage of our kindness and inflict untold hardship on us. The gruesome murder of Ummita is highly unfortunate and indeed unacceptable.

However, security agencies must ensure the Chinese man is punished according to the law of the land to serve as a deterrent to others with similar bad intentions.

Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani writes from Galadima Mahmoud Street, Kasuwar Kaji Azare, Bauchi State, Nigeria.

By Abbas Badmus

The idea of eNaira comes from the ever-expanding developments in digitalization and the need for a secured means of effecting transactions across borders. 

eNaira is a central bank digital currency issued and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). As a compliment to the existing forms of CBN-issued legal tender currency, the eNaira serves as both a store of value and a medium of exchange, offering efficiency in Nigeria’s payment ecosystem.

President Muhammad Buhari launched the eNaira on 25 October 2021, under the slogan: “Same Naira, More Possibilities”.

The introduction of the eNaira by the CBN immediately put Nigeria in the global spotlight as the first African country to launch the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).

If fully embraced, there are several benefits for Nigerians and the business community, thereby eradicating many issues surrounding cash transactions.

Some benefits include speedy delivery, safe, simple trading and transactional opportunities for customers and end-users.

More specifically, the benefits to the merchants and business owners include reduced cash handling cost, elimination of failed transactions, instant settlement, increased speed of transactions, improvement in records keeping and elimination of Challenges associated with giving change to customers, amongst others.

Recently, CBN Deputy Governor, Economy Policy, Dr Kingsley Obiora, made it known in the just-concluded Abuja eNaira Merchants Mega Events held at Abuja Chambers of Commerce and industry that there is a reward scheme for merchants and business owners using the eNaira platform.

“I am pleased to inform you that the central bank of Nigeria approved a reward scheme for merchants and other users of the eNaira.

“This reward scheme includes providing merchants with the required scheme includes providing merchants with the required promotional (marketing) materials, subsidizing the current merchant service charge by 50% and activation of a nationwide sensitization which early business adopters of eNaira can leverage on to market its wider adoption “.

It is also important to note that the eNaira platform can now facilitate payments using QR codes, USSD, Wallet ID and eNaira wallet tag. Value-added services on the platform include branch or sub-wallets, employee management, and interoperability with other enterprise applications. Furthermore, these services are provided in a secure environment as the eNaira platform was built using a secure security protocol.

Ample opportunities for increasing business income abound through the adoption of eNaira. For instance, the availability of the eNaira payment option on e-commerce merchant platforms such as Remita is expected to complement the existing digital payment system, translating to about 50% increments in e-commerce transactions at a lower cost.

Going by the innovations and advantages of the eNaira, and the greater understanding that the relaunch is expected to build, it is most likely that the eNaira will, in no distance time, be embraced to enhance financial inclusion further.

Abbas Badmus is with TechDigest Abuja and can be reached via abbasbadamasi946@gmail.com.

By Abba Musa Ibrahim

When Europeans came to Africa and said, You have no culture, no religion, no civilization, no history; Africa was bound sooner or later to reply by displaying her own accomplishments. To do this, her writers and intellectuals- stepped back into what you may call the purity before the coming of Europe. What they uncovered there they put into their books and poems, and this became known as their culture, their answer to Europe’s arrogance.   – Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart (1958) is a text on colonialism by Achebe. As Ngugi asserts, “There is no writing in a vacuum”. Equally, Stanley Fish, Raymond William, Edward Said, and Homi K. Bhaba, among others, strongly believe that writing consciously or unconsciously reflects political, historical or social issues at the time of its birth.

In response to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Joyce Carry’s Mister Johnson, Achebe came up with Things Fall Apart to rectify the distorted image of Africa popularised by the Europeans. As he was quoted, “My role as a writer is to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexities of years of denigration and self-abasement”.

Things Fall Apart is recognized as one of the 100 novels ever written in history. It has also been translated into more than 50 different languages. Achebe gets the title of the text from W.B Yeats, an Irish poet, in his poem, “The Second Coming.”

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The Falcon cannot hear the falconer

Things Fall Apart; the centre cannot hold

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

The text has 165 pages, twenty-five chapters, and three phases, each discussing a distinct matter. The first part talks about the culture, tradition, norms and values and political system of Igbo society. Meanwhile, the second part talks about the major character, Okonkwo’s exile to his mother’s kinsmen in Mbanta when he kills a boy during a funeral festival. Then, lastly, is the happenings that lead him to hang himself.

The first part of the text opens with Okonkwo, who gets renown by wiping the floor with Amalinze; his celebrity circulates far and wide. He’s also a man of action, industrious and works tirelessly to go contrary to his bone idle and workshy father. Ikemefuna is brought to Okonkwo’s household before his future is decided. Pronto, the boy, owns the love of Okonkwo.

We also glance at Okonkwo, who has four wives and children and run them with heavy hands because he wants them to shun being inactive. His strictness makes him break a week of peace by beating his wife in black and blue. He also cuts Ikemefuna down, which Ezeadu forewarns him, “That boy calls you father, do not bear a hand in his death” (P.45). He does this and takes the life of sixteen years inadvertently, which in their custom is exile for seven years.

Secondly, the second part opens in Mbaino, Okonkwo’s mother’s town, where he serves for seven years. He receives a helping hand from his boon companion, Obiereka, by looking after his remnants of farm and letting him know about the arrival of white men who wiped out Abame altogether, and oracles apprise them that;

“The strange man would break their

Clan spread destruction among them” (p.111)

He also accepts the worsened situation:

“… Now he has won our brothers and our clan

Can no longer act like one; he has put a knife

On the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (p.141)

Thirdly, the last part of the text is on Okonkwo’s return from Mbaino, where he loses his celebrity and social prestige. He finds out that white missionaries take everything up. They erect churches, courts, government and schools. He stands up against missionaries, fighting back his fame, social prestige and customs. But, drearily, he fails by not getting any co-operation from his clan, and this frustrates him to the core, and he takes his own life.

Abba Musa Ibrahim can be reached via abbamusa6888@gmail.com.

Industrial Training (IT), Industrial Attachment or Internship, whatever name it is called, is no doubt, students’ first shot at the competitive, congested and already overcrowded labor market.

Indeed, many people who get employed with several public or private agencies in Nigeria today without a godfather made their inroads into such agencies through their IT. Too many examples abound to mention, a fact that underscores the relevance of the scheme in the course of training students in skills-based disciplines.

It is, however, unfortunate that nowadays, students make nonsense of this lofty scheme, and rubbish their chances of gainful employment after graduation. Sadly, such students think they are cheating on either their places of IT, or the educational system that includes IT as one of the key requirements for certain courses.

And funny enough, they would always fall back on their parents, lecturers and uncles to ‘hook’ them up with employers of labor when they messed up their golden opportunity of securing gainful employment at their places of IT.

As a lecturer, sometimes I go on IT supervision and see students who are tracing their ways to their IT posts for the first time! Today, many students are total strangers to their IT stations, and this denies quite a number of them valuable employment opportunities.

On one of my supervision tours, a company supervisor told an IT student (who he had never seen before and thought was his visitor) to wait, that a lecturer on supervision tour to his students was going to use his office, and he would attend to him- presuming that he was his visitor- after I was done with my students! I had to inform him that the person he thought was his visitor was actually one of the students I was going to supervise, to his greatest shock. Yes, that is how bad it could be sometimes.

During my IT, I had it at the back of my mind that I was embarking on one of the most important exercises that would shape my post-graduation life in the industry, and that guided my exploits in the industry from the choice of the agency to attach with, and my actual performance while on IT. I must confess that I had a very fruitful IT experience, and the contacts I established during IT are still beneficial to me to this day.

I must also be quick to emphasize that the establishment where one chooses to do his IT is as important as what they’re likely to learn or gain from the place. For instance, during my IT, I submitted a letter of placement in a certain media station and had several issues getting accepted. The station was skeptical of accepting pioneer students of a new university.

All the same, I was determined to press on until they accept me. However, my frustration with the administrative officer was unbearable at some point, and I had to explore other alternatives. I approached another media establishment and got immediate acceptance. In fact, in one visit, I submitted my application letter and got the acceptance letter. However, the circumstance of the acceptance was so funny that I had to dump the media house immediately after acceptance and go back to the initial station: why?

The administrative officer of the new media house promptly accepted my application for placement. Quite strange, however, his secretary had to use a manual typewriter to type my acceptance letter. And the funniest part of it is that he had to ask me for money before printing the acceptance letter which he typed for me in the manual typewriter! N100 or so I think at that time.

He apologized for the inconveniences though, but explained that he had to collect the money so as to fast-track the process of printing the acceptance letter. I guess there was no paper on which to print the letter.

I totally understood and gave him what he required to print the letter for me, but concluded I was not going to do my IT there again. Of course I had to walk away: one more look at the miserable office apartments, worn-out furniture, out-dated equipment, dilapidated structures and bureaucratic practices etc. all convinced me beyond what words would say, that the station was not a place to build career, so I took the letter and bade them a final goodbye.

Back to the initial media house: I had to press harder and disturb the administrative officer- emboldened by my serious disappointment at the other station- until he reluctantly accepted me. I was handed a neatly typed, well parceled and carefully sealed acceptance letter; and warned sternly that should I mess up during my IT; the station will NEVER accept interns from my “baby” university. Ourch!

That hurts! All the same, the packaging, the environment, the “swags”, the prestige, the caliber of persons I saw etc. all convinced me that the station was the right place to be for my IT. I reported on the appointed date and vowed never to let down my “baby” university.

My IT experience was rich, oh yes, very rich! I started going out with reporters and writing reports by the second week of my IT, and since then, was consistently in the daily bulletin throughout the period of my IT. Needless to state that I made money- like good cool cash, good friends, enjoyed good working relationship with my bosses and fellow interns from other institutions, and learned as much as I could.

But that was not all: after graduation, I went back to the same media house as a volunteer/casual staff and was promptly accepted! It was already a familiar terrain and I worked with the station for about five months before I eventually left for my NYSC, never to return again.

While I was at the NYSC orientation camp, the Manager News, together with the Deputy Manager and other key staff of the news room called to ask if they should facilitate my coming back to the station for my NYSC. The deal was that I would be placed on the priority list of competent hands awaiting a formal recruitment exercise, in which I would be a special candidate when it was time.

God bless my bosses, Alh. Suleiman Ibrahim – the Manager News and Alh. Umar Bakari, the Deputy Manager, and indeed, their accommodating lieutenants- producers, reporters and other staff with whom I had a great working relationship. However, I told them my Alma Mata indicated serious interest in me.

Already, my Head of Department was working tirelessly to have me posted back to the department where I graduated for my NYSC, after which I would be recommended for retention as a Graduate Assistant with the university. They appreciated the gesture and wished me well, even as I remained grateful to them for the offer too.

Dear students, IT is a golden opportunity. You can choose to be serious or unserious with it at your own expense. Like an African man would say: you’re doing yourself. No one cares. If you want to learn, depending on where you go, you will learn. If you choose to waste away the whole period, that is still fine; it’s entirely up to you.

But note that as you waste away that valuable time, you equally waste a wonderful opportunity that would have given you your first real shot at the competitive and already overcrowded labor market. The choice is entirely yours.

I hope this note of caution helps a determined soul.

Tordue Simon Targema writes from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Taraba State University, Jalingo. Email: torduesimon@gmail.com

By Ahmadu Shehu, PhD

For the first time in history, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Poland, H.E. Andrzej Duda, visited Nigeria on 6^th September 2022. Apart from being a landmark in history, this visit has renewed the longstanding alliance and friendship between these great nations and has substantially reduced miscommunications and misperceptions among the citizens and officials of both countries.

The visit has yielded bilateral agreements of enormous importance to both nations, especially on agriculture and technology transfer. Moreover, judging by its history and relationship with Nigeria, nay Africa, Nigeria and its sister nations stand to gain more level playing ground in bilateral negotiations with Poland than many other more advanced western countries. This, however, is a topic for another day.

The resilience of the Polish – Nigeria relationship was tested in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the Russian army steadily and mercilessly advanced toward major Ukrainian cities, foreign residents scampered for safety across all Ukrainian borders in search of safety. Thousands of Nigerians, mostly students, found themselves at the Polish border, which was already overwhelmed by destitute refugees struggling to cross into Poland. The scenes and images of the border control points shall never be missed!   

While a lot of misinformation and deliberate spinning of Poland as a racist, intolerant country was being cooked and distributed, the Polish diplomatic mission in Nigeria busied itself with solutions and helping Nigerians trapped in this conflict. A few days later, news surfaced that Polish officials were actually particularly kind to all citizens, especially Nigerians who were given special treatment by various missions based in Poland.  

Back at home, Polish companies and financiers have landed significant business deals to ramp up Nigeria’s solid minerals sector to ameliorate the foreseen global energy crises occasioned by the war. In addition, the Polish agro sector looked at Nigeria as the next solution to the food crises, raising the hope that the Nigerian agricultural value chain would become a global competitor.

Tracing the roots of Poland’s contribution to the growth of Nigeria’s tertiary education in the ‘60s, ‘70s and even ‘80s, several Nigerian universities have found valuable opportunities to collaborate with major Polish universities in various academic fields.

The Nasarawa State University, for instance, had a significant project that translated the works of a Polish scientist whose contributions to the Nigerian academic community cannot be quantified. Several first-class Nigerian universities, such as Bayero University, Kano, have maintained a functional MoU with the University of Warsaw for many years.

In line with its cultural heritage and educational development support, the Polish mission in Nigeria built a specialized school to support Almajiri and out-of-school children in Kaduna State. Although many foreign non-governmental organizations do these kinds of projects, Poland is the only country to start this foresighted initiative as part of its foreign mission activities.

The Polish mission established and sustains a vibrant Polish Alumni forum, which is meant to foster and strengthen the understanding between the citizens of the two countries. Nigerians who studied, trained or visited Poland in a working capacity discuss relevant issues of interest to Nigerians in Poland and the bilateral relations and areas of cooperation between the two countries. This initiative has led to mutually beneficial opportunities for Nigerians and Polish people willing to study, live or do business in either country.    

Polish – Nigeria relations is a sixty-year-old business that stood the test of time. However, to whom do we owe this enthusiastic revival of the friendship between these crucial countries? The bulk stops at the table of Her Excellency Joannah Tarnawska, the Poland ambassador to Nigeria.

Tarnawska is an African-born and bred Polish lady with a degree in African studies from the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the University of Warsaw. Mrs Tarnawska is currently doing a PhD in economics, with a research interest in economic issues in Africa.

Her cultural ties, deep understanding and love for Africa are unmatched. Thus, the amount of success she will record as a diplomat in Africa is promising. Her resilience and understanding of the murky waters of the Nigerian political landscape give her an edge to thrive. The balanced, respectful and dignified way in which the Polish mission now treats Africans will undoubtedly bring back the glory of the Republic of Poland as a true, non-colonial ally of this continent.         

Africa is the future! Therefore, this shall be a win-win for Poland and Nigeria!

Ahmadu Shehu is an Associate Professor at Kaduna State University. You can reach him at ahmadsheehu@gmail.com.