Opinion

By Hassan Ahmad

Isn’t it surprising that despite the widespread public outcry, there is no real effort by any arm of government, traditional rulers or influential individuals to resolve lingering strike action by university teachers? This is just one of numerous simple but logical questions we should ask ourselves. 

As diverse as Nigeria is culturally, religiously, regionally, and even developmentally, her elites are the most united people you can find. But this unity managed to be sustained with a price: making sure the masses were united in hunger, unemployment, insecurity, lack of good education, access to poor amenities and others too numerous to mention. 

For instance, only ignorance would make Christians in Plateau revolt against Ja’iz bank’s reconstruction of the Terminus market based on a PPP agreement with the state government. While a Christian-dominated government sees its benefits, the common Christian masses wouldn’t see it that way. 

Isn’t it poverty that makes the northern Muslim send his child to the city to be fed by the public under the façade of pursuing Islamic knowledge? This same man would use all his energy to defend a politician from his region because he doesn’t want another man from another area to be his president.

Then you’ll have another set of educated and informed masses. The elites use this set as defenders. They are the intermediaries between the elites and the ordinary people and serve as their social media warlords. They defend their misdoings and praise their good acts no matter how unsatisfying. These people are stuck on a narrow path. They are not meant to be offered jobs in “juicy” government organizations and parastatals according to the design made by the elites. 

President Buhari, in his Sallah message, mentioned, “We don’t have jobs in government anymore. With technology, governments are becoming smaller, nimble and efficient”. He did not lie, but the truth remains that there will always be jobs for the children of the elites. 

What is more frightening is that you’ll find even the educated folks among the masses fighting the shackles of poverty not to better themselves and show a pathway to others but to belong to the elite class and continue with the abysmal state of dualism. 

In making sure they create a small world for themselves and their progeny, the elites put aside their differences – religion, region or political affiliation. This, in no small measure, makes them comfortable. They know that no matter who is at the helm of affairs, their businesses, investments, properties and status remain intact and unchallenged. 

Hence, a business mogul from Kano can go to Lagos to establish a refinery without being uneasy about it. Likewise, another owner of a travelling company from the east can have his vehicles go round the country to fetch him money. Again, a Northern governor can give out his daughter in marriage to the son of a South-Western governor. 

But then, when you come down to the masses, the tomato seller from the North is the number one victim of regional tension in the South. So also, the Igbo trader who finds his way to the remotest village in the North becomes the victim of religious tension—forgetting that they are all victims of misrule and deliberate segregation from the elites. 

As the situation grows further, it becomes more dangerous from the masses killing their relatives in the northeast in the name of establishing an Islamic caliphate to those killing their brothers in the southeast as separatists and bandits from the northwest terrorizing the poverty-ridden villagers.  

In all these, while the masses are the perpetrators, the masses are also the victims. But things have already gone so bad. The elites, too, are not guaranteed safety if the advancing motorcade of the C-in-C can be attacked. 

At this stage, the elites are under necessary, if not compulsory, reciprocity to make Nigeria stable again. The country has done so much for them in the past. The chickens are back home to roost. There is no need to point fingers at each other. 

To do this, the government must make sure that social justice prevails over any sentimental arrangements that have been in place. The government must understand that there is too much illiteracy and poverty in the land, and since they are the primary tools that lead to criminality, efforts must be made to curb them. 

The next administration can be said to be the most important in the history of our country. It mustn’t get it wrong. 

To the masses, we should understand that we are at a crossroads. As we can see in our country’s situation, we need not be begged not to sell our votes. You can sell your votes at the expense of your safety. If things go south, the elites have places to go around the globe in their private jets. You and I will be left to face our deaths in the hands of exciting gun-wielding criminals. Some of us were already asked to take arms and defend ourselves in Zamfara and Katsina states. The handwriting is already written on the wall. 

So please, don’t sell your votes and vote wisely. 

Hassan Ahmad Usman is a student of economics at the Federal University of Lafia. He can be reached on basree177@gmail.com or 77hassan.a.u@gmail.com.

By Dikko Muhammad, PhD

I read the justifiable frustration of many people affected by ASUU strikes, most of them undergraduates with a few months to graduate but were stalled by the strike. Some have already missed the chance to attend law school this year. This is quite unfortunate. It is a waste that saddens every sensible person.

However, there are other victims of the strike who are mainly forgotten. Many people talk as if the strike does not harm ASUU members. They say that ASUU members will get their withheld salaries back at the end of the strike. That’s largely true. But there are other implications for many of these members.

First, the younger ones in the profession — Graduate Assistants and Assistant Lecturers, their progress is truncated by strikes. These are people enrolled in our universities for their master’s and PhDs, respectively. A few of them get the chance to study abroad. Majority study at home. Every strike means an indefinite pause to their studies, careers, promotions etc.

Before you say that the strike is their choice, please understand how ASUU goes to strike: each chapter (or university) will hold a meeting to decide whether to embark on strike or not. Every member present has one vote, whether a Professor or Graduate Assistant. A simple majority carries the day. That means a Graduate Assistant may vote against the strike, but those in favour could win by a single vote. At the national level, the results from the chapters are collated and studied. If there are 100 chapters, the decision of a simple majority will be the final verdict. So if 51 universities vote for the strike against 49, that’s the end.

These strikes inevitably affect the professional development of every academic staff. Some couldn’t start and/or finish masters and PhDs on time. That delay will manifest up to their retirement. Strike halts promotion exercises of many universities. People who aspire to be professors in their forties might be delayed into their fifties despite their conferences, publications, etc.

Thus, the strike is not as viable an action as many people seem to think. The lecturer you insult for being an ASUU member might have voted against the strike from the beginning. They might have been equally affected by the strike in terms of studies or promotion.

And these are people who don’t even talk about their predicament. Instead, they simply suffer in silence.

Dikko Muhammad wrote from Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina. He can be reached via dikko.muhammad@umyu.edu.ng.

By Prof. Abdelghaffar Abdelmalik Amoka

Is ASUU aiding misinformation and blackmail? Sometimes in 2020, I tried to get a copy of the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement to refresh my brain on the issue. After searching my ASUU file and could not find a copy, I remembered that I was not in the country in 2009 and, as such, had no copy of the document. I searched the net but could not get comprehensive information on the agreement except the summary published by newspapers. I then had two options left. It is either I get hold of a colleague who was at the congress meeting when copies of the agreement were shared or walk to the branch secretariat to request a copy.

This is the point. If the copy of the agreement is not readily accessible to me because I was away on a study fellowship, how will non-ASUU members, students, and other stakeholders have access to it? You keep getting the question: what do ASUU really want? And you keep explaining it over and over again if you have the patience since we do not have a platform to direct them to.

In a genuine concern, my favourite Human rights activist, Ahmed Isah, popularly known as the ‘Ordinary President’ of the Brekete family, wanted to intervene in the ASUU/FG crisis. Somewhere along the line, he got information that all that is required to end the ASUU strike is N18bn. He took a bold step and initiated a crowdfunding exercise to raise the “N18bn for ASUU to go back to class”. An invitation of the ASUU president to his radio program clarified the issue at stake and that it’s way behind an N18bn issue and that it’s about ” funding the public universities” and “not ASUU”. Atiku’s tweet “let’s fund ASUU” generated serious reactions from ASUU members, including myself.

The other day, Festus Keyamo was talking about N1.2trn on Channels TV that none of us seems to be aware of. I hope the educationist will still educate us on the said N1.2trn. There is also this trending news that a lawyer in Abuja is begging Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, and the banks’ CEOs to raise N1.1trn to end the ASUU strike. This is how different figures will keep coming out if there is no accessible platform to educate the public.

But why the misinformation? Who is responsible for the misinformation? Is it deliberate? Are we aiding the spread of misinformation as a union?

Universities in the UK were on strike sometime last year and this year, and I wanted to find out about the strike action. I google it, and the webpage of the UK University and College Union (UCU) came up. I got comprehensive information on the strike from the website within a very short time.

Unfortunately, there is no space to get information on ASUU struggles. If you are lucky to be at home while the ASUU president is on Channels TV’s Politics Today or any other TV station, you will get some information on the strike. If you are lucky to be following a passionate ASUU member on Facebook, you may get some information on ASUU struggles from him. Personal efforts.

But if you missed all these and you want to know about ASUU struggles, there is no central information system. You may have to look for an ASUU member to talk to. If the ASUU member is not regular at ASUU meetings, he may not be able to help you as he may not be in possession of copies of the agreements and information on the strike. Our communications are in hard copies.

The last option is to go to the nearest university and visit the ASUU branch office for information. Whoever cannot do that will rely on the information he finds on the street and work with it. Such information may be half true or outright lies. But how do they verify it? New Media is the fastest route to share information, but we have no presence on the net: the union has no website and no official social media handles.

While I was able to get UCU online, in the 21st century, information on ASUU struggles, the agreements with FGN, the MoUs and MoAs signed with Buhari’s government, and the extent of their implementation are not readily available. So, how do we expect the public to follow the trend of events that led to the rollover strike when the information is not readily accessible? Several people have asked how TETFund is the brainchild of ASUU. Even some colleagues don’t know the difference between TETFund and the revitalization (NEEDS Assessment) funds.

Media is very important in any fight. It’s a tool to share the truth and lies. If the truth is not readily accessible, the available lies will be picked. Then, the misinformation will be spread, and people will buy it. Ahmed Isah’s genuine intention is an example of the power of misinformation. ASUU is a union of intellectuals. Among them are journalists, mass communication experts, media consultants, image makers, IT experts, web designers, etc., but the union has no website that anyone can visit and get educated on the history of ASUU struggles and how we got to where we are today.

Dear respected colleagues, If we must win this battle, we need to revisit our communication strategy. The appearance of the President and some chairmen on air and the efforts of some individuals have made some impact, but they are not enough. I recently realized that the union has no position for Publicity Secretary in the executive. We need to have another look at our public engagement strategy. We need to put up a media team and develop a robust and secured webpage that can tell our story without our presence.

To the general public, the strike will be six months by the end of tomorrow. In one news, we were told that President Buhari gave the Minister, Mal. Adamu Adamu, two weeks to solve the problem that has kept students at home for over five months. In another news, they said it was the minister that said he would sort the issue in 2 to 3 weeks. Whichever one is the case, it is over two weeks, and everyone is quiet, and ASUU has rolled over the strike. A government that cares about the education of the people will not be so comfortable keeping university students at home for six months. We hope that the issue is resolved soon so that the lecturers, students, and the university community can get back to their normal life.

The fight for the survival of public education is a collective one. We must save our universities from total collapse. Happy six months anniversary of the 2022 ASUU strike in advance.

©Amoka

By Yasira Muhammad Bello 

Since the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) went on strike from the first week of their warning strike in February, I have been busy with my literary activities, busy schedules and many other things.

In the first three months, I was engaged with an empowerment program called EGMA and EGRA (Feed and Read program for Almajiri’s) taking place all over Nigeria under different NGOs. Luckily, I got to be on the supervising committee under the Halimafactor community initiative (HFCI).

During this period, ASUU extended their warning strike, allowing me to continue my empowerment program skills.

Spending time with the Almajiri’s teaching them, feeding them and interacting with them gave me an instinct that ASUU has done me a favour because it’s a splendid opportunity to be with them and see their understanding of English and Mathematics.

I feel that it’s a considerable achievement and fulfilment. However, right on track before the completion of the program, I heard that ASUU would soon call off the strike (maybe or maybe not).

Alongside I saw another fantastic and golden opportunity; the NGO I am volunteering with will host training for Photography and Videography in collaboration with ITF/NECA. Immediately after I saw the form, I decided to participate since photography was my hobby and passion, and it would be another huge achievement during the ASUU strike. So I registered free and was screened and interviewed. So luckily for me, I got hitched up and selected to participate.

It wasn’t an easy-going job waking up as early as possible to be there at the training venue from (9:00 am to 3:00 pm). Sometimes it went beyond the closing time. Still, I kept going by putting my unending effort and strengthening my mind and soul for the task full option.

Right on the way, some of my co-trainees got tired and left, but I did not give up. On the contrary, I struggled every morning for the task ahead. Gradually, they say, an elephant can fly. Of course, it did.

The three consecutive months weren’t easy, but with all the hardships and criticism, I strived for it to be independent and stand out from other women of my age who think that women don’t have room in photography. Independence is my most cherished and number one value.

All of a sudden, it ended with a great one-week entrepreneurship class. Wow, it’s a massive point for me in 2022 and during the ASUU strike. The classes ended just a week ago (on Friday). I am now a certified photographer and videographer.

From last week to today, not up to a week, I have been doing nothing but staying at home. I feel like I have been idle for a year without doing anything. It’s a big step back to my dear independent life. Since the Federal Government is not ready to dialogue with ASUU, and ASUU aren’t prepared and willing to call off the strike, I wouldn’t hesitate to call myself to strike hard for my independent and entrepreneurial habits and morals.

This is just a brief account of my struggle during the period of ASUU. I decided to share this story with all my comrades at university and outside campus, especially my dear girls sitting idle at home doing nothing and expecting everything. If Nigeria cannot do it for us, let’s grow to be responsible and do it ourselves. With or without school, my 2022 agenda is almost fulfilled.

Be independent; you must overcome all the challenges and critics before you get to the root you want to grab in life.

I was criticized to the extent that I was thinking of backing down, but I decided not to. I learnt a life lesson that we can never do without criticism. When they criticize and talk about you, this shows that you are getting somewhere high. Believe me; many people are praying and hoping to be in your constant point. It’s their praying point, but you might not know. I refused to be trapped down doing nothing.

Yasira Muhammad Bello is a 100L student of Science Laboratory Technology, Gombe State University. She is an entrepreneur, writer, poetess, photographer, videographer, and spoken word artist. She sent this via misseerahbello@gmail.com.

By Alkasim Harisu Alkasim

Women now scout affluent people to marry. When married, they want to be idling their hours in luxury mise en scenes where life seems perfect. Alas! Life is not a *Kublai Khan’s Xanadu* . To them, enjoyment consists with virtue and success in life. They go to the whereabouts of people ladened with money. Some of them narrate to each other about stinking rich people the way a spy reports the whereabouts of criminals to the police. To such women, marriage has to be a paradise, not a hell. Yes, life should be handsome. That is why if what they expect doesn’t occur in the matrimonial houses, they begin a disturbance. They destroy the peace reigning in their homes until everything goes south. When you live down the expectations of such worldy-wise and financially-charged ladies, you risk wounding their feelings and bruising their ego. The only language they understand is money. They suck and squander money the way a guzzling car sips and swallows oil. When you offend them, you will know how spendthrift they are with their tongues. Their tongues are razor-sharp. Because they will call you names. Such girls do not know the current economics nor do they know the economics of building the architecture of a modern family. Getting spoused to them, means you stand the chance of ruining your life beyond correction. They exceed limit when engaging one in a verbal combat.

A little mention of bucks silences them and arrests their attention. They only feel relieved when discussions are made from dollar-and-cents’ perspectives. They don’t mind when you become financially threadbare. In such a situation, they can still rob you of the last dollar you are down to. To them, you don’t rank high and the poverty that bites you buys you a disadvantage with them. Their prostitute principles demonstrate their demonic intentions. When they cut marital ties with you, they keep to themselves and may begin prostituting for a living. Therefore, I advise you against marrying above your station.

After years of bachelordom, a person weds. As a novice, he, in the first place, fails to know the marriage industry inside out. Things unfold slowly and sometimes, he starts to gain the knowledge of things back to front. If not gifted with a virtuous wife, his life turns out to exemplify the idiom; getting out of the frying pan into the fire. That is why you have to learn to endure greater difficulties throughout your married life. These women manipulate you. They tell you what you should do. They manouver everything the way the politicians massage election data to gain a majority.

The above women exemplify women of violent fate, women of no excellent majesty who keep milking you of your funds. It is high time our societies began policing acts of irresponsibility and gross misconduct lest we fall apart as a people. Such women should not go scot-free. Look at how our communities are fast getting peopled by the ill-fated. People who don’t know what they were created for. I know a person who doesn’t people well. He is such a loner, yet, hardly will you hear people abusing him. He opens his heart and palm to all. Such women don’t want to bear you children the moment they understand wedding you is a difficulty. They now make sure the marriage proves childless. Nice! This will relieve you of the burden of feeling entitled to her or submitting to be handcuffed to her responsibilities as a spouse.

I don’t think if we can quickly get back to normality. I have my doubts to voice for saying so. First, things are not what they used to be. Secondly, we do not want to accept faults. There are people that fail to even acknowledge their doubts regarding the correctness or otherwise of many things. They see everything that benefits them as good even if it is morally unsound and vice versa. Frankly, everybody knows that our societies are not in excellent health. This is my opinion and how I see things but I am not selling you the idea of seeing things from my own perspective. Bluntly, you have to learn your worth. Don’t sell yourself short or stoop low to get yourself conquered by anybody, because you are far better than many people around you.

In the same vein, the moment a woman seems to have found her voice, she will become a vixen. She will never allow you to lord it over her. And if you allow her bad manners to recur time and again, she will start to see herself as a more suitable option to be the leader in your own home. She will compel you to do her wants even if it means getting you credit-drowned. And as debt overwhelms you, she will run away leaving you debt-ridden, grief-saddled and regret-laden. She has now succeeded at queening it over you.

Marrying such women forces you to feel as if you were not the one husbanding them. While wiving them, you get psychologically womaned. Your home will be womaned too because you have married a lady who can be described as a woman among women, a woman of the world or even a woman of the streets. You will have to pocket all the womansplaining of this world. If you try to womanhandle her, you will fail. But she instead, can easily manhandle you. Even getting her womannapped cannot compensate for your spendings on her and the undertreatment you suffer from her.

In conclusion, the marriage industry is quickly womaning itself from the perspectives of responsibility. Women are overtaking the mantle of leadership in homes. It also produces women that are captivatingly prowessed at deception and beautifully arresting. This is an industry that compels the male newlywedded to be under the gun. If the male spouse does his best to reform corrupt practices, his efforts always flop. Thus, their marrying you is not a true indication of their hearts but the epitome of their getting starved of money. Some information should not be exposed here. In short, this is what marks a low point in my love life. As it happens to be one of the bitterest experiences I have ever come across, I have begun to have a low opinion of women. Excuse my saying so.

By Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. 

August 12 of every year marks International Youth Day. This year 2022, is to amplify the message that action is needed across all generations to achieve sustainable development Goals, especially for youth, without leaving anyone behind. It’s expected that youth should champion participation in developmental programs across all facets of human development.

As Nigeria approaches the 2023 elections, it’s a clarion call to all our youth not to allow politicians to use their brains to promote violence. Instead, they should champion the cause for a better country that we will all be proud of. Get involved and define your priorities through meaningful debate. Bargain for better welfare, and promote peace, growth and stability.  

Nigeria’s youth make up a substantial portion of the population, and if they can fully realize their potential, Nigeria and the rest of the globe will thrive. Undoubtedly, the youth are behind in every aspect of human life. Therefore, they must have ‘a fair shake’ in the Nigerian context. They should take up the challenges and use their God-given talents to advance the nation.

Perhaps, you can ask yourself, why are the youth left behind, even though they are the majority? There is no enabling environment to showcase their potential, but should we continue like this? No, we have to wake up in the sense that we should pursue education. Indeed, with education, we can fight poverty, know our rights, stand firm and fight for the future of the living and the unborn generations.

Reports show that half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, which is expected to reach 57% by the end of 2030. However, this indicates that youth can take control of their future and provide solutions to the problems bedevilling society. For instance, Nigeria is battling insecurity from all corners of its existence. Boko Haram in the Northeast; banditry; kidnapping in the Northwest and some parts of the North Central; IPOB in the South-east; etc. Unfortunately, the youth are the ones who not only encourage but partake in a vicious cycle of violence.

Perhaps we need reorientation to be reasonable ambassadors of society. Let’s teach the habit of productivity through education and change the world to make it a better place to live. Research and development can make us innovative with new ideas and creative in health care reform, Engineering etc. 

Therefore, at this juncture, I make a humble appeal for our youth to rise and take their rightful position. I’m optimistic that when the youth unite and pursue positive goals, it’s achievable to change the narratives to develop the country.

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

By Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba

The recent court ruling in Kano was a relieving moment for the parents of young Hanifa, who one Abdulmalik Tanko and his miserable conspirators brutally murdered. The general public also welcomed the verdict. It encourages all to be hopeful that, once again, our legal system can be reliable. The feeling that justice was served is just so extraordinary.

Although, to her parents, this moment will refresh their pain as they step into another chapter of their life. Yet, the relaxed atmosphere discharging fairness after moments of terror enveloped by uncertainty is ecstatic. I see people from neighbouring states expressing satisfaction and endorsing the court proceedings that led to the sentencing of Hanifa’s murderers, Abdulmalik Tanko and his accomplice, to death.

Many of us are neither conversant with the legal system nor its proc. Still, from the onset, we have roared the eye for an eye maxim as the only punishment to cushion the enormous pain inflicted on the deceased’s parents. The unimaginable trauma surely deserves strong retribution, and that is what it gets, finally. It is a scar that will never fade away from their hearts, one they will live with forever.

The cruelty in our world is truly unimaginable and beyond one’s comprehension. We are indeed living through the worst of times. For the seven years of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s reign, Kano State has witnessed the interplay between politics and the legal system through vehement exchanges within the sphere of the people, democracy and the economy. The government has allegedly consolidated all powers to pursue its interests at the expense of the people, thereby depriving them of their freedoms in many ways.

In politics particularly, the opposition has been at the receiving end as almost every court case favours the ruling party. And there are countless court cases on alleged confiscation of plots of land by the government. Evident cases of Muhyi Magaji’s arrest lately and the prompt dethroning of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II are few out of the multitude of examples depicting the potency of Ganduje’s government in view of power consolidation. Clearly, there is a demonstration of the dominion of government on the legal system, unlike what we witnessed in the past administrations.

Thuggery and phone snatching have earned top spots on the chart of major problems challenging security settings in the state leading to killings of innocent lives and loss of properties. Allegations have been piling up over the manipulation of security personnel’s surrendering to the interests of the government while offenders move freely without fear of being apprehended. Thus, Kano has become increasingly vulnerable to more violence than it used to.

On the arrest of Abdulmalik Tanko and his conspirators, he admitted how they connived to kidnap and murder Hanifa after demanding ransom. Then, Governor Ganduje assured the outrageous public that he would not waste a minute in endorsing the death penalty punishment for Abdulmalik and his partners should they be found guilty. His statement eased tensions and brought succour to her parents, who were certain that the act would not bring back their beloved child.

Surprisingly, however, the governor’s prerogative of mercy this year was a shocker to the people of Kano. Governor Ganduje released prisoners who had been found guilty of murder and were awaiting death penalties! It’s definitely a digression from what is expected of him as the court ruling of Abdulmalik Tanko has not been executed yet. How inconsiderate can the government be to release murderers back to communities that are overly plagued by violence and killings? By extension, they could be back to kill more people because certainly, their communities wouldn’t be willing to embrace them.

After all, what do you think would become of criminals as such who have committed the worst of crimes? Releasing to the larger community, people who have committed crimes and are charged with the highest level of a criminal offence are threatening the peace and security in the state. Most of them have even admitted to killing more than one person. Yet, they end up roaming the streets and continuing their day-to-day activities. Meanwhile, several people have been arraigned and even convicted on charges lesser than murder.

Women and men have severally been imprisoned because they unknowingly get linked to offences they know nothing about or simply because a plaintiff is more powerful than they are. Especially, women have fallen victims due to crashed business interactions – monetary cases are quite prevalent in courts these days. The revelations, in the parting words of CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, the outgoing Commissioner of police, leave me perplexed.

The Police Commissioner lamented why criminals are indiscriminately released on bail after they’ve been charged to court. For a person of his calibre to admit this tells one the uncertainty our future holds. He might not be too explicit about it, but he sure gave us a hint on what to expect if things keep going as they are. And these are not mere claims to be ignored.

Discussions and debates have always explicitly circled “murder for murder” against criminals found guilty of such an offence. Over the years, we’ve witnessed more murders within Kano and even on the outskirts. For some, though, psychological and mental ill health have been attributed to the accused. Others got released on bail based on the powers vested on judges with reasons within the scope of the law. Repeating that we are living in trying times can never be underscored.

It is time we seek to reinstate the ‘mantra’ of offering justice as it is to serve as deterrence. Our minds are so overwhelmed with killings and terror that we easily forget how hard violent activities hit us when they pass. Many victims are forced to leave judgments to the Lord of the worlds against their better choices – lest they are sure how impossible judgments can be in their favour.

The ongoing uncertainties make the fear of the upcoming general elections immeasurable. Unfortunately, we don’t have that might to counter much of what could be coming with it, as the 2019 general elections left us with huge losses of lives and properties. So while we prepare for that, we await Governor Ganduje, who is so submerged with politicking, to fulfil his promise.

Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba is a master’s student from the Department of Mass Communication, BUK. She is a freelance writer and researcher. She can be reached via nusaibaibrahim66@gmail.com.

By Prof. Abdussamad Umar Jibia

It is well known that members of the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU), the umbrella body of academic staff in Nigerian public universities, have been on strike for six months. Specifically, the strike began on February 14, 2022. Typical of the union of academics, it ensured that all means of avoiding the strike were exhausted before declaring the industrial action. Other university unions followed suit to avoid being left out in case ASUU emerged triumphant.

The issues are many, and not all of them have to do with money. And in fact, not all the funds mentioned in the dispute between ASUU and Federal Government will go to the pockets of ASUU members. No money goes to the union except the monthly dues it collects from members. It is not the duty of a trade union like ASUU to collect and disburse funds. That is the duty of university administrations.

Let me explain in plain language. But before I do, specific facts are vital.

Although the Federal Government has given licenses for the establishment of many private universities in Nigeria, only about six per cent of Nigerian university students are currently in private universities. More than 90 per cent of university students are in public universities owned by state and federal governments.

Another important note is that there are currently more supporting staff in public universities than operational (academic) staff. Consequently, there are three other unions in public universities apart from ASUU. People usually do not differentiate between ASUU and others, primarily due to Government propaganda. All of these unions are now on strike.

Nigerians may also wish to note that undergraduate students in federal universities do not pay a Kobo as tuition fees as long as they are Nigerians. The very little they pay as registration fees are for services like ID cards, games, hostel, etc.

The issues for which ASUU members are on strike are the same for which the immediate past government of President Jonathan Goodluck commended the union for being patriotic and selfless. One of them is the proliferation of public universities. Does it make sense that the same government that persistently complains of not having enough funds to run its existing universities is continuously establishing new universities in every nook and cranny of the country?

Revitalization of public universities for which an agreement was reached with Jonathan’s government to release N1.3trn in six instalments is what the FG has been using to misinform the public that ASUU is looking for too much money. Thus, any time the FG releases some paltry sum of N30bn, for example, it tells the world that it has given additional funds to ASUU. I think that is why some patriotic Nigerians once agreed to “donate the sum of N18b to ASUU” to call off its strike. This money does not go to ASUU. It is used to carry out projects by contractors appointed by FG or its appointee governing councils.

The only other thing that involves cash is the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. In case you do not understand this, it is about the condition of service (SALARY AND ALLOWANCES) of academic staff, which the government promised to review every four years. But unfortunately, the promise has not been fulfilled for 13 years.

In 2020 after an ASUU strike, the Federal Government set up a committee to renegotiate with ASUU and other unions. The committee finished its work and submitted its report in May 2021. Regrettably, the report was dumped and, despite ASUU’s constant reminders and follow-ups, was only dusted when ASUU began its strike in March this year. That is when this government realized that it could not pay what was recommended by the committee. The same government set up another committee on the report it is unwilling to disclose.

As a student or parent, you are aware of all of the above if you have been following the engagement of ASUU with the Federal Government. I am only reminding you if you have forgotten.

I am particularly shocked to hear the Minister of State Labour, Festus Keyamo, calling on parents to appeal to ASUU to end the strike. The reason is that they cannot afford N1.2tr ASUU is asking for. When did ASUU ask for this amount? Is it the revitalization fund Keyamo is talking about which ASUU never requested the FG to pay in bulk? If that is the case, why does it have to take FG six months of ASUU strike to state it? Or is it the result of renegotiation for which the FG never called ASUU and said what it could pay? It just doesn’t make any sense.

What about other issues like the UTAS for which the FG has been meeting with ASUU and claiming to have conducted tests with xy results? Is Keyamo also appealing to parents to beg ASUU on it?

And who are these parents? Please let all the government officials involved in this ASUU/FG negotiation mention the number of children they have in public universities and the programmes they are following. Of course, I know the children of Mr President study in the UK. I wrote to advise him against it when his family celebrated the graduation of one of his daughters in December 2019. Whether or not the advice of nonentities like me matters is a different issue. It is the ordinary us that cast the votes to elect him anyway.

Finally, let me remind Mr President that he has only less than a year to leave office. Unfortunately, nearly all his diehard supporters I know have been disappointed. This is mainly due to the people he entrusts with fundamental issues like Security and Education.

On the particular issue of ASUU and sister unions, Mr President seems to be overconfident in the Labour Minister, a southeast politician who was expecting you to anoint him to take over from you next year. When you refused to do it, one of them, who is also in your cabinet, stood before you in the last convention and accused you and your party of injustice. With that, can you rule out sabotage?

Mr President, please use the little time left to correct your mistakes and avoid making another regrettable blunder. Nigerians did not elect Ngige, Keyamo, Zainab or any of those. If not for you, these names would have long disappeared into obscurity. Please remember that most APC politicians who won the 2015 and 2019 elections, especially in the North, won because of you. So, the expectation is high, and the performance is dismal.

I hope Mr President reads this.

Professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia wrote from Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via aujibia@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Looking at the reality and how uncertain the future of education is in this country, you, as a Nigerian, should get a solution for yourself. But unfortunately, even though education is a right, not a privilege, the biggest stakeholders (read: government) are not ready to facilitate smooth learning for the sons and daughters of the “common people.”

In Nigeria, public university teachers, otherwise known as ASUU members, have been on strike for over half a year, thanks to the government’s failure to listen to their demands. Don’t you think this could make some students forget the names of their respective departments after someday the industrial action is suspended?

In light of these, I honestly feel the urge to share the Indian Government online scholarship with every serious-minded Nigerian who studies—or wishes to study—at any of our strike-ravaged public universities here. The last date for the application for the scholarship is August 15.

Here are five quick reasons why you should apply for the scholarship as follows:

1. Unlike other scholarship schemes, this scholarship—which you can apply for via https://www.ilearn.gov.in/—is fully-funded. This means you do not have to pay even a dime as tuition or a part of it. In addition, you don’t have to know anyone to apply or get it.

2. You only need a good mobile device (preferably a computer) with a good Internet connection to study. This indicates that you do not have to undergo the stress of boarding a flight from Nigeria to India, although it would be a pleasure to go overseas for your study.

3. The word “strike” might not exist in the dictionary of Indian universities. Therefore, one will have hitch-free academic sessions and most likely graduate on time. Moreover, the duration of some bachelor’s degree programs, as indicated on the application portal, is three years.

4. If you are one of the successful applicants, you will get the opportunity to study at some of the best universities in India, like Lovely Professional University, the Indira Gandhi National Open University and so on. The certificates to be obtained will be widely recognised. So, don’t panic over the recognisability of your results after graduation.

5. Unlike here in Nigeria, where you cannot apply for two or more different courses in one university when registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), there are universities on the list of eligible institutions for the scholarship that okay an applicant to apply for more than one course. An example of such a university is the Indira Gandhi National Open University.

Please hurry up and apply before the deadline, as this is an opportunity that should never escape your notice.

Muhammad Sabiu is a reporter for The Daily Reality and lives in Bauchi State. He can be reached via sabiucnd@gmail.com.

By Bala Muhammad

Every Israeli Prime Minister makes it an article of faith to attack Palestine – both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But as the West Bank is usually led by the compliant and complacent so-called Palestinian Administration of PLO inheritors, it is mainly spared the fury of Israel. But Gaza, the home of HAMAS and Islamic Jihad, always takes the brunt whenever an Israeli leader wants to flex muscle and show ‘manhood’.

With each passing day of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, with each additional death of a child or mother, Muslims worldwide are becoming more militant, more fundamentalist, and more jihadic. This is very ominous for the West, on whose behalf Israel is doing what it is doing.

Samuel Huntington, who died not too long ago, wrote Clash of Civilisations. Now, more than ever before, this Clash is at hand. If there is any cause that unites Muslims today, it is the Palestinian Question; if there is any future war that Muslim youth would gladly join and wage, it would be the Jihad to liberate Al Aqsa, Al Quds and Palestine. But for the Western-propped-up Arab regimes encircling Gaza, many young people would have gone into the Strip to join the martyred army of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

In the matter of HAMAS, Faith will always be Triumphant. Incidentally, The Faith Triumphant is the title of Chapter Eleven in one of the most important books of the Islamic Movement, Ma’alim fit Tariq (Milestones), written by the Movement’s leading intellectual and Martyr, Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) of the Muslim Brotherhood, Ikhwan al Muslimun.

In Milestones, Qutb wrote: “Allah says, ‘Do not be dejected or grieve. You shall be the uppermost if you are Believers’ (3:139). The first thought which comes to mind on reading this verse is that it relates to the form of Jihad, which is actual fighting, but the spirit of this message and its application with its manifold implications is greater and broader than this particular aspect. Indeed, it describes that eternal state of mind that should inspire the believer’s consciousness. It describes a triumphant state which should remain fixed in the believer’s heart in the face of everything, every condition, every standard and every person; the superiority of the Faith.

“It means to be above all the powers of the earth which have deviated from the way of the Faith, above all the values of the earth not derived from the source of faith, above all the customs of the earth not coloured with the colouring of the faith, above all the laws of the earth not sanctioned by the Faith, and above all traditions not originating in the Faith. It means to feel superior to others when weak, few and poor, as well as when strong, many and rich. It means the sense of supremacy which does not give in before any rebellious force.

“Steadfastness and strength on the battlefield are but one expression among many of the triumphant spirit which is included in this statement of Almighty God. The superiority through faith is not a mere single act of will nor a passing euphoria or a momentary passion but is a sense of superiority based on permanent Truth centred on the very nature of existence.

“The person who takes a stand against the direction of the society – its governing logic, its common mode, its values and standards, its ideas and concepts, its error and deviations – will find himself a stranger, as well as helpless, unless his authority comes from a source which is more powerful than the people, more permanent than the earth, and nobler than life.

“Conditions change, the Muslim loses his physical power and is conquered; yet the consciousness does not depart from him that he is most superior. If he remains a Believer, he looks upon his conqueror from a superior position. He remains certain that this is a temporary condition which will pass away and that faith will turn the tide from which there is no escape. Even if death is his potion, he will never bow his head. Death comes to all, but for him, there is martyrdom. He will proceed to the garden while his conquerors go to the fire. What a difference!”

So wrote Sayyid Qutb. Let us now end today’s treatise with the following story on Challenge, the type the Palestinians are facing: “The Japanese love fresh fish. However, the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the catch. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

“To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen, and they did not like frozen fish. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem?

“To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now, they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. Because they are challenged, they kick and protest and ultimately arrive fresh. Or martyred.”

Allah has put a tiny shark (Israel) in the Arab tank. Only some fish called Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah are kicking. The others are frozen stiff. RIP. After all, L. Ron Hubbard once wrote: “Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment.”

May Allah help the Palestinians.

Dr Bala Muhammad wrote from Kano, Nigeria. He can be reached via balamuhammad@hotmail.com.