Opinion

By Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani

The increasing traffic gridlock in Abuja is simply nerve-wracking. A journey that, in normal circumstances, would have taken 30 minutes takes more than an hour now. This has not only caused daily waste of precious man-hours but has also inflicted enormous pain on commuters who have to contend with extra costs at this challenging time of a shrinking economy. It’s not a changing time for Nigeria to borrow a leaf from the developed world. We should not continue suffering since there are long-term and short-term solutions.

To be specific, here are some notable spots where heavy traffic snarls are a constant feature, which unfortunately affects the well-being of the people. They include Mararaba-Nyanya Bus Stop; AYA Roundabout along the Abuja-Keffi corridor; Madala-Zuba-Kubwa-Gwarinpa-Aso Radio Junction, along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor; and Girri Junction-Alaita-City Gate, along the Abuja-Gwagwalada corridor. Indeed, a lot of concern was raised about these notorious traffic hubs. And I can’t believe it if someone tells me the FCT administration is not aware of this development.

To be fair to the FCT minister, he’s trying, though his best is not enough. It’s gruesomely inadequate. We must come to terms with the fact that we’re in the 21st century and that new technology should be put in place to reduce the long-suffering of commuters. The axes mentioned above need to be expanded to accommodate the daily traffic volume.

I’d be willing to bet my bottom dollar that if the FCT administration built “railroad tracks” from end to end of the city, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this unbearable traffic jam would disappear in no time. Both the income and the revenue generation will increase. An uncountable number of commuters will drop their vehicles.

The transportation system will give cheerful colour, beautify the city, and compete with global best practices. Can’t we do these for the benefit of all? But, someone might decide to ask, where should we get the funds? Yes, there it is. Invite investors and strike a Public-Private Partnership. I believe we can do it. Building, operating, and transferring is one of the surest ways of getting it done. 

I urge the FCT administration to look inward and try railway tracks in the city. For instance, the same should be in place in other axes from Zuba to Dey Dey, Kubwa, Dutsen Alhaji Junction, Gwarimpa, Maitama to Mararraba, etc. It would be a life-changing event for both the government and the people. Indeed, this will enhance internally generated revenue and increase work productivity. It will be a win-win for the country.

Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani writes from Abuja. And can also be reached via sen.taju@gmail.com.

By Sadiq Aliyu Waziri

“Education is the key to success” is the cliché that filled our ears to the extent that we got hypnotised and went to school. We have listened and done what was demanded, but success remains a de luxe ethereal dream. Thanks to the system for bringing such a motivational saying down to nothing. Who said it first deserves pity while those that believed should wait for succour. The system’s failure to prove that education is indeed the key has doomed our society with the presence of unemployment, the begetter of revolt. 

The way I see it, the unemployment problem should not be last or penultimate, but the first in the other direction. Every government should tackle its course to building a sound society or salvaging a community endangered by their predecessors, as they will prefer to say it. This and how bad the system is are no longer alluring headlines. Calls and cries have been on the air for a long time. However, the system has turned a deaf ear and refused to act for the absence of patriotism or of acumen or perhaps the two put together.

The number of unemployed youth is alarming, ranging from secondary school certificate holders to second-degree graduates. Everyone’s desperate to secure a good job for survival. But, like it or not, this desperation is putting both the youth and the country at stake, endangering the youth morality and the country’s peace.

My advice to the unemployed youth is, don’t allow your love for a lucrative job to destroy you by leading you to do heinous things or following every fool that promises you a job. What you need is patience. Then, ready yourself for every challenge that is to come. Money and power are not everything. Don’t steal or terrorise anybody or become a ‘pimp’ for not having a job. Unless it is a dream to build a political career, don’t go into it because you think it is the only place to get a job.

I don’t know how or when, but you will secure a job that you crave with or without the help of anyone. As a matter of fact, you do not need to kowtow to anyone to help you get a job so that you won’t be forever in anyone’s debt. So be patient now until the time comes.

Sadiq Aliyu Waziri sent this article via sawaziry@yahoo.com.

By Salihu Sulaiman

Hard work and appreciation are part of human existence at the individual or government level. Appreciations for deeds that are more than worthy of commendation is a form of motivation to spur the individual that is so much appreciated to do even more. And as I will demonstrate it today in this little tribute, I will celebrate this epitome of hope with this accolade. He’s someone whose humanity transcends his friends, families, community members, and even adversaries. 

Alhaji Musa Majia is the subject of my glowing tribute. A seasoned-cum philanthropist born in poverty in the slums of Majia town of Taura local government in Jigawa state but strived and succeeded in business by venturing into his productive money-making schemes. Alhaji Musa, while transiting into that rigorous walks of life and reaching his Eldorado, he has since become a renowned public philanthropist in his unmatched quest to help children born with wooden spoons with whom he shares the same circumstances. 

He’s the modest wealthiest man I know.  He lives a simple life and completely loathes ostentation. Yet, he’s warm around people and always wears his heart on his sleeve. The most self-effacing, in words and action. Someone who always stands through thick and thin, always well-meaning that it always takes him long to lose in anybody. 

Alhaji Musa’s footprints will forever remain in the sand of time and indelible in his hometown of Majia and Jigawa state at large. A man not known to have acquired any conventional tertiary education in any chosen endeavours, by providence, he established the first conventional, integrated, subsidised, well-equipped, highly strategised private University in Jigawa. He named it Khadija University Majia, after his beloved mother. This is a deliberate philanthropic gesture worth commendation. 

However, Alhaji Musa Majia demonstrated the potency of his patriotic favour when he offered automatic scholarships to indigenous Majia candidates who obtained the minimum requirements to gain admission to the university. 50% waiver to Jigawa state indigenous students and 30% waiver to others from Kano state. This commendable initiative will surely encourage and pave the way for willing and determined students who have a passion for furthering their studies but couldn’t afford the tuition due to their various financial constraints. 

Alhaji Musa’s clean-hearted, grass rooted, and inexhaustible philanthropic gestures are too numerous to enumerate extensively. However, he has distinguished life of service to God and humanity in the cause of his life. He continues to reverberate this, especially in his impeccable character, thoroughbred humanity records, and enviable stature.

In all this heroic precedence he has set, he has proved that character, generosity and purpose are the ingredients he needs to deploy in helping back and lending his helping hands to his community. Thus, he provides them with a first-class private institution at their doorsteps to assist the masses in furthering their education and achieving their full potentials in their various life endeavours. Moreover, he displays courage and integrity in contrast to the willingness and opportunism that other equally wealthy people haven’t shown given the similar circumstance. 

An instructive insight on some of his inexhaustible philanthropic gestures would reveal a man who has a consistent and unmatched commitment towards improving the life and well-being of the members of his community. Little wonder how he has distantly distinguished himself from the general culture of the wealthy. On different occasions, he kept his word on the transitions of helping the needy and carried out with utmost transparency with complete blindness to any family lineage or any discrimination. 

Alhaji Musa Majia has overseen the construction and distribution of over 120 houses to people in his community who have no shelter and have sponsored over 40 students to further their studies abroad from 2011 to date. Alhaji Musa has also facilitated the construction of arguably one of Jigawa’s best secondary schools with the tahfiz section known as Adams Science and Tahfizul Quran academy Majia in 2020. It is situated in his hometown of Majia to also aid in realising the full potentials of the willing and talented students of Majia town. 

In job creation, he has facilitated the employment of indigenous youths of Majia town in various professions, especially the bureau de change professions. Many young graduates and non-graduates who have benefitted from his benevolence have excelled in that endeavour and created manpower for other equal contemporaries to curb unemployment in the community. Alhaji Musa has also facilitated the situation of the FRSC division and police division in Majia town to curb the menace of security in the community. 

Additionally, in his generosity, Alhaji Musa has also provided white-collar jobs to numerous Majia youths in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Over a hundred youths were provided with police offers, FRSC civil defence, and other para-military agencies across the country. With also a large farm settlement and a multi-millionaire plaza that employs over 500 workforces.  

This exceptional gesture of establishing a world-class private institution in his hometown of Jigawa earned the commendation of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu. They both describe his efforts as motive born out of patriotism and commend his potency of inherent  Ingenuity, which will be invaluable to the people of Majia, Jigawa and Nigeria. 

From the ongoing and his burgeoning philanthropic trajectories, it is evidently clear that Alhaji Musa Adamu Majia is a man of history. He has left a permanent mark in the annals of his community. He is also a worthy role model and inspiration for many aspiring philanthropists.

Salihu Sulaiman wrote from Dutse. He can be reached via salihusulaiman6540@gmail.com.

By A. A. Bukar

Dear Iroro,
It still touches my heart that you feel entrapped by frustration and desperation as a banker. And hope you will find solace in the fact that this is not your making. Life has an inexplicable way of fixing us where it pleases. That’s what we call destiny, isn’t it? A mysterious power beyond the freedom of our choices.

In the vicissitudes affecting your life and career, I am sure you’ve wondered: what on earth has Chemistry got to do with Banking? I have also thought about it when another mentee recently joined the apex bank of the country with a degree in Linguistics. But remember it wasn’t either your dream to be a chemist, nor of your teachers and mentors. Here’s an exposè on the initial agenda:

Fresh from College, we were entrusted with your intellectual upbringing as freshers in that private secondary school. Unbeknownst to you and our teachers that brought us there, we were equally at a point of self-discovery; with youthful exuberance, spurred by desire and desperation to make impact on our immediate society. Our immediate concern was the state of the general hospital, dearth of health personnel and what to do about it – big as it was and the multitude it supposed to serve, the hospital could not boast of having 3 medical officers whether resident or itinerant then. We were worried by how, for example, when a family member fell sick, we had to rely on a chemist or a ‘family doctor’ who probably had only a certificate in Community Health. For all type of ailments – from malaria, typhoid to child delivery.

So what to do? We started brainstorming with your other teacher – Audu Bulama. Initially we agreed to abandon our NCE certificates and return to a science secondary school, obtain another SSCE and gun for Medicine. This was in spite of my numero-phobia. Upon further discussions, we decided to maintain our charted course but encourage you to pick up the battle on our behalf; on behalf of all. This largely motivated the extraordinary devotion given to your generation. You’d no Saturdays of your weekends. Extracurricular activities, lab practicals and whatnot. The teachers, on the other hand, made the school their second home, passing the night when duty forced. We were gladdened when, after the career talks in which late Dr Gishiwa was involved, many of the finest brains opted for science class. But in no time destiny began to take toll.

First, your headgirl and her friend got married. That was the end. Travails of UME transposed you and the other boys to B.Eds. Now, one of the two Bashirs that graduated with first class in Mathematics is in airforce. You’re in a bank instead of laboratory. Your close friend, Tijjani, a thoroughbred from art class wanted to study Law but ended up with B. A. in Hausa Language. You can always feel how he struggles to suppress his dissatisfaction ever after. Zarah, your overall best in the first session, found her “destiny” in the kitchen! Only your headboy went nearer to fulfilling the dream with a degree in Pharmacy. My sisters, who I similarly encouraged thus, followed the same pattern of career trajectory – Mathematics, Pharmacy, Medical Imaging Technology and so on.

Dear Iroro, you’re not alone. We were all at this crossroads of dilemma and indecision in the process of evolution. Sometimes due to lack of choice or due to multiplicity of choices. In 2007 I got two admission offers to study B. Sc Mass Communication (100 level) or B. Ed English (200 level) at Bayero University. For obvious reasons I registered for Mass Communication. But before lectures could start, my friend Musa Lawan Kaku , who was doing his double honors in English and Islamic Studies, began to take me to the exciting classes of Prof. Saleh Abdu, IBK and Mustapha Muhammad. I instantly found home and wanted to switch over. We even went to the admin. block with Usman Abdullahi making inquiries on how my registration in Mass Communication could be converted to English. When they said the ink had dried, we, in desperation, asked further whether new registration was possible – that meant a forfeiture of the former. When, along the way, I placed a call on your proprietor (who was my teacher and mentor), Dr AbdulRahman, with regards to this I found consolation and wisdom in his advice. His argument was our community had teachers in excess, dividend of the CoE in the locality but not so journalists. Thus I remained. Happy thereafter, grateful for ever.

Enthused by my editorship of our departmental newspapers and magazines, I kept an eye on practice after graduation. But destiny took me elsewhere. NYSC posting took me closer home – where I was to teach Hausa (another irony) in a Jigawa state village school. Dissatisfied; without any prodding from anyone; without knowing anyone, I ventured into a nearby College of Legal/Islamic Studies requesting to be given a part time job in Mass Communication to kill the idleness precipitated by my posting. After brief perusal of my CV, the provost, Sheikh (now Dr.) Muhammad Al-khamis looked up and said: “Abubakar, we will give you a full time job. We are looking for people like you…” In the voice of Wajahat Ali, “That’s how they (read: destiny) pulled me back to classroom”. Grateful for ever.

But let me be very blunt here. Nurtured to be one, I know I will remain a teacher. But a decade or more in my life was intended for journalism practice before reverting to the classroom. That reminds one of Peter Nazareth or some other literary critics who said Ngugi wa Thion’go, the Kenyan writer, was a village writer. By that he meant Ngugi’s setting has always been village. Even if he starts his story in the city, rest assured he will end up in a village. That’s me with teaching. My friend, Barr. Maidugu Abubakar, once said teaching is just like cultism – obsessing. Axiomatic.

In May 2018, just few months after my Master’s degree, I met with the bureau chief of a leading national daily at a function. We struck a discussion wherein I revealed to him my itching for practice and even told him that I was currently earning a little above hundred thousand in my lecturing job; if they could give me the equivalent I would join them. He looked up in suprise, telling me how he’s on the other hand eager and lobbying to be a lecturer. Note: months earlier than this ABU Zaria had began beckoning. Details some other day. Such an irony.

More ironic about journalism is that while those who have university degrees in it often find themselves elsewhere, those who studied other things find themselves in it. When we reflected over this with my final year students recently, one of them retorted that “It’s because there is no money in practice. That’s why we prefer marketing aspect of it – Advertising or Public Relations”. In recent times Political PR, probably, to be singing “Napoleon is always right.” Remembered Squealer? This in itself is the end target of many veterans in the field; which affects the overall quality of journalistic output currently, sadly.

Now back to you once again. Was your inability to study Medicine an intransmutable destiny? I doubt. Increasingly I see things more from the prism of political economy nowadays. Suppose we liased with a sympathetic powerful politician or a certain influential rich man in the community – since it’s said with anything from 500k such admission offers could be obtained. This is Nigeria! Achebe’s aphorism in “A Man of the People is starker than ever!” The issue is that most of us brought up in this tradition (of knowledge generation and dissemination) were conditioned to see politicians as dirty filthy selfish do-no-gooders. Again, don’t ask me whether it’s right or wrong to bribe for admission offers in this regard. It is a matter of intense debate and disagreement between teleologists and deontologists in Ethics philosophy.

It might have stunned you either that my generation in the community can boast of only a medical laboratory scientist – the cerebral Alwali. Well, ours was largely a victim of educational policy somersaults that excised Sciences during our days and left the Arts students with no option but be boarders once interested in it. And with apathetic parents that were like “just go to this your Boko school and come back to write receipts in the shop”, the outcome is apparent. They were partly so for you will be shocked if you’re told what the take home of a graduate civil servant (read: teacher) was in the ’90s. It was a point in time also when the whole locality had no a single private school that could provide the alternative. You think Boko Haram found ground for nothing? Much a commingle of cultural, economic and doctrinal factors. In the Jigawa village school where I did my “service”, pupils disappeared to farm and never returned for after-break-fast classes. Reason? Parental inducement and priority. So much to talk about which makes this a roller coaster of some sort.

I have intended intimating you on the WHEN question on marriage at this stage. A character in Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace would tell you after accomplishing all goals – an AOB in the agenda of your life. How reasonable and practicable this is, we discuss later inter alia.

With the proliferation of degree awarding institutions in the locality, we will soon start grappling with how to contend with graduates bulge. I hope one day someone will fish out your likes with strong science background and place them on scholarship for a second first degree in where the community has the most pressing need. Meanwhile keep your eye on a foreign one – especially for a post graduate degrees. That opens windows for unimaginable opportunities. Sorry for writing you this: So Long a Letter. It is coming while completing Anne Frank’s Diary on transit, and made open perchance your type herein will stumble, benefit, or relate. At least.

A. A. Bukar writes from ABU Zaria, Department of Mass Communication.

By Umar Haruna Tami

I am still jealous of his passion for knowledge in his life. From Literature-in-English to entrepreneurship, you can spend several hours discussing the trends in these fields with him without losing interest in the discussion. And what strengthens my jealousy is his ability to put the knowledge into practice for the benefit of himself and the development of society as a whole. This, I understand, is the reason why he has been teaching for over two decades.

Rising from primary and secondary school teacher to the assistant director of education in the Local Education Authority and as communication officer at NBAIS, these years of experience have prepared him to teach at various higher learning institutions. He has taught in various colleges of education and the Al-Qalam University, Katsina.

Dr Ibrahim Hassan teaches in the department of Islamic Studies, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina. There, he devotes his intellect to imparting knowledge to the younger ones who, I believe, are lucky to have a dedicated lecturer who is versed in Qur’an education, Hadiths and Islamic Shari’ah. Given that he is blessed with the ability to dissect complex issues found in Islamic Shari’ah, where he specialised at the PhD level, it is understandable that his journey into academia is the best way to impact society.

In this struggle, he becomes the first coordinator of the institute of Qur’anic Studies in Funtua. The institution is affiliated with the Institute of Education, A.B.U Zaria. This makes him the first person to establish an institution of learning in the whole Katsina State that is affiliated to A.B.U Zaria.

Again, he pioneered Abdullahi Aminchi College of Advanced Studies in 2012 with a budget of less than three hundred thousand naira. The school has now graduated over three thousand students, with many furthering their education to degrees and master degrees. In addition, he has co-founded other diploma programs such as Justice Mamman Nasir College of Legal Studies and a diploma program in Cherish Dual Mode University.

I marvel a lot at his commitments and achievements in education. It’s believed that giving education to people is equal to giving them hope for living a better life. However, in a selfish society, such as the one we live in today, people like this are blessed with the courage to work hard to see that education becomes the reason people succeed. Understanding this, Dr Ibrahim has been going to the length of sponsoring the people that lack the resources to get an education. In fact, he has sponsored a large part of my undergraduate education, to which I am forever grateful.

In my interactions with him, I have realised that living one’s life with purpose is the surest way to greatness. And it is for this purpose one can make extraordinary impacts in the society in which he lives. Observing him, I have also come to understand that altruism keeps a society’s wheels of development in motion and that once we learn that our salvation from the threats of failure depends solely on the salvation of the other members of the society. Therefore, we have to build a solid foundation that would allow us to live in peace and harmony.

He has good ways of motivating people to take responsibility for their lives and look at the world from different angles. While he believes that every graduate can succeed through decent education, he motivates people to pursue entrepreneurship. My last encounter with him has changed the way I see the world in many ways by simply asking me what struggle to make my ends meet I am into. The question had instantly sent ripples in my mind, and I began to reflect deeply on what purpose my existence in the family of eleven children suppose to serve.

Our society struggles to find its bearing in this disrupted economy and social order. And what’s left for us if we are genuinely aiming to restore the sense that our society used to have? It is to work hard and effectively to ensure that we open doors of opportunity to the younger ones to get a good education which will give the other parts of the society the chance to work accordingly for brighter social health. Dr Ibrahim Hassan is a model for teachers to work with this purpose.

Umar Haruna Tami writes from Funtua, Katsina State, and can be reached through umartami1996@gmail.com.

By Adamu Bello Mai-Bodi

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honouring one of the early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. Later on, the tradition becomes a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many world regions, including some Muslim communities (Mostly unaware of what they celebrate). But, Saint Valentine’s Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. In addition, many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate the day.

In my view, Muslims have no business celebrating this day. Moreover, a Saudi cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Al-‘Arifi, said on Valentine’s Day, “Celebrating this holiday constitutes bid’a—a forbidden innovation and deviation from religious law and custom and mimicry of the West.” Besides, Islam is all about showing love and humility every day, not only on February 14.

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentine honoured on February 14 is Valentine of Rome (Valentinus Presb. Mart). He was a priest in Rome and martyred in 269. That was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Gelasius I in 496 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The relics of Saint Valentine were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome and later in Santa Prassede, which remained an important pilgrim site for Christians.

In The Dictionary of Christianity, J.C. Cooper writes that Saint Valentine was “a priest of Rome who was imprisoned for succouring persecuted Christians.” It states that Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by the Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Consequently, he was executed.

However, before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing Julia, the blind daughter of Emperor Asterius. As a result, the Emperor’s daughter and his forty-six member household (family members and servants) came to believe in Jesus and were baptized. That upset the Emperor even more.

So, on the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he is supposed to have written the first “valentine” card himself, addressed to the daughter of his jailer, Asterius, who was no longer blind, and signing it as “Your Valentine.” The expression, “from your Valentine”, was later adopted by modern Valentine’s letters. 

With the concatenations mentioned above, it is not rocket science to understand that Valentine’s Day is strictly a Christian affair.

Adamu Bello Mai-Bodi wrote from NPA Quarters, Apapa, Lagos. 

By Mukhtar Jarmajo

Aside from the fact that boarding secondary school provides the ground for moral and academic excellence, it is also a platform for socialization. People of different backgrounds in terms of social class, religion, culture and even thoughts converge in one place, of course from different corners of the country, to mingle as they work and walk towards civilization. It was undoubtedly for the above and many other reasons that on October 2, 1999, we all converged in Hassan Ibrahim Gwarzo Secondary Schools, Kano. We were there to pursue knowledge in a journey of self-search with the hope that in the end, we will make a responsible community from which society will benefit.

And so it happened, through time, we endured all the rigours and the backbreaking toil that come with the boarding school environment and with the challenges of learning, especially in a setting that the late Prof. Ibrahim Alƙali Ayagi managed. In aiming for excellence, Ayagi always raised the bar for promotion to the next class. From the policy that a student must pass all core science subjects to mathematically create the formula which postulated that the average of a student’s cumulative scores must be higher than that of the class before promotion, Ayagi kept us on our toes throughout the time. 

And for senior secondary classes, it was the famous Operation Credit Only (OCO). One morning in 2003, the boys and the girls in senior secondary classes gathered for a combined assembly. Prof. Ayagi used the opportunity to announce the new policy that the least acceptable score for us was a credit. He also announced that from that day, the SS2 and SS3 syllabuses would be covered in SS2. So that in SS3, it will be “revision, revision and revision only.” And to achieve this, we had classes during evening preps and during holidays in what was referred to as “extension classes.” 

And true to it, the efforts of the school management, as well as our commitment and doggedness, paid off. As a result, the school began to have better JAMB/WAEC/NECO results. Thus by the time we obtained our O’ Level results in 2005, it was the best at that time. Both the JAMB and SSCE results were commendable. Hence, that year, O’ Level holders from Hassan Ibrahim Gwarzo Secondary Schools got unprecedented placements in universities worldwide. 

Many of us got admission to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi. Murli Mahmood, Shaheeda Abdullahi Umar, Ismail Umar (Ashaka), Amina Ahmad Usman, Abdulhafiz Nuhu Ahmad, Rahanatu Ahmad Aliyu, Umar Saidu Abashe, Abdulqadir Hussaini Mukhtar, Salamatu Bashir Dogara, Usman Nagado Usman, Abdullahi Farouk Bello and I got admissions into various departments. But as providence would have it, few left the university for other schools for one reason or the other. 

Murli Attaib Mahmood left for Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, to continue studying Geology, which he started at ATBU. He later obtained a Bachelor’s degree there, and after the compulsory national youth service (NYSC), Murli Mahmood joined the services of the Bauchi State Judiciary some years ago. He got married last year (2021) and died on January 8. Innalillahi wa inna alaihir ra ji un! 

In the early hours of that fateful day and on the Maiduguri bypass in Bauchi, Murli Mahmood got involved in a fatal auto crash. It happened at the Ramadan Press junction that links the bypass with the ever-busy Murtala Muhammed way. Murli Mahmood came from Awala Roundabout, which is on the bypass. And while trying to crossover to move into Murtala Muhammed way, a commercial bus came from the popular Gidan-Mai Roundabout, heading towards Awala Roundabout, only to hit Murli’s car on the passenger side. 

And because of the high speed with which the commercial bus came, Murli, who was on the driving wheel, could not withstand the intensity of the pressure exerted on him. As a result, he sustained internal injuries and almost immediately succumbed to death. On arrival at the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), medical personnel confirmed his death. That was how he left without saying goodbye to us. 

The last time we spoke was on January 3. He called me on the phone around 8 pm for consultation on his intention to participate in the elections of the Bauchi State chapter of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). Murli told me that he wanted to contest either the seat of the Treasurer or that of the Chairman. After a lengthy discussion, I advised him to go for the Chairmanship position. However, we concluded that the final decision would be made when he sat with his father. I then requested that I be made a member of the Campaign Council even though I don’t belong to the JUSUN. 

From then, the next thing that came to me was the news of Murli’s shocking death. After the early morning prayers on January 8, I tuned in BBC Hausa 06:30 am program. While listening, I slept off only to wake up a few minutes later to realize I missed 11 calls, mainly from Ismail Umar (Ashaka). When I called back, he broke the sad news to me. I immediately broke the news in the WhatsApp group of the Class of 2005, jumped out of bed and rushed to the Gida-Dubu estate where Murli Mahmood resided. 

Before I got there, his lifeless body was already home, and it was being bathed in accordance with Islamic rites. I profusely cried when I saw Muhammad Ma’amun (Baban-Bauchi), one of his closest elder cousins, preparing Murli’s body for funeral prayers. It certainly took a lot of courage for him to be there, especially because they have, over time, metamorphosed into friends. It was through Murli we knew Baban-Bauchi. His elder brother, Aslam and younger brother, Asdaq, were also around. But I did not see both of them close to Murli’s body. One can imagine the grief that weathered the time. It was unquestionably a moment of heartache, so the atmosphere was tense. 

At 1 pm, the Janaaza prayer took place, and Murli Attaib Mahmood was buried. He was a man of the people who related very well with us. He was a friend maker who maintained cordial relationships with almost everyone in his network. We have indeed lost a true friend who never failed to be present in our times of need. I have lost a friend of about 20 years who grew up to become a family. I have also lost my “political opponent.” We hardly stood on the same political side. Therefore, in most cases, we debated our points to buttress our stands. Meanwhile, I must acknowledge that Murli`s political and socio-economic views were based on his genuine concerns for a better society. I have indeed lost a friend and brother!

May the soul of Murli Mahmood rest in eternal peace. Ameen!

Jarmajo can be reached via dattuwamanga@gmail.com.

By Ibraheem Abdullateef

Late last year, Nigerian media was awash with my statement of appeal to the two biggest political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on the review of nomination form fees for office-seekers under 35 years old in the 2023 elections, to deepen inclusion, and strengthen national democracy. Weeks later, none of these parties has made any official statement on the matter. We must sustain the tempo until the cause is achieved. 

The review of nomination form fees by APC and PDP is urgent to strengthen our democracy, encourage diversity, and foster youths’ inclusion in politics and leadership. It is socially, economically, and politically unhealthy to retain the same table used in 2019 for the 2023 elections. 

In the 2019 elections, PDP sold their gubernatorial expression of interest and nomination forms for N1 million and N20 million, respectively.

Reports also show that PDP charged N12 million for both the expression of interest and nomination form for the Office of the President, N3.5million for Senate, N2.5million for House of Representatives, and N600,000 for the House of Assembly.

In a similar vein, the gubernatorial expression of interest and nomination form of the ruling APC attracted N2.5 million and N20 million, respectively. 

It also sold for N5 million the expression of interest and N40 million for nomination form for the Office of President, N7 million for Senate, N3.5million for House of Representatives, and N850,000, for the House of Assembly.

It is most worrisome that these political parties retained the fees in the recently held Anambra elections, Ekiti primaries, and others in 2022.

While I understand that funds accrued from the sale of forms remain a serious source of funding its operations, the decision of the parties to make young people pay the same fees as more established office-seekers is unfair and inconsistent with emerging realities in modern democracies. 

As it stands today, the exorbitant fees for nomination forms are mitigating against the legitimate ambition of over 65% of credible, capable young Nigerians to run for elective offices. It also encourages corruption and godfatherism; fuels the orgy for violent, do-or-die electoral practices while deepening the gap between the rich and have-nots in our society. No party must retain those crazy fees for the 2023 elections. 

Data about the 2019 elections released by YIAGA showed that only 8.6% (68 members) of 991 seats in the 36 State House of Assemblies and 6.8% of 360 members of the House of Representatives were under 35 and below.

Although youth candidacy in Nigeria’s elections rose from 21% to 34.2 % (13.5 per cent of the candidates vied for the Senate, and 27.4 per cent for the House of Representatives), the fact is that buoyed by the Age Reduction Act, Nigeria could have recorded better youths participation under a more favourable party system. This shows that the demography that constitutes over 60% of the registered voters in the country has literally had no place in Nigeria’s democracy. 

From 1999 to date, the abysmal record of youths participation in politics is a direct effect of our mega parties, PDP and APC’s weak commitment to youths inclusion agenda. Despite the notable efforts of #NotTooYoungToRun in improving eligibility, affordability of the political system reduction in nomination fees is key to unlocking the space for young Nigerians. This is why these parties need to decide now to show over 80 million Nigerian youths they genuinely believe in them and are the best platforms for the Nigeria Project. 

It no longer sells the stories about the non-participation of young people in politics. What is new is the understanding that there has been no space for them in the leadership. From communication to organising, and even campaigns, they have always been involved at different levels. But, with a lack of deliberate intra-party youths-friendly policies, Nigerian political parties are meant to attract seasonal voters, not future leaders.

Let me state that I am aware that the PDP and APC constitutions give women a 50% cut in regular fees for nomination forms and find that applaudable. But I cannot understand in 2022 why the same constitution would make no provision for the youths, especially after the #EndSARS struggle and the global youths renaissance, to encourage young Nigerians’ dreams and passion for the motherland. Nigerian youths deserve a 60% cut in fees. 

With our sheer numerical strength and globally acclaimed talent and industry, Nigerian youths do not deserve this strategic exclusion and alienation from democracy from the parties that average Nigerian youths consider as platforms of choice. The message this passes inadvertently is that they are not much wanted, accepted, and treasured, as is usually parroted. And seriously, this is a bad curve on our political values that must be reset immediately by the parties. It is time to match words with actions. 

When these constitutions are reviewed, I have absolute faith that they will positively change leadership selection, becoming instrumental to the clamour to ingest energy and innovation to national leadership. There is no doubt of Nigerian youths’ abilities to lead and make impacts to accelerate the growth and development of the nation. 

I appeal earnestly to the leadership of these parties to stop this alienation, review and reduce the fees for the nomination form for office-seekers below 35 years of age in the 2023 elections. It is the ultimate way to reciprocate the love and loyalty, maximise the talent and energy of the youths constituency, to promote inclusion, peace and development of Nigeria. 

Abdullateef is the Kwara Central Representative in the Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP) 5th Assembly. He can be reached via ibraheemabdullateef09@gmail.com.

By Aminu Rabiu Kano

Historically, the mass media, both print and electronic, has presented threats and opportunities to different socio-economic and political classes. Thus, it has always been a target for control, influence and manipulation by aristocrats, religious authorities and politicians. This pinpoints the preponderance of the mass media in human societies worldwide. Nevertheless, the role the mass media plays, the importance it assumes, and the influence it exercises are determined mainly by the prevailing political arrangement in a particular country.

Characteristically, democratic governments globally have a good relationship with the media houses in their home countries. In these countries, mass media plays a vital role in informing citizens on issues of national interest. Most importantly, the mass media serves as a watchdog of society by holding the government accountable in all aspects of governance. In Nigeria, the mass media has enjoyed some constitutional protections since the return to civil democratic rule in 1999. To buttress this point, section 22 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) states that “the press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained…..and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.”

Despite the constitutional provisions enjoining the mass media to, at all times, be free to hold the government accountable for its actions and inactions as the case may be, the mass media has never been free in Nigeria. Several instances of crackdowns on media outlets have been reported in the past. Recently, the Federal government of Nigeria, through its regulatory agency, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), shut down a discussion program segment of the Vision Radio FM in Abuja. The government regulatory body cited national security as the reason behind the shutdown. Additionally, the government fined the radio station a sum of five million naira.

But in reality, the discussion program titled “Idon Mikiya” convenes reputable journalists and experts who, thrice a week, meet to discuss and critically evaluate the government’s policies and programs. The program is prominent for its constant and sharp critique of government actions perceived to be against the public interest. Remarkably, its presenters were recently heard exposing the incompetency and corruption of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director-general, Rufa’I Ahmad.

Naturally, the government may not be happy, especially since elections are fast approaching. Thus, with its anti-democratic posture, the tendency to severely deal with any person or group of persons exposing its inadequacies or loopholes is high. But this poses a severe threat to the nation’s efforts at consolidating democratic governance.

First, as explained above, the mass media is a building block of any democratic society. Thus, any attempt to weaken them is tantamount to jeopardizing democratic governance. Second, as nefarious as it appears, this action of government will make the international community lose confidence in the Nigerian state and its political institutions, especially if this continues. Third, the government’s decision will inevitably send some bad signal to other media outlets, especially those brutal in telling the truth to powers that be.

Finally, in a situation whereby a media outlet is censured for exposing the incompetence and corruption of those in power, one may ask what is happening to the same government’s commitment to fighting corruption and getting rid of all parasites in the government.

Aminu Rabiu Kano is a political analyst and public affairs commentator. He can be reached at arabiukano@gmail.com.

By Aliyu Yakubu Yusuf

Unless you don’t follow European football, you might have seen a viral video of a man of black ancestry kicking and slapping a cat inside what appears to be an apartment. That man is a French, West Ham footballer, Kurt Zouma. Since that video came to public consciousness, Zouma has been in the eye of the storm. When writing this article, more than 250,000 people have signed a petition calling for Zouma’s prosecution on account of animal abuse. And if that were to happen, he may be facing up to a 4-year prison sentence.

Again, Adidas, the famous German multinational sportswear conglomerate, have terminated their contract with him. And to add insult to injury, his club has fined him his two weeks’ wages. Of course, what Zouma did is indefensible in its entirety. As vulnerable as they are, animals, too, need to be protected from our cruelty. However, I believe that the whole incidence is being blown out of proportion.

When I first read the news, I assumed it was just another mundane story that would naturally wane away in a matter of days. But seeing how the story was trending on all news platforms, I quickly visited YouTube to watch the video. My impression at the time was of Zouma being overly aggressive towards the animal. This is largely down to the sensational headlines across several media outlets. After viewing the video carefully, I observed that the player was not violent towards the pet cat. His kick was just a mild one, attempting to chase the animal away. But is this the first time the Western media maltreat Blacks? No.

In 2013, the then Liverpool striker, Luis Suarez, was accused of racially insulting former Manchester United captain Patrice Evra. Suarez unequivocally admitted to using the word ‘negro’ (a term with a racist undertone) to refer to Evra. At that time, no one launched any petitions against Suarez. On the contrary, his Liverpool teammates even donned a commemorative shirt to support him, alleging that his remarks against Evra were taken out of context. And coincidentally, Suarez was also an Adidas player. However, Adidas felt no need to terminate Suarez’s sponsorship deal. Instead, they sent him a toothless warning, asking him to watch his future behaviour.

Similarly, Eden Hazard once kicked a ball boy and was only fined a paltry £250,000 and never lost his sponsorship. Harry Maguire was convicted for human assault and bribery in Greece but received only a suspended prison sentence. He neither lost his Manchester United captaincy nor any of his sponsorship deals as a result. These incidents beg the question, ‘is animal abuse more serious in Europe than human rights abuse’? Have all these events transpired the way they did because Suarez, Hazard and Maguire are all white, while both Evra and Zouma are blacks?

From Samuel Eto’o, Emile Heskey and Peter Odemwingie to Daniel Alves, Franck Kessie, and Raheem Sterling, the list of Europe-based black players subjected to monkey chants is endless. Ironically, sometimes the racist abuses were done by supporters of the very clubs for whom the players ply their trade. However, no clubs were ever punished by points deduction or even a severe fine to make the mean-spirited fans behave appropriately. No arrests, no stadium bans for the culprit and nothing. Compare this to another event late last year involving West Ham fans who were filmed on a plane chanting anti-Semitic songs at a Jewish man as he was boarding the plane. That incident generated wide condemnation. All the fans involved were promptly arrested. West Ham issued a public statement that squarely condemns all the perpetrators. A similar incident happened to a Chelsea fan who posted anti-Semitic tweets directed at a Tottenham player. He, too, was promptly arrested and prosecuted.

I am happy about how fans on Twitter quickly pointed out the hypocrisy of Adidas. This is a corporation that specialises in producing shoes from animals’ hides. Which animal has ever granted anyone permission to kill it and use its hide to make shoes? Who draws a line between right and wrong as far as animals are concerned? And where are the animal rights agitators when riders use canes (made from animal skin) to whip animals during horse racing? Besides, who has ever sought approval from any animal before he rides on it?

Look, I am not out to defend Zouma. He undoubtedly made a mistake, and that is beyond doubt. I only want to point out the double standard that has trailed this incident. Black players in Europe are adjudged on a different set of criteria. When they are racially insulted, they expect to look the other way and not be overdramatic or create an unnecessary scene. They are always expected to exhibit good behavioural conduct or risk facing social stigma. The mantra of ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander’ does not apply to footballers of the black race.

Aliyu is a lecturer at the Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via aliyuyy@gmail.com.