Opinion

By Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani

As long as ignorance becomes the norm, insecurity, instability, lawlessness, and all sorts of violence will continue to erode, escalate, and nibble in every nook and cranny of Nigeria. According to statistics, the country has spent 6 trillion Naira on defence over the last ten years, with no end in sight. 

If a small fraction of this enormous sum of money had been spent on training the young people in the forest, the result would have been positive, with greater output and revenue for the country. Likewise, if herders were taught to raise cattle like Brazilians, Americans, and the rest of the industrialised world, the result would have been productive enough to cover the country’s domestic demands while increasing our foreign reserve.

Multiple flaws in the country’s administrative system and social values appear to be the source of these archaic sorts of violence. The federal government seems to have lost effective control over the North-West, particularly in relation to bandits and cattle rustlers, who have become more militarised and destructive in their operations, which have destroyed a significant portion of the economy and resulted in the deaths of an untold number of people with impunity. Lack of knowledge and cultural orientation are the causes of many forms of violence and insecurity. Education is the key to showcasing the human psyche’s behaviour pattern.

In fact, the vicious cycle of violence perpetrated by these hoodlums, murderers, and godless animals stands condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians. However, this shouldn’t allow us to forget that they are Nigerians who deserve a better life with the expectation of contributing their quarter to the country’s development. Unfortunately, they are brainwashed to take up arms against the state. Positive outcomes would have been much more likely if they had received adequate education.

These pastoralists are within our communities. It baffles me that ballot boxes reach them during elections, but they are hardly seen where Western and Islamic education is being taught. Perhaps they are considered second class citizens, but their ignorance has affected everyone in Nigeria. Only when they are well-informed educationally they can rationalise reasonably and be softhearted people who find it hard to deny any boon, whether it be for a friend or stranger or just general feelings towards humanity. 

Lastly, I would like to appeal to the government to consider educating these folks to reintegrate them into society. Thus, the hostility they have towards the Nigerian populace would indeed vanish, and innovations would emerge that could be of immense benefit to not only our country but the ‘world’ in general.

 Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani writes from Galadima Mahmud Street, kasuwar-Kaji Azare, Bauchi state.

By Muhammad Sagir Bauchi

Adam Smith, in “Wealth of Nations”, while discussing what he tagged as “Canon of Taxation”, outlines some principles he describes as “Principles of Good Taxation”. These principles include fairness, certainty, convenience and efficiency. By the principle of fairness, he meant that the taxpayer’s condition should be considered before enforcing tax on him; this is in addition to the ability of the taxpayer to pay the tax. By certainty, the taxpayer should be informed on why he needs to pay his tax and how such taxes are levied on him. By the convenience, he refers to how the taxpayer finds the process of paying the tax as easy as it is. The final principle of efficiency described how the tax payment should have no negative effect on the distribution of resources in the economy.

In a short story, a man came to someone and asked him, “what should I be giving you every day?” He replied: “Sand”. So, as requested, whenever he meets that person, he picks up sand on the ground and hands it over to him. 

One day, that man came to him to collect the sand, but he looked at him abruptly and said, “Why can’t you bend down and fetch it by yourself? Why should I be giving you what you can have if you work hard?”

Recently, there has been an uproar between Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and Ekiti State Government. As a result, the state government came up with a law regulating Value Added Tax (VAT) collection. With the new law, the Ekiti state government will have absolute power to utilise the VAT generated from that state instead of the usual remittance to the Federation Account! Ab initio, a State high court granted an order to the Ekiti government to move on with their new VAT policy since they have already enacted a law to that effect. Still, a move by the FIRS through the Appeal Court blocked Ekiti State Government from putting the law into effect.

In the beginning, the will to challenge the Federal Government on VAT collection by the states was spearheaded by a single state. Still, by looking at the fruition that may come out from the success of such a legal battle, some states from the South-South joined Ekiti in the suit, thereby sending their representative to the Appellate Court.

Before going further, we need to understand what VAT refers to; for that, we will shed more light on the desperation and motives of these states to have the right to deduct VAT within the economy of their states.

According to FIRS, VAT is “a consumption tax paid when goods are purchased and services rendered“  to this, “all goods produced within or imported into the country are taxable except those specifically exempted by the VAT act”.The authorities responsible for the deduction of the VAT are; indigenous companies with non-resident companies within the country; government ministries, statutory bodies and other agencies of government; and companies operating in the oil and gas sector. These are the statutory bodies saddled with the responsibility of deducting the VAT in Nigeria.

From 2016-2020, Nigeria recorded more than five trillion naira from VAT deduction, but surprising, about three point nine trillion of that amount came from Ekiti and Lagos State. And as usual, the whole amount was shared between the three tiers of government with some amount given to the FIRS for its VAT deduction services! Naturally, human beings are similar to those two people mentioned that one gives sand and the other received, which at the end one expressed tiredness. 

Sentiment aside, it is hard to imagine how a state or region would work diligently harnessing such a hefty amount, in which, in the end, it will be shared with others that contributed little out of it.

Before discovering oil in commercial quantity, the Northern Region of Nigeria was the main contributor to GDP growth, which means that the agricultural sector was the primary source of foreign exchange to the country. But today, despite the contribution of agriculture to the GDP, Northern States rely primarily on what is given from the federation account. Today, it is no longer a secret that only some few Northern states can stand on their own to pay their workers salaries and wages, fulfil their financial commitments, not to mention financing their annual budgets. Most of them would go broke and insolvent if the federal government decided to withhold their monthly allocation for a single month!

To some analysts, the action of Ekiti and Lagos State Governments is nothing but a display of absolute selfishness. Still, to me, it is nothing but expressing their worth and importance to their counterparts.

Amidst this VAT controversy, a new statistical report on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the 36 states of the federation for the fiscal year of 2020 was released. Lagos State is topping the list with about 418bn, Rivers with 117bn and Delta as the third. The report stated that only two Northern States are among the top 10 states with highest IGR, that’s Kaduna and Kano State. And it is not surprising since Kano is the commercial hub of the North. But, surprisingly, even the commercial nerve of the North is generating less IGR than Kaduna. Are commercial activities taking place in Kaduna greater than that of Kano? This shows that there’s transparency and accountability in Kaduna state more than that of Kano.

If one analyses that IGR statistical report and the five-year VAT table, he will weep for the sorry state of the northern states! And the implications of the possible ruling favouring those two states (Ekiti and Lagos) by the Appellate Court against the federal tier, then not only the northern states, but the remaining 34 states would find themselves in deep economic crises.

Then, what should the Northern policymakers do to improve their IGR and move away from dependence on monthly federal allocation?

I foresee a bright future for the northern states out of this development if only their policymakers pursue policies with a serious positive impact on the income of its majority (who are peasant farmers) other than policies that could only favour the wealthy and those in the government. For instance, if the agricultural sector will be given proper attention, thereby coming up with policies that could boost commercial farming through accessibility to quick/soft agro related loans, hybrid seeds with the ability to stand these ever-changing climatic conditions, mechanised farming equipment, setting up subsidised agro-allied chemical industries in the region, provision of good accessible roads connecting all the remote areas, all year round farming and a fair export zones, with these, its unemployed youths will surely seize that opportunity and venture into agro-businesses without looking up to the government for job opportunities in the government sector. But imagine an agricultural intervention program meant to cushion farmers difficulties is deeply flawed in I don’t care attitude of government officials, deliberate delays and nepotism, in the end, such interventions may not meet the majority of farmers on time!

Other regions in Nigeria cannot feed themselves without the support of the Northern farmers. So, why should we be panicking when they try to withhold their money? Why can’t the North stand up and bring out those opportunities? 

Despite the insecurity in almost all parts of the Northern region, one fact that can never be denied is that the area is blessed with arable land, enough for cultivating in dry and rainy seasons. Therefore, adequate farming inputs and machinery should be provided, either in loans or at a subsidised rate by the Northern states governments.

Curbing insecurity is another point that all the governors of the 19 northern states should work hand-in-hand to achieve.

Senators, Representatives and States Assembly members should focus on things that harmonise them with their governors to formulate policies that will boost their states IGR, rather than engage in their usual political war, which deprives millions of citizens of opportunities that may bring development to their livelihood and the region at large.

The impact of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in boasting every economy can never be neglected in every sound economy. But in northern Nigeria, those SMEs are either forced to shut down due to unfriendly tax policies or poor environment to carry out their activities. So, those SMEs should be given more reason to be alive than to seize to exist, thereby granting them soft loans with zero interest or a low interest rate and a friendly environment to carry out their activities.

Most of those states with high IGR have different means of gathering or sourcing revenue within their states. But in the North, both the tax collectors and taxpayers are not up to their responsibility. Therefore, a transparent and professional agency should be enacted in every state with the sole aim of creating awareness on the importance of paying tax, why they should be taxed and the transparent manner in which their tax is utilised.

Lastly, the principle of fairness, certainty, convenience and efficiency should be put into practice to generate more tax to boost IGR for those states.

Sagir writes from Bauchi State and can be reached via ibrahimsagir1227@gmail.com and 07019718681.

By Habib Sani Galadima

I was one of the persons that took social media (SM) as a joke. I used to think that SM was only for chatting with family and friends. I thought that one could not build a career or improve oneself there except if they belong to a small group of people who obtained certificates and special skills abroad.

I was scrolling down my Facebook timeline on a particular Friday night in 2019 when I got a post by Ibrahyim Elcaleel. He was jokingly talking about LinkedIn. I did not know anything about the platform, so I hurriedly went to check it on Google. I read the information about it until I was convinced to create an account with them.

Honestly, I didn’t take the platform seriously, for I didn’t even put a profile picture, let alone my academic details there. Coincidentally, in the first quarter of 2020, I read three articles, in a row, of late Prof. Ali Muhammad Garba, Mal. Muhsin Ibrahim and Dr Adamu Tilde advising youths to learn skills. One of these articles attempted to convince people to add the skills to their SM profiles.

Before then, I thought that only people who go to the highest level in many aspects of life beautify their profiles. So, doing that by an average translator like me is an exaggeration. In my experience, the only things I know that I could beat my chest to reference are two translation projects from Amnesty International and Al-Qalam University, Katsina State, and a few more from some national companies that need not be mentioned.

Still, I know that I have some writing skills, mainly translation, but I do have not many certificates to create a pretty CV to be read like a journal. Nevertheless, the late Prof. Ali Muhammad Garba said something that rehabilitated my conscience to move forward, thus: “There is the difference – between knowledge and skill. The former says you are aware of it, while the latter says you can do it. Which one do employers seek or value? The former is evidenced by a certificate (of attendance. The latter is evidenced by ability (buried in the anecdotal stories and case examples). Both are valuable, but one (skill) even more so. One addresses the question of “What?”, the other addresses the question of “How?”

Reading those articles by the people mentioned above pushed me to go back to my LinkedIn profile to edit it —adding academic details and some skills that I didn’t think were worthy of review.

Surprisingly, in one year, from the time I edited the profile, I did three projects, two from Northern Nigeria and the other from the southern part of the country. And my profile was reviewed by Writers.Gig, which is a part of success as a friend who works with them said. They review few people among many.

The mighty problem is how we consider ourselves “local”. We learn a skill, but we keep it unpublicised, assuming our friends on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms know it since they know us. Many people keep their heads low in terms of humility, while it is a lack of confidence. Understanding the difference between humility and lack of confidence will help a lot. People have the latter, thinking it is the former. You can humbly show your skills to the world.

Dr Marzuq Abubakar Ungogo says, “As demand for skills increases worldwide, one easy way to lose opportunities is to show that you have no skills. But you actually have so many skills than you think of, mainly coming from your education, unpaid labour, charity or voluntary work. What skills need is packaging and honing. You can start by having a deep reflection on possible skills you have, then present them in the most marketable way possible. There are specific terminologies that you should also use. Once you do that, you also start working on getting better at them. This is not meant to stop. Constantly update!”

Habib Sani Galadima writes from Kano. He can be reached via habibmsani46@gmail.com.

By AF Sessay

The data you don’t talk about comes back to haunt you!  And when it does come, it comes violently. Many years of corruption, nepotism and neglect of the basic rights of citizens quickly metamorphose into all forms of crime. While government inaction is not and cannot always be the cause of citizen-on-citizen crime, yet research suggesting the correlation between corruption in public places and crimes on the streets should not be taken with a pinch of salt.  

This is also true for the failings in high places and the ugly effect this has on battlefields. Because beyond artillery and manpower, there is a great need for strategy, intelligence, consistent supply of food, effective and top-notch communication and above all, sincerity of purpose. Unfortunately, in the situation where the cankerworms of embezzlement latch and sucks blood out of any of these in the security value, the figurative blood usually becomes pools of real blood. So, when it lingers, question the data. Who does what, and where are the numbers to say they are really doing it? 

Nigeria currently stands on a tripod of corruption, injustice and hope (no matter the percentage of that hope). 

Corruption keeps the corrupt healthy and well-nourished to perpetrate more acts of corruption with hands, heads, tongues and minds.

Injustice keeps the people blind to the truth. It is an essential spear in the hands of many African leaders and former leaders to strike and blind the advocates for truth, make deaf the masses, and cripple the nation.

As for Hope, it is always a ‘good’ magic wand, or opium, or weapon (depending on who is defining it) to mobilize the people for elections, discourage them from revolting and contain them till the next election.

On top of this tripod rotates the head of change. In every season, every decade, every century, there is always one head dressed with a different colour to match the epoch and circumstance. The change of this era is the change from a corruption-ridden nation to a corruption-free state.

Now, how many people are not corrupt so that they can serve as models of integrity for the corrupt? It seems this is a difficult question; let’s turn it the other way round. How many people are corrupt and ready to serve as models of corruption to others? The statistics here are too terrifying to betray the calculus of any optimist on the future of Nigeria and the African continent.

While the masses shy away from their responsibility to come out and spearhead this journey to a reformed Nigeria, the corrupt are on the other side of the divide, ever determined to embolden their fingerprint on the face of civilization! No wonder they get most of the honours, most of the honorary degrees, most of the titles, most of the praises, most youths ready to die for the “good cause”, most of the best universities for their children…

Are you surprised? Why should they not be determined and willing to sacrifice their wealth and might to fight for the continuation of corruption? See! Listen! They were born in it, bred and nourished in it, educated in it, employed in it, voted in it and possibly wish to die in it.

They are not scared of sitting on the corpses of millions of their brothers if that is the only throne they can find to sustain their Kingdom of Corruption. They are very okay with the fact that the millions awaiting their grave permit languish and die in scarcity, adversity, poverty, obscurity – you name it. This is nothing compared to losing a single day in their lives to integrity and probity.

They will fight, hire the best lawyers, get the cruellest thugs, sponsor many false reports to raise public ire and angst against the people who seek to “unjustly” drive them from their ‘paradise.’ They will make many human sacrifices. They will even invent new smart devices of iniquity. Don’t underestimate their ingenuity when it comes to protecting corruption. Never underestimate them.

Alas, how long will they fight before they run out of vim? How long will they endure against the harsh winds of change? How long will they live to eat the billions they have amassed over seasons and seasons of rot, corruption and cruelty in this farmland of the world. How long will they procure mass graves for hundreds of citizens so as to exercise their will to power? They call our youths to their graves while their duplexes and children and girlfriends enjoy the loots of Nigeria in Dubai and London.

They will fight, but the people will also fight back. And as far as I know, no Empire or force or fight is powerful enough to stop the might of the people when they are determined for reform.

Do you want to join this fight? In which army will you prefer to fight? If you must join the side of those who want reform in the polity, then you must do so while you are well armed with patience and firm belief in God then the leader’s ability to bring change. Don’t be carried away by the plots and ploys of the corrupt. Correct when mistakes are made, tell the truth where and when needed, be just and bold in your assessment but never be a recruit (though subconsciously) in the army of the corrupt!

AF Sessay writes from Lagos. He can be reached via amarasesay.amir@gmail.com.

By Rabiu Muhammad Gama

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why Americans go on vacation while Brits go on holiday? I am sure you have. Or haven’t you ever heard that American kids like candy while British kids are crazy about sweets? Our Law of Contract lecturer, who was so lucky to do his PhD in England, once told us how nice his flat was when he was in England. On the other hand, one of our learned professors, who was privileged to have some training from Harvard Law School, lamented that he suffered before he could afford an apartment during his stay in the US. Curious?  Well, I can’t actually blame you for that. I think all these go to show us how beautiful the English language is.

British and American English

That famous Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “the United States and the United Kingdom are two countries divided by a common language.” That was Shaw. And he wasn’t entirely wrong.

There are many varieties of English today: American English, British English, Australian English, Canadian English, Caribbean English, to mention but a few. However, for some historical and accidental factors, American and British Englishes are the most widely used across the globe today. These two Englishes,  I am confident you may be aware of, are not always the same. However, they are not very different either. As far as this article is concerned, American English is that variety of the English language widely written and spoken in the United States and some parts of Canada. While British English, just as the name hints, is the standard dialect of the English language spoken and written in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

The most noticeable areas where British and American Englishes differ are vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and, though very rarely, idiomatic expressions. Forget about pronunciation; it does not count – as far as Standard English is concerned, pronunciation is not an accurate barometer for measuring “good English”. Ask around if you doubt me.

Vocabulary

This is arguably the most significant area where the two Englishes differ. Americans don’t say lifter; they say elevator. It’s the Britons that call it lifter. Had Leonel Messi moved to Manchester City rather than Paris Saint-Germain, he would have been playing football by now. But, if he were to move to any football team in the US, say, the indomitable Seattle Sounders or the New York City FC, he would be playing soccer. Donald Trump, the most confused American president in recent history, is crazy about expensive automobiles. It may shock you to hear that the current Prime Minister of England, Boris Johnson, doesn’t know how to drive a car! If you go to the US, you will need an airplane to commute from Orlando to Las Vegas (the Sin City) because the cities are very far from each other. Go to the UK afterwards; you won’t need an aeroplane to move from Liverpool to Manchester – the two cities are only a stone’s throw from each other.

Spelling

There are many spelling differences between American and British English. Words like color, labor and honor are found only in American English. In England, they would write these words as colour, labour and honour, respectively. In words like these, where the Americans use an “o”, the Britons would use “ou”. Where an American would ask you if you know any good theater, a Briton would ask you if you know any good theatre, “er” in American English changes to “re” in British English. The Britons organise programmes, but the Americans only organize programs. I am sure you got this last point, too, don’t you?

Grammar

In addition to spelling and vocabulary, there are specific grammar differences between British and American English. For instance, collective nouns are considered singular in American English, while they’re mostly treated as plural in British English. For example,  where an American would tell you that “his family is large”, a Briton would, most likely, tell you that “his family are large.” The Americans always take a shower, while the Britons mostly have a shower. The word “gotten”, the past particle of “get”, is now dead and buried in British English. Surprisingly enough, the word is still alive and kicking in American English.

On a final note, American English is the child of British English. Nonetheless, the former is the most widely written and spoken English today, thanks to America’s technology and robust economy. So, don’t be shocked whenever you read that the Brits actually introduced the language to the Americans because it’s true. Anyway, it is not uncommon to see a child that overshadows his dad. It’s, however, very unusual, perhaps unprecedented, to see a child reporting his mom to an anti-graft agency!

Rabiu Muhammad Gama is a level 300 Law student and  English Enthusiast. He can be reached on rabiuminuwa327@gmail.com or 09061912994.

By Garba Sidi

Attitudes are fundamental to understanding social perceptions because they strongly influence our perception of people we meet, the people we live with, the groups we join or avoid, and colleagues in our various communities. In addition, attitudes are essential in organising information about other people. Thus, as we interact with different individuals, objects or situations from time to time and in different environments, we tend to form specific attitudes just as others form attitudes about us.

As psychologists said, our attitudes are formed firstly from family, society and schools. These three places are where children shape their attitudes, either negative or positive. Children will not pass without family, so that means the family is the first chain for shaping a child’s attitude. Whatever role the family play is how their children will grow and develop cognitively.

Family combine parents, sisters and brothers in nuclear family and grandfather, grandmother and uncles are included in the extended family. Each one of those members has a role to play in shaping a child attitude positively and negatively. Family is like a tree; any branch and leaf have a role in contributing to the survival of that tree. Failure of one branch or leaf will cause damage to the entire tree. That’s how the wrong role of one member will cause an unwanted attitude to the children of that family.

Sadly, nowadays family ignore their responsibility and substitute it with hatred, showing concerns to only biological sons and daughters. Even some parents leave their sons and daughters to live like sheep without shepherds. This careless behaviour that emerges today is hazardous, and it’s the central foundation of the problems we indulged in today.

Unfortunately, frustration is what leads the majority of children to form all these kinds of undesirable attitudes. Some children find themselves in a family full of challenges like hatred toward the mother by one’s stepmother, father not taking responsibility for his children, etc.

All these will lead a child to form unwanted behaviour after indulged in frustration. No doubt, our society is ravaged by kidnappers, sexual immorality, drunkenness and armed robbery. Children lack a sense of duty with lofty aspirations of becoming rich overnight to fulfil their needs. They engage in cultism and occultism, a fastest ritual way of getting rich and are subjected to unbearable pains and suffering.

May Allah save us, amin.

Garba Sidi can be reached at sidihadejia@yahoo.com.

By Ishaka Mohammed

Dear Professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, we are aware that you have reached the pinnacle of your career as a Nigerian academic. That means you must have directly interacted with an overwhelming number of Nigerian students. We also know that you specialise in education. Therefore, you should know better than many of us the pros and cons of educational policies.

As the current registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), you think that the Federal Government of Nigeria should consider removing credit passes in English language and mathematics as criteria for admission to Nigeria’s higher institutions. This is further proof that you know Nigerian students and how difficult it is to pass these subjects in their Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE).

Similar to your suggestion, the current registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, once advocated that a credit grade be removed as an admission criterion for the arts and humanities in polytechnics and colleges of education. I subscribe to his submission.

However, considering the status of the English language in the 21st century and the fact that it’s our official language, I think it’s costly to abolish a credit grade in the subject (English language) as a criterion for admission into our tertiary institutions.

It’s glaring that despite the presence of this criterion which forces many of us to learn the language, we’re far from attaining true proficiency.

Prof., if you seek a paragon of “nobody is perfect”, just pay attention to how we (Nigerians) use the English language, starting from this write-up. Even the highly educated are prone to uttering or writing wrong English expressions. Concerning this claim, many people argue that no one is above mistakes, but I say that mistakes aren’t the same as errors. When one’s use of a wrong expression results from one’s unawareness of the correct pattern, that’s an error.

Sir, I think a few examples will suffice. Many Nigerian graduates wish to further their studies abroad, specifically in the United States and the United Kingdom, but their proficiency level hinders them in the English language. Each of the two main internationally recognised English language proficiency tests is difficult for most Nigerians to pass. Those who have sat for the tests or accessed their past questions can attest to my claim. Even an excellent Nigerian graduate needs intensive coaching to pass the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS).

Prof., if making English errors were a criminal offence, we would be in jail. But, of course, that’s if judges aren’t guilty as well.

Sir, it’s a known fact that exposure to news media content boosts one’s language proficiency. Although the reverse isn’t totally the case in our country, consumers of Nigerian media content had better be wary of heavily relying on their (the media’s) expressions. Other authorities, including dictionaries, should be consulted as frequently as possible.

Let me buttress the above point. Since 1961, the Nigerian Guild of Editors has been a network of experienced journalists who have attained editors’ positions in their respective organisations. Ordinarily, one would assume that every member of the network possesses an unquestionable mastery of the English language. But, no, this isn’t the case. Some of the past presidents of the guild have repeatedly published wrong English expressions not as mistakes but as errors. One of such expressions is “Buhari felicitates with”. I’m sure the president has media aides, two of whom have presided over the affairs of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in the past.

In a similar vein, many of the federal ministry of education documents aren’t free of English errors, neither are those from our schools.

The above instances speak volumes about our deficiency in our lingua franca. Being aware of this situation, isn’t it advisable that we adopt measures to encourage us to learn the English language? Will it then be wise to abolish existing measures? 

I believe in the saying that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Our determination to secure admission to tertiary institutions makes us learn English more than we would ordinarily do. The more we practise, the better we’re highly likely to become. Frequency and expertise have a significant relationship.

Therefore, Prof., let’s maintain a credit grade in English as a criterion for admission to our higher institutions.

Ishaka Mohammed writes from Kaduna. He can be reached via ishakamohammed39@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Ganga

The recent executive order signed by Katsina State Government (KTSG) is filled with grammatical and typographical errors that critics can never overlook, even though English is not the problem. Instead, the problem lies in constituting members of the executive council tasked with governance delivery. Virtually, almost every politician in the North despises having competent people within their domain who can question their decision and ask for clarification for every policy made. That’s why lowbrows make a list of cabinet members: SAs, EAs, PAs, Secs, etc.

Being His Excellency, Governor of Katsina State, a former Speaker House of Representatives and an experienced administrator, the errors wouldn’t have happened —if the politicians in this State didn’t present their puppeteers while constituting cabinet. Competency and skills should be a yardstick in the process, instead of connection. The Executive Governor is not alone in this. Secretary to State Government, Dr Mustapha Inuwa, was in academia for long before he set his feet into politics. Tell me why critics would not descend on KTSG for committing such public opprobrium?!

Let me tell you a story. When the news of my Principal’s house stormed media, I came across a post he made himself wherein he showcased the house on the internet. I asked him why he did it, and he told me that his guard said to him that some people, assumed to be journalists, came snapping the house and asking people about the person of Honourable Member who’s President Buhari’s nephew. So, instead of letting the journalists break the news and twist it the way it suits them, he broke the news himself. 

Let me go back to the initial topic. Suppose the elected and appointed officials gave room for competency, like asking for inputs from their aides and secretaries on every policy before releasing them to the public. In that case, they could avoid such errors. As I say in the headline, English is not the problem. Every one of the elected and appointed politicians is looking for someone who always says YES to whatever.

Considering the consequences that followed this executive order, I suggest that His Excellency give room for competency to reign in his cabinet to control the damage done so far since he was sworn in as the Executive Governor of Katsina State.

Ahmad Ganga can be contacted via ahmadganga66@gmail.com.

By Abubakar Isah Baba

The misrepresentation of northern Nigeria ranges from distorting and falsifying reality, profiling, underreporting, and not reporting about the region by media outlets owned and controlled by others. Apparent and alarming as this is, it has been going on for a long time. This requires no evidence or justification; it is a growing trend, especially when the country propagates alienation over harmony. But who cares? Even those who have the responsibility to do so are busily aggrandising their powers.

But how long it will take the sick region to learn from this great proverb: Until the lion has a historian, the story of the hunt will always favour the hunter. The North was painted black with negative phrases, tales of violence, poverty, unemployment, irresponsible marriages, out-of-school children and whatnot as if there were no other positive realities.

John Campbell attests to the above mischaracterisation in his book, Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink, that “The Nigerian media, mostly headquartered in the Southern part of the country, is routinely insensitive and simplistic in its reportage about Northern Nigeria. And it is the Nigerian media that colors the too-often superficial Western view of the North.” This has a significant effect on the economic decline in the North as no investor will invest in the region that is dangerous, volatile and unpromising.

Apart from the traditional cores of mass communication, which include informing, educating, and entertaining, it is also used for propaganda to gain support or sympathy from the public or authority. EndSARS saga is an indicator of the power of propaganda, for it taught the north a lesson that “Dokin mai baki ya fi gudu” – the South has a much louder voice. Please don’t confuse my lamenting with Afghanistanism (a term used in journalism to describe journalists who shun the problem of their community but go extra-mile in condemning others), far from it. I suggest North should define itself and tell its version of the story; represent itself properly as bias in the news is often backgrounded. Others could not define us nor report us properly. 

Traditional rulers, political leaders, scholars, and concerned people in Northern Nigeria should speedily and strategically address this problem of bad press and misrepresentation of the North through investing in the media and utilising it for the good of their people. With Daily Nigerian, Sahelian Times, Nigerian Tracker and recently The Daily Reality (TDR), we need to see more outlets so we can ship our information without thinking about sinking. Recently, TDR’s publications have changed the North’s fate. Remember CBN and the reopening of the NIRSAL site, Netflix and the Kannywood, etc.

Abubakar Isah Baba writes from Kano. He can be reached via abubakarisahbaba01@gmail.com.

By Abdelghaffar Amoka Abdelmalik 

We (Nigerians) are a very interesting set of people. God truly took his time to specially create us. In most cases, we look at issues with emotions and live by the moment. For every discussion, especially if it’s on a controversial issue, we choose the side to support based on the personality involved and our loyalty at that moment. We pose to know everything and as online expert commentators on all issues.

A widely publicized questionable promotion by a Nigerian university was observed a few days back that created heated discussions where individuals that have got no idea on how universities work and can’t differentiate between Assistant Professor and Associate Professor were trying hard to defend the questionable act by the university. Some attempted to give a religious colouration because an Islamic Scholar is involved. A popular online public commentator was so sure that the promotion to the rank of what he called a “full professor” has no specific criteria. That, universities can confer professorship to anyone they so wish. Really? By the way, there is no rank called “full-professor” in any Nigerian university.

Let me share my opinion having spent the last 16 years in academia on tenure appointment at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. 5 of these years were spent in Europe; 2 years as a Postdoc at NTNU Trondheim, and 3 years for PhD/Part-time teaching assistant at Leicester. While I was at Leicester for graduation in July 2012, my second PhD supervisor hosted me in his house at Market Harborough. During our conversation, I asked him about the criteria to get the position of a Lecturer at Leicester and other universities in the UK and he said PhD with 5 journal articles in reputable journals. I asked about Professors and he smiled and responded that it is about how much money your innovative ideas can bring to the university. Professors are the lifeline of the universities in the UK as they are relied upon to attract grants/funds to the university. He added that you can be just Lecturer or Senior Lecturer till retirement if you can’t attract enough grants to earn a promotion.

Dear Nigerians, Professorial rank is not an honorary rank. Not in the British university system and not in any university in Nigeria. There are criteria to get to the rank. Search online, and you will find the promotion criteria/guidelines for several universities around the world. There is a strict guideline for promotion to the rank of Professor or any other rank in all the universities around the world. For Nigeria, I find the university of Ilorin promotion guidelines very interesting. It is a progressive and result-oriented promotion guideline. The guideline if implemented judiciously will place the university in a scholarly database visible to the world of research. I am hoping that other universities in Nigeria will adopt something similar.

For some universities in Nigeria, to be qualified to be promoted to the rank of Professor, you must have published a minimum of 15 journal articles in “non-predatory” journals, have 7 conference proceeding/conference papers, be involved in community service, have supervised at least 2 PhD students, involved in teaching and research for at least 3 years after the last promotion to the rank of Reader (Associate Professor), etc.

Meanwhile, before you get to that highest university rank, a fresh PhD with 3 journal publications and 2 conference papers may be employed as Lecturer II or Lecturer I. You are expected to teach for the next 3 years, research within that year and publish a total of 6 journal papers and 4 conference proceedings/papers to be promoted to the rank Senior Lecturer.

As Senior Lecturer, you are expected to be involved in postgraduate and undergraduate teaching and supervision for 3 years, supervise at least 1 PhD student, published a total of 10 journal papers and 5 conference proceedings/papers, engage in community service to be qualified for a promotion to the rank of a Reader (Associate Professor). And from there to the rank of Professor after satisfying the minimum condition stated above.

Every Nigerian public university is established with an Act of the National Assembly. They are independent of each other. They have their respective Governing Councils that steer their activities. Some academics rise faster by moving from one university to another. But for you to move from one university to another, you must secure a fresh appointment at the university you want to move to. You can then transfer your service from the old to the new public university in Nigeria. That is how it works.

The point to note is that a university cannot offer a promotion to an academic in another university. A non-faculty member and without employment history cannot be offered a promotion in any university except NUC has approved a rank called “Honorary Professor” for politicians.

Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (aka Sheikh Pantami) was a lecturer at ATBU Bauchi from 2004 to January 2014 according to his ResearchGate profile. He proceeded on study leave in 2010 to Robert Gordon University, Scotland for his PhD. Immediately after his PhD in January 2014, he got an appointment as an Assistant Professor at the Islamic University of Medina. Some said his rank at the Saudi University was Associate Professor. But I doubt if any serious university will employ a fresh PhD as Associate Professor. He spent 2 years 7 months at the Saudi university before he terminated his contract to pick up the political appointment at NITDA in 2016. 

Meanwhile, it is not certain if he absconded from ATBU to pick up the Saudi job or ATBU has no bond for their PhD scholars that went on study fellowship. He left Saudi Arabia to pick up the appointment with the government in 2016. He has worked as DG and is now a minister for the past 5 years. He seems to have no link with any university over the last 5 years and specifically no employment history with FUTO. But only to see the advertorial from Zamfara state governor on a national daily congratulating the Sheikh for his promotion to the rank of “Full Professor” in 2021 by the Council or Senate of the University. He was said to have published 160 papers. Papers that could not be found on the database of scholarly articles.

The advertorial raised questions and discussions started. From his history in academia, he seems not to possess the requirement for the said new rank. He is not involved in teaching and research for the last 5 years. Meanwhile, as a Minister of the Federal Republic, he can’t even take up another Federal government job except he resigns. If FUTO actually needed him for whatever reason, they could have hired him as a Visiting Professor, which is a part-time job and it is allowed. They can then offer him the position of Professor when he is done with his political appointment as long as he is willing to live, teach, do research, and supervise postgraduate students at FUTO. 

During the discussion, some irrelevant points were raised. It is to note that during the time of Aristotle, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and up till Wole Soyinka’s period, you can be a Professor without a PhD. But that is not the case now. For now, you can’t be a Professor (aside Medical Consultants) without a PhD. There is an ongoing discussion on the need for Medical Consultants to have a PhD to become Professors. People are quick to mention Dr Bala Usman even though he was not relevant in the discussion. The highly respected critic was qualified to be a Professor but chose not to be a Professor for personal reasons. 

Yes, we have issues of irregularities in the appointment and promotion in some of our universities and we hope that the Governing Councils of the respective universities can put an end to that someday as we work towards regaining the lost glory. But this questionable promotion at FUTO of a PhD with 2 years 7 months post-PhD teaching and research experience and 3 visible materials on Scopus and without employment history in the university, seems to be part of such irregularities.

Dear University managers, we have a responsibility to protect the university system and the ranks which are reserved for only those in the university that have worked for it and merited it in accordance with the university guidelines. We should not let it go the way of honorary degrees that are allegedly being purchased by politicians that are hungry for titles. 
ASUU has over the years worked very hard for the Autonomy of the universities, especially the federal universities, to shield them from political interference that is crippling the university system in Nigeria. We are still struggling with the principle of university autonomy even with the existence of the Autonomy Act. Let’s not give room for the interference to take new dimensions. We all need to rise against the irregular appointment and promotions like this so that it will not become a norm like honorary doctorate that is allegedly sold to politicians.

Dear Sheikh Pantami, you are a highly respected Islamic Scholar that I want to believe is not looking for titles. Titles can’t add value to your personality and what you stand for. It has no value for the hereafter. You have recorded notable achievements as a Cleric and as DG of NITDA and the Minister of Communications. It is obvious you have a love for academics. Just be patient and finish your assignment as the Minister. You can then join us in Bauchi or Owerri to mentor the next generation of cyber security experts, and you will rise to become a highly decorated Professor.

Dear Executive Secretary of NUC, I hope you will read this piece and take appropriate action to protect the little integrity left in our universities.

Abdelghaffar Amoka Abdelmalik writes from Zaria and can be reached through aaabdelmalik@gmail.com.