Local

By Isma’il Hashim Abubakar

Schools established, owned and run by non-state actors and private institutions have, no one doubts, been providing a veritable substitute to the dilapidated public schools which have been suffering from wanton neglect by governments at various levels in Nigeria. Private schools have successfully, though not completely, reduced the burdens on governments to supply basic education for children in their public schools, which have been perpetually operating under the shadows of existential threat.

Although people of all social strata now have more faith in private schools and parents with even the meanest incomes and most fledgling source of earning, who always struggle to make ends meet, prefer to take their children to commercial schools at the behest of other life comforts, public schools, which serve as the last option for the extremely downtrodden, still seem to get congested due to the high number of enrollments of children from low-income families. If this indicates anything at all, it shows that people have now fully embraced modern education, and they can sacrifice the expensive things they have just to secure a quality formal education for their wards and children. 

While, as everyone knows, public schools tend not to have too many demands apart from the meagre or more affordable tuition fees, their private counterparts, in most cases, operate in such a way that many parents inwardly feel that the system is tilting more toward a business direction in an obvious capitalist fashion, despite that the dominant pretension of both parents and school managers is that of purely imparting knowledge and building sound character to the young and upcoming generation.

Many schools are extraordinarily excellent in both transmitting sound knowledge and instilling good morals in pupils, and as such, no material gratification can remunerate their work or compensate the teachers for their hard work, dedication and commitment toward discharging their duties and keeping good custody of what has been entrusted to them. In fact, some well-to-do parents often give gifts to teachers as an expression of gratitude for feeding their children with sound knowledge, which is primarily the responsibility of the parents but perfectly undertaken by the teachers on their behalf. As such, many parents may not bother with and will gently turn blind eyes to some straitjacketed and arbitrary financial demands that most commercial schools are now introducing day in and day out.

Some schools go beyond decorum and do not, in the least, pretend to be shy to depict their operation as a purely extortionate venture, deemphasizing the moral and instructional dimensions which their institutions are set upon. Parents now no longer feel at ease after having settled school fees which are the most basic financial burden that comes to everyone’s minds once private schools are mentioned. Not only do textbooks and instruction materials represent the source of anxiety that parents grapple with, but virtually everything which a school stipulates, largely with a marketing mindset. While most schools impose decrees that make it binding upon parents to buy textbooks, stationeries and all other instructional materials from the schools, some schools turn it into a rule that pupils and students must never be allowed into schools wearing uniforms supplied to them by their parents through all other channels apart from the tailoring unit of the schools.

Schools do complain that external tailors often violate dress codes and principles earmarked by the schools, including non-compliance with size, width and length but above all, the lack of authority to manufacture and issue official badges that are glued to uniforms. Hiding behind this pretext, schools have seized the free will of parents to transact with tailors of their choice, and because they aspire for their children to acquire quality education, they relinquish their right and bow down to the pressure of the schools. 

There is, however, no guarantee that the tailoring units of schools themselves are perfect for designing the most fitting and immaculate school attire for pupils. Having taught at both primary and secondary schools (as well as university), I have personally seen pupils wearing school-supplied uniforms that never matched or fully fitted the bodily structures of the pupils. If this is the case, this particular rule might have been informed more by a business instinct and less by a concern to preserve institutional dress codes. Parents of final year students who could only afford to pay for either WAEC or NECO exams for their children, which by the way, is better than missing both of them at once, are coerced by some schools to move heavens and earth to pay for the two exams or risk having their children removed from the list of graduating students. When they could not settle for the fees of the two exams and require the refunds of their money, they hardly recuperate more than half of what they have paid. 

Perhaps the most brazen example of such pecuniary impositions manifests in the demands of some schools on parents to pay internet charges, which would have been understandable and justified if pupils or students were engaged in regular computer lessons that are punctuated at close intervals by visits to websites. Alas! There are schools which extort this surcharge even from parents of nursery pupils, and the only justification for it is the data consumed by Whatsapp groups of parents initiated by the schools on which an administrator often sends announcements.

Many parents relate with schools while they are inwardly burnt due to how things have become in private schools, but because they envisage a better future for their children, they prefer to remain mute and only murmur their complaints on the rarest occasions or when they meet with fellow parents by the roadsides. The best opportunity for them to communicate or even express their squawks loudly to the schools is during periodic parents-teachers meetings, but the schools have been, paradoxically, hijacking and making platforms to further advocate their fiendish and self-aggrandizing policies. Their covert strategy is to appoint a loyal, docile and exceedingly compliant head of Parent-Teachers’ Association (PTA), and to gag his mouth for fear of being influenced by nonconformist parents, the schools bribe him with some free scholarship slots for his children. As a result, he weakens and sabotages any attempts by the parents to rise and challenge arbitrary extortions they suffer from these schools. 

Other schools have different, perhaps more treacherous strategies of navigating intricacies and tackling eventualities that may come up owing to this venture, such as giving undertaking papers for parents to sign before the children are accepted at the stage of enrollment, and many parents are carried away by the desire for the admission of their children and often don’t pay commensurate attention to these documents or mull over their future implications. The question that, however, is seldom asked, what is the legality of these modes of institutional marketing practices that have become norms in not only purely western-style schools but also model Islamic schools? To what extent do these operations comply with Islamic teachings and principles, and what are the business dimensions of these dealings which should then ideally be done and looked at from the viewpoint of Islamic commercial and financial regulations?

First of all, everyone knows what schools are primarily meant for, which is imparting knowledge and this should be the apex among all the operations that are expected to exist in the schools. Hence, from this prism, school fees are the most obligatory financial demands that parents are, by default, owed to schools and upon which any compromise will be a favour that the schools could grant or deny at will. Any other charge or tax is secondary and gains its legitimacy according to how it complements the primary function of schools, but, above all, it should be done in a transparent atmosphere defined by mutual agreement and understanding. In other words, selling textbooks, stationery and instructional materials at schools should be governed by Islamic commercial laws, without discrimination or thinking that schools could do as they will without referring to Islamic stipulations. If this is the case, then these materials sold to parents must be on the basis of freewill and agreement and not impositions that may result in penalties. 

Of course, many schools publish exercises and textbooks with their names and logos finely inscribed, which then makes it compulsory for parents to obtain the materials in no other places but the schools. Many other schools, meanwhile, retail the materials from markets and sell them to parents at exorbitant prices that at times double or triple the normal market prices. All these are normal and should be considered lawful businesses if only it is done with a mutual agreement such that parents have the liberty to buy either from the schools or at markets, or in the former case, if the materials are not sold arbitrarily at unimaginable prices just because of the inscriptions of logos and names. 

The general Islamic principle that confers legitimacy or otherwise to any business venture is free will and mutual agreement, and interestingly, this is explicitly postulated by the Qur’anic verse and Hadith, the two most fundamental sources of Islamic law. Allah says:

“Yā ayyuha alladhīna āmanū lā ta’kulū amwālakum bainakum bi al-bāṭil illā an takūna tijāratan ‘an tarāḍin minkum. Wa lā taqtulū anfusakum. Inna Allaha kāna bikum Raḥīma”.

“O you who believe! Eat not up your wealth among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah has been to you Most Merciful!” [Sūrat al-Nisā’: 29].

In his groundbreaking exegetical work al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, the prolific commentator of the Qur’an, Muḥammad Ṭāhir Ibn ‘Āshūr posits that the prohibition to eat up people’s wealth without mutual agreement is paired with the crime of murder in the verse to draw Muslims’ attention on the gravity and heinousness of such a practice. He argues that it is emphasized because people do not largely consider it something significant and the victim is usually powerless and could hardly resist (as it occurs in private schools).

Moreover, in an authentic Ḥadith narrated by Anas bin Mālik, the Prophet (SAW) says, “lā yaḥillu mālu imri’in Muslimin illā ‘an ṭībi nafsin”. (It is unlawful to take a Muslim’s wealth except with his goodwill). [Dāru Qutnī, 3/26].

As asserted earlier, a lot of transactions in private schools are imposed upon parents, and school authorities often warn parents and even threaten to apply penalties when these marketing ventures are observed in the breach, leaving no room for a bargain and mutual consent that would ordinarily prevail in open transactions. Since this is the case, only a few people will contest the illegality of this practice. Needless to say, some officials and authorities, including ironically, of schools paraded as Islamic models, are, to some extent, oblivious of the legal status of their policies, although this is not a valid, genuine and acceptable reason. A Muslim is, after all, and before anything else, principally required to be fully conversant with the pros and cons of any action he undertakes.

One of the easiest ways to make amends and rectify this wrong tradition, irrespective of how well consolidated it is, how difficult it may be to refrain from or how odd our argument may sound to some, is to be so transparent and open to parents and gear the deal to be dictated by consent and mutual agreement. Freewill and mutual agreement are pivotal in any financial dealing and they determine whether it is done lawfully or unlawfully. 

And since schools, especially the religious ones, enjoy respect from parents, it will hardly be burdensome to mutually arrive at some understanding, and this, as beautifully ratiocinated by Ibn ‘Āshūr, could lead to the implementation of the divine principle that “if they give up willingly to you anything of it, then take it in satisfaction and ease” (fa in ṭibna lakum an shai’in minhu nafsan fakulūhu hanī’an marī’a) [Sūrat al-Nisā’, 4].

Indeed there is a need for governments to intervene and reintroduce guidelines that will neither oppress the schools nor allow them to do as they like, pertaining to their financial dealings with parents. Parents in Kano, for instance, will certainly look back with nostalgia at the era of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who laid down modalities that checkmated arbitrary extortions of parents by commercial schools. He formed a formidable committee that regularly went around schools and observed their operations to ensure they complied with state regulations, most of which were meant to shield masses from further extortions.

Unfortunately, Kwankwaso’s successors did not maintain the tempo, and now things are, to say the least, almost getting out of control. School authorities would increase school fees at will and would rush to mention inflation as a cause and the need to better the condition of their staff, while in essence, it is the proprietor and a few notable among his cliques that would end up enjoying while flowing pittance to and leaving the majority of staff to keep on wallowing in despondency.

Ismail writes from Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco and can be reached via ismailiiit18@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam  

An unimaginable tragedy occurred when 26-year-old Anosikwa Patrick was fatally stabbed by a police officer at Skymall in Ajah, Lagos, where he had gone to unwind with his girlfriend, Joy Ebere.  

Recounting the horrific ordeal, Ebere lamented, “Perhaps he would have survived the injury, had the hospital he was rushed to attended to him.” 

She described the harrowing sequence of events, stating, “Some minutes later, he was shouting for help… Upon hearing the commotion, I went outside and saw him in the pool of his blood.”  

Despite frantic efforts to save him, Patrick was denied treatment by four hospitals, ultimately succumbing to his injuries on the way to General Hospital Marina. 

In the midst of grief, questions lingered about the officer’s actions.

Ebere questioned, “Why would a policeman act that way?”

Meanwhile, Augustine, the deceased’s elder brother, expressed the family’s anguish and demand for justice. 

The Lagos State Police Command, through its spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, assured the public that an investigation was underway, with the arrested policeman in custody.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Plateau State Government revealed on Monday that bandits operating in the Wase Local Government Area have handed over a significant number of AK47 rifles to the state authorities.

During a press briefing in Jos, the state capital, the Special Adviser to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Security and Commander Operation Rainbow, Brigadier General Gakji Shippi, made this disclosure.

Shippi explained that the surrender of weapons followed extensive negotiations between the government and the bandits, showcasing a willingness to pursue peace through disarmament.

He clarified that the bandits didn’t directly surrender the firearms out of fear but through an intermediary involved in the negotiations.

He further mentioned that alongside the AK47 rifles, various other categories of weapons were also surrendered by the bandits, illustrating their commitment to the peace process.

Shippi emphasized that these efforts aim to encourage more bandits to voluntarily surrender their weapons, with ongoing steps to recover additional firearms from other groups.

By Umar Sani

In the heart of Darmanawa, a community in Kano city that was once enriched by natural water resources, a relentless battle against water scarcity now rages. This pressing issue, a matter of life and death, stands as a stark reminder of the failures in governance and the unyielding grip of greed that plagues our society.

For generations, the people of Darmanawa lived harmoniously with abundant water sources, a testament to nature’s generosity. But today, the narrative has shifted drastically, leaving residents grappling with the harsh reality of waking up before dawn to embark on a futile quest for water.

The dawn chorus is no longer accompanied by the soothing flow of streams or the gurgling of wells. Instead, it echoes with the footsteps of weary souls like my friend, Aminu, and me, trudging through the darkened streets in search of a basic necessity.

The root cause of this crisis is not nature’s reluctance but, rather, human neglect and shortsightedness. The government’s failure to manage water resources efficiently and the insatiable greed of the affluent, who hoard water from boreholes, exacerbate the plight of the common people.

We are left with no choice but to rely on water vendors whose prices soar higher with each passing day, adding financial strain to an already burdened populace. Even this temporary relief is insufficient, forcing us to venture further, to places like Makabarta, in pursuit of “Mai ruwa,” a term that has become synonymous with hope in our parched reality.

The consequences of water scarcity extend far beyond mere inconvenience; they permeate every facet of life. Health suffers as access to clean water becomes a luxury, hygiene standards plummet, and diseases lurk in the shadows. Education is compromised as children spend valuable hours fetching water instead of attending school. Economic activities dwindle, perpetuating a vicious cycle of poverty and despair.

Amid these challenges, however, a glimmer of resilience lies within our community. Local initiatives to conserve water, promote rainwater harvesting, and raise awareness about responsible water usage have sprouted like oases in a desert. These efforts, though small, carry the promise of a better future, where water is not a commodity but a fundamental human right.

As we reflect on Darmanawa’s struggle with water scarcity, we must remember that this is not merely a local concern but a global crisis demanding immediate attention. Sustainable water management, equitable distribution, and community empowerment should take center stage in our pursuit of a water-secure world.

The unforgiving thirst of Darmanawa serves as a poignant reminder that water is not merely a source of life; it is life itself. It’s time we quench this thirst, not only with water but also with collective action, empathy, and a commitment to a brighter, hydrated future for all.

Together, let us turn the tide, one drop at a time, until every cup is filled and every faucet flows freely once more.

Umar Sani Adamu (Kawun Baba) wrote via umarhashidu1994@gmail.com.

By Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu

She has done it again. She first did it in 1974/80. In 2024, she repeated it. The feat that no female northern Nigerian has ever performed. Hajiya Hafsatu Abdul Waheed (b. 1952, Kano, northern Nigeria) was the first woman creative fiction writer from northern Nigeria to be published in any language, although hers was in Hausa.

On 13th April 2024, she became the first female Muslim northern Nigerian to be honoured with D.Litt. (Honoris Causa “for the sake of the honour”) doctorate degree from a no less institution than the biggest online university in Africa, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). This was at the 13th Convocation Ceremony of the university held on 13th April 2024 in Abuja, the main headquarters of the university.

In a way, Ms. AbdulWaheed represents a paradox. She is not Hausa or Hausa-Fulani. She is Fulani, pure and simple. She learnt Hausa only outside her family home, in school, but at home, it was Fulfulde all the way. Yet her creative writing has always been in Hausa, with the exception of one book of poetry in English and the recently published collection of short stories titled Sharo. Nothing in Fulfulde, though.

The common historical narrative on literary development in northern Nigeria was that a literary competition to encourage the reading culture among Hausa youth was organized by the Northern Nigerian Publishing Corporation (NNPC) in 1978. One of the entries, which was also one of the winners, was “So Aljannar Duniya” by Hafsatu Abdul Waheed. It was in the Hausa language. However, it would appear, according to Hafsatu herself, that she wrote the novel in 1972, and it was published in 1974.

It was, quite simply, the most radical novel in Hausa literary history. Even “Ƙarshen Alewa Ƙasa” by Bature Gagare (who died in 2002), an unconventional novel, , published in 1982 (as a result of a literary competition organized by the then Federal Department of Culture, Ministry of Social Welfare and Culture) did not come close. Curiously, they contrasted each other. Gagare’s novel is about the lost glory of the ‘original’ Hausa people—the Maguzawa. Hafsatu’s novel is about breaking the Pulaaku—the Fulani code of behaviour. Both Hafsatu and Gagare became spokespersons of their ethnicities.

So Aljannar Duniya is brash, bold, audacious, trenchant, and unapologetic. It is a declaration of war against Pulaaku. It was unarguably the first Fulani feminist tract written in Hausa. Hafsatu’s style and critique of tradition might be compared with those of Bilkisu Salisu Ahmed Funtuwa and Balaraba Ramat Yakubu. However, there are quite a few differences.

Despite its pioneering boldness, So Aljannar Duniya is difficult to read. Perhaps that was because the author started writing it while still in secondary school! Its narrative is often jumbled and non-linear. Understandable. It was written in anger, so words tend to wobble, but the message is clear. This is more so because it is ethnographic. Hafsatu wove a story around her sister, of course, a Fulani, who had every intention of marrying an ‘alien’—an Arab from Libya. So Aljannar Duniya is, therefore, a true story, spiced up by fictional elements to convey a message. As I said before, it is a feminist tract.

Balaraba Rama Yakubu, however, writes in a deeply engaging mature and absorptive style with plenty of hooks. For instance, “Wa Zai Auri Jahila?”, which I consider her best novel, is dark and deeply disturbing narrative of what in contemporary feminist Woke world would be considered an injustice to women, especially young girls in a traditional African society.

Although Novian Whitsitt, who did his PhD on Balaraba’s novels, referred to it as ‘feminist’ I disagreed with him. I labelled her works ‘womanist’, after Alice Walker’s short story, ‘Coming Apart’ (1979). As explained elsewhere, “a womanist is committed to the survival of both males and females and desires a world where men and women can coexist while maintaining their cultural distinctiveness.” This inclusion of men provides women with an opportunity to address gender oppression without directly attacking men (Adamu 2003). Balaraba reflects this in her novels, especially “Alhaki Kwikuyo” (translated by Aliyu Kamal and published by Blaft Books in India). Can’t say much about Bilkisu Funtuwa’s books, though, as I have never read any.

But Hafsatu AbdulWaheed is a feminist—at least as portrayed in So Aljannar Duniya. The plot revolves around a young Fulani lady who wants to marry an ‘alien’ (Arab) from Libya. In real life, Hafsatu’s elder sister. Their parents rejected the idea. The plot of the novel does away with the Fulani Pulaaku and introduces a brash, assertive, loud and anti-establishment heroine, Boɗaɗo, who, armed with a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, comes back to her village to set up a drug store (called Chemists in Nigeria, a bit like Walgreens) and introduces her fiancé—all un-lady like behaviours in the Fulani mindset.

Thus, she discards the Fulani munyal (self-control), semteende (modesty) and hakkillo (wisdom)—central components of Pulaaku—and declares, openly, her love for an “alien” in her auntie’s presence! The opening dialogue from the novel sets the pace in which Boɗaɗo, speaking, informs her aunt:

(Hau) Aure! Inna ni fa na gaya muku ba zan auri kowa ba sai wanda nake so. Kun san zamani ya sake.

(trans) Marriage! Aunty, I have told you that I will only marry the man I love. You know times have changed.

Such direct confrontation in a Fulani village was uncommon and reflects the author’s autobiographical rebellion against tradition. Her aunt—delegated to mediate in these matters on behalf of the protagonist’s mother—is shocked. As she lamented:

(Hau) Mhm! Wannan zamani, Allah Ya saukaka. Yarinya ki zauna kina zancen auren ki, sai ka ce hirar nono da mai. Don haka fa ba ma son sa ɗiyar mu makarantar boko. In kun yi karatu sai ku ce kun fi kowa. Me kuka ɗauke mu ne?

(trans) Mhm. These are difficult times. May Allah save us. Listen to you talk about your marriage as if you are talking about milk and butter. That is why we don’t want to send our daughters to school. After you finish, you feel superior to everyone. What do you take us for?

A battleground and the rules of engagement have been established—female empowerment through education—and Hafsatu chose the most conservative arena: a Fulani settlement, considered generally more trenchant about Pulaaku than urban Fulani. Additionally, the novel’s subtext of rebellion against arranged and forced marriage underscores Hafsatu’s acerbic demand for personal choice in marital affairs by women. It was a template for rebellion.

Another contrast between Hafsatu’s So Aljannar Duniya and Balaraba’s Wai Zai Auri Jahila? is in the choice of careers. Hafsatu chose Pharmacy for her protagonist, while Balaraba made her own a nurse. Pharmacy was a profession in the period, and by making her character a pharmacist, she thrusts Boɗaɗo into a man’s world to compete equally with men. Balaraba, on the other hand, by making her character a nurse instead of a doctor, maintains the womanist ethos of an achieving woman in a male-dominated society, fitting in with career stereotypes of women in caring professions.

The success of So Aljannar Duniya sent a message to the budding Hausa literati to pick up their pens and set to work—thus spawning a genre which t revolutionized the Hausa literary landscape in contemporary times.. Furthermore, the combined effects of the harsh economic realities of the 1980s (the decade of military coups and counter-coups in Nigeria) ensured reduced parental responsibility in the martial affairs of their children. Therefore, fantasy, media parenting, especially Hindi films, anti-authority and a loud, persistent message from bursting testosterones in a conservative society that sees strict gender separation combined to present Hausa youth with soyayya (romance) as the central template for creative fiction. It was a safety valve to repressed sexuality.

Hafsatu’s radicalism, however, did not end at rebellion against arranged or forced marriage for women. At one stage she declared to run for the office of the Governor of Zamfara State. This was provoked by a statement by the sitting governor that there were no educated women in the state. To prove him wrong, she decided to campaign for his chair! She even made posters, but was asked by her father to stop. At least, she had made a statement. Furthermore, her real-life echoes Boɗaɗo’s—she was also married to an ‘alien’ from the Middle East (a Syrian). Incidentally, it was a marriage that took her to Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, and I had the pleasure of meeting her late husband, Malam Ahmad Abdul Waheed, during a British Council “Intensities in Ten Cities” Islamophobia tour on 9th July 2003. Both Hafsatu and her husband were born and raised in Kano. It was his career that took them to Gusau.

In literary circles, she also has a voice. For one, she used to assiduously attend every single literary convention anywhere it was held. As part of ANA Kano activities, we were together in Niamey and Maraɗi in Niger Republic at various times to attend international conventions of Hausa writers. She never tired of attending and actively participating. Wonderful enough, she often went with her children and grandchildren, showing them the way. It is little wonder that some of these children became well-celebrated in their chosen professions—for they had a strong role model at home. A good example is her eldest daughter, Kadaria Ahmad, the award-winning journalist who owns and runs the NOW FM radio station in Lagos.

Thus, the recognition of the pioneering efforts of Hafsatu AbdulWaheed by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on 13th April 2024 during the university’s 13th Convocation was a salute not only to the resilience of feminist women but also to all Hausa language writers of both genders. As far as I know, she was the first female Muslim Fulani (or Hausa) writer to be so honoured by any university in Nigeria. She has, therefore, entered the history books. She is truly a woman of substance.

References.

Adamu, Abdalla Uba. “Parallel Worlds: Reflective Womanism in Balaraba Ramat Yakubu’s Ina Son Sa Haka.” JENDA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies, no. 4 (2003). https://bit.ly/3Q2gNlY.

Whitsitt, Novian. Kano Market Literature and the Construction of Hausa-Islamic Feminism A Contrast in Feminist Perspectives of Balaraba Ramat Yakubu and Bilkisu Ahmed Funtuwa. PhD dissertation, University of Wisconsin, 2000.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has debunked the allegation that he is using unsubstantiated claims against Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a sheild to conceal his own failure in meeting the explanations of the people.

The governor claimed that the public that the commissions of inquiry set up by his administration were not meant to target any specific group.

He explained that they were focused on ensuring transparency and tackling political violence in the state.

During a visit from the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, Governor Yusuf reiterated the purpose of the panels.

He pledged to investigate and punish those involved in political violence, emphasizing that nobody would be spared, regardless of their political affiliations.

Governor Yusuf highlighted his administration’s efforts to combat political thuggery and empower youth and women through various schemes.

He also mentioned initiatives to improve healthcare, education, and infrastructure in the state.

Additionally, Governor Yusuf announced plans to investigate past administrations for any wrongdoing and recover misappropriated public funds.

The Emir of Kano commended Governor Yusuf’s commitment to development projects and urged parents to monitor their children to prevent social vices and political thuggery.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Two students from the Federal University Wukari, who were kidnapped two weeks ago, have been liberated from captivity.

Mrs. Ashu Agbu, the Head of the Information and Protocol Unit at the institution, relayed this development in a WhatsApp message to our correspondent on Friday.

“After enduring days in the grip of their abductors, the two students of the Federal University Wukari have regained their freedom,” she affirmed.

Agbu, however, refrained from divulging the specifics regarding the manner in which the students were set free.

Nevertheless, it was previously reported that the abductors had demanded a ransom of N50 million.

The pair, identified as Joshua Sardauna from the Economics Department and Obianu Elizabeth from the Microbiology Department, were seized on Wednesday, April 3, around 10:00 PM, near a shop adjacent to the university.

The students had returned to the campus to retake their examinations due to academic setbacks from the previous session when the unfortunate incident occurred.

Earlier accounts revealed that on Monday, April 3, 2024, gunmen suspected to be herdsmen had raided the Federal University Wukari in Taraba State, abducting two students.

Mr. Sule Gani, the Chief Security Officer of the university, corroborated the occurrence in a telephone conversation with journalists in Jalingo.

Gani confirmed that armed herdsmen, described as gunmen, infiltrated the school premises and abducted a male and a female former students who had returned to complete their carry-over papers.

The attack unfolded as the herdsmen stormed the campus and seized the two students while they were dining at a food vendor’s stall.

By Uzair Adam Imam

In a recent verdict, the Gombe State High Court delivered justice to perpetrators of employment scams, sending a strong message against fraud.

Ibrahim Abdullahi and Umar Usman found themselves on the wrong side of the law, charged with obtaining N682,847 under false pretenses.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed that Abdullahi and Usman, separately arraigned, faced charges related to cheating and employment scams.

Abdullahi was accused of obtaining the Polaris ATM card of Aminu Adamu Idris and Muhammed Saidu Jibril under false employment promises, subsequently misusing it to secure a loan without consent.

Both defendants pleaded guilty upon arraignment. The prosecuting attorney, A.B. Kware, urged the court to consider appropriate sentencing, while the defendants’ attorney, R.A. Anthony, appealed for leniency, citing their regret and first-time offender status.

Judge Kereng, after finding them guilty, sentenced Abdullahi and Usman to one and two years in jail, respectively, alongside a N50,000 fine each.

In another case, Mohammed Soja faced six years imprisonment for similar fraud charges but was offered a chance for rehabilitation due to his father’s medical condition, with an option of a N150,000 fine.

Previously, Alhaji Abdullahi Usman received a 10-year sentence for obtaining goods under false pretenses.

The EFCC had arraigned Usman on one count in 2018 after he deceived a store owner in Gombe.

These verdicts underscore the judiciary’s commitment to combating fraud and protecting citizens from exploitation.

They serve as a reminder of the importance of due diligence in financial transactions and employment opportunities, emphasizing the need for vigilance against fraudulent schemes.

By Alkasim Harisu

As a people, we need to consider afforestation to avoid global warming. Deforestation is a menace that a good Samaritan—Isma’il Auwal, a Facebook friend—is discouraging by embarking on a project of planting four thousand trees within Kano. Other good Samaritans, either inspired by him or not, are fast getting on the bandwagon by advocating for afforestation, which, if appropriately executed, will help reduce the scorching heat Kano is immensely experiencing. 

Deforestation and its effects need no introduction. This activity has spanned many decades. For different reasons, man fell trees to cook, make furniture, manufacture vehicles, or clean his environment. Deforestation engenders climate change and combines carbon dioxide with oxygen, eventually returning to its emitters (human beings), affecting them negatively. Deforestation is the removal of forests. It happens for several reasons, causing devastating consequences. It can be deliberate, natural or accidental. This unwelcoming act changes the climate, desertifies the land, erodes the soil, reduces crops, brings floods, and increases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Battling the devastating effects of climate change requires a great effort from the government and non-governmental organisations, as well as the public. Climate change has caused a growing concern around the globe. As an end-product of vehicle exhaust and factory emissions, climate change is a global challenge enjoying little attention, especially in the Global South. To tell the truth, while a minority of the Global North pays much attention to reducing the effects of climate change, a majority, mainly comprising the Global South countries, do nothing to curb the problem. Some people, especially in developing nations, consider forests underdeveloped, not knowing that their lack poses a great challenge to life.

How people frequently fell trees defies explanation. With the rapid rural-urban migration, people become more interested in deforesting the world to build houses, companies, etc. Urbanisation is another reason for deforestation. With the current raging global warming debilitating the world, the earth will not only be in a jam but will also represent hell on earth. Worst comes to worst, the earth can become inhabitable. The current exceedingly hot weather in Kano and elsewhere is fast becoming a pain in the neck. 

Causes of Deforestation

The causes of deforestation are numerous, with agriculture ranking first. Since time immemorial, people have cultivated acres of land numbering in the thousands. As a result, forests are cleared and/or burnt for farming. The Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, which continues to the present, is another significant cause for concern. The processing of raw materials necessitates the rampant cutting down of trees. In Africa, although large amounts of forests are cut down for burning at homes for food and sale, rendering communities prone to the obnoxious effects of climate change, little or no efforts are made to reforestation. 

Deforested for commercial or home use: Places are left to reforest themselves or waste away forever. Deforestation engenders the loss of habitat, which causes more and more animals and plants to die. A forest is home to countless animals and plants. Therefore, plants and animals lose their homes if a bush is deforested. Not only does deforestation affect the animals and plants we know, but also those we don’t know. 

Deforestation causes the greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere. The fact that trees absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen into the atmosphere is not less known. Trees control the water level in the atmosphere by regulating the water cycle. By working together, millions of trees refine the moisture obtainable in the air. While there is enough water in forested areas, there is less in deforested ones. This dries up the soil, making it grow less crops. 

Further, soil erosion and flooding count among the effects of deforestation. Trees provide nutrients and retain water. Without forests, like it or lump it, the soil erodes, losing nutrients and becoming barren and open to flooding. With the help of their roots, trees absorb and store a large amount of water when it rains. When they are felled, the flow of water stops, depriving the soil of its ability to retain water. While this brings floods in some areas, it causes droughts in others. 

Last, deforestation causes a lack of food, medicine and building materials. Many people, both within Nigeria and outside, consider forests the only source of food and medicine. However, with deforestation, they don’t only lose food and medicine but also their lives.

Toward Solving Deforestation

Deforestation occurs due to several reasons. While this cannot be more correct, there are solutions to the problem notwithstanding. Considering the threat climate change poses to the ozone layer and the heightening greenhouse effect, promoting afforestation is necessary. The fact that developed countries worldwide advocate tree planting needs no emphasis. Thus, tree planting should be encouraged, and campaigns against unnecessary felling of trees should be launched. 

We need to do the following:

1. Enlightening People about the Effects of Clear-cutting of Forests: Unless enlightened, people will continue to deforest communities for reasons better known to them. To discourage deforestation, we need to initiate campaigns and give lectures to awaken people to the devastating effects of deforestation before things go out of hand.

2. Reforestation of Clear-cut Lands: When deforested, we should consider planting young trees to replace the ones cut down. Around the world, every year, under several initiatives, trees are planted. Celebrating World Environmental Day 2022, in collaboration with UNESCO and Concordia College, Yola, a foundation whose name I have forgotten, gave, in June 2022, in the Concordia College hall a mesmerising public lecture on climate change and deforestation. 

3. Educating the Public: Although some people are informed about the global warming problem, many are not. We should be determined to educate the public about the causes and effects of deforestation. It is noteworthy that people have to either avoid unnecessary tree cutting down or risk damaging the ozone layer.

In conclusion, even though the campaign against deforestation is widespread, many people, especially in urban areas, fail to feel the urge to afforest their respective communities. This spells doom. Of course, a disaster is looming large. We will be doomed unless we come together to prevent it.

Alkasim Harisu wrote from Kano via alkasabba10@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Bauchi State Police Command apprehended Isyaku Babale, 30, following the tragic demise of his brother during a heated dispute.

In a statement released by SP Ahmed Wakil, the police disclosed that the arrest came after the victim succumbed to his injuries at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi.

“Isyaku Babale, a resident of Anguwan Dawaki, was detained by operatives from the township Police Divisional headquarters for an alleged culpable homicide,” stated SP Ahmed Wakil.

He continued, “Initial investigations unveiled that the suspect employed a knife, fatally stabbing his older sibling during an altercation that erupted between them on March 31st, 2024, around 04:00hrs.”

Reportedly, the dispute ignited when Babale urged his brother to cease consuming Cold Patch liquid, locally known as ‘Sholi,’ due to its foul odor.

The disagreement escalated into a physical confrontation, leading to the fatal stabbing. Further inquiries revealed a history of violent altercations involving dangerous weapons between the siblings.

Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Mohammed, has directed a comprehensive investigation to ascertain any underlying motives behind the incident, emphasizing the importance of bringing the perpetrator to justice through legal proceedings.