National

By Uzair Adam Imam

 As part of the contribution toward global peace, Nigeria has deployed about 173 soldiers to keep peace in Guinea Bissau despite rising insecurity in the country. 

The Chief of Operations, Army Headquarters, Major General Oluwafemi Akinjobi, made the disclosure at the pre-deployment training graduation of the Nigerian contingent to the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau.

He stated that since independence Nigeria has contributed over 100,000 troops to over 40 countries on peacekeeping missions.

Akinjobi, who was reportedly represented by the Chief of Operations, Major General Zakari Abubakar, noted that Nigeria remains the beacon of peace and the gatekeeper of the ECOWAS sub-region.

He added that Nigeria has helped restore peace in many conflict areas around the world.

Akinjobi was quoted as saying: “The nation continues to strive to ensure security and stability in Africa through collective security by contributing to international peace and security, which is essential to Nigeria’s defence policy.”

By Muhammadu Sabiu

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has demanded the firing of the Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Sterling Bank, Mr Abubakar Sulaiman, after the financial institution made a debatable Easter flyer.

The Christian body accused the bank of likening the Resurrection of Jesus to Agege bread, in response to which the CEO apologised.

A statement released by the CAN has described the comparison as “ungodly, wicked, insensitive and deliberately provocative.”

“The attention of the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria has been drawn to an ungodly, wicked, insensitive and deliberately provocative advertisement of Sterling Bank, comparing the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ to ‘Agege bread’ amidst the Easter celebration.

“In case the management of Sterling Bank is not aware, the Resurrection of Jesus witnesses to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the Resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, then He has power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not worthy of our faith and worship.

“Only He who created life can resurrect it after death; only He can reverse the mystery that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting and gain the victory over the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54–55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death,” the statement read partly.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Popularly known as Rema, Nigerian singer, Devine Ikubor, has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to call off its two-month-old strike. 

The 21 years old Afrobeats singer made the appeal on Monday,  April 18, 2022, on Twitter. 

“ASUU, since dem give me admission I neva start school o, e don do nau “, Rema tweeted. 

Rema was reportedly admitted to the University of Lagos in January and has not been able to assume school before the strike’s commencement.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022. The Federal Government’s failure to implement the 2009 agreement and not accepting the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, as a payment platform are among the main reasons cited by ASUU for the industrial action.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment,  Chris Ngige, is set to declare his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election on Tuesday. 

This is coming amidst the two-month-old strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Ngige, who has failed to resolve the lingering impasse between ASUU and the Federal Government, said on Saturday, April 16, 2022, that God has spoken to him regarding the presidency, and he will not disappoint his supporters. 

“The period of Lent ended last night; throughout the period, we communed with God. We did spiritual exercises and fasted. We talked to God and his angels, and God has talked back to us. God has spoken to me. I want to assure the people that I will not disappoint you,” he stated

Ngige added that he has the support of the trio of the APC, PDP and APGA in his ambition. 

“This journey is not for the APC alone. Our brothers and sisters in PDP and APGA  are in support. They know that I am more qualified than any other person from the South East. They will support me,” he said.

However, Ngige’s intended declaration does not go well with many, especially students who have been held at home by ASUU’s strike, which the Labour Minister has failed to resolve.

Maymunat Suleiman, a final year student of Chemistry at Federal University Lokoja, expressed her dismay regarding Ngige’s presidential bid during an interview with The Daily Reality.

“A presidential candidate who doesn’t take education seriously. These politicians only care about themselves and their families. I don’t see myself voting for that kind of candidate,” she said. 

Another student, who preferred to remain anonymous, described Ngige’s presidential bid as a joke that should not be taken seriously.

He further decried the minister’s poor management of the ASUU’s strike, which has kept students in public universities from school.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The two-term governor of Kano, Engr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, said he had concluded plans to formally declare his political ambition next week.

Kwankwaso, who has been nursing the ambition over the years, would contest for president on the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) platform.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Mr Kwankwaso said he consulted widely on his plan, and the responses were positive.

“I have been consulting widely with friends and Nigerians of diverse interests, and the outcome has been positive. 

“I will be informing Nigerians of my political ambition sometime early next week,” he said.

Kwankwaso also acknowledged the successes recorded by his new political party at its recently-concluded membership registration. 

He added, “the support for the NNPP had been overwhelming going by the responses recorded at its recently-concluded membership registration drive.”

By Uzair Adam Imam 

A 100 level student at the Claretian University of Nigeria, Imo State, Suel Ambrose, slumped and died while acting in a drama on campus.

The incident that took place Friday has thrown the whole school community members into confusion.

The drama was in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in respect to the Easter celebration.

Ambrose, who hailed from Benue State, was dramatising the role of the biblical Peter in the Passion of Christ when the incident occurred.

According to the source, who identified himself as Mavis, the 25-year-old first-year student fell on the floor and started bleeding. 

It was gathered the deceased had the dream of becoming a priest in the Catholic church before his demise. 

He added, “He was playing the role of the biblical Peter in the dream and that process when Peter cut the ear of one of the soldiers and Jesus fixed the ear and asked Peter to let them do their wish. You know how passionate the play is.

“So when the soldiers chase the disciples to drive them away from Jesus, the young man fell on the floor and started bleeding. We took him to our school hospital, and the doctors did their best, but he was not responding to treatment. 

“We took him to the Federal Medical Center in Owerri, where he was pronounced dead.”

The drama was in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in respect to the Easter celebration.

By Ibrahim A. El-Caleel

Muslims across the world love to complete the recitation of the Qur’an in Ramadan due to different reasons.

Firstly, it was within the blessed month that the Qur’ān was sent down all at one time from Al-Lauhul Mahfūz (the Preserved tablet) to Al-Baitul Izzah (House of Might) in the heaven of this world.

Secondly, actions in this month are rewarded in manifolds. Good deeds and bad deeds alike. Ramadan has a single night whose eminence is better than a thousand months- 83 years+. Imagine submitting an act of good deed in this night and getting it accepted. The reward will be awesome.

Reciting the Qur’an is an easy way of accumulating good rewards. It is rewarded per alphabet. Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said it is a 10-fold reward per alphabet each recited. An Uthmāni script of the Qur’an contains 604 pages, with each page having 15 lines. The estimated number of characters/alphabets in the Qur’ān is 330,000. Therefore, if you calculate the anticipated number of rewards for reciting the whole Qur’ān, you’ll see that it is massive. The reward becomes exponentially colossal if you factor in the multiplier effect of Ramadan.

This is why scholars of Islam from all walks of disciplines retire to the Qur’ān once it is Ramadan. They momentarily suspend studies in Hadīth, Fiqh, I’tiqād, History to settle for the Qur’ān so as to maximize the benefits in Ramadan. Mujāhid bn Jabr, a tabi’i expert in Tafseer used to complete the Qur’ān in every night in Ramadan. Imamul Shafi’i would complete the Qur’an 60 times in Ramadan!

Every conscious Muslim is looking forward to completing the recitation of the Qur’ān in Ramadan. It is a “bonanza period” for you to double your good deeds and earn some handsome rewards in your Book of Record. This is why everyone works on a plan to complete the Qur’ān. I have seen different plans that divide the Qur’an into number of pages, or rubu’, hizb or juz which should be covered on daily basis to complete the Noble Book before Ramadan elapses. Some go as detailed as breaking it down to recitals after each of the five obligatory prayers on daily basis.

AlhamdulilLahi. All these are implementable plans if one has the discipline to sustain them.

However, I have never tried following them because I do not have the organized sustenance culture in reading. And in the near past, either in 2016 or 17, there was a Ramadan where I was unable to complete the Qur’ān. Though there was nothing sinful about that, I wasn’t happy. I could make only around 45hizbs, falling short of 15. And since then I settled for my own personal plan.

My personal plan afterwards was a resolution not to join Taraweeh prayers in congregation unless I have completed the Qur’ān. Therefore, in the early days of Ramadan, typically before 10th, I do my taraweeh alone at home. I would silence-mode my phone to avoid any distraction. I would then pray my taraweeh typically covering 6 hizbs daily, in either two or four raka’ahs depending on my selection. It typically lasts two hours, or with an additional 30 minutes. Of course, the standing isnt easy but nothing rewarding has ever been easy. So, I bear it. Immediately after completing this taraweeh, I fall asleep. Saving me from the addition of late night punching of my phone.

This plan has been working for me, AlhamdulilLah. I am not sharing it for a holier-than-thou extravaganza, subhanallah. May Allah protect our deeds from show-off, Amin. But I am sharing it because it might be a method someone would want to adopt, especially for workers who run an 8am to 5pm work. They might not have chance to read the Qur’an during work hours in the day. And they may be thinking of what other plan can they adopt since they want to complete this Noble Book.

You don’t have to be a Qur’an memorizer to adopt this method. All you need is this copy of the Mushaf that is usually divided by hizbs selections numbering 1-10 (6 hizbs each) or numbering 1-6 (10 hizbs each). They are portable for use in prayers. And if you want to use the Qur’an app in your phone, no problem. You might just consider putting your phone in ‘Airplane Mode’ to ward off distractions.

It is halāl (permissible) to pray while holding the Qur’ān according to the most correct scholarly opinion. This applies to everyone- whether they are Qur’ān memorizers or not. In fact, Imamul Nawawiy considers it wajib if one hasn’t memorized Suratul Fātiha, then he must hold a Qur’ān and pray because not having Suratul Fatiha in your human brain isn’t an excuse for you not to pray. Therefore, whether you have the Qur’an at heart or not, you can still recite from the mushaf while in prayers.

If Islamic scholars are suspending other fields of knowledge to complete the Qur’ān in Ramadan, you can suspend social media to do same. If you want to use your annual leave, casual leave or compassionate leave from work, then so be it. It worths doing all these.

May Allah grant us the ability to maximize our time in Ramadan, Amin.

El-Caleel writes from Zaria, Kaduna State

By Muhammadu Sabiu

President Muhammadu Buhari has been chastised for pardoning two former governors who were imprisoned for corruption.

Recall that on Thursday, the Council of State granted 159 convicts presidential pardons, according to reports.

Former governors of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, and Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, imprisoned for stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion, respectively, were among the released convicts.

However, speaking at the 1st anniversary of late Afenifere’s spokesman, Yinka Odumakin’s Lecture and Book Presentation, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), a human rights campaigner, encouraged the Federal Government to extend the presidential pardon to individuals serving sentences for minor offences. Falana argued that this would reflect fairness and equity for all.

“All petty thieves in our prisons should be released. Under Section 17 of the 1999 Constitution, there shall be equality and equal rights for all citizens.

“Section 42 of the Constitution says there shall be no discrimination on the basis of class and gender, so you cannot take out a few people on the basis that they belong to a category or section of the society.

“I can assure you that if the government did not release others, I am going to call on lawyers whose clients are left in custody to come to court and challenge the discriminatory treatment of their clients,” Mr Falana was partly quoted as saying.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Federal Government of Nigeria said the preliminary reports of what transpired at the Kaduna train attack had revealed a kind of collaboration between the bandits and the dislodged Boko Haram terrorists from the northeast. 

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this Wednesday while responding to the State House reporters in Abuja.

Recall that The Daily Reality reported how no fewer than nine persons died, hundreds sustained injuries while over sixty were kidnapped when terrorists stormed a passenger train along the Abuja-Kaduna railway a few weeks ago.

Mohammed reportedly intervened after the Minister of Defence, retired Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi, was questioned to provide details on the perpetrators of the train attack.

He said: “What is happening now is that there is a kind of an unholy handshake between bandits and Boko Haram insurgents. 

“Preliminary reports of what transpired at the Kaduna train attacks show that there is a kind of collaboration between the bandits and the dislodged Boko Haram terrorists from the northeast. I can tell you very confidently that the Federal Government is on the top of this matter.”

Magashi, in his earlier response to the question, stated that: “Honestly, I think the security chiefs are working hard to unveil those that are involved, and we will tell you very soon those that are carrying out these attacks. 

“Both Jos and Kaduna, we will come and explain to the public what is really going on and our efforts to ensure that all these activities are stopped once and for all. We are rarely on top of the situation, we are planning hard, and we will get it out as soon as possible.”

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The House of Representatives decried the incessant security challenge in communities bordering Taraba and Plateau states, urging the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Leo Irabor, to begin joint security operations in the areas. 

This reportedly followed the adoption of a motion by a member from Taraba State, Abdulsalam Mubarak.

Mubarak raised an urgent need to mitigate the security challenge of banditry and kidnapping in the areas.

He lamented that banditry in the areas had skyrocketed with several reported cases of killings, rape and kidnappings.

However, the House also pleaded with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the North East Development Commission to assess the damage cost by banditry and provide palliative to the victims.

Insecurity is one of the menacing challenges that militate against peace in communities bordering Taraba and Plateau and the entire northeastern and northwestern parts of the country. 

Several hundreds of people were reported dead due to the insecurity, with many others kidnapped, raped or displaced.