National

By Samuel Aruwan

“One who is loved, never dies.” – C.S. Lewis

Certain people we meet in the course of our lives become so important to our reality, that permanent separation from them is something the mind can never fully comprehend. The duration of meeting may not be long; it is the intensity and impact that linger in the memory.

Death is an inevitable end, but some people are simply larger than life, or should I say, death. Many times, it is easier to forget that they are no longer with us. We visualize their expressions, remember their presence, and hear their voices clearly in our heads as we recall conversations. For those who were known to the wider society, their work remains as a landmark to their lives, however short . The happiness of a memory quickly mixes with the sad recollection of absence.

It is with such mixed feelings, but mostly with a sense of great honour, that I remember, on what would have been Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru’s 56th birthday, a man of immense character, discipline, selfless service and dedication above and beyond the call of duty. With a sense of supreme privilege and humility, I pay a post-humous birthday tribute to Attahiru, who was in all ramifications, a consummate officer and a gentleman, and truly a soldier’s soldier.

As we commemorate him today, it would not be out of place to remember him as a nation builder and a true patriot in his own right, who served his country impeccably in a stellar military career through which he rose admirably to become the 25th Chief of Army Staff.

It is in his final role that many – including myself – will most potently remember General Attahiru. Upon his sudden and tragic demise in May last year, I recalled his reassuring ebullient presence, underneath which he carried the determination, discipline, and professionalism of a born soldier. I reflected on his attentiveness and enthusiasm in our fight against banditry, terrorism, and general insecurity in our state, and in the region at large. I remembered then, as I do now, his crystal-clear vision and passion for the Nigerian Army.

That is the General Ibrahim Attahiru with whom I was blessed to interact. I also know that he is fondly remembered within military circles as a leader who reached out to the men under his command, and even to all who came under his care, and he looked out for them.

In contemplating the lives of great Generals, we wonder if the uniform makes the man, or if it is the man who fills up the uniform he wears. Beyond all that General Attahiru was in his professional sphere and in the limelight, we must not fail to remember him simply as a human being, as a father, as a man who lived by a creed of openness and accessibility. At the launch of the General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation earlier this year, we heard about the man behind the uniform, Ibrahim Attahiru, the family man, the loving husband who never failed to put a smile on the face of his wife Fati. We learned of the doting and devoted father to Aisha Farrah, Zainab Maliha and Fatima Iman, who made it a priority to spend quality time with his three lovely daughters, encouraging them in their faith, in their academics, guiding them in their social lives and always letting them know that he was proud of them.

His job and its attendant demands notwithstanding, he made time to be a father and a friend to his daughters, and through his charm and courage, mentored them. These are the actions that will forever remain priceless in the lives of his wife and children, and they reflect the dedication with which General Attahiru conducted himself even outside the spotlight.

I will always be grateful for the privilege I had to interact with him, albeit briefly. During our engagements, he demonstrated to me quite clearly the power of hope, through his optimism, energy, and cooperative disposition. For me, and for others involved in security management, our highest tribute to General Attahiru, would be to walk in his footsteps, and to throw ourselves with unalloyed commitment at the fight which remains before us.

The General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation which was launched at the one-year memorial of his demise, will seek to cement and transmit the legacy of the man, and the virtues which he typified; the values of strength, dignity, commitment to excellence, leadership, tenacity, openness, accessibility, mentorship, and fatherhood. It is upon such values that nations are built. It is these virtues which have led to so many honouring him today, on the 56th anniversary of his birth, to celebrate what he stood for in his life, and indeed the way he represented the Nigerian Army with distinction for nearly 35 years.

Today, once again, it is right that we celebrate the legacy of a hero, as we also continue to immortalize his love for service, knowledge and impact. It is a mark of honour, and a tribute to his memory. He is no longer with us, but he lives on in the quality of life that he lived; a life, cut short just shy of 55 years on this earth. We are saddened at the fact of his absence, but we are reminded by so many aspects of his legacy, that truly, he lived.

And so today we salute the memory of a patriot, and (I am privileged to say) a companion and ally, who would have turned 56. We celebrate with honour, the memory of a mentor, a brother, a father, a husband. We commemorate the birth, the life and the times of a quintessential soldier, a true General, who exited the arena suddenly, in the middle of a war, and more so, in the line of duty.

In remembering him on the day of his birth, we ensure that the torch of his legacy and ideals will continue to burn brightly, to inspire and lead, as he did.

For truly, one who is loved, never dies.

Aruwan is Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State.

By Aisar Fagge

The heavy downpour has wreaked havoc in Jigawa communities, leading to the destruction of many houses, shops and prosperities worth millions of naira in the areas.

The rain that started Monday night, 1st August 2022, lasted for hours and had claimed the lives of yet to be identified a number of people, especially small kids.

The Daily Reality gathered that the communities affected included; Hadejia, Kafin Hausa, Kiri-Kasamma and some parts of Garun-Gabas, Tandanu and Bulangu of Jigawa state, respectively.

Our reporter gathered that the flood has also washed away many farms in the communities, and the development that the residents decried has struck terror in them.

Climate change that leads to flooding is one of the serious challenges rocking many countries, which affects people’s lives and health in various ways.

In another similar situation, a morning downpour in Bajoga town of Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State had claimed the lives of people and destructed houses and shops in the community.

Climate change: More floods in Nigeria

Experts have foresighted that there would be more floods in Nigeria in the next two months because of climate change.

The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof Mansur Bako Matazu, has warned Nigerians to brace up for more rains in the next two months.

Mu’azu disclosed this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, August 2nd, 2022, while speaking on flooding wreaking havoc across Nigeria in recent weeks.

However, Mu’azu also lamented that Nigerians keep cutting down trees and dumping refuses in drainage channels.

He added that the NiMeT CEO organisation had issued several advisories about flooding earlier, to which Nigerians failed to adhere.

In his words, Matazu said: “There will be increased rainfall intensity in the next two months or so. This is the most active period – July, August and September. We are going to see more floods.”

NEMA: 233 LGs in 32 states prone to flooding

No fewer than 233 local government areas in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory have been predicted to experience flooding in 2022.

The Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, raised the alarm Tuesday in Abuja.

Ahmed, who said the discovery was a result of the 2022 Seasonal Climate Prediction, stated, “Efforts must be made to mitigate and respond effectively to flooding.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined Trust Television Network (Trust TV) N5 million for exposing banditiry.

In March 5th, 2022, the station aired a documentary titled “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story” that went viral.

According to the station, the NBC, in a letter dated August 3, 2022, which was signed by its Director General, Balarabe Shehu Illela, said the fine was imposed on Trust TV because its broadcast of the said documentary.

NBC argued that the documentary contravened sections of the National Broadcasting Code.

In a statement, the management of Media Trust Group said, “While we are currently studying the Commission’s action and weighing our options, we wish to state unequivocally that as a television station, we believe we were acting in the public interest by shedding light on the thorny issue of banditry and how it is affecting millions of citizens of our country.

“The documentary traces the root of the communal tensions and systemic inadequacies which led to the armed conflict that is setting the stage for another grand humanitarian crisis in Nigeria.

“It presents insights into the intersection of injustice, ethnicity and bad governance as drivers of the conflict. It also aggregates voices of experts and key actors towards finding solutions, including those of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Senator Saidu Mohammed Dansadau, who hails from one the worst hit communities in Zamfara State.”

By Lawan Bukar Maigana

“I will not and cannot ignore the religious concerns and ethnic sensitivities of our people. Taking them into due consideration is an important part of good and able governance. But religion, ethnicity, and region cannot always and fully determine our path. To forge ahead as a nation toward development and prosperity, we must break free of old binds. We must recalibrate our political calculations to where competence and fairness matter more than reductive demographics.”

That was vintage Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), making a passionate case for his choice of running mate and Nigerians to look at the bigger picture of loyalty, dedication, competence, good governance, and to, for once, ignore the petty details of individuals’ personal choice of how to worship God.

Tinubu, in that historic statement he signed on July 10, to announce Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate ahead of the 2023 election, urged Nigerians to look back at the days of the country’s glory where ethnicity and religion matters little and, United voters on June 12, 1993, to vote for the fantastic duo of Late Chief MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe, in what has been described as the most credible election in the country’s history.

The announcement of Shettima did not come to any keen observer of Nigerian politics as a surprise. It had been coming for a long time and even with the organized opposition to the choice of a Muslim running mate, Tinubu had no choice at all because if he had to stand the best chance of winning the election and pick a very loyal and committed person who is also competent to serve as Nigeria’s Number Two Citizen, it had to be Shettima. A few other names were mentioned in the days before the announcement, but it was obvious that Shettima ticked all the boxes and Tinubu is smart enough not to punish a very deserving person based on the con-incidence of his religion.

In Shettima, a serving Senator from Borno Central, ‘The Jagaban’ will have a dependable, loyal, charismatic, diligent, articulate, purposeful, visionary, and intelligent ally as his Deputy.

A leader is always expected to be courageous, fearless, committed to his belief, and stand by his conviction no matter the consequences. Shettima was extremely vocal and consistent in fighting for Tinubu to get the ticket to the party and there was never a time he waivered or relented. Tinubu has also doubled down on his choice of Shettima as his running mate despite the groundswell of opposition against it by career rabble-rousers who will always wail no matter what happens. Though Shettima is on record to have repeatedly said he never supported Tinubu during the primaries for the self-centered aim of being on the ticket but for the common good of all, the fact that the two great men took turns to fight for each other and stood by each other at difficult moments means there will be remarkable chemistry and spirit of camaraderie that will overwhelm the Presidential Villa to Nigeria’s advantage if they win…

And to clear the air on all the misconceptions, propaganda, and lies about the so-called Islamisation agenda, we all know Tinubu has no history of religious bigotry or extremism. This is a man who married a Christian and in their decades of living together supported his wife to become a pastor in the largest church in Nigeria and also allowed his children to practice Christianity freely. It was also Tinubu as Lagos state governor who released Missionary schools to their original owners, a feat that has proven difficult in other states up till today. How can a man who literally ‘Christianised’ his own family and allowed Christians to have their way in Lagos to ‘Islamise’ Nigeria?

As for Shettima, he is on record to have protected the Christian community in Borno state from the wickedness of Boko Haram terrorism when he served as governor. He spent over a billion naira to rebuild all the churches destroyed by the demons, sponsored the highest number of Christians to the Holy Land in Jerusalem, and appointed a good number of them into important positions in government. So he did not only stand up to the terrorists, he fought them to a standstill even as they tried to kill him and his family. How on earth would such a man want to be part of the so called Islamisation agenda?

For Shettima, accepting Tinubu’s offer was merely a call to duty that he could not say no to even though he never lobbied or campaigned for it.

This is how his running mate, Tinubu, in that memorable statement, captured the essence of Shettima’s appointment and the value he would bring to the ticket, and governance if they win: “Senator Kashim Shettima’s career in politics and beyond shows that he is eminently qualified not only to deliver that all-important electoral victory but, also, step into the shoes of the Vice President. As a man with the talent, maturity, strength of character, and patriotism he has my implicit confidence and faith.”

On the needless emphasis on Shettima’s faith, Tinubu further wrote: “I am aware that many will continue to focus on a particular detail, the question of his faith. However, if we truly understand the challenges upon us as a nation, then we must also see the imperative of placing competence in governance above religious sentiment.”

“In 1993, Nigerians embraced Chief MKO Abiola and a fellow Muslim running mate, Babagana Kingibe, in one of our fairest elections ever. The spirit of 1993 is upon us again in 2023. As such, the ticket we present today represents a milestone in our political history. It symbolizes our party’s determination to be a leading light among political parties in Africa,” he added.

In 1993, Abiola and Kingibe called their ticket ‘Hope 93.’ Thirty years later, Nigerians will indeed have a realistic hope of robust, outstanding, and qualitative governance in these two excellent gentlemen, if they win the election.

Indeed, the spirit of 1993 is here . . .

Lawan Bukar Maigana writes from Wuse District Abuja and can be reached via:Lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the Northwest is leading in voter registration with the total number of 22,672,373 prospective voters.

The region is made up of seven states: Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi.

According to the INEC, a total of 96,303,016 eligible voters have registered to vote in next year’s general election.

However, Northwest was said to have trailed by the Southwest, which has 18,332,191 voters. The zone is made of the six states of Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti.

Northcentral is third with 15,680,438, followed by Southsouth with 15,299,374; Northeast, 12,820,363 and Southeast, 11,498,277.

On Sunday July 31, the INEC had closed its registration portal, bringing the exercise to a halt.

“The CVR exercise has been suspended. Access to log-in to check the status of your completed applications will soon be restored,” notice on the INEC website stated.

Otto Orondaam

So, 10 years and 8 months ago, I met a little girl who challenged me, inspired me and eventually shaped my life and the lives of thousands of others. This week, we paid her a surprise visit in Abuja. I hope her story will inspire you.

In December 2011, we met a little girl in Makoko paddling a large canoe, 10 times her size. She was 8 years old and never been to school. We were overwhelmed by her strength, so we trailed her to her house by the waterside. Why is a smart girl like her not in school? We wondered!

She jumped off the boat and went to the back of the hut where she was drying fish. She would later take the smoked fish to the market with her mum to sell. She was such an inspiration, but we knew she needed to be in school.

One of the conversations that challenged us was hearing that girls weren’t meant to go to school and this was a myth we had to dispel in the community. So, we asked her parents to give us a chance with her and that was how our journey began.

While we didn’t have a favorite child, Sisianu was smart, always happy and we took Sisianu as our special child. I genuinely wanted to see her succeed. We eventually got her family to allow us to enroll her into school. This was such a great win for us.

The negotiation process wasn’t easy, but we did it and that was one of our first recorded successes at Slum2School. This became our springboard, propelling us to speak to more families and eventually enrolling 114 kids into school in 2012. The community celebrated and so did we.

Sisianu was so passionate about being in school. She would arrive at school before 7am and help clean her classroom. She eventually became the best in her primary school class. She went on to win trophies in athletics and represented us at various sports competitions. We were so proud of her. “Can you see that girls can achieve great things?” We would brag about her during advocacy campaigns.

Her inspiring story inspired many caregivers to allow us enrol their kids in school. So in 2013 we enrolled 220 additional kids to school and 350 in 2014. Sisianu became our little ambassador and we didnt want to see her fail. But her journey from 2016 wasn’t linear, it was filled with ups and downs. She excelled at many points and also failed at some. What’s happening to Sisianu? We were very worried.

Being a girl isn’t easy, but being a girl having to take care of all your younger siblings while helping your mothers fish business, in an environment where education isn’t regarded as priority, is even more difficult. Sisianu’s education became threatened.

In 2016 her performance dropped and she started missing classes regularly. We got our counseling team to work with her and a lot was recommended. There were several distractions and responsibilities she had besides her education. In 2018, she lost the motivation to go to school.

That year her grades were reallly poor. She missed most mentorship sessions, and we observed several social patterns that led kids to eventually drop out of school. At this point we knew that she needed to leave her community and go far away where she could focus on her education.

We packed her bags, bought her a 1 way flight ticket and flew her to Abuja to join our kids on Scholarship at Word Of Faith Schools but she failed the scholarship exam.

She scored 34% and was not offered a scholarship. We knew she would perform poorly but we had no alternatives. At this point our option was to either send her back to Makoko or pay the annual school fees which was about N1,000,000 per annum asides her upkeep and travel costs every quarter. In the end we would spend over N1.4m/year and this wasn’t something we had ever done.

We could also take her to a less expensive school but we didn’t want to isolate her from others and further damage her self esteem. But how do we pay such amount of fees for one child when it could support 30 other children? We were faced with a tough decision.

We had meetings and eventually decided to enroll her in Word of Faith School Abuja together with our other kids while working towards raising funds for her fees, travel expenses and her upkeep. It was a very tough decision but that was the only option we felt Sisianu truly deserved.

3 months later, she wrote her first term exams & from scoring 34% in her scholarship exam, Sisianu aced all her results with 8As and 4Bs. I was shocked and so was everyone. This was the first time since 2017 we saw the shining star that we had always known. How did this happen?

I remembered the day we all saw the results of her scholarship exam and she saw that she had failed. She cried bitterly. We also cried. She didn’t want to go back home so she promised that if she was given another chance she would do her best and make us proud. We trusted her!

In February this year, while I sat in the library preparing for my exams one snowy evening in Boston, I got a call from a random number on WhatsApp. It was very unlike me, but I picked up and I heard a voice screaming, “Uncle it is Sisianu”, “Oh how are you Sisianu” I responded.

She said, “I haven’t seen you since 2020 and you haven’t come to visit me since last year. You promised to visit us every year.”
“I am in school and I haven’t been around since last year.” I responded
“But you taught us to always keep to our promise.” She replied.

Those words felt quite heavy to respond to, so I paused and reminded her “but your mentors uncle Ekene, uncle Aaron, aunty Hauwa, aunty Ajibike and many others visit you often right? “Yes”, she replied, “we would be graduating from school this year, please try to visit us”
“I am using my aunty’s phone to call you and I have to give it back to her. Goodbye Sir.” The phone went off.

It was so tough to continue reading so I packed my bags and walked out of the library. It was indeed a long walk back home that night as I had a lot to reflect on.

At that point I had so much going on, and wasn’t sure when I was going to be back but I promised myself that I would visit her and our other kids before they graduated. Last month Sisianu completed her WAEC, passed her JAMB and this Wednesday she completed her final NECO exams.

Together with our leadership team in Abuja, I paid her a surprise visit at her school right after her final NECO exam. She spotted us from afar and this was what her joy looked like. She told me that she is the General Secretary in her school and shared all her achievements.

She shared her plans for the University and her gratitude to everyone who supported her. Reflecting on her journey left me truly speechless and teary, seeing that through her we’ve made a complete circle.

I am so thankful that we didn’t give up on her throughout the last 10 years. I am thankful to everyone who believed in her and in us.

Since 2019 after we took 4 of them out of Lagos to Abuja, Deborah has graduated and is a first-year student in Benson Idahosa University. Mariam is the deputy senior prefect; Mustapha is one of the best graduating students and Sisianu, she remains our shining star, ready for a new journey in the University and continuously inspiring everyone across her community. 

Our goal is that she attends one of the best Universities in the world we ask that you join us to make this dream possible for her.

Written by Otto Orondaam, the founder of Slum2school Africa.

By Muhammad Sabiu 

Nigerians who had not been able to get registered made a plea to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to prolong the Continuous Voters Registration, CVR, process as it came to an end yesterday.

In a rush to register before the deadline, which was set by the electoral authority on June 25, Nigerians flocked to many registration centres on Sunday.

In order to provide eligible Nigerians more time to apply for PVCs before the 2023 elections, INEC extended the application period from June 30 to July 31.

Many people have yet to register, despite the service being extended to churches and other locations in an effort to help with the process.

On Sunday, intended voters were furious in certain voting locations in Abuja, claiming that there were conspiracies to deny some Nigerians the right to vote.

An aggrieved PVC applicant was quoted by journalists to have said, “I think they just don’t want us to vote. Look at the people that are going to be denied the opportunity to participate in the election. What is wrong in this country?

“If you look around, you will notice that most of us here that have been here since 3 am this morning are youths. They are afraid of the revolution that is coming, and that is why they are deliberately pushing us away”.

Threatening to take their grievances to the street, he said, “we must hit the street to demand the extension of the exercise. It is our right to vote, and nobody should violate that right”.

By Aminu Muhammad

A Kano State High Court has sentenced Abdulmalik Tanko and Hashim Isyaku to death by hanging following their conviction for kidnapping and culpable homicide.

Abdulmalik Tanko and two others were tried on four count charges of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, confinement, and culpable homicide contrary to sections 97, 274, 277, 221 of the Kano State Penal Code 1991.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Usman Na’abba ruled the prosecuting counsel proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the defendants criminally conspired, abducted and murdered the five-year old pupil, Hanifa Abubakar.

The defence counsel, Barr Asiya Mohammed, had earlier on behalf of the convicted persons pleaded with the Court to tamper justice with mercy.

By Hussaini Hussaini

Like any other election, the NBA Elections, 2022 has come and gone with winners and runner-ups (not losers). But, of course, not without some cries.

In every contest, it is incumbent that one contestant must be the victor, and the other will lose that opportunity to be in the winner’s position. It is painful to lose in a sports competition, literally being a contest for gold, silver, and bronze. Hence, the word “sportsmanship” explains the endurance required of a loser in a sports competition.

However, it is different when it comes to a leadership contest in which a person who believes in his capacity to serve certain people or organizations presents himself for election. On the one hand, their election ought to be defined as a win for the organization that now has a servant. But, on the other hand, defeating his co-contestants ought to be described as a relief for those contestants from the burden of service.

Defeat in an election is another opportunity for a defeated contestant to rethink his manifesto and plans for his constituents if he genuinely means service to them. It is also an opportunity to rebuild their personal relationship with voters.

A candidate in an election is presumed to have vied for that office out of love for his constituents. This, therefore, presupposes that the said candidate respects those he is presumed to love and their choices because the election itself determines the choice of those constituents.

An election is not a do-or-die affair. Any candidate who takes it otherwise and creates animosity before or after an election will never make a good leader. This is a religious injunction in my faith of Islam. I have seen similar biblical rulings like Proverbs 28:25, which states: “The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.”

NBADECIDES2022 was an election for the leadership of the noblest profession in Nigeria. But, unfortunately, within less than 24 hours of the conduct/declaration of the results, several, apparently sponsored, persons or those crying more than the bereaved were seen maligning the candidates-elect and the ECNBA, the electoral umpire.

Having said the above, conceding an apparent defeat in an election by a candidate does not depict the candidate as weak. On the contrary, it simply presents the candidate as a hero who meant his words by respecting the choice of the people he sought to lead. The example of former President Jonathan is not far away, and the sad contrary situation could be seen in Ivory Coast.

In short, the fruit of conceding an apparent defeat may provide several opportunities and consideration to a runner-up candidate over and above what his election would have otherwise provided.

I hope this piece will be found worthy.

Hussaini can be reached via hussaini4good@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Federal Government College Kwali-Abuja has been shutdown after midnight attacks on the neighbouring Sheda community.

Gunmen, suspected to be bandits, attacked Sheda community on the night of Saturday June 23, 2022. According to locals, there were gunshots which lasted almost an hour and a resident was kidnapped.

Following the attack on Sheda, a community that shares the same border with the college, the school management has informed parents to pick their children from the school.

A senior staff of the college who spoke to the Daily Reality on ground of anonymity said:

“The management has gotten the approval of the Ministry of Education for parents to pick their children from the school pending when their safety can be guaranteed”.

The incident has prevented the students of the institution from completing their third term examinations, which supposed to come to an end on Tuesday.