Opinion

By Ismail Obansa Nimah

Moments before the deadly Israeli strike on the Al Ahli Baptist Christian National Hospital, an official Israeli government page posted the following on X (formerly Twitter):  “Due to the lack of medical equipment and the lack of medical staff, it was decided to bomb the Baptist hospital in Gaza and give them euthanasia death”.  

The attack is the worst to hit a hospital since World War II. It has so far killed more than 500 people, with many still under the rubble. The tweet has been deleted, and as usual, Israeli and mainstream Western media have begun damage control to embellish the ignominy with half-truths and outright falsehood.

There is no sitting on the fence in this conflict. You are either here or there. You either stand for the Palestinians against the monstrous apartheid regime of Israel, or you are with the Israelis, of whom a significant majority, save just a few, are so inhumane.

And when I say Palestinians or Israeli, it does not just equate pitting Muslims against Jews. If you must know, Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus himself, is amongst Palestine’s illegally occupied and besieged regions and has been under constant attack and bombardment by Israel for the past seven decades.

I hope our Christian counterparts also realise that cheering Israel on and being sympathetic to their cause on whatever basis or allusion, scriptural or not,  erodes the very humanity in us and is tantamount to aiding the systematic tyranny and barbarism that entity represents – the same barbarism we all spoke against and condemned when it occurred in South Africa.  We are all targets. This is a war on our collective humanity. Upon deeper reflection, we will find examples of similar demagoguery against Jesus and his Mother, Mary, in the scripture.

Ask yourself, is it not insane and malevolent to think that the Just and Merciful Creator will choose a group of people as his beloved or ‘chosen’ and help them commit atrocities of this scale to fulfil some prophecy?

We, Muslims, are not your enemy. We are not what the propagandists of the West and Israel propagate. We have an entire chapter in the Qur’an named after Mary in deference to her honour. We have numerous verses exalting her status in the sight of God, away from what the Jews still assert. No Muslim is a Muslim until he/she loves, respects and honours Jesus Christ as one of the mightiest messengers of God. We do not call his name, except we add “peace be upon him” to it. We make no distinction between him and other great messengers of God. Yet you somehow think we are your enemy? And help the Jews who curse Mary and Jesus further their evil plot, particularly against us?

For more than One thousand years, the Muslims ruled Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. During these years,  Muslims, Jews and Christians coexisted together in goodness, peace, justice and prosperity. Every Muslim was obligated to respect and ensure the human rights of those living under the Islamic Caliphate, no matter who they were and what they worshipped. It was and still is a huge sin and a punishable offence for any Muslim to trespass on the rights of a non-Muslim living under the protection of a Muslim government. No non-Muslim blood was allowed to be illegally spilt without justice. No one was made to unduly suffer on account of being different in any regard.

And even when the European Christian crusaders sacked Jerusalem and massacred hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants in the 11th century, the  Muslims under Salahudeen Al-Ayub did not spill a single innocent blood when they took the city back from the crusader occupation some 88 years later. Not even the blood of many cruel crusaders who had massacred Muslims in their thousands.

It may be that history is repeating itself all over again. But I am sure Palestine will again survive this cruel attempt at extermination and targeted ethnic cleansing. And I know that it will be soon, very soon. Until then, hang in there, brethren, for the help of our Creator is near.

I hope this opens your eyes and we all see more clearly away from sentiments and propaganda.

Ismail Obansa Nimah wrote via nimah013@gmail.com.

By Saifullahi Attahir

Our grandparents used to remember with nostalgia how, in the past  50 years, they usually had a high-yield harvest yearly-round in the farms and surprisingly with total abstinence from using fertilisers and other modern additives. The bushes are full of trees of all sorts, vegetative forests with various colourful and nutritious leaves, guavas, mangoes, paw-paw, and dates, to name a  few. A farmer was almost always sure to have a sufficient harvest for the family with little manure from his domestic animal dungeons. They always harvest enough to feed themselves and their families, even more for the neighbourhoods.

Surprisingly, today, with all the powerful tools for mechanical farming, with all the ‘Almighty’ fertiliser, with all the agricultural institutions, with all the army of PhDs in academia, we harvest less and less. For the past two decades, our weather has constantly fluctuated with no certainty of what to crop this year or next. For instance, a  farmer would cut rice this year on clay land and experience drought, so precisely the following year, when he decided to switch to grains ( millet or sorghum), which would perfectly suit the dry land, unexpectedly, there would be a massive flood.

I live in Jigawa State and had first-hand experience with this scenario. Our farmers constantly switch between sesame (‘ridi’), groundnut, millet, and even rice. Places once dry land for sorghum and groundnut are now perfectly turned into rice farming lands. If you are doubting, come to areas around Sara town in Gwaram Local Govt, Jigawa state.

Jigawa state was initially named ‘Jigawa’  because of the large number of dry land primarily available for farming crops requiring less water. How are these vast areas becoming a mix-up, and even some submerged below water? How did we arrive arrived at this juncture? Why do we experience more floods and erosion disasters yearly?

Some of those answers are written on the wall as an effect of climate change caused by man-made activities that we failed to take any heed or measures. Some of those effects result from our ignorance to look into our environments and how we take care of our stomachs. These effects result from continuously perpetuating natural resources to satisfy our insatiable human greed.

Over the past decade, scientists and the media have been constantly alerting the populace on the danger that global temperature changes pose to the living conditions we are currently enjoying. Some of those warnings were already in effect in many parts of the globe. Research has shown how the continuous depletion of the ozone layer by emission from fossil fuel by our engines and industries poses a  great danger to the protection we once enjoyed from the Sun. The direct ultraviolet radiation from the heating Sun is no longer protected by the ozone layer, making it descend directly into our atmosphere. This led to the increased rise of the earth’s temperature to a fraction of a degree. The earth’s temperature has reached almost 2°c ( degree centigrade), with future expectations to reach 3°c.

The rise in earth’s temperature led to the constant melting of polar ice in the global North around Greenland. If you don’t know, these ices served as a pillar to the seas, habitation of billions of aquatic life, and a source of living for humans. If that ice melts, it will continue to kill those animals, shifting the ecological balance to the negative. Not only that, but mass migration of those living around the Poles would lead to overcrowding in other parts of the world, probably Europe or Africa.

Most of the current danger of global warming was caused by the developed Nations in the global North, especially Europe, which for over 200 years possessed engines that constantly polluted the air with carbon. Those countries include the US, UK, Germany, Russia, and China. Ironically, the underdeveloped countries in the global South are at the receiving end of the punishment, where floods, famine, earthquakes, storms, desertification, erosions, and drought constantly threaten them. The global South countries at constant risk of global warming are Pakistan, India, Indonesia, South America, and West and Sub-Saharan Africa.

One of the effects of global warming that people hardly pay attention to are as follows ;

1) Whenever any part of the world experiences a flood, famine, or earthquake, that part automatically becomes uninhabitable, and most of its inhabitants tend to migrate to safer places and greener pastures, especially cities. This would lead to overcrowding of urban areas, the creation of more slums, an increased crime rate, fewer job opportunities, and a reduction in the available land for farming and farmers themselves. These are the natural causes of food insecurity we see daily, the natural causes of the xenophobic attacks we hear daily, and the natural causes of the immigration problem we experience daily.

2) Overgrazing of the land without proper ways of replenishing and the constant encroachment of those specific forests and environments reserved for nomadic livestock in Northern Nigeria have forced the Nomadic Fulani to travel far to Southern Nigeria in search of pasture. This would automatically cause some altercation regarding rights, privacy, and intrusion, which causes the constant farmer-herders conflict escalating and metamorphosing into something else.

3) Many of those Fulani were now barren of their millennia-old source of livelihood (livestock) or were forced to abandon the practice because of the scarcity of grazing fields through encroachment by expanding Government or Private projects ( roads, railways, colleges, companies, hydroelectric dams). Worse, they could not attend schools or learn modern skills and mostly lived deep in the forest, so Government social amenities were scarce or absent. What do you expect from this scenario: aged old frustration accumulating over the years of negligence, ignorance, poverty, despair and envy? So those kinds of young idle minds can become a devil’s workshop if care is not taken. It’s easy to convince them through propaganda to carry weapons, which we now see as a form of banditry, armed robbery, kidnappings, and terrorism.

4) We have been witnessing the constant conversion of places once ecological habitats reserved for forestation and farming various food crops that our lives depend upon. These places are now becoming Universities, companies, barracks, airports, hotels, and rail tracks. These activities lead to less land for farming despite the exponential growth in the world population, hence the less harvest. This is the cause of hunger. Hunger leads to conflict, wars, illness, and debasement of human capital development.

The effect was not only caused by the developed Nations. We, too, have our share of the problem. I’m sure everyone raised in a rural area is aware of the constant deforestation by our people to gather burning sticks, and the worrying part is we cut the trees without planting others in their place. According to research, we need to plant ten trees instead of each one we cut down. But the sad story is that we are not even practising 1 for 1 (i.e. cut down one tree and plant one tree).

Sub-Saharan Africa is constantly threatened by desert encroachment, which would only be averted by planting more trees, especially along our roads and desert belt. People living around Jigawa State are aware of the continuous desertification yearly by metres in previously non-desert environments. This has a human and economic cost.

 Over the past five decades, the world has continually witnessed the gradual extinction and disappearance of many species of plants and animals from the earth’s surface whose research shows they enormously contribute to the stability and maintenance of ecological equilibrium. For instance,  vultures were once abundant over the skies, contributing to the degradation of carcasses that pollute the air, but today, rarely can you spot the vultures.

Hyenas, tigers, elephants, kangaroos, giraffes, swans, and thousands of other sauna and floras in aquatic and terrestrial forms were nowhere to be found. Some of those missing animal species have migrated to other parts of the globe with favourable weather. At the same time, many were wiped out through perpetual game hunting industrial and chemical poisoning. Did we know the catastrophic effect of the disappearance of these species from our planets?

It’s unsurprising that one day, humans too may start migrating to more favourable weather conditions if adverse climatic effects ravage them.

Some of the popularly known places affected daily by climate change include Jakarta, one of the world’s most densely populated cities in Indonesia, with floods destroying homes and lives every year. Hurricane Katrina in the US was a storm and mighty wind that destroyed houses, bridges, and humans. Makoko Slum in Lagos, Nigeria, is a densely populated area above water, inhabited mainly by immigrants searching for job opportunities from the deserted rural part of the country. Auyo in Hadejia Jigawa State, an area stretching many local Governments yearly affected by floods and erosion, causing devastating destruction and loss of human lives. Greenland is part of the globe at the far north pole around Antarctica. Those places are mostly covered with ice, but today, this ice melting rapidly, causing migration of the people around those parts.

The climate change effect is putting the world into a dilemma, with rising sea levels on the one hand and extreme drought and desertification on the other.

Some archaeological exploration has shown that today’s mostly desert Middle Eastern world flourished with vegetation and abundant water, lives, and different aquatic and terrestrial species. It’s only time that would tell whether we are retracing back to that same period conditions.

SOLUTION

Finally, the developed nations should continue diversifying their energy source through electric vehicles, solar stations, biodegradable energy, and hydroelectric power sources to abandon the toxic fossil fuels that pollute the atmosphere with excess greenhouse emission gases ( methane and carbon monoxide).

Also, the global South, including Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries, should embrace conserving our God-given resources by planting more trees, regulating deforestation, and creating robust public awareness of the importance of Ecological Conservation.

Saifullahi Attahir wrote via saifullahiattahir93@gmail.com.

By Aisha M Auyo

Rider: “In the intricate tapestry of marriage, love is but one thread”.

Marriage is not just the union of people who are genuinely in love with each other. It requires a whole lot of other factors to keep it going. I can confidently tell you a marriage can exist without love if the other factors exist. Our grandparents and generations before them have done it, and the divorce rate was very low compared with ours. Their marital relationship is stronger than ours, which capitalises on love.

Theirs is a relationship built on patience, understanding, selflessness, respect, belief in qadr, devotion, and peace. Not on lust. Not on love. Not on desire. Not on physical look. Not on avarice. It is almost the total opposite of marriage nowadays.

A strong marriage is determined by the sacrifices and struggles a husband and wife go through and their ability to stay strong and be patient with each other. There is no marriage without problems, issues, or tests. Even in the noble house of our Rasool, SAW, they had issues. From small ones that involve petty actions fuelled by jealousy within the wives to bigger problems that involve an accusation of adultery levied against Aisha, RA, also known as the “event of Ifk“, which can be traced to Surah An-Nur.

Couples should try not to give up when undergoing tests, DIVINE TESTS such as poverty, infertility, illness, polygamy, etc. Please understand that I am not saying we should condone HUMAN MADE CHALLENGES such as bad character, SERIAL infidelity (there may be exceptional cases of being victims or moments of weakness which should not be more than once), abuse of any kind, (mental, verbal, physical, or emotional), etc. We should be able to explore the fine line between Allah’s tests and man-made issues.

Allah says in the Qur’an, “We will test you with something of fear, and hunger and loss of wealth, and souls and vegetation. And give glad tidings to those who have patience. Those who, if in any difficulty or trial, or tribulation occurs to them or happens to them, they say: ‘Verily we are from Allah and to Allah we return.’ They are those who will receive prayers from their Lord and Mercy, and it is those who are guided.” Al baqarah.

The missed nuances in Northern Nigerian marriage customs, emphasising materialism over the essential attributes of lasting matrimony, have contributed immensely to the high divorce rate in our community. Parents neglect the core aspects of marriage and pay more attention to the superficial and materialistic aspects. Instead of counselling their kids on how to live with each other, the groom side will be busy making plans on ‘Kayan life‘ and ‘gida na gani na fada’. The bride side will be busy buying expensive furniture and ‘gara’, ‘kada a raina mu‘. The couples will be busy organising ‘Instagrammable’ wedding events that will trend for a week.

At least, the bride’s family does not joke with kayan mata and little Nasiha on ‘Yi, nayi, bari na bari’, ‘A yi haquri’. But on the groom’s side, no one says anything to him regarding how to live his life with the bride.

Then, after all the events, reality sets in. Expectations not met. The pretence energy is exhausted. Before you know it, ‘hide my ID’, parents’ intervention and divorce will happen. In less than five years, the marriage will be dissolved, with two or three innocent kids involved.

Many people would look at the marriages and successes of others and wish they were them, not knowing how much they struggled to get there or the sacrifices they made to succeed in their marriages.

In sum, I have delved into the enduring factors that fortify matrimonial bonds beyond love, drawing wisdom from the timeless legacy of our forebears. The essence of patience, understanding, selflessness, respect, belief in destiny, devotion, and peace is the age-old recipe for marital success. How strong unions are forged through trials and sacrifices. I hope this will guide parents and couples in nurturing resilient marriages by shedding light on the struggles behind seemingly idyllic unions.

May Allah make it easy for all those going through hardships in their marriages and protect us from such calamities, amin.

Always remember that, with divine guidance and patience, weathering marital storms can lead to stronger, more enduring love.

Aisha Musa Auyo is a Doctorate researcher in Educational Psychology. A wife, a mother, a homemaker, caterer, parenting, and relationship coach. She can be reached via aishamuauyo@live.co.uk.

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

Before and during his 2023 presidential campaign in the North, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a household name among the ordinary citizens in the North. Now, President Tinubu’s public relations (PR) image in the north is fast dwindling; the Christian community is still bitter with the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 presidential elections, and the Muslim majority is feeling sidelined in the Tinubu government despite their massive vote for the APC during the 2023 presidential elections.

The Tinubu government has some of the best minds in public relations (PR) and the media space in its media team, but the truth of the matter is that Tinubu’s PR image in the north is dwindling and suffering, so to speak. What went wrong?

First, to be fair to Tinubu, he has allocated some good positions to the North according to its ‘rights’, but it was poorly communicated, and the appointees are in a kind of incommunicado with the North.

Secondly, many people, even outside the north, felt that the southwest had taken most of the ‘lucrative posts’—well, it is normal for any president to bring on board his own economic teams, including the people that he knows too well and has confidence in them to deliver his agenda and his party’s manifestos. Tinubu has the right to appoint anyone he wishes to, but unlucky for him, his predecessor’s actions and inactions will be used to gauge his government’s actions and inactions. President Tinubu couldn’t have jettisoned a little bit of this privilege—the idea of appointing only the people he knows too well in his economic team and close aides—since he succeeded a Buhari government that was highly accused of nepotism.

Thirdly, Tinubu’s government interaction with the north appears limited to the high echelon of society; thus, the people at the bottom of the ladder who were told that the Muslim-Muslim ticket would be ‘their government’ now feel they’re sidelined and were misled.

Fourthly, the Tinubu media and public relations teams are good, but they’re disconnected from the real north; they are not sufficiently aware of the approach and ‘language’ to talk to the north, especially APC’s strongholds. A good example is the recent CBN’s lifting of FOREX restrictions on 43 items. The general belief in the north is that the government has opened the borders for rice, maize, and other farm produce; thus, it is a direct attack on northern farmers and rice mills in the north. Up until now, there is no explicit explanation in a language, and from the ‘faces’ the northern farmers and rice millers will understand and believe.

Lastly, the Tinubu government is missing one point: it basically campaigned in its strongholds in the north on the fulcrum of the Muslim-Muslim ticket; now, its body language is that it has tilted away from the north’s political and economic interests; thus, even the ulama ( the clergies) who  ‘campaigned’ for it, is now not talking on its behalf; in fact, many of them are hammering the government. The Muslim-Muslim ticket is like an albatross to the APC, which the party must carry till and after the 2027 presidential elections; it has to continue to ‘nurture’ it like a nursing baby and also, at the same time, prove to its opponents that there is no harm in it.

What Tinubu should do: his subsequent appointments and policy pronouncements should try to pacify the north, especially the APC’s strongholds. Politics is about reward systems, and Tinubu is a master of reward systems in politics.

Secondly, appointees from the north should be visible and reachable to their communities. Many people in the APC’s strongholds in the north don’t even know some people from their folds are now appointees in the Tinubu government.

Thirdly, as earlier said, the Tinubu PR and Media team is good, but it must still be jack-up with more people from the north who know the ‘language’ and have faces that the north will understand.

Lastly, and most importantly, the Tinubu government should constantly inform the north of its efforts and activities in the areas of security, agriculture, and youth programmes in a way and in a language the north will understand and appreciate.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja. He can be reached via zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Lawal Dahiru Mamman 

Malnutrition, generally, is when humans or any other living organisms get little or insufficient food nutrients, resulting in health problems. Nigeria is one of the 12 world countries recently declared as the epicentre of the global nutrition crisis. 

The other 11, mostly African countries, include Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Yemen.

COVID-19, war in Ukraine and conflicts in some of these countries are factors that have exacerbated the situation. Barely seven years ago, the number of under-nourished people in sub-Saharan Africa rose from 181 million in 2010 to almost 222 million in 2016. This figure increased to 264.2 million according to a study titled, “Malnutrition: An underlying health condition faced in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and recommendations,” published in a medical journal, Annals of Medicine and Surgery, in October 2022.

Recently, Anne Patterson, the Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission, at the Trade Fair for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods and Other Life-Saving Nutrition Commodities in Abuja, disclosed that Nigeria is ranked as the country with the second-highest malnutrition rate in the world.

This is according to the recent Food Consumption and Micronutrients Survey, she said.

In reality, Africa, with its abundant water body, aquatic life and favourable climate (which supports the growth of various food crops, including fruits and vegetables), has all that is necessary to produce the macro and micronutrients required to nourish the body for optimal growth and health.

For Nigeria, in particular, which has agriculture written all over its national symbol (as the green on our National Flag signifies agriculture, and the black shield on the coat of arms symbolises fertile soil), the country should not be mal- or undernourished, even ranking second globally.

There are also about 200 species of fish, thanks to the large water body nature has blessed our country with. This, along with other aquatic lives, can be harnessed for healthy foods. There are livestock of various types, giving quality nutrients, too.

A lot is invested by the government in building more resilient health systems medical technologies, training of medical practitioners, and treating illnesses. It is time the same energy and resources are invested in nutrition.

For example, during this year’s World Malaria Day, Nigeria still routinely spent an estimated sum of N2.04 trillion on malaria annually.

Breaking this figure further, the Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) said, “The estimated cost for an individual to treat uncomplicated malaria in Nigeria ranges from approximately N700 to N3000, depending on the type of treatment, and the healthcare facility visited.

“While treating complicated malaria could be significantly higher, ranging from N20,000 to N60,000, or more”. 

On the cost to the Nigerian government, the consultant pharmacist said: “This cost includes expenditures on healthcare facilities, medication, and personnel.”

Tackling the menace of investing heavily in treating illnesses and sicknesses affecting citizens would be to invest in its prevention. And that entails boosting the masses’ nutritional health by ensuring the availability of good and nutritious meals. 

This will help in fortifying the immune system of Nigerians and combating all forms of malnutrition troubling citizens, especially Nigerian children from less privileged backgrounds. 

Being a nation that also engages in massive agricultural cultivation of food and tearing of assorted livestock, the last thing citizens should have as a companion is hunger. Therefore, the federal government and other concerned authorities should worry about the global survey that ranked us as one of the world nations battling with the malnutrition crisis. It is a sad commentary.

Lawal Dahiru Mamman writes from Abuja and can be reached via dahirulawal90@gmail.com.

By Yusufu Musa

During his inaugural address, President Bola Tinubu made what appeared to be a bold statement – ‘fuel subsidy is gone’- which I received, as many people who advocate for channelling public resources to nation building,  in an inexpressible ecstasy. Though discontinuing subsidy payments made the list of his campaign promises, like his close rivals, the duo of Peter Obi of the LP and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, the declaration came sooner than expected. 

After watching his debut speech as president, many people were unsure when the order would come into force. For instance, a news item made the rounds in the first quarter of this year, suggesting that the immediate past government had dropped its plans of removing the PMS subsidy. The then minister for finance, Zainab Ahmed, swiftly issued a release to discredit the story. She said the public misunderstood their stance.

According to her, the government only expanded the hitherto planned implementation of the subsidy removal team to allow for the participation of representatives of the incoming government. She insisted that the federal government made estimates for subsidy payments until June 30, and there would be no funds for that after this date. 

We gathered that Nigerians would continue buying fuel at the subsidised rate of N195 per litre. We misinterpreted it. A day later, the NNPCL raised its pump price to N550. But, had the company waited until July 1 to adjust, Nigerians would have spent long hours in petrol retail outlets. Marketers would have hoarded the fuel to create an artificial scarcity to ‘cash out’ after July 1.

It took Nigerians not long to feel the attendant effects of the policy. Transport fares immediately tripled, and prices of consumable goods have been on the increase. However, an average Nigerian is convinced that the action is necessary and is for our collective good. So, we are ready to make sacrifices for the nation. Two, a worker in Abuja who boards a cab to go to his workplace and visits his hometown only during festive thought that big men fuel their motorcades and the government only subsidises their ostentation.

From Jonathan to Buhari, corruption in the system is the loudest criticism against the subsidy. Critics of it argued, and still do that it benefits a handful of people, ‘the oil cabal’. For instance, Malam Isah Yuguda, a chieftain of the APC, disclosed that one of the cabal members approached President Buhari to say they were tired of making money [from subsidies]. Another reservation is that some marketers illegally export the product to our neighbours such as Niger, Cameroon and Benin, thus placing a heavier burden on our government to pay subsidies for what other countries enjoy. They told us that our daily consumption was not consummate with our needs. 

In 2012, Ngozi Iweala, the then coordinating minister of economy, was in Lagos to tell proponents of subsidies that the subsidy funds would reduce maternal deaths in the country and the infrastructural deficit. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi followed the same pattern of thought. Their articulate points could not help convince Nigerians that paying subsidies was evil.

President Buhari was the fiercest in putting forward arguments against subsidies. He is credited with a question he did not answer in his eight years as our president – ‘Who is subsidising who?’  One of those being subsidised was in his office, but he did not take the opportunity to ask him questions. Nonetheless, his administration undertook to let the subsidies go, but in phases. The plan was to go after the PMS subsidy in the final phase.

Governors, who budget billions of naira in the name of security votes whose details are never in the public space, were angry that Buhari was too slow in abolishing subsidies for the health of the country’s economy. 

With borrowing that became a ritual under the last government and the constant blame on the subsidy as the greatest impediment to our development as a nation, we were looking forward to departing from the tradition to set the economy on the path of prosperity.

Four months after making one sentence, which we believed ended the subsidy regime, several papers reported that the government paid about 162bn for subsidy in August.  Onlookers have a reason to ask whether this removal will answer its purpose. Despite the hardship in the country, this news is utterly bad for Nigerians.

If the system encouraged corruption in the past and the government did away with it, how does it intend to convince Nigerians that large-scale corruption would not continue now that the subsidy is back? What assurance would the Tinubu’s government give Nigerians that importing the product to other countries will no longer continue? 

Continuing to vote for such a big figure in enriching oil titans, it repeatedly pointed out they are the actual beneficiaries of subsidies, which means it has no satisfactory cause to starve the poor Nigerians any longer. The philosophy has been thrown out. The amount is not much different from what the previous governments were paying. It should unconditionally reverse the policy. 

Suffering is pronounced in towns and villages. Practical strategies to alleviate the hell are not forthcoming. The government, last month, considered distributing food items to the poor. It went as far as handing funds to state governors. That is not sustainable. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for one man to take more than a sack of grain home. This man has, say, five wards under his roof. There is another chapter of life after the palliative is gone. 

Yusufu Musa writes from Kaduna.

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri ‘Fresh Air Metro Buses’ have commenced operation in the Jimeta-Yola metropolis, shuttling between Jimeta and Yola town, Jimeta Modern Market to Sangere. Modibbo Adamawa University to the Market, Sangere, Welcome to Yola City-Gate to the Market axis, etc. The government also said it planned to take more buses to other local government areas.

The metro buses significantly impact the citizens’ lives, as the fare fee is a mere 100 naira to any destination. Students, market women and men, farmers, and civil servants have expressed their joys and delight and excitement as one big issue in the common man’s difficulties—the high cost of transportation—has been solved.

Three cardinal things are the lubricants of a decent life: good healthcare, proper education, and easy transportation. Once a family had these things eased for them, all other things are now secondary. 

Politics apart, Gov. Fintiri has impacted healthcare by constructing new cottage hospitals and rehabilitating general hospitals. The payment of WAEC and NECO examination fees, rehabilitation of schools, and teacher welfare. And now, with the commencement of the metro bus service, which has transformed people’s lives not only through easing pressure on their pockets but also through the luxurious nature of the buses while being transported to their places of work, etc.

Recall the arrival in the state of the 58-seater luxurious ‘palliative buses’ was a big surprise to many people, including those in the opposition. Within less than a week of the government’s intention to procure the buses, the buses arrived in the state capital. This is commendable. This writer also says the metro buses are part of the ‘systemic approach’ of the Fintiri government in tackling the economic hardship associated with the removal of the subsidy on petrol, commonly called PMS, by the federal government.

Apart from providing cheap, affordable, and comfortable transportation to the masses, the purchase of the buses by the Fintiri government from Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing (IVM) is a true reflection of the government’s desire to support the local industries, whose multiplier effect can even reach the Adamawa people since the buses are being operated through public-private partnerships (PPP) to create jobs, maintain the buses, and create a friendly business environment to attract more investment.

The Fresh Air Metro buses will assist workers in their daily transport to their offices, pupils to their schools, and the movement of people from one point to another, including the ease of doing business in the state. Furthermore, the buses will greatly eliminate the hustling of using KEKE NAPEP tricycles.

One of the most important aspects of it is that the buses will greatly eliminate the insecurity that Shila Boys associate with the KEKE NAPEP; people will now freely and comfortably use the buses even at night without the fear of anything happening to them as each bus has security personnel attached to it. Urban planners have looked to such public transportation to facilitate improvements in community health and well-being.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja.

By Muhammad Dauda Muhammad

About two years or so, I was in Jimeta, the capital city of Adamawa State, where I went to visit my family. And, from my observation, the city had witnessed a significant infrastructure improvement and, more significantly, the roads. 

I was amazed to see many areas where new roads were constructed. In the past, I would have never imagined that those places would one day be tarred, but all thanks to the former and the present administrations.

Now, I will state what triggered me to develop this piece. During my visit, I noticed something ill about people’s behaviour towards the new road infrastructure put in place to ease their daily routine, especially in the rainy season. 

Though I am not an engineer by profession, from experience, I know that roads that have already been constructed don’t need any form of substance to stay on them, be it water, oil or anything such. But instead, for people to be more careful and ensure the cleanliness of the roads, they choose to make the drainages built beside the roads for the successful passage of water a place to dump wastes. However, this act congested the drainages, thereby resulting in the stoppage of the water flow, making it spilt all over the roads.

Forget about Adamawa state, which is like a development area compared to states like Lagos and Kano. Kano State is not an exception when it comes to the issue of lack of maintenance of infrastructure. Looking at the ongoing road construction along Gwarzo Road, one will wonder why and how a whole road construction company will block a road for years, all in the name of construction, which is causing more damage to the already constructed road than is good. I am referring to those places they blocked planning to build a new roundabout.

This negligence didn’t stop on properties owned and controlled by the government alone but also in learning institutions like ours. Look at the Ibrahim Gambari Square, built and commissioned a few years ago and the first on our campus. 

Almost all the features set for the beautification of the facility have lost their structure. The fine bulbs that lighten and brighten up the place at night, the concrete chairs that students use to sit and catch a glimpse, the taps that splash water stylishly in the air, and the water flow system that has already been blocked. 

It has not stopped there, but some roads need urgent attention due to eruption, not to mention the grasses that have taken over so many places, greatly threatening the people and the environment.

NB: this piece is not an exposè but a mere candid call to all concerned citizens, both from the public and those in authority, to work collectively in ensuring a transparent and dirt-free society.

Muhammad Dauda Muhammad is a final year student of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via muhammaddaudamuhammad@gmail.com.

By Bello Hussein Adoto

I am a microbiologist. A colleague asked recently in my set’s WhatsApp group if we are practising as a microbiologist, and another colleague replied: “Virtually everyone!” His reply was laced with sarcasm.

A common belief amongst Nigerians is that if you are told you can work anywhere with your course, you are probably studying one of the so-called useless courses. Microbiology falls into this category.

My colleague’s reply suggests that it doesn’t matter whether you are a banker, a tech bro, or a journalist. You’re a microbiologist regardless of what you do. After all, “you can work anywhere.”

Sarcasm aside, the idea of being able to work anywhere with the course you study should not be a source of mockery. Instead, it should be a testament to the transferable skills that university education should equip you with.

All courses are not created equal. Human Kinetics Education is not as lucrative as Medicine; neither is History and International Studies as prestigious as Law. At least, many don’t believe they are. Nevertheless, each course is a product of university education, which should count for more than a patronising line that “you can work anywhere.”

I don’t use my university degree certificate today, but the training I got for it has served me in multiple fora. The communication skills I acquired from my practicals, presentations, and assignments helped my work as a freelancer, student, and team lead.

My team-playing experience from lab work, time management from projects, independence, ruggedness, and the capacity to improvise, adapt, and evolve came mainly from my time studying at the University.

Of course, these are not part of the curricula. The training I received on writing came via GNS 111 and MCB 311, and they were not even thorough. I only did them in “partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of ” XYZ—the others I picked up ‘ear and dear’ as a student, without necessarily having to write exams. Still, I am not sure I could have picked all that without having the formal structure of a university to inspire and support me.

I’m not holding brief for courses that have probably outlived their usefulness and should be scrapped or those better as a six-month online course than a four-year classroom programme. Those courses should be reviewed and made more relevant now that education is more expensive and the labour market is more competitive.

Beyond universities and educators, students must reflect on who they want to be. The era of special courses that fetch cool jobs and fat salaries is fast coming to an end. It’s no longer just a matter of what you studied but who you are and what you can do. Some may add who you know, but that’s open to debate.

Besides, the usefulness of a course is also becoming a matter of perspective. Is studying medicine useless if you can earn more as a tech bro.? Is going to school even necessary when you can make a lawyer’s annual salary from creating videos on YouTube and TikTok? Students must find their answers early. Proper career guidance could help here.

We need people in various departments to practice in diverse fields. Not everyone will be a medical doctor or earn thousands of dollars from writing codes or doing affiliate marketing. We will still need farmers, teachers, and communications specialists in the future.

While studying a not-so-prestigious course and earning good money are not mutually exclusive, it’s better now, to begin with the end in mind so that you don’t get to the “top of the ladder and only then realise it was standing against the wrong wall,” as Stephen Covey wrote.

Meanwhile, if you are studying any of the so-called useless courses that allow you to work anywhere, immerse yourself in it. Make your time worth your while. Come out enriched with skills and experiences that can serve you anywhere and at any age.

Don’t fall for the condescension or pity yourself for wasting your time at the University. You are already studying the course, so it’s in your best interest to help yourself and make the most of the course. Who knows, you might graduate and realise the course is not useless after all.

Bell Hussein writes via bellohussein210@gmail.com.

By Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba

Over time, social media platforms have gained unmatched acceptability over the legacy forms of communicating or exchanging messages – newspaper, radio and television. Their rapid rise has also corresponded with the swift increase in the development of social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp – widely embraced by youths in Nigeria.

According to Statista, a known global database organisation, as of 2022, Nigeria has approximately 84 million internet users despite economic hardships that have affected the majority of Nigeria severely throughout the years.

This report projects that there will be a significant rise of 117 million internet users in 2027. “Nigeria is one of the most populous countries worldwide, more internet penetration amounted to over 38 per cent of the population in 2022 and is set to reach 48 per cent in 2027,” read a Statista report.

Already, there are several projections about a massive increase in the population of Internet users as the population increases.

Social media platforms are acknowledged worldwide as important communication forums facilitating wider discussions that cannot necessarily be done offline. Discussions here are indeed quite pervasive as opposed to one-on-one or group discussions. According to Dingli and Tanti (2015), in their study titled ‘Pervasive Social Network’, a pervasive social network is an extension of the traditional social network. The most important aspect borrowed from the traditional social network is the recent intrusion in the field of mobile technology – mobile social networks.

In the past decade, social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram have proven to perform exceptionally well in aspects of e–commerce, changing perspectives of business dealings with a touch of speed and inclusiveness. USAToday (2019), over the past ten years, social media has evolved mainly from keeping in touch with others to flaunting what we have for attention or curating unrecognisable versions of ourselves.

Adding to its purpose of improving personal interactions, social media platforms have enabled youths worldwide to be engaged in businesses by creatively coming up with marketable ideas through unique content creation strategies. Such include online learning, personal life blogging and politics, among many others.

Most businesses use online marketing strategies such as blogger endorsements, advertising on social media sites, and managing user-generated content to build brand awareness among consumers (Wang and Kim, 2017).

People worldwide have embraced the vast opportunities created by social media and have greatly transformed them into gigantic opportunities. In Northern Nigeria, several blogs, including Open Diaries and Northern Hibiscus, have vast followership, raising the bar of social discussions around various topics on relationships, marriage, divorce and digital marketing. From 2016 till date, Northern Hibiscus has over 521,000 followers, while Open Diaries, which also started in 2016, has over 248,000 followers.

According to Rani and Padmalosani (2019), “Social media activism is a form of media activism which brings in a larger audience because of its interactive features towards a great mass. The information that breaks in social media becomes viral in fractions of a second”. More so, “the campaigns and protests-related information on social media can increase the number of supporters. Thus, social media is far superior to traditional media. There are various social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where information can trend in no time”.

Zainab Naseer Ahmad, a social media activist whose role is to influence people on social media, has raised the bar of activism and opened the doors for women to contribute their ideas and suggestions for societal development on social media platforms. From 2019 till date, Ms Ahmad has toiled through the toxic infiltrated space to support the development of beneficial government policies for the larger society in Kano State and beyond.

Gender-based cyber-bullying and trolling

In Nigeria, there is widespread gender-based violence through electronic communication devices, according to Premium Times. Furthermore, “it was noted that technologically facilitated gender-based violence occurs in Nigeria amid a climate of pervasive gender-based violence. The new digital era has given bigotry and misogyny new opportunities to thrive. This is in addition to Nigeria’s different cultural makeup and traditions that have made toxic belief systems that reaffirm patriarchal views that seek to silence women and restrict their liberties in all settings, offline and online, even worse”.

The renowned online newspaper also explains that “Violence against women online is often perpetuated via digital social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. This form of violence, especially suffered by women in the public eye and feminist activists, has a detrimental effect on their rights to freedom of expression, keeping them from actively participating in discourse and silencing their voices”.

The online bullying and trolling women face in the online space is an extension of the existing gender-based violence that engulfs a larger part of Northern Nigeria communities. As a result, it is very easy for users to use condescending statements to women, especially on Facebook, which is a massive community of networks.

As a social media activist, Muhammad Khalifa believes that “most of the female activists are seen as a wayward, and their activities are a departure from the generally accepted norms and values of a typical northern woman”. According to Muhammad, “Every northern Nigeria woman is supposed to have a sense of modesty of abstaining from social discussions that happen online.

Khalifa’s claims corroborate some of the experiences shared by Zainab after she decided to become a social media activist. Her phase of activism began in 2018 when she led the commencement of a movement tagged “free pads for girls” on Facebook. 

The campaign was rebutted by fierce backlash from her community and the online community, who saw the concept as mainly indecent and capable of corroding existing values that a “lady” should have in the North. The campaign was purposely led to ensure the availability and accessibility of sanitary napkins for young women in schools.

With the excessive prices of sanitary pads in supermarkets, Zainab joined forces with other online users to call on the government to take the initiative on the health issues confronting learners.   She said, “My worry was how students in Government-owned secondary schools can have access to proper hygiene with relative ease”.

Paradigm Initiative, an initiative that works to connect underserved young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures the protection of their rights,  condemns online violence against women, sexual harassment online, cyber-stalking, doxing, online trolling, targeted hate speech, and identity theft. Also, Paradigm Initiative reports that “Reports from the Federal and State Ministries of Women Affairs in Nigeria have shown that there has been a 149% rise in reports of gender-based violence from March to April 2020 in 23 out of 36 states in Nigeria in which data is available”.

The experiences narrated by Zainab and other female online social media users indicate that even women of older ages are not exempted from cyberbullying. Ziyaatulhaqq, formerly FatIbolady, who surfaced on Instagram, had a bitter experience with social media trolling and bullying. During an interview with Mahangar Zamani on BBC Hausa, Ziyaatulhagg said, “From 2016 to 2018, the same thing happened in my life: over 20 accounts were opened, and peddling lies about my life. It was pure hell”.

Not only Zainab, Ziyatulhaqq and Aysha, but many women also lament the blackmail, lack of confidence, self-sabotage and body shaming online. This is also another challenge for women activists in cyberspace. The challenge also destroys their ideas for development or a desirable change.

Abba Gwale, an active social media user for ten years in Kano State, said, “There is a general assumption among society that women are not capable of participating in activism and sees any girl involved in such online activities as immoral.”

 “They think women should not engage themselves with issues on social media platforms such as marriage, politics, etc,” said Gwale.  These are the experiences shared by Zainab and other female social media users.

The positive influence of female-led social media activism

With the increase in social media usage and the realisation of business opportunities in tech and digital platforms, there has been a rise in positive contributions by women, which societies at large have felt. The global COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted businesses in Nigeria, especially Kano State, a known hub for commercial activities. It also opened new doors as women creatively leveraged the Internet to start remote businesses.

The popular social media influencer Aisha Falke engaged a large community of women and men who taught different ideas in tech, businesses and several online opportunities on social media. Numerous youths were exposed to the immense online opportunities available, and many benefitted.

Like other social media users, Zainab also climbed the ladder to prominence. Zainab says visibility on social media platforms takes time, effort and consistency. “I’ve been an active social media user for over five years now, but I only used to chat with friends before 2018. It was in 2018 that I developed a passion for social issues and decided to harness the social media platform – Facebook”.

To have a noticeable impact, you’d have to spend appreciable time on a particular platform and consistently nurture your niche. According to Aysha Tofa, the co-founder of ‘Start-up Kano’, a tech hub that incubates youth businesses in Kano State, the hub has mentored over 500 start-ups, and women have proven to be very capable in the online space. “Many businesses are single-handedly run by women who have gained with significant returns,” said Tofa.

Despite cyberbullying, women are gaining prominence in the online space. Zainab Naseer was able to receive about 700 pads that were handed to vulnerable women in Kano State. “This is one of my greatest accomplishments, and I’ll cherish it forever,” she says. In recognition, Khalifa Muhammad, a social media user who has spent over eight years on Facebook, shares that “there are some issues that can only be discussed by women because of cultural and religious norms and ethics. The few women online like Zainab are doing well to educate our communities on that”.

On the part of other women, the likes of Zainab have opened the doors of opportunities and how to overcome greater challenges ahead in cyberspace. Hannatu Suleiman, an active social media activist and an aspiring journalist, has also gathered the courage to post on social issues bedevilling her community in Kano. She says, “Zainab is one person that I look up to in cyberspace. I’m now confident about writing online despite the challenges of bullying and trolling”.

Zainab was strategic during Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s just-concluded term as the Governor of Kano State. Her sanitary pad campaign propelled the government’s decision to distribute sanitary pads to secondary school students for free.  She says, “It was a big achievement to me when I heard that, as it was what I have been advocating for”.

Future Prospects of Social Media and Digital Rights for Women

As technological opportunities continue to gain accolades and acceptance, women are hopeful of embracing their deserved rights online. They would also be acting more responsibly to present other social challenges tormenting the lives of women at local levels.

Before becoming the President of the Youth Society for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases & Social Vices (YOSPIS), Zainab mobilised youth in Kano State to peacefully protest the killings that surfaced in Northern Nigeria. She gained recognition from her live videos on Facebook. The protest left trails of its effects as she was invited to answer some questions by the Department of State Security (DSS).

Zainab said, “I was softly cautioned to refrain from the protest as it may lead to unwarranted results. This made me desist from the protest”.

Through YOSPIS, Zainab has conducted many online and offline activities, including raising youth awareness of the negative impacts of social vices and election monitoring, among other things. The organisation has been particularly keen on equipping youths with information about their relevance in development.

According to Zainab, “Women can only own their sect in the online space by supporting each other. Women must understand that the online space is a free space that seeks the contribution of all people. There’s also an opportunity to report cases of bullying and trolling like I once did, and action was taken. I had to report to the Kano State Police, which summoned the culprit. He was interrogated and later asked to apologise on the Facebook platform he used after confessing he used my photo with a derogatory statement without my consent on his page”.

She adds, “From that moment, all blackmail, insults and other sorts of cyberbullying against me has drastically reduced. There are several privileges to meeting with influential people which are necessitated by social media platforms among thousands of opportunities”.

According to Mr Abdulhameed Ridwan, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Skyline University Nigeria, a cybercrime act in Nigeria was established to serve as redress for cyberspace crimes such as cyberbullying, cybersecurity, and cyberstalking, among others. When offenders are caught, taken to court, and found, they either pay a fine or spend a substantial time in prison, depending on their crime.

Despite the availability of the law, there is still a low level of awareness on the part of social media users, and other users feel there is a delay in the judicial system, he added. His views corroborate well with that of Zainab, that many social media users in Nigeria are unaware of their rights and the available laws for protecting them.

This work was produced due to a grant from the Africa-China Reporting Project at the Wits Centre for Journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand. The opinions held are of the author(s). Nusaiba can be contacted via nusaibaibrahim66@gmail.com.