Opinion

By Alkasim Harisu Alkasim

Women now scout affluent people to marry. When married, they want to be idling their hours in luxury mise en scenes where life seems perfect. Alas! Life is not a *Kublai Khan’s Xanadu* . To them, enjoyment consists with virtue and success in life. They go to the whereabouts of people ladened with money. Some of them narrate to each other about stinking rich people the way a spy reports the whereabouts of criminals to the police. To such women, marriage has to be a paradise, not a hell. Yes, life should be handsome. That is why if what they expect doesn’t occur in the matrimonial houses, they begin a disturbance. They destroy the peace reigning in their homes until everything goes south. When you live down the expectations of such worldy-wise and financially-charged ladies, you risk wounding their feelings and bruising their ego. The only language they understand is money. They suck and squander money the way a guzzling car sips and swallows oil. When you offend them, you will know how spendthrift they are with their tongues. Their tongues are razor-sharp. Because they will call you names. Such girls do not know the current economics nor do they know the economics of building the architecture of a modern family. Getting spoused to them, means you stand the chance of ruining your life beyond correction. They exceed limit when engaging one in a verbal combat.

A little mention of bucks silences them and arrests their attention. They only feel relieved when discussions are made from dollar-and-cents’ perspectives. They don’t mind when you become financially threadbare. In such a situation, they can still rob you of the last dollar you are down to. To them, you don’t rank high and the poverty that bites you buys you a disadvantage with them. Their prostitute principles demonstrate their demonic intentions. When they cut marital ties with you, they keep to themselves and may begin prostituting for a living. Therefore, I advise you against marrying above your station.

After years of bachelordom, a person weds. As a novice, he, in the first place, fails to know the marriage industry inside out. Things unfold slowly and sometimes, he starts to gain the knowledge of things back to front. If not gifted with a virtuous wife, his life turns out to exemplify the idiom; getting out of the frying pan into the fire. That is why you have to learn to endure greater difficulties throughout your married life. These women manipulate you. They tell you what you should do. They manouver everything the way the politicians massage election data to gain a majority.

The above women exemplify women of violent fate, women of no excellent majesty who keep milking you of your funds. It is high time our societies began policing acts of irresponsibility and gross misconduct lest we fall apart as a people. Such women should not go scot-free. Look at how our communities are fast getting peopled by the ill-fated. People who don’t know what they were created for. I know a person who doesn’t people well. He is such a loner, yet, hardly will you hear people abusing him. He opens his heart and palm to all. Such women don’t want to bear you children the moment they understand wedding you is a difficulty. They now make sure the marriage proves childless. Nice! This will relieve you of the burden of feeling entitled to her or submitting to be handcuffed to her responsibilities as a spouse.

I don’t think if we can quickly get back to normality. I have my doubts to voice for saying so. First, things are not what they used to be. Secondly, we do not want to accept faults. There are people that fail to even acknowledge their doubts regarding the correctness or otherwise of many things. They see everything that benefits them as good even if it is morally unsound and vice versa. Frankly, everybody knows that our societies are not in excellent health. This is my opinion and how I see things but I am not selling you the idea of seeing things from my own perspective. Bluntly, you have to learn your worth. Don’t sell yourself short or stoop low to get yourself conquered by anybody, because you are far better than many people around you.

In the same vein, the moment a woman seems to have found her voice, she will become a vixen. She will never allow you to lord it over her. And if you allow her bad manners to recur time and again, she will start to see herself as a more suitable option to be the leader in your own home. She will compel you to do her wants even if it means getting you credit-drowned. And as debt overwhelms you, she will run away leaving you debt-ridden, grief-saddled and regret-laden. She has now succeeded at queening it over you.

Marrying such women forces you to feel as if you were not the one husbanding them. While wiving them, you get psychologically womaned. Your home will be womaned too because you have married a lady who can be described as a woman among women, a woman of the world or even a woman of the streets. You will have to pocket all the womansplaining of this world. If you try to womanhandle her, you will fail. But she instead, can easily manhandle you. Even getting her womannapped cannot compensate for your spendings on her and the undertreatment you suffer from her.

In conclusion, the marriage industry is quickly womaning itself from the perspectives of responsibility. Women are overtaking the mantle of leadership in homes. It also produces women that are captivatingly prowessed at deception and beautifully arresting. This is an industry that compels the male newlywedded to be under the gun. If the male spouse does his best to reform corrupt practices, his efforts always flop. Thus, their marrying you is not a true indication of their hearts but the epitome of their getting starved of money. Some information should not be exposed here. In short, this is what marks a low point in my love life. As it happens to be one of the bitterest experiences I have ever come across, I have begun to have a low opinion of women. Excuse my saying so.

By Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. 

August 12 of every year marks International Youth Day. This year 2022, is to amplify the message that action is needed across all generations to achieve sustainable development Goals, especially for youth, without leaving anyone behind. It’s expected that youth should champion participation in developmental programs across all facets of human development.

As Nigeria approaches the 2023 elections, it’s a clarion call to all our youth not to allow politicians to use their brains to promote violence. Instead, they should champion the cause for a better country that we will all be proud of. Get involved and define your priorities through meaningful debate. Bargain for better welfare, and promote peace, growth and stability.  

Nigeria’s youth make up a substantial portion of the population, and if they can fully realize their potential, Nigeria and the rest of the globe will thrive. Undoubtedly, the youth are behind in every aspect of human life. Therefore, they must have ‘a fair shake’ in the Nigerian context. They should take up the challenges and use their God-given talents to advance the nation.

Perhaps, you can ask yourself, why are the youth left behind, even though they are the majority? There is no enabling environment to showcase their potential, but should we continue like this? No, we have to wake up in the sense that we should pursue education. Indeed, with education, we can fight poverty, know our rights, stand firm and fight for the future of the living and the unborn generations.

Reports show that half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, which is expected to reach 57% by the end of 2030. However, this indicates that youth can take control of their future and provide solutions to the problems bedevilling society. For instance, Nigeria is battling insecurity from all corners of its existence. Boko Haram in the Northeast; banditry; kidnapping in the Northwest and some parts of the North Central; IPOB in the South-east; etc. Unfortunately, the youth are the ones who not only encourage but partake in a vicious cycle of violence.

Perhaps we need reorientation to be reasonable ambassadors of society. Let’s teach the habit of productivity through education and change the world to make it a better place to live. Research and development can make us innovative with new ideas and creative in health care reform, Engineering etc. 

Therefore, at this juncture, I make a humble appeal for our youth to rise and take their rightful position. I’m optimistic that when the youth unite and pursue positive goals, it’s achievable to change the narratives to develop the country.

Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani writes from Galadima Mahmoud Street, Kasuwar-Kaji Azare, Bauchi State.

By Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba

The recent court ruling in Kano was a relieving moment for the parents of young Hanifa, who one Abdulmalik Tanko and his miserable conspirators brutally murdered. The general public also welcomed the verdict. It encourages all to be hopeful that, once again, our legal system can be reliable. The feeling that justice was served is just so extraordinary.

Although, to her parents, this moment will refresh their pain as they step into another chapter of their life. Yet, the relaxed atmosphere discharging fairness after moments of terror enveloped by uncertainty is ecstatic. I see people from neighbouring states expressing satisfaction and endorsing the court proceedings that led to the sentencing of Hanifa’s murderers, Abdulmalik Tanko and his accomplice, to death.

Many of us are neither conversant with the legal system nor its proc. Still, from the onset, we have roared the eye for an eye maxim as the only punishment to cushion the enormous pain inflicted on the deceased’s parents. The unimaginable trauma surely deserves strong retribution, and that is what it gets, finally. It is a scar that will never fade away from their hearts, one they will live with forever.

The cruelty in our world is truly unimaginable and beyond one’s comprehension. We are indeed living through the worst of times. For the seven years of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s reign, Kano State has witnessed the interplay between politics and the legal system through vehement exchanges within the sphere of the people, democracy and the economy. The government has allegedly consolidated all powers to pursue its interests at the expense of the people, thereby depriving them of their freedoms in many ways.

In politics particularly, the opposition has been at the receiving end as almost every court case favours the ruling party. And there are countless court cases on alleged confiscation of plots of land by the government. Evident cases of Muhyi Magaji’s arrest lately and the prompt dethroning of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II are few out of the multitude of examples depicting the potency of Ganduje’s government in view of power consolidation. Clearly, there is a demonstration of the dominion of government on the legal system, unlike what we witnessed in the past administrations.

Thuggery and phone snatching have earned top spots on the chart of major problems challenging security settings in the state leading to killings of innocent lives and loss of properties. Allegations have been piling up over the manipulation of security personnel’s surrendering to the interests of the government while offenders move freely without fear of being apprehended. Thus, Kano has become increasingly vulnerable to more violence than it used to.

On the arrest of Abdulmalik Tanko and his conspirators, he admitted how they connived to kidnap and murder Hanifa after demanding ransom. Then, Governor Ganduje assured the outrageous public that he would not waste a minute in endorsing the death penalty punishment for Abdulmalik and his partners should they be found guilty. His statement eased tensions and brought succour to her parents, who were certain that the act would not bring back their beloved child.

Surprisingly, however, the governor’s prerogative of mercy this year was a shocker to the people of Kano. Governor Ganduje released prisoners who had been found guilty of murder and were awaiting death penalties! It’s definitely a digression from what is expected of him as the court ruling of Abdulmalik Tanko has not been executed yet. How inconsiderate can the government be to release murderers back to communities that are overly plagued by violence and killings? By extension, they could be back to kill more people because certainly, their communities wouldn’t be willing to embrace them.

After all, what do you think would become of criminals as such who have committed the worst of crimes? Releasing to the larger community, people who have committed crimes and are charged with the highest level of a criminal offence are threatening the peace and security in the state. Most of them have even admitted to killing more than one person. Yet, they end up roaming the streets and continuing their day-to-day activities. Meanwhile, several people have been arraigned and even convicted on charges lesser than murder.

Women and men have severally been imprisoned because they unknowingly get linked to offences they know nothing about or simply because a plaintiff is more powerful than they are. Especially, women have fallen victims due to crashed business interactions – monetary cases are quite prevalent in courts these days. The revelations, in the parting words of CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, the outgoing Commissioner of police, leave me perplexed.

The Police Commissioner lamented why criminals are indiscriminately released on bail after they’ve been charged to court. For a person of his calibre to admit this tells one the uncertainty our future holds. He might not be too explicit about it, but he sure gave us a hint on what to expect if things keep going as they are. And these are not mere claims to be ignored.

Discussions and debates have always explicitly circled “murder for murder” against criminals found guilty of such an offence. Over the years, we’ve witnessed more murders within Kano and even on the outskirts. For some, though, psychological and mental ill health have been attributed to the accused. Others got released on bail based on the powers vested on judges with reasons within the scope of the law. Repeating that we are living in trying times can never be underscored.

It is time we seek to reinstate the ‘mantra’ of offering justice as it is to serve as deterrence. Our minds are so overwhelmed with killings and terror that we easily forget how hard violent activities hit us when they pass. Many victims are forced to leave judgments to the Lord of the worlds against their better choices – lest they are sure how impossible judgments can be in their favour.

The ongoing uncertainties make the fear of the upcoming general elections immeasurable. Unfortunately, we don’t have that might to counter much of what could be coming with it, as the 2019 general elections left us with huge losses of lives and properties. So while we prepare for that, we await Governor Ganduje, who is so submerged with politicking, to fulfil his promise.

Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba is a master’s student from the Department of Mass Communication, BUK. She is a freelance writer and researcher. She can be reached via nusaibaibrahim66@gmail.com.

By Prof. Abdussamad Umar Jibia

It is well known that members of the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU), the umbrella body of academic staff in Nigerian public universities, have been on strike for six months. Specifically, the strike began on February 14, 2022. Typical of the union of academics, it ensured that all means of avoiding the strike were exhausted before declaring the industrial action. Other university unions followed suit to avoid being left out in case ASUU emerged triumphant.

The issues are many, and not all of them have to do with money. And in fact, not all the funds mentioned in the dispute between ASUU and Federal Government will go to the pockets of ASUU members. No money goes to the union except the monthly dues it collects from members. It is not the duty of a trade union like ASUU to collect and disburse funds. That is the duty of university administrations.

Let me explain in plain language. But before I do, specific facts are vital.

Although the Federal Government has given licenses for the establishment of many private universities in Nigeria, only about six per cent of Nigerian university students are currently in private universities. More than 90 per cent of university students are in public universities owned by state and federal governments.

Another important note is that there are currently more supporting staff in public universities than operational (academic) staff. Consequently, there are three other unions in public universities apart from ASUU. People usually do not differentiate between ASUU and others, primarily due to Government propaganda. All of these unions are now on strike.

Nigerians may also wish to note that undergraduate students in federal universities do not pay a Kobo as tuition fees as long as they are Nigerians. The very little they pay as registration fees are for services like ID cards, games, hostel, etc.

The issues for which ASUU members are on strike are the same for which the immediate past government of President Jonathan Goodluck commended the union for being patriotic and selfless. One of them is the proliferation of public universities. Does it make sense that the same government that persistently complains of not having enough funds to run its existing universities is continuously establishing new universities in every nook and cranny of the country?

Revitalization of public universities for which an agreement was reached with Jonathan’s government to release N1.3trn in six instalments is what the FG has been using to misinform the public that ASUU is looking for too much money. Thus, any time the FG releases some paltry sum of N30bn, for example, it tells the world that it has given additional funds to ASUU. I think that is why some patriotic Nigerians once agreed to “donate the sum of N18b to ASUU” to call off its strike. This money does not go to ASUU. It is used to carry out projects by contractors appointed by FG or its appointee governing councils.

The only other thing that involves cash is the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. In case you do not understand this, it is about the condition of service (SALARY AND ALLOWANCES) of academic staff, which the government promised to review every four years. But unfortunately, the promise has not been fulfilled for 13 years.

In 2020 after an ASUU strike, the Federal Government set up a committee to renegotiate with ASUU and other unions. The committee finished its work and submitted its report in May 2021. Regrettably, the report was dumped and, despite ASUU’s constant reminders and follow-ups, was only dusted when ASUU began its strike in March this year. That is when this government realized that it could not pay what was recommended by the committee. The same government set up another committee on the report it is unwilling to disclose.

As a student or parent, you are aware of all of the above if you have been following the engagement of ASUU with the Federal Government. I am only reminding you if you have forgotten.

I am particularly shocked to hear the Minister of State Labour, Festus Keyamo, calling on parents to appeal to ASUU to end the strike. The reason is that they cannot afford N1.2tr ASUU is asking for. When did ASUU ask for this amount? Is it the revitalization fund Keyamo is talking about which ASUU never requested the FG to pay in bulk? If that is the case, why does it have to take FG six months of ASUU strike to state it? Or is it the result of renegotiation for which the FG never called ASUU and said what it could pay? It just doesn’t make any sense.

What about other issues like the UTAS for which the FG has been meeting with ASUU and claiming to have conducted tests with xy results? Is Keyamo also appealing to parents to beg ASUU on it?

And who are these parents? Please let all the government officials involved in this ASUU/FG negotiation mention the number of children they have in public universities and the programmes they are following. Of course, I know the children of Mr President study in the UK. I wrote to advise him against it when his family celebrated the graduation of one of his daughters in December 2019. Whether or not the advice of nonentities like me matters is a different issue. It is the ordinary us that cast the votes to elect him anyway.

Finally, let me remind Mr President that he has only less than a year to leave office. Unfortunately, nearly all his diehard supporters I know have been disappointed. This is mainly due to the people he entrusts with fundamental issues like Security and Education.

On the particular issue of ASUU and sister unions, Mr President seems to be overconfident in the Labour Minister, a southeast politician who was expecting you to anoint him to take over from you next year. When you refused to do it, one of them, who is also in your cabinet, stood before you in the last convention and accused you and your party of injustice. With that, can you rule out sabotage?

Mr President, please use the little time left to correct your mistakes and avoid making another regrettable blunder. Nigerians did not elect Ngige, Keyamo, Zainab or any of those. If not for you, these names would have long disappeared into obscurity. Please remember that most APC politicians who won the 2015 and 2019 elections, especially in the North, won because of you. So, the expectation is high, and the performance is dismal.

I hope Mr President reads this.

Professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia wrote from Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via aujibia@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Looking at the reality and how uncertain the future of education is in this country, you, as a Nigerian, should get a solution for yourself. But unfortunately, even though education is a right, not a privilege, the biggest stakeholders (read: government) are not ready to facilitate smooth learning for the sons and daughters of the “common people.”

In Nigeria, public university teachers, otherwise known as ASUU members, have been on strike for over half a year, thanks to the government’s failure to listen to their demands. Don’t you think this could make some students forget the names of their respective departments after someday the industrial action is suspended?

In light of these, I honestly feel the urge to share the Indian Government online scholarship with every serious-minded Nigerian who studies—or wishes to study—at any of our strike-ravaged public universities here. The last date for the application for the scholarship is August 15.

Here are five quick reasons why you should apply for the scholarship as follows:

1. Unlike other scholarship schemes, this scholarship—which you can apply for via https://www.ilearn.gov.in/—is fully-funded. This means you do not have to pay even a dime as tuition or a part of it. In addition, you don’t have to know anyone to apply or get it.

2. You only need a good mobile device (preferably a computer) with a good Internet connection to study. This indicates that you do not have to undergo the stress of boarding a flight from Nigeria to India, although it would be a pleasure to go overseas for your study.

3. The word “strike” might not exist in the dictionary of Indian universities. Therefore, one will have hitch-free academic sessions and most likely graduate on time. Moreover, the duration of some bachelor’s degree programs, as indicated on the application portal, is three years.

4. If you are one of the successful applicants, you will get the opportunity to study at some of the best universities in India, like Lovely Professional University, the Indira Gandhi National Open University and so on. The certificates to be obtained will be widely recognised. So, don’t panic over the recognisability of your results after graduation.

5. Unlike here in Nigeria, where you cannot apply for two or more different courses in one university when registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), there are universities on the list of eligible institutions for the scholarship that okay an applicant to apply for more than one course. An example of such a university is the Indira Gandhi National Open University.

Please hurry up and apply before the deadline, as this is an opportunity that should never escape your notice.

Muhammad Sabiu is a reporter for The Daily Reality and lives in Bauchi State. He can be reached via sabiucnd@gmail.com.

By Bala Muhammad

Every Israeli Prime Minister makes it an article of faith to attack Palestine – both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But as the West Bank is usually led by the compliant and complacent so-called Palestinian Administration of PLO inheritors, it is mainly spared the fury of Israel. But Gaza, the home of HAMAS and Islamic Jihad, always takes the brunt whenever an Israeli leader wants to flex muscle and show ‘manhood’.

With each passing day of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, with each additional death of a child or mother, Muslims worldwide are becoming more militant, more fundamentalist, and more jihadic. This is very ominous for the West, on whose behalf Israel is doing what it is doing.

Samuel Huntington, who died not too long ago, wrote Clash of Civilisations. Now, more than ever before, this Clash is at hand. If there is any cause that unites Muslims today, it is the Palestinian Question; if there is any future war that Muslim youth would gladly join and wage, it would be the Jihad to liberate Al Aqsa, Al Quds and Palestine. But for the Western-propped-up Arab regimes encircling Gaza, many young people would have gone into the Strip to join the martyred army of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

In the matter of HAMAS, Faith will always be Triumphant. Incidentally, The Faith Triumphant is the title of Chapter Eleven in one of the most important books of the Islamic Movement, Ma’alim fit Tariq (Milestones), written by the Movement’s leading intellectual and Martyr, Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) of the Muslim Brotherhood, Ikhwan al Muslimun.

In Milestones, Qutb wrote: “Allah says, ‘Do not be dejected or grieve. You shall be the uppermost if you are Believers’ (3:139). The first thought which comes to mind on reading this verse is that it relates to the form of Jihad, which is actual fighting, but the spirit of this message and its application with its manifold implications is greater and broader than this particular aspect. Indeed, it describes that eternal state of mind that should inspire the believer’s consciousness. It describes a triumphant state which should remain fixed in the believer’s heart in the face of everything, every condition, every standard and every person; the superiority of the Faith.

“It means to be above all the powers of the earth which have deviated from the way of the Faith, above all the values of the earth not derived from the source of faith, above all the customs of the earth not coloured with the colouring of the faith, above all the laws of the earth not sanctioned by the Faith, and above all traditions not originating in the Faith. It means to feel superior to others when weak, few and poor, as well as when strong, many and rich. It means the sense of supremacy which does not give in before any rebellious force.

“Steadfastness and strength on the battlefield are but one expression among many of the triumphant spirit which is included in this statement of Almighty God. The superiority through faith is not a mere single act of will nor a passing euphoria or a momentary passion but is a sense of superiority based on permanent Truth centred on the very nature of existence.

“The person who takes a stand against the direction of the society – its governing logic, its common mode, its values and standards, its ideas and concepts, its error and deviations – will find himself a stranger, as well as helpless, unless his authority comes from a source which is more powerful than the people, more permanent than the earth, and nobler than life.

“Conditions change, the Muslim loses his physical power and is conquered; yet the consciousness does not depart from him that he is most superior. If he remains a Believer, he looks upon his conqueror from a superior position. He remains certain that this is a temporary condition which will pass away and that faith will turn the tide from which there is no escape. Even if death is his potion, he will never bow his head. Death comes to all, but for him, there is martyrdom. He will proceed to the garden while his conquerors go to the fire. What a difference!”

So wrote Sayyid Qutb. Let us now end today’s treatise with the following story on Challenge, the type the Palestinians are facing: “The Japanese love fresh fish. However, the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the catch. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

“To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen, and they did not like frozen fish. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem?

“To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now, they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. Because they are challenged, they kick and protest and ultimately arrive fresh. Or martyred.”

Allah has put a tiny shark (Israel) in the Arab tank. Only some fish called Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah are kicking. The others are frozen stiff. RIP. After all, L. Ron Hubbard once wrote: “Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment.”

May Allah help the Palestinians.

Dr Bala Muhammad wrote from Kano, Nigeria. He can be reached via balamuhammad@hotmail.com.

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 Yusuf Salisu Muhammad

It’s a very sad incident to Nigerians that the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) strike has been persistent for decades. It firstly started in the 70s during Obasanjo’s regime. ASUU went on firmly with its struggles and opted for strike as a major weapon to fight for its rights and those of Nigerian students. For many years, strikes have been  reoccurring like celebrated festivals; it’s hardly to end an academic session without ASUU embarking on a single strike. If the history of the ASUU strike will be unbundled, it will be clearly seen that it has been consistent since the military regimes and thus; one may not be unjust to say, the needed actions were not taken even in the past, had they heeded to ASUUs agitations and calls, we wouldn’t have been experiencing what we are experiencing now. 

Today, under Buhari’s administration, which even a layman thought would enjoy when it grabbed power; students have been suffering from the repercussions of the conflicts between the FG and ASUU. On Monday 14th February 2022, the union declared its first one month warning strike, and then added two months, after which they extended the strike by three months. If I may ask a question which may not have an answer, I would say, even in Africa, if not in Nigeria, where can universities be shut down for almost more than six months, and the government seems not to care? But if answer is to be given, it might be: no serious administration will “take no notice of” its country’s education sector sliding into anarchy and confusion like this. However, no thanks to the I don’t care attitude of the government, it is surely making history. 

The main ASUU’s demands now, as declared by the union, are: ensuring the acceptance of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) and also to fulfill the ASUU/FG’s signed agreement of 2009, which can all be implemented if the FG’s effort is genuine in getting rid of the “cog in the wheel” of the future of the Nigerian Youths. Therefore, the FG’s refusal to implement the aforesaid ASUU’s demands is simply “adding salt to the wound” of the Nigerian students and the education sector in general.

On the other hand, the demanded money and facilities by ASUU for revitalizing the sector can be disbursed as far as the FG treats the issue seriously considering what it spent on other sectors, which compared to education, they are definitely less important. Some menies spent are even irrelevant to the welfare of the masses or misplacement of priorities.

For instance; on  24th November 2021, the Punch Newspaper disclosed that “the minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba said that, the FG spent more than 2.3 trillion as a stimulus for covid19.” If the FG can spend more than 2 trillion on Covid-19, why can’t it at least spend 1 trillion on the education sector for ensuring its activation and ending the ASUU strike that has been in existence for more than twenty years? The same union strike which the current president and his minster of education were criticizing the last administration on?

In addition, Vanguard Newspaper reported on May 15, 2022 that the “Socio Economic Right and Accountability Project (SERAP) sues Buhari for spending  N1.48 trillion on maintaining refineries with no crude oil”. If more than 1 trillion can be unfruitfully spent on reviving the useless refineries why can’t 500 billion be disbursed to ASUU for revitalizing the education sector?

Additionally, the Punch reporterd on 22 February 2022 that: “FG to spend 3.53 trillion on infrastructure and human capital development in 2022”. This was amidst the ASUU strike, which is yet to be called off. If 2.53 trillion would be spent mostly on invisible infrastructure, why can’t 1 trillion be allocated to the education sector for its rescue or is there any infrastructure that can be enjoyed without qualitative education? I believe commoners would rather love to have education than any other infrastructure. Also, providing sound knowledge is the best way to development, not only for humans but for the whole country and what it contains.

Based on Daily Post analysis on October 15, 2021,” about 12 trillion has been allocated to the security sector in the past 7 budgets under president Buhari”. Based on this analysis the increment of the spending for the sector in the administration is whooping 15 percent of the country’s budget. If this can be done in an attempt to tackle the insecurity we still suffer from, despite the relevance of security in any country, why can’t the same attempt be done for the education sector even for once? These are few examples. One may argue that all the aforementioned spendings were already budgeted and also the education sector has its own budget, but is he aware that the sector’s budget is just a paltry sum?

Premium Times Nigeria, on October 27, 2021 stated that “since taking office, president Buhari’s highest allocation to the education sector is 7.9 percent of the total budget”. Meanwhile, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommended 15-20percent of any developing country’s budget for the sector. 

The FG should be alerted that this persistent strike is affecting not only students, their parents, and lectures but also the economy of the country as many small scale and medium enterprises depend on the campuses, howbeit, It’s indeed condemnable that ASUU’s demands have not been attended to. 

Moreover, it will shock any Nigerian of good will to hear the claim that the president was unaware about the ASUU strike till when he was notified during his Sallah visit to his home town! Kudos to Nigeria, my fatherland, where universities could be shutdown and academic staffs’ salaries stopped for months and yet the president doesn’t even know what is happening! The university lecturers’ strike for months with stoppage of their salaries, but the president was unaware? This alone, can prove the FG’s failure in salvaging the education sector in Nigeria. They don’t seem to care and I don’t think they will care at all. Their beloved children are elsewhere, outside the country, enjoying good education, while the poor peoples’ children grow in ignorance.

In addition to the points raised above, Nigeria, with 10.5 million out of school children, topped the list in the world, as declared by the United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF), Daily Trust on Monday, 24th January reported. Furthermore, the FG’s budget allocation to the sector is yet to reach the UNESCO’s recommendation, while looting allegations on government officials are not unknown, but still ASUU’s demands are neglected. 

In conclusion, I urge the government to move with rapid efforts in overcoming the hindrances in the education sector, others the government and all Nigerians should await more troubles, confusions and skirmishes.

Yusuf Salisu Muhammad writes from Katsina State, Nigeria.

By Alkasim Harisu Alkasim

It is beyond exaggeration to say that marriage for money is a norm today. Repeating this amounts to a cliché. A great score of us want to marry money, and we hate to bring to mind poverty, never mind the difficulties accompanying it. That is why, today, many a family frown upon poverty-ridden dudes. Such families try to avoid poverty by marrying into monied families. They hold that, given the fact their homes are poor, they should, as a matter of fact, change their fates. Hence, by marrying rich men, they will be able to compensate for the difficulties biting them.

Unknowingly, there are difficulties that rehappen to destroy newly-built families. The first thing that throws a spanner in marriages is the recognition of the male spouse that his wife weds him thanks to his wealth. She also attracts for herself the despise of her in-laws who accord her and her family no respect. They disgrace and see them as a bunch of people that worship money. Also, the groom, who earnestly believes that the woman marries him because of his riches, ponders the fact that whenever he becomes poor, she will turn her back on him.

There are decisions we oftentimes take that we tend to regret after the passing of time. Because of our thirst for money, we take to cheapening and even slaving ourselves to attain the consideration of the haves. After throwing ourselves to the dogs, we then begin to think of a way to regain our good names. But the game is already over. This is a true definition of turning back the clock. Alas! Time never comes back once it is gone. What I imply here is that girls do themselves a disservice when they choose to be in love with undeserving fellows. What should you do when this happens, that is, when a girl sees nothing in you? I personally advise that whenever a girl hates building up a relationship with you, you should call it quits. Otherwise, you will be carrying a torch for somebody and nothing will expiate for you the time, energy and money you have expended.

Another thing that ruins relationships is poor moral standing. It is true that girls that idolise money quickly grow immoral. And boys with money seduce such girls for a quickie one-night stand. Yes, their sole desire is to hit it and quit it. Achieving this, they vanish into the thin air. As the girl conceives and becomes heavy with pregnancy, the world concentrates attention on her. Bad words from the public begin to weigh on her mind as well as her negligent family’s. People will antagonize her to the point of tears. Then, she will begin to regret her mistakes. Sadly, she has already got deflowered. And no amount of crying can return her virginity. The boy is gone. She and her family will try to get back at the missing boy, but they will just be carrying coals to Newcastle. At that very moment, the family starts to an afterthought. They will ruminate on ways to punish the boy or force him to marry the girl.

The problem of marrying money is mother to many immoralities that are currently occurring. It causes infidelity which is becoming the father of our ailing society and falling apart as a people. I was told about a wife that cheated on her husband. Albeit she was husbanded well, she did what only the baseborn do. The spouse catered for all her needs but she was notoriously infidel enough to practice adultery as though she did not subscribe to Islam. Whenever he left for market, this adulterous wife would take her children to her mother-in-law’s. She would then call her paramour. A faithful neighbour has often seen this thus he got devastated. Given the gravity of the issue, he was compelled to shut it. For he didn’t know how to let the husband know. Later, as the misdeed persisted, he locked the house on the two wrongdoers. He quickly called the husband who was already at market. The husband rushed it home and saw the nightmare of his lifetime. No sooner had he witnessed what his neighbour had been feeling indifferent to let him learn than he divorced her. Parting the way of unfaithful wives is the best decision no matter how one loves them. Because, if you don’t summon the courage to divorce them, they can mother you bastard children and pretend you are the one that fathers them. Was this woman fathered well? This is a question many people pose.

Another story is of a smart guy who triples as a husband, teacher and relative. He doctors for a living. Despite his running busy all time, he keeps house while his wife idles her hours away at the same home. She does not know how to even cook or do the house chores. It connotes a tragedy when you marry a woman that does not know how to prepare water that drinks well or food that eats well. This is one of the humiliating errors a wife can ever commit in her home. More telling is that the husband had excellently patched up many problems that came up. But, one horrible argument persisted. He tried his best possible to patch up things with his wife but she refused to forget the differences thanks to her stubbornness. He pressured her into buying the idea, but he could not make her let bygones be bygones.

To control how his children marry, I was told about a father who sons ten children. He also selects wives for his children. He is very responsible and commands obedience. The norm in this family is that the father wives all his children. He also schools his sons in respecting one another. That is why, they brother themselves extremely well. They reek charm and none of their actions sisters on disrespect, despise or fakery.

When you get broken-hearted, it feels as if your whole body was giving you pains. You will be long in healing before you bounce back to excellent health. You will be suffering terrible romantic ill-health too. You will keep wondering if you would ever be able to battle the condition. To you, such a situation is a small armageddon because nothing can purge you of harrowing thoughts. Living in solitude cannot not expiate the shock you will be going through nor will it cleanse the psychological trauma you are going through. Of course, mourning the loss of one’s one-time better-half is extremely painful.

Indeed, many of us do not see the value of those we marry ourselves with either in social, friendship, work or marriage commerce until they are no more or when the relationship goes south. We mourn and weep profusely for our relatives only when they close their eyes for the last time. When alive, we don’t see the world of them. Some people take betrayal lightly. But I would rather die a thousand deaths than betray a person who reposes trust and confidence in me.

When a love relationship dies a death, responsible people, more especially those that are not the guilty party look like death warmed over. A times, the social intercourse that reigns among diverse social networks sours thanks to betrayal. As this happens, everybody swears distancing his fellow for an unimaginable period of time. People get wedded to a devilish thought. This dilemma abounds with the absence of peace and bad blood. I said earlier that we affix importance to material gains by devaluing virtue and celebrating infamy. All this plays out in marriage transactions.

I have a friend since secondary school who was schooled at BUK. He learnt medicine. Of late, he broke up with his long-time girlfriend who also doubles as his female cousin. His home neighbours the girl’s. At the morning of the misunderstanding, he sought the intermediation of his close friend. The friend tried to correct the situation, but he failed. The relationship, to sum it, has latterly met its waterloo. Another person, a close buddy of the boyf tried to talk her out of her intentions. Still, she turned a deaf ear. He too, failed to appease the tumult abounding in the relationship. Toward the end of the relationship, that was when turbulence overwhelmed everything, the girl grew the habit of talking back her boyfriend. Not only that, she most a times talked him down. Worst of all, she made him appear as if he were talking to the hand. “Am I talking to myself?” This is a question he oftentimes asked himself. She avoided his sight only to strike him dumb. Dharma has been crushed. We never feel duty-bound to things our parents did feel. But karma will have its toil on people that betray the confidence of those that trust them.

In situations such as this, if you try your best possible to mend a long-standing feud through intervention and things refuse to put to rights, what you should do is to take a backseat. Just put everything to bed and move on. It was amazing that when the relationship was booming, it put in the shade every other love commerce. But as the relationship spoilt, things failed to repair. The girl also helped in putting a spoke in the boyfriend’s wheel. Because she made all his attempts to get them back to talking terms impossible. Her father did his best to put a gun on her head, but she summoned courage and put a brave face on.

Recently, I have been neighbouring this guy. We break bread and move around. He discusses the girl a lot with me. What I gathered from the girl’s moves can be said to neighbour on deception and a total change of mind. She is not in two minds about the relationship. Because she has already taken her own verdict. Thus, I tell him to be a man since the girl considers mending relationship with him a non-issue. Everybody that receives the news of the break up pities the girl. People say she is a hundred years too early to change mind on such a highly educated, literatured and smart person everybody wishes loved his sister or daughter. That guy is the be-all and end-all when it comes to moral standing and knowledge. When he was at a tender age, grown-up females had wished he were marriageable to tie the knot with him. By turning her back to him and switching attention to another boyf, this girl is just riding for a fall. I am no stranger to break ups, but this one makes a novel exception. In truth, the girl will at the end become her own worst enemy.

More so, to me, what appears to be more worrying is that her mother chose to shut her mouth. She took the side of the girl because she often said she had never told her daughter to unlove the guy. But she is blamable because she did not try soft-soaping her daughter. This is what caused the girl to be her own man. The problem is no longer what I considered it to be. From beginning, I thought the problem would be as soft as a baby’s bottom. But it turned out to be as hard as a rock. Many a time and oft, many a boyfriend goes to a girl’s. But you can count on your fingers those of them that mean marriage. Girls such as this, don’t listen to admonishing. The best thing is to allow life to school them. “Experience is the best teacher”, says Socrates. It is true that every occurrence has a first. However, this is not the first time she had milked quarrels to muddy the waters. She capitalized on the singular wish of her boyf to throw the gauntlet to make him come the offender with her.

By Abdulrahman Yunusa 

Entire my life, I have never seen Nigeria more divided than this time under President Muhammadu Buhari. Even those who share the same geographical location, history and ancestral background at some point are fighting each other today. 

To be precise, the current tussle between Hausa and Fulani disturbs my psyche. Who really curses us? Are we used to such trivialities before, or just by accident, we found ourselves in this predicament overnight?

How can we convince the upcoming generation that the North used to be peaceful, where the inhabitants peacefully mingle with each other irrespective of tribal affiliation or identity? After all, the gleaming narratives have been bitterly coloured into ugly ones.

Perhaps, the crisis of identity was a thing of obscure in the North in those days. Nevertheless, for over several decades, the ethnics group have been romancing each other as if they were of the same origin, although they are to some degree. Hence they even succeeded in burying the ethnic difference by making social unions among themselves.

Sadly, today we are talking about another issue. Things have changed over time. We bow down and take a different dimension which goes in contrary to that of our great-grandfathers. The rising hostility is out this world today among the major ethnic groups in the North.

Honestly, this man may be the worst leader Nigeria has ever had. His advent into the corridor of power is a curse to the then two harmonious ethnic groups, who are fighting each other fiercely under the curtain of politics and other politically related issues. 

It’s unbecoming for the conflictual parties to shun the history of their peaceful relation to some cheap matters that don’t worth their attention, let alone consuming their long, everlasting, and marvellous cordial relationship. However, attached to any upheaval, there is a lesson to learn for the future.

On a lighter note, I sense some suspicious plan meant and orchestrated by some intruders to get this everlasting combo broken down. Sadly, soon chicken will come back home to roast. The invisible hands igniting the fire of hatred among the interrelated parties would bury their face in shame.

North would never be divided, in sha Allah. May North and Nigeria proper, amin.

Abdulrahman Yunusa is a political and social affairs analyst. He writes from Bauchi and can be reached via abdulrahmanyunusa10@gmail.com.