Years ago, when visiting a prominent Hindu temple in Himachal Pradesh, India, an Indian coursemate became excited at the sight of a white man worshipping there. I asked why. She told me it was pretty reassuring to see someone you didn’t expect to share your belief practising it.
As I walk through sites in Madina, including the Prophet’s mosque, I see the faces of people from far and near, dressed differently and speaking various languages. People from all nooks and crannies of the world visit this holy city. I couldn’t help but recall and, somehow, share my friend’s feelings.
Without a doubt, Islam and Christianity, unlike and above many other religions, have universal appeal. I have also been to several parts of the world. However, seeing a sea of people of different skin colours, heights, and sizes worshipping in unison is stunning and soothing.
There is inflation globally, and poverty is also on the increase. Still, people troop to Mecca and Madina to perform Umrah, the lesser Hajj, as if it were free. For many Muslims, especially those who have never come here before, nothing is expensive.
Although the feeling is indescribable, I can mention just one: visualizing what you have (very likely) heard about all your life about Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions feels distinct and unique. It’s so serene and serendipitous – ma sha Allah.
May Allah accept our prayers and rescue our country, continent, and all that is beyond.
Dr. Muhsin Ibrahim, who is a Nigerian working in Germany, is currently on lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kaduna Sector Command, announced that four people have died and 56 others have been injured in a road crash on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway.
Mr. Kabir Nadabo, the Sector Commander, relayed the traumatic incident to journalists, which he said occurred at Sabon Sara village along the expressway on Tuesday.
He said that the tragic accident involved a trailer (Iveco) with registration number MKA99YS, and it occurred at around 03:30 hrs.
“The combined rescue teams of RS1.113 Zhipe and RS1.17 Birnin Yero conducted the rescue,” he said.
According to Nadabo, the initial investigation revealed that the cause of the crash was the overloading of goods and humans, as well as fatigue.
He said, “Further investigation of the incident shows that 73 people were involved in the crash, 59 got injured, and sadly, 4 were deceased.”
He said the injured have been conveyed to St. Gerard and AP Smart Hospitals, all in Kakuri.
“Kaduna State is a critical corridor that links the North to the South; this is why the Kaduna State Command has activated several measures and homegrown initiatives.
”Like the establishment of roadside camps at Kakau and Rigachikun to promptly respond to crashes, the provision of standby ambulances at Jere, Doka, Kakau, Gonin Gora, Rigachikun, Zaria, and Tashar Yari, with experienced staff to handle first aid care.
“Also, the corps in the state will continue to aggressively create awareness and sensitization among road users on general safety ethics.
“For the record, I want to inform the public that henceforth, any driver arrested for overloading of goods and humans will be arraigned before the courts for prosecution for endangering the lives and properties of Nigerians.
“Already, concerted efforts have resulted in the arrest of the trailer driver involved in this crash.
“I wish to emphatically reiterate our resolve in reaching out to stakeholders, particularly transport unions, to preach and sensitise their drivers on the dangers of excessive speeding, overloading, dangerous driving, and using their phones while driving, among others,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu, in a bid to enhance the festive experience for Nigerians, has given the green light to a substantial reduction in interstate transport fares and complimentary train rides.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, during a press briefing at the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday.
This beneficial directive will be in effect from Thursday, December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024.
President Tinubu’s approval entails a noteworthy 50 percent reduction in the price of interstate transport fares for individuals travelling during the yuletide season.
This cost-cutting measure extends to both minibuses and luxury buses, presenting significant financial relief for citizens embarking on holiday journeys.
Commuters will also enjoy complimentary rides on all train services throughout the specified period.
This initiative aims to facilitate affordable and seamless travel options, fostering a spirit of togetherness and celebration during the festive season.
Minister Alake conveyed the President’s dedication to ensuring the comfort and well-being of Nigerians during the holiday season.
He articulated, “It is in this wise that the President is announcing through us that beginning from tomorrow, December 21, Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via mini buses, luxury buses at 50 per cent discount of current cost and all our train services on the route the trains currently serve at zero cost on their travels this holiday season..”
My discomfort taking pictures of people in a social event is obvious even to some people around me; friends and families.
There was a time I was commissioned by a place I once worked for to cover an event, a woman honorably stood from her seat and whispered in my ears, “please try to avoid me in your photos.” “Thank you so much for letting me know, Hajiya.” I replied. To this day, I respect the woman, but had she known, it was also against my wish doing that.
Now I know better how to cover an event with people consent. A skill I learned in 2023. But how about the streets?
I love #streetphotography. Looking at most of my photos, you’ll notice that I rarely capture people in my frame. That’s partly because I don’t like being interrogated for pointing my camera and shooting at random strangers, rightly, against their will.
It made me so uncomfortable for someone to perceive that I breach their privacy. So, I choose to capture only landscape and other objects I found interesting.
However, in Nigeria — at least in my experience, even pointing your at your feet can provoke anger. People will question you for that aggressively.
Let me further illustrate two experiences: a few months ago in Benue State, I bought yogurt in a restaurant opposite a market and noticed a beautiful statue of a milk cow. While taking a photo of it, a police officer, holding a gun obviously to intimidate me, questioned why I hadn’t obtained permission from him. This was a man emerging from nowhere near the restaurant. With my assertion that I didn’t know permission was required, he grew angrier. Eventually, I realized he sought only for a bribe, and I insisted we consult the restaurant manager. And that’s why he reluctantly let me go with my photo.
Fast forward to an LGA in Kano State where my colleague and I saw a remarkable solar plant at a healthcare facility generating 24/7 electricity. When I tried to capture it on my phone, from a distance, three hostile men confronted us, questioning why we were “staring” at the plant without their permission. Staring at it! They treated us as if we were informants or criminals. One of them even threaten us — and I dared him to try laying hands on any of us. But eventually, witht the arrival of the officer in charge of the facility, that hostile man was even the one stopping a bike for us at last.
As much as I respect people’s privacy (which is one reason why I don’t fly my drone these days), I understand that streetphotography is a hard thing for me in this country because people are unnecessarily angry. Even as you try to avoid them, they’ll find a reason to engage you.
This year alone, I have developed more than five extraordinary ideas of streets photography with northern Nigeria as the setting, but I am still skeptical. And I wonder how photographers developing content around this area do it without much troubles.
Please, how can I peacefully execute my projects in 2024 without inviting trouble on the streets?🤔
— Misbahu El-Hamza is a social analyst from Kano State, Nigeria.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has commended the level of ongoing construction of the Kano-Maradi, Niger Republic, standard gauge rail project.
The Minister of Transport, Sen. Ahmed Alkali, expressed this satisfaction shortly after inspecting the project on Friday.
Alkali spoke to newsmen at Dadin Kowa in Kazaure Local Government Area of Jigawa, adding that he was satisfied with the level of work done so far.
He said, “We are fully committed in ensuring timely completion of the ongoing Kano – Jigawa – Maradi rail line project, aimed at boosting the economy of the Nigeria and Niger republic.
“We are working hard to fix this country; so in terms of reviewing the financial aspect we must make sacrifice, including the contractor,” he said.
He also noted that with the speed at which the project is going, hopefully the contactors will meet the target of timely completion by 2025.
“The $2 billion project awarded by former President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to be completed at the set agreed project target year of 2025.
“The earth work of the project has reached 80 per cent stage, while real rail line work would soon commence after the earth works.
“I am very impressed with what we have seen; we came all the way from Dawanau where the project started so that we have first hand information of the level of the execution of the project and the contractors are in compliance with the level of specifications of the job,” he stated.
It is a human trait, especially in this digital era, for people to take pictures in memorable places, should they have the privilege of travelling to those places. This is because we humans love to capture our favourite moments in memorable places or with memorable personalities so as to treasure the memories. It isn’t ‘always’ a show-off, as some people misinterpret it to be.
A good example of the manifestation of this trait is how almost, if not all, Nigerian graduates have a picture of them in NYSC Camp wearing their NYSC uniforms, how almost every married person treasures the picture of his/her own wedding ceremony, and of course, how almost all privileged pilgrims take pictures in front of the iconic Ka’abah in Makkah when they go for pilgrimage.
However, I still can’t understand why some holier-than-thou folks quickly conclude without any unambiguous Quranic and Hadith references that anybody who takes pictures in Makkah lacks ‘Ikhlās’, i.e sincerity to Allah, whereas the same people will snap pictures at their respective Juma’at Masaajid after every Friday Prayer, take pictures of themselves learning under Islamic scholars and the likes, without anybody questioning their Ikhlaas.
If there’s anything the pilgrims are showing-off when they travel for Hajj, then it will be the beautiful and memorable locations they were privileged to travel to and not their act of Ibādah that took them there.
I mean, Makkah, aside from being a very beautiful place, is a dreamland to all Muslims across the globe and a place they rarely have the privilege of going to. As such, you shouldn’t expect them not to want to treasure the memories of the once-in-a-lifetime experience they have there.
I understand that some pilgrims allow snapping of pictures to interfere with their acts of Ibādah during Hajj, and that is wrong, but even at that, we aren’t in the position to judge them, as the sincerity of intention is only known by Allah, the all-knowing.
Even where Allah talked about giving alms in the Qur’an, as sacred as it is, he mentioned in Qur’an 2:271 that revealing alms-giving to the public is okay, but concealing it is much better.
We can analogically deduce that it’s actually better if you decide not to take pictures for fear of ‘show-off’ when you travel for Hajj.
However, it is wrong to bully those who choose to take pictures, especially if their intention is to treasure their memories.
We take pictures at important places, in cars, in aeroplanes, and other places. I feel that’s human nature. Do Muslims have any better place than Makkah? Still, I reason that we should guard our Iman and take our pictures with Ikhlas.
I read a post this morning by one of our sisters, where she was asking if it is a “written rule” that men would flirt with waitresses at hotels and restaurants.
Well… the main reason why hotels and restaurants employ females as waitresses is for the undeniable fact that we all know, which is to attract and hook men’s attention. PERIOD!!!
And if you are a woman, with such kind of job, put it at the back of your mind that your qualification is likely the last thing that was considered. Your ability to attract men to the business and enchant them to spend more money is top on the list. The only exception where your qualification will be put into consideration is in the educational and health sector. Other than that, almost all banks, hotels, restaurants, law firms, offices, and businesses employ women to attract men.
It is a wise business strategy too, because men are the top earners in societies, and women hate women. Only men love women. This is one of the reasons why female patients prefer male gynaecologists to female gynaecologists. The female patients in various literatures made it clear that female gynaecologists are usually rude and roughly handle their boxes during examinations, unlike the men who are more caring. And why wouldn’t a man be so, there!
I always tell women to never get comfortable with any man, including myself. I had to protect myself, I do not even chat with women unless it is totally necessary because if I chat with you for at least two days in a row, I am going to start preaching the gospel before I even know it and speaking in tongues. This is what we are built for and why we exist.
I also don’t attend functions, or even so-called tech and business meetups, I do not show up in public unless it is totally necessary. Ask anyone in Sudan if they know my girlfriend. Even the Nigerian community in Sudan have approached and begged me to at least date one girl.
Anyways, at functions, or so-called tech meetups, even when I attend, I try to mind my business, ignore women and just do my things. But the thing is that ignoring women attracts women. Yes. I have had women in Niqaab approaching me and asking why I am not talking and moving around like the rest of the people around me. Let alone women wearing jeans and skirts, those ones will straight up come over, close my laptop and ask why I am being too serious.
Women are very funny. Stay at home, they will not stay at home, they go out and they complain that men are looking at them. Before nko, who or wetin you wan make dem look?
Lowering your gaze will only work for a few seconds in public, especially if you meetup frequently, she will eventually approach you and ask if you have a pencil that needs sharpening.
Some of us go to school, but we find it difficult to research basic human behaviour. I mention research at least to those of us stupid to not understand reality but would at least respect scientific research.
Two persons narrowly escaped death after a truck crashed into a submerged road in the Buji Local Government Area of Jigawa State on Monday, 3rd October, 2022.
This was contained in a statement obtained by journalists from CSC Adamu Shehu, the NSCDC’s spokesperson for the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps.
According to him, the incident occurred when a truck with the license plate XP361EPE lost direction while crossing the section of the Sara-Gantsa road that was underwater and was filled with metal pieces.
He noted that, as soon as the NSCDC authorities received the report, they sped to the spot and were successful in saving the victims.
According to reports, the NSCDC had issued a warning to truck and long vehicle drivers asking them not to travel on the state’s waterlogged roadways.
The families of the abducted Abuja-Kaduna train victims threatened that the train service must not resume unless all the abducted passengers are rescued.
Speaking through their spokesperson, Dr Abdulfatai Jimoh, the victims’ families said adequate security measures must be put in place to guarantee the safety of prospective passengers.
The Daily Reality reported how bandits attacked the Kaduna-Abuja train, killed eight persons, and abducted many passengers last month.
The bandits in a video threatened to kill all the victims if the federal government refused to negotiate with them.
However, reports disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the NRC to set up a situation room for the coordination of the rescue mission for the passengers.
But the families lamented that “Still, one week after this presidential directive was issued, the NRC has never contacted the relatives of the kidnapped victims nor established any situation room.
“This display of gross incompetence and insensitivity should lead to appropriate punishment,” they said.
Dropcap the popularization of the “ideal measure” has led to advice such as “Increase font size for large screens and reduce font size for small screens.” While a good measure does improve the reading experience, it’s only one rule for good typography. Another rule is to maintain a comfortable font size.
Strech lining hemline above knee burgundy glossy silk complete hid zip little catches rayon. Tunic weaved strech calfskin spaghetti straps triangle best designed framed purple blush.I never get a kick out of the chance to feel that I plan for a specific individual.
Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth.
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about the blind texts it is an almost unorthographic life One day however a small line of blind text by the name of Lorem Ipsum decided to leave for the far World of Grammar. The Big Oxmox advised her not to do so, because there were thousands of bad Commas, wild Question Marks and devious Semikoli, but the Little Blind Text didn’t listen.
On her way she met a copy. The copy warned the Little Blind Text, that where it came from it would have been rewritten a thousand times and everything that was left from its origin would be the word “and” and the Little Blind Text should turn around and return to its own, safe country.
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents.
But nothing the copy said could convince her and so it didn’t take long until a few insidious Copy Writers ambushed her, made her drunk with Longe and Parole and dragged her into their agency, where they abused her for their projects again and again. And if she hasn’t been rewritten, then they are still using her.
A busy man keeps working while he waits. | Image: Unsplash
Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia.
A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table – Samsa was a travelling salesman – and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer.
Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. “How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense”, he thought, but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on his right, and in his present state couldn’t get into that position. However hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was.
The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections.
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about the blind texts it is an almost unorthographic life One day however a small line of blind text by the name of Lorem Ipsum decided to leave for the far World of Grammar. The Big Oxmox advised her not to do so, because there were thousands of bad Commas, wild Question Marks and devious Semikoli, but the Little Blind Text didn’t listen.
His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table – Samsa was a travelling salesman – and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame.
It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer. Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad.