By Uzair Adam Imam 

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has commended the Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria (RTEAN) for creating many job opportunities for the youth.

 Ganduje lauded the contribution of the association to the growth of the economy through the creation of job opportunities for the youth in the transportation sector.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Hassan Musa Fagge, disclosed this in a statement signed Tuesday. 

The Governor, represented by his Deputy Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, made the statement when he launched the RTEAN at Kwanar Dawaki Motor Park new office on Tuesday. 

Ganduje said, “we are really proud of you (RTEAN) having recognised your contribution to the improvement of the transport sector through engaging our youth to have jobs he said.”

He added that RTEAN was complementing the state government’s effort to ensure that the youth have jobs by employing thousands of workers in Kwanar Dawaki Moto Park.

However, the Governor also urged the leadership of RTEAN to continue to enlighten their members about traffic rules and proper maintenance of their vehicles.

By Sumayyah Auwal Usman

The worsening fuel scarcity that hit Kaduna State has forced several motorists to abandon their vehicles in queues at many filling stations when petrol was not available to go back home.

The Daily Reality visited some filling stations and observed that long queues have risen exponentially. Motorists were seen in the early hours, precisely, 6.30 am, queueing at Mobil Fuel Station, Independence Way, Kaduna, where PMS was dispensed via only one nozzle point with four orders inactive.

Also, at the filling stations on Constitution Road, Ali Akilu Road, Yakowa Way, among others, fuel attendants were seen turning back motorists.

The development came almost one week after the import of millions of dirty PMS from Europe into Nigeria disrupted the fuel supply system of the country, leading to long queues nationwide. The situation has resulted in total confusion and long lines of vehicles at various filling stations in the metropolis.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Abba Kyari, the former chief of the Police Intelligence Response Team, is in a new quagmire after officials from the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) indicted him in a sting operation.

Mr Kyari, who is awaiting extradition to the United States on charges of cyber fraud, faces life in jail if convicted of distributing cocaine by a competent court.

After the NDLEA declared Kyari wanted and posted a video of him peddling cocaine, the police apprehended him on Monday.

Kyari was charged with official corruption, tampering with narcotic exhibits, and other unprofessional behaviour, according to the police statement.

As a result, Kyari has been handed over to the cops for further investigation and prosecution under the NDLEA.

Henry Kelechukwu, a legal expert, claimed that Kyari’s prospects of receiving a prison sentence were high.

He added that every case contains gaps to be exploited, but this one is particularly close-knit. The reason for this is that the offences for which he is being charged have an appearance of strict liability, which means that you don’t even have to establish intent; of course, this relies on the charge that the prosecuting agency wishes to bring against him.

In relation to this, an NDLEA act has it that “(a) Any person, who without lawful authority imports, manufactures, plants, or grows the drugs popularly known as cocaine, LSD, heroin, and other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.

“(b)export, transport, or otherwise traffic in the drug popularly known as cocaine, LSD heroine or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offence and liable upon conviction to be sentenced to life imprisonment.

“(c) sells, buys, exposes or offers for sales or otherwise deals in or with the drug popularly known as cocaine, LSD heroine or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for life.”

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed

Following up on the meeting between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government in the early morning of February 14, 2022, has declared a four week comprehensive and total strike.

On Monday, the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, announced the strike at a press conference.

The strike takes effect from Monday, February 14, 2022.

He said, “The union tried to avoid the strike, but the Federal Government was unresponsive to the union’s demands.”

Prof. Osodeke also said that ASUU NEC faulted the creation of new universities.

“NEC resolved to embark on the four-week roll-over total, and comprehensive strike as the government has failed to implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with ASUU since December 2020.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A stadium is set to be named after Sadio Mane in his home town of Sedhiou in Senegal after helping his country to win the just concluded AFCON.

Senegal’s minister of culture and communication, Abdoulaye Diop, confirmed the news this past week.

According to Diop, the stadium is named after the region’s favourite son.

“I would like, through this decision to give the name of Sadio Mané to the Stade de Sédhiou, to express the recognition of all the daughters and sons of the region, towards a man who makes known to the humanity as a whole, Bambali and its regional capital, namely Sédhiou,” Diop was quoted saying by the local media.

Diop added that “Sadio Mane really deserves this honour.”

The Liverpool forward scored the winning penalty as Senegal beat Egypt 4-2 to win the 2021 African Cup of Nations held in Cameroon for the first time in history. Mane also earned the love and respect of millions of people owing to his charity works.

By Muhammad Sabiu

A fire has damaged yam tubers worth millions of naira at a market in Taraba State’s Wukari Local Government Area.

Although the cause of the outbreak, which occurred at midnight on Saturday, is unknown, Anthony Agbu, the Chairman of the Yam Sellers Association in the state, stated that there was a major misunderstanding between farmers and sellers, which may have led to the incident.

According to Agbu, this is the 14th instance of its kind this year, with the majority of them occurring after harvest.

The yam dealers and farmers have appealed to the government for assistance, claiming that they have lost N200 million worth of tubers and motorcycles and wheat.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has sent a condolence message to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar over the death of Alhaji Hassan Danbaba, the Magajin Garin Sokoto.

The message, which was signed by MURIC’s director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, reads:

“With sorrow in our hearts, we commiserate with the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, on the death of the Magajin Garin Sokoto, Alhaji Hassan Danbaba.

“He was the head of the kingmakers of Sokoto and grandson of the late Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the defunct Northern Nigeria, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello. He reportedly slumped in a hotel in Kaduna yesterday Sunday, 13th February 2022. He was there to attend a social event. He was rushed to 44 Army Resident Hospital, Kaduna where he was confirmed dead.

“He was very active in the Rice Revolution of President Muhammadu Buhari which is being championed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He also played a key role in the Rice Pyramid Fair in Abuja held by the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN). He was also one of the eminent Nigerians who converged on Lagos last weekend to find solutions to the challenges confronting the country ahead of the 2023 elections.

“He is expected to be buried at the Hubbaren Shehu Cemetery where members of the Sokoto royal family are usually buried. He was survived by three wives and six children. May Allah have mercy on him. May Allah also give members of the family the fortitude to bear the loss.”

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The member representing Kano municipal in the House of Representatives, Sha’aban Ibrahim Sharada, has reiterated the need to invest more in education.

Sharada also accused some politicians of supplying drugs and dangerous weapons for the youth for some selfish reason.

The rep was speaking on Saturday during the 40th Anniversary of Mass Communication Alumni Association (BUMCAA) at Bayero University, Kano. 

He said that there was no better investment in any society than the provision of the right atmosphere through education.

 Sharada argued that societal development has a direct link with people’s educational attainment, saying education and development cannot be separated. 

He said, “Education is the key that unlocks everything. And for this, I would like to call on politicians, philanthropists, businessmen and other well-meaning Nigerians to heavily invest in education. 

“For politicians, there is no better investment than providing the right atmosphere and an enabling environment for our children to forge ahead educationally. 

“Instead of supplying drugs and dangerous weapons to the so-called political thugs, politicians should instead choose to sponsor them and make their lives better,” he added.

The events, which took place on Friday and Saturday at BUK, aimed at commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Department of Mass Communication of the institution.

By Adamu Bello Mai-Bodi

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honouring one of the early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. Later on, the tradition becomes a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many world regions, including some Muslim communities (Mostly unaware of what they celebrate). But, Saint Valentine’s Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. In addition, many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate the day.

In my view, Muslims have no business celebrating this day. Moreover, a Saudi cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Al-‘Arifi, said on Valentine’s Day, “Celebrating this holiday constitutes bid’a—a forbidden innovation and deviation from religious law and custom and mimicry of the West.” Besides, Islam is all about showing love and humility every day, not only on February 14.

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentine honoured on February 14 is Valentine of Rome (Valentinus Presb. Mart). He was a priest in Rome and martyred in 269. That was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Gelasius I in 496 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The relics of Saint Valentine were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome and later in Santa Prassede, which remained an important pilgrim site for Christians.

In The Dictionary of Christianity, J.C. Cooper writes that Saint Valentine was “a priest of Rome who was imprisoned for succouring persecuted Christians.” It states that Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by the Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Consequently, he was executed.

However, before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing Julia, the blind daughter of Emperor Asterius. As a result, the Emperor’s daughter and his forty-six member household (family members and servants) came to believe in Jesus and were baptized. That upset the Emperor even more.

So, on the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he is supposed to have written the first “valentine” card himself, addressed to the daughter of his jailer, Asterius, who was no longer blind, and signing it as “Your Valentine.” The expression, “from your Valentine”, was later adopted by modern Valentine’s letters. 

With the concatenations mentioned above, it is not rocket science to understand that Valentine’s Day is strictly a Christian affair.

Adamu Bello Mai-Bodi wrote from NPA Quarters, Apapa, Lagos. 

By Mukhtar Jarmajo

Aside from the fact that boarding secondary school provides the ground for moral and academic excellence, it is also a platform for socialization. People of different backgrounds in terms of social class, religion, culture and even thoughts converge in one place, of course from different corners of the country, to mingle as they work and walk towards civilization. It was undoubtedly for the above and many other reasons that on October 2, 1999, we all converged in Hassan Ibrahim Gwarzo Secondary Schools, Kano. We were there to pursue knowledge in a journey of self-search with the hope that in the end, we will make a responsible community from which society will benefit.

And so it happened, through time, we endured all the rigours and the backbreaking toil that come with the boarding school environment and with the challenges of learning, especially in a setting that the late Prof. Ibrahim Alƙali Ayagi managed. In aiming for excellence, Ayagi always raised the bar for promotion to the next class. From the policy that a student must pass all core science subjects to mathematically create the formula which postulated that the average of a student’s cumulative scores must be higher than that of the class before promotion, Ayagi kept us on our toes throughout the time. 

And for senior secondary classes, it was the famous Operation Credit Only (OCO). One morning in 2003, the boys and the girls in senior secondary classes gathered for a combined assembly. Prof. Ayagi used the opportunity to announce the new policy that the least acceptable score for us was a credit. He also announced that from that day, the SS2 and SS3 syllabuses would be covered in SS2. So that in SS3, it will be “revision, revision and revision only.” And to achieve this, we had classes during evening preps and during holidays in what was referred to as “extension classes.” 

And true to it, the efforts of the school management, as well as our commitment and doggedness, paid off. As a result, the school began to have better JAMB/WAEC/NECO results. Thus by the time we obtained our O’ Level results in 2005, it was the best at that time. Both the JAMB and SSCE results were commendable. Hence, that year, O’ Level holders from Hassan Ibrahim Gwarzo Secondary Schools got unprecedented placements in universities worldwide. 

Many of us got admission to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi. Murli Mahmood, Shaheeda Abdullahi Umar, Ismail Umar (Ashaka), Amina Ahmad Usman, Abdulhafiz Nuhu Ahmad, Rahanatu Ahmad Aliyu, Umar Saidu Abashe, Abdulqadir Hussaini Mukhtar, Salamatu Bashir Dogara, Usman Nagado Usman, Abdullahi Farouk Bello and I got admissions into various departments. But as providence would have it, few left the university for other schools for one reason or the other. 

Murli Attaib Mahmood left for Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, to continue studying Geology, which he started at ATBU. He later obtained a Bachelor’s degree there, and after the compulsory national youth service (NYSC), Murli Mahmood joined the services of the Bauchi State Judiciary some years ago. He got married last year (2021) and died on January 8. Innalillahi wa inna alaihir ra ji un! 

In the early hours of that fateful day and on the Maiduguri bypass in Bauchi, Murli Mahmood got involved in a fatal auto crash. It happened at the Ramadan Press junction that links the bypass with the ever-busy Murtala Muhammed way. Murli Mahmood came from Awala Roundabout, which is on the bypass. And while trying to crossover to move into Murtala Muhammed way, a commercial bus came from the popular Gidan-Mai Roundabout, heading towards Awala Roundabout, only to hit Murli’s car on the passenger side. 

And because of the high speed with which the commercial bus came, Murli, who was on the driving wheel, could not withstand the intensity of the pressure exerted on him. As a result, he sustained internal injuries and almost immediately succumbed to death. On arrival at the Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), medical personnel confirmed his death. That was how he left without saying goodbye to us. 

The last time we spoke was on January 3. He called me on the phone around 8 pm for consultation on his intention to participate in the elections of the Bauchi State chapter of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). Murli told me that he wanted to contest either the seat of the Treasurer or that of the Chairman. After a lengthy discussion, I advised him to go for the Chairmanship position. However, we concluded that the final decision would be made when he sat with his father. I then requested that I be made a member of the Campaign Council even though I don’t belong to the JUSUN. 

From then, the next thing that came to me was the news of Murli’s shocking death. After the early morning prayers on January 8, I tuned in BBC Hausa 06:30 am program. While listening, I slept off only to wake up a few minutes later to realize I missed 11 calls, mainly from Ismail Umar (Ashaka). When I called back, he broke the sad news to me. I immediately broke the news in the WhatsApp group of the Class of 2005, jumped out of bed and rushed to the Gida-Dubu estate where Murli Mahmood resided. 

Before I got there, his lifeless body was already home, and it was being bathed in accordance with Islamic rites. I profusely cried when I saw Muhammad Ma’amun (Baban-Bauchi), one of his closest elder cousins, preparing Murli’s body for funeral prayers. It certainly took a lot of courage for him to be there, especially because they have, over time, metamorphosed into friends. It was through Murli we knew Baban-Bauchi. His elder brother, Aslam and younger brother, Asdaq, were also around. But I did not see both of them close to Murli’s body. One can imagine the grief that weathered the time. It was unquestionably a moment of heartache, so the atmosphere was tense. 

At 1 pm, the Janaaza prayer took place, and Murli Attaib Mahmood was buried. He was a man of the people who related very well with us. He was a friend maker who maintained cordial relationships with almost everyone in his network. We have indeed lost a true friend who never failed to be present in our times of need. I have lost a friend of about 20 years who grew up to become a family. I have also lost my “political opponent.” We hardly stood on the same political side. Therefore, in most cases, we debated our points to buttress our stands. Meanwhile, I must acknowledge that Murli`s political and socio-economic views were based on his genuine concerns for a better society. I have indeed lost a friend and brother!

May the soul of Murli Mahmood rest in eternal peace. Ameen!

Jarmajo can be reached via dattuwamanga@gmail.com.