South African problem is the exact replica of black man’s disease. It is the reason why black Africa will never develop. Look at North Africa; Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, they have infrastructure, mostly at par with Europe, some are even better than most European countries. They are not blacks. The Arabs, even with their deadly problems, are far ahead of blacks in terms of development. There is no black African success story as far as nation building is concerned. Some people mention Rwanda as a success story. I don’t know their standard of success. To me a country with no rail system, which has only seven 7 tiny airports, running an agrarian economy and presided by dictator, is not a success story. South Africa was built by the Whites. Zimbabwe had a wonderful headway until Mugabe chased away the whites and handed over the economy to blacks. But look at UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. They are developed peaceful societies with law and order per excellence.

The 79 years Jacob Zuma of South Africa was sentenced to prison to spend 15 months for refusing a constitutional court order to give evidence, at an inquiry investigating a high-level corruption during his nine years in office. Zuma is facing trial for corruption, fraud, racketeering and money laundering. What followed was total disgrace to Africa and black race. South African blacks and Zuma’s Zulu tribe went into violent protest in major cities of Natal, Durban, Johannesburg and other major provinces. They broke shops and looted the contents and set buildings ablaze. In the melee that followed, at least 79 people died with figures still counting.

Who, but African blacks, will go into riots to protest imprisonment of a corrupt leader on account of ethnicity only! The South Africans are not rioting because Zuma is innocent. They just don’t want him to be jailed no matter his crimes. Zuma defied court order. In any civilized society, defying court is tantamount to sleeping in prison. But see South Africa, arguably the most developed country in Africa, having the best infrastructure, best schools, functioning economy and a member of G-20, disgracing Africa, Africans and all blacks.

What kind of country do South Africans want if a leader can wreck the treasury and be above the law? Even with our myriads of problems I don’t see Nigerians behaving this way. Obasanjo was a former leader imprisoned for offences he did not commit but no one razed any shop or burnt down cities. Leaders will always have supporters but when they commit crimes, we should not give them ethnic refuge and fight their own battles. We should allow them to stew in the pot they arranged for themselves. That is the only way they will do the right thing in offices. As long as we allow them to commit crimes and run to ethnic and religious cleavages for protection, we will never develop as a country.

Alhaji Aliyu Nuhu

Is a social analyst based in Abuja

The embattled Kano cleric, Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara, was arrested by the police on charges related to his preaching, which many scholars judge as sacrilegious against Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The SSA to Governor Ganduje on social media, Abubakar Aminu, states that Abduljabbar “will be prosecuted in accordance with Islamic teaching”.

Details are coming shortly.

By Sumayyah Auwal Usman

The remains of late Maj. Gen. Hassan Ahmed, who was assassinated yesterday (Thursday), was buried in Abuja this afternoon. It’s reported that the incident happened while the late Major General was returning to Abuja from Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. Some yet-to-be identified shooters attacked his car around the Abaji area council, killing him. The attackers took away the wife of the senior military officer.

Many sympathisers described the situation surrounding the demise of Hassan as very unfortunate. Until his death, he was a director at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.

Kaduna State Police Command has apprehended and paraded five suspects for their involvement in criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and culpable homicide in parts of Zaria and environs.

In an interview with the press, two suspects confessed that they’ve terrorising Maɗaci and Kofan Gayan areas. The five suspects are Tsalha, Lawali, Malam, Nuhu, and one other unnamed Fulani man. It has been confirmed that the suspects will be charged to court for prosecution.

Being the only non-profit oriented media organisation focusing primarily on issues and problems bedevilling northern Nigeria, The Daily Reality is a dream comes true.

During a courtesy call by The Daily Reality newspaper members to the Kano State Commissioner of Information, Hon. Muhammad Garba, in his office on Wednesday, 13th July 2021, the commissioner expressed his happiness, adding that:

“The concept of The Daily Reality is very commendable. We really appreciate your effort. This shows that you know what is happening [in this country and beyond]. The only thing we can add is to pray to Almighty Allah to sustain your effort. Honestly speaking, every person who is abreast with what is happening in Nigeria knows about this gap you come to bridge. Media shouldn’t be seen as the sole affair of politicians. It is for all. You can invest in the media not just to make money but also to protect your people, your business, ideology or to champion a certain cause like this thing you are doing. Of course, the media business is challenging. It takes time before it yields the desired result. This is why our people (Northerners) prefer such businesses they will invest today and harvest [profit] tomorrow.”

Recalling the challenges he faced in convincing Northern politicians, business moguls and other influential personalities to invest in media, Hon. Garba narrated that:

“When I was the president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), these were the issues I kept presenting to our leaders, but unfortunately, some of them thought that media investment is for Southerners alone. I visited many politicians, business people and elder statesmen, but they dumped me. Until today, our people don’t understand the power of media and the danger of living without media protection. Sadly, every month, many state governments and business tycoons in the North pay some media giants in the South huge money to support their programmes, businesses and give them favourable coverage. Yet, they criticise and condemn some of their actions. Though that is the duty of the press. Now, where is our New Nigerian? Who failed New Nigerian? Therefore, I urge you to expand your activities to other states. Be objective, fair, neutral and avoid politicising issues. The North needs your help. Our people need your help. We will give you the necessary support,” said Hon. Commissioner.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Nigerian army has on Thursday refuted media reports alleging that about 1000 repentant Boko Haram members were secretly released and handed over to the Borno State Government.

This was contained in a statement released by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, through Nigerian Army’s official Facebook handle.

The statement reads, “The Nigerian Army (NA) has been notified of a media publication alleging that the NA has handed over 1009 Ex-Boko Haram fighters to Borno State government. The report also alleged that the event was shrouded in secrecy.”

The Army added that “this report, is obviously one of those attempts to dampen troops morale and denigrate the NA, riding on the back of unsubstantiated report and misinformation.”

In an attempt to make a clarification, it further recounted what actually transpired. “It is an indisputable fact that the ongoing Counter Terrorism Counter Insurgency Operations (CTCOIN) in the North East has led to the arrest of several terrorism/insurgency suspects. These suspects have been held in custody, while undergoing profiling and further investigations by experts from the Joint Investigation Centre (JIC) and those who are found culpable are usually handed over to prosecuting agencies accordingly, while those who are not implicated in terrorism and insurgency are cleared and released to the state government for rehabilitation before they are reintegrated into the society. These cleared suspects are therefore not ex Boko Haram fighters, as peddled in the said online report and as the masterminds would want to impress on the public. A total of 1009 cleared suspects, not ex-fighters, were therefore released after this rigorous process on Wednesday 14 July 2021.

It is also necessary to categorically state that the handing over of the cleared suspects was not shrouded in secrecy as it was witnessed by United Nations Humanitarian and government agencies, in tandem with global best practice,” the statement added.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared Tuesday, July 20, and Wednesday, July 21, 2021 as public holidays.

The declaration was made by Interior Minister, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The minister congratulates all Muslim faithful home and abroad. He also advises them to “imbibe the spirit of love, peace, kindness, and sacrifice as exemplified by the holy prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”

The minister also implores the Muslim faithful to pray in the period for “peace, unity, prosperity, and the stability of the country, considering the challenges of insecurity we face at the moment.”

He gives assurance on the commitment of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration on security of lives and prosperity of Nigerians, empowerment, social investment programs, and adequate security for schools.

He also states the need for all Nigerians to keep on observing the COVID-19 protocols by wearing face masks, washing hands regularly, and keeping physical distance which can help in stemming the transmission of the dreaded pandemic in the country.

By Muhammad Mahmud

The recent debate between AbdulJabbar and representatives of Kano Ulama on the former’s reprehensible method of uttering unprintable words on the person of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) on the pretext of deduction and/or inference has opened yet another question on the freedom of expression. Some few supporters of AbdulJabbar decided to hinge their support on the hype of freedom of expression, saying that they are supporting him because he represents their free speech advocacy.

Nevertheless, a simple glance will expose this fallacy because if criticising other ideas is sanctioned by the freedom of speech article, AbdulJabbar himself does not seem to believe in it given his radical stance on the right of different sects to propagate their understanding. He condemns other people (sometimes using all available invectives) for no reason other than expressing opinions that contradicts his stance. He attacks other sects with impunity, descending on the personalities of many revered sheikhs, who were not even aware of his existence, in order to hurt emotionally and psychologically injure their admirers who disagree with him on one issue or another.

It is, therefore, hypocritical to premise supporting the man on the shaky ladder of free speech advocacy. This is even more evident as the peddlers of this chicanery never, even for once, voiced their dissatisfaction with the man’s assault on others who spoke their minds.

Now that the issue of freedom of expression is introduced into the unfolding drama, it is pertinent to ask what precisely this freedom of expression is? What is its scope, length and breadth? To what extent is it applicable? Who determines what it is and who will decide who is guilty of violating its principles?

We must address this because without fully knowing and understanding these, we may never have the much sought “liberty” to express ourselves. Unfortunately, many questionable elements will hide under it to deny us our own right to express ourselves.

It looks like almost every blasphemer or assaulter of people’s sacred places and/or scripture will find a supporter among the advocates of freedom of expression. Are the majority of people whose religion is attacked NOT free to express their anger? Why the intolerance against intolerance? It seems we are faced with what we can call a tyranny of the minority.

Section 39 (1) of the Nigerian constitution says: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.” Why should this only be applicable when those opinions are from the minority?

Am I not free to hate and despise anyone who infringes on my liberty and attack me, my religion or culture? Put aside those reasons, am I not free to hate anyone, including AbdulJabbar, for no reason at all? Why should someone then try to gag me when I have a reason to hate and express my anger towards him when he attacks what I hold dear?

Some of them used to argue that we abhor dissent. This is also not true. We have been living with dissent throughout our history. Even after Sheikh Dan Fodio’s Jihad, there were non-Muslims who went about their businesses without any harassment. Throughout our towns, there are a handful of brothels known as Gidan Magajiya. There were singers and dancers. There were even ‘yan daudu in addition to prostitutes. They live here. None of them was reported to have been attacked by the people or the authorities, to the best of my knowledge.

Also, the Ulama differ. They write books for and against what they believe and what they do not believe. People follow any sect they feel they are more at home with. They form and join groups. All these existed in Arewa before Nigeria even existed; they still exist. What gave the impression that we hate dissent is yet to be enumerated. Therefore, this is not about disagreement; it is about attacking and insulting what people hold dear and sacred while waving the card of free speech.

With the ongoing discussions on Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara saga, Professor Salisu Shehu spoke to The Daily Reality (TDR) on why religious conflicts are pervasive in northern Nigeria.

‘The fact is our state governments are primarily responsible for this. They allow everybody to do what they like. If a state government can muster the necessary political will to exercise the necessary political authority to curtail these things, things like these must not be happening. The governments should be proactive; they should not act when issues are already or on the verge of going out of hand. Besides government, other factors include widespread ignorance and poverty. These and other factors are the facts we cannot dismiss.’

TDR asked Prof. Shehu to comment on the call to sensitise and regulate religious preaching. The call gain prominence since the devastation caused by Boko Haram religious organisation in North-East.

‘I believe something around that should be done by the respective state governments. People like these [Sheikh Abduljabbar and co.] should not be allowed to be saying whatever they want. Freedom of speech does not mean saying whatever you want to say, true or false; whether it could bring confusion in the society, create disaffection and cause bloodshed and so on. For me, the regulations should not be unilateral. The state government cannot just come out and hand down some rules and regulations without consultations. You know, there has to be a wide range of consultation with stakeholders, primarily the preachers and scholars. So, based on mutual understanding, something should be done,’ said Prof. Shehu.

Concerning the dialogue Kano State government organised after receiving series of complaints from religious scholars and other concerned citizens on the manner Sheikh Abduljabbar was preaching, Prof. reacts thus:

‘Actually, one of the reasons why the government organised this dialogue was because it wanted to bring peace. It wanted to avoid the situation that may degenerate into violence in Kano State. So now it is left for the government to take the necessary steps to ensure that this thing does not continue. It must take measures to ensure that this blasphemy against the person of the Prophet (S.A.W) stops. And whatever it takes, the governor should do that. Because it is collective interest to protect the honour, the nobility and the great position of the Prophet (S.A.W).’

By Abubakar Suleiman

No thanks to his polemics, fiery tongue and boastfulness, AbdulJabbar Nasiru Kabara, the scion of the famous and revered Islamic scholar Shaykh Nasiru Kabara, has dominated the tongue and pens (though in the negatives) of most Hausa-speaking Muslims after the long-awaited debate has been laid to rest. He stirred the hornet nest and got stung from all directions.

Over the years, he has gained currency due to his unrestrained and unhinged attempts during preachments to create a hole in the validity of the Sunni Canons, especially Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih al-Muslim. Plus, he has also never relent efforts in casting doubts into the minds of his gullible and unsuspecting followers on the narrative integrity of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He is actually not the first to cast doubts on authentic Prophetic traditions, but he is the most reckless one I have come across.

Tellingly, in all his attempts, AbdulJabbar bucked context, methodological principles in the science of Hadith, Arabic nuances and even cultural conceptualisations or idiosyncrasies, especially in translations. And these translations ended up impugning the sacredness of the Prophet. Moreover, save for Allah’s intervention through the Kano state government, his dogmatism and preachings might have led to bloodshed and loss of lives and property.

This saga should once again bring to the front burner the issue of regulating preachers and preaching in Nigeria. One’s ability to translate Arabic text or to graduate from an Islamic university or a Christian theological seminary in Nigeria or abroad should not automatically confer on anyone the authority or absolute freedom to preach or use media houses to propagate ANY kind of religious ideology devoid of a vetting process.

There is no gainsaying that some religious clerics have exploited or abused the freedom of religion or expression for both personal and even political gains through dangerous indoctrination, misinterpretation of religious diktats and the preaching of skewed versions of religion. AbdulJabbar is a good specimen of how to throw decency to the dogs with the help of jarring sounds from a cheering and unsuspecting crowd in preference for personal gains.

Unfortunately, as a society, we most times abhor regulations on seemingly everything. Unfortunately, this nonchalant attitude has often come with a huge and devastating price, as we have witnessed in the case of Maitatsine and, now witnessing in the aftermath of Muhammad Yusuf’s death and the subsequent upsurge of the Boko Haram insurgency and, also AbdulJabbar’s preachments.

Regulation in religious matters is a sensitive issue. Still, it is a pertinent key in taming extreme tendencies, reducing margins of errors in religious fatwas and enhancing positive social policy and social integration. Yes, we can contemplate the government’s tendency to enact laws on preaching in erecting barriers that would insulate them from accountability or criticisms as humanly possible. However, we cannot underestimate the effects or the grave consequences of leaving preachers of any kind unchecked in our current realities.

The government at all levels should, as a matter of urgency, collaborate with relevant religious organisations in building or tweaking existing institutions which shall be backed by law. The institution should be shouldered with the responsibilities of, among others, screening and issuing a licence to preachers, judiciously and sincerely implementing the enacted rules and periodically revising and amending the laws in tandem with current realities or evolving peculiarities.

The solution, as mentioned earlier, is not a one-size-fits-all. Still, we desperately need a system or mechanism to check religious excesses and undue preachments before the next ‘AbdulJabbar’ or religious demagogue rears his ugly head and throws us into another quagmire that may be costly to our lives, religion, time and wealth.

Abubakar Suleiman writes from Kaduna and can be reached via abusuleiman06@yahoo.com.