By Aliyu Nuhu

It is indeed a horrible time for the Nigerian donkeys. Each day about 5000 donkeys leave the Maigatari market in Jigawa State to the East, where they are consumed as meat by many households.

That is just one statistics from Jigawa State alone. Some 15000 donkeys also passed from North East and the Niger Republic to the South East, mostly Agbor, Anambra, Onitsha, Enugu and Abakalaki, to meet a similar fate.

Now it seems the donkeys are in for bigger trouble as the Chinese have also developed an appetite, particularly for their meat and skin. As a result, demand for donkeys has tripled over a short period. Meanwhile, the donkey is not bred in Nigeria on an industrial scale, and it is an animal that does not multiply with its very slow birth rate.

It is terrible enough to consume the gentle beast locally but worse to see it exported to China. Then who will save the donkey?

States in the North should legislate against the trading of donkeys for export to other parts of the federation. Already the price of a donkey that used to be between 8000-10000 naira has hit 35000 naira, making it well above the means of the local farmers who use it as rural means of transport.

The Federal Government must urgently place a ban on the exportation of donkeys and their by-products to the outside world, for now, China.

Aliyu Nuhu is a popular social commentator. He lives in Abuja, Nigeria.

By Namadi Junior

For countless times, I used to write on this issue and later erased it from my notepad for reasons best known to me. But I will emphasize it today.

People need to understand that the phrase ‘Thank You’ must be pronounced to those who help you in any way and no matter little. Allah is my witness that I hate people to thank me for my kind gesture towards them. So I don’t get carried away by complimentary remarks.

Meanwhile, I say ‘Thank You’ to even those I pay for rendering services to me, not to talk of those who assist me. Again, it’s a virtue of humans; they want to be acknowledged for the good things they do. And I don’t see anything wrong with it.

Let me share my encounter with one young man (student) whom our driver picked on the road after we left the park. I was the one who insisted we start travelling because it’s late even though the car isn’t full. I was supposed to pay for the one seat vacant if we reached our destination without getting a passenger on our way.

Amidst reaching Zungeru, where the guy we picked on the way alighted, the driver asked him to bring his money even before fully entering the town. He gave him ₦400. The driver furiously rejected the amount by asking him to collect his money back. Instead of begging the driver to collect such an amount, he babbled that that is how they usually pay, which was a lie. So, the driver then agreed to go to the town’s park and ask how much they carry people from where we picked him up to there. If they say it is ₦400, he will collect it.

I was quiet, notwithstanding the rest of the passengers were asking the guy to beg the driver, for it appeared that’s all he had. He was too arrogant to beg him until we reached the park and asked, and they said it was ₦600. The driver then turned and looked at the guy sympathetically and said to him, you’re a student, free if I carry you, I didn’t lose. I also have children, but stop being haughty and well-mannered. He then collected the ₦400. Even with that, wallahi the boy didn’t say “Thank You”.

My question here is, why and how can people help someone with such a habit? I would’ve paid for his fare, but he proved that he was not from school through his behaviour. So let’s all learn to thank people!

Thank you.

Namadi Junior sent this article via namadijunior@gmail.com.

By Aliyu Yakubu Yusuf

The group stages have come and gone at the ongoing AFCON in Cameroon, with Algeria and Ghana being the biggest casualties. For the 2-time winners Algeria, it was nothing short of a travesty that they failed to qualify from their pool. After all, they were on a 33 game unbeaten streak before the tournament. They were also odds-on favourite to go all the way. And to be fair, they crafted more than enough chances to win their opening two games against Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea before they met their waterloo against Ivory Coast. But unfortunately, their tournament can best be summarized as a combination of poor finishing, complacency and rotten luck.

As for the 4-time champions Ghana, the least said, the better. They played some of the most dreadful football in the tournament. Add this to their ill-discipline, and you have the Ghanaians knocked out in the first hurdle. That they couldn’t defeat the debutant Comoros is a damning indictment of the once-proud footballing nation.

Now that the group stages are over, the margin for errors is entirely gone. Our own Super Eagles have been the team of the tournament so far, but that counts for nothing if we fail to get the job done in the subsequent tournament rounds. Our reward for winning three out of three games is a tantalizing tie against former champions Tunisia, who have largely underwhelmed in the tournament. On the evidence of what has been seen so far, bookmakers would have Nigeria as the firm favourite to advance to the quarter-finals; and rightly so. However, I earnestly pray that our fantastic showing does not get our players and coaching staff complacent. The winner takes all nature of knockout rounds makes it an unforgiving business. It only takes an avoidable error by a player or a coach for a team to book the next flight home. Besides, the Tunisians are no pushovers. On the contrary, they have the experience and the pedigree to cause an upset.

Often, a team performs wonderfully at the group stages only to be undone by their heralded opponents. I always remember the 2002/2003 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in which Juventus sent Barcelona parking. At the time, Barcelona got 16 points from the second group and had won a total of 11 out of 12 group stage games (there were two group stages then, in case you were wondering), and Juventus managed to crawl their way out of the second group with 7 points. When they were paired against Barcelona, many football fans and pundits regarded it as a foregone conclusion. Against all odds, Juventus not only defeated the seemingly unbeatable Barca, but they went all the way to the final, where AC Milan narrowly defeated them via penalty shootouts. The biggest lesson I have learned from that encounter is that as long as a team is still standing, it stands a chance to win a tournament. I hope our players think the same way.

The round of 16 fixtures has drawn up the path to the trophy, with Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and Tunisia as the biggest teams on the same half of the draw and Egypt, Morocco, Cameroon and Ivory Coast on the other half. If (not when) we overcome Tunisia, we are scheduled to play the winner of Burkina Faso and Gabon. And if we win that tie, we would be facing one of Senegal, Cape Verde, Mali and Equatorial Guinea before the final showdown at Yaoundé. So here’s wishing the Super Eagles all the good luck in the world.

Aliyu is a lecturer at the Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via aliyuyy@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Police in Imo State have arrested a 35-year-old man identified as Onyekachi and his wife, Oluchi, for allegedly kidnapping, murdering and burning the corpse of a 71-year-old man, Chief Precious Okorie.

Onyekachi was reported to have killed the man for allegedly sleeping with his wife, Oluchi.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Hussain Rabiu, made the disclosure while parading the suspect, adding that the deceased was kidnapped on November 12, 2021.

According to the police commissioner, he ordered the commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Oladimeji Oyeyiyewa, and his operatives to swing into action after a report from the family about the case.

However, he added that this has led to the gang leader’s arrest, Agubata Maxwell Chimezie, known as “The Boss”, on December 10th, 2021, while Oluchi was arrested on December 20, and her husband was picked up on January 10th, 2022 in Owerri.

By Abdulrahman Muhammad, PhD

A friend recently left Facebook after his friends were duped through his hacked Facebook account. The hacker took over the victim’s Facebook account and sent messages to the latter’s friends asking them to deposit money into an account and get double the amount deposited in two weeks!

Because of sheer trust and gullibility, they first transferred monies into the bank account given to them by the hackers before even contacting my friend via phone. A total of about 450000 naira was lost this way, one of the victims being a student.

Lessons:

1. A simple phone call to confirm the true source and authenticity of the message would have saved the victims the trauma of losing huge sums of money.

2. The susceptible can be found even among the educated. While working in New Bussa, a colleague excitedly showed me a text message from an ordinary number informing him that he had won a lottery in which he was a random passive participant. I warned him that it was fraudulent, but another colleague convinced him it was genuine. The most painful thing was that the fraudsters asked him to go to an ATM and called them from there so that they could instruct him on how to redeem his prize. He inserted his card into the machine and followed their instructions sheepishly, which led to the emptying of his bank account.

3. Even a smart person can be a victim if they are too trusting, careless and greedy. Nobody can double your money in two weeks. Haba! Be street-wise.

4. Some bankers seem to be collaborating with fraudsters. For example, when victims go to the bank and complain, the bankers say the bank account the victim transferred the money does not exist!

5. Some of us have not been duped only because we are too poor to be conned. Or, to put it more respectfully, we are not rich enough to be defrauded. Where is the money?

6. A simple test can expose hackers. Recently, a Facebook friend sent me a fraudulent solicitation message. I promptly suspected his account was hacked. Unfortunately, I didn’t have his mobile number, so I sent him a message via Facebook Messenger asking simple questions in Kanuri language. The hacker responded in English with wildly off-the-mark answers. I called his bluff, and he disappeared.

7. Any friend who wants to deposit money in my account is welcome, but they should get the correct account details directly from me through my mobile number. My bank account name is slightly different from my Facebook account name.

8. One can also use the Messenger voice call option to confirm the person’s identity soliciting for money.

God save us from fraudsters.

Dr Abdulrahman Muhammad wrote from Maiduguri, Borno State. He can be reached via abbakaka@yahoo.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, claims that a steady decline in COVID-19 case positive has signalled the end of the state’s fourth wave.

On Saturday, Mr Abayomi made the announcement via his verified Twitter account @ProfAkinolaAbayomi, while presenting the state’s COVID-19 report for January 20.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the state notified the start of the fourth wave on December 7 as the virus’s daily infection rate increased.

According to Mr Abayomi, COVID-19 infection positivity rates have decreased from 29.3 percent on December 21 to 1.9 percent on January 20.

According to him, bed capacity utilization is currently at 2%, with a death rate of 0.71 percent.

On the reporting date, 46 additional infections were confirmed, bringing the total number of COVID-19 illnesses in the state to 98,284.

Since the start of the epidemic in the state, 1,023, 203 sample tests have been performed, he said.

To further minimize the transmission of the virus, Mr Abayomi recommended residents be vaccinated and continue to follow non-pharmaceutical approaches.

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed

When the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, broke out in Nigeria in 2019, things changed, and lifestyles metamorphosed.

The virus moved from an imported case and elitist pattern to community transmission; its fatality rate stood at 2.8%, while the country recorded an upsurge of about 52% of total cases of the transmission of the virus even during the short lockdown.

The preventive measures of the virus popped out, hence the dissemination of awareness through media outlets – radio and television jingles, set up programs, sensitisation workshops, newspaper pages and even films.  

The use of facemasks, hand sanitisers and hand wash basins also became common. In addition, the practice of distance communication strengthened: no handshake, no hugs and no body contacts except with those already tested negative.

The spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria started as a sceptical phenomenon. Some towns and villages found it hard to believe a global plague could affect Africans directly. This notion is a myth that has lived in Africa for donkey years.

Some Africans believe that the Black man can hardly contact the virus because of melanin pigment in their veins, which preserves the dark skin. Therefore, for these Africans, the Black man is super strong and has immunes that fight against global pandemics and illnesses. However, with the strictness in lockdown worldwide for a year, many Nigerians and Africans who never believed Covid-19 existed were left to believe in it, hence the use of nose masks.

The nose masks market became a target for most traders. The high demand it continued to attract made it seem like the coronavirus never subsided, and this example is visible in Kano state. Nose masks became the equilibrium product of that time; demand, supply and price at active points.

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) reported that the total Covid-19 cases in Kano remained at seventy-three from 22nd of April to 24th of April, during the initial stage of the outbreak. These infection statistics remained at seventy-seven from the 25th of April 2020. However, there was no report from the 25th to the 27th of April 2020. This caused a gap in the state’s record of the infected and non-infected.

The reactionary steering that emanates after an opinion article is released might be expected as this introduction is achieved. So, what is next?

The rise in theft and immorality is relative; however, what is not relative is the understanding of societal norms and inscriptions. The use of nose masks has increasingly seen to the less spread of the virus. What is, however, not really questioned is the increase in crime and immorality in Kano state following the adoption of nose masks.

It is uncommonly common to find out that cheating in marriages grows by the day in Nigeria. This is because many marriages lack communication, leading to the partners engaging in extramarital relationships. However, this article is not about the reasons why couples cheat on each other, but about the narrative the nose(face)mask pushes in achieving the aim of stopping the spread of the virus.

The population of men who visit Ado Bayero Mall, Kano, is seven times higher than that of ladies. They go to woo ladies. They begin with the “I am married” and end up with “be my girlfriend” or “be my wife”. However, the girlfriend narrative is not pushed to a lady in need of marriage. It is to a lady who wants to have the fun of the relationship.

These men use nose(face) masks to shield their identity. This is not to say they are not helping reduce the spread of Covid-19, but what happened to the disapproval of vast Nigerians in accepting the coming of this virus? So, the concept of maintaining extramarital affairs with nose(face) masks is relatable and, at the same time, unrelatable. It all depends on the aim, be it to help not spread the virus or spread the virus.

The women population at the Mall is exemplary in front of the exit gate. This is because more stern security personnel man the entrance gate, so as a pedestrian or one who has no business with entering, you can only go about daily transactions in front of the exit gate.

Females who stand in front of the exit gate pass coded messages to ladies who pass through. Research showed that your nose(face) mask indicates that you want your identity shielded, so the prototype is “shielding your face is a sign that you are in for some business transactions”. This caused some people to halt the use of facemasks except during the entrance of the Mall. This is to kill the notion that they want their identities hidden from some actions they might not be proud of to be seen doing.

Since shyness is part of faith, there is a need to be shy in welcoming transactions that people will stigmatise. However, this is done in the Covid-19 era, and it makes it more serious as we need to curb the virus.

“I seek for a lady that I will take home as I am into women only. Are you game?” This was a question from a woman in a car on nose(face) masks to one of the researchers.

Over time, phone snatching and theft have increased in crowded and isolated areas of Kano state. The increase in phone snatching shows the negative side of nose(face) masks. Some of these perpetrators use nose(face) masks to shield their identities. This helps them curb the spread of Covid-19, of course, but also helps put people in despair over the loss of their treasured asset – their smartphones.

The preventive measures of Covid-19 in Kano have grown more serious as the count of infected people has reduced due to the massive increase in the purchase of nose(face) masks. But then, what about hand sanitisers to match up with this patronage? Personal research discovers that hand sanitisers have gained a decrease in demand. This is to say that the hand sanitisers market does not match up in equilibrium with the purchase of nose(face) masks anymore.

It is important to know that this article should help share the “use nose masks” tag, but the writer will not support the use of the masks while the market of hand sanitisers continue to grow low. So, there is a need to encourage hand sanitisers while the increase in the nose(face) masks increases.

Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed wrote from Kano via sufyanhussainaahmed@gmail.com.

By Amina Rabi’u Bako

Coconut is one of the most important and useful plants in the world. Apart from consuming the fruit and its water, many industries, such as pharmaceuticals, beverages and cosmetics, use its parts. As a rich fruit, it is encompassed with several opportunities that bring wealth to a nation. Everything about it is beneficial to man; it has economic, medicinal and nutritional value.

According to various global research findings, its uses can be seen from its components, ranging from the meat, oil, shell, coir, husk, water and lots more, making it more of a revenue economy booster. 

Coconut is nicknamed a tree of life. Nigeria established its first coconut plantation in 1876 in Badagry, Lagos State. The crop grows in over 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with Lagos and Akwa Ibom states having the largest production area.

With 83 per cent of Nigeria’s states into the production of coconut, the country should succeed in producing and exporting the product across the world. Unfortunately, however, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Nigeria ranks 19th in the production of coconut globally, placing the country far behind Indonesia, the Philippines and India.

As reported by Premium Times, the data obtained from the United Nations Office shows that Nigeria spent $219446.53 and $293214.22 on coconut importation in 2019 and 2018, respectively, an amount higher than $186094.58 spent on coconut importation in 2017.

The price of coconut in Nigeria today has risen by almost 100 per cent. This is not unconnected with over-reliance on coconut importation.

A coconut seller, Dahiru Umar, said, “The price keeps rising day by day. A single coconut has now multiplied its price compared to last year.”

Halima Abbas said, “the rise of coconut made me pause my coconut macaroons business for a while to see if the price might go down.”

National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN) is moving towards making sufficient coconut trees in every corner of Nigeria’s states. During the flag-off and election of NACOPPMAN held in Kano, the Chairman, Fatima Abubakar, in her speech, said, “We cannot continue to import what we can produce locally! Coconut sufficiency in Nigeria is a reality.”

We need to do much better than we are doing. For, among other reasons, coconut has several health benefits. The reader may visit the Healthline.com website to see some of the benefits, which space will not allow me to describe here.

Nigeria should not afford to be left behind in the production of coconut. With the NACOPPMAN, the country can realise its dream of actualising coconut sufficiency, thereby utilising its health benefits and leveraging its economic value. Moreover, it is pertinent for the government to provide an enabling environment to attract foreign investors to come into the business. The earlier we wake up, the better.

Amina Rabi’u Bako is of the Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano.

By Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr.J)

I write this letter to you as a Nigerian and your follower for a long time. I am deeply concerned about having a better Nigeria, which is only possible if responsible leaders are elected. Leaders who have the country at heart think of her first before themselves or their families.

But the process or the means of discovering remains the problem to many Nigerians due to so many factors. We need to face that and address it as soon as possible. In so doing, Nigerians need to be guided by farsighted men like you. 

Prof. Kperogi, if Buhari, Osinbajo and Tinubu are “a troika of a treacherous villain” or “tarred with the same brush or the monsters of deceit and fraud” and Atiku happens to be among the “warhorses of corruption and ineptitude” as you pointed out in your recent piece, then who do you think should Nigerians go for come 2023?

It is indisputable that those you called names failed Nigerians on many fronts and seem not equal to the task based on the historical antecedents. But just pinpointing their lacunas that justified them as incapacitated and incompetent alone can’t suffice.

As a patriotic citizen, a critical thinker of reasonable foresight, with a wealth of experience and vast knowledge, you can endorse someone for Nigerians to vote for. Please, who do you think can lead Nigeria to the promised land?

With your pen, which is mightier than the sword they say, you can attempt changing the narration and have the Nigeria of our dream. Out of the 78,250 followers and 4999 friends you have on Facebook alone, plus those on your other social media handles, only God knows how many you can influence. As you shape their minds, they can also do the same to others, and the trend will go continuously. 

Nigerians want to stop being “clueless” and take off their heads the laurels of “enablers of Nigeria’s descent to the nadir of hopelessness”. So let’s do this together and make 2023 different.

Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr J) wrote from Gombe State via muhammadrabiujibrin@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated the death of a five-year-old girl, Hanifa Abubakar, whose teacher allegedly killed, in Kano on Thursday.

The Daily Reality had reported how Hanifa’s corpse was discovered dismembered and buried in a shallow grave at the premises of a certain private school in Tudun Murtala Nassarawa Local Government Area of the state.

Hanifa was a pupil of Abdulmalik Muhammed Tanko, who allegedly abducted her on her way to a school located in Kwanar Yan Gana in Tudun Murtala.

The commiseration was in a release signed Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Malam Garba Shehu.

Buhari has commended the commitment of the police and the secret service in unravelling the mystery behind the disappearance of Hanifa.

The President also prayed for the repose of the soul of the little school girl and urged her parents to bear the sad loss with courage and fortitude in God.