Arewa

By Mukhtar Garba Maigamo

The trending video that surfaced after President Buhari attended the UNGA in New York, showing an unprovoked assault on some people that are considered “Hausa-Fulani” or “Northern Muslims” by their provocateurs on account of their facial countenance and, or the apparels in them, is a perfect example of the deep-rooted hatred, obsessions and insecurities bedevilling many people in some parts of this country which translated into this dismissive ‘othering’.

It is even very possible that these two or three people in the video who are being verbally assaulted with a barrage of racist abuses and the most opprobrious language, share no cultural or ethnolinguistic affinities with Fulani, but because of the fact the racialization of the Buhari/APC government has taken a firm root, the entire people of the North are lumped together as either Fulani or Hausa-Fulani (whatever that means) and demonized by many people in the South, including even the most educated ones. What a profoundly ignorant mischaracterization!

This sort of ignorance has historically also manifested in the ‘Aboki’ and ‘Gambari’ ethnic slurs these people used with profound contempt.

But the striking irony is that there are many people here in the North or even residents of Daura (hometown of Mr President) who might have felt disillusioned with the Buhari’s administration, who could also share cultural, ethnic and religious affiliations with him. Still, they are worst-off today, and there are those also who do not share these features with the president. Still, by their circumstances or by way of geography, they are lumped together and mischaracterized as Fulani or Hausa Fulani.

But the danger of this otherization and the racialization of APC is that it could provoke ethnic and religious sentiments during elections and make people rally around a maligned candidate- whether he is the right choice or not, in terms of capacity and ability to deliver.

When, because of your pathological hatred of a single person, his party or associations, you pigeonhole an entire stock of his ethnic nationality and derogate as dregs of the country, you are invoking his people’s consciousness to rise against you whether or not they love him.

This same thing happened during GEJ when some clannish zealots otherized the entire country, but south-south. Under GEJ watchful eyes, Edwin Clerk and his passengers went about with rhetorics and threatened fire and brimstone against anyone who raised eyebrows against their posturing.

His wife also went about demonizing the North as the habitat of almajiri (the almajiri that are menacing the North too, and whom many people in the North were campaigning against).

Her infamous diatribe, “our people no dey born shildren wey dem no dey count. Our men no dey born shildren throway for street. We no dey like the people from that side” was the final straw that galvanized the anger of people to rise and rally around ethnic solidarities to defeat GEJ.

The victory of APC in 2015 and 2019 was, therefore, a combination of many factors, including the idealization and evocation of sentiments for candidates put forward by the party.

And this will continue to play out if the antipathy like the one we’ve seen in this video continues.

Mukhtar Maigamo writes from Kaduna. He can be reached via mgmaigamo@gmail.com.

By Mohammed Zayyad

Recently, an event happened that will serve as a vital lesson to the people of northern Nigeria and the old generation of the region’s leaders in particular.

On September 10, 2021, a former Commissioner of Works in the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje administration, Engr. Muaz Magaji posted on his verified Facebook account that a renowned Islamic cleric and the National Secretary-General of the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah wa Iqamatus Sunnah, Sheikh Muhammad Kabiru Haruna had in a phone call conversation told Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State that he would decamp from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) if the former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is allowed to join the ruling party.

Some hours later, Sheik Gombe also posted on his verified Facebook account a 12-hour ultimatum to Engr. Muaz to withdraw the statement, or the Sheik will file a legal suit against the former Commissioner of Works over alleged defamation of character. Sheik Gombe said he had never meet Gov. Buni. And, he is neither a politician nor partisan. His only job is preaching.

On Saturday, September 13, 2021, a truce was reached. After that, Muaz visited Sheik Gombe at his residence in Abuja. In attendance were the National Chairman of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah wa Iqamatus Sunnah, Sheik Abdullahi Bala Lau, National Leader of The Tijjaniya Youth Africa, Ahmadu Tijjani Umar Maigeru. The outcome of the meeting: Muaz had withdrawn his statement, apologised, and a friendship was born at that moment.

A deep look at this event and the people involved will serve as a big lesson to northern Nigeria, which faces social disorder and insecurity due to the eroded beautiful culture and norms.

First, the whole idea of the meeting between Sheik Kabiru Gombe and Engr. Muaz Magaji was initiated and implemented by the National Leader of the Tijjaniya Youth Africa, Ahmadu Tijjani Umar Maigeru, a frontline gubernatorial candidate in Kaduna State. Ahmadu Tijjani is of the Tijjaniya sect while Kabiru Gombe is of the Izala. This has shown the rekindling of the old habit in the north – humanity first – where sect, race, tribe, and geography don’t matter. Ahmadu Tijjani must be commended for such foresight in initiating the meeting to reach a truce, Sheik Gombe for being magnanimous while Muaz for being levelheaded.

Second, for accepting to withdraw his statement, apologising, and making friends, Muaz has helped society in some ways. Fake news can quickly be decimated if a high profile person that shared it will come out to denounce it and apologise as well. And, differences between individuals or groups can be resolved with dialogues and understanding.

The coming together of these men to resolve a matter that was supposed to be settled in a Court of Law is a clear case of the need to rekindle the old north where every issue is resolved within the community, people were their brothers’ keepers, who, every day bring out from their homes their breakfast, lunch and dinner for neighbours, including even strangers to eat.

In the old north, your father’s friend is automatically your father and can decide on you without first consulting your parent. In the old north, people allocate some portion of their houses to strangers to settle. In the old north, no child will be seen wandering around without the community showing any concern. That’s was the monolithic North! It has to be rekindled as a one-step in solving some of the region’s current social problems, especially insecurity. 

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja, zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Abubakar Isah Baba

The misrepresentation of northern Nigeria ranges from distorting and falsifying reality, profiling, underreporting, and not reporting about the region by media outlets owned and controlled by others. Apparent and alarming as this is, it has been going on for a long time. This requires no evidence or justification; it is a growing trend, especially when the country propagates alienation over harmony. But who cares? Even those who have the responsibility to do so are busily aggrandising their powers.

But how long it will take the sick region to learn from this great proverb: Until the lion has a historian, the story of the hunt will always favour the hunter. The North was painted black with negative phrases, tales of violence, poverty, unemployment, irresponsible marriages, out-of-school children and whatnot as if there were no other positive realities.

John Campbell attests to the above mischaracterisation in his book, Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink, that “The Nigerian media, mostly headquartered in the Southern part of the country, is routinely insensitive and simplistic in its reportage about Northern Nigeria. And it is the Nigerian media that colors the too-often superficial Western view of the North.” This has a significant effect on the economic decline in the North as no investor will invest in the region that is dangerous, volatile and unpromising.

Apart from the traditional cores of mass communication, which include informing, educating, and entertaining, it is also used for propaganda to gain support or sympathy from the public or authority. EndSARS saga is an indicator of the power of propaganda, for it taught the north a lesson that “Dokin mai baki ya fi gudu” – the South has a much louder voice. Please don’t confuse my lamenting with Afghanistanism (a term used in journalism to describe journalists who shun the problem of their community but go extra-mile in condemning others), far from it. I suggest North should define itself and tell its version of the story; represent itself properly as bias in the news is often backgrounded. Others could not define us nor report us properly. 

Traditional rulers, political leaders, scholars, and concerned people in Northern Nigeria should speedily and strategically address this problem of bad press and misrepresentation of the North through investing in the media and utilising it for the good of their people. With Daily Nigerian, Sahelian Times, Nigerian Tracker and recently The Daily Reality (TDR), we need to see more outlets so we can ship our information without thinking about sinking. Recently, TDR’s publications have changed the North’s fate. Remember CBN and the reopening of the NIRSAL site, Netflix and the Kannywood, etc.

Abubakar Isah Baba writes from Kano. He can be reached via abubakarisahbaba01@gmail.com.

Like the mid-1960s, the early 2020s has been heated and filled with war rhetoric. This rhetoric has been well oiled by claims of nepotism, corruption and everything that has been proverbial fertilisers for conflict in post-independence Africa. From Freetown to Kinshasa, the story has always been the same. And intriguingly, the results have also been similar. Deaths and more deaths, reconciliation, then business as usual. Hardly any lessons learnt!

Let’s retake this: the science of war in Africa is essentially a story of frustration, then misinformation, then delusion, then deception, then destruction, then reconciliation and finally rehabilitation. But, except maybe for places like Rwanda, the root causes never get addressed, the warlords never die, the corrupt politicians/soldiers mostly come back wealthier and more confident to assume the mantle of leadership. And the masses who fought and killed one another are further plunged into disillusion and poverty.  

Why then does this story keep repeating itself if data tells us that the investment always ends in red and that the returns are always intertwined with regrets? Here are a few observations, supported by both learning and experience:

Violence is a Political Statement

The old saying that where gentility fails, brutality prevails holds true today as it did in Nigeria’s 1960s, Liberia and Sierra Leone’s 1980s, and Rwanda’s 1990s. Politicians have basically two tools: debate and violence. In climes where one ceases to be effective, the other is automatically activated. And because both do not really take much from politicians by way of casualties, both have been greatly valued assets in their political estates. To change this, the citizens must be enlightened enough to see beyond the rhetoric. And usually, this mass education has to be ultimately championed by concerned and more enlightened citizens outside the political class.

The War Mongers Mostly Have a Contingency Plan

Suppose the chances of death for both leaders and masses in a civil conflict are equal. In that case, the apparent possibility is that wars will hardly be fought, and misinformation will get as little funding as possible. Unfortunately, the truth is that leaders usually have collaborators outside the borders of their countries and these collaborators typically stop at nothing to rescue their friends when things get worse. So, with this in mind, leaders at both ends of the divide beguile their cannon fodders to get the job done while they await the desired if ominous outcomes.

War Promises Freedom and other “Sweet” Things

History is replete with people taking the path of violence and war to regain their freedom. And beyond freedom, war promises access to places, bodies, resources and positions that were otherwise inaccessible. In a strange turn of things, Foday Sankoh of Sierra Leone rose to a position almost as powerful as the President after his rebellion that led to the loss of reportedly 50,000 lives, including hundreds of Nigerian and other ECOMOG/UN Peacekeeping forces.  He committed the crimes, then, for the sake of peace, got rewarded with laurels! Who is going to bring back all those lives, especially those of his loyal foot soldiers? Most of these people willingly took arms because they dreamt of enjoying what only Sankoh could enjoy, while their ultimate lot was destruction. War promises a lot of prosperity, ironically, but delivers a lot of destruction in reality.

The Crux of the Matter: it’s Difficult to Find a Suitable Alternative to War

Not that people want to lose routine or the calm of home. Not that they like to see the hacked body parts of loved ones or wade through the blood of a beheaded or gunned down neighbour in search of safety, not that they like to be refugees and be treated as slaves in strange lands, just that in the heat of the burning issues, with the accusations and counter-accusations and the mutual acrimony that ensues, it’s “difficult” to find a suitable alternative. Or better put, the other options have been abused and exhausted. Elections and coup d’état are the usual alternatives to war in our postcolonial political dispensation, but the two have hardly ever provided the desired outcomes. Therefore, it is safe to say the fault is not in our enemies; the fault, rather, lies in us. People are willing to change evil until they become beneficiaries of such evils. And how quickly do their fans often forget this fact!

In the final analysis, people plan for wars, heat the polity, sponsor misinformation, make promises of victory, but then war is so creative that it hardly subjects itself to anybody’s plans. And when the gruesome scenes of death and destruction start being plastered all over the media, and mercenaries and warlords start gaining unfettered access to national resources and the treasury, when hunger subdues the strongest amongst us and ruins the future that is so dear to us, when ammunitions are in short supply, and the enemy forces are about to be in total control, that’s usually when it becomes clear that it is not really the war we wanted, but the promises it offered from a distance. Too late!

AF Sesay is a writer based in Lagos. He can be reached via amarasesay.amir@gmail.com.

By Ibrahiym A. El-Caleel

Northern Nigeria, Arewa launched her Shari’a project on the eve of the third millennium, precisely in 1999. The project was cheered by Muslims, who are the larger share of the Arewa population. But, on the other hand, the project became a thorn in the flesh of liberal Muslims as well as Islamophobes. Therefore, this generated heated discussions within the Arewa intelligentsia, from the mosques’ pulpits to traditional media pages.

Immediately Shari’a was launched, additives were added to strengthen its influence over the years. The Shari’a courts appeared visibly effective and powerful in their jurisdictions. On the other hand, they were feared due to their initial charisma. Shari’a hudud (penalties) were unapologetically executed in states that subscribed to the project. In 2003, Kano State impressively established the Kano State Hisbah Corps to deepen Shari’a application further. All these were efforts that every conscious Muslim found impressive. Nigerian Muslims were able to leverage democracy to re-establish their lost treasure of Islamic Law. It was a sort of blessing in the eyes of conscious Muslims. Today, however, things are beginning to fall apart.

In recent years, we see rather poor management of the Shari’a project. Convicts in Shari’a courts now find a way to evade justice, leveraging the weak points in the project. More problematic is the visible selective application of Shari’a among Arewa Muslims. Concerning the Shari’a application, Arewa currently operates a caste system. Masses are prosecuted under Shari’a for the slightest offences, but the elites commit big offences and get away with impunity. The Shari’a practised by the earliest Muslim generations was egalitarianism, where everyone was equal before the Islamic Law. But in Arewa today, Shari’a is an elitism that only applies to the nobodies in the society, while the elites break the code and fingers are not raised at them.  

Kano Hisbah is famous for coming into the spotlight with all sorts of amazing arrests and “Shari’a law enforcements”. There are pictures of them randomly stopping youths and cutting their hair because they have kept bushy and unkempt hair. To me, this should be a minor thing that should bother Kano Hisbah, when every week, men and scantily dressed women converge at costly-rented event centres, dancing and freely mixing in the name of celebrating weddings. Kano Hisbah never shows up in such Shari’a noncompliant events because they might be meeting the last son of a commissioner, the wife of a minister or even the nation’s First Lady herself. Apologists of this caste system might say perhaps Kano Hisbah never comes across these numerous events that happen frequently and simultaneously. But the answer is, after concluding the events, these “untouchables” audaciously flaunt the immoral pictures and videos on social media to the public glare. And nothing still happens.

Shari’a in Arewa will continue to be feeble because Arewa leaders are not genuinely committed to executing it. Only Allah knows the hearts of men, but the body language we are seeing is that these leaders use Shari’a in the spirit of populism; to woo political fandom. If we have Shari’a, then everyone must come equal before it. In a sane society, everyone comes equal before the law. This is called “the rule of law”.

It was narrated that during the reign of Caliph Umar bnul Khattab, Amr bnul Aas was the governor of Egypt. This governor had a son who entered a horserace with an Egyptian man, and the Egyptian man won the race. This defeat angered the governor’s son, so he decided to flog the Egyptian man. The man left Egypt and travelled to Madinah to complain to Caliph Umar. Umar summoned Governor Amr bnul Aas and the son to appear before him. When they showed up, Umar asked the Egyptian man to flog the Governor’s son as he had flogged him. Then he said to the governor, “when did you start to enslave people when they were born free?”. This incident indicates that Caliph Umar, as one of the most influential leaders in history, never allowed impunity and elitism to prosper in the land.

Secondly, when a lady from Bani Makhzum committed theft, the people of Quraysh requested Usama bn Zayd to intercede for her with Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). When Usama spoke about it to the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him), the Prophet said, “Do you try to intercede for somebody in a case connected with Allah’s Prescribed Punishments?” Then he got up and delivered a sermon saying, “What destroyed the nations preceding you, was that if a noble amongst them stole, they would forgive him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would inflict Allah’s Legal punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand.”

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) is the grand patron of all leaders executing the Shari’a. This is him (Peace be Upon Him) saying if his own most beloved daughter were found guilty, he would apply the laws on her with no regard to her exalted status. May Allah’s salutations be upon him. He indeed is our ultimate role model worthy of emulation.

Until Arewa leaders take the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) as a role model in the Shari’a project, we will continue to be a laughingstock. It is quite shameful that daughters of Arewa governors and emirs dress immodestly at their weddings. We have seen the daughter of former Kano Emir Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II taking a handshake from the Vice President, an ajnabi (strange man), in front of her father. The daughter of Kano State Governor Khadimul Islam, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, dressed immodestly on her wedding day. She wore a sleeveless wide-necked gown that almost revealed her chest. As if that was not enough of breaking the Shari’a code, she danced in this outfit to the visuality of strange men. The daughter of former EFCC Czar Mallam Nuhu Ribadu also made a similar appearance some months back.

This week, the trending topic on Arewa Facebook centres around another Kano princess, Zahra Nasir Ado Bayero, who is getting married to the President’s son, Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari. In her bridal shower event in Abuja, the princess appeared in a tight wedding gown, exposing the upper part of her torso. Of course, her hair was styled and opened to the public like her fellow sisters in the Shari’a code-breaking. People are wondering how Kano Hisbah is not seeing all this and issuing a press release.

The amoralism is getting institutionalised by the children of Arewa leaders. It speaks volumes to why Shari’a is still a baby in Arewa despite spending more than 20 years in the system. People who could give us a formidable Sharia are issuing licenses to their children to abuse the code and go scot-free. This is why even convicted blasphemers these days do not end up suffering the penalties. Anyone with some copper coins in their pockets and a little political network can find a way out. Only the poor and the unconnected can be convicted and be eventually punished. This is the caste system we have awaken to in Arewa today. Unfortunately, leaders are not ready to walk the talk. We need a leveller to be able to have an effective Shari’a system. What is good for the goose has to be good for the gander. Else, we are all joking around.

Ibrahiym A. El-Caleel is a Civil Engineer by training with an interest in public and social commentary. He writes from Zaria and can be reached via caleel2009@gmail.com.

By Muhammad El-Bonga Ibraheem 

The damning and weighty allegations against DCP Abba Kyari, who many consider a cult hero within the Nigerian security system, is confoundingly infelicitous. The FBI indicted the fine police officer for being in cahoot with the internationally recognised fraudster known as Hushpuppi, who has been in US custody since July 2020 for multiple crimes perpetrated in and outside America. 

DCP Abba Kyari is an officer I so much respect. In fact, in him, I see a bright future for the police force given his expertise and tenacity in arraigning criminals and finding a way out where there is seemingly none. This development, however, evidently leaves me very sad that the person we hold in high regard isn’t what we really think he is, at least from what he portrays to the public and from what the FBI concludes from their thorough investigations. 

Over the years, the Deputy Commissioner of Police has attracted quite a myriad of attention that transcends across the nooks and crannies of the country. There is this general belief that whenever the police want to fish out criminals or swiftly achieve some desired results, Abba Kyari, nicknamed “Jack Bauer”, is the man for the job. He led many successful operations that culminated in the arrest of some criminals at the top of the Nigerian kidnapping echelon, notably Evans, the billionaire kidnapper. That singular arrest catapulted his reputation and made him a cult hero amongst the ranks and files of the police force and within the psyche of the Nigerian masses, who are usually downtrodden. Not very long ago, his men hunted the killers of the late APC chieftain Ahmed Gulak who was iniquitously murdered by IPOB terrorists masquerading as “unknown gunmen” in Imo State. 

Despite his unrivalled excellence as a super cop, nonetheless, that doesn’t mean Abba Kyari isn’t infallible. The FBI said Abba Kyari received orders from Hushpuppi to arrest and detain a criminal “colleague” after their falling out having scammed a Qatari national of more than $1m. The report added that Abba Kyari allegedly supplied an account of which a “thank you” message, which the FBI alludes could be from the proceeds of the crime, was sent to him by Hushpuppi.

At this juncture, no matter how much you want to twist the issue, Kyari shot himself on foot by cavorting with people of dodgy characters. The fact that an internationally known criminal in the mould of Hushpuppi— with criminal networks spanning from Nigeria to America, Britain, Korea etc.— can make one call to a police officer to have someone arrested for scuppering a “job” is indeed shocking and also speaks volumes about the influence he exerts in the force. The duo chatted many times where Kyari was egregiously revealed to have received direct orders from Hushpuppi regarding how the police should treat the arrested person. DCP Abba Kyari’s relationship with Hushpuppi also involved buying clothes for the fraudster to the extent that the latter would come and get them from the former’s office. While a police officer remains everyone’s friend, Kyari’s frolicking with Hushpuppi is too difficult to be whitewashed unless the investigations are finalised to determine his innocence if indeed he is. 

Although Abba Kyari had already responded to the weighty allegation, his explanations don’t hold any water, for he needs to prove to everyone keenly fixated on the issue, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he’s indeed not guilty. Much to his chagrin, Kyari edited the Facebook post conveying his initial response many times and subsequently deleted it. The various chats where Hushpuppi ordered Kyari and his men to arrest his so-called colleague and be dealt with like an armed robber without any form of investigation is an indication that they could have been frolicking for a long time. The “arrest” of Hushpuppi’s colleague for weeks is a preemptive move to prevent him from scuppering an ongoing “job” of scamming a Qatari national where the fraud money was later laundered in the US. This is where the FBI fingered Kyari as a possible co-conspirator in the whole issue. 

 The FBI is reputedly known for being painstakingly meticulous regarding their investigations. If they’re really on your case, nothing is usually left untouched, for they do back up their reports with undeniable, substantiated facts and documents. I have read an analysis from a lawyer friend who argued that the US has no jurisdiction to request Kyari’s extradition to be questioned in the US since he committed the alleged crime in Nigeria. The US— and by extension, the developed nations— always fear that justice may not be served, knowing full well how our system here in Nigeria operates. Is it not in this same Nigeria that James Ibori got cleared of any wrongdoing by Nigerian courts, having committed one of the greatest corruption in our history? But later on, James Ibori finally met his waterloo when he was arrested in the UK and forced to serve many years in a UK prison. 

Some of our northern people have started defending Kyari, painting the whole thing an ethnic colouration. I read a post where someone said the Igbos support Kanu and his proscribed IPOB group at all costs; the Yorubas support Igboho against all odds; therefore, he asks: why shouldn’t we, as northerners support our own? You see, this habit of shielding glaring depravities is one of the reasons why Nigeria continues to lag in all facets of development; it is also the reason why we continue to grope for exemplary leadership to lead us to the promised land within our fold. What is wrong should be dismissed by all and sundry regardless of religious and ethnic ties. Besides, the duo of Igboho and Kanu have openly declared their rebellion against the Nigerian nation. As for Abba Kyari, he is a civil servant in our most crucial agency whose responsibility is to serve and protect the interest of all Nigerians regardless of their ethnic disposition or religious affiliation, which explains why his issue is huge. Unfortunately, he got himself soiled in a huge mess that has the propensity to obliterate all his outstanding brilliance records.

The police suspension of the super cop to pave a berth for an investigation into the matter is a commendable move. Whatever sprouts out of from the investigation, Kyari should blame himself for it’s the offshoot of his actions, having chosen to dine and wine with criminals. When you rise to fame through something magnificent, you shouldn’t do anything to bring it down, for posterity will always forget your good days but will loudly judge and label you with your few bad instances. Sadly, such is the case of Kyari today. 

Muhammad El-Bonga Ibrahim writes from Abuja. He can be reached via bonga2004@icloud.com.

By Salisu Uba Kofar-Wambai

It is very mind-blowing to view a national football team that ideally suppose to possess the quality of national outlook looking so sectional and tribal. Unfortunately, for quite a long time, the Nigerian football national team has been dominated by only what we called “southern players” at almost every level.

One will wonder why the utmost and utterly lopsidedness? After all, with its advantages, thanks to its vast population over the South, northern Nigeria has the upper hand to have more visibility in such national assignments. However, the reverse is always the case. Is that signifying that the northern folks lack interest in sports, especially football? Or does it mean that the North is consciously hiding its light under a bushel? NO! 

If one wakes up at dawn in northern cities and towns, the young, agile athletes are often the first people to meet exercising to their respective football pitches.

Moreover, the geographical advantage in terms of the landmass, with all the potentialities of its flatness, accurate for football arena and pitches against terrain nature and scarcity of southern land is another pointer that ought to have shot north ahead.

It is an indisputable fact that if you take around northern states, you will invariably discover that numerous football clubs are established in several places in the region. You will find players who can match the skills and talents of Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane, Figos, but all – or most – go nowhere. They mostly played in their small villages and ended up uncelebrated.

In Kano alone, the heart of the North, there are more than thousands of clubs playing in different levels and capacities. The Sports Ministry is, year-in-year-out, organising leagues for these clubs from league A to Z. These clubs produce young talents that can play at every level of football worldwide.

With globalisation and communication technologies taking centre stage of our lives, if one goes to viewing centres, where foreign leagues matches are shown, the story and impression one will get is that football has become part and parcel of our youths’ routine. It’s now popular culture. Football is always the topic of discussion on the lips of northern youth. Therefore, the football obsession comes in both ways – theoretical and practical, respectively. But why northern players are almost absent or underdogs in the national team?

And again, with football now going lucrative venture that quickly shoots up people to billionaire charts, with the abject poverty bedevilling the north and youth joblessness, sports can do a lot towards alleviating these monsters if taken significantly.

The central question is why many a time Kano clubs are the favourites and always win all Nigerian secondary schools? I think the appropriate answers to these questions are:

The North should embrace sports as a way of livelihood like its southern counterparts and encourage its youth to put in their best. The North should also give them support in terms of mentorship, send people of interest, read coaching courses, and, of course, financial assistance. Our well-to-do and government should facilitate our talents to get contracts in Europe through agents that secure clubs for players.

Our soccer administrators should make it compulsory for every coach vested with the responsibility of forming teams, especially in the under-17 and under-20, to always go round Nigeria for the players’ selection process. In most cases, those coaches sit back in their regions, select players from the South because they have already stereotyped northerners as worthless in that respective. And it is mostly the players of these levels that graduate into senior national teams levels and secure lucrative contracts to play in the prestigious leagues of Europe.

Northern youth should also try to go off weeds smoking; it is unfortunate to see a talented footballer and later find out that he’s a weed smoker. Most of them end up without achieving anything for obvious reasons. They should equally try to finish their secondary schools and be ready to go anywhere to play and show their resilience.

And above all, parents should pray for the guidance of their kids.

By doing this, I think the North will avoid the situation we are currently experiencing where northerners are a dot in the circle in the team of players representing Nigeria in the ongoing Olympics games in Japan.

Salisu Uba Kofar-Wambai is a PhD student at the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via salisunews@gmail.com.

By Abu Haneef 

It is true that the North and South have rotated the presidency from the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999 until Jonathan truncated it in 2011 after the demise of Umaru Musa Yar’adua. Many have argued that it was practically challenging to stop an acting president from contesting just because of an unconstitutional gentleman agreement, which was put in place by not-so-gentle politicians to rotate the presidency between the North and the South. Although not a valid justification to scrap that agreement, the argument is not entirely incorrect; who could have stopped Jonathan if he wasn’t patriotic enough to put the country ahead of himself? No one.

All that is now history. But what isn’t history is how all the proponents of the rotational presidency during Jonathan are now speaking against rotation; in the very same manner, those that argued against the rotational presidency during Jonathan are now suddenly making a case for rotation. The way both sides exchanged arguments with the change of personalities proves that those arguments were never in favour of the reasons given in the first place. 

While there are some good arguments for and against the rotational presidency in Nigeria, there will never be a good argument for scrapping it when that benefits you, only to turn around and demand rotation when it does not. This double double-standard is against fair play. 

Now let us analyse the case. While the argument for the rotational presidency is valid on the grounds of national security and stability, there are many things wrong about how we are understanding and approaching the rotation—from its premises to our assumptions thereof and many things in between. 

Anyone who understands Nigeria’s politics knows that religion, rather than ethnogeography, is the biggest faultline, albeit with a bit of ethnogeographic connotations here and there. This explains why since 1999, almost all Northern Christians voted for Southern Christians (except where both contenders were Muslims, and even then, they preferred PDP simply for being “more Christian”), despite sharing the same geopolitical threats and opportunities with the Northern Muslims they rejected. Yet, notwithstanding this apparent reality, we chose to premise our rotation on ethnogeographical consideration rather than religion (I’m not making a case for religion here, I’m only analysing our presidential rotation). 

Now let us ask ourselves, what happens if we rotate the presidency to the South and a Muslim, backed by Northern voters, emerges as the president? He would have been a Southern president who would not give the South a sense of belonging. The same will have been the case if a Northern Christian emerges as president. So our current premise for rotation is faulty, and those responsible for it know this; they are only ashamed to premise our rotational presidency on religion because of the global stigma religion faces today. 

Another critical question we haven’t convincingly answered in Nigeria is population spread across Nigeria’s ethnogeographical constituents and religions. Doing this would have removed the heat generated on the polity by the many unrealistic demands currently put forward by all sections of the country. However, we have so many issues to solve, and the best way to start is to answer all the critical demographical questions we haven’t. Only then will every section understand its proper place in the scheme of things, as there are currently huge delusions by many country sections. 

Another problem with this rotation is our constitution, which does not recognise it. This is problematic because people at the opposite faultline can only surrender power based on trust. There is no guarantee that the other region will yield power according to agreed terms. We had seen that in 2011 when Jonathan contested against PDP’s zoning arrangement. Therefore, the question of constitutionality in rotating the presidency must be answered to address the current distrust in the polity. 

Another valid question to answer on presidential rotation is that of fairness, particularly with the way and manner we have seen many agitations for resource control, which led to the creation of 13% Derivation, Ministry of Niger Delta and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Suppose we agree that they deserve more resources only because God planted those resources in their land. In that case, the North can also argue that they deserve to retain political power because the same God that chose to bless Niger Delta with hydrocarbon decided to bless the North with a larger population. Suppose it is fair for Niger Delta to demand resource control. In that case, it is certainly reasonable for the North to require strict adherence to the democratic principle of majority retaining power at all times. That is one consistency of truth we must not skip in our national discourse. 

Conclusively, I submit that the only thing correct about the rotational presidency we argue for or against is the idea of having or not having it, but everything else has either been misunderstood, refused to be understood or deliberately misrepresented. And in these tiny details and questions we repeatedly miss lies most of the solutions we seek elsewhere. 

Abu Haneef can be reached via imabuhaneef@gmail.com.

By Ahmed Zakaria

With the recent agitations for “Yoruba Nation” and “Middlebelt”, it is pertinent for Kwara State indigenes to review their relationships with other groups, narrate their stories by themselves and resist all efforts at manipulations of the narratives.

Some raucous voices have always taken it upon themselves to categorise Kwara State where it suits their tribal, political, religious and sentimental inclinations without considering the choice of the state’s indigenes.

Just because the Yoruba language is the Lingua Franca in Kwara doesn’t separate Kwara from the northern states. But, that does not also mean only Yorubas reside in Kwara, or only they “own” Kwara, as there are many other tribes, like Nupes, Barubas, Kanuri, Fulani,

Some people wrongfully assume the scale to be a Northern State is being above River Niger, which is absurd and wholly superficial and unwarranted.

Others use Hausa or Fulfulde language as a yardstick for grouping northern and southern states, which is also fallacious. A lot of people in northern Nigeria do not speak Hausa or Fulfulde.

Others use religion as a criterion, which is also untrue. For example, many communities in northern Nigeria have large populations of Muslims, Christians, and worshippers of traditional religions. Most recently, agitators of the “Middlebelt” have used religion as a basis for dividing northern Nigeria. 

With the recent agitations in the South West for “Oduduwa Republic”, many people encourage Kwara Yorubas and even Kogi Yorubas to join the struggle. They claim they will regret being part of the North or be oppressed by the “Northerners” or that they won’t gain anything from the North. Many other things they enjoy saying without knowing the repercussions of what they are saying or putting into consideration the emotions of others while saying it.

It is all due to utter historical ignorance. It is highly offensive to assume Kwarans are Northerners by chance or are “Northerners” for the benefit of what they “gain” from the “North”. 

Kwarans are unfortunately projected as “power-hungry” folks, making them seem all their decisions are guided by the love of money, power or recognition, which is wrong, untrue, and humiliating. 

Adding more salt to injury is to assume that other “Northerners” will “oppress” Kwarans or take away their “rights” or “resources”. It is more painful and mischievous. Nothing as such exists in the dictionary of the good people of Kwara State. It is a lack of understanding of the historical relevance of the current nomenclature of Kwara State that leads to all these unfortunate and insincere utterances and views.

No one can take away the “rights” of Kwarans or “resources”. We are focused on what “we” can sincerely offer this nation and region and not what this nation or the North can offer us. We do not discuss our “rights” when we haven’t discharged the “obligations” upon us.

The people in Kwara State have a strong ideological and religious association with  Northern Nigeria, which is stronger than mere tribal and geographical relationships.

Those who wish to project Kwarans as unclear of where they belong or are lost, looking for an identity, or seeking acceptance are deceiving themselves, not Kwarans. They deny the obvious. 

Many Kwarans welcomed the news of the raid on Sunday Igboho’s house and the arrest of his criminal associates for their effrontery towards Kwara State heroes and monuments.

They employed their propaganda machines to tarnish the good image of Kwara as well as to portray them in a negative light. They rubbished our traditional institutions and had the audacity to instruct their foot soldiers to be insulting Our Royal Father, the Emir of Ilorin.  

He thought the hooliganism and thuggish behaviour he exhibited in Oyo State could be condoned and replicated in Kwara State. He does not know the bonds that bind the people of Kwara are more robust than what people like him could ever break. Many sacrifices were made to build, foster, and develop these bonds and brotherhood, but his followers kept praising him till he met his Waterloo.

No true son of Kwara will support the criminal attitudes of Igboho. That is why some people believe that most people causing trouble and tribalism today in Kwara State are not true sons of Kwara. No true son of Kwara will support the disrespect meted on the state by Igboho and his propaganda machines.

It is harrowing and highly disappointing to paint Kwarans as people without an identity, just like it is a blatant lie to assume Kwarans don’t know their identity; that was what Igboho worked extremely hard at achieving.

It is unfortunate to assume Kwarans don’t know where they belong to or are looking for love and affection from any people or group of people. But, on the contrary, Kwarans respect everybody and bear no grudge towards anyone.

The mere thought of what Igboho represents is distasteful, extremely humiliating, and deeply heartbreaking. Kwarans are not troublesome; they are warm-blooded, unlike their counterparts in other parts of the country. 

That is the opportunity Igboho seized and the reason he dared to insult, belittle, humiliate, and threaten Kwarans. Yet, he dared not threaten Kano, Sokoto, or Borno in the same fashion he threatened Kwara.

Those supporting Igboho’s antics, methods, styles, and methodology do not and will never represent Kwarans. The attacks on our Emir and traditional institutions even made us more united behind our Emir despite all our differences.

Igboho consistently portrays hatred for those he terms the “Fulanis”, but we all in Kwara State fall under that category. He has been blinded by deep-seated tribalism and hatred that he views all of us in Kwara State as Fulanis and “Eru Fulanis” to the extent that it is absolutely impossible to convince his myopic mind that not all people in Kwara are Fulani and that Yorubas, Nupes, Barubas, and Fulanis live side by side, peacefully since the time of Shehu Alimi, that’s two centuries ago.

We thank the swift intervention of the DSS in tackling the menace and criminal activities of Igboho and his cohorts, for if the government hadn’t intervened, other non-state actors would definitely spring into action to counter his illegal activities and unguarded utterances against Kwara State. He and tribalists like him are not welcome in Kwara State. 

May ALLAH bless Kwara State and the whole of Nigeria, amin.

Ahmad Zakariyah writes from Kwara State. He can be reached via ahmadzakariyah@gmail.com.

By Salisu Yusuf

There’s an established cultural practice of female social exclusion in the Muslim North that’s partly patriarchal and partly a cultural construct fuelled by religious misinterpretation, especially on business transaction issues. 

Many people wrongly and unfairly assume that women must not participate in business dealings because men cater for their needs. However, instances from Islamic history and established ahadith corroborate women’s active role in market-oriented activities, especially during the caliphate of Sayyid Umar bn Khattab (RA). I have a story to tell which will convince you that our women should, or even must, be allowed to transact.

A close, affluent friend of mine died two years ago. He left behind four wives, children and millions of naira. Fortunately or not, the deceased’s male relatives could not handle the proceeds of the orphans properly. And even if they could handle the wealth well, most people nowadays are morally lax in handling trusts, especially inheritance. Only a few handle it sincerely, while many others betray the trust given to them. So, the widows became carers and guardians; in other words, the bulk of wealth is handed over to them.

Those who had never transacted (only two out of the four) became businesswomen in their life. They are both fathering and mothering the young orphans. Although single parenting is a difficult task, the women brace up, take care of the children efficiently, conduct business aspects, get profits, provide daily bread, support the children’s education, and other basics such as clothing. I am deeply impressed by the women’s resolve to forget their differences, shun their rivalries, burry their wounds, pick up the pieces and continue to survive in the absence of the best husband and father. 

Two years after their husband’s death, the entire house fares very well, managing to survive despite the harsh realities of the Nigerian socio-economic milieu. When last I visited the family, they told me of the difficulty in combining business dealings with parenting and guidance. One widow told me how lucky they were to learn to trade even before their husband’s death because he had numerously given them startups to learn to earn a living. She said if they had not been this fortunate – under a caring husband who had so much empathy and understanding, they would have been left in the cold, would have devoured the money and would have been left at the mercy of a hostile public as beggars.

Two years since their breadwinner’s death, the women turned men survive because they can hold their heads, transact, guard and guide the young orphans.

Salisu can be reached via salisuyusuf111@gmail.com.