Jigawa State

By Shu’aibu Rabiu

I’m writing this with my heart sinking out of the brink, confused, and absorbed in the prism of my mind lost in the ocean, wandering not because of the outcome of the election or what may become of the winner or the looser but rather, of the situation Jigawans might find themselves due to the unrest that has been going on due to the current mant

Jigawa has been known to be one of Nigeria’s most peaceful and harmonious states for decades. However, this aged-long history is currently being threatened by what seems to be political tribalism and jingoism (emiratism, to be specific).

Since the inception of Jigawa, it has had three democratically elected governors – Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (Jigawa north-west senatorial district comprising Kazaure, Ringim and Gumel emirates), Sule Lamido (Jigawa south-west senatorial district which consists of Dutse emirate only) and Muhammad Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa north-west senatorial district). Looking at the division above, one may wonder what the Jigawa north-east senatorial district is.

Well, after the completion of the party primaries in the state, Malam Umar Namadi Danmodi from Jigawa north-eastern senatorial district emerged victorious under the flag of the All Progressive Congress (APC), While Mustapha Sule Lamido from Jigawa south-western senatorial district, became the flagbearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This, however, ignites the fire of what seems to be a battle between the already two conflicting emirates of Dutse and Hadejia, respectively.

For, Hadejia believed or rather thought of Dutse as its major shield or barrier in achieving its goal of producing a governor for the state. Dutse, on the other hand, considers Hadejia a threat to the state, for they believe Hadajiwas are selfish, narcissistic and self-centred, hence the hatred and hostility toward them.

The current enmity, hatred, hate speech and uproar doubled after the just concluded presidential election when both emirates decided to support their own (Hadejia went for APC’s presidential candidate, while Dutse voted for the PDP’s). This, however, became the major cause of the political unrest in the state, which, if care is not taken, will be a driving factor for the division of Jigawa in terms of political instability, peaceful coexistence and even beyond.

My main concern in the article is not who’s right or wrong for choosing to support their own and go against the other. Instead, my problem is what may become of Jigawa and its citizens now that Mustapha/Umar is declared governor-elect for the state.

It is pertinent to, at this juncture, make it categorically clear that the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria states that whoever wins an election will serve all the citizens irrespective of party, region or emirate affiliation. This means that Malam Umar Namadi will be a governor for all the citizens of Jigawa state, and his leadership will have no relation with the saying “to each, their own”. This is a hard-and-fast rule.

Well, first things first, we must know that there’s life after the election, which is one of the most important things to consider now. Because, often, the election comes and goes, and as far as tradition, it usually comes with things that jeopardise people’s relationships, which often lead to lifelong enmity. This, however, will affect the state in such a way that the winner you fought for will find it challenging to manage the administrative duties delicately because you’re at war. So he must find a way to stop it, which will divert his attention from doing tangible things for the development of the state.

For peace and stability to continue in Jigawa, we must eliminate what happened during the camping and the election in our minds. Let’s embrace each other, forgive and forget, and be our brothers’ keepers. Until we do this, the aged long peace and stability will only be a thing to remember.

I, therefore, appeal to my fellow Jigawa citizens to accept this outcome with open arms. If the outcome turnout against your prepared candidate, please pray it turns out the best. Similarly, don’t let what happened to ruin your relationship with your friends anywhere in the state. Remember, this is all politics!

And to Malam Umar Namadi, I pray that you turn out to be the best that ever happened to Jigawa, may Allah the omnipotent guide you to do the right thing for Jigawa, amin.

Congratulations and best wishes.

Shu’aibu Rabiu wrote via shubrabbkd@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Suleiman Yobe

The governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Malam Aminu Ibrahim, has accused the All Progressive Congress APC of using money to buy the people’s votes.

Malam Aminu Ringim stated this shortly after casting his vote at the Marakawa 008 polling unit in Katutu Primary School in Ringim Local Government in Jigawa State.

Ringim alleges that APC representatives give people cards and money when voting for their party.

This came shortly after the police arrested a party representative, distributing cards and money to those who voted for the party.

“We witnessed how votes are buying in Jigawa state, and we are taken pictures of how things are going”, Ringim.

He also alleged that there was a polling unit where the presiding officer was taken away in a car.

“Now we are collecting information, and once we have completed it, we will take the appropriate action,” Ringim said.

He, therefore, called on the public to avoid selling their votes during this election.

By Khadija Muhammad 

A young man from Jigawa state has embarked on backward trekking from Gwaram in Jigawa State to Sumaila town in Kano state, to celebrate the election victory of Honorable Kawu Sumaila. 

The young man whom Kawu Sumaila met on the road explained that he was doing this backward trekking because almost every style of trekking has already been done, so he decided to do his own.  

Even though Sumaila asked him to go back home since they met on the road, the young man insisted that he would not go back, because he had sworn to do it. 

On arriving, the senator gave him a token, and he promised him a slot to go on Hajj to Makkah, because of this manly effort that he took upon himself to travel a long in a backward manner to congratulate the senator.  

By Kabir Musa Ringim

Immediately after the recently concluded presidential and national assembly elections on February 25th, the turn of events in the Jigawa gubernatorial race between the ruling APC and the main opposition PDP turned sour. The APC gubernatorial candidate, Mallam Umar Namadi, is from Hadejia Emirate, while his PDP counterpart, Mustapha Sule Lamido, is from Dutse Emirate.

The results of the elections, as declared by INEC, show that PDP won largely in Dutse, and APC won largely in Hadejia, and this results in the campaign of calumny between both parties. Social media, especially Facebook, was awash with propaganda from warring factions. This changes the narrative from a clean campaign to a battle of supremacy between the two Emirates on whose son will be elected as governor in this Saturday’s election.

Jigawa state was created in 1991 with the capital in Dutse and three senatorial zones of Jigawa North East (Hadejia Emirate), Jigawa North West (Gumel, Kazaure and Ringim Emirates) and Jigawa South West (Dutse Emirate). Since the creation of the state, it was governed by four civilian governors, two from my zone, Jigawa North West, and the other two from Jigawa South West (Dutse), leaving Hadejia Emirate with zero so far, and until now, a son of Hadejia Emirate was never opportune to be the gubernatorial flagbearer of a ruling party or biggest opposition party.

Having a leader from your region, religion, or tribe doesn’t translate to a better life for your people. Take Buhari and the North in his almost 8-year reign, for example. But humans, by nature, will always demand full privileges they are entitled to, as enjoyed by others living in the same territory. Every single one of us wants equity, justice, and fairness in life through equal representation, and that will surely bring a sense of belonging, self-esteem, fulfilment, and pride.

It is heartbreaking to think that you’re being treated like a second-class citizen in our own land, and this is why we have a federal character commission at the federation, and the major political parties introduced zoning for their presidential tickets. It is terrible for some people to assume or feel that having been from a particular region or practising a particular religion, they will never have a chance to be leaders of their country, state or local government. It is in that sense that I am rooting for an Igbo presidency one day, and that is why I am also in support of Hadejia’s call for their son to be the governor of Jigawa. Their grievances are legitimate. Their demand is justifiable.

But as we are in the peak of the political season, the third columnists, proponents of politics with bitterness and purveyors of evil propaganda with the intent to grab power and self-enrich themselves and their families, seized the opportunity to pitch Hadejia against their brothers from Dutse and vice versa. My heart sank when I started seeing the sort of messages being shared from both sides on different social media platforms meant to misinform, disinform and mislead the gullible ones among us.

The messages of hate going around are the worst I have ever seen in my life among fellow Jigawa citizens due to sectionalism. To find myself a respite, I started unfriending and muting several Facebook accounts from both ends until when I started to contemplate quitting the platform altogether for the sake of my mental well-being.

What is happening these days in our dear state is very shameful, to say the least. As adherents of Islam, it is totally against the teachings of our religion. Why the hatred? Where is the love? Where is the peace? Where is the brotherhood? Why all these lies, half-truths and malice? How can one claim that people from a whole Emirate hate the people of his Emirate? How is that even possible, please? Where are our senses of judgment and fairness? What are we going to achieve if our words cause divisions and nurture the seed of corruption and anger among fellow Muslims? Jigawa is the most homogenous state in the country, with over 90 per cent of the population speaking the same language and practising the same faith.

As I have earlier said, I have seen nothing wrong with Hadejia demanding their turn in leading Jigawa, but allowing a few bad politicians in their midst to turn their legitimate demand into a cold war between them and Dutse is very unfortunate and uncivilized. It is also heart-wrenching for the same bad eggs in Dutse to wage a similar war against their counterpart in Hadejia.

I’m from Ringim, but I am supporting APC’s Mallam Umar Namadi not because I am working and living in Hadejia or due to the fact that my biological mother is from Hadejia Emirate, but simply because for me, Umar Namadi (Danmodi) is by far more competent to be our governor than other contestants. Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, from my hometown and who is a father figure to me, is also in the race under NNPP. Likewise, Sule Lamido still remains my mentor, and I once supported his son Mustapha Sule Lamido, due to the former’s numerous achievements as a governor and how he worked tirelessly to unite Jigawa during his leadership.

However, instead of turning their preferred candidates into sectional flagbearers, APC and Danmodi’s fans should have stuck to their clean campaign purely based on the qualities of their candidate. They should have to keep selling the character and capacity of Danmodi and the required experience and exposure he possessed to lead Jigawa to the promised land. The same applies to the supporters of Mustapha Sule Lamido and PDP. We should all clean our hearts and rid them of hatred, anger, envy, and jealousy. Our life on this earth is very limited. We should desist from ruining our hereafter just to massage our egos and enjoy the illusions of this fake world full of fake pleasures.

The war of words and the campaign of calumny, fake messages of hatred, and intended character assassination of fellow Jigawa people from other zones will do us more harm than we have ever imagined. Almost all of us have friends and family from anywhere across the state. We work and live anywhere we wish in the state without facing any form of harassment, intimidation or injustice merely for being settlers. I was born and raised in Ringim, and I did my secondary school in Gumel, I worked in Legal Ringim and served a brief stint in Jigawa State Polytechnic Dutse, where I bought a house before transferring my services to Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic, Hadejia in 2018. I have said it several times to my close friends, and I will repeat it again that all my major achievements in life were facilitated by individuals from Hadejia, not Ringim.

We should bear in mind that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. We are united in faith, language, in culture. We are more alike than unlike; our food, dress and ceremonies cannot be differentiated clearly. We should never let the bad politicians separate us and destroy the peaceful atmosphere and harmony we have been enjoying to the envy of other states. We should never let our enemies succeed in their quest and evil plans to reverse the rapid development our state has been witnessing since 2007.

I’m supporting Mallam Umar Namadi based on the reasons I stated above, and I hold no grudge against those supporting Mustapha Sule Lamido of PDP and NNPP’s Mallam Aminu Ringim, provided that their intentions are pure and their reasons are not based on sectionalism and nepotism. We shall remain friends and brothers with all and sundry, and whoever emerges the winner of Saturday’s poll will have my goodwill, support and prayers.

The deeper we reflect on this sad scenario which is heading for a destructive crescendo, the more we understand that justice and equity are very important for our peaceful coexistence, and this cold war is all politics and a very bad one for that matter!

Kabir Musa Ringim is HOD Computer Engineering, Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic Hadejia and can be reached via ringimkabir@bupoly.edu.ng.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Governor of Jigawa State, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has approved the appointment of Haneem Muhammad Sanusi as the new Emir of Dutse.

Governor Badaru’s approval was sequel to the recommendation of the Dutse Emirates kingmakers.

According to a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, three persons contested for the royal seat. However, the seven kingmakers had unanimously voted for Sanusi’s emergence.

The new Emir succeeded his father, Nuhu Muhammad Sunusi who passed away in an Abuja hospital last week.

By Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad

I was thinking of a befitting title for this short tribute when I stumbled upon the adage above. It loosely translates to ‘character is a life companion’ and aptly summarises the thoughts running through my mind seeing the pool of praises resulting from the death of His Highness Sarkin Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammad Sanusi.

The life and times of great men teach subsequent generations about the true essence of life. Eulogies and tributes from equally great people are a testament of honour and moral eminence. The late Sarkin Dutse is a quintessence of nobility and magnanimity, a monarch with so much panache yet full of humility.

If the most beautiful ones amongst us would stay longer or forever, death would never have approached this epitome of scholarship and royalty. But immortality remains a characteristic of our Creator, the Lord of the worlds and to whom we shall all return.

I recently learnt that purpose and passion mean different things. Purpose revolves around using your passion for impacting the lives of others. The life of the late Sarkin Dutse exemplifies this to a great extent. He used his passion for philanthropy to create a rather better world far and wide. His life and leadership are true symbols of purpose, benevolence and contentment.

Late last year, I received a generous gift of his book (autographed by himself), which captures his experience growing up and memoirs from his several travels and encounters. I could not contain the joy of seeing my name handwritten by the Emir himself. I was meant to meet him after finishing the book, but as God would have it, it was never destined to be.

The second page of this book carries the following, which is also a summary of how he lived his life: “When you were born, you cried, and the whole world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice”. Sarkin Dutse truly lived up to these words. We can hear cries from beyond Dutse. The world has yet again lost one of its finest.

The praises and prayers we hear give us hope that the reward of the beauty he created in this world is awaiting him in his afterlife. Navigating through the pain of the lost, we can only hope and pray that God almighty will count him among those He has bestowed His favours upon from amongst the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. May all the good he has done forebear him from every torment of the afterlife.

Allah Ya jikan Sarki!

Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad wrote from Kano, Nigeria.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Fire destroyed six shops in Jigawa State’s Hadejia Local Government Area.

In a statement, Adamu Shehu, the state spokesperson for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, confirmed the incident.

“On Friday, December 2, 2022, at about 01:15hrs, the NSCDC Divisional Office received an emergency call on a fire outbreak at Gadar Kogi in Hadejia,” he said.

According to him, emergency response personnel were immediately dispatched to the location to put out the fire and save any unburned property.

He added that when the team arrived, the fire had destroyed around six shops owned by Usman Mai Shago and five other people, although there were no human casualties.

The Daily Reality understands that electricity sparks from one of the shop’s wires were the cause of the fire.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

The governor of Jigawa State, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has pledged to cast all of his state’s votes for Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu, the APC’s presidential candidate, in the general election of 2023.

This was said by the Governor on Sunday at the Hadejia kickoff of the Jigawa North East APC gubernatorial campaign.

He noted that the event was intended to introduce to the populace the gubernatorial, senatorial, and other zonal candidates.

Bola Tinubu, according to Governor Badaru, is the only presidential candidate who can protect the nation from economic suffering and endeavour to advance national development.

He was quoted saying, “Looking at his track record and experience, I am sure he has plans and policies that will help in the development of the country.”

According to him, the huge crowd that gathered at the event is a clear indication that Jigawa State is a stronghold of the APC.

By Muhammad Aminu

The ECWA Eye Hospital (EEH) Kano and Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM) Global will offer a comprehensive and inclusive eye health (CIEH) programme targeting residents of Kano and Jigawa States.

Thousands of individuals are billed to benefit from the programme that will run for four consecutive years in the selected states.

The Chief Medical Director, EEH, Dr Atima Mayor, who disclosed this at the launch of the project in Kano, said that the project was born out of efforts to tackle visual impairment and break the circle of poverty in the states.

According to Dr Mayor, the project, which is supported by CMB UK and Australia, has over 80000 other beneficiaries who will benefit from different tests and services within the timeframe for the project.

He further explained that issues of disability, especially visual impairment and poverty among persons with disabilities, have been affecting the quality of life.

“North West has the highest number of blindness. As population increases, it’s expected that the number of blindness will also shoot up hence the need to act,” he said.

He called on the two states to collaborate with ECWA to continue with the project even after this 4-year intervention project to ensure the efforts is sustained to tackle the challenge in the States.

The CMD further explained that Kaduna and Katsina States, which were initially part of the project, were temporarily put on hold until the security situation improves before the project can be expanded to the states.

In his address, EEH Administrator STEPHEN NUBOBGA who was represented by CMB Project Coordinator Phillip Ode noted that between September 1, 2022, to August 2026, the project targets over 90,000 beneficiaries in the project in the selected states.

“500 children will be operated on for cataracts, 1000 adults, 250 children with glaucoma and other major surgeries, 400 adults with glaucoma, 250 other children with minor surgeries and 50 retinoblastomas.

“2000 individuals for spectacles, 5000 for refraction, and  80, 000 others for free eye screening,” he disclosed.

In her earlier opening remark, CBM Global Country Director, Ms Ekaete Umoh, said that the historic project launched is aimed at targeting individuals in hard-to-reach areas in the selected states to help persons with visual challenges and break the cycle of poverty in their ranks.

She said that CMB Global is concerned with the rising cases of visual impairment in Nigeria, specifically North West Nigeria, where there is a high concentration of visually impaired persons.

“As the prevalence of blindness in Nigeria is 4.2%, it is estimated that 4.25 million adults aged 40 years and above have moderate to severe visual impairment or blindness.

” Available statistics show that 28.6% (14 million of all adults living in the North West Nigeria have a visual impairment. As a result, the majority are unable to work, are excluded from many community activities and require additional support, which impacts on their families and trapped them in the cycle of poverty,” he stressed.

According to Nububga, 100 persons living with disabilities (PWDs) will be empowered with means of livelihood as a component of the project.

Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, Kano and Jigawa States, as well as the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), commended the donors and partners for working together to address the issue.

Also speaking, the royal father of the day, Alh Mohammed Bashir Mahe, commended the EEH and CMB for helping the needy in society, adding that traditional institutions are always ready to support such a noble cause.

By Muhammad Abubakar

The news of the severe flooding in Jigawa State is depressing and alarming. I initially thought the report had reached every nook and cranny of the country. But the reverse is, unfortunately, the case. I was amazed to realize that the news has not gone very far in the country. Worse still, it is said that the state governor himself is currently out of the state.

I recently checked a couple of our local media sites to know more about the ongoing flooding, only to find out that; most of the news updates there have nothing to do with this deplorable disaster currently ravaging the state. It’s heartbreaking how many on-and off-line news outlets pay only lukewarm attention to this issue, although it should be discussed more than any other.

Jigawa State has never experienced such an alluvial disaster in its history. Many houses and villages collapsed; properties submerged; roads, bridges and farmlands were washed away, and crops ruined. Some have become orphans all due to this flooding!

The situation has reached the extent that the people of the affected areas can no longer move into their towns or travel out of the villages because their roads are not motorable. Also, thousands of people in the affected communities have been displaced. Canoes capsized. Lives were lost. Almost anywhere in the state has been negatively affected.

The most affected areas include Gumel, Mallam Madori, Auyo, Kaugama and Kafin Hausa local government areas. The flood has not only stopped here, but it also touched almost every part of the state. But yet, no tangible action has been taken on that by the government.

The federal government should therefore join hands with the state government to do the needful; deliver food, clothes, drugs and other useful items to the victims. May God, the omnipotent and omnipresent, end all the hardships we are going through in this country and the world.

Muhammad Abubakar wrote from Jos, Plateau State, via muhammadabubakar01002@gmail.com.