Kano State

By Uzair Adam Imam 

On Thursday, the Department of State Service (DSS) denied media reports that it invaded the Emir of Kano’s Palace, saying they were untrue. 

The state Director of DSS, Mr Muhammad Alhassan, said this when he spoke with reporters in Kano.

Alhassan said that the DSS only deployed its personnel to the palace as part of a security arrangement for the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu’s visit to the Emir. 

He said, however, that the personnel were withdrawn following the postponement of the visit due to the Emir’s absence from town.

He said there was no truth in the report alleging that DSS operatives stormed the Emir’s Palace in connection with the recent development at the State House of Assembly. 

He urged Nigerians to disregard the false and malicious report, which he said was intended to cause unnecessary tension and misinformation.

On Thursday, the State House of Assembly repealed the Kano Emirates Council Law 2019, thereby dissolving the Emirates of Bichi, Gaya, Karaye, and Rano.

By Aliyu Nuhu

I have read the amended Kano Emirates law, which was brief, concise and straight to the point, to achieve certain ends. It is a promise fulfilled by the new NNPP government. Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had said time without number that if elected, the government would repeal the Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led Emirates laws.

If Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf signs the amendment into law (which is a certainty), it will remove the present emirs from their offices and return all the Ganduje creation of first-class emirs back to district heads (hakimai). The affected emirs are those of Gaya, Rano, Karaye and Bichi.

The new law gives the governor the power to either re-appoint them hakimai or remove them and search for new ones.

Until the coming of this new law, I thought that Muhammadu Sanusi II’s return was impossible, as it had no precedence in the history of the Kano emirate. But after talking to officials and people who know the workings of the government, it appears certain that Sanusi will return to his throne, in fact, soon enough to preside over the coming Eid-Kabir prayer. 

Nothing is certain yet, but nothing is impossible, thanks to political intrigues and the need for the new government to reverse Ganduje’s legacies. There is no love lost between Kwankwaso, Abba, and Ganduje.

For my own views, I support the amendment of the Emirates laws and the return of a strong Kano emirate, but I don’t support Sanusi’s return as emir of Kano. The current Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, is doing well and is loved by the people. 

I don’t support Sanusi’s return. I know he has not learned a lesson and will still come back and meddle with Kano politics, attack Abba and his government, and continue shooting his mouth as if he is an ordinary person. People who sit on the Kano throne don’t talk too much. He must also not try, like his grandfather did to Sardauna, to outshine the Kano state governor.

In history, there was an incident where the then-Emir Muhammadu Sanusi shamed Sardauna in the Kano race course parade ground by attracting a standing ovation with the Sardauna seated. The premier of Northern Nigeria considered it an affront to himself as the Emir stole the spotlight by arriving in full splendour and pageantry, and the whole assemblage had to stand up for the Emir in traditional homage and honour. It was a percussion to the dethronement of Emir Sanusi of Kano.

The grandson Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has inherited those tendencies from his grandfather, and I daresay when it comes to attacking and criticizing the government, Kwankwaso/Abba don’t have the patience, and if you like to call it table manners of Ganduje. They will throw out Sanusi in a blink of an eye.

They said a leopard never changes its colours. But time will tell.

Until then.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has issued a serious alert to Kano State residents concerning the impending danger posed by the possibility of flooding in 14 out of the state’s 44 Local Government Areas this year.

Dr. Nuraddeen Abdullahi, the NiMET Kano/Jigawa Territorial Coordinator, disclosed the high risk of flooding during a Disaster Risk Management Stakeholders Coordination Meeting on Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook in Kano.

Abdullahi named the LGAs to include Rimin Gado, Tofa, Kabo, Madobi, Garum Malam, Bebeji, Rano, Dawakin Kudu, Warawa, Wudil, Sumaila, Ajingi, Kura, and Dala.

He added that five other LGAs—Karaye, Takai, Bunkure, Dawakin Tofa, and Makoda, were moderately prone to high-risk flooding.

Abdullahi said, however, that the remaining 25 LGAs were at low risk, naming them as Doguwa, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Garko, Albasu, Gaya, Kiru, Rogo, Gwarzo, Shanono, Tsanyawa, Bagwai, Bichi, Kunchi, Danbatta, Minjibir, Gabasawa, Gwale, Fagge, Nassarawa, Kano Municipal, Tarauni, Ungogogo, Kumbotso, and Gezawa.

According to him, the meeting was to stimulate discussion and devise plans on the best ways to avert the predicted flooding across the state.

Abdullahi said, “The meeting, in collaboration with the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), became necessary to remind stakeholders of their responsibilities regarding the impact of climate change and the expensive nature of environmental disasters.”

He lamented that women and children are the most affected persons during the rainy season, calling on the people in the flood-prone areas to take all necessary preventing measures before.

By Isma’il Hashim Abubakar

Schools established, owned and run by non-state actors and private institutions have, no one doubts, been providing a veritable substitute to the dilapidated public schools which have been suffering from wanton neglect by governments at various levels in Nigeria. Private schools have successfully, though not completely, reduced the burdens on governments to supply basic education for children in their public schools, which have been perpetually operating under the shadows of existential threat.

Although people of all social strata now have more faith in private schools and parents with even the meanest incomes and most fledgling source of earning, who always struggle to make ends meet, prefer to take their children to commercial schools at the behest of other life comforts, public schools, which serve as the last option for the extremely downtrodden, still seem to get congested due to the high number of enrollments of children from low-income families. If this indicates anything at all, it shows that people have now fully embraced modern education, and they can sacrifice the expensive things they have just to secure a quality formal education for their wards and children. 

While, as everyone knows, public schools tend not to have too many demands apart from the meagre or more affordable tuition fees, their private counterparts, in most cases, operate in such a way that many parents inwardly feel that the system is tilting more toward a business direction in an obvious capitalist fashion, despite that the dominant pretension of both parents and school managers is that of purely imparting knowledge and building sound character to the young and upcoming generation.

Many schools are extraordinarily excellent in both transmitting sound knowledge and instilling good morals in pupils, and as such, no material gratification can remunerate their work or compensate the teachers for their hard work, dedication and commitment toward discharging their duties and keeping good custody of what has been entrusted to them. In fact, some well-to-do parents often give gifts to teachers as an expression of gratitude for feeding their children with sound knowledge, which is primarily the responsibility of the parents but perfectly undertaken by the teachers on their behalf. As such, many parents may not bother with and will gently turn blind eyes to some straitjacketed and arbitrary financial demands that most commercial schools are now introducing day in and day out.

Some schools go beyond decorum and do not, in the least, pretend to be shy to depict their operation as a purely extortionate venture, deemphasizing the moral and instructional dimensions which their institutions are set upon. Parents now no longer feel at ease after having settled school fees which are the most basic financial burden that comes to everyone’s minds once private schools are mentioned. Not only do textbooks and instruction materials represent the source of anxiety that parents grapple with, but virtually everything which a school stipulates, largely with a marketing mindset. While most schools impose decrees that make it binding upon parents to buy textbooks, stationeries and all other instructional materials from the schools, some schools turn it into a rule that pupils and students must never be allowed into schools wearing uniforms supplied to them by their parents through all other channels apart from the tailoring unit of the schools.

Schools do complain that external tailors often violate dress codes and principles earmarked by the schools, including non-compliance with size, width and length but above all, the lack of authority to manufacture and issue official badges that are glued to uniforms. Hiding behind this pretext, schools have seized the free will of parents to transact with tailors of their choice, and because they aspire for their children to acquire quality education, they relinquish their right and bow down to the pressure of the schools. 

There is, however, no guarantee that the tailoring units of schools themselves are perfect for designing the most fitting and immaculate school attire for pupils. Having taught at both primary and secondary schools (as well as university), I have personally seen pupils wearing school-supplied uniforms that never matched or fully fitted the bodily structures of the pupils. If this is the case, this particular rule might have been informed more by a business instinct and less by a concern to preserve institutional dress codes. Parents of final year students who could only afford to pay for either WAEC or NECO exams for their children, which by the way, is better than missing both of them at once, are coerced by some schools to move heavens and earth to pay for the two exams or risk having their children removed from the list of graduating students. When they could not settle for the fees of the two exams and require the refunds of their money, they hardly recuperate more than half of what they have paid. 

Perhaps the most brazen example of such pecuniary impositions manifests in the demands of some schools on parents to pay internet charges, which would have been understandable and justified if pupils or students were engaged in regular computer lessons that are punctuated at close intervals by visits to websites. Alas! There are schools which extort this surcharge even from parents of nursery pupils, and the only justification for it is the data consumed by Whatsapp groups of parents initiated by the schools on which an administrator often sends announcements.

Many parents relate with schools while they are inwardly burnt due to how things have become in private schools, but because they envisage a better future for their children, they prefer to remain mute and only murmur their complaints on the rarest occasions or when they meet with fellow parents by the roadsides. The best opportunity for them to communicate or even express their squawks loudly to the schools is during periodic parents-teachers meetings, but the schools have been, paradoxically, hijacking and making platforms to further advocate their fiendish and self-aggrandizing policies. Their covert strategy is to appoint a loyal, docile and exceedingly compliant head of Parent-Teachers’ Association (PTA), and to gag his mouth for fear of being influenced by nonconformist parents, the schools bribe him with some free scholarship slots for his children. As a result, he weakens and sabotages any attempts by the parents to rise and challenge arbitrary extortions they suffer from these schools. 

Other schools have different, perhaps more treacherous strategies of navigating intricacies and tackling eventualities that may come up owing to this venture, such as giving undertaking papers for parents to sign before the children are accepted at the stage of enrollment, and many parents are carried away by the desire for the admission of their children and often don’t pay commensurate attention to these documents or mull over their future implications. The question that, however, is seldom asked, what is the legality of these modes of institutional marketing practices that have become norms in not only purely western-style schools but also model Islamic schools? To what extent do these operations comply with Islamic teachings and principles, and what are the business dimensions of these dealings which should then ideally be done and looked at from the viewpoint of Islamic commercial and financial regulations?

First of all, everyone knows what schools are primarily meant for, which is imparting knowledge and this should be the apex among all the operations that are expected to exist in the schools. Hence, from this prism, school fees are the most obligatory financial demands that parents are, by default, owed to schools and upon which any compromise will be a favour that the schools could grant or deny at will. Any other charge or tax is secondary and gains its legitimacy according to how it complements the primary function of schools, but, above all, it should be done in a transparent atmosphere defined by mutual agreement and understanding. In other words, selling textbooks, stationery and instructional materials at schools should be governed by Islamic commercial laws, without discrimination or thinking that schools could do as they will without referring to Islamic stipulations. If this is the case, then these materials sold to parents must be on the basis of freewill and agreement and not impositions that may result in penalties. 

Of course, many schools publish exercises and textbooks with their names and logos finely inscribed, which then makes it compulsory for parents to obtain the materials in no other places but the schools. Many other schools, meanwhile, retail the materials from markets and sell them to parents at exorbitant prices that at times double or triple the normal market prices. All these are normal and should be considered lawful businesses if only it is done with a mutual agreement such that parents have the liberty to buy either from the schools or at markets, or in the former case, if the materials are not sold arbitrarily at unimaginable prices just because of the inscriptions of logos and names. 

The general Islamic principle that confers legitimacy or otherwise to any business venture is free will and mutual agreement, and interestingly, this is explicitly postulated by the Qur’anic verse and Hadith, the two most fundamental sources of Islamic law. Allah says:

“Yā ayyuha alladhīna āmanū lā ta’kulū amwālakum bainakum bi al-bāṭil illā an takūna tijāratan ‘an tarāḍin minkum. Wa lā taqtulū anfusakum. Inna Allaha kāna bikum Raḥīma”.

“O you who believe! Eat not up your wealth among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah has been to you Most Merciful!” [Sūrat al-Nisā’: 29].

In his groundbreaking exegetical work al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, the prolific commentator of the Qur’an, Muḥammad Ṭāhir Ibn ‘Āshūr posits that the prohibition to eat up people’s wealth without mutual agreement is paired with the crime of murder in the verse to draw Muslims’ attention on the gravity and heinousness of such a practice. He argues that it is emphasized because people do not largely consider it something significant and the victim is usually powerless and could hardly resist (as it occurs in private schools).

Moreover, in an authentic Ḥadith narrated by Anas bin Mālik, the Prophet (SAW) says, “lā yaḥillu mālu imri’in Muslimin illā ‘an ṭībi nafsin”. (It is unlawful to take a Muslim’s wealth except with his goodwill). [Dāru Qutnī, 3/26].

As asserted earlier, a lot of transactions in private schools are imposed upon parents, and school authorities often warn parents and even threaten to apply penalties when these marketing ventures are observed in the breach, leaving no room for a bargain and mutual consent that would ordinarily prevail in open transactions. Since this is the case, only a few people will contest the illegality of this practice. Needless to say, some officials and authorities, including ironically, of schools paraded as Islamic models, are, to some extent, oblivious of the legal status of their policies, although this is not a valid, genuine and acceptable reason. A Muslim is, after all, and before anything else, principally required to be fully conversant with the pros and cons of any action he undertakes.

One of the easiest ways to make amends and rectify this wrong tradition, irrespective of how well consolidated it is, how difficult it may be to refrain from or how odd our argument may sound to some, is to be so transparent and open to parents and gear the deal to be dictated by consent and mutual agreement. Freewill and mutual agreement are pivotal in any financial dealing and they determine whether it is done lawfully or unlawfully. 

And since schools, especially the religious ones, enjoy respect from parents, it will hardly be burdensome to mutually arrive at some understanding, and this, as beautifully ratiocinated by Ibn ‘Āshūr, could lead to the implementation of the divine principle that “if they give up willingly to you anything of it, then take it in satisfaction and ease” (fa in ṭibna lakum an shai’in minhu nafsan fakulūhu hanī’an marī’a) [Sūrat al-Nisā’, 4].

Indeed there is a need for governments to intervene and reintroduce guidelines that will neither oppress the schools nor allow them to do as they like, pertaining to their financial dealings with parents. Parents in Kano, for instance, will certainly look back with nostalgia at the era of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who laid down modalities that checkmated arbitrary extortions of parents by commercial schools. He formed a formidable committee that regularly went around schools and observed their operations to ensure they complied with state regulations, most of which were meant to shield masses from further extortions.

Unfortunately, Kwankwaso’s successors did not maintain the tempo, and now things are, to say the least, almost getting out of control. School authorities would increase school fees at will and would rush to mention inflation as a cause and the need to better the condition of their staff, while in essence, it is the proprietor and a few notable among his cliques that would end up enjoying while flowing pittance to and leaving the majority of staff to keep on wallowing in despondency.

Ismail writes from Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco and can be reached via ismailiiit18@gmail.com.

By Dr Musa Ibrahim

The popular Facebook user claiming intellectuals hardly watch Kannywood films and his supporters should understand 1) the need to ensure they conduct proper research on any subject matter or study the existing literature before speaking about it; 2) they could benefit from some guidance on critical engagement with terms, even if they are in our mother tongues, such as ‘wayewa.’ This would help them understand the concept from multifaceted perspectives and know how to use it when referring to ‘self’ and ‘other’ people’s ‘lifeworlds.’ 

When engaging with the Hausa terms ‘wayewa’ and ‘wayayyu’ (intellectualism and intellectuals, although the translations are subject to discussions), the critical questions we should ask about these terms in relation to Kannywood are: what is ‘wayewa’ (intellectualism)? Who exactly are ‘wayayyu’ (intellectuals)? Can we really know all ‘wayayyun mutane’ (intellectuals) and what they do in private and make sweeping statements about all of them without conducting thought research?

For me, it’s difficult to say who ‘wayayyu’ are because it’s subjective and varies from person to person. I mean, who someone regards as wayyaye might not be considered one by others and vice versa. Therefore, it appears to me that the person who made such a claim and their supporters may be ‘unintelligent/unintellectual’ (lacking in intelligence and intellectual approaches) or ignorant about the subjects they are referring to, especially since they ‘speculate’ about the so-called ‘wayyayun mutane’ without considering the diversity of the group. 

As a researcher of popular cultures in Africa, I can report as a fact that all categories of people in northern Nigeria and beyond watch Kannywood films. In the qualitative research we conducted, we interviewed academics, high-profile ‘ulama (Muslim clerics), lawyers, politicians, public workers (some of whom are highly placed decision-makers at various government levels), traders, and various categories of Western and/or Islamic-educated individuals who have been watching Kannywood films.

Ordinarily (if not because of our research), many of our interlocutors may not just openly admit to watching Kannywood films because of the unnecessary stereotypes associated with them. However, some of them go to the extent of referencing specific scenes from the movies they had watched to either illustrate their points or make comparisons with other films. Some influential people and their family members personally communicate with Kannywood stars they know from movies and spend millions to have them perform at their ceremonies. 

So, if we were to believe the claim that ‘intellectuals’ don’t watch Kannywood films, then we would have to say that all those who control the affairs of the region (in which the person making the claim probably lives) are not ‘wayyayu.’ However, regardless of the complexity of the terms wayewa and wayayyau, many would agree that people in the categories mentioned above, including our revered Muslim scholars who participated in the research, could fit into the ‘wayewa’ category or one of its categories (if there are many). Ba za mu ce dukkan su ba wayayyau bane.

So, the person making the claim and the bunch of uncritical minds who agreed with it have just succeeded in portraying themselves as lacking intelligence and critical thinking skills (which is synonymous to wayewa) to engage with the same concept, ‘wayewa,’ at least in this case. This is because they seem not to know ‘how’ and ‘when’ to speak for themselves and ‘how’ and ‘when’ to speak for others from an informed perspective (based on outcomes of scientific research). This also includes avoiding generalisations.

Despite politically motivated censorship from the 2000s to today, Kannywood has survived and thrived. This resilience is a testament to the support it receives from the silent majority, including highly influential individuals who appreciate its cultural significance and work behind the scenes to maintain its popularity and diffuse unnecessary tensions. This inspiring resilience assures us that Kannywood will continue to thrive in the face of differing opinions. 

To close my remarks, regardless of differing opinions about Kannywood, the cultural industry will continue to thrive in different forms. This sustained success should inspire confidence and optimism in the future of Kannywood and those who aspire to participate in the phenomenon, either indirectly as cultural studies scholars or directly as actors, directors, producers, scriptwriters, and associated roles.

Musa Ibrahim, PhD, can be reached via abbadanauta@gmail.com.

By Muhsin Ibrahim

A few weeks before the 2023 general elections, I came across a campaign video featuring students sponsored by the Zamfara State Government to study in Cyprus. I criticised the video, stating that students should refrain from getting involved in politics.

It was not wise for the students to campaign for the governor. Although they might have felt obligated to do so, I was concerned about the consequences if Bello Matawalle, the governor at the time, lost the election. Unfortunately, that is precisely what happened.

As I feared, Dauda Lawal Dare, the new governor of Zamfara, abandoned those students. Today, they live in destitution, struggling to feed themselves in a foreign land. Some don’t even have a befitting accommodation. While their precarious situation may not be connected to that video, it might have added insult to injury.

Governments in Kano, Zamfara, or any other state must reconsider sending people to foreign universities. Of course, those universities are often better than our local ones. However, we need to wake up to the current realities. Our currency (i.e., Naira) has lost much of its value, and inflation is higher, among other unfavourable realities.

Irrespective of the political landscape, it is incumbent upon the government of Zamfara to provide for those students. They are, without a doubt, the government’s sole responsibility. After all, governance is about continuity and the welfare of its citizens.

If the government is unable to meet its financial obligations, it is only fair that it brings these students home and enrols them in local universities in Nigeria. This is the least they deserve.

It is high time the government started paying attention to its citizens and acted upon their requests.

Muhsin Ibrahim, PhD, wrote from Cologne, Germany. He can be reached via muhsin2008@gmail.com.

By Ado Magaji Mansur

As the saying goes, “We are the books we read.” Therefore, we should all thank our writers, past and present, for depriving themselves just to share their ideas and experiences with us through books. 

Although I am not a writer, I believe that writing books is both painful and rewarding. Without these books, our world would’ve been a totally different place. 

However, as the world is moving from script to screen, coupled with the gradual death of the reading culture and rise in the “watching” culture, especially among our people. I hereby ask the question: Can’t our intellectuals use film to transmit their great ideas to the people?

We have already made the mistake of entrusting our films to the people we all know who can’t be relied upon as the sole custodians of our culture and the psyche of our younger generation. Therefore, instead of observing and criticising the films, their makers and producers from a distance, why can’t some of the great minds among us think up some appropriate ways of putting their ideas to improve the powerful Kannywood, especially now that it’s been confirmed that they can’t live up to our didactic and moralistic expectations? And since no one can moderate (read: censor) their movies before they reach our homes, we must help them improve.

Very soon, we will start alleging or complaining that foreign countries and organisations are sponsoring and producing films like “Dadin Kowa” to intentionally misrepresent us or to sustain the stereotypical image of us that has already been created. 

Like books, films have the capacity to convey a wide range of ideas, making them a versatile tool for people from all disciplines. If handled with care, films can have a profound impact on the audience, much like books do for readers. 

Finally, I must confess that, some years back, when our friend Muhsin Ibrahim defected from Literary Studies to Theater/Film/Television studies, I secretly doubted the sagacity of his choice because I then wrongly thought that, as a promising writer and critic, he would contribute to his society better as a literary guru than a film scholar. But now we can all see his great job for Kannywood. We can all take some cues from our friend and see how we can contribute.

By Muhammad Sodangi

As a prominent professional football club, Kano Pillars rose through the landscape of Nigerian football, showcasing and elegantly displaying a blend of talent, resilience, and passion for the game.

The club’s commitment to excellence and community support have been instrumental in its success. It is also well known for its passionate fan base, iconic blue and white colours, and stylistically competitive performance on the field.

Kano Pillars have won many domestic trophies, multiple NPF titles, and Federal Cup victories. Amazingly, they have represented Nigeria in several continental competitions, such as the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.

With a solid foundation, Kano Pillars Football Club is a shining example of determination, talent, and community spirit in Nigerian football.

Through their remarkable journey, the Kano pillars have solidified their place as a highly revered and respected institution in Nigerian football, leaving behind a lasting imprint on the hearts of fans and the history books of the sport.

However, the recent clash between Enyimba and Kano pillars shook the Nigerian football scene as the former claimed a commanding 5-0 victory over the latter.

The game was a top-notch encounter that magnetised and captivated fans and pundits from all angles. Enyimba, known for their attacking prowess and tactical acumen, played a master class against Pillars, securing an impressive 5-0 victory.

Conversely, Kano pillars faced enormous challenges throughout the match, struggling to contain Enyimba’s attacking onslaught and assert their presence on the field. In fact, the decline of Kano pillars in recent seasons could be attributed to various factors, including the lack of motivation among players, coaching staff, and management, as well as poor government funding.

These bedevilling obstacles created a nasty environment that hindered the players’ ability to perform at their best.

These international challenges could be addressed by prioritising motivation, empowerment, and support for players and staff. Thus, these could pave the way for success, glory and growth within the prestigious Kano pillars.

Sodangi writes from Salaha Africa, a media company based in Kano, Nigeria.

By Umar Sani

In the heart of Darmanawa, a community in Kano city that was once enriched by natural water resources, a relentless battle against water scarcity now rages. This pressing issue, a matter of life and death, stands as a stark reminder of the failures in governance and the unyielding grip of greed that plagues our society.

For generations, the people of Darmanawa lived harmoniously with abundant water sources, a testament to nature’s generosity. But today, the narrative has shifted drastically, leaving residents grappling with the harsh reality of waking up before dawn to embark on a futile quest for water.

The dawn chorus is no longer accompanied by the soothing flow of streams or the gurgling of wells. Instead, it echoes with the footsteps of weary souls like my friend, Aminu, and me, trudging through the darkened streets in search of a basic necessity.

The root cause of this crisis is not nature’s reluctance but, rather, human neglect and shortsightedness. The government’s failure to manage water resources efficiently and the insatiable greed of the affluent, who hoard water from boreholes, exacerbate the plight of the common people.

We are left with no choice but to rely on water vendors whose prices soar higher with each passing day, adding financial strain to an already burdened populace. Even this temporary relief is insufficient, forcing us to venture further, to places like Makabarta, in pursuit of “Mai ruwa,” a term that has become synonymous with hope in our parched reality.

The consequences of water scarcity extend far beyond mere inconvenience; they permeate every facet of life. Health suffers as access to clean water becomes a luxury, hygiene standards plummet, and diseases lurk in the shadows. Education is compromised as children spend valuable hours fetching water instead of attending school. Economic activities dwindle, perpetuating a vicious cycle of poverty and despair.

Amid these challenges, however, a glimmer of resilience lies within our community. Local initiatives to conserve water, promote rainwater harvesting, and raise awareness about responsible water usage have sprouted like oases in a desert. These efforts, though small, carry the promise of a better future, where water is not a commodity but a fundamental human right.

As we reflect on Darmanawa’s struggle with water scarcity, we must remember that this is not merely a local concern but a global crisis demanding immediate attention. Sustainable water management, equitable distribution, and community empowerment should take center stage in our pursuit of a water-secure world.

The unforgiving thirst of Darmanawa serves as a poignant reminder that water is not merely a source of life; it is life itself. It’s time we quench this thirst, not only with water but also with collective action, empathy, and a commitment to a brighter, hydrated future for all.

Together, let us turn the tide, one drop at a time, until every cup is filled and every faucet flows freely once more.

Umar Sani Adamu (Kawun Baba) wrote via umarhashidu1994@gmail.com.

By Isma’il Hashim Abubakar 

Shaykh Musal Qasiyuni was the third among the scholars whose lessons I listened to throughout Ramadan. I was attracted to his lessons almost two decades ago, much by the accent and the tone of the hymns with which he and his audience opened and closed the lessons, and they were, to me, at the start, more of an esoteric language.

Qasiyuni’s zeal for the preservation of norms and values, the eradication of vices and immoral ventures, and his expression of concern toward the plight of the masses are evident in his lamentation of how things have turned in Muslim societies, which portrays him in the same reformist and activist light that Salafis are often depicted.

Malam Qasiyuni condemned the attempt to incorporate medical tests among legal requirements that must be presented before marriages are contracted. However, he acknowledged that the tests are essential, safer, and more sustaining for the marital union and the future of the couple’s family. The scholar’s point is if leaders are encouraged to pad new legislations into injunctions of marriages, which are already comprehensively sanctioned by Islam, a time would come when leaders would smuggle harmful laws which would only strangle legitimate marriages and pave the way as well as promote promiscuous associations between men and women as it has been normalised in not only western but also many Muslim countries.

In this year’s Ramadan, like the previous years, Qasiyuni had painstakingly treated sensitive themes that have remained the bonds of sectarian contention among the major Sunni Muslims, particularly between Sufi brotherhoods to which he belongs and their Salafi counterparts. These include the concept of bid’a and the central thematic components that revolve around it, such as litanies, liturgical actions, and performances like maulud anniversary and awrad. Qasiyuni offered an extremely polemical and revisionist interpretation of these themes while seeking to legitimise them in line with his Sufi conception and practice.

The hallmark and motive of all these elucidations are an attempt to arrive at a conclusion on which among the many strands of Sunni Islam is on the right path and, hence, most deserving of salvation. In this case, Qasiyuni was more flexible and accommodating as he expanded on the prophetic report, foretelling and warning about the sectarian fragmentation that Muslims would experience. He argued the report has all it takes to be exploited by each of the strands of Sunni Muslims, and going by the letter and spirit of the Hadith, which points to the vast majority as one of the yardsticks for identifying the most authentic and righteous group which merits salvation, according to Qasiyuni, Sufis would have more legitimate claims that conform with what obtains in reality. 

Interestingly, however, Qasiyuni dismissed this sectarian conclusion favourable to his theological understanding of Islam and appraised that rather than interpret the Hadith from a creedal point of view, which of course has been the dominant method of scholars for centuries, the Hadith should better be seen from the viewpoint of meritorious virtues, conducts and manners such as kindness, truth, selflessness, humility, resilience, which the Prophet (SAW) and his companions had exhibited throughout their lifetimes. In this way, members of each sect and Islamic societies, including not only the Salafi competitors but peripheral and marginal sects like Shia, can be regarded as a salvaged group in Qasiyuni’s opinion. 

Although this view sounds too malleable and points to the degree of Qasiyuni’s broad-mindedness and tolerance, it shall remain problematic and challenging to accept for several reasons, one of which is the consensus among Muslims that creed and beliefs take precedence over all actions and since even non-Muslims could exhibit the virtues outlined by Qasiyuni, downplaying the creedal substances and theological aspects as prime barometers for assuming the status of righteousness and uprightness as far as Islam is concerned, is unacceptable.

The love and affection of Muslims toward the Prophet SAW are meeting points which, according to Qasiyuni, should be the basis for Muslim unity and common solidarity, but also the mirror which shall reflect in the relations among Muslims and have common solidarities irrespective of their sectarian differences. Moreover, Qasiyuni stressed that Muslims must respect and love anyone or anything that connects to the Prophet, no matter to what small degree and anyone who hates it is condemned and wretched.

One point that shall remain problematic in Qasiyuni’s unification theory is the Shiite doctrine of hatred toward the Prophet’s companions would automatically disqualify them and remove them from the umbrella of unity which the great Qadiri Shaykh is advocating.

Like Dr Rijiyar Lemo, Qasiyuni also vehemently challenged those who cast doubt on Hadith and accused some of the Prophet’s companions and famous collectors of Prophetic traditions. Qasiyuni’s reaction to this issue seems to be a rejoinder against his brother Abduljabbar, who is still languishing in jail for stirring loud controversy about this issue. Interestingly, Qasiyuni himself mentioned Mustafa al-Sibā’ī’s masterpiece, al-Sunnah wa Makānatuhā fī al-Tashrī’ al-Islāmī as a concerted response and healing answers to all those who nurture any scepticism around the Sunnah or the process of its compilation and transmission.

Although still having a few issues to disagree with the Ahlussunnah proper, like the fate of the Prophet’s uncle, Abū Tālib, the Kabara cleric used this year’s Ramadan season to repeatedly stress his loyalty to Sunni Islam and refute Shiism, which then debunks the widespread rumour that the man had gravitated to the Shiite camps.

Even if on sectarian grounds one disagrees or even refuses to listen to Qasiyuni, one cannot deny that the text he teaches during Ramadan, which is unanimously accepted by the Sunni Muslim world, is a robust inspirational source of reverence to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). 

Northern Nigeria is indeed blessed with so many scholars; the ones highlighted in this article (parts 1, 2 & 3) are just a drop from the ocean. They offer a significant representation of how the Ramadan season is made distinct and unique through disseminating Islamic knowledge. I highly regret not getting the opportunity to closely and regularly listen to more scholars such as Shaykh Umar Sani Fagge, Shaykh Isa Ali Pantami, Shaykh Ibrahim Maqary, Shaykh Muhammad bin Usman, Professor Salisu Shehu, and above all, my teacher Professor Muhammad Kabiru Yunus. But while I was too lethargic to listen to them all, I still wished Professor M.K Yunus’s tafsir recordings were available for public consumption. 

May Allah reward these scholars abundantly and elongate their lives to keep benefitting the Ummah.

Isma’il writes from Rabat and is reachable via ismailiiit18@gmail.com.