Nigeria

By Uzair Adam Imam

The presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, consoles with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying their genuine requests had met with deaf ears in Nigeria.

Atiku Abubakar stated this in a statement he issued and signed on Wednesday in celebration of the United Nations’ World Teacher’s Day.

Abubakar’s impassioned statement decried about the incessant strike which has been eight months now since lecturers shut down public universities to press their demands home.

He stated, “I wish to observe this all-important day by identifying with Nigerian teachers. I wish to identify with them in their moment of grief occasioned by poor working conditions over the years.

“Specifically, I use this medium to console Nigerian university lecturers whose genuine requests have met with deaf ears, and who have now stayed for over seven months without salary.

“Teachers are the backbone of a nation. They are the bedrock on which national development rests. Indeed, many educators have opined that, no nation can rise higher than the quality of its education system, and no education system can rise higher than the quality of its teachers.

“This means that no nation can make any meaningful progress in any sector without having well-trained, experienced, happy and well-remunerated teachers. A situation where some states are owing teachers’ salaries of up to five months, or even more, is unacceptable,” he stated.

Abdelghaffar Amoka Abdelmalik, PhD.

The major newspapers published the speech delivered by the president at the “Fourth National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector” on the 4th of October 2022. In the speech, the president said, “corruption in the education system from basic level to the tertiary level has been undermining our investment in the sector, and those who go on prolonged strikes on flimsy reasons are no less complicit.” The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is the union on strike, so the newspapers reported it with headlines that “Buhari accuses ASUU of corruption”.

The president definitely does not have a thorough understanding of the issues that led to the strike else he won’t call the struggle for the proper funding of the universities, better conditions of service for lecturers, the release of the white paper on the visitation panel reports, among other important demands as “flimsy reasons”. It is sad and most unpardonable that the president has got no proper information on the structure and workings of the university. Otherwise, he would have queried that ridiculous and false statement when the speechwriter presented the speech to him for presentation. So unbelievable that our president is not aware that ASUU is not the same as the university management.

To correct this unfortunate misinformation from the president, in the university, there are heads of departments who are academics who receive N50,000 every 3 months for operational expenses. We have the Deans and Directors who are also academics which is the next level of leadership in the university. The Directorates receive N60,000 every 3 months for operational expenses. Is the misappropriation of these N20,000 per month, which comes irregularly that is corruption by ASUU members?

Then, we have the principal officers, which include the Vice-Chancellor (an academic), the Registrar (a non-academic), and the Bursar (a non-academic). There is also the Council chaired by an appointee of the government. You can’t appoint politicians looking for jobs as University Council chairs and blame ASUU for corruption. ASUU is just a union and does not manage the affairs of the university. Then, there is the Presidential visitation panel that is meant to visit the university every 5 years to check the management of the resources of the university.

It’s true that the management of the university could be corrupt. There is no doubt about it. But since the administration of President Buhari took over in 2015, the “corruption fighting” president seems to have found accommodation with corruption in the university that it failed to send a visitation panel to any federal university. ASUU was worried about that, and part of the demands of the 2020 ASUU strike was the constitution of the visitation panel to all federal universities. Paradoxically, it took the strike by the union of supposed “corrupt lecturers” for the anti-corruption FG to send visitation panels to the federal universities in 2021 to check “corruption”.

However, a year after the panels submitted their reports, the same FG that is accusing ASUU of corruption has refused to release the White Paper on the panels’ reports for implementation. Part of the demands of this strike is for FG to release the White Papers. The “corrupt ASUU” is pushing the anti-corrupt government to fight corruption in the university. Isn’t that amazing? It goes without saying by its inaction, indifference, and condemnable refusal to set up visitation panels and release the White Papers after ASUU forced it to set up visitation panels to all federal universities, the FG under President Buhari is aiding corruption in our universities.

Meanwhile, you can’t be complaining of corruption but rewarding alleged corrupt people. The former VC of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, that was accused of academic fraud, financial embezzlement, and administrative impunity by the ASUU branch of the university, made the list of the people to be awarded a national honour by the president. Same with the former Council Chairman of the Lagos State University, who, with the VC, deployed the pension of Staff for the purchase of luxurious cars.

Does it make sense to accuse the university managers of corruption and then nominate university managers that were accused of corruption for national honours without taking steps to investigate these allegations? That’s a joke. By the way, what is the correlation between the poverty wages of Nigerian academics with corruption in the universities? Does that explain why Nigerian lecturers are one of the poorest paid in the world?

The president further said that he task our academics to attract endowments, research, and other grants to universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education similar to what obtains in other countries. It has been rightly said that “if wishes are horses, beggars too will ride”. It does not take rocket science to know how those universities referenced achieved that. An endowment is not attracted by academics but by the university council and management. President Buhari should stop his trademark and uninspiring blame game and should be talking to the people he appointed as Council chairmen for our public universities.

The truth is, research grants are not attractive using an empty room as a lab. No international donor will fund empty space. Only the existence of avalanches and modern facilities are used to attract grants. When I got a PhD grant in 2008, I took the grant to a university in the UK because they have the required facilities for the research. For the 3 years, the UK university got thousands of pounds through me. That’s a return on investment. What have we put in place to attract such? That’s what we should be worried about. That’s why ASUU is asking for the required funds to be injected into the system to make our universities attractive for grants, as it’s obtained in other countries.

Despite the horrible condition of service of academics in the country, Nigerian academics are winning research grants. An Associate professor at Bayero University Kano recently received a research grant of £969,680 from Wellcome. A senior lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria recently won a research grant of about 48,000 USD from Geophysics Without Borders. Other researchers from the Federal University Dutse won a grant of $59,930 from The World Academy of Science (TWAS) and €220,801 from the African Academy of Science on renewable energy. These are just a few of the grants won by academics within the strike period.

The president’s speech was focused on ASUU, and the speechwriter chose his words with the utmost malice and mischief. There are sex scandals in every sector of the country. The rehash and blackmail of sex stories in the universities have become much like an expired drug with no potency. The stories of sex for jobs and contracts and sorting jobs and contracts in Abuja are in public space. Every sector has got the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, academia can’t be immune to the ills in our society.

But then, universities are still much better. They have rules and regulations that guide their operations, and they are enforced. Several lecturers have lost their jobs due to sex scandals or other similar offences. But we have a minister in this government that was accused of sexual harassment in 2020. If a student is a victim of such an act on campus and he or she refuses to report for appropriate actions to be taken, then you can’t blame ASUU for it.

Our Union frowns on sexual harassment in all its ramifications in our universities and is up in arms combating this evil. Hence, this speech which is similar to the words of their filthy-mouthed attack dog and other government agents at the presidency at this time, is an indication that it is either the people around the president are not telling him the truth about the strike or the depth of the poverty of sincerity is underestimated.

It is equally indicative that the administration has run out of ideas and initiatives to resolve a simple issue like the ongoing strike action. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, in an effort to bring an end to the 7-month-old crisis, has met with the president. Let’s hope that those agents of destruction around the president will allow him to think.

What baffled me is the fact that the Visitor to the university is publicly lamenting when he has not taken any action for 7 years to address all his allegations against the University. You are the president, sir. Please use your executive powers to solve problems, not passing bucks. Dear sir, you lament everything from the economy to insecurity to education, but lamentations won’t solve our problems. You need to be proactive, sir. You are the president; time is almost running out. Better late than never.

Finally, despite the way that academics in Nigerian public universities are handled, our research outputs are visible in the global research database. If political office holders should make one-tenth of the efforts and sacrifices made by academics in our public universities, they will be celebrated as heroes in office.

Professor Abdelghaffar Amoka Abdelmalik wrote from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

By Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani 

Ahead of the 2023 elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has set 28th September 2022 as the date of the kick-off of the campaign for Presidential and National Assembly elections, while that of Governorship and State Assembly is on 12th October 2022.  

You may be confused about one thing or two, especially when I said the political campaign’s dos and don’ts. Some people may not have understood it. This is highly likely. But, of course, there are limits, and there is a red line that shouldn’t be crossed. There are things that politicians shouldn’t do in the name of electioneering. 

Now that you know, there are things politicians should not do to sell their candidature to the electorate. You will like to know what those things are. Relax. In the course of this piece, I will attempt to treat it. As Nigerians, we are fully aware of what an average political campaign season looks like. It goes with so many things that some of us might have thought are normal everywhere. But it isn’t. Once again, what are they? Political thuggery, mudslinging, killings, hate speech, etc.

While electioneering isn’t a tea party, it doesn’t have to be as nasty as it is in this part of the world. It takes all of us to reduce the toxic messages: from our places of worship, markets, schools, offices, parks, halls, farms, etc. This is everyone’s business. We must be involved. We have to work collectively to help our dear states and the nation.  We can only build this country under this dispensation by encouraging democratic conventions and not unacceptable practices to win or rig the election. 

Rig the election? I think this horrible phenomenon continues to rear its ugly head because many of our institutions are so weak, especially the critical ones that can put a stop to it. Unfortunately, in so many instances, they abet it, leading to many terrible results over the years. 

You will be increasingly sought-after during the electoral campaign to hatch out different plans. This is the time when there will be a multitude of recruitment. No, not in the civil service. But the thriving political industries need the strength and pep of youth to propel them. It is saddening to note that many youths will be required not on the dignified and visionary side but at the disdainable and thuggish position, where their youthful energy will be wrongly channelled to the despicable social oddity of thuggery. This trend has led to the horrible end of countless youth over the years. 

It is discernible that politics is much maligned and detested owing to the celebration of thuggery, cultism, and immorality in many quarters. All these have discouraged many  Nigerians from joining politics or exercising their franchise without necessarily being card-carrying party members. This has, over the years, aided in robbing Nigeria of some of its best brains in politics, a large swathe of its patriotic citizens, and a considerable number of Nigerians who believe in this country. My compatriots, we must change the narrative. We have to stand up and fight against any negative energy that permeates the polity: for the sake of our country. 

Am I advocating against joining politics? Definitely, no. But join politics as a decent, respectable, and patriotic participator, no matter how ‘insignificant’ your position is. In this way, your wit and vigour will be put into effect. Draw a line once your only place is a thug or any role that diminishes you or any other person. 

Value yourself and do only what is legal and aids your personal growth and collective development of society. Do not allow yourself to be used as a tool to destroy your future for a meal ticket. Be wise. You are as good as anyone else when you work hard sufficiently. 

The campaign season has been known to be a tense moment worldwide. This is not peculiar to Taraba or even Nigeria. However, political campaigns are usually anxious for the right reasons in saner climes, with each candidate coming up with competing ideas and plans forming the fulcrum of their manifesto. Therefore, it is anticipated that heated discussion will be a standard feature. But in most instances, the issues take centre stage. Therefore, there will be no need to recruit an array of youth to be engaged in thuggery to win elections. 

Over the years, we have seen how the tone of the candidates’ political campaigns has played a significant role in the level of violence witnessed before or after elections. Therefore, we must be deliberate in deciding our fate by categorically saying no to election violence, whether as candidates or electorate.  

We need to suffocate the polity from getting the stimulus of violence from the youth that has kept it going. We are sure of sanitizing the system. As more people are interested in politics, much more good and patriotic Nigerians will line up. It is a win-win situation for Nigeria. This will give us a better opportunity to choose good leaders to build the Nigeria of our dreams. 

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani wrote from Turaki B, Jalingo, Taraba State. He can be reached via abdulrazaksansani93@gmail.com.

By Abdulhalim Ishaq Ringim

The giant of Africa and emerging global giant in all ramifications; the story of Nigeria’s journey to greatness has become a subject for intellectual and academic delineation, for it eludes the projections of even the most reputable global think tanks.

Nigeria solidified its position as the largest economy in Africa and became the fastest growing economy in the world. The nation achieved such a feat by restructuring its economy. Successive governments have over the years focused on structural economic transformation for long term economic growth with commensurate development. The economy became diversified not only in terms of output, but also in terms of productivity and revenue generation.

Today, Nigeria no longer depends on oil revenues courtesy of our booming value-added manufacturing-led industrialization and knowledge-based economy. This positive economic trend was further crystallized by the diversification and expansion of the tax net through an efficient and leakage-free tax regime. The expansion of our export basket with processed agricultural commodities and mineral resources produced by our manufacturing sector have ensured steady inflow of foreign exchange and that has stabilized our currency’s exchange rate. We are now a global power in trade.

We are witnessing massive capital influx in form of Foreign Direct Investments(FDIs) due to our favorable business environment, abundance of material resources and a skilled labor population. This has guaranteed an upward trend in our employment rate and a resultant free fall in our unemployment and poverty rates. The skills and technology transfer initiatives that accompanied the massive FDI influx has increased the employability of our working age population and our productivity.

Additionally, the huge tax receipts and social responsibility commitments from our large private sector formed a gargantuan financial resource base that funds our human capital development endeavors. Basic and Post-basic education is now free and compulsory. We have increased the penetration of healthcare institutions across the country and have driven down maternal and child mortality and morbidity rates. We have invested hugely on tertiary education, research and development and such have greatly contributed to our transition to a knowledge-based economy. We also have developed a robust social protection system that adequately caters for our vulnerable geriatric and pediatric population.

Gratifyingly, the number of out-of-school children we have is very insignificant today. Thanks to a proper diagnosis of the problem and the deployment of a robust solution. We understood that we had over 10 million out-of-children and we realized that the almajiri population in Northern Nigeria was the major source. So we restructured our education system in such a manner that it will be able to accommodate and admit a significant percentage of the out-of-children. We also deployed variable policy actions based on the individual peculiarities of Nigeria’s states and regions.

In the North, which contributed the highest number of out-of-school children, we revitalized more than 150 Tsangaya Model Schools and operationalized a standard curriculum for these schools which included modern education, Islamic education and technical/vocational education.

We then systematically engaged all stakeholders involved and secured their support to absorb all the Almajiri population into these schools in batches. The Almajiri teachers continued to offer lessons in Islamic studies while other teachers complemented their efforts with modern and entrepreneurial education.

We then banned the Almajiri system and imposed stringent penalties in case of violation. We trained all the absorbed Almajiri students in batches and the moment we were done with that, we converted all Tsangaya Schools to conventional primary schools. At that point, we had no Almajiri roaming on the streets. So these conventional schools became an addition to the pool of primary schools we have. And we now hardly have a child that is out of school.

In our bid to improve the productivity and employability of our working age population, we effected broad changes in the upper levels of the education sector in a manner that created extra routes to employment. We created a skill-based educational system that complemented the university education system. This new system assured the creation of what we call “new-collar jobs” or skill-based jobs. To achieve this, we constituted a broad apprenticeship program that trained and acquainted students with high demand industrial and technology skills. We then created a certification system for these students which was used to confirm their competencies by industries and organizations that require their services.

With this, many youths who were not able to pass through the university and could not get jobs in the previous system we operated were now suitable for the “new-collar” industry we created. This was how we reduced our unemployment rate and improved the productivity and employability of our working age population. A lot of industries of both local and international origins found Nigeria as a suitable investment destination because of our highly skilled, productive, employable and easily trainable working age population. Resultantly, our national productivity and output increased greatly. And millions of families were brought out of poverty because of the resultant increase in employment and income.

We witnessed a massive reorientation of the entire Nigerian population. The Nigerian people even with huge diversities in ethnicity and religion have been peacefully living together. This stems from the national reorientation exercise that prioritized the understanding of our differences and learning to tolerantly adjust and accommodate one another. The political terrain was sanitized in a way that disincentivized ethno-religious manipulation. We had series of constitutional amendments that reshaped the country towards true federalism where every federating unit is autonomous and productive.

The characteristic recurrent political crises that usually ensued from ethno-religious causations was put to an end by a political settlement arrangement backed by constitutional provisions that mandates the rotation of political powers among the 6 geopolitical zones of the country. This arrangement was conditional and was to be abolished after all geopolitical zones have had their share of political power. The underlying principle was that the frequency of political crises would be reduced. This resulted in smooth political transitions and Nigeria was no longer in a state of constant crisis management. Ultimately, this served as an enabler for the new political coalition that have ruled Nigeria over the years to be visionary and to focus on consolidating on successive efforts to achieve long-term structural transformation.

The rotational system has today been abolished having accomplished its ultimate objective and Nigeria’s political terrain is now completely meritocratic and significantly devoid of ethno-religious divisive undertones. Elections have also become very credible and peaceful. The structural and functional capacities of agencies of government responsible for enforcement of electoral laws and punishing election-related crimes were enhanced. The government also improved the country’s financial intelligence network for effective monitoring of financial flows during election seasons by responsible agencies and resultantly ensured enhanced compliance to financial regulations during election periods by political actors(individuals and parties). These among other measures improved Nigeria’s political climate and sanitized the country’s election processes.

Corruption which was once a major challenge we faced is now alien in this country. Few years back when Nigeria was still in a troubled state, we consistently ranked lower than average in most indexes that measure countries’ transparency, accountability and Integrity. However, the fact that most of the ranking organizations were mostly overseas made it easy for Nigerians and the government to fault the validity and accuracy of the data and methodologies employed.

Resultantly, home-grown transparency, accountability and integrity indexes were designed to assess the compliance of governmental institutions and organizations to national and global anti-corruption and good governance standards, regulations, guidelines and statutes. The indexes ranks these governmental organizations based on their respective compliance levels.

The ranking system exposed a lot of cases of lack of compliance to national and global commitments to anti-corruption and best governance practices. Some of the local statutes that were not being complied to included Freedom of Information Act, 2011; Executive Order No. 001, 2017; Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007; Federal Character Principle; Framework and Guidelines for the Use of Social Media Platforms in Public Institutions, 2019; and Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018.

United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), 2004; Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plan II; Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10 and 16; African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, 2006; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and many others were on the other hand part of the international commitments that a lot of the government institutions contravened even while Nigeria was a signatory to them all.

Based on the discouraging results obtained from the assessment and ranking exercise, Nigeria embarked on a massive public service and institutional reform exercise. Government organizations were restructured and the capacity of public and civil servants was improved through a robust capacity building exercise. Those among them who could not withstand the rigor of the retraining exercise were retrenched in accordance with labour laws and were replaced by young, capable hands.

Accessibility and Functionality of Institutional Websites; Fiscal Transparency and Accountability; Transparency in Procurement; Citizens Engagement, Responsiveness and Effective Feedback Mechanisms; and Effective Human Resources Management were assured by the reformed public and civil service. The combination of these public service reforms and reforms in anti-corruption administration largely alienated the magnitude of corruption in Nigeria. Long-term stability in government, judicial independence and improved citizen consciousness contributed to the establishment and sustenance of this resilient anti-corruption regime.

The insecurity that characterized Nigeria was approached from a holistic perspective. With de-escalated ethno-religious tensions resulting from massive citizen reorientation and improved political settlement, marked improvement in all human development and economic indices and a rejuvenated armed forces; Nigeria applied a hybrid of kinetic and non-kinetic interventions to solve her insecurity problems.

We restructured our security architecture holistically, amended our constitution to legalize state and community policing and rebranded our Federal Ministry Of Interior to Federal Ministry Of Internal Security And Home Affairs. The rebranded Ministry housed new security bodies that were responsible for border and forestland security. We developed and employed efficient technology-based methodologies in the surveillance of our borders and other spaces of concern. We also leveraged spaces that were formerly ungoverned for real estate, recreation, tourism, agriculture, modern livestock management and other industrial endeavors.

Our media sector also restructured itself to conform with the vision of a new Nigeria. While we were still in troubling times, the media adopted a role that was defined by a balance between freedom of press, social responsibility, fact-seeking and healthy media-government relationship. As a guiding philosophy, the media assumed a role that discouraged the glorification of terrorism/Insurgency and encouraged the operationalization of selective censorship or measured reportage of terrorist activities in favor of counterterrorism efforts. This was of course adopted without losing cognizance of the imperative of protecting freedom of expression.

The media continued to consistently condemn acts of terrorism and adopted editorial policies that embodied patriotism while denying the terrorists the notoriety they so much desired. The media and government worked closely towards disincentivizing the lack of balance between patriotic and unpatriotic reportages by discouraging the receipt of funding specifically meant for reporting terrorist incidences from both local and international organizations. This process was driven by pure patriotism. Due to the influence of national reorientation, the love for our country was the only incentive that drove this media restructuring process.

Resultantly, the stability of our economy and security and our status as a global power in trade and commerce guaranteed us improved recognition in the international community. And as we continued to consolidate on our renewed patriotic consciousness, Nigeria defied all odds and rose to take her proper place in the comity of nations. We joined important global power associations including the BRICS(now BRINCS), G-20 and G-8. We also got nominated into the United Nations Security Council as a permanent member.

Deep sigh! How I wish the above exposition was our reality. Sadly, it is just a compilation of many of my dreams which I have overtime documented in a collection I call the “Nigeria of my Dreams”. But the fact that I was able to dream of a prosperous Nigeria(including the details of the road to prosperity) means it could indeed become reality.

Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim writes, being an entry submitted for Sana’a da Ilimi Foundation’s Independence Anniversary Essay Competition.

By Bilyamin Abdulmumin

314,159 dollars a Pi

One of the grand sagas that have been taking public attention is the issue of the Pi network. This project is said to be launched early in 2019. All potential subscribers need to come on board is a smartphone and data.

It depends on when one starts and how often they mine. But some pioneers (those who register for the crypto) have mined as much as 10000 Pis. However, the contentious saga that has been drawing attention was the Pi (cryptocurrency) relative value.

The value floating across as said to be the Global Consensus Value agreed by the world pioneers was a staggering 314,159 dollars. And already, many pioneers have as many as 10000 Pis. So, at this consensus, an average pioneer with 1000 Pis, the equivalent of 314,159,000 dollars, will need the services of similar camels that transported Alhaji Alhassan Dantata’s coins as the first person in 1929 to open an account with the First Bank. While a regular pioneer with as much as 10000 Pis, the equivalent of 3,141,590,000 dollars, will need the services of the Mansa Musa’s entourage like that accompanied him in 1324 for his first mecca pilgrimage.

The pioneers are determined and looking forward to this gargantuan windfall. Whether jokingly or not, some have already begun to imagine how to spend such jackpots. Many have embarked on the dream of climbing up the top social ladder by building exotic houses, expensive cars, or circumnavigating the globe for those who fancy the adventure.

Like many jackpot winners, these potential overnight billionaires continue to promise family and friends some bounties, including marrying them off, buying them houses in Asokoro, the latest iPhone, or sponsoring their pilgrimages.

While these pioneers continue to sail in their realm, their critics consider their aspirations at best as a mirage and, at worst, question their mental well being

When the President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Taiwo Obindo, says that more than 60 million Nigerians are suffering from mental illnesses, the Pi critics say no wonder.

But one posing point the Pi critics raised is that instead of the pioneers assuming mining, it is actually them who are being mined. In other words, they are the cash cows, referring to the advert pool fee that the Pi initiators are generating from about 40 million users. Very plausible because in this era of social media, subscribers are gold.

On the other hand, the pioneers’ reason, too, is not a pushover. Instead, they point to the traction the Pi is getting, the global state of transition from the fiat currency, and the success of some previous cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. According to them, history is repeating itself. When Bitcoin started in 2008, everything was against its subscribers. They were seen as shadow chasers and laughed at. But when success stories began to come in, the doubting Thomas was nowhere to be found.

For those who don’t know how the current Pi value of 314159 came about, Pi is a useful mathematical constant with infinite values ranging from 3.14, 3.14, 3.141, 3.1415, 3.14159… to infinity. But, disregarding the point behind the decimal and in the ascending order, the pioneers arrived at 314159. In addition, to commemorate this mathematical constant, the official Pi lunch was on March 14, which is 3.14, the Pi first value mentioned.

In my opinion (everything considered), the expectations of the pioneers on the Pi network have reached a fever pitch, but the cryptocurrency hitting the market is on the horizon.

Bilyamin Abdulmumin is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at ABU Zaria. He is also an activist for a better, informed society. He can be reached via bilal4riid13@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

On Saturday, October 1st, 2022, Nigeria celebrated its 62nd independence anniversary, but experts said that bad governance, corruption, poverty, and insecurity, are among the forces dragging the country back.

Every October 1st, Nigeria celebrates its Independence Day. On October 1st 1960, the country gained independence from Great Britain after colonial rule that lasted for decades.

Independence Day in Nigeria is welcomed with a public holiday, and numerous activities are organized to mark the auspicious day. Youth dressed in green and white shirts and trousers, some march onto the streets singing the country’s national anthem and dancing to show their open support to their fatherland.

Several reports indicated that every year a considerable number of Nigerian youths who recklessly drive or ride bikes to celebrate the day sustain grave injuries, or worst, lose their lives.

Nigeria’s independence only in word

Despite the attention the day gets from the authority and Nigerians, some people still believe that the country’s independence exists only in words.

A lecturer at Bayero University, Kano, Dr Rukayya Yusuf Aliyu, argued that the country is still trying to define and understand itself at sixty-two years.

She said Nigeria is “an independent nation still trying to define and understand itself at 62.”

She said, “Certainly a developing nation with abundant wealth, very poor and clueless leadership, and a careless citizenry.

“Nigeria is an independent nation even though it should have done better. Nigeria is independent of colonial rule yet dependent on foreign nations for aides. She should ordinarily be provided to smaller, poorer nations at 62.”

Another lecturer, Dr Abba Ahmad Muazu, said the country is independent in reality but dependent because it hugely relies on other developed countries to survive.

He said, “In my perception, Nigeria is independent but dependent. The fact is that in terms of security, Nigeria can’t protect itself. So we rely on developed countries to provide us with arms and support.

“In education, Nigeria can’t invest in its educational systems to attract foreign students. Moreover, if you look at the current lingering ASUU Strike in Nigeria, the issue is yet to be resolved.”

At 62, Nigeria is still toddling

A classroom teacher, Yusuf Shu’aibu Yusuf, decried the present situation in the country, saying the poor in Nigeria are yet to secure their Independence.

He stated, “Freed from the white domination only to be subjected to the worse form of domination by our fellow countrymen. In my opinion, the ruling class and their capitalist cronies are the ones whom this Independence is for. The poor are not yet free. The masses are yet to secure their independence.”

A Kano-based businessman, Hassan Ibrahim, said Nigerians were more independent during the colonial administration than now.

He said, “In those days, kids were taken to school for studies free of charge. All the necessary things, including school tokens, were provided for them. But today, things have fallen apart. Nigerians are in a mess.”

Bad governance drags Nigeria to its knees

A renowned political scientist and analyst, Professor Kamilu Sani Fagge, said bad governance has brought about the current situation in Nigeria.

He stated, “There are numerous factors involved that resulted in the current situation of Nigeria. But the major one is bad leadership, which contributed to many political crises in the country.

“And the issue of bad leadership has brought about corruption in Nigeria. When we have good governance, corruption will give way to a developed Nigeria.

“In addition, it will also boost the country’s economic growth.”

Nigeria needs to diversify to grow

Professor Fagge added that for Nigeria’s economy to grow, the country needs to diversify.

He said, “Nigeria has depended hugely on oil since 1970, after the second world war. Nigeria has been blessed with many resources, including farmlands. So we need to diversify.

“Nigeria also needs to bring back to work our closing industries and also provide good electricity to revive these companies.”

The living condition should be improved

Professor Kamilu Sani Fagge added, “The citizen’s life should also be improved. Citizens are the backbone of every country’s development.

“Quality education should be provided to all. But, sadly, our government concentrates more on infrastructure. Countries like India, Brazil and China have attained recorded success by improving the lives of their citizens,” the professor added.

By Franziskus Kazimierz (Casmil)

The Al-Mubarak International Film Production LTD movie Mutuwar Aure (Hausa: Death of the Marriage), produced in 2018, tells a story set in a modern-day Hausa community by and large dealing with the common, or perhaps a rather notorious topic of divorce in the Hausa cultural context. Thus, set exclusively within a family context, the film’s plot tells a narrative between a family drama – or what it may be for “Hausa eyes” – and a love-triangle story. It also heavily proselytizes Islam and defends its values and proscriptions – especially prayer – and against sorcery – a generally well-pronounced motive within Northern Nigeria’s Kannywood. It is, arguably, also against the oppression of women being pronounced by critics outside and within the community. 

But beyond the mentioned main themes in the film, Mutuwar Aure develops a pretty interesting plot structure on its own, awaiting the spectators with unexpected turnarounds and slightly mixing genres, thereby making the plot’s twist even more curious.

To give an overview of the film’s plot – which primarily involves but a few characters only, making the film more understandable but maybe giving it too much “soberness”. It will certainly not be a spoiler to cheat about its beginning, when Abbas hands over a divorce letter to his wife, Rahma, containing the emotionally charged words “Náà-sàkee-ki” – I divorce you. By that, Abbas, a young man maybe in his early thirties, cuts one of the three possible ropes (igiyoyi) – with three cut ropes making reunification of the couple almost impossible. The twist of gloom on Abbas’ face makes the story’s plot seem predetermined, making him the “bloody antagonist” within the film – and Rahma, his victim, to be defended.

It is in this pattern the plot seems to be starting, but it is also precisely from this moment on that the story takes the unconventional twists mentioned above. In defence of Rahma, her family – in whose house Abbas is living – with a strong accent on its women seems to be ready to do everything for her – pronouncing it in a very hostile manner. By avoiding showing the strength of reconciliation, Mutuwar Aure heavily resembles Fuska Biyu (dir. Yaseen Auwal, 2018), a well-known Hausa movie containing similar features of adult women’s aggressiveness in order to fight for the interest of their own family. Throwing Abbas’ possessions out of the house, he also has to leave – having tried himself to send Rahma and their children away before. What is unknown to the spectators at this time is that the house where Abbas and Rahma had lived was granted to him by Rahma’s dad out of generosity. Therefore, by working heavily with fading-in back plots and visualized daydreams, the viewers may get the impression of Abbas being more than an antagonist while also being shameless and ungrateful.

Still, the movie contains more secrets to reveal. The more Abbas comes to Rahma, her dad and her family, the more it also becomes clear that there is something more to the divorce. Rahma was rude to him when she suspected that Abbas was having an affair with his secretary, Zainab – in this regard, we can observe a reversed love triangle.  

Thus, shortly before Abbas can marry his secretary, Zainab, they can reunite by the strength of Rahma’s prayers – while Zainab is being rejected for using sorcerers to conquer Abbas’ heart – finally, the superiority of prayer over magic is demonstratively portrayed.

It can, therefore – also looking at the whole film – not be underlined enough in what grade the film proselytizes the traditional Islamic way of life. Rahma and her family, whom some might surely cheer in their fight for women’s rights initially, drop to be full of naivety and false morals, constantly humiliating a righteous man asking for their forgiveness. Rahma’s father finally admits that he had called him names for nothing.

Abbas, on the other side, a poor teacher at primary school who seems to be doing nothing but exploiting Rahma and her family until they don’t seem to be profitable anymore and moralistically reciting the Qur’an, changes to a mistakenly humiliated, righteous character. Rahma, herself, finally asks for his forgiveness.

While dealing with a fascinating plot, the way of making it a film probably could be better. The setting resembles Risala (dir. Abubakar S. Shehu, 2015) – as it is set in a different time – than other films being set in the modern day  – by being quite sterile. There are hardly any scenes beside the Abbas’ house, making it appear like filmed theatre – the exact production environment for many, especially early, Kannywood movies. Though constantly in the background, music doesn’t play any role like in vocal numbers. By the combination of these circumstances, the film looks pretty puristic. It might be, therefore – although there are significant differences, why not (?) – a counterpart of Risala set in modern times portraying Abbas to be an innocent man being persecuted. Interestingly, though – of course – the place where Mutuwar Aure is set in – does contain modern equipment, the modernity is not really to feel, probably by missing liveliness.   Also, in the end – and somehow similarly to Risala – the happiness is again relativized by new – though unreasonable – suspicions of Rahma.

Still, the plot is full of exciting and probably unconventional twists opening a broad horizon for this kind of movie. Though it could have been livelier and more trenchant in its actions, it still has a powerful message and is, by that, fitting to be talked about, if not purely for entertainment.

Casmil wrote from Cologne, Germany, via kafrakize@aol.com.

By Habibu Maaruf Abdu

Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960. That’s 62 years ago. Unfortunately, however, the country has made no significant advances since then. In my opinion, it takes the collective efforts of all Nigerians to change the story. Nigeria’s ethnically diverse people must agree to unite and develop a sense of working together to move the country forward. In other words, Nigeria must first be united to reach its destined greatness.

To achieve a united Nigeria, the government of the federation must endeavour to command a ‘national loyalty.’ That is, to get support from the people of every part of the country. The government could get this if it gives members of all the parts an equal opportunity in the government and its agencies. This will send a sense of belonging and satisfaction to them. The government should also treat all Nigerians equally, regardless of their regions, religions, tribes, and political affiliations.

Another thing that can bring Nigeria together is leadership rotation across the six geo-political zones. This should be regarded considering the reality in the southeast today. There are grumblings, and even mass agitations, from the southeasterners, mainly because they have never produced a president since the second republic. This fact makes them feel as though they are treated as outcasts in the country and therefore agitate. When leadership rotation is implemented correctly, such agitations will unlikely arise again. Also, the federal government should ensure that no region is envious of the other by making fair zoning of capital projects and equal distribution of resources across every part of the country.

For the peaceful coexistence of ethnically and religiously diverse Nigerians, all ethnic and religious groups must reject their prejudices against one another. They must also understand their differences genuinely. This is necessary for them to have a common ground for respecting and tolerating their differences (cultural, ethnic and religious). It will also help them to live in harmony and build a society with strong human potential and economic progress.

‘Discipline’ and ‘patriotism’ are also areas of emphasis. No nation can be great without these values instilled in the psyche of its citizens. This is why many countries, like china, have a whole ministry for national orientation. Nigeria should copy these countries and launch a massive and consistent campaign for the ethos of civic behaviours and responsibilities in Nigeria. This will help to build discipline, respect and love of the country, as well as national pride, in the society. When these values are present in society, the people will uphold discipline and patriotism. They will reject corruption and all other harmful habits that could cripple their dreams and inhibit their country’s development.

On another side, economic diversification should be considered to put Nigeria on the right track. The country’s economy is, at present, heavily reliant on the revenue derived from the export of crude oil. This leads to low economic growth, which, in turn, favours poverty as there is no room for massive job creation. But the diversification of the economy will certainly change the story. Therefore, Nigeria should diversify into areas like agriculture and industrialization. The agricultural sector, which was the mainstay of the country’s economy before the discovery of oil, has a long value chain. And a firm industrialization policy can create thousands of manufacturing jobs for people.

Nigeria should also make policies that will attract more foreign investors, especially those who produce different kinds of products and machines. This, together with reasonable provisions for private enterprises, will go a long way in reducing unemployment and alleviating poverty in the country.

Notwithstanding the above, Nigeria should do better for the education sector. The saying, “No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated,” cannot be more correct. Unfortunately, Nigeria spends very little on education (less than 8% of its total GDP). The number of out-of-school children is high, and universities remain closed for over seven months due to an indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). To save education from this mess, Nigeria should increase its expenditure on the education sector; map out a plan for revamping it, and see the plan through with maximum commitment.

At this juncture, I want my fellow Nigerians to remember that; all the developed countries we currently admire have, at some point, been where Nigeria is today. It’s therefore valid to believe that Nigeria can equally develop. Fortunately, the country is blessed with both material and human resources to facilitate the process. However, it is rightly said that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Progress is made with sustained effort over time. Therefore, we need to unite, do our patriotic duties, uphold discipline and get professional and morally upright leaders to drive the country.

I will conclude by quoting Chinua Achebe in his book The Trouble with Nigeria, published in 1983, where he opined that “Nigeria can change today if she discovers leaders who have the will, the ability and the vision. Such people are rare in any time or place. But it’s the duty of enlightened citizens to lead the way to their discovery and to create an atmosphere conducive to their emergence. If this conscious effort is not made, good leaders, like good money, will be driven out by bad.”

It takes our collective efforts to move Nigeria forward.

Habibu Maaruf Abdu wrote from Kano, Nigeria, via habibumaaruf11@gmail.com.

By Babatunde Qodri

It can be argued that ever since Nigeria got her independence in 1960, the country hasn’t gotten worse like it’s today. Every year is filled with insurmountable challenges beyond the control of both leaders and citizens. It appears, sincerely, as if the country has been cursed. Every opportunity to believe in Nigeria’s prosperity is dashed by a litany of crises ranging from insecurity, poor education and health systems and economic downturn. The country seems to have been brought to her knees.

The occasion of independence does not move people from different corners of the country. On the contrary, the convention of this remarkable celebration is a history remembered with joy and happiness. Many other African countries celebrate their independence with scores of impressive feats, despite avoidable crises. Unfortunately, the case isn’t the same here in Nigeria, where leaders expected to make people proud resort to disappointing charades to the country’s detriment.

The ongoing industrial action by university lecturers says a lot about how blighted Nigeria has been. Students have been away from classrooms for months. One would expect that a 62-year-old country should have grown past deleterious distractions capable of creating barricades in the way of her education system. It hurts that a sector as eminently necessary as education can be allowed to suffer while the Government continues to fund frivolities. The question is, which country develops or has developed without serious attention to education? 

In other words, education in Nigeria is now in a comatose state. It’s hard to believe that this is Nigeria where Sir Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, and others once lived and governed. Nigeria’s present predicament, evident in her leaders’ shameless willingness and obsession with greed, has ruined those past years of free education packaged to liberate Nigerians for genuine patriotism. What used to be, in terms of quality, transformative education now constitutes a culture of abandonment, taking a heavy toll on the survival and growth of the country.

Insecurity is another problem. Severalerians have been in captivity for years. We are now the headquarters of banditry and kidnapping for ransom. Non-state actors have taken advantage of the country’s vulnerability to unleash horrors daily. And the complete loss of strength by people constitutionally paid and expected to protect lives and property heightens fears. Because of this unwholesome reality, the country has become a no-go area for foreign investors who should have helped her economically. The fact that people are becoming strangers in their homeland explains the mass migration of Nigerians out of the country in search of averagely better and more peaceful climes. Internal unrest, sadly, continues to drag the country backwards.

This reality is worsened by intractable corruption. Despite being an oil-producing country, it’s still disgusting to hear that Nigeria cannot refine her oil, which makes the country hugely indebted. While other OPEC countries leverage the international market amid restrictions posed by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, Nigeria is wallowing in a financial crisis resulting from endless oil theft. Isn’t it funny that the country has to borrow to service her debt? This is indicative of the depth of mess in which Nigeria is in.

Unarguably, Nigeria needs urgent solutions through the diversification of its economy. We must take advantage of modern agriculture to produce what we consume and vice versa. The country should stop wasting funds meant for critical goods on exotic cars for politicians. Our Government must invest in the education sector, health care system, and others.

Plus, effective legislation is paramount. Nigeria is in dire need of a fresh set of leaders with brand new ideas, leaders who are committed to viable plans and collective change. The issue of climate change must also be given urgent attention. Climate change and poverty have the exact root cause, and their impact contributes to the national underdevelopment the country is witnessing.

As we move into 2023, Nigerians should understand that our country deserves a befitting future. So we must be interested in candidates who will focus on doing the right thing at the right time. We must go for candidates with clear readiness and vision to transform our education system and uphold justice and transparency. We must do away with activities capable of fueling the embers of disunity in the country. 2023 should be about these.

Babatunde Qodri can be reached at babatundelaitan@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A 2022 and the 63rd annual national conference of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) ended successfully Thursday, September 29, 2022.

The conference, which started Tuesday, was aimed at providing possible ways to enhance fiscal sustainability in Nigeria as the country ranks fifth on the list of ten countries with the highest debt exposure.

The event hosted academics, politicians and traditional rulers from all parts of the country to grace the event held in Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Kano.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Prof. Umma Ahmad Jalingo, the second woman president of NES and the first one from the north in 63 years, commended the successful completion of the event.

She said the past three days had been very impactful, adding, “Today, September 29, has marked the culmination of this program with yet an important component.”

His royal highness, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, commended the organisers for holding the conference in Kano.

The emir said the conference was relevant, looking at Nigeria’s current economic situation. He also commended all the papers presented.

Some of the papers presented included “Impact of Fiscal Policy on Financial Inclusion and Development in Nigeria” by Taiwo A. Segun, “Fiscal Policy Options and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria” by Muhammad B. Ado and “Public Debt and Poverty in Nigeria: The Role of Governance Quality” by Omowuwi O. Idowu, among others.

NES was founded in 1957, three years before Nigeria’s independence, and aims to provide intellectual leadership in understanding and to manage economic, social and political changes in Nigeria.