Northern Nigeria

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has cautioned politicians against exploiting politics in the nation through religion, noting that a severe result would follow such a move just as it had in Germany during Adolf Hitler’s rule.

On Tuesday in Abuja, as part of the celebrations for his 70th birthday, Kukah spoke at the launch of his new book, Broken Truth.

“If you look at history, there is a consequence for using religion to manipulate politics. We just need to look at Germany. The consequences are there to see in Hitler.

“The problem is that the Nigerian political elites lack the mental capacity to understand the consequences of the fire they are stoking because there is nothing to suggest that the average person who is living in the north, who is Fulani, who is a Muslim, or who is Hausa, can say that they are proud of the Nigerian political system, beyond a very tiny percentage.

“So, if you decide that you want to give privilege to a religion or an ethnic group, what will happen is that others automatically become outsiders,” the bishop was quoted as saying.

Additionally, he indicated that protests are still taking place in the nation because the populace is more knowledgeable than those in charge of its affairs.

Kukah added, “The agitation that persists in Nigeria is largely borne out of the fact that those who govern us are not aware of how much mental progress ordinary people have made.

“Those who are being governed are more intelligent and endowed. And it will not have been a bad thing if people who don’t know seek knowledge.”

By Lawi Auwal Yusuf

Researchers in social policy now prefer to use the concept of social exclusion to explain multiple deprivations that prevent individuals from joining important community activities. This goes beyond commodities that can be directly purchased. For example, it’s difficult for the socially excluded to secure a job, engage in recreational activities or participate in politics beyond mere voting.

It moves beyond consumption to examine how resources affect the participation of worse-off members in society. Poverty impinges on participation in social activities that are essential to everyday life. For instance, visiting a hospitalised brother or friend. Individuals are deprived if they cannot afford even the cheapest activities.

In the same vein, controlling inequality is indispensable if poverty and social exclusion are to be combated. Any nation with a broader gap between the rich and the poor is bound to be stubbornly enmeshed in poverty. However, some scholars accept that it is not easy to uproot inequality completely. They suggest making a poverty benchmark: income below the average. Those individuals with scanty resources less than this dividing line are considered poor with an intolerable living standard. In this case, there might be inequality devoid of poverty. This idea is primarily concerned with dissipating poverty altogether and integrating people rather than making them more equal.

It is crucial to distinguish between poverty and social exclusion. Poverty refers to material fewness or the lack of means to live a happy life. While social exclusion consists of a broader range of ways whereby members of a society are disadvantaged, consequently predisposing them to poverty. It involves a lack of participation in decision-making and civil, social and cultural life. These deprivations hinder individuals from participating fully in social life. However, both portray the existence of injustice in society.

Tackling social exclusion must involve measures to deal with institutional ethnic stratification, tribalism, sex discrimination, and gender inequality and encourage stronger community cohesion. Nonetheless, institutional ethnic stratification of minority groups is more likely to cause poverty and exclusion among disadvantaged groups than all the other factors. This is because ethnic harassment does produce fear and a sense of isolation, thereby augmenting the social exclusion produced by other inequalities.

Furthermore, women and children are more vulnerable to extreme poverty than men, while lone mothers are at higher risk. This speaks to the high rate of unemployment which is also higher among women than men. This is a reason that helps to explain the high rate of women deprivation that is becoming more noticeable. To cut women’s poverty, it’s necessary to combat the underlying causes like girls’ educational disadvantage, idleness of women, gender discrimination/inequality, lack of promotion for women on low wages and deficient educational achievement for the children of impoverished households. However, a significant increase in welfare services and full employment of women would make a difference.

Disability is another relevant factor prone to poverty and exclusion. Rude attitudes of people towards disabled individuals remain a major cause of exclusion, whereas the need now is for inclusion. Stigmatisation is not only a barrier to participation in the community but also a deliberate move to distance them from the existing opportunities. Moreover, high rates of deprivation among disabled people are a result of marginalisation in the labour market.

Unfortunately, impaired persons tend to have higher living expenses than normal persons for commodities of their special needs. The extra costs for disability include healthcare, physical aid or transport. As a result, they suffer from poverty alongside exclusion, while participation in society is restricted by sensory defects or limited mobility. This results in overall deficient health, which impedes their employability and the ability to work, unlike the non-disabled.

However, poverty and social exclusion are not inevitable consequences of disability. Instead, they are due to discrimination and failure to provide the resources and facilities needed to reduce its effect. Thus, authorities must make strict laws against the harassment of persons with an impairment. Furthermore, public and private organisations must also take reasonable steps to accommodate the needs of disabled persons until the physical environment becomes completely user-friendly for them.

The major causes of poverty in Nigeria include dead-end jobs, low pay, lack of promotion of low-income workers, poor education for the children of the poor and high taxes. The government must understand that excessive taxes such as Value Added Tax and duties tend to take up a larger share of the income of average Nigerians.

Furthermore, a lack of sound education and training for the children of ordinary Nigerians is the leading force behind poverty and exclusion. Skills are increasingly becoming more valuable in the labour market, and without them, there is a high risk of redundancy.

Joblessness is a strong predisposing factor because participation in the labour market greatly reduces the risk of poverty and exclusion, while idleness is closely correlated with them. Provision of full employment with prospects is the gateway to ensuring a better and prosperous life. It also provides the poor with social networks that give a sense of inclusion. It also helps in coping with these acute situations.

Similarly, a high number of children in a family is another factor that increases the risk of poverty compared with smaller households because of the extra costs involved.

Finally, for Nigeria to win its war against poverty, good governance must be the leading force in this crusade. Stealing, embezzlement and turning public office into an instrument of creating wealth for acquaintances and tribal brethren must utterly vanish. Contrarily, transparency, providence, judicious redistribution of resources and equal treatment of all irrespective of closeness or ethnic background must prevail. 

Lawi Auwal Yusuf wrote from Kano, Nigeria

By Muhammad Aminu 

Police in Jigawa State have arrested two suspected kidnappers following a raid at the kidnappers’ hideout in Nisan Marke Settlement in Ringim Local Government Area.

The Police, in collaboration with a vigilante group, acting on earlier received intelligence information, carried out the raid successful.

Police spokesperson in Dutse, DSP Lawan Shiisu, said operatives from Ringim Area Command in conjunction with a local vigilante group led by Ringim Divisional Police Officer (DPO), SP Shehu Hamdullahi, acted on credible and actionable intelligence and conducted the operation at the identified suspected kidnapper’s hideout.

He noted that one 45-year-old Muhammad Sama’ila of Madari village in Warawa LGA of Kano State was reported to have been wounded all over his body while fleeing from the suspects.

He explained: “On receipt of the information, a team of Policemen swung into action, visited the scene of the crime and conveyed the victim to the hospital.

“While at the hospital, after regaining his consciousness, the victim revealed that he was Kidnapped on Tuesday 22nd, August 2022, at about 0130hrs from Madari Village in Warawa LGA of Kano State and taken to Nisan Marke Herdsmen.”

He added that when he attempted to escape from the abductors, he was attacked by one of the kidnappers and inflicted injuries on his body.

He said: “On the same date at about 0850hrs, a team of Policemen stormed the Area, where one of the kidnappers named Abdurrazaq Musa, 40 years of Gurgunna village, Babura LGA, Jigawa State was arrested, and the phone that belongs to the victim which was used for ransom negotiation was recovered in his possession.

“Furthermore, one Hassana Jimau, age 30 years of Nisan Marke village, was also arrested at about 1230hrs.

“During interrogation, both the suspects confessed to having abducted the victim with eight other gang members while the effort to trace their accomplices is on top gear.”

According to him, the suspects have been handed over to the team of the anti-kidnapping section of Kano State Police Command for discreet investigation and necessary action.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Over 75 secondary schools in Zambara State were closed due to the menacing security challenges bedevilling the area over the years.

A permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Alhaji Kabiru Attahiru, made the disclosure Saturday in Gusau while reading a goodwill message during a two-day meeting.

It was gathered that the meeting was held to sensitise the National Policy on Gender in Education (NPGE) and was organised by the state’s Universal Basic Education Board in partnership with UNICEF.

He stated that the schools had been closed since September 2021 following attacks on two girls’ schools in the state.

He added that the state government is working very hard to ensure the reopening of the schools that were shut down due to threats by bandits.

Zamfara has become the epicentre of banditry and kidnapping, the development that widowed many and orphaned thousands of kids.

By Muhammad Abubakar

As the 2023 election comes closer, these politicians will begin to follow you for them to carry out their political ambitions and later run away from you. This happens after they have used you in a way that you will completely lose your dignity in the eyes of the world. And in the end, you will regret it. The biggest loss in your life is that: you are now valuable to them, right? They can give you whatever you request from them but don’t think that after the election they would again do something useful for you or your family.

For that, youth should wake up from this slumber. Something happened in my presence during the 2019 presidential election, which ultimately weakened my opinion about political involvement. There were two guys I had seen fighting with lethal weapons in their hands, and I was sure nothing could stop one of them from dying if stabbed with the weapons. The saddening thing is that none of them passes twenty-two years of age.

It’s time to know where it pains in your body and who pains you in your societal endeavour. Even if you have never attended primary school in your entire life, you will not want something bad to happen to you. For the sake of the almighty God. What sort of life are you (the youth) living?

If you look at the current situation of this country, you will understand that those politicians you are gambling with your life on do not care about your existence. Had it been they cared, they would not have held their arms watching you and your nation’s economy going to the dogs.

Although there are reasonable and competent among them, eighty per cent of them out of a hundred are unarguably incompetent. Therefore, a thoughtful and caring leader will never give his people illegal drugs or any accidental subject during the campaign to achieve his goal.

Another awful thing is that; the deterioration of the academic sector in this country is beyond human imagination. But yet, no good action has been taken upon that. Frankly speaking—I don’t know the specific role those politicians (who have been elected as the leaders of our dear country) play in their offices. However, it’s clear now that everyone understands the government’s negligence and I-don’t-care attitude towards the education sector.

Without a doubt, if their children were studying here in Nigeria, they wouldn’t have allowed this lingering ASUU strike to last this long. Let me repeat; youth should wake up from their slumber. Youth should know who is their foe and who likes them.

I now advise the youth to make sure that they sustain their voter‘s card (PVC) to vote for the right leader in the upcoming election.

Muhammad Abubakar is an essayist and port. He wrote from Jos, Plateau State, via muhammadabubakar01002@gmail.com.

By ImamMalik Abdullahi Kaga

The rate at which vernacular speaking is becoming rampant in schools (public and private) is so alarming. From elementary to secondary school, our children develop the ability to speak English or Arabic. But, without learning and practising it constantly, you can never be fluent in a language.

English is the official language in Nigeria, yet many people find it challenging to communicate with it. To convey your thoughts or ideas effectively and get well understood by others in many parts of the world, you must have the ability to communicate with the promising language – English because it’s a global language.

It’s regrettable and disappointing that a graduate with a bachelor’s degree or postgrad degree cannot speak or write in the official language appropriately. This, no doubt, results from one’s failure to learn it right from primary and secondary years (childhood). We cannot deny that most of us – northerners – have this weakness. But what could’ve led to this terrible mistake? First, the communication medium in our school days is often our mother tongue (Hausa).

Sadly, most schools don’t emphasise the need to use English to communicate among pupils or students. Some in question subscribe to the idea that (the English) language doesn’t determine one’s intelligence. Arguably, it is not, but we should consider the awful effect of not being able to use it correctly.

To be candid, you hardly find pupils or students communicating in English and Arabic (for bilingual schools) during school hours. For example, some teachers contribute to the escalation of this menace.

Some teach using vernacular, while others aren’t willing to prevent pupils or students from speaking it (vernacular). However, some unwisely claim that the students need a clear explanation of the treated topic. Hence, they use the local dialects to explain. This, however, doesn’t justify explaining lessons in local dialects because educationists have many teaching strategies.

Accordingly, teachers have this “disgusting” habit of speaking to students in the local dialects during class hours or break time. The students respond equally in the local dialects. During break hours, students communicate in the local languages without fear of being caught and penalised for that because the schools they attend don’t impose or simply disregard the rule.

If the abovementioned issue prevails, the coming generations will most likely succumb to the temptations to communicate in their mother tongue. Therefore, school proprietors and their managements should wake up from their deep slumber and confront this issue head-on, which helps deteriorate our education standard.

I believe teachers and prefects are the most powerful “tools” that could influence the students to comply with this because they play vital roles in shaping and correcting the students/pupils if they tend to stray.

ImamMalik Abdullahi Kaga wrote from Borno State University via abdullahiimammalik@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Unknown gunmen trooped into Dutsinma town of Katsina State and abducted the relative of the state APC gubernatorial aspirant, Umar Tata.

Daily Trust reported that some of the victims were wedding guests and were kidnapped to unknown destination by the shooters.

Confirming the incident, a resident, who preferred anonymity, said, “We have just returned from the house where the incident happened, we commiserated with the families of the victims.

“It (banditry) is really becoming worrisome and we are appealing to the security agencies to rose to the occasion,” he added.

Speaking to journalists, also another resident stated that the bandits initially kidnapped nine people at Unguwar Kudu quarters of the town but three were later released.

He added, “First, they abandoned an elderly woman who could not trek, with a small boy who was continuously crying. Then when they went further.

“There was a time the bandits came to Dutsinma for four consecutive days and kidnapped people. The situation has become worse and we are really disturbed,” the source said.

The Daily Reality could not reach the Katsina State Police Spokesman, SP Gambo, for confirmation as all attempts turned fruitless.

By Aliyu Nuhu

It is obvious that the Nigerian government can rescue the train victims if it seeks outside’s technology. There are many options including combat gas that could neutralize the terrorists without any harm to the captives.

Russia used Opiate Fentanyl, a non-combat gas, meant for medical use to rescue people held in a theater. There were casualties because that gas should never have been used because people will need oxygen immediately after inhaling it to be able to survive. If we want non- lethal weapons there are options and we should reach out to Israeli or United States. If we want combat operation we should use Executive Outcome of South Africa. They have the specialty and night vision for rescue operation.

No responsible government will sit down and do nothing for fear of collateral damages, allowing terrorists to dictate terms to it. The Russian rescue mission had unfortunate outcome but it at least stopped future attacks.

In Nigeria you can be sure that this is not the last abduction because of the way we are mismanaging the situation. There are nerve agents that attack people by their DNA, meaning that, in a crowd of a million people, it will only kill the target person whose DNA is locked into the nerve agent.

The drone that killed Ayman Alzawahiri was meant to kill only him without harming his family. The special missile didn’t have explosives but piercing blades. There was no damage even to the building.

The mistake FG always make is talking to the terrorists. Listen to Garba Shehu saying the terrorists asked for their children, a special plane was sent to bring them. They asked for their women and the women were promptly released…, etc. Imagine! Each time terrorists abducted people, the FG will go into negotiation frenzy, begging them, giving them money, releasing captives and even sending them hard drugs and vehicles. That is a fatal mistake. It is the reason why abductions continue to fester. The terrorists don’t fear Nigerian government. They are even threatening to abduct the president. Worst is that they are in Nigerian soil. No terrorist can hold hostage in America or Israel. No way!

The FG should learn from United States and Israel. They are terrorists’ biggest customers. When terrorists commit crimes against America or Israel, the two countries don’t talk to them. What will follow is silence. The two countries don’t negotiate or listen to any demand. Then, you will see the terrorists becoming confused and going into hiding because they know their days are numbered, that death will come anytime because the CIA and Mossad are only gathering intelligence and planning. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. One day a terrorist leader will be driving and a drone will come from the skies and in seconds he is gone. One day he will be sleeping in his well hidden abode and in faraway Pakistan and commandos will fall from the sky and he is dead. One day he will just peep through the balcony and his head is cut off by a blade carrying missile.

A certain Hamas leader who was well disguised and relaxing in a Dubai hotel received a basketball dressed operatives of Mossad in the hotel that left him dead.

If we can’t do it, there are assistance waiting for us. We should seek help. We should train our security agents on it because terrorists have come to stay unless we stop talking to them and start seeking and killing them. The only language terror understands is violence.

But in Nigeria, we have leaders that don’t think at all and I am honestly disappointed with Buhari because he is a retired infantry general.

For violent crimes we need a special military tribunals to deal with them under the security situation we find ourselves. The president has powers to declare security emergency in the country. It means due process will be set aside and violent criminals will no longer face regular courts. The judges are afraid of adjudicating cases involving terrorists and kidnappers because of attacks on them and their families. They are human beings. A judge granted bail to kidnapper in Zaria because according to him his life was threatened. Also we don’t have hangmen to carry out execution.

Cases of kidnapping, terrorism and banditry are federal crimes handled by the attorney general and minister for justice. The man is busy pursuing money and political office to even think of his most important responsibilities. He also failed to delegate his powers to the state attorney generals.

The government cannot just fold its hands and watch. It must think of something and in that case firing squad is the answer under military courts. The military have no compunction taking human lives, they are trained to kill. Boko Haram and Ansaru are committing war crimes and anywhere in the world, war crimes are for special military tribunals, but in Nigeria, the criminals stay safe!

By Adamu Tilde, PhD

This tribute should have come earlier. I have tried to write something about Mallam Ali Garba several times, but it always ended in a stalemate. Not that I can capture the essence of Mallam in a few paragraphs, but I, nevertheless, will share what Mallam meant to me.

It is trite to discuss the mutual distrust between the few Western-educated elites and the remaining populace of the Muslim North. The condescending looks the former harbour for the latter has inadvertently led to animosity, disdain, estrangement, and suspicion. This mutual distrust has stalemated the needed cultural and social changes and transformation for growth and development. 

For long, the ordinary populace cannot find reasons to associate with the educated elites; the elites, on the other hand, cannot understand why the public views them with utter cynicism. In my view, the effortless meandering of this contradiction tells the essence of Mallam.

Mallam was educated in Kent up to PhD level, published books and articles in reputable journals, worked in some elite organizations and finally settled in Bayero University Kano (BUK), Department of Business Administration, until his demise. This impressive resumé only made Mallam more courteous, down-to-earth, and humble. So, how did he surmount what appears to be an insurmountable challenge? I will come back to that later.

I first met Mallam in 2014 at Kano Central Hotel. I was selected for a workshop on entrepreneurship by Hajiya Amina Ado Kurawa. Mallam was one of the resource persons. Given how Hajiya Amina praised Mallam Ali, we waited with bated breath for this all-important resource person. We were not disappointed. Mallam delivered a flawless presentation. I could not wait to engage him after the presentation, only for Mallam to excuse himself for another engagement. I later searched for his name on Facebook. 

Mallam interspersed his discussions, teachings and writings with ‘barkwanci’ (humour). This invited a lot of traffic to his wall; it also made his students and followers feel at ease in his presence which thus facilitated two-way communication. You would feel confident asking Mallam anything.

Another charming trait that won Mallam many hearts was the extent to which he would reach to correct you without belittling you or making you look/sound foolish. This all the more made him endearing and welcoming. 

Mallam knew he had a lot to share, and we were not making better use of his knowledge and experience. He looked at us (Tijjani, Marzuq, and I) in one instance and said: “Use me.” In another instance, during our first visit to his house, he invited us upstairs, introduced us to his wives, and finally said to us: “This is your house. Come whenever you want.” We were not alone. He did this to many. This unassuming and welcoming personality made Mallam a darling to many and led to the birth and polishing of innovative business ideas. Maryam Gatawa’s Gatmeals is one example. 

Muslim North has no shortage of brilliant minds bristling with excellent ideas that can transform its economic prospects into reality. However, I suspect that the knowledge of how to harness and translate these innovative, transformative ideas into reality is in short supply.

One way of achieving this is to bridge the gap of access between the two aforementioned mutually distrusting classes. This is the essence of Mallam Ali Garba. And this was what Dr Waziri Junaidu cautioned us against in 1971: “Let not your degrees, research and publications be an excuse to feel haughty amongst your own people. Knowledge is at best when it is universally useful, and the best scholars are those whom the ordinary man fears neither to encounter nor to address.”

Adieu, Professor Ali Muhammad Garba.

By Lawi Auwal Yusuf

Some say that all poverty alleviation programmes would be a failure. Unfortunately, given the dispositions of our politicians, this is to a significant extent true because it suggests that they are not genuinely committed to dispelling all forms of deprivation. And this severe material lacking happens to reach its pinnacle that the idea of affluence is a contrived mirage, compromising the economic firmament upon which everything else must rest.

Poverty is the scarcity of material resources or the meagerness of the money needed to acquire those commodities believed to be required to maintain an acceptable living standard. Its a condition of severe deprivation of the basic human needs that include food, safe drinking water, healthcare, education, housing and sanitation facilities. It depends not only on income but also on access to services.

Poverty is deeply entrenched in Nigeria and ravages people’s lives devastatingly. It must be conquered because it leads to cycles of deprivation, whereas poverty is bequeathed from one generation to the other. However, any government that is not making genuine efforts to fight poverty is consciously pushing people deeper into it. This is because government policies significantly influence the extent of poverty. Therefore, impoverished Nigerians and the socially excluded must be helped to alleviate their plight.

Though welfare institutions have been designed to deal with the situations, at least on paper, the attempt to change the conditions of the poor fails because they are but dismal efforts, if not baseless paperwork. Inadequacy of the welfare state and the structure of society are responsible for poverty amid prosperity.

The welfare state is seen as the best remedy for overcoming poverty. Some social workers postulated that it helps tremendously in extirpating poverty and social exclusion and contended that it’s essential in solving many social problems. Therefore, full employment with prospects and increased welfare benefits would soon eradicate these intractable problems through redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor and significantly raising working-class living standards. However, critics argue that it does little to wipe it and even suggest it as a cause. 

Asa Briggs said that “the welfare state exists where governments decide that the private enterprise is failing to meet the needs of its citizens. The welfare state might intervene to meet such needs by providing services such as health care, education, social housing, transport and social services; or by redistributing resources to those in need through benefits system.” This means that money can be redistributed to the poor through the benefits system, and welfare services can be used to minimise poverty. 

The main problem with poverty eradication policies in this country is that they reduce the amount of poverty that truly exists. Hence, authorities attempt to deal with it through unfounded poverty alleviation programmes, frivolous economic empowerment schemes or even minor reforms. But, contrarily, its widespread are ruining Nigerians’ lives leading to social disorganisation, while deft changes are necessary to extricate it. Therefore, Nigerian policymakers must examine the problems in defining and measuring poverty and social exclusion, their causes and most importantly, the possible solutions.

Poverty is measured either in an absolute or relative term. Absolute poverty is usually based upon the notion of subsistence. This means that individuals are said to be poor if they lack the wherewithal to live decent lives. It is a judgment of basic human needs and is measured in terms of the resources needed for such living. Hence, it is much more concerned with establishing the quality and amount of food, shelter, clothing etc., deemed necessary to maintain physical, material, social and psychological wellbeing.  On the other hand, when measuring poverty in relative terms, the prosperity of that society at a particular time must be considered before fixing its threshold. 

The money needed for the subsistence level of existence must cover food, clothing, rent, schooling, fuel and light, and household and personal items. This must be adjusted according to family size.

Another contentious issue is whether poverty should be seen purely in material terms or must go beyond that. Supporters of the former view assume that poverty consists of insufficient material resources considered necessary to maintain a good everyday life. But, followers of the latter view believe it involves much more than material dearth. They see it as multiple deprivations with different dimensions.

For instance, there is a lack of educational opportunities, professional training or adverse working conditions. None of these conditions is directly related to an individual’s material possessions. It signifies radical societal changes rather than simply raising the income of the worst-off members. Tackling poverty in this sense would require a fairer redistribution of income, but also, it would require fundamental changes in the social structure.

Lawi Auwal Yusuf

Kano, Nigeria.