₦airaland Forum

I do not always watch viral videos of Nigerians being tortured by bandits and kidnappers in the country’s vast ungoverned spaces. I do avoid them for my sanity. I prefer to read about their ordeals in newspapers or listen to rescued victims recount their experiences. Watching those viral clips is an assault on the senses that leaves me nauseous for days.

I watched one recently and I am still struggling to feel human again. It leaves the kind of helplessness you feel when you want to act but cannot, and want to help but cannot. I often wish I had the spiritual authority our pastors and sheikhs claim when they say they “hear the voice of God.” I wish I were that man of God who could command God to grant my wish in a blink. Instead, I realize I am as powerless as the tortured captives and millions of other Nigerians. It is painful.

Today, no one is safe. Everyone is vulnerable, except perhaps the president, state governors, and those they choose to protect. We became powerless because our parents and grandparents believed it was ethically and politically right to obey the state. They signed a social contract with the Nigerian state, surrendering their individual power so the state could have a monopoly of force to protect them and their children. In return, they became powerless while the state became absolutely powerful.

Over time, and for reasons we all know, the Nigerian state lost that monopoly of power. Corruption, financial mismanagement, nepotism, tribalism, injustice, double standards in the administration of justice, human rights abuses, do-or-die politics, and religious bigotry hollowed it out. Today, the Nigerian state is rivalled by bandits. It is now debatable which is more powerful: the government or the bandits.

The bandits’ power is different. It is not tied to any conditions or obligations because they seized it. They did not negotiate it. Nigerians did not hand it to them through a social contract, as our grandparents did with the state. Therefore, bandits are under no obligation to protect us. And because untamed, unlimited power intoxicates, especially when it carries no moral obligation, its wielders slide into nihilism.

Do Nigerian bandits fit the description of nihilists? That needs explaining. In Friedrich Nietzsche’s framework, there are three categories of nihilism: passive, active, and incomplete. Incomplete nihilism is the most dangerous of the three. For this article, I will focus on active and incomplete nihilism.

But first, what is nihilism and who are the nihilists? Simply put, nihilism is the rejection of religion, moral principles, legal rules, and other norms, often based on the belief that life has no meaning. A nihilist is one who embraces and promotes that rejection.

From my observation, there are three broad categories of bandits in Nigeria. There are criminal entrepreneurs. These are not nihilists. They are criminals. This group kidnaps for profit. They demand ransom. They appear to be the majority. Successive Nigerian governments indirectly empowered them by failing in their duty to protect citizens due to corruption and the ills mentioned above.

By “government” here, I do not mean only the current administration. I mean successive governments in Nigeria. Insecurity did not start today; it has only reached its lowest ebb under the present dispensation.

Then we have the second category of bandits. They are agents of senseless destruction. This group does not seek money or personal gain. They kill and destroy with no goal, no demands, no conditions. Their aim is destruction itself. When they enter a town or settlement, they burn houses and kill indiscriminately. One wonders why. They are nihilists—specifically, incomplete nihilists in Nietzsche’s categorization.

In the third category are the Boko Haram and Lakurawa. I refer to them as “bandits” for ease of analysis and narrative flow. These are closer to active nihilists. They kill and destroy for a purpose. Their objective is not money but ideology, or so they claim. This is what active nihilists do: they raze the old system to impose a new “value” order. They kill without regard for religion or ethnicity. They spare only those who accept their version of religion.

The Biafran and Yoruba Nation agitators would also be described as nihilists if they resort to killings and wanton destruction of property and state institutions. Their agitations remain legitimate if they pursue the constitutional route to advance their demands, which is a right they are entitled to.

The point is simple: Nigeria is under siege. Nigerians are in chains everywhere. Insecurity of all kinds has engulfed the country. Those privileged not to be in kidnappers’ dens are also mentally besieged. Today, not being kidnapped is not a right in Nigeria; it is a privilege for which one must thank God. Those in kidnappers’ dens deserve our prayers, day and night.

Earlier, I wrote that I wish I had the spiritual powers our pastors and sheikhs claim when they say they “hear the voice of God.” That was to mock the fake holy men who parade themselves as miracle workers. If any cleric can truly communicate with God directly—face to face—and command Him, let them use that power now to intervene for victims who have lost hope of living in kidnappers’ dens.

Let them use their “spiritual powers” to perform miracles and liberate these innocent schoolchildren from the agents of death. If they still claim miraculous powers but refuse to bring these children back, then they are worse than the bandits who have forced us to sleep with one eye open.

I fear we are witnessing the time foretold by the noble Prophet SAW: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, a time will come when the killer will not know why he killed, and the one who was killed will not know why he was killed.” Sahih Muslim.

What we are witnessing in Nigeria today is worse than war. “Persecution is worse than killing” Qur’an 2:191. That verse is the title of this column.

I use this medium to appeal to Nigerian rulers: rescue all those in kidnappers’ dens and protect the rest of us. Reports claim Sunday Igboho knows those behind the abduction of these innocent children. The government, through the DSS, should invite him and act on any information he provides. He must mention them and the government should act.

May God help the victims and the rest of us. Nigeria is not safe.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Dear Nigerian Pupils in captivity, Children’s Day was observed two days ago without you. It would have been one of the most meaningful occasions because the day coincided with Eid al-Adha, a festival celebrated by Muslims all over the world.

I could not bring myself to celebrate or watch the festivities, knowing you are in kidnappers’ dens. I hope you do not lose hope for a reunion with your parents. I know you are in pain, but always keep hope alive.

I am writing to tell you something that will remind you of your worth, lift your spirits, and bring a smile to your face even in pain.
Do you know that you are important not only to your parents but also to your country? Do you know that you are loved not only by your parents but also by your country?

You are loved because you are special gifts from God. Your presence in any human settlement — not in a kidnappers’ den — is a strong sign of continuity. In a broader sense, you children guarantee the survival of every civilization. You are proof that a civilization is not dying.

The quality of children in any state or country determines its future, progress, and development. That is likely why a day is set aside in your honor to be celebrated as Children’s Day.

When a country has a good number of children who are responsible, well-trained, properly educated, and morally upright, we can say that country has a very bright future. That is why every responsible government, anywhere in the world, prioritizes meeting your needs before meeting the needs of others.

I understand the government has disappointed you. I feel your pain. I know the very reason government exists is to protect you, but it failed to do just that. I affirm that you were right to choose going to school over roaming the streets aimlessly. I believe, as you do, that you are the leaders of tomorrow. But I am confused, pained, and I wonder why the leaders of tomorrow should be held captive by kidnappers and criminals in a country that has “leaders” of today.

I thought, as you must have thought, that you would not spend a night in a kidnappers’ den, knowing that without you, the country’s future is bleak. Now it is two weeks in captivity and counting, with no news — not even fake news — about your release.

I thought President Tinubu would give marching orders to the service chiefs: bring you back within 48 hours, and dismiss them all if they failed to reunite you with your parents. The President did not do that.

Though he did act. Not much, but he acted. What he did, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Jagaban of Borgu land, was to appeal to Nigerians — including your parents — to pray that bandits and terrorists repent. What kind of Commander-in-Chief is this?

And honestly, we may not blame President Tinubu alone. Even your teachers, who should have shut down schools and demanded your return, did the same thing. The Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) declared a three-day fasting and prayer program for your safe return. I mean those of you from Oyo.

I am not aware whether the Borno State chapter of the NUT also declared a three-day fast and prayer for those of you from Borno. Perhaps they are tired of praying and fasting, since mass abduction of schoolchildren is not new to them in that part of Nigeria.

No doubt, we are a nation of prayer warriors. I strongly believe you will return safely, for I know how effective prayer is. I must admit my fear: I know the consequence of prayer without action — especially when action is needed.

Dear Nigerian children in captivity, do you know why you are in captivity? It is because you chose schooling over criminality. Have you ever heard of hopeless, homeless vagabonds or criminals of the underworld being kidnapped? No. It is because they are not the future of any country. Those who kidnapped you did so because they know you are the country’s future. They did not just kidnap you; they kidnapped Nigeria’s future.

Another reason you are in captivity is that your parents elected the wrong people to steer the affairs of the state. Though the blame is not entirely your parents’, they too were deceived by religious clerics in turbans and those in cassocks. With the support of these clerics, politicians campaigned in the name of God but ruled like agents of Satan.

They impoverished your parents so that they could be bought with peanuts in the next election cycle, just to remain in power.
I strongly believe you will be back. The government really needs to bring you back, as that will be counted as an achievement — in a country where the government’s achievement is not preventing citizens from being kidnapped, but paying ransom to rescue them after it happens.

My prayer for you is that when you are released, you become better citizens despite all the horrors you must have endured. I told you before that you are the country’s future and tomorrow’s leaders. That is a dream you must be determined to realize. To realize it, make your education a priority. Do not forge results. Those who forge results never become responsible leaders.

When you are ultimately released, avoid drugs and drug addiction. You must have observed that your kidnappers use drugs. Cruelty is one of the traits that characterizes drug addicts. They are merciless and brutal to the core. That is why they developed a heart of stone, which led them to kidnap you and your teachers and even kill your teacher in the most gruesome way. In the same way, when drug addicts wield political power, citizens suffer untold hardship and are plunged into multidimensional poverty.

Avoid drugs, no matter the temptation.
Do not be ethnic jingoists. Jingoism, fueled by jingoists, kills a country. Jingoists in a multiethnic country like Nigeria do not believe in one Nigeria. No amount of exhortation can make them work to achieve unity in diversity. Their jingoism is incurable. They will always work to break the nation by any means.

Dear Nigerian children in captivity, there is something more dangerous than all I have mentioned above that you must avoid: religious bigotry. It is cancerous. I have never seen a religiously bigoted nation that has ever developed. When you become a religious bigot, the first sign is skewed thinking — you stop thinking clearly.

If you are a bigoted Muslim, you will blindly and doggedly support and defend everything your brother in Islam does, whether right or wrong. If you are a bigoted Christian, every act of criminality and corruption committed by your church members will be seen as a virtue. Whoever fails to see it as a virtue must be treated as an enemy to be fought.

Dear Nigerian children in captivity, I believe you will be released and become great. Your present bitter experience is meant only to make you emerge stronger and become unifiers. I warn you again and again: religious bigotry is dangerous. In fact, it is one of the reasons — the major reason — you are in kidnappers’ dens. I wish I had time to explain this fully to you one day when you regain your freedom. Understand this: bigots are incapable of uniting people to foster development..

I am impatient and eager to see you reunite with your parents and other Nigerian children. You will be back very soon, God willing. When you are back, I have other things to discuss with you to make Nigeria great, because I have great confidence in you.

Yours sincerely,
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com



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I have written several columns on JAMB’s cut-off marks for admission seekers into Nigeria’s higher institutions recently. In those columns, I lamented the lowering of the admission bar to a ridiculous minimum.

While Professor Ishaq Oloyode, who just stepped down as JAMB registrar, has many achievements to his credit—especially the purge and the massive reform—one disturbing policy that detracts from his record was the lowering of admission requirements.

Before assuming office, someone gave the new, young JAMB registrar, Professor Segun Aina, an assignment: bring back scholarship to the examination body by making 200 the minimum score.

I have argued countless times on this page that JAMB’s ridiculously low cut-off marks encourage laziness and kill diligence among students. JAMB will always argue that it does not fix cut-off marks. Is JAMB a robot that is teleguided?

Four years ago, in a piece titled: “JAMB Should Make ‘Zero’ The Minimum Cut-off Mark For Admission Into Nigerian University,” I wrote: “JAMB always tries to vindicate itself that it doesn’t fix cut-off marks for tertiary institutions. JAMB could be right but who fixes it? JAMB should have taken it upon itself to defend its decision if the low pegging makes any sense. Its explanation that it does not fix cut-off marks sounds, to me, like a deliberate acknowledgment of the fact that the minimum scores are indeed ridiculous."

The piece was a reaction to JAMB beating down the pass mark to 140. When I wrote it, I sarcastically asked JAMB to fix zero as the cut-off mark. I wrote: “JAMB may wish to make zero the minimum cut-off score for admission into our tertiary institutions. The elementary truth is that 140 out of 400 (35%) or 0 out of 400 (0%) falls within the bracket of failure. We call it F9.”

Four years later, zero is now the cut-off mark—not for all courses, but for the most important one. The mother, the foundation, and the fountain of all courses.

If you are still wondering which course that is, it is probably because we have made it a habit to undervalue our primary and secondary school teachers. The course is Education. For candidates who choose to study education in Colleges of Education, JAMB has been waived. Not because they will sit for a different, more rigorous test, but because their inability to pass JAMB has starved our schools of the teachers they need to teach our kids.

Yes, we were told, JAMB has become a barrier to studying Education. We were told: “The waiver is a major step towards reducing entry barriers and widening access to teacher education, particularly for students in underserved communities where Colleges of Education can serve as centres of opportunity and development.”

I am still struggling to make sense of the above quote. Some national dailies attribute it to Dr. Angela Ajala, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education.

This is not reducing entry barrier as she said. Nothing is reduced. "Reduction" is not the word; the word is "removal." In my article titled "Affirmative action or removing the bar? a critique of admission requirements," I asked if the government was not actually removing the bar in the name of affirmative action through its discriminatory admission cut-off marks. I was right in my suspicion. The bar has now been removed.

In the article, published in Turkey by the Journal of Social and Educational Research , 2024, 3(1), I wrote in its introduction: “The education sector remains a critical sector in any society. A society that neglects it does so at its peril. It is the force that drives nations to great heights. A state’s commitment to education is evidence of its commitment to development and progress. A nation retrogresses when it neglects education or shows little commitment to it.” Unfortunately, the Nigerian government thinks otherwise.

On the suspicion that those who decided to divorce scholarship from Nigeria’s education system might be alone, they try to convince themselves by saying: “The reform is not a lowering of standards. It is a widening of the door, with structure still standing at the gate.”

Removing a qualifying exam like JAMB without substituting it with a more rigorous one is considered a reform? Is that a reform or a deformity? Who hoards common sense in this country until nonsense starts making sense to us? Must every Nigerian be a graduate?

I don’t know if this happens elsewhere. As far as I know, it is only in Nigeria that the more people fail exams, the more schools are built. Could it be that there is a symbiotic relationship between failure and higher education, because we keep building more schools as people fail? Or could it be a symptom that the country itself is a failure? I expressed this irony two years ago in a Daily Trust article titled "UTME: The more Nigerians fail, the more universities are established."

The government should have addressed the root causes of failure in our basic and secondary schools — negligence, underfunding, and miserable salaries paid to teachers, among others. After all, the government cannot feign ignorance about why candidates fail UTME and why JAMB suddenly became a “barrier.” JAMB was never a barrier. Until it started lowering the bar to a ridiculous minimum. JAMB had always been the filter that separated the grain from the chaff. The body has now been wrested from that role.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has been vindicated. This union has been engaging the government to point out the unreasonableness of proliferating higher institutions in the country. Now we are facing the reality. Not just colleges of education and polytechnics — we now have many universities with few students because only a few candidates pass UTME. Those universities did not need to be established in the first place. But because the government likes to quantify achievements that are not achievements in the real sense, it keeps proliferating universities while feeder schools are in shambles. (By feeder schools, I mean secondary schools). To keep these universities open, JAMB has to make entry requirements so low that candidates do not need to pass. They only need to sit for the examination.

As stated in the new policy, candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education would still need to register for JAMB, but only as a formality. I am still watching, waiting for an official pronouncement from the government that schooling is a scam. There are indications that this is how the government sees education in Nigeria. It would not be surprising, since many of our rulers "govern" us with either controversial or forged certificates.

We are toying with our future when people who could not pass any exam are trained to train our kids. When teachers become synonymous with failure, I don’t know how else to define a failed generation.

Let me conclude with a quote from an article written by Adam Muhammad and one Abdulkadir Salaudeen. It was published last year in the Zaria Journal of Educational Studies, titled “The ‘Education is a Scam’ Debate in Nigeria: A Critical Discourse Analysis”: “This paper concludes that education is not a scam. However, within the Nigerian context, one would be arguing against reality to say education is not a scam, due to the government’s disjointed education policies and the non-implementation of laudable ones. This makes education ridiculous and turns it into a ridiculed pathway to success.”

Let’s see if this policy does not turn schooling into a complete scam. Let's see if does not turn our schools to just getting in to get a certificate. May we be healed.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Religion is not merely good practice; it is an excellent one. To call it merely “good” and stop there is to diminish its merit. It has been the foundation of many civilizations in the past, and its allure continues to endure today despite the growing wave of anti-religious sentiment.

Those who reject religion, and by extension deny the existence of God, often fail to study it properly. More often, they study it hastily because they are eager to confirm a conclusion they had already reached. In other words, they approach it with a preconceived notion and then skim through it just to validate that bias.

Max Weber, the German sociologist, historian, and political economist, rightly argues that religion inculcates moral values through education, which in turn shape economic behaviors like discipline, diligence, and frugality—traits that can enhance economic development.

I am aware that some pastors and imams misuse religion to extort their followers. Cases of sexual abuse by religious leaders in churches and mosques are increasingly being reported. However, these abuses do not strip religion of its inherent virtues. Those who abuse religion only make fools of themselves.

I think I should quote Weber verbatim. In his book titled "The Protestant Ethic And The Spirit Of Capitalism" Weber wrote: “Religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality, and this cannot but produce riches” (p. 118). Like Weber, Barro and McCleary in their 2003 working paper titled "Religion And Economic Growth" argue that religious beliefs accelerate economic growth because they reinforce behaviors that increase productivity.

However, these scholars are not Nigerians and do not live in Nigeria to witness how religion has been abused to undermine development and entrench poverty.

In the hands of charlatans and politicians in Nigeria, religion has failed to produce industry and frugality. It has also not sustained any aspect of human behavior that increases productivity. For instance, religion was used to justify a Muslim-Muslim government in Nigeria, which is now synonymous with widespread poverty, hardship, darkness, unprecedented insecurity, and the wanton destruction of lives and property.

What the ruling class practices in Nigeria is a politicized religion capable only of blowing an ill wind. This explains why the Katsina State Government prioritizes funding wealthy pilgrims over feeding the hungry and dying masses.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that no fewer than 300,000 children are currently out of school in Katsina State. According to UNICEF’s 2025 report, Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa states account for 16% of Nigeria’s 10.2 million out-of-school children—over 1.6 million in total—with Katsina accounting for 300,000.

A separate report by the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2024) shows that 64.6% of children in Katsina are stunted, higher than the rates in Kano at 51.9% and Jigawa at 55.7%.
The Katsina State Department of Girl Child and Child Development also disclosed that at least 61,495 adolescent girls were out of school across the state’s 34 local government areas three years ago. That number has likely increased, given the growing number of villages and communities under the control of bandits.

The government, however, does not seem to lose sleep over this. What keeps it awake is its inability to secure the state’s Hajj slot, prompting it to provide a ₦3.8 billion loan as if the heavens would fall if the slot were lost.
Rahama Farah, Chief of UNICEF’s Kano Field Office, made this observation during a media dialogue on child-sensitive budgeting and planning in Katsina last year. He regretted that the government’s approved social sector budget had continued to decline, from 38.57% in 2016 to 12.98% in 2020.

He said UNICEF was worried in light of unflattering statistics that work against Katsina’s 4.5 million children. This is the point where sanity should dictate behavior. Any sane person who knows the scale of the calamities befalling Katsina and other northern states should be worried. The government, however, is not. It is worried about the welfare of pilgrims who can take care of themselves and are religiously required to do so.

According to the UNICEF chief, one in six children in Katsina dies before their fifth birthday. Three in four children—75.5%—are multi-dimensionally poor, lacking access to essential services such as health, education, and adequate nutrition. Religion should have made them multi-dimensionally rich. But because religion is turned upside down in Katsina and other northern states, its practice seems geared toward making the already rich even happier and richer, while leaving the poor and helpless stunted children to wait for God to intervene.

Governor Dikko Radda, after approving a ₦3.8 billion loan, announced that the government would sponsor _Hadaya_ for all pilgrims and each pilgrim would receive a $500 allowance to cover basic needs in Saudi Arabia—that’s roughly ₦700,000. Because we have lost our sense of responsibility, courtesy of a skewed understanding of religion, many will applaud the governor for doing “the work of God” and "promoting" Islam.

Pay attention again to these grim statistics from UNICEF. Over 6 in 10 children—61.2%—live in monetary poverty, which severely limits households’ ability to meet basic needs. One-third of children—33.3%—are out of school at the primary level, undermining the state’s future human capital and economic growth.

Because we have lost our integrity, one wonders if a single pilgrim has the self-awareness to realize there is no dignity in accepting this gift from the government. Can’t our pilgrims find a polite way to say no to this humiliating gesture? Can’t they say, “We are grateful, sir. Channel these funds to health and education, which are critical to the future of the state”? Can they advise the government to address the most pressing needs of these out-of-school children?

Do our rulers understand that out-of-school children pose an irreversible calamity in this knowledge-driven age? Does the Katsina State Government realize that dishing out billions for Hajj in the face of these statistics is self-inflicted harm?

Furthermore, only 23.4% of children aged 6–23 months receive the minimum acceptable diet. This is a major barrier to healthy growth and brain development. As if that were not bad enough, more than half—51.3%—of children under five are stunted, indicating chronic malnutrition with long-term consequences for health, learning, and productivity.

With such a glaring barrier to brain development, how can these development-starved children not grow up to become bandits? Unless they are fortunate by Providence, many are likely to think and act like bandits, or even become more dangerous than them. Is this the future we are dreaming of?

UNICEF chief Rahama Farah concludes: “Children represent over half of Katsina’s population, and investing in children—in their health, nutrition, education, protection, and participation—is not charity; it is the most strategic investment Katsina State can make.” I couldn’t agree more.

But our rulers continue to invest in Hajj, which brings no direct benefit to the state. Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime religious obligation meant only for those who have the means. Our rulers have turned this simple, unambiguous Qur’anic injunction upside down in an attempt to teach God how to practice His religion.

The path to spiritual good is clearly explained in the Qur’an by the Omniscient in Chapter 90, verses 11–16:
“But he has not made his way through the steep path. And what will make you know what the steep path is? It is the freeing of a captive; or feeding on a day of hunger an orphan of near relationship, or a poor person in misery—not funding pilgrims.”

Yet our rulers, after turning religion on its head, neglect the captives to rot in kidnappers’ dens or be killed. They fail to feed and educate our stunted children but provide excessively for pilgrims. This is not Islam. This is nonsense. But since there is a Day of Reckoning, we shall see how they will defend their actions before the Creator.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com










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If there is a minister who needs no introduction in this Ẹmilokan Government, it is Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory [FCT], who is always in the news — embroiled in controversy. I won’t deny that he is hardworking as FCT Minister, but I will say he is unapologetically bold, confrontational, and controversial in discharging his duty.

To Wike, one has to be mad to be FCT Minister. By his own standard, Wike is a madman. And I must confess that I admire him for admitting it publicly. That admission means people in Abuja should be cautious when dealing with him. He is not an ordinary minister you can address anyhow.

He should also not be addressed with excessive politeness. If you must engage Wike, study his mood and choose your approach carefully. No approach works all the time. What succeeds with him today may be wrong tomorrow because he is moody and always charged. This does not mean he "takes something" . The only way to predict Wike is to predict that he is unpredictable.

This is where Pastor Sarah Omaku got it wrong. I learned that she is the Senior Pastor of Family Worship Centre, Abuja. She made an emotional plea to Wike over the planned redevelopment of Jabi Lake. In a viral video, she was seen kneeling and appealing to Wike to let the lake remain the recreational resort it has always been. 

I like her strategy — dramatizing her appeal like a caring mother. I suspect she genuinely cares. But she directed her plea to the wrong person. She was too polite for Wike’s style, brashness, and madness. 

I suspect Wike, "the man wey no send,” either saw the video or was briefed about it. He was clearly unmoved by the pastor’s emotional appeal and responded publicly. 
Reading his response in the papers alone, one might conclude he spoke from a beer parlour. But Wike was apparently not drunk when he replied Pastor Sarah. His remarks came during a media chat aired by NTA. He chose his words deliberately and knew exactly what he was saying. 

Yet because of his habitual, official “madness,” Wike came across as uncouth. And in my view, he was not only uncouth to Pastor Sarah, but also to the Christian God. I will explain why.

Wike said: “To the woman who was crying, if she likes, let her call God to come down. What is my business? How does Jabi become hers? Is it an individual or government property? We are trying to make sure investors develop this land for the interest of all of us.”

Wike’s decision on Jabi Lake might be right, and Pastor Sarah might not be wrong either. But the propriety and correctness of Wike’s decision over Jabi Lake are not my concern. My concern is his lack of respect for God.
Wike should know that regardless of whether the land in question—Jabi Lake—is sold or not, God will not come down. God is not idle, and He does not need to descend because of Wike. Even if Wike has disdain for those he was appointed to govern, he should not extend that disdain to their Creator.

He could have rudely disregarded Pastor Sarah’s plea and gone ahead with the Abuja land deal without being disrespectful to God. Instead, he lumped the pastor together with God in his profane remark.

This is the same man who declared Rivers State a Christian state when he was governor, without apology to anyone. It makes me wonder whether Wike is still a Christian who loves God, or just an Abuja errand minister trying to protect his job, even if it means turning his back on God.

A Christian body did not hold back. It replied Wike immediately for his uncouthness. The Northern Christian Association faulted Wike over those offensive remarks that desecrated the Almighty—the Alpha and Omega. The body warned that political authority must never be used to disrespect God or offend public sensibilities.

I salute the Christian body for its timely reaction. But I have two concerns: one with the Christian body and the other with Muslims. But these concerns become non-issues once it is established that God means different entities to us.

Why did the Northern Christian Association react without its southern counterpart? Is the God Wike disrespected different from the One worshipped in the South? I quickly checked where Pastor Sarah came from. I found out she is a native of Kaduna. Could that be why southern Christians’ voices were not heard in condemning Wike’s uncouth utterance since Sarah is from the North?

I understand there has been a recent “go your way, we’ll go our way” split between northern and southern Christians over leadership issues in the Christian Association of Nigeria [CAN], which, to the best of my knowledge, remains unresolved. But has it reached the point of worshipping a different God? I urge CAN to condemn Wike for his utterance.

Now, let me address our Muslim sheikhs, imams, clerics, and organizations. Are we comfortable with Wike’s disrespectful remark about God? The Abuja minister said that if God were to come down, it would be none of his business. I understand that both Pastor Sarah and Wike are Christians. I strongly believe Wike is still a Christian, even though he says he would have no business with God if God were to come down.

Can we, as Muslims, just fold our arms, move on, and say, “After all, it’s Christian versus Christian”? No. It concerns us. Yes, it concerns Muslims. Let’s replace “God” with “Allah” in Wike’s remarks. What would our reaction be?

If Wike had said, “To the woman who was crying, if she likes, let her call Allah to come down. What is my business?”, I believe many of our Muslim clerics would have mounted the pulpit to teach Wike who Allah is. This is an opportunity for all of us to join hands and condemn Wike for his reckless reference to God.

An occasion like this should present us with an opportunity to speak with one voice, irrespective of religion and region. Let’s first ask Wike which God he expects to come down, and whose coming down would be none of his business.

Even the erratic Donald Trump, the U.S. President, understands this basic concept. He knows that God and Allah refer to the same deity in the Abrahamic faiths. In a social media post reported by major global media outlets, Trump ended his threat of “hell on earth” to Iran and declared victory in the ongoing conflict with the words, “Praise be to Allah.”

Or am I missing something? Is there a difference between God and Allah? I reference Trump because I see him as Wike’s American counterpart. If Wike had been Nigerian President, he would most likely be Nigeria’s version of Trump.

While I await those who might wish to educate me on the difference between God and Allah, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, should be careful and stop ridiculing God.
Dear Nyesom Wike, the self-styled “landlord of Abuja,” God no be your mate!

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

When jokes replace governance, and jokers are positioned to steer state affairs that demand dedication, sobriety, and seriousness, we cannot but expect ridiculous inputs into the decision-making process which will, by default, produce ridiculously outrageous outputs.

I am still struggling to understand the kind of mental illness that would afflict elected political officeholders in a state like Kano — and their political advisers — to think that underwear, diapers, and detergent are items to be used to empower the masses or score political points.

Let me begin with the underwear. It is not just any underwear; it is the red kind. They call them “red pants,” and we know what the color red symbolizes in Kano politics. It is the political badge of a powerful politician who commands a large following, probably the largest, in the state. These panties were displayed at political events during the First Lady’s visit to Kano. The fact that they are women’s underwear makes the act even more ridiculous. The act became even more alarming when the governor’s face was seen printed on the panties.

We first read that the panties, bearing the handsome-looking face of the Kano State governor, were distributed to empower women. To empower women?! Are the panties magical? Do they turn into money when worn? Or are they charms that attract rich men to women who wear them? I do not understand. How can you empower women with pieces of underwear?

But because Nigerian politicians are so notorious and known for their eccentricity, whenever the most outrageous claims are attributed to them, Nigerians will readily believe them to be true without a shred of doubt. Many immediately believed that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf indeed distributed panties to empower women.

This was later verified to be false. Although red panties were displayed — not distributed — by some loyalists of the governor, allegedly to spite and ridicule his former godfather and benefactor, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, they were actually plain red panties. The governor’s picture was said to have been superimposed on the panties, afterwards, to appear authentic in order to score a political point.

It is good to know that the governor condemned the uncultured act. In his words: “You have heard what happened. We are here minding our business when someone reported to me that a group of young ladies had displayed something… The governor was unaware. I quit social media because of something like this.” If the governor is truthful, kudos to him. A dedicated governor of a state like Kano should truly not have time for social media, for his own sanity.
But we must condemn it because it is against our culture and also against the teachings of Islam. Our youths should be symbols of hope and development, not tools for mockery or moral decadence,” the governor added. He also urged the youths to apologize.

Even though the governor has distanced himself and his administration from the incident — after he was surprisingly seen introducing Teemahcool, the TikTok personality who led the underwear display, to the First Lady during the visit — one still wonders what informed the decision of Yusuf Imam Ogan Boye, Chairman of Nassarawa Local Government Area, Kano State, to appoint the TikToker as a government official.

Immediately after the morally questionable display, Fatima Naseer, popularly known as Teemahcool and Chairman of the Gida-Gida TikTokers, was appointed Officer in Charge of Women Affairs in Nassarawa LGA.

If there still exists a scintilla of morality in us, we should question the rationale for the appointment. But we may not need to question it, because we are plagued by a class of politicians who see no virtue in us until we swim in the sewer and then ‘repent’.

That is why ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members are rehabilitated and empowered while victims of the same Boko Haram attacks rot in IDP camps. Wouldn’t the weak-minded among us conclude that it pays to be criminal, to be a terrorist, and to be irresponsible?

While we hope she will not begin to advise women in Kano State to be shameless and see virtue in shamelessness, it is sad to note that a display of raw immoral behavior in the name of politics could get one elevated, officially, in Kano politics. Where are our cultural values in all this? Where is our sense of morality, and where is our cherished religion? It is regrettable that although we appear religious, religion is absent in us and hardly influences our conduct.

Is anyone wondering why people are so gullible as to believe those panties were shared as empowerment? It is because other ridiculous items are usually shared as empowerment. So, people have grown used to it. The most recent example is detergent. As one newspaper reported it: “Kano LG Chairman Proudly Distributes Detergents to Empower Women.”

He is Abdullahi Saidu, the Chairman of Kiru Local Government Area of Kano State. In a rare display of “integrity, responsibility, and commitment to serve his people,” Saidu distributed detergent to 500 women in his constituency as part of an empowerment initiative to support households.

If non-Nigerians from other parts of the world read this headline, they will think each woman was given a full truckload of detergent to start a business. They will not know it was just a sachet that can be used up in a day by a household to wash clothes and utensils.

Are we really normal as a people? What is disappointingly disturbing is that women in the local government, in their hundreds, happily trooped out to collect a sachet of detergent. One person commented: “I hope they use the detergent to wash and reset their brains.” I honestly hope so.

The chairman must be very “innovative.” He did not distribute just one brand; he distributed different brands. The brands included Omo, Klin, and Viva. He reportedly said the gesture was aimed at supporting women at the grassroots and easing some of their domestic burdens. Hmm!

The chairman is not alone. Perhaps he learned from Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa, from the same constituency, who also supported 500 pregnant women in Kiru/Bebeji with diapers, other baby kits, and a token to start a business. There must be something special about the figure ‘500’. Jibrin Kofa is the member representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency, Kano, in the House of Representatives.

If politicians in Kano, and elsewhere, will not stop ridiculing their people, I think the people should stop making themselves objects of ridicule. They should learn to say no to this nonsense. What would truly empower the people of Kano operated for only a short time before it was shut down and placed under lock and key. I am referring to the Aliko Dangote Ultra-Modern Skills Acquisition Centre in Dawakin Kudu LGA, Kano State.

This is a multi-billion-naira investment in what matters most — skill acquisition. I learnt that the centre has a tripartite funding structure whereby the Kano State Government and the 44 local governments in the state commit 35% and 30% respectively, while Aliko Dangote commits 35% to the funding and pays expatriate salaries for six years. The centre is now grounded just after about four years it was commissioned. In its place, Kanawa — the people of Kano — are getting detergent and diapers as “empowerment.”

I advise the Kano State Government to resolve the issues that grounded the centre and provide real, sustainable empowerment. This insult to Kanawa must stop, and those panties should not be seen in public again. They belong in the wardrobe, in the Other Room.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Nigerians do not merely struggle to survive; they struggle to live without light. Darkness has become a common denominator for most citizens. If a person is not trapped in the darkness of kidnappers’ dens, they are certain to face the darkness caused by the recurring collapse of the national grid.
The experience differs by location. In some parts of the country, people doubt the grid exists at all. For them, electricity is a term encountered only in the dictionary.

Does Nigeria still have a functional national grid? Why is the entire nation in darkness? During President Tinubu’s recent visit to Jos, the airport could not provide ten minutes of power to honour his ‘generous’ ten-minute meeting with survivors of the senseless killings — killings enabled by maladministration and misgovernance.

Let me share some sad news. I do not mean to be pessimistic. We may not have stable electricity again. If we are lucky to have stable power in the future, that would be perhaps after the Tinubu government in 2027 or 2031 — as the case may be — or when he is no more, should he become life president. The reason is simple: he, and the presidency, no longer need the national grid, because greed teaches selfishness.

Since it was announced that Aso Villa now runs on solar-powered electricity, I have a feeling Nigerians will hug darkness for a very long time. Many have realized this and become hopeless. Out of that hopelessness, those who have the means are installing solar panels to say no to darkness. They choose self-reliance in power generation because the government has proven, beyond doubt, to be unreliable.

However, the growing number of solar users has become a source of concern to the Lagos State Government. As if on behalf of God, or with God’s permission, Lagos now monetizes the sun — a free gift of nature. Solar users in government-owned housing estates must seek government approval before installing panels. The approval, of course, is not free. It comes with a fee. If you think you’re smart to be self-reliant, the government in Lagos is saying you will be punished with a fine for being smart.

Since a clip of some Lagos ministry officials harassing a resident at the Millennium Housing Estate over an unapproved solar panel went viral, Nigerians have not stopped asking: Where else on earth are citizens charged a ‘sun tax’?

The question is valid. But Lagos is not the first to impose fees on solar panels. It is only that the rationale differs. In the few cities where such fees exist globally, they apply because users remain connected to the national grid; they are not off-grid. In Lagos, the fees have nothing to do with the grid. They have everything to do with greed, going by official explanation. I will come back to this.

For now, the state insists a solar installation counts as an “alteration” requiring a government permit — at a cost. This begs the question: What exactly does a solar installation alter? The government says structural changes to buildings need approval under the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law.
In light of this, government officials claim solar installation “may” affect the integrity or design of residential structures. I wonder why a government that fails to protect the integrity of Nigeria and Nigerians is so obsessed with protecting the integrity of building design. Isn’t this a misplacement of priorities? Are we mentally stable? Isn’t this shameful?

A government that should bury its head in shame for its inability to provide something as basic as electricity is now on the prowl, taxing an already bleeding populace for finding an alternative to power supply. Isn’t it shameful that the ‘mega city’ single-handedly and painstakingly built by Tinubu cannot provide electricity? What exactly is metropolitan about Lagos if Lagosians, like remote villagers, have no power supply in the 21st century?

As I wrote earlier, Lagos isn’t the first city to introduce solar installation fees — or, preferably, a ‘sun tax’. We read that Spain tried imposing a tax on self-consumed solar in 2015 but repealed it after three years in 2018. Why? The European Union called it illegal. Spanish citizens called it stupid. This columnist joins other Lagosians to call fees on solar installation stupid and ridiculous. It is ridiculous because sunlight is a free gift of nature. The government plays no role in the sun’s appearance and does not determine when it sets.

India, at one point, also introduced solar fees but banned them in 2022 and directed the states to issue free permits. Why? It was reasoned, and rightly so, that sunlight is not a privilege. It is a utility the government does not provide, cannot provide, and will never provide. Citizens get it free from God. No number of solar panels installed could reduce the supply of sunlight or make the sun collapse like our national grid, which habitually collapses.

The government might try to justify such levies by claiming solar users are connected to the national grid. That argument will not stand, for several reasons. Here are three. First, to impose levies on solar users, there must be a functional grid that is relatively stable. Second, there should be net-metering that allows solar users to feed the starving grid.

In serious countries, the relationship between solar users and the grid is give-and-take. It is called net-metering. This is how it works: when the sun is high and your panels produce more power than your house needs, the excess flows into the grid and your meter runs backwards. At night, you draw from the grid and the meter runs forwards. At the end of the month you pay only for the “net” difference. If you gave the grid more than you took, the electricity company owes you credits. The grid becomes your battery. You help it by day; it helps you by night. Lagos and Nigeria should learn from Kenya, Germany and even South Africa. That is how those countries treat citizens who solve power problems with their own money. If the government cannot make solar panels and other solar gadgets cheaper, it should not punish us for finding a legitimate way out of darkness.

The third reason the “connected to the national grid” argument will not stand is simple: not all solar users are connected to the grid. Many are off-grid and get no backup from the grid. It would be crass greed for the government to impose levies on them. Lagos cannot tax Lagosians for sunlight. This must be vehemently rejected. If Lagos, or Nigeria, wants to charge solar users ‘grid availability fees’, then it should make the grid available.

Lastly, if residents in government-owned estates are taxed for sunlight today and the rest of us look away, we will be the next target. Again, if rulers in Lagos are allowed to have their way, rulers in other states will start imposing a ‘sun tax’ on citizens in copycat fashion. If they ultimately succeed, the masses will soon pay for the air they breathe. We may also be taxed for the wells we dig in our compounds, followed by a rainy-season tax for rain that falls on our streets.

May God heal this country. The country is sick.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Nigeria’s insecurity challenge shows no sign of abating. Though we hope and pray it ends, nothing on the ground suggests it will end soon. I am aware that Senate President Godswill Akpabio said it would end two weeks after the upcoming 2027 election. I don’t know if that was a prophecy or a joke. All I know is that no serious Nigerian takes him seriously.

Like Akpabio, our leaders in Nigeria seem fixated only on the 2027 election. The message appears to be: “Wait until after the 2027 election. For now, we are busy. We don’t have time to address insecurity. Once we win, insecurity will end in two weeks.”
Let’s assume Akpabio and President Tinubu will end insecurity two weeks after the election. With the unrelenting scale of killings and kidnappings witnessed and experienced daily by Nigerians, how many Nigerians will still be alive to witness the peace Akpabio promises?

The boldness bandits display nowadays raises many questions. Who are the pillars of support behind these criminals? I don’t think it is Satan. If it is Satan, it can’t be Satan alone. How can Satan, who is faceless, preoccupy himself with Nigeria alone when there are more than 200 countries across the globe? There are probably powerful satanic agents they look up to as pillars of support.

These criminals have become so audacious that they kidnap victims and record videos of themselves while giving the victims the beating of their lives — unmasked. If unknown gunmen operate in the south, the gunmen in the north are known and are proud to be known because they take pride in kidnapping and collecting ransom. They become even more brutal when they kidnap people, collect ransom, and still go ahead to behead victims after payment.

Nigerians are alarmed by the viral video of a University of Jos student being tortured by his kidnappers. Not because such torture of victims by bandits is unheard of — victims go through hell in the hands of these savages — but because these savages, who do not belong anywhere in the modern age, are literally kings, lords, and slavers in Nigeria.

Their temerity, boldness, and audacity to reveal their faces and mention their locations speak volumes. In a way, it shows that government does not exist. If government exists, these rogues either do not believe in it or believe they are more powerful and smarter than the government.

Truth be told, there is a government in Nigeria. Didn’t Nigerians elect a president, governors, and lawmakers in 2023? The “Emi Lo Kan” president is still presiding over Nigeria. The problem with Nigeria at the moment is that we have a government that does not govern and might never govern because it apparently has no plan to govern. It governs on promises. As we say in local parlance: “Governance no be for mouth.”

When the government should act, it promises. For instance, when bandits attack, we always get “consoling” promises: “It will not happen again,” “Our security agencies are on top of the issue,” “The government is on a rescue mission and the kidnapped victims will be rescued.” President Tinubu’s recent consolatory speech to the people of Plateau State was even more saddening: “There’s nothing I can give you but a promise that this experience will not repeat itself,” the President said.

But when the government taxes the masses, when it is about to bleed the masses dry, it acts with alacrity; it does not promise. After President Tinubu promised the people of Plateau that the experience would not repeat itself, only God knows how many Plateau residents have been kidnapped and/or killed since. Terrifying news is everywhere, and the experience remains sad and unfortunate.

Social media is now flooded with short videos of victims pleading with family, friends, and the public to help get them out of kidnappers’ dens — not with prayers, but with money. These criminals demand money not in thousands, but in millions. Not single-digit millions, but tens and hundreds of millions. They have even started demanding billions and trillions. Where on earth do they expect their victims’ poor families to source such huge sums?

Are these bandits aware that the average Nigerian is in debt to the tune of N724,000? According to a Daily Trust analysis citing data from the Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigeria’s total public debt stood at N159.28 trillion as of December 31, 2025. That translates to an average debt burden of about N724,000 per citizen. My share of that burden as a citizen of this economically battered country is even higher. Yet bandits demand to be paid billions and trillions in ransom.

The University of Jos student in the viral video was told to pay N30 million. Bandits who abducted 16 residents of Gonin Gora, Kaduna metropolis, demanded N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans, and 150 motorcycles for their release. Bandits who raided a church in Eruku, in Ekiti LGA of Kwara State, demanded N100 million for each worshipper taken.

In Woro, Kaiama LGA of Kwara State, they demanded N20 million for each of the 176 abducted people. Do the math: that’s N3.52 billion. In the Kankara area of Katsina State, where more than 15 residents were abducted, the demand for their release was N150 million.

No one should think only families whose loved ones are in kidnappers’ dens are obligated to pay ransom. In Tinubu’s Nigeria, some people still have to pay bandits not because they have been kidnapped, but to avoid being kidnapped. For instance, bandits have threatened to attack three communities in Kankia LGA of Katsina State if their demands are not met. They demanded 700 cows and 1,000 sheep from residents.

We learnt that in some villages in Katsina State, heads of households — husbands — leave their homes at night so bandits can rape their wives, and return only after daybreak when the bandits are expected to have left. It is not that the villagers are immoral beasts. It is only because that is the only means available to protect themselves. These villagers are Muslims. This is what their lives have become under the “Muslim-Muslim” government.

As I write, gunmen reportedly abducted JAMB candidates and other passengers in Benue. Their only offense? Being Nigerian citizens who want to be educated.

What is painful is that these bandits are known, unlike the “unknown gunmen” in the South. According to Dr. Ahmad Gumi, the government knows each of them by name and address. They use Nigeria’s internet to upload videos of their atrocities. They use Nigerian phone lines to negotiate ransom with victims’ families. Do we really need Gumi to tell us the government knows them?

Dear President Tinubu and the 36 state governors, the 2027 campaign cannot be based on promises. It will be based on performance, measured largely by your ability to stop these senseless kidnappings and killings. We need to be secure to cast our votes. The promise of security “two weeks after the election” by Akpabio — or is it a prophecy? — is outright rejected. We are tired of sleeping with both eyes wide open, yet still unsafe. The country is bleeding, and it cannot continue to plead. Yet the Federal Government is about to reintegrate 744 former terrorists into society.

I have concluded: we are unlucky people. Let’s pray for peace, since we cannot work to achieve it.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Plateau State used to be the cynosure of all eyes and a dreamland for those yet to visit it. It is not only the home of peace; it is also the home of tourism. Those who coined its motto as "Home of Peace and Tourism" were spot on (at least, back then).

When it was so named, it was indeed a home of peace and tourism. It was a tourist attraction, a top resort for foreigners who came to explore. It was cosmopolitan in both outlook and essence, with its gates open to all. People from different ethnicities coexisted, practicing different religions without being torn apart by the divisive threads of religiosity.

But when people became extremely intolerant on the basis of religion and let religion negatively impact them, rather than practicing the ideals that foster peaceful coexistence, things took a turn for the worse, and the state became chaotic — a center of violence.

Religious suspicion takes center stage, and erstwhile peaceful Muslims and tolerant Christians suddenly become arch enemies, battle-ready, and trigger-happy. The peaceful coexistence that characterized the state gives way to burning mutual animosity. The "Home of Peace and Tourism" becomes the "Home of Conflict and Desertion."

One may ask: "Who did this to us in Plateau State?" Any attempt to answer this question leads to pointing accusing fingers at one another. Christians claim the Muslims started it, while Muslims insist they are peace-loving people and violence isn't in their DNA – it is in the Christians'. Therefore, trying to answer the above question will not solve the problem. It will aggravate it.

So, what is the solution to religiously instigated fanatical killings in Plateau State and Nigeria at large? I searched for the answer – the solution. Fortunately, I found it. The solution isn't the government, which is more inclined to paying lip service to ending insecurity, and insulting victims rather than consoling them.

Let's take for instance, President Tinubu's recent chilling and unpresidential statement in Jos to those who lost loved ones: "You have no light at the airport. I have to fly back within the next 10 minutes. To the victims, there's nothing I can give you but a promise that this experience will not repeat itself." The statement adds insult to injury; it does not heal it at all. It's neither consoling nor assuaging.

The best the government can offer is a promise – and it has been promising, will continue to promise, if allowed, till eternity. Until we have responsible elected officials, we will keep receiving promissory notes, as if we are in a 'promiscratic' regime.
Are clerics the solution? Our ulama, imams, pastors, reverends, and other 'men of God' could be a solution. Unfortunately, however, many have chosen to fuel the fire of disunity and religious crisis.

So what is the answer? The answer is us, and the solution lies within us. We can change the narrative, insist on being positively different, and say no to injustice and senseless killings.

I will cite three to four cases in Jos that offer a glimmer of hope – if we can live by the ideal. A Christian saved a Muslim from rabid killers in Jos during the recent crisis! Can anyone imagine that? This is not to say Christians or Muslims aren't generally their brothers' keepers. It is to emphasize that antagonism, mutual enmity, and 'violence contest' define interfaith relationships in Plateau State, probably more than anywhere in Nigeria.

Sa'idu Murtala, a Muslim, was at Angwan Rukubu when the attack occurred. Weapon-wielding thugs were looking for Muslims/Hausa to slaughter in the Christian-dominated area. Murtala recalls, "I completely lost my senses, thinking I will be killed because the situation was terrifying – people around me were angry."

Looking for an escape route, a Christian man quickly got him into his house and hid him in his wife's room. He spent the night there, was offered food, and was shepherded to a safe area at dawn. Murtala couldn't believe it – it was like a dream. He narrates: "He (the Christian man) knows I am a Muslim because I used to do business there daily and leave for my area. He knows my faith. My phone, which I gave out for charging, was returned after things calmed down. They all know I'm a Muslim. I will never forget this man who saved my life."

According to Premium Times, youths in Angwan Rogo, another Muslim-dominated community, took two elderly Christian women and handed them over to the military for safety. "Don't worry. There is no problem," one of the Muslim men said in a viral video as they ushered the two Christian women into the military vehicle.

There are many other instances – this is just representative. This is what happens when Muslims and Christians choose to be humans, not trigger-happy religious bigots with empty skulls. May peace-loving people like these multiply in our community.

I am not done. Many must have seen this headline and read the story (I won't narrate it): "Plateau: Christian woman returns missing N1m to Muslim trader." Amidst the grief in Jos, with Christians and Muslims mourning loved ones, a Christian woman exhibited a rare trait – trustworthiness, a quality racing towards extinction in Nigeria.

Today, a Muslim doesn't trust a Muslim when it comes to money. Christians aren't different. A Nupe man doesn't trust his Nupe brother, likewise the Hausa. Mutual trust, even within intra-religious and ethnic groups, is lost.

This Christian woman is different. If she had been bigoted and possessed by a religious devil, like many other Christians and Muslims, the devil in her would have instructed her: "Keep the money. After all, it belongs to a Muslim – a useless Muslim. You do not need to make a Muslim happy. By returning the money, you will be empowering Muslims and Islam. It is better you spend it for Christ or on yourself and your family."

But because she is godly – truly religious, honest and trustworthy – she returned the money to the Muslim trader. In her words: "I am a petty businesswoman. I know what it means to suffer loss. If I put that kind of money into my business, I believe God would punish me."

This is when religion is reformative and transformative, not corruptive and corrosive. Her name is Sarah Luca. She must be celebrated. This is my little way of celebrating her.

With this rare religious tolerance and disposition, even in places like Jos and states like Plateau, there is a glimmer of hope that mutual hatred and senseless religious killings can be stopped.

It is also in Jos that the globally recognized Imam Abdullahi Abubakar (now late) sheltered about three hundred Christians during one of those crises in Jos. He hid them inside his mosque from marauding killers. May God have mercy on him and his likes as he rests in his grave.

Yes! We can live together. Yes! We can be our brothers' keepers irrespective of religion, ethnicity, and class. Yes! There is hope. Nigeria shall be peaceful again.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

In the past, Nigeria has played a big brother role in Africa, and it still does, as evident in its recent help to the Benin Republic's government to regain power from those who overthrew the democratically elected president.

Nigeria has helped restore peace in many African countries, fought against apartheid in South Africa, and assisted several other African countries in gaining independence. This isn't small feat. This earned Nigeria the moniker "Giant of Africa." It's still seen as a big brother by other African states due to its population and economy.

However, citizens of Nigeria, the Giant of Africa, are treated like ants almost everywhere in Africa and outside Africa. This is happening because the country 'Nigeria' no longer commands respect. Its leaders have become rulers instead of leaders.

Patriotism has fallen victim and been slaughtered. The political class (or if you like, the ruling class) has slaughtered patriotism on the altar of self-aggrandizement. They're hardly driven by the spirit of patriotism.
The citizens aren't different in this regard.

Often, citizens mirror the character of their rulers. When the head is rotten, no other part of the body is expected to be healthy.
Nigerians are humiliated everywhere. Many are literally slaves in foreign lands and prefer slavery in places like the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, or Iraq over living freely in Nigeria – because it pays to be a slave abroad rather than a graduate at home (in Nigeria).

I wrote a column on January 26th, 2025, titled "What are Our Women Doing in Iraq?" where I bemoaned the staggering number of Nigerian women stranded in Iraq – about five thousand of them.

In that column, I also recounted the case of a Nigerian lady who sleeps with 20 to 25 men every day in Libya. She left Nigeria not to be a prostitute but inadvertently became one. This highlights that prostitution has different levels. And for Nigerians, it's often the lowest of the low. These Nigerians fled from humiliating poverty in Nigeria only to be reduced to being treated like domestic beasts in other countries.

Nigeria has been a refuge for many Africans in the past. Displaced Africans from various countries would look to Nigeria in times of crisis – economic or otherwise. The famous 'Ghana Must Go' campaign, when Ghanaians flooded Nigerian streets, is a good reference point.

History seems to have repeated itself, but in a reciprocal and reversed manner. Then, Ghanaians were the victims who had to leave Nigeria. Now, citizens of the "Giant of Africa" are the victims who must leave Ghana and other countries because they're not needed. They are weeds — unwanted plants.

Last year, protests erupted in Ghana, with some citizens demanding the deportation of Nigerians, citing concerns over crime, prostitution, and job competition. Ghanaian authorities deported Nigerians without qualm, with 42 individuals sent back in December 2025 for offenses like prostitution and fraud.

Sadly, Nigerians aren't needed in many African countries that should ordinarily be in awe when Nigeria is mentioned or Nigerians are present.

Why am I writing this column, and why did I title it 'Citizens of Africa's Giant: Treated Like Ants Everywhere'? It's a painful reaction to a recent humiliating deportation of Nigerians from Niger Republic.

Can anyone imagine that? I can't imagine it. But my ability or inability to imagine it is useless and irrelevant. It's happening right before our eyes. We read it, we heard it, and we saw it. No fewer than 800 Nigerian deportees were reportedly received from Niger Republic in Katsina State by security agencies.

They were deported from Niger Republic due to immigration enforcement measures, which observers note could be tied to Niger's recent withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its efforts to ensure stricter border controls.

Even with Niger's withdrawal from ECOWAS, can it be imagined that it (Niger) would have the audacity to embark on massive deportation of Nigerians from its territory?

Sadly, our forests in Nigeria (and maybe our borders too) are under the control of bandits. Some of these bandits reportedly migrated from Niger Republic. While Niger Republic strands and deports Nigerians on legitimate business trips, the Nigerian government is holding peace talks with bandits from Niger Republic. The irony itself ironical — the irony is stark.

For instance, a legitimate Nigerian trader told PUNCH newspapers: “I believe there is a move to abolish the ECOWAS passport as a means of traveling here; they have started harassing us if we are entering the country. Some of our people are being turned back home. We learned that there is a new passport being issued now to everyone coming to Niger Republic to replace the old ECOWAS passport.”

Driven by stricter immigration policies globally, Nigerians are increasingly being deported from multiple countries. One of the 'achievements' of the diplomatic engagement during President Tinubu's state visit to the UK – the first in 37 years – is the agreement to ease the deportation of failed Nigerian asylum seekers and convicted offenders.

According to data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), at least 974 Nigerians are currently facing deportation from Canada. Similarly, Trump's United States doesn't spare Nigerians from deportation. The last time some Nigerians were deported from the United States, they were handed over to Ghanaian authorities. Isn't this humiliating?

Speaking with Daily Trust on Thursday, the media aide to Nigeria's minister of foreign affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, wondered why the US had deported Nigerians through Ghana when there was an agreement between Nigeria and the US regarding the deportation of Nigerians. I wonder why Abdulkadir was surprised. Perhaps he forgot that, to Trump, Nigeria is considered a "shithole" country. Ghana, on the other hand, to Trump, is a more acceptable deportation destination for unwanted Nigerians from the US.

From the foregoing, it's obvious that Nigeria has lost its giant status and is now treated like a "gi(ant)" as its citizens continue to be treated as ants.

Though I know, I was curious to know more about people's attitudes towards ants, so I asked Artificial Intelligence. Here's the answer I got: "People often view ants as pests and treat them with disdain or indifference. Common attitudes include squashing or killing them when they invade homes or spaces, ignoring them until they become a nuisance, using pesticides or traps to eliminate them, and viewing them as insignificant or annoying creatures."

This is exactly the treatment many Nigerians receive from host countries (though our condition isn't any better even in Nigeria).
Can we regain that past and lost glory? Yes, we can. In some cultures, I also learned, ants are seen as symbols of industry and teamwork, earning respect.

I conclude that, though treated as ants, we can earn respect by working together to make Nigeria great again. But we need patriotic leaders and followers (citizens)– not rulers, dictators, and sycophants.

However, with Tinubu's Nigeria collapsing into a one-party 'democratic' state where opposition is being strategically obliterated and patriotic acts are rare and strange, I struggle to hope. Except we join efforts to rescue Nigeria, we might always be despised ants. May God help Nigeria.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

https://thenews-chronicle.com/citizens-of-africas-giant-treated-like-ants-everywhere/

Giving birth and having children are the most important fruits of marriage. Marriages have gone sour, and in extreme cases, have been dissolved for their inability to bear fruit. Though it is possible for some to marry without planning to have a child, it is rare and unnatural to find couples who don't intend to have a fruitful marriage. In other words, it is unnatural, until recent times, to marry and wish to be childless.

There are things that amaze me when a man and a woman come together in a union called marriage to procreate and contribute to the continuation of human existence. Some marriages are blessed with many children—boys and girls. This is common. It is also not uncommon to see marriages produce only boys or girls.

Some marriages produce few children, not because couples don't plan to have more, but because Providence limits what they can have. Some plan for one or two, and they get what they desire.

Yet, some aren't lucky to have children, despite wanting them badly. They struggle a lot and even go out of their way, but to no avail. This isn't due to a curse or unforgivable sins. It is because the Unquestionable Giver of the fruit of the womb chooses not to give them for reasons best known to Him.

Amazingly, while some couples struggle to procreate, others are tired of it. Except in extreme cases where wombs are removed, some couples unintentionally keep procreating despite family planning. If a woman isn't tired after giving birth to eight children, she probably won't expect quintuplets – five babies born at once. This is what happened in Kano State on Wednesday.

A mother of eight, Hafsatu Yusuf, gave birth to quintuplets at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano. That makes her a mother of thirteen. In the traditional agrarian economy of the African precolonial era, this is fivefold joy. This is a great blessing. It is not blessing in disguise but apparent blessing that would be envied by well-wishers. In those days, a household blessed with quintuplets, after having eight children, added more assets. It was a good omen, a badge of pride, and a sign of prosperity.

This is the reality of that age. Is this the reality of our modern industrial age? Most people wouldn't think twice – they would say no. An emphatic NO. We have reached a stage where children are seen not as assets but as a burden. When news of Hafsatu and her quintuplets broke, many thought the father – a tricycle operator – must have run, fearing the burden in a battered economy where it is hard to feed oneself, let alone many mouths.

If children are blessings from God and many yet-to-have couples are supplicating day and night to have them, how would any sane father run from such blessings?

Hmm! Whoever thinks like this isn't a Nigerian living in Nigeria, especially under Tinubu. If not for religion and the faint fear of God that still lingers (lurks somewhere) in the hearts of Nigerians, many parents would prefer to sell their children rather than keep them in order to survive on peanuts that barely feed them, let alone their kids.

I love having many children. But giving birth to quintuplets – in addition to the ones I have – would apparently, if not definitely, be a fivefold challenge more than a fivefold joy. While I will thank God for the gift, it will take strong courage – like the one displayed by the new father of quintuplets – and strong faith in God not to run.

The good news is that the Kano State Government has taken responsibility for their care and welfare, including the mother. However, the sad news is that the mother of thirteen passed away due to severe postpartum bleeding. I imagine the joy the quintuplets would have given her after many challenges of nursing and sleepless nights if she had lived to witness their growth. Unfortunately she is no more. May the Almighty have mercy on her as she rests in earth.

The quintuplets, three boys and two girls, are said to be in stable condition and receiving medical care. I pray they survive in good health.

Any lesson learnt? Yes. Many lessons. I will mention a few among others. One, God doesn't consider economic condition when gifting children. If I have observed correctly, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets etc are more common among the poor than the rich. If my observation is wrong, the fact remains: economic condition doesn't determine God's decision to make marriages bear fruits or not (and the number of children He blesses a marriage with).

Two, our souls are in our Creator's hands. He takes them at will, not as we choose. The mother of thirteen would have chosen to nurse her quintuplets if given a choice. Death wasn't her choice, considering the fact that the government has promised to take care of her and her babies.

Three, ability and/or inability to procreate is a strong argument for God's existence — the hidden God but whose unilateral decisions manifest in our existence and the existence of all creatures. How can a sturdy, wealthy and handsome man marry a beautiful and lovely lady but can't procreate? Yet, a prostitute discards babies like trash into a dump site because she doesn't need them.
Let's think of it this way: how can a stupendously wealthy man struggle to have a child while a wretched man has more children than he can care for? That is God's work; we must humble ourselves.

In conclusion, with T-Pain or without T-Pain (in adversity or prosperity), children are blessings, and should be seen as such, from God. Whoever is gifted should thank God. Whoever is not given should remain firm and be faithful. God knows what we do not know and is Powerful. He says in the Qur'an, Chapter 42 v 49-50:

"To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female (children) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (children) upon whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is full of Knowledge and Power."

May these quintuplets survive and thrive. May Almighty God provide for those who desire to have children but have not.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Most countries across the globe are celebrating Eid al-Fitr today, Friday, March 20, 2026. We have reason to thank God. To many, it feels like just yesterday we started, and within a twinkling of an eye, one month has passed. In other words, the days are flying by at the speed of light. But to another category of people, Ramadan is like hell – unbearable, meaningless, and just needs to be over. I will address this shortly.

I intend to discuss three issues reflected in the topic above, starting with "When". When do Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr? It's simple. The answer isn't difficult, and even non-Muslims can answer with certainty and accuracy. Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr when the crescent moon is sighted. It's as simple as that!

One can also elaborate further: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr when the crescent is sighted, either on the 29th or 30th day of Ramadan. It's in this additional information that a seed of controversy was planted – and it was planted over a thousand years ago. The seed has germinated, it has grown, and the fruit of the seed is the jurisprudential controversy that, in my opinion, can't be resolved.

If we agree it can't be resolved, it means we're ready to live in peace and tolerate one another. We can then insist on our differences (because it's impossible to forget them), but with the mutual understanding that these differences are religiously legitimate. We can then politely agree to disagree and disagree to agree without disparaging each other.

What am I alluding to? I am referring to what many describe as a 'defiant' celebration of Eid al-Fitr yesterday (Thursday, March 19, 2026) in Nigeria by Sheikh Musa Lukuwa and his followers in Sokoto State. How could he dare act against the Sultan of Sokoto's declaration that Eid al-Fitr would be celebrated, in line with Saudi Arabia's, on Friday? It's worth noting that the Sultan isn't only the Sultan of Sokoto; he's also widely acknowledged as Sarkin Musulmai (Muslims' spiritual leader) in Nigeria.

Can we say important figures aren't always valued at home? That's how some people view Lukuwa's 'deviance'. I can't contest the view that the Sultan and Sheikh Lukuwa, both from Sokoto, aren't on good terms. But was celebrating Eid al-Fitr yesterday (Thursday) outrageous? I struggled and still struggle to find it outrageous. Though I am celebrating today (Friday) along with the Sultan – that's to say, I am celebrating with the majority of Nigerian Muslims (and, I should add, majority of Muslims across the globe).

Yet, I don't see anything nullifying the celebration of those who chose to celebrate yesterday. Only Allah has the ultimate say. We can't know (because it's humanly, scientifically, religiously, and philosophically impossible to know) Allah's position on this until we stand before His Majesty in the Hereafter — if actually one party is wrong and the other is right.

What's most likely is that neither party is wrong if we truly agree that disagreeing to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on different days among Muslims is a legitimate jurisprudential disagreement (especially if the disagreement is based on textual evidence).

Here, I am not talking about those who prefix when Ramadan starts and ends as if they had had a meeting with Allah where they were assigned as His Majesty's PAs and spokespersons. For instance, no one can predict with certainty and absolute knowledge that Ramadan will commence on a particular day. This is rivalling Allah with a claim of scholarship. It's nonsense and a shameless display of crude ignorance.

But when prediction on something that can only be certainly known by Allah is made tentatively, by admitting the limit of human knowledge and couched in probabilistic wordings, this is legitimate – scientific and scholarly. For instance, one can say, based on some astronomical calculations, that Ramadan would likely begin and end on a particular day. This is legitimate.

Back to my argument, those who celebrated Eid al-Fitr yesterday (Thursday) aren't wrong if the crescent was indeed sighted in Niger, as claimed. From my search (and anyone can verify), Afghanistan, Mali, and Niger OFFICIALLY celebrated Eid al-Fitr yesterday (Thursday). If the crescent is officially announced to have been sighted in these three Muslim-majority states, what should stop Muslims in adjoining states from celebrating?

Let me put it this way: if the crescent is sighted about 2,500 miles (4,023 km) away in Saudi Arabia (not in Nigeria) and Nigeria officially commences or ends Ramadan and celebrates, why shouldn't it end Ramadan and celebrate if the crescent is sighted in its backyard (Niger), just a few hundred kilometers apart? The geographical contiguity, along with some textual understanding (which I'm space-constrained to discuss), is a strong argument for yesterday's celebrants.

If we think Lukuwa and his followers' actions in Sokoto (and other states) fracture Muslim unity and religious harmony, it means we've deliberately chosen to narrow our understanding of unity and harmony. If we agree that observing Friday prayers at 1:00 pm in some mosques, 1:30 pm in others, and 2:30 pm in others isn't a sign of disunity among Muslims, let's learn to agree that not celebrating Eid al-Fitr on the same day can't disunite Muslims and isn't a symptom of disunity.‎

Besides, what should settle the case is the fact that Ramadan fasting, as legislated by the Law Giver (Allah), is actually to be observed for 29 days. The 30th day of fasting isn't the primary legislation – it's circumstantial, conditional upon not sighting the crescent on the 29th day of Ramadan. What's the issue if Lukuwa and his followers fasted for 29 days and celebrated on the claim that they (or some others) sighted the crescent? I honestly don't understand why this legitimate disagreement is being problematized — turned to an issue and hyperbolized.

On a lighter note, I heard some Christians online saying it gives them the opportunity to start eating Sallah food from their Muslim friends beginning Thursday (instead of Friday). That's a healthy joke that always gets my attention and makes me smile.

I have spent much time on 'when to celebrate'. Now, how do we celebrate Eid al-Fitr or any religious festival in these hard times when many Muslims are suffering in kidnappers' dens? If they're aware we are in a festive season, the season means nothing to them. It's possible many aren't even in their right senses to be aware.

How will the family and friends of those who lost their lives in Maiduguri a few days ago celebrate Eid al-Fitr? What about those who are seriously injured and can't distinguish between right and left or day and night? Some don't even know if they're alive or dead.

What about the families, wives, and children of soldiers brutally killed during Ramadan? The killings in the concluded month of Ramadan seem like a Muslim genocide – a genocide against Muslims by trigger-happy, bloodthirsty allies of Satan — but no one seems to be talking about it. Even top Muslim government officials, including the the First Man (President) and the First Lady, didn't see the need to stay home and mourn the victims. They are with King Charles III of Britain for a state visit, dining and wining, while the country burns.

So, why celebrate when insecurity grips Nigeria, making life not only "solitary, poor, and nasty," but also " brutish, and short" (apologies to Thomas Hobbes)? We celebrate because it's a religious rite, and Eid al-Fitr isn't postponable. If we assume it is postponable, then till when? Unless God intervenes miraculously, when will Nigeria find peace with rulers who see insecurity as the masses' problem, not theirs?

May God restore peace to Nigeria. We must celebrate, but with mindfulness and compassion. Let's be easygoing, avoid over-celebrating, and use this period to reach out to those in pain, helping to assuage their suffering so they don't feel abandoned. Let's pray for peace and god-fearing leaders.

Eid UL Mubarak. Taqabbalallahu Minna Wa Minkun.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

After all, we're a nation of prayer warriors. Issues needing serious attention and practical solutions are often addressed with prayers. We're spiritual people who prioritize spirit over physical reality. This mindset might be why the world has left us behind, yet we're not bothered. We even defend our failures tactlessly and stupidly while the world laughs at us as it finds our attempt to defend failure amusing. This isn't a dig at Daniel Bwala or anyone specific!

Nigeria is boiling. Its citizens are burning. Soldiers are being killed daily. Bandits are having a field day, celebrating the fall of our gallant men. They believe happiness means being trigger-happy, displaying utter incivility as if we're in a primitive era — in a country that has a government.

Our rulers are strategizing — not on securing citizens, residents, or territory, but on securing their seats through the ballot. Every elected politician pitches their tent with the ruling party in a democratic system where being in opposition means being in isolation or quarantined.

The country is in darkness. Those in Lagos are in darkness. Those in Borno are gasping for oxygen. Theirs is a double heat: heat of gunfire that led to the fall of our gallant servicemen and of the blazing sun. Electricity that could have helped cool down the 'coolable' heat is virtually absence. The North is losing its sense and memory of light. What it knows is darkness.

The Southerners are deeply in debt. Electricity bill is now unbearable. Yet, paying the bills does not guarantee power supply — stable or unstable. What it guarantees is darkness which leads to collapse of businesses.

Democracy has lost its meaning except within the context of darkness and insecurity. Darkness is truly democratized; so is insecurity. Everyone is insecure and in darkness. The Yoruba think they have got the President. They think it is their turn to have the lighthouse that would illuminate their paths. They are wrong! What they got is darkness — thick and frightening darkness.
The Kanuris and other Northeast ethnic groups were overjoyed when one of theirs became Vice President. They had one dream they thought would come true: an end to Boko Haram and its devastating attacks.

With recent attacks sending servicemen and civilians to early graves, that dream looks like a mirage — an illusion. It's a dashed hope.
The spate of insecurity, kidnappings, and killings is alarmingly unprecedented. Bandits operate freely with no resistance or with resistance that many see as choreographed resistance. It's as if Nigerians are sitting on tenterhooks, waiting to see if democracy will give way to autocracy or banditocracy.

For the first time, a 'serving' senator confessed they're doing nothing as an arm of government. This raises serious concern about government's existence in Nigeria. Does a government really exist here?
"There is no oversight at the National Assembly anymore. We are doing nothing. The way the National Assembly is functioning amounts to nothing. I don’t know which is better between its existence and nonexistence. I am one of them,” said Senator Ali Ndume.

A government that no one questions and can't be questioned only exists in name. A government lacking a neutral oversight body can't be called a government. If it insists it's a government, then it's one that exists for its sake to serve itself, not the people.

Since the beginning of this month (or should I say this year?), our national dailies and internet have been flooded with news I detest reading. Every Nigerian should find killing of soldiers in dozens and in scores disgusting, disturbing, and unsettling. These soldiers are not killed by powerful countries with superior weapons, not by Iran's missiles. They died because some guys hiding in our forests keep attacking them. This is painful.

What is even more painful is that the Nigerian government knows these terrorists' locations and names, according to Dr. Ahmad Gumi. Yet nothing tangible has been done to bring them down. It's safe to assume Gumi is right to have said government has the details of these terrorists because, to the best of my knowledge, the government has not refuted his claim.

In March alone, as I write, only God knows how many soldiers we have lost to terrorists. It's not that they died for a peaceful Nigeria. True, they paid the ultimate price, yet we live as fragmented and insecure people gripped by fear. It feels like they died in vain. May our soldiers' souls rest in peace. It's our duty, not just government's, to help their families — though we all need help.

Muslims are in Ramadan's last ten days. Christians are deep in Lent. Let's use this time to pray for Nigeria. The relentless killings of Muslims in mosques and other places in this month of Ramadan by terrorists have made Christian genocide claims seem hollow. As I've said before, what is happening in Nigeria is genocide against innocent Nigerians. No religious group is singled out for genocide. We need to pray for Nigeria. The country needs our help, though we are helpless too.

Our economy is battered and shattered; more than ever. Yet Iran is threatening the global economy when Nigeria's economy is already on the brink. This chilling headline has been reported globally: "We are ready for a long war that will destroy the world economy - Iran" . It's not an empty threat. The war's impact — the energy crisis that it engenders — is already devastating Nigeria. Fuel price has soared astronomically with its ripple effects on staples, commodities, transportation, and on general cost of living. Yet many bigoted Nigerians see the America/Israel vs Iran conflict only through a religious lens.

To say Nigeria's future is bleak with the ongoing conflict is neither to sound alarmist nor sound alarming. It is to face the reality. It's preparing for the rainy day already knocking on Nigeria's door. And since common sense doesn't make sense in Nigeria any more, we do not need to act. All we need to do is to just pray, pray, and pray.

May Nigeria not go down with us. May we not be in eternal darkness as the challenge of electricity continues to defy a solution.

My condolences to the families of our fallen heroes who died for our peace.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

The month of Ramadan is the most spiritualized month for Muslims, more so than any other month in the Islamic calendar. While other months have their unique spiritual rites, Ramadan leads them in terms of awareness, impact, and participation of Muslims (and, in some cases, non-Muslims).

Let's take Muharram, for instance, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Fasting on its 9th and 10th days is a common practice. But not every Muslim, let alone non-Muslims, is aware of this fasting. Dhul Hijjah is the 12th month — the last month of the Islamic year. Awareness about it and its impact can't be compared to Ramadan because only an insignificant percentage of Muslims (in any country) participate in this spiritual rite.

In addition, out of the insignificant percentage of pilgrims vis-à-vis the Muslim population, some certain situations may warrant a drastic and significant reduction in the number of intended pilgrims. We saw this during the COVID-19 pandemic. And unless peace is allowed to reign in the Middle East (which is what we fervently pray for), escalation of joint attacks by the US/Israel and counter-attacks by Iran that now target US military bases in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, might be a reason for not performing Hajj.

Could there be a reason why fasting in the month of Ramadan would be suspended globally, or why only a few Muslims would be allowed to fast? I thought hard but couldn't find a reason. This makes Ramadan a special month. The majority fast. The minority that don't fast due to illness or other admissibly genuine reasons are so insignificant that they don't affect the general, spiritually-induced atmosphere that Ramadan is known for.

One of the regular activities in this month is tafsir and general preaching. Tafsir is the interpretation of the Qur'an and its explanation by senior scholars who are qualified because they have dined at the table of scholarship and are subsequently well-fed. They're called mufassirun (exegetes). But do we still have those we can call mufassirun (deservedly) – considering the fact that every cleric now does tafsir?

To answer the above question, I'll say 'yes'. We have them; but they are very few. By 'very few', I mean very few in the literal sense. Very minute. Numerically speaking, they are countable – very countable. What we have in huge numbers are preachers – many of whom erroneously think they are exegetes.

The above is just a prelude to the topic. Let me now turn to the topic itself. Preaching challenges aren't new. Preachers have faced many in the past and will continue to face more. But this Ramadan, I have observed some new challenges. Some are even shocking. I will cite two cases: the case of bandits' demand in Kebbi State and that of the suspended Alkali Zaria.

When I set out to write this column a few hours ago, my initial title was 'The Political Economy of Preaching in Nigeria'. Then I quickly advised myself that this isn't the right medium due to space constraints. Not only that, I will have to do thorough research. I cancelled the topic on paper, but it's stuck in my memory. I hope to write on the topic one day as research to be published in a journal (if not a book). Any willing collaborator should kindly reach out. (This is by the way).

For the first time, to the best of my knowledge and if my memory serves me well, bandits asked Islamic clerics to deposit millions of naira as clearance to preach. It happened in Utouno village, Ngaski Local Government Area, Kebbi State. Failure by clerics to 'wet the ground' for bandits in this blessed month of Ramadan is seen as a sign of disrespect. The suspected bandits, as reported, threatened not to allow any preaching until preachers pay a N100m preaching levy – N100m only. If anyone thinks there's a functioning government in Nigeria, it's likely they don't live in northern Nigeria or haven't been following news about the North.

When the suspected bandits threatened that failure to comply would attract consequences, people living in the community understood the threat. They knew it was suicidal to think it was an empty threat. They knew that in Kangiwa Local Government Area – in the same Kebbi State – 33 people had just been killed, allegedly by Lakurawa bandits. Thus, it's a costly joke to think the threat of consequences by the bandits is a joke.

So, we have reached the state where Islamic preachers have to pay to preach in the North, just like farmers have been paying bandits levies to farm. The Muslim-Muslim government is actually doing well. Kudos!

What about the suspension of Sheikh Alkali Abubakar Salihu Zaria by the leadership of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), the Jos faction? His case is different. He wasn't suspended by bandits for not paying to preach. He was suspended by the association he belongs to because he preached about what he wasn't paid to preach on. The funny Alkali, who recently insisted on being addressed as Dr Alkali (without a PhD and probably not a candidate of a PhD program anywhere), was deployed to lead the Ramadan exegesis by JIBWIS in a mosque in Damaturu, Yobe State. He was suspended after delivering a sermon criticising northern governors and President Tinubu, among others.

He said, “One of the signs of catastrophes this generation will likely face is the tendency to revere individuals out of fear of their machinations. Look at how states governors fear Tinubu much more than they fear Allah. If you are in APC you are treated like a saint. If you are a member of the opposition, you will be treated like a devil. One will be confronted with trump up charges. Who is Tinubu? You deceived us. You are a deceiver and cheat.” I listened to Alkali, who spoke in Hausa. I give credit for the above translated quote from his lecture to Daily Trust.

Here is my problem with Alkali: how can you bite the fingers that feed you? That is where Alkali went wrong. Though, constitutionally speaking, Alkali did nothing wrong, as far as I'm concerned. He would only be wrong if his criticisms are begging the question and lacking facts. Also, Alkali is a sheikh, as he is being addressed – a sheikh's duty is to encourage righteousness and forbid evil. That's exactly what Alkali did, if we assume he's a sheikh in his own right.

But how can Alkali dare criticize the government or any government as a JIBWIS member? Alkali has two options: he can choose to be 'enslaved' under JIBWIS in the name of religion. In that case, he would have to stay away from criticizing the government or freely expressing his thoughts on national issues without JIBWIS approval. Under this first choice, if he has any radical thoughts, he should wait till we have a Christian president (or government), when it would RIDICULOUSLY become HALAL (permissible) to criticize government. Or, on the other hand, he should wait till a Muslim government not supported by JIBWIS is in power to exhibit his critical skills. But Tinubu's government? No!

The second option is for Alkali to regain his freedom by exiting JIBWIS if he really wants to be an advocate of justice, sympathizer of the masses, inheritor of the Prophet's legacy, and crusader against injustice and corruption. This is when he will be practicing the real and ideal Islam, where clerics would not be seen conniving with the government to annihilate the masses in the name of a religion that functions as an opium.

Should Alkali choose the second option, his common sense, guided by the light of the Qur'an that frowns on injustice, will be free from being teleguided by some turbaned clerics holding a remote control in the cocoon of their comfort rooms, policing the activities (and painfully, the thinking) of those they have 'enslaved' in the name of religion.

The choice is Alkali's to make. May we witness peace in Nigeria. Ramadan Mubarak.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

About two weeks ago, a Christian colleague asked me, "When are you starting Ramadan this year?" I wondered why he asked, since it is unusual. "Is it true that the fasting begins on the 18th of February?" he further asked. Since normal Muslims do not fix the Ramadan date, they wait for the Almighty to determine it through the appearance of the crescent, I told him it was possible. If we do not start on the 18th, we will definitely start on the 19th. Then he concluded, "If you start on the 18th, it means Ramadan and Lent would begin on the same day."

Then, I got the point. And interestingly, we started Ramadan in Nigeria on the 18th. This is a rare coincidence whereby the two major religious groups begin their respective holy fasts on the same day. This coincidence should foster social unity; and, to some extent, even religious unity. But because we live in a country where some people seek relevance through causing division, if they are not successful in creating ethnic discord, they resort to religion. To them, religion is a lethal weapon that does not fail in creating division and causing chaos when other divisive mechanisms fail.

If Christians truly believe we are all descendants of Adam (Act 17:26) and Muslims believe our Lord created us from a single soul (Qur'an 4:1), why shouldn't we see ourselves as brothers and sisters? But because we profess to believe what, deep inside, we do not really believe, it has become difficult for us to see and treat one another as brothers.

I am using this opportunity to plead with all Nigerians: let us use this sacred period to pray for all victims in kidnappers' dens. They became victims not because they lost their way. We are not victims only by providence; not because we know our way. Anyone is vulnerable — a potential victim. It is time to pray, pray, and pray.

Let's ask ourselves: How does fasting in a kidnapper's den look like? Rather than get an answer, many other questions crept in. Is it even possible to fast? Do they even know it is a fasting period? Do they have a sense of day and night? Does a calendar make any sense to them? Are they not fasting already, before Ramadan and Lent?

While those who are fortunate not to be kidnapped supplicate day and night to the Almighty for this and for that, while we ask God for promotion in our workplace, while we ask God for a new house and car, while we ask God to make us excel in our endeavors, while we ask God to enrich us through our businesses, while we criticize the government for lack of electricity, piped water, good roads, and other social amenities, those in kidnappers' dens have only one prayer: how to be free. It is about how to gain freedom from the constricting shackles placed on them by agents of Satan who have mastered evil more than Satan himself. May we not be victims. May all victims regain their freedom.

People wonder why these terrorists still attack even in these sacred periods when Muslims and Christians are in holy mode and mood. I wonder why people wonder. These terrorists are people who do not have religion in their dictionaries, even when they claim to be Christians and Muslims. The Lakurawas in the North, the bandits and Boko Haram terrorists, the Unknown Gun Men (UGM) in the South, and other criminals across the Nigerian state lack religion.

Thus, religion, whether understood rightly or wrongly, does not define their modus operandi. We would sound naive to think they will cease striking, kidnapping, or killing because we are fasting. It is like saying or thinking the bad elements among those ruling us in Nigeria will stop acts of injustice because Christians and Muslims are fasting. Wouldn't it be naive to think that because of Lent and Ramadan, there would be stable electricity, salaries would be paid on time, and our hospitals would start functioning, at least till the end of the fasting period?

No! It will not happen because corrupt rulers can not become saints momentarily just because we are in the month of Ramadan and because it (Ramadan) coincides with Lent. It is not in their makeup to do justice, no one should expect justice from them anytime or any day.

Take for instance, a recent example. Last week, majority of our fasting lawmakers (Christians and Muslims) at the National Assembly rejected the clause in the bill that mandates electronic transmission of election results. In other words, their sacred abstinence from food and drink did not stop them from voting against transparency, which electronic transmission of election results would have probably ensure. Rather, they were at ease and felt no compunction about supporting an electoral system that facilitates rigging election results.

So, the question is: how does fasting affect the behaviors of our representatives and rulers? If fasting does not affect them positively (this is on the assumption that they are fasting), how do we expect fasting to affect Satanic agents all over Nigeria (who might not even be fasting) from carrying out their nefarious and devilish acts? The point is: Lent or Ramadan does not mean anything to bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers.

In conclusion, President Tinubu should prioritize addressing insecurity issues over politics, as politics continues to take the front-burner attention. Clerics close to him should let him know that power belongs to God and He gives it to whom He wishes. No amount of politicking can, alone, hand him victory in 2027. The government's body language shows it is less concerned about hundreds and thousands of people being killed or chained in kidnappers' dens on a daily basis.

Finally, powerful and responsible leaders and citizens take action to address overwhelming insecurity issues like the ones that bedevil Nigeria. If they believe in God, they take action and, in addition, pray for successful outcomes. In Nigeria, the government pays lip service to taking action while the citizens are also powerless. But because we believe in God, let us continue to pray, pray, and pray. I pray we get it right one day before it is too late.

May all those in captivity (Christians, Muslims, and others) gain their freedom. Sad!

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
‎

Kaduna State is probably the most cosmopolitan state in the North. Its motto was initially "The Liberal State" before it was changed to "Center of Learning". The two epithets fitly describe Kaduna. It is both a liberal state and a center of learning. Its cosmopolitanism reflects its liberalism and scholarship.

In Kaduna State, one finds people from different ethnic backgrounds working as civil servants while retaining their ethnic identities. A Yoruba, a Tiv, a Nupe, or an Igbo does not need to pretend to be a Hausa or a Gbagyi to get a state government job. The state is so liberal and cosmopolitan that it embraces everyone.

It is in the same Kaduna State that what I consider one of the ugliest and dirtiest practices was stopped. It was stopped during the regime of the most controversial governor who is arguably the most stubborn and most influential politician in the state.

If using taxpayers' money to sponsor pilgrims was the ugliest practice stopped, the controversial governor who put a stop to it needs no introduction. He is Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai.

El-Rufai has been described as a 'short devil' by some (he is even the Devil to some). Conversely, many of his admirers almost consider him a saint. Yet, he is seen as the finest administrator in Kaduna State in some quarters. While a group of analysts would argue that he destroyed Kaduna and disunited its people, another group would say he built Kaduna and should be seen as the father of modern Kaduna. They could all be right or wrong. That is not the focus of this piece.

My focus is questioning the moral justification of using taxpayers' money to sponsor the rich for pilgrimage. If it is argued the poor benefit too, I would still question the ethics of using public funds for this. I have devoted many columns to condemning this practice, which is a total misplacement of priority, and I will continue to do so, God willing.

El-Rufai stopped that nonsense during his administration. Many clerics from the state's two major religions were upset, but El-Rufai did not give a damn. However, the dirty practice has reared its ugly head again under the current administration. Governor Uba Sani has reportedly restored the pilgrimage programme in Kaduna State. Most national dailies reported it as a Christian pilgrimage. It was marked with the approval of sponsorship for 50 intending Christian pilgrims after an 11-year suspension.

We read that Christian faithful in the state have welcomed the development, which they described as “a strong statement of fairness, equity, and inclusive governance.” Going by the way the media reported it, many who are not well informed would think El-Rufai stopped Christian pilgrimage and continued sponsoring Muslim pilgrims. What El-Rufai did was that he stopped all pilgrimage sponsorship (both Christian and Muslim). He considered it a waste. It is indeed a waste.

There are questions here begging for answers. What benefits accrued to Nigeria and Nigerians when government sends people to perform pilgrimage? How does that lead to, or ensure, the protection of life and property which is the major function of government? Section 14 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) declares unequivocally that "the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government."

In Kaduna State, and across Nigeria, joblessness is a badge of disgrace most graduates and non-graduates carry. Government-owned hospitals are major transit points to graveyards. Patients admitted to these hospitals have little hope of survival. School labs are ill-equipped. Teachers, even when paid, live wretched lives. Civil servants are impoverished. Exceptions are the few who 'know their way'. People sell their property, not to replace them with better ones, but to pay ransom to kidnappers, hoping to reunite with kidnapped loved ones. Yet, we have governments that think they are fulfilling their electoral promises and constitutional mandate by sending people on pilgrimage.

Who did this to us? A friend of mine insists Nigeria is cursed; it is bewitched and under a spell. He insists Nigeria's case is not ordinary. If we assume my friend is right, why didn't the thousands of pilgrims sponsored by the Nigerian government to Makkah and Jerusalem help break the spell with their supplications?

It is because of the spiritual emptiness of the sponsorship. The sponsorship has nothing to do with religion but everything to do with politics. Theologically speaking, I don't think God approves of governments spending so much on pilgrimage while most citizens wallow in poverty and struggle to survive amid hunger. Let our clerics, Christian and Muslim, refute this claim with scripture. They should, using the scripture, explain and justify the moral and religious rationale behind government-sponsored pilgrimage.

It is also unfortunate that government sponsorship of pilgrims is not about governance. Rather, it is the antithesis of good governance — a hallmark of bad governance. That is religio-political hypocrisy — a political action in religious garb. One might approve state pilgrimage sponsorship amid plenty, not in a country as poor as Nigeria. When living in opulence and abundance, it may be a way to spend excess cash when government has enough money but does not know what else to do with money.

Did Kaduna State Government just approve sponsoring 50 Christian pilgrims? Let's see how many Muslim pilgrims get sponsored. If 50 Muslims are sponsored, Muslims will cry marginalization, claiming they are the majority in Kaduna and deserve more than 50. If more than 50 Muslims are sponsored, Christians will cry foul. If Muslims are not sponsored at all, Governor Uba Sani would be seen as the most accommodating governor to Christians by the Christians. Then, Muslims would begin to doubt his Muslimness or call him a hypocrite and sellout.

My prayer is religion will not destroy us. When religion overrides common sense in political economy and general administration, expect a calamitous economy and unending poverty. We thought El-Rufai ultimately ended that religio-political hypocrisy called state sponsorship of pilgrims in Kaduna — the liberal state and center of learning. We are wrong. Uba Sani, in the name of politics, has resuscitated it.

To digress a bit and conclude, I heard Kano's Hisbah arrested Muslims for eating in public during fasting hours. If true, wonderful. But those who executed the arrest need a reality check — a factory reset of their thinking process. If this was done in the name of religion, something is wrong with our understanding and practice of religion. Ramadan Mubarak.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

I do not know how to start writing this column. I am confused; or is it shock? I am not sure if 'confusion' fits my state of mind. I think it is a shock, trailed by amazement. How on earth would a person, whether sane or insane, proudly and publicly declare they are willing to sacrifice their parents for a political party?

My reference is to a young man in Kogi State who reportedly posted online that he could sacrifice his parents for the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is identified on social media as Mc Isa Aha. He made the thoughtless and reckless statement about his parents in a video few days ago. If his post is taken literally, it implies his parents are worthless to him. The video went viral, and rightfully so. People are eager to see the face of the guy who not only ranks APC above his parents but is willing to sacrifice them for APC.

Mc Isa's father wasted no time. After watching the video, he reportedly arrested the 'useless boy' on Tuesday evening. The no-nonsense father can't bear to see himself on the sacrificial slab, to be sacrificed like a lamb by a 'born-by-mistake' child to please a political party (APC). Even if we consider APC a dangerous party and worse than PDP (the party it dislodged from power), even if we agree that the only success we can attribute to the APC is the unprecedented pain it has inflicted on common Nigerians, no one can say APC looks forward to seeing its loyalists sacrifice their parents for it.

What Mc Isa said he would do is evidently self-sent errand. Though he intends to do so on behalf of APC, he couldn't have been sent by APC. Mc Isa is on his own. I am curious to know what got hold of Mc Isa — madness or sycophancy taken too far? To conclude it is madness, a psychiatrist's input might be needed. But to save time and resources, a friend of his who appears to be his best friend does not think Mc Isa is mad. He wrote in a Facebook post: “Please, my good people, I want us to beg his father to release my friend. It was a mistake and it won't happen again".
But can someone mistakenly make such a reckless utterance? Mc Isa's friend needs to be arrested too. They are probably birds of a feather. This is not how to defend a friend. Or could it be a slip of the tongue? Mc Isa would have immediately corrected himself if it were a slip of the tongue. I am using this platform to join others in praising Mc Isa's father for acting swiftly. He is probably one of those Ebira parents who do not tolerate nonsense. Kudos to him.

Other parents should learn from Mc Isa's father. Let's take drastic action, without reluctance, when we notice erratic behavior in our children. One plausible explanation is that Mc Isa wanted to trend. But this explanation gets complicated because denigration of one's parents is involved. Parents are not to be joked with. Why would anyone in their right mind think they can trend by denigrating their parents? Agreed, Mc Isa has trended (and is trending); but is this how to trend?

I am aware that in some ancient cultures, people made human sacrifices to gods. This practice persists to this day. Historical records show that the Phoenicians and Carthaginians practiced child sacrifice to gods like Moloch and Baal. Read "People of the Past: Phoenicians" by Glenn Markoe (2000). In some cultures, human sacrifice, including child sacrifice, was practiced to appease deities or ancestors. The Aztecs are typical example of this. They sacrificed children to gods. Read "The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction" by David Carrasco (2013).

Other relevant historical books are "The Strange World of Human Sacrifice" edited by Jan N Bremmer (2007), "Human Sacrifice in History and Today" by Nigel Davies (1981), "Human Sacrifice in Ancient Greece" by Dennis D. Hughes (1991), etc.

I went to great lengths to understand why people make human sacrifices and also to see if there are cases of children sacrificing their parents for whatever reason. There are indeed cases of slaves being sacrificed or buried alive to serve their dead masters (kings in most cases) in their graves. There are also cases where children were sacrificed by their parents in the name of religion and worship. What is rare is seeing children sacrificing their parents for a god. This is what we have learnt from history.

That said, we have transitioned to a new phase in our history. Nowadays, children sacrifice parents. I will not say it is rare. I also do not know if I would be exaggerating to say it is common. Two years ago, on December 23, 2023, I wrote a column titled "Killing One's Parents for the Fun of it". In it, I chronicled cases of children sacrificing their parents for money rituals in Nigeria.

To emphasize the incidence of patricide and matricide, I limited the cited cases in the column to 2023 alone. What I have not seen or heard of is a son beating his chest, saying he could sacrifice his parents for a political party. Sacrificing one's parents for money rituals? Yes, we have seen this happening. It s possible, even if it is terribly ugly and condemnable. But sacrificing one's parents for a political party? I have not seen that happening anywhere. Mc Isa would have set a record and a precedent, but his father, who is not ready to be a sacrificial lamb, cried out.

Those who think Mc Isa is just being sycophantic and did not mean what he said should get their heads examined. That was my initial thought too, but I quickly examined my head to see if I am okay, having written quite a number of articles on human sacrifice for rituals.

All those whose parents are alive should know that parents are metaphorically next to God. We must not belittle them. They are not sacrificeable. No human being in existence should be placed above them except the Ever Lasting God Who created them. It does not matter whether we like our parents or not. It does not matter whether they practice the religion we profess or not.

I should add this: it does not matter whether they belong to our political party or not. Atiku Abubakar's son, Abubakar Atiku Abubakar (also known as Abba), recently joined APC and declared support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027. Yet his father had contested and will be contesting against Tinubu.

Similarly, Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives and son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, also declared his support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid in 2027. Mc Isa, who is not by any stretch known in APC but wants to be known by force, should learn from Bello El-Rufai, who, while emphasizing his loyalty to APC, would not sacrifice his father. Despite the fact that his father is a staunch opposition figure to Tinubu, he states clearly: "I love my father. I respect Asiwaju. I will never do anything against my party's interest as long as I am a member. But I will never compromise my principles". This is how to display constitutional right of association.

I will conclude that Mc Isa is a psychopathic sycophant whose condition needs utmost attention. His father had taken the first step by getting him arrested. No one should listen to his friend who is calling on people to plead with Mc Isa's father after the arrest. No one should plead on his behalf until he shows doubtless remorse. Even after that, he should spend some time in a psychiatric hospital for monitoring. Parents no be joke o. May God have mercy on our parents.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Receiving the news of the mass killings of innocent people in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State left many Nigerians in shock, from which they may not recover soon. The killing was systematic and deliberate, perpetrated by wicked emissaries of Satan who enjoy sucking the blood of the living and relish sending the living to their early graves.
Different figures of those killed were reported, but not ascertained. The number of souls lost could be in the hundreds. What was the offense of the town dwellers? Why were they killed? Why have human lives become cheaper in Nigeria than those of mosquitoes? Do we even kill mosquitoes in our homes in hundreds when the need to kill them arises? Why are these sanguinary agents so intent on wiping out an entire Muslim population in Kiama Local Government, given that the majority of the victims (if not all of them) are Muslims?

Let me make myself clear here. I am not a religious bigot who believes or pretends to believe that Muslims are the only victims of the senseless bloodshed going on in Nigeria. My reference to Muslim Genocide in the title above is just to set the record straight. It is to parallel the Christian genocidal claim; not to counter it. If we continue to use the word 'genocide' to describe baseless and senseless killings in Nigeria, we can use it more appropriately to mean Nigerian Genocide because Nigerians are the victims, irrespective of their faith and ethnicity.

The attacks, we were told, targeted the villages of Woro and Nuku in Kaiama LGA. It started on Tuesday evening around 5:00 p.m. and continued into the early hours of Wednesday. Gunmen allegedly rounded up residents, bound their hands, indiscriminately opened fire on them, set houses ablaze, including palace of the district head, and abducted an unspecified number of women and children.

To ease abduction, the district head's jeep was allegedly used to convey some of the kidnapped victims into the forest. The district head himself is missing. Has he been killed, abducted, or is he hiding somewhere in the bush? The best answer is: only God knows.
Many residents took refuge in nearby bushes as of Wednesday, according to Premium Times. Unlike other attacks that are enterprising in nature, in which people were kidnapped for ransom, this is a systematic killing and pecuniary gain isn't obviously the objective. Though women and children were abducted, the real mission was to kill as many people as possible, as they did. For who will pay ransom for the release of the abducted when their breadwinners have already been sent to the graveyard?

We later learnt that the terrorists were 'provoked'. But the question is: who provokes terrorists in a country where terrorists do not pretend to be more powerful than the government and citizens are begining to realize it? Premium Times reported, quoting residents and local leaders, that the assault came about five months after the group sent a letter to the district head of Woro, Salihu Umar, notifying him of their intention to visit the community for radical preaching.

After receiving the letter, the district head did the needful. No responsible leader should be willing to listen to the preaching of, or be admonished by, Satan's emissaries clad in religious attire. The district head forwarded the letter to the Kwara State Emirate Council in Ilorin. Subsequently, a team of soldiers was deployed to Woro. However, having spent some weeks on guard with no attack occurring, the soldiers withdrew.

The action of the district head was the cause of provocation. After the soldiers' withdrawal, the agents of death struck. Not too long after the several-hour attack, the Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, visited the community to commiserate with them, as usual.

Who then should be blamed? I don't think the military should be blamed. We cannot expect them to be stationed in Woro indefinitely. The district head also acted responsibly by informing higher authority. We should rather blame Nigeria's security architecture, which seems incapable of preventing attacks before they occur. It appears that reactiveness to terroristic attacks, rather than aggressiveness against terrorists, currently guides Nigerian military operational philosophy.

What if it is said that military bombardments of bandits in the epicenter of banditry (northwest) are the reason why bandits are moving to the north central and southwards? I would respond by asking: what then is the outcome of the bombardments? If military bombardments of bandits only result in bandits transferring their operational base from the northwest to found other enclaves in the north central, do we call that progress?
It means bandits in the northwest are not neutralized as claimed. Perhaps military bombardments of bandits' enclaves have successfully neutralized deep forests that provide cover for bandits, but not bandits themselves. Neutralization of bandits in one part of the country should not lead to serious insecurity in other parts, as witnessed in Kwara State and other north-central states. Bandits are gradually spreading their operational tentacles to the southwest (especially Osun State), despite military bombardments. This is not to discredit the efforts of our gallant soldiers, but certain things are not adding up.

The government must be vigilant and act decisively to avoid total chaos. I still do not believe our military can not defeat these criminals. The government should channel its resources towards eliminating these marauding bandits and give our men in uniform all the needed supports to take the fight to the bandits with unrelenting aggressiveness.

There is a question I have not addressed. Why does genocide against Muslims continue in Nigeria, and why are there no strong voices speaking out against it? It is because Nigerian Muslims are so fatalistic and thus become so lethargic that they are willing to accept calamities, no matter how destructive, as fate. They do not bother to understand what the underlying causes of calamities are. And even when they do understand them, they are not ready to address them. This is not Islam. But this is what their clerics, who should be at the forefront of speaking truth to power to address insecurity, taught them and continue to teach them.

But because Nigerian Christians cannot tolerate the incessant and senseless killings of their brethren, they openly laid their complaints to Donald Trump, the de facto President of the world. And can anyone really blame them for that? Trump wasted no time launching Christmas Day attacks on Nigerian bandits. Though I am yet to see evidence that a single bandit was killed, it effectively drew the world's attention to the fact that Christians are killed in Nigeria. This is despite the fact that Muslims are the majority of the victims.
No one prevents the ulama in Nigeria or any Muslim organization from taking their cries to Donald Trump. Or could it be that Nigerian Muslims are not Trump's 'cherished Muslims'? Why can't they take their cries to the United Nations or to any regional organization? Why can't they, for instance, seek Saudi Arabia's intervention to help stop the genocide against their Muslim brethren?

The killing of Muslims like flies, as happened in Kaiama, should disturb any reasonable Nigerian. Yet, our clerics would rather seek Saudi assistance to build more mosques while worshippers are continuously being killed. If it is not mosque construction, it is tons of dates (dabino) to feed 'hungry' Muslims. What is even more ridiculous is the ulama's attempts to make peace with bandits. Though not all ulama reason like this, those who reason well do not have a powerful voice. I hope we wake up before it is too late.

I am using this medium to send my condolences to the people of Kaiama. Even though all Nigerians are bereaved by the killings, the people of Kaiama are more bereaved than other Nigerians. May the Almighty strengthen those who lost their loved ones, may the departed souls rest in peace, and may the rest of us live in peace.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
‎

Health is said to be wealth. This is an undisputable aphorism. Only a healthy but ignorant person who has never experienced illness would dispute this saying — I doubt if such ignorant exists anywhere. Though the depth of our knowledge may differ, everyone basically knows the importance of good health.

That said, governments globally, whether responsible or irresponsible, pay utmost attention to their citizens' health. Unfortunately, Nigerian government is one of the few exceptions. The saying "A healthy nation is a wealthy nation" is the driving philosophy behind prioritizing people's health, even for corrupt and irresponsible governments.

Hospitals are designated to care for the sick. A hospital's ability to effectively discharge this basic function is one index for measuring a country's healthiness. Using this approach, Nigeria is a sick country. The citizens are sick. The hospitals that should care for the sick are in a coma.

Doctors, nurses, and other health workers work under pressure as they struggle to provide healthcare to patients. They, too, as health providers, suffer job-related fatigue because they are overworked and overwhelmed by the disproportionately large number of patients they attend to daily.
In a press statement issued on Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary three months ago, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors NARD decried the country’s poor doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:9,083 (that is, 1 doctor per 9,083 people). The association described it as far from global best practice. According to a political appointee, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, one doctor currently attends to about 3,500 patients in Nigeria. Whichever ratio we are inclined to believe between NARD's and the Minister's, the situation is ugly and terrible compared to the global average. The global average reportedly sits near 1.7 doctors per 1,000 people.

In advanced countries, the ratio of doctors to patients is typically between 3 to 6 doctors per 1,000 people. Take for instance, countries like Cuba (9.54 per 1,000), Monaco (8.61 per 1,000), and Belgium (6.53 per 1,000) have some of the highest doctor densities globally. Nigeria has one of the lowest despite being a continental giant.

In addition, NARD's statement reads: “Furthermore, Nigerian resident doctors work an average of 106.5 hours per week, with surgical residents enduring over 122.7 hours weekly. This translates to an average of four to five days of 24-hour call duty per week.” Yet, their take home, despite being overworked, hardly take them home.

Many have resorted to working in as many hospitals as possible to make ends meet. This, in most cases, is at the detriment of patients. But do we blame them? No! It is a display of the natural instinct of survival. They must survive first to help a dying patient survive. They must rescue themselves and their families first in an attempt to rescue dying patients in our hospitals. Our medical doctors are victims themselves — victims of a system that stretches them beyond their limits. That is why some medical doctors have died on duty due to stress and endless lack of rest.
As important as our doctors and nurses are in providing healthcare in our hospitals, they constitute only about 15% of the workforce.

There are other health workers like pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, radiographers, dietitians, health information managers, engineers, administrative staff, and other support staff. These health workers, who make up about 85% of the workforce, have been on strike since November 14, 2025. They are called the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU). The industrial action embarked upon by this health union has grounded activities in virtually all federal government hospitals across the country that provide only skeletal service.
There are serious limitations to what doctors and nurses can do without these workers. Why are they on strike? As usual, their salaries cannot sustain them. And because it is now a crime to demand a salary increment, the Federal Government has enforced the "No Work, No Pay" policy, stopping salaries of striking members.

This policy, if the government is not aware, lacks the potency to stop workers from embarking on strike. Workers' conditions and plights have greatly deteriorated to the extend that salary stoppage will not make them budge an inch. Why? The salary is too miserable, so much so that it makes very little difference between being paid and not being paid.

As a result of this strike which is over two months, many have lost loved ones. If there are influential people who could talk to our rulers, they should do so to halt the death toll in our hospitals. I have asked several times on this page and I will ask again: where is the money saved from the removal of the oil subsidy? I have not gotten any reasonable response.

Our hospitals, which should have massively benefited from the touted oil subsidy savings, are nothing to write home about. There is no sophisticated equipment to match modern progress in medical facilities in our hospitals. Where you find some of this equipment, it is either there is no regular power supply to keep them working or there is a shortage of manpower to operate them, or their operators (JOHESU) are on strike.

I went to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital last October when I could not chew with my 32 due to severe toothache. After a thorough examination, I was asked to book an appointment for a later date, which was the second week of December. I have been going to the hospital since then, and till now nothing has been done because those in charge of my medical record are on strike.

Two months ago, my one-year-old daughter had serious breathing difficulty and she could not be breastfed. It was discovered that her oxygen level was very low. That became a serious problem to address in the hospitals. We took her to five different hospitals before we got it addressed.

Was it even really addressed? Before we got to the fifth hospital, her oxygen level had normalized due to some counselling we got from some kind and caring health workers, and which we meticulously followed. Our health workers are not intrinsically poor in service delivery (they are really doing great), but our hospitals are bad places to visit. To some, they are graveyards. Generally, experiences in our hospitals are nasty.

Many went to our hospitals but came out in body bags for lack of facilities as basic as bed space. I lost a good friend and neighbor this week. He suffered from an ailment that can be easily managed, only if he could be admitted. But our hospitals, including teaching and specialist hospitals, lack beds to admit patients. He was taken to five different hospitals, but it was the same story. No bed space. In one where a bed was available, they could not manage his health.

On his way to the sixth hospital in another state where we thought there could be bed space, he gave up the ghost. Despite being a Muslim who must believe he was destined to die when he died, I still strongly believe that, aside from destiny, we lost him due to lack of bed space in our hospitals.

We fondly call him Malam Iliya. A very hardworking, trustworthy, and responsible friend and father. Though of little means, he is very contented — a contentment laced with integrity. May Allah take care of the family he left behind, forgive him, and grant him Paradise.

He is not alone; may the Almighty have mercy on all Nigerians who died in our hospitals due to government negligence of the health sector. Which sector hasn't the government neglected? The only thriving sector that continues to gain government's attention and care is the political sector, and only few Nigerians are politicians to benefit. May we not die miserably.

Our rulers in Abuja should do the needful. Our hospitals cannot continue to hemorrhage. Government should urgently and earnestly address the demands of JOHESU before death gradually depletes the country's human resources.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Kano State was thrown into a state of mourning last week following an unbelievable but real incident – one that would have been condemned as inappropriate even if acted out in horror films. It was not a horror film; it was a horror reality, a tragic incident, and a gory sight that sent shockwaves into the heart of every human with flowing blood in their veins.

A nephew, Umar, killed his paternal aunt and her six children at a go for reasons still unknown. There is speculation about inheritance, but this has been denied by those in the know. The main assailant, Umar, has both parents alive. Logically, inheritance as causation should be ruled out. Could there be any sane explanation for a grandson killing his aunt over his grandparents' inheritance while his parents are alive?

While this is not impossible in a society where every ugly thing is possible (and where ignorance prevails), it is safer to de-emphasize the inheritance angle and let investigations explore other motives behind the ruthless and brutal killings by enemies within the family.
Fatima Abubakar, 35, and her six children were killed in their home, the Chiranci Dorayi area of the state, on Saturday by Umar Auwalu, 23, a nephew of the deceased woman. He confessed to leading the attack along with his friend, 21, and maternal uncle, 40.

Many would lament our weak security system since the attack occurred in broad daylight around 12 noon. But how on earth would anyone suspect a nephew carrying a cutlass as he enters his aunt's house? Umar is a familiar face in the house and probably in the neighborhood. He was not a suspect to be suspected by any suspicious neighbors until he became the prime suspect — the lead assailant (the devil in human skin).

Many have asked, and people are still asking: how did such killings go unnoticed in a densely populated area of the city (Dorayi)? I can think of three possible answers: either the cry for help was not loud enough, the distress cry was not taken seriously, or people in the neighborhood are too individualistic to respond to such a cry.

We live in a society where everyone minds their business, and we think that is progress. On this premise, many have accused people in the neighborhood of wickedness for not responding to the cry for help. A resident argued, in a viral video, that they actually trooped out to help, but the assailants' unusual alacrity and speed made their help belated. He claimed they caught the assailants and handed them over to the police. This claim was later found to be false. The irresponsible resident has retracted his claim as he is currently cooling his heels in police custody.

This is a bygone. The deed is done. The point now is how to address the trauma of Haruna Bashir, the father and husband who lost his wife and six children in a single day, to a single strike, and under the most terrible circumstances. Could there be a more terrible way to be traumatized than this?

The eldest of his children is said to be 17. It means the efforts of seventeen years of fatherhood are irredeemably lost. Only parents would understand this. I listened to a lady who wants to trend on social media by all means. She said the traumatized father should be investigated and that his hands might not be clean. I was shocked.

I asked: could anyone in their right mind think that a father might have a hand in the killing of his wife and six children, all at once? I got some relief when I later learnt the ill-mannered and loquacious lady is a prostitute. Thus, her inability to sympathize and empathize is understandable. Even so, this is not how to trend.

Many well-to-do Nigerians and sympathizers are doing their best to help Bashir. They are trying to convince him that he can still live a normal life despite the calamity. Gifts of money from generous Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu, despite his tight schedules, found a way to reach out to Bashir through his aide, Senior Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Malam Abdulaziz Abdulaziz. The Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, was physically present to pay his condolences.

Prior to the Governor's visit, he had reportedly approved a comprehensive welfare package for Bashir. This includes sponsorship for Hajj and Umrah, provision of a new house, and full government support to help Bashir rebuild his life. All these are commendable acts. But are they enough? They are consolations; not justice. Justice can only be done when these barbarians are put to death; not sentenced to death. The ringleader, Umar, reportedly confessed to having masterminded other killings in the family within the state.

Why Umar killed these beautiful souls is still unknown. What is known is that he and his accomplices in crime lack a sense of beauty. Those who lack a sense of beauty are unusually brutal and hardly see a difference between humans and domestic animals. Four years ago, precisely, in a January 29, 2022 article titled "Little Hanifa And The Sin Of Schooling In Nigeria", I lamented how a primary school pupil named Hanifa Abubakar was brutally killed by Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of her school, for lacking a sense of beauty. I wrote:

"Hanifa remains a cynosure of all eyes even to those who do not have sense of beauty or have lost their perception of beauty. But the ugly killer insisted that she must die. He killed her with rat poison; which to him it is still not enough. He went on to butcher her to display the height of inhumanity of man to human. Still not done, he shed the crocodile tears to ridicule Hanifa’s parent and members of the household."

But Hanifa's killer kidnapped her to demand a ransom and later killed her. Why did Umar kill about ten members of his family? He did not kill for ransom. He is not mentally deranged. He was reportedly not a drug addict. He did not kill obviously for money rituals since he was not known to live in suspicious opulence. This is why this savagery must be thoroughly investigated. Who sent him? On whose behalf did he kill? And for what purpose? Did he join a secret cult? If he had joined a secret cult, why did he join? Who are the other members of the cult? Which bloodsucking secret cult would demand the blood of seven beautiful and innocent souls, all at once?

I commend the Kano State Police Command for the intelligent and swift efforts that led to the arrest of the three suspects less than 24 hours after commiting the crime. I trust the police will do their job. They will probably make their findings public. Whatever the outcome of the police findings, these killers are confirmed agents of death and must be thrown into the jaw of death. There is consensus on this — a consensus echoed even by Umar's parents.

But will they be executed by the authority? This is a very painful question to ask. Hanifa's killer is still alive — being fed by taxpayers' money — despite all the incontrovertible evidence against him. Though the governor has directed the state Attorney General to ensure speedy prosecution, adding that he would not hesitate to sign death warrants where applicable. The governor should sign the death warrant so that the rest of us can live. "And there is (a saving of) life for you in the Law of Equality in punishment, O men of understanding, that you may become pious."
The above quote is a divine declaration and wisdom addressed to men of understanding like the Kano State Governor. The governor has to prove it. (See Qur'an 2 verse 179).

As for Haruna Bashir, the bereaved father, no amount of consolations, condolences, gifts of money, or promises of a good life can be a substitute for the six late beautiful children and his beloved wife. No amount of justice can be satisfactory enough to wipe away his tears and help him forget the thought. This is a lifelong trauma. The only consolation is the belief in God and divine justice.

Incidents like this always strengthen my faith that there must be life after death where justice will be appropriately and satisfactorily served. Or what earthly justice can adequately address the issue at hand? If Bashir is given all the earthly treasures as compensation for the loss, how would his wife and his six children be compensated? They will definitely get justice in the next life.

Tragedy has never weighed me down like this recent one. I am traumatized despite having no connection with the family, but humanity. I earnestly pray for the lost souls. May the Almighty grant them eternal bliss. May the Living God be with Bashir and all those who sympathize with him.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Katsina State is one of the reasons I count myself out as someone who would wish anyone to be Nigerian president just because he is from my state or because we speak the same language or because we profess the same religion. This consideration is too childish for anyone who is in their 40s — my age bracket. A fool at forty is said to be a fool forever. I don't consider myself a fool even if I am not intelligent or very educated.

This state, Katsina, has had two Nigerian presidents in the past. Yet it's one of the most insecure states in Nigeria. One begins to ask if having a president from one's state or having a governor from one or particular part of a state is of any use. When people clamor for ethnic, religious, or sectional representation in Nigeria, it is more about eagerness to satisfy a primordial sentiment than about development. This is my conclusion.

For instance, what precisely did former President Olusegun Obasanjo do to benefit his people in Owu (not even Ogun State) during his eight-year presidency? One would think former President Goodluck Jonathan had turned Otueke, if not the whole of Bayelsa State, into a small London, having spent six years in power. That is obviously not the case. After spending eight years in office, the one in Daura with his overhyped military background could not restore peace or even what looks like peace to Katsina State which, unfortunately, is now more like a kidnappers' den than a state.

The only exception would perhaps be President Tinubu, who is doing everything to make sure he moves national headquarters of major government institutions and offices ironically to Lagos, where he was defeated in the election that brought him to Aso Rock. Tongues have started wagging and questions are already being asked if Tinubu is not planning to move Nigeria's capital to Lagos.
That aside, my major concern is Katsina State. The state is undoubtedly swimming against the wave in the way it is handling its challenge of insecurity. At times it downplays the challenge as if it is nothing to worry about.

This is why when Tinubu visited the state sometime last year, he was welcomed with "Katsina Ba Korafi."That is to say, in Katsina "all is well," "no security threats," "we have nothing to complain about."

At other times, the government acknowledges it has serious and overwhelming problems but addresses these problems in the most eccentric manner, making observers conclude that the government is not interested in solving the problems. For instance, how on earth can a serious government stop a court trial and facilitate the release of bandits and kidnappers who have worked day and night to destroy the state, including killings, rape, and destruction of private property? This is exactly what Katsina State government did.

Many well-meaning Nigerians, through the media, have condemned the action in very strong terms. There seems to be no newspaper that didn't break the news without disappointment.

Royal News reports it this: "Security Expert Warns Katsina Plan to Release 70 Banditry
Suspects could Backfire (Royal News)".

According to the Nigeria Lawyer, "CAN, MBF, CNG, reject katsina plan to release 70 bandits — Northern Groups Warn of Dangerous Precedent and Risk to Public Safety."

In Leadership Report, "Northern CAN, Middle Belt Forum, Reject Katsina Govts Plan to Release 70 Bandits."

As told by Tribune Online, "Outcry As Katsina Govt Plans Release of 70 Bandits on Trial."

As for Vanguard, "Northern Groups Condemn Katsina Govt over Proposed Release of 70 Convicted Bandits."

As stated by Arise News, "IPOB Lawyer: Freedom for 70 Katsina Bandits a Recipe for Bloodshed, more Crisis."

In The ICIR headline, "Katsina Frees 70 Bandits After Losing over 1500 Civilians to Banditry in 5 Years."

Highlighting the futile attempt to make peace deal with bloodthirsty bandits, Sahara Reporters reports that, "Days After Katsina Govt Sought Release Of 70 Suspected Terrorists, Bandits Kill, Abduct In Yar Tafki Community."

Despite all the condemnation, the Katsina State government, according Channels TV, defends its planned release of the 70 suspected bandits. The measure is, according to the state government, aimed at consolidating and broadening the existing peace deal between communities affected by insecurity in 15 local government areas of the state and repentant bandits. What threw many Nigerians off was the state government maintained that such tactics are adopted in war situations globally! War in Katsina? Between whom and who? Our security experts should come in. They should help educate the government in Katsina State that there is a difference between 'armed conflicts', 'banditry', and 'kidnapping.'

The government further disclosed that the deal had led to the release of at least 1,000 persons held captive by the suspected bandits in different attacks. This is exactly the state that joyfully claimed they had no problem when President Tinubu visited; thousands of its citizens are being held captive and rulers in the state can sleep.

Since the government has insisted on its action and justified it, what is it doing about the victims of banditry in the state? Many have lost their loved ones. They have lost fathers, mothers, sisters, uncles, wives, husbands, and children. They have lost their neighbors and friends to bandits. They have lost their pride and source of livelihood. Life has become worthless to them because they live under a government that cares less about their protection but cares more about bandits. The Katsina State government has inadvertently empowered bandits, perhaps without realizing it. It has clearly declared that banditry pays without saying it. It is a declaration without words but well understood by everyone with thinking faculty.

In other words, the government emphasizes it in vague words, implying victims should commit suicide if they like. I seize this moment to console all victims of the terror reign in Katsina State. May the Almighty comfort them over the loss of their loved ones while they live in a state of nature which Katsina State typifies. But rulers in Katsina can do better. I advise them to retrace their steps. Victims first; not bandits.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

The fear of the United States President Donald Trump is, some say, the beginning of wisdom. This is especially true in the current global power relations, which are more characterized by chaos. For the first time in recent history, we have a president who will vow to do what seems impossible and what many people would discard as an empty threat, but will make his threat real."

Trump's invation of Venezuela few days ago is a case in point. The threat to invade this oil endowed country is not new. It had been Trump's pet project right from his first tenure as the US President. Military option to confront Nicolás Maduro's government has always been his strong desire. That desire is now a reality.

What exactly does Trump want in Venezuela? Three things are prominent. One, he wanted to end Nicolás Maduro's autocratic government. Two, Trump accused Maduro of drug trafficking. Thus, his invasion is purposely to take action against drug cartels operating in the country contributing to the US opioid crisis. Three, Venezuela is said to have world's largest proven oil reserves. Mr. Trump cannot overlook that. Venezuela, when conquered, would serve the US interests.

Let's examine Trump's objectives one by one. If his invasion aims to end Nicolás Maduro's autocratic rule, does it imply that all autocratic governments worldwide should expect Trump's invasion? If so, how democratic is Trump himself to be policing non-democratic regimes? Isn't capturing a president of a sovereign state like a common criminal the epitome of autocracy in the modern world? This action contravenes international law.

Trump's invasion exemplifies autocracy fighting autocracy, without Congressional approval, showcasing the immense power a president wields in a presidential system.
In his reaction to Maduro's capture Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge said Trump's action would have global implications. “Trump really has put meat on the bones of the words in his national security strategy, which said America was going to dominate the Western Hemisphere, and encouraged other major powers to exert more power in their own near neighbourhoods.”
Michael Shoebridge described the snatching of the dictator as inexcusable. “Whatever the flaws of Venezuala and Maduro, a military abduction of a national leader, followed by President Trump saying the US will ‘run’ the country and extract a lot of oil and wealth from it, is all bad news for Australia and the wider world,” Mr Shoebridge said. He further noted: “We are watching America show others how major powers can use force for what looks like pretty muddy and selfish reasons in their near neighbourhood. Beijing now has a very recent precedent for whatever it wishes to do against the 24 million people living in freedom in Taiwan.” The security analyst called America under Trump “alarmingly unilateral and capricious” and “simply not a reliable or stable ally”.

I doubt that any scholar of International Relations would disagree with Shoebridge. Professor Marc Weller, the Director of the International Law Programme at Chatham House strongly argued that justifications are hard to see in Maduro's capture by Trump. "It is difficult to conceive of possible legal justifications for transporting Maduro to the US, or for the attacks. There is no UN Security Council mandate that might authorize force," Weller wrote.

According to surveys, US citizens are opposed to the use of the military in Venezuela. And any strikes inside Venezuela now will likely force a vote in the US Congress under the War Powers Act. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said he is “deeply alarmed." He noted that the rules of international law have not been met in this instance, calling it a ‘dangerous precedent’.

The US Congress appears to be divided over Trump's invasion. This led to a vote on procedural measure to advance the war powers resolution. Senators who opposed the war powers resolution said Maduro's seizure was a law enforcement operation, not a military action. They claimed Maduro faces trial in a U.S. court on drug and gun charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

To address Trump's second objective or justification for the invasion, which is the drug-related case, I urge all Nigerians to patriotically pray for Nigeria. Nigeria might not be safe if Trump is truly after rulers with drug trials in the US. Someone whom I later learnt had been nominated and approved as Nigerian ambassador, wrote the following prior to the 2023 Nigerian general elections about current Nigerian President:

"If anybody can get close enough to Bola Tinubu to take a sample of his hair or urine, this election will be over. Because with his hair or urine sample, a laboratory can analyse if he still takes drugs an what type of drugs he takes. Tinubu is a KNOWN DRUG LORD who belongs in jail, not Aso Rock! I went to Chicago myself and obtained verified court documents. It will be a shame if this man gets anywhere close to Aso Rock." Could this be the reason Trump called Nigeria a disgraced country?

The guy in question continued: "A nation with drug lord President is a nation whose passport is automatically suspect!" I don't know the juju this guy used to become an ambassador under the same Tinubu against whom he once made serious drug allegations. I hope and pray that Trump would never see this nonsense written about our president. And in case he sees it, he should not believe the guy that wrote it but rather dismiss him as a hungry clown who can do anything for food.
Venezuela's oil reserves is said to be the third reason Trump captured Venezuelan president. This is most likely. For after Trump's fast, sweet, and vicious capture of Nicolás Maduro, along with his wife, he did not hesitate to announce that Venezuela would deliver 30 to 50 million barrels of "high-quality" oil to the US. Trump stated that the oil would be sold at market price, and the proceeds would be controlled by him to benefit both Venezuela and the US.

As if to completely enslave Venezuelans, Trump emphasized that Venezuela would use the oil money to purchase American-made products, including agricultural goods, medicines, and equipment to improve Venezuela's electric grid and energy facilities. He also mentioned that the US would oversee Venezuela's oil sales "indefinitely." This is serious!

This is not how to exert geopolitical Influence. But this is exactly what Trump aims. He is intent to assert US dominance in the Western Hemisphere and counter rivals like China and Russia.

What are the lessons learnt especially for Nigeria. One, Power, though sweet, is ephemeral. It should thus not be abused. Two, Trump is not a friend to any state. For him, it is the United States first, given his "America First" policy. Inviting Trump to Nigeria is a misthought — a mistake. Let's hope he forgets he has an unfinished assignment in Nigeria. Those beating the drum of 'Christian genocide' should have a rethink. About 90 percent of Venezuelans are Christians and this is what Trump did to them. Anyway, maybe the Venezuelans are not his cherished Christians like the Nigerian's.

Three, let's stop joking when Trump dishes out his usual threats. A northern cleric recently said in a sermon: "America cannot defeat us, and if they insist on fighting us, we are more than ready to confront them." I laughed sarcastically.

What this cleric does not know is that America of today does not wage war against any country. It is the almighty Trump that does. And when he does, it is always fast, sweet, and vicious. I have come to the conclusion that Trump is not hypocritical about his threats. He is an autocrat both in words and action. May Trump not happen to us.

Finally, let's pray nothing untoward happens to Nigeria before 2027 election and even after. Nigerians should make sure drug lords or drug addicts are not voted into office for any electoral position, whether at the national, state, or local government level.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

It is sad and unfortunate that I will have to begin my first column in 2026 with the above title. That is what bothers me. Though the implementation of the new tax policy and the dictatorial alteration of some of its provisions that continue to deepen the mistrust between Nigerian citizens and their rulers is also an important issue, I still consider the security challenge, which has commodified Nigerian souls, a more serious challenge for my attention.

As we begin 2026, it is not news that kings and other traditional rulers are being targeted by kidnappers in Kwara South. Mosques are being targeted and marked for bombing in Borno and Yobe States. Discussion on US missile intervention, primarily in Sokoto and Kwara, is still ongoing. Whether Bello Turji, along with his criminal gangs, has been eliminated or not in the US's recent attacks is still being debated online.

Nigerians are still asking for, at least, pictorial evidence of corpses of bandits and terrorists always claimed to have been eliminated by our gallant soldiers. As the Nigerian government continues to pretend as if it doesn't know how to deal with bandits and terrorists, most Nigerians are still wondering, with mouths agape, why on earth would any sane human sympatize with bandits.

I join those Nigerians in wondering why victims of banditry and terrorism are often re-victimized while condolences (or what they call peace talks) are paid to bandits and terrorists. Or are those women (victims) in front of the Kwara State Government House in Ilorin — attacked and flogged by thugs for airing their grievances few days ago — not being re-victimized? The issues revolving around the safety and security of Nigerian citizens are just too many to enumerate.

The worth of lives in Nigeria has been so diminished to the extent that someone can be paid N70k to N100k to terminate the lives of many. The Christmas eve bombing of a mosque in Maiduguri is a case study. One of the perpetrators, wrongly referred to as a suicide bomber, was caught while planning to take the lives of more Muslim worshippers in Yobe State.

He was reportedly arrested on Monday in Damaturu by local hunters working with Operation Hadin Kai during a raid on a suspected hideout. He explained, without compunction, how he and his fellow in death mission detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) inside a mosque in Gamboru market on Christmas eve where five Muslim worshippers were killed and 32 others injured after the detonation of an IED.

In his words: "We came after Zuhur and Asr prayers when the mosque was empty. We entered pretending to pray. My colleague was digging to plant the IED in the middle of the mosque while I was digging by the side." This is a chilling revelation. What is even more chilling is providing first aid assistants to the victims of his satanic act.

After bombing the mosque, the heartless satanic agent of death returned to the scene of the explosion to 'wail' like other wailers and 'mourn' like other mourners. He continued his confession: “When I returned to the mosque, they were evacuating dead bodies. I helped them convey the corpses and injured people in emergency vehicles." This is the most dastard display of wickedness, tinged with hypocrisy, that I have ever seen. How would one help his victims in such circumstances. Note, not because he was remorseful. He was actually planning to mastermind another bomb blast.

He further narrated: “After the mission, I proceeded to Yobe for another assignment, to carry out reconnaissance on military positions and hunters’ groups for possible attacks on new recruits." If not for the heightened security, he would have bombed and killed other Muslim worshippers in an Izala Mosque near Tashan Joni, then wail and mourn over their death as he did in Maiduguri. It should be noted that where he bombed in Maiduguri is also an Izala mosque. I watched his confessional interview; the killing and maiming mission, in his confession, is to specifically attack Izala mosques.

When asked how much he was paid to kill his fellow human beings, “I was paid money ranging from N70,000 to N100,000 per mission” was the answer. What I observed in the confessional interview of this Boko Haram bomber after being caught is that the guy neither looks like an ideologically brainwashed Boko Haram fellow nor does he seem to be under the influence of drugs. He was probably driven by ignorance, poverty, and hopelessness. I don't know his age but he looks like a teenager. At most, he should be in his early twenties.

I wish the interrogator had asked him more questions about his background. He is probably a product of the almajiri system, having been misguided and never having attended formal school, except for the so-called local informal schools under the tutelage of charlatans masquerading as Malams who teach nonsense in the name of religion under the pretext of teaching the Qur'an. In these so-called schools, northern kids who never received parental care or experienced government support waste their potential, only to become societal nuisances.
I can't wrap my head around what motivates a cold-blooded killer of innocent people to join in 'mourning' and evacuating his victims, when he could have escaped without anyone knowing he committed the crime. This is a display of deep rooted ignorance. Perhaps he wanted to get the reward of following a funeral procession, which is highly rewarding in Islam. If that is the case, his ignorance is as chilling as his ruthlessness.

He was most likely not under the influence of drugs, in which case he would have been a suicide bomber, not a bomber. Some news media, in their reports, described the mosque attack as being masterminded by suicide bombers. This is wrong. Can a suicide bomber survive a suicide mission unhurt? I doubt if the kind of juju that will enable that exists, or if it ever existed.

Rather, in my opinion, an ignorance complicated by poverty and hopelessness could explain why someone would accept N100k to travel all the way from Adamawa (near the Mandara Mountains — a border area between Nigeria and Cameroon) to Maiduguri and Damaturu in order to terminate the lives of fellow human beings.

Nigerians are very unfortunate people. Our lives are worthless. A Nigerian can be paid N100k to kill hundred Nigerians. This is when Boko Haram is involved. Nigerians could be Kidnapped while millions of naira is demanded as ransom to throw victims' entire families into a bottomless abyss of poverty. This is when bandits and kidnappers are the victimizers. Yet again, and very unfortunate, Nigerians could be milked dry by those they elected to manage their affairs, protect their lives and property, and make life worth living. This is when our rulers are the tormentors.

In 2026, as things stand (unless God intervenes, not Trump), Nigerians, already living in the horror of insecurity, are, in addition, to be taxed like slaves who must overfeed their masters under the sledgehammer of a crude tax law. If one is fortunate enough not to be bombed and one is not kidnapped, can anyone escape Tinubu tax and the danger it portends?

Well, the government could disarm critics and prove them wrong by using money generated from the tax to create jobs, provide security, improve infrastructure, incentivise civil servants and businesses, provide social amenities to include highly subsidized education and health services. Government should massively invest in education that teaches the worth of human lives. The future really looks gloomy, but with all hands on deck and sincerity of purpose, we can change the narrative, the picture, and the future.

May we not be bombed. May we not be Kidnapped. May we not be taxed to the point of suffering.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

I do not expect our elected Muslim governors, presidents, or lawmakers to understand the jurisprudence of priority. Though if they do, it is better for them and for those who elected them and the masses. If they do not, the ulama close to them should guide them. But sometimes, when I reflect on the way and manner in which our Muslim politicians spend money, come up with policies, execute projects, or make what they call social interventions in the name of religion, I shake my head in pain and pity.

Two years ago, it was N90 billion Hajj intervention from the federal government. I called it spiritual intervention since it was meant to help Muslim pilgrims who MUST go to Makka to perform Hajj (pilgrimage). Then, I wrote in a column titled "We Have To Eliminate This “Religion” If We Must Progress": "if we don’t kill this 'religion' which is draining our resources unjustifiably despite the widespread poverty in the land, I don’t see Nigeria coming out of its miserable economic doldrums."

As usual, one is attacked from all sides when one critiques hypocritical religiosity to explain religion's true position. An elder friend messaged me on WhatsApp, asking if I wrote the article. I affirmed. He wondered if I had become a hypocrite and asked if I would go to Hajj if sponsored by the government. I replied, "No. I won't go except on assignment." Then I explained to him thus: "If I were to live one thousand years on earth and I don't have the means to perform Hajj, my Islam is intact and I commit no sin by not performing hajj."

I further told him: "So, I don't need government sponsorship and no Muslim should need it. The Supreme Legislator (Allah) legislates that it (Hajj) becomes mandatory if a Muslim has the means. If you do not have the means, there is no burden on you and nobody (including the government) should be burdened." I then referred him to a column I wrote a week before for better understanding. The column's title is "Subsidizing the Rich, Senator Ali Ndume, and Hajj Fare Palaver."

Also, in reaction to that column, here is one of the most visceral attacks I find, though interesting, in the comment section by a Muslim who wrote in reference to my Muslim name as the author: "It's just a name but the writer is not a Muslim but hypocrite satanic that cannot come out in his full identity but rather prepare pretend to be follower of a Faith he is not, he's brainwashed free thinker disguised as a Muslim by name while he's not." (Quoted without editing).

For those of us who do not suffer from amnesia, do we still recall how the N90 billion was politically butchered by the unkind knife of embezzlement? Here again in Kebbi State, the state government cannot afford to lose its Hajj slot. It was reported that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) gave Kebbi State 3,300 seats. Out of these seats, only 2,110 intended pilgrims were able to pay their fares before the deadline.

In its 'wisdom,' and in order not to lose the sacred seats, the state government stepped in as a spiritual interventor and mediator to help with N10 billion loan; I mean public money. The loan, perhaps to avert spiritual calamity and Allah's wrath for the unfilled slot, was approved by Governor Nasir Idris to secure 1,300 extra Hajj slots after the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) set a December 5 deadline to complete payments.

This is a state that was ranked 37th of the 37 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in a 2023 Human Development Index ranking. In its December 9, 2025, publication, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) takes a look at Kebbi’s financial records. It shows "that the N10 billion borrowed for Hajj is equivalent to 58.93 per cent of the state’s entire Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for 2024, which stood at N16.97 billion, according to the National Bureau of Statistics."

The ICIR’s analysis further shows that "Kebbi is among the three states with lowest IGR in Nigeria in 2024, trailing Yobe and Ebonyi states closely." This is a state I wrote about a few months ago in a column titled "Nigerian Journalists: The endangered Species." In that column, I wrote about a journalist who was arrested for revealing the ugly side of Kangiwa General Hospital in Kebbi State where elderly patient was seen in a viral video lying helplessly on a bare iron bed frame without mattress.

As I always ask: Who did this to us? One would expect the Governor of Kebbi State, Nasir Idris, to be different in this aspect, being a teacher, an educationist, and a unionist. He should be a progressive. How can a progressive prioritize Hajj that is specifically obligatory in the religion for only those who have the means?

This is a state that also has serious insecurity challenges. It recently shut down all its primary and secondary schools due to security issues. I do not imply by this that Governor Nasir Idris has been doing nothing in the state. He has reportedly invested over N10 billion in education, launching renovations across 120 secondary schools and constructing four mega schools. The government has also hired 2,000 new teachers, increased teacher salaries, and covered NECO and WAEC examination fees for students. Despite these efforts, the state still remains very backward, such that it should not be using taxpayers' money to support those who should be the least on its scale of preference.

All said, a question begging an answer needs to be asked: Why are our people so fanatical about pilgrimage, such that our governors and elected representatives have made it a foremost duty to finance those who could not afford it and those who could? Our religion (Islam) is very clear about this. I am saying it for the umpteenth time: God, who asks Muslims to perform Hajj once in their lifetime makes it obligatory upon only those who have the means (see Qur'an 3: 97).

Our predecessors understood this not-difficult-to-understand verse and acted accordingly. That is why some great scholars like Ibn Hazm, Qadi 'Iyaad, Abu Ishaq Shirazi, Imam Al-Bagaawi, and our own Sheikh Uthman Danfodiyo did not perform Hajj throughout their lives. It is so despite the fact that all of them virtually wrote about Hajj's virtues. Of course, it is not because they did not appreciate or understand its importance and obligatoriness.

History records for posterity how many Muslim kings, rulers, Caliphs of Banu Umayyah, Abbasid dynasty, and the Mamluks did not perform Hajj throughout their lifetime. Some were constrained by poverty. Others were so engrossed in propagating Islam that they lacked time for Hajj. Many, like Andalusian scholars, couldn't perform Hajj for political and security reasons. Yet, though condemnable, there were kings/rulers who didn't do Hajj due to negligence and indulgence in worldly enjoyments.

Until our rulers in Nigeria began to teach God their religion, I am unaware of any historical instance where rulers taxed the poor to sponsor the rich to perform Hajj. In other words, I am unaware of any historical instance where funds meant for the state development were diverted to support the rich (or even the poor) to perform Hajj.

Each time I hear about government Hajj sponsorship, what comes to mind is Qur'an 49:16, which says, "Will you inform Allah about your religion?" This question is rhetorical, but it is as if the Nigerian Muslim rulers and the ulama who continue to support them on government Hajj sponsorship answered the question by saying, "Yes! We'll teach God our religion."

If our rulers gave governance the seriousness it deserves, maybe they wouldn't have had time for 'Umra and Hajj, let alone sponsoring others, due to the taxing nature of governing a complex state like Nigeria. Many would make it an after-tenure exercise and have a genuine reason in the religion for delaying the rite.

In conclusion, I still strongly believe we are people with sense to think. I just pray that our sense regains its thinking and functional ability before it is too late. Meanwhile, let's reject the distorted version of the religion that we have created and embrace the true Islam that promotes justice and accountability.
Governor Nasir should work towards improving the state's HDI and empower Kebbians so they will not need loans to do Hajj. Is it even Islamic to perform Hajj with loan?

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
https://thenews-chronicle.com/as-we-continue-to-teach-god-our-religion/

We are created differently. Many are powerless. Some are powerful. While some are even more powerful—very powerful. This is why when a powerful person sneezes at times, a whole community, region, or country catches cold. For instance, Donald Trump's single declaration to invade Nigeria woke up Nigerian government from its slumber. The issues of insecurity, which the government has failed to squarely address for years, gains the topmost of its attention (probably only less than the attention it gives to tax collection).

This time around, it was Aliko Dangote, the founder and chairman of Dangote Group, that sneezes while the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, catches cold. This is not to say Ahmed is an underdog while Dangote is a top dog. No. Ahmad is not an ordinary man too. He is a boss in his own right. A man that can spend or has allegedly spent more than seven billion naira to school his four children abroad in secondary school is not a man of little means. He is indeed very powerful. It is only that power pass power.

Let me digress a bit. I once wrote an article titled "Could Dangote and Abdulsamad Emulate the King who Decided to be Generous?" That was five years ago. I learnt of one empowerment scheme tagged "2021 Dangote Support Fund" that was purportedly created to empower individuals with an amount of N100,000. However, Aliko Dangote Foundation openly distanced itself from the scheme, denounced it, and called it a fraud. Yet, I wrote: "the fact that Dangote has a foundation bears testimony to his generosity." In that article, I exhorted Dangote and AbdulSamad to be generous with their wealth.

Therefore, I am glad to hear that Alhaji Aliko Dangote, identified to be Africa's richest man has, through his foundation, pledged 25% of his estimated $30 billion fortune to the Aliko Dangote Foundation. This is considered one of the largest personal charitable commitments in modern African history. Determined to ensure the continuity of his charity pledge and to avoid squabbles probably when he is no more (after his death), he formalized this heartwarming decision through a family-backed inheritance agreement, with his mother and three children signing off on the agreement.

At the same time or thereafter, we read that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has again reduced its petrol price, slashing the ex-depot rate from N828 to N699 per litre. That is great! And Dangote deserves commendations. This should bring some ease to common Nigerians. That is about 16% decrease in pump price per liter. Imagine the relief that private car owners and commercial drivers will experience by paying N129 less on every litre of petrol they buy.

Suddenly, oil war broke out among major actors. Dangote cried economic sabotage. He alleged that Ahmed favored importers to the disadvantage of local refineries — an act that harms Nigeria's energy sector. Truth be said, imports undermine local production and domestic refiners need special protection to remain in business. This is similar to the Tinubu administration's food import policy introduced in 2024 that suspended duties, tariffs, and taxes on essential food items like rice, maize, and wheat to alleviate food inflation. This policy has been criticized because it greatly hurts local farmers. It is doubtful if Nigerian large-scale farmers will consider taking the risk to farm in the next raining season as they incurred colossal losses and humongous debts this year due to the influx of cheap imports.

The government defends the policy as a necessary crisis-response measure to prevent hunger and stabilize prices. They plan to restore protective tariffs and support local production once domestic supply improves. Could this also explain why government continue to import fuel despite local refineries? I am not an expert in the oil and gas sector. Though I am aware of the corruption that bedevils the sector and the politics involved; I really don't pay serious attention to oil price politics.

What caught my attention is why a mere allegation by Dangote caused the resignation (or is it sack?) of Ahmed. This is not the first time that allegations of corruption and abuse of public office are made against public functionaries. Several allegations of corruption were/are made against the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. He does not resign. Several unbelievable allegations of aiding and abetting bandits (that are even more dangerous than financial corruption) are made against the Minister of State for Defense Bello Mohammed Matawalle. Yet, he does not resign. He is also not sacked.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that allegation of financial recklessness is made against Ahmed. The Coalition for Transparency (CT) had, since five months ago, called for immediate resignation of Engr Ahmed on the same allegation. They demanded an explanation from Ahmed on how, as a career civil servant without any visible investments, inheritance, or side ventures, he was able to finance the education of his children to the tune of $5.5 million. "His silence and vague claims of integrity are an insult to Nigerians,” said Obinna Francis, CT’s convener.

So, why did Ahmed finally resign? Is it because Dangote is now the one making the allegations? There is more to this than meets the eye. But what exactly are the allegations? They are economic sabotage, corruption and financial impropriety. Dangote alleges that Ahmed spent over $7 million (approximately N10 billion) to educate his four children in Switzerland, paying school fees upfront for six years. This amount is allegedly disproportionate to Ahmed's legitimate earnings as a public servant, suggesting possible corruption and abuse of office.
Without wasting time, Dangote submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding Ahmed's arrest, investigation, and prosecution.

Dangote claims he is acting in the interest of Nigeria and, of course, Nigerians. What should even add credence to this claim is his recent 25% pledge of his entire wealth to education, health, and micro-grants to benefit Nigerians in need. Despite all this, many strongly believe Dangote is protecting is business. His exposé of Ahmed's corruption has nothing to do with Nigerians. It has everything to do with his refinery. That is all.

Nevertheless, I join other celebrants to celebrate Dangote's gesture. Devoting one's wealth, hard earned or earned through privilege, to such a noble cause is no small feat. If I were in a position to advise Dangote on how to benefit Nigerians with his largesse, I would advise him, among others, to pay attention to the almaajiris in Kano State (his state). Those ugly spectacles called almaajiris should disturb and discomfort every responsible and well-to-do indigene of the state.

I feel insulted, as a Muslim, seeing these victims of negligence roaming the streets aimlessly, at best, or scavenging for food, at worst. That almaajiri practice, as it is presently, should be a thing of shame to all reasonable northern ulama, rich men and women, and northern elite. It is disgraceful to Islam and to our culture. Anyone who feels I sound too outrageous should do something about it.
Are there northerners that have the interest of their people at heart? Apparently, not Engr. Ahmed. The money he allegedly spent on his four children (N10 billion) will take away all the almaajiris off all the streets in Sokoto State (his state). He would have been remembered for his generosity even after his death. But this is one thing about stolen or ill-gotten wealth and unlawful earnings. They are hardly used for meritorious deeds. While it is too early to conclude that Ahmed is a thief (a big one), there are strong indications to the possibility. For why did he resign if he can account for his wealth?

However, the problem is that once Dangote secures the protection of his business interests, we might not hear anything about the outcome of the investigation against Ahmed's source of wealth. This is on the assumption that investigation actually takes place. Let's hope the Tinubu administration will not let Nigerians down, in this regard as well.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
‎

Do We Really Need Patriotism Campaign?
It was on Monday (this week) that the federal government launched what can be called a national campaign aimed at promoting responsible citizenship, patriotism and public accountability. The initiative, called “My Nigeria, My Responsibility,” was unveiled at the State House in Abuja by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris. It was launched apparently to prepare the minds of Nigerians to embrace the tax regime which implementation, all other things being equal, is just about a month away.
For instance, at the launching, Idris said “Patriotism is in the taxes you pay.” That is true. Every patriotic citizen should be willing to pay tax especially when they are reasonably taxed by a reasonable government. What Idris did not mention is what the government has been doing or failed to do with the tax being paid by the citizens.
Highlighting the necessity to pay tax, Idris described taxation as a “concrete transaction of trust between a citizen and the state.” This, in reference to Nigeria, is theoretical and idealistic. The truth is that there is no trust between the Nigerian citizens and the Nigerian state. Many Nigerians, up till today, do not know what the money saved from the so-called oil subsidy removal that threw the masses into a direful living condition is used for.
Ask an average Nigerian, and they will probably tell you that the savings from subsidy are being stupendously and calculatedly spent on governors to key them into the Emilokan project and lure them to start singing the "on your mandate we shall stand" lyric. Take a look at the opposition governors who are yet to sing the "on your mandate we shall stand" song publicly; they are either warming up to join the APC or have fixed the date of formal admission into the ruling party.
Given this background, do we really need patriotism campaign? We should not lose sight of the fact that this is not the first time to launch such campaign. In the past, we have heard "Re-branding Nigeria" which was aimed at changing the way Nigerians have been perceived both locally and internationally. The outcome was disastrous because it failed to improve the country's international image.
We also had the "Change Begins with Me" campaign, which turned out to be a huge scam. It failed because the so-called rulers who launched it weren't ready to change themselves. Thus, the change could not begin with them. It is disappointing that it was during this period that Nigeria was described as a shithole.
It is axiomatic that people often emulate the character of their rulers. If the rulers are good and surrounded by good people, the masses will be responsible citizens. For instance, there would be no need for a campaign to sermonize people to pay taxes, because the masses would not need to be told to do what they are convinced is their civic duty and responsibility.
In his 1892 article published in the North American Review Vol. 154, No. 425, page 385-400 tilted "Patriotism and politics," James Gibbons explained that patriotism is a sentiment, but not born of material and physical well-being. Patriotism is rather, he averred, "a sentiment that the poverty of country and the discomforts of climate do not diminish, that the inflictions of conquest and despotism do not augment. The truth is, it is a rational instinct placed by the Creator in the breast of man. When God made man a social being, He gave him a sentiment that urges him to sacrifice himself for his family and his country, which is, as it were, his larger family." (Page 387).
Gibbons sounds religious. He was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. Read the quote above again. Who among the current Nigerian rulers can be considered patriotic? Who among them has the sentiment that urges him to sacrifice himself for Nigeria? Did anyone observe the fast, vicious, sweet, and decisive attack launched by President Tinubu, through our gallant military men, against the coupists in Benin Republic to reinstall the democratically elected president? That gave him a headache, and he quickly found solution to it.
However, the killings all over Nigeria apparently do not disturb the peace of our rulers who want the citizens to be patriotic. Until the US President Trump threatened to invade the country, our rulers were cocooned and undisturbed in their fortified homes. It would have taken just a little exhibition of patriotism to launch offensive attacks against bandits, kidnappers, unknown gunmen, and other agents of Satan who are intent on setting Nigeria on fire. But where is the patriot who would do that?
A patriot, according to Chinua Achebe, "is one who cares deeply about the happiness and well-being of his country and all its people…A true patriot will always demand the highest standards of his country and accept nothing but the best for and from his people. He will be outspoken in condemnation of their short-comings without giving way to superiority, despair or cynicism." You can find this quote in Achebe's 1983 book titled "The trouble with Nigeria," page 15-16.
"Let us reignite our patriotism in action” is another quote attributed to the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mr Idris. If Idris is serious about his call for a renewed sense of shared responsibility, he should take that campaign to President Tinubu. He should politely educate him that a true patriot should always demand the highest standards of his country and accept nothing but the best for and from his people. He should be outspoken in condemnation of their short-comings. Idris should not forget to tell the President that his appointees should be committed patriots with track records. He should also be time conscious; five minutes should be enough to do that especially if the first lady is present.
I have not seen the President doing any of these. But I have seen the President appointing people either with questionable characters or under questionable circumstance. How can the government expect Nigerians to be patriotic when patriotism is known not to be rewarded in the country?
How does the government intend to convince its citizens that it is patriotic with its nonchalant attitude towards the daily loss of lives of the masses to marauding bandits? Although the US President Donald Trump recently galvanized Tinubu into action. As a result, among other measures taken to tackle insecurity, he gave directive that men in uniform should be withdrawn from protecting the VIPs and go back to their posts where they would be assigned to their constitutional duty of protecting the country and the citizens. By this directive, lawmakers and ministers will also have to go around without a retinue of policemen giving them protection. This is a welcome development and the President deserves out commendations.
Yet, it is not a display of patriotism. I have not seen the President ordering his son to stop that abuse of power that makes him move around as if he is a president in his own right with heavily armed men, whom Prof. Wole Soyinka considered to be large enough to stop coup plotters in Benin Republic.
Soyinka whom many believe to have lost his patriotic voice that habitually condemns government's wrongdoings immediately found his voice at the sight of crass abuse of power by the President's son. How patriotic is the president who denies his ministers and lawmakers the protection of heavily armed men but allows his son that has no constitutional role in government to move around with the same heavily armed men that are large enough to quell military coup in foreign country? This abuse of taxpayers' money is a serious indictment of unpatriotic behavior.
Mr. Mohammed Idris might go ahead with “My Nigeria, My Responsibility” initiative, but the campaign should be directed to the right quarters.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

We must continue to struggle against the conviction that Nigeria has lost it all as a country. It takes stubborn optimism to believe Nigeria could still be great. This assertion becomes even more indisputable when one considers the calibre of those steering the capsizing ship that is Nigeria. Yet, to maintain one's sanity, it's better to hope against hopelessness.

If embezzling public funds is the most thriving enterprise in Nigeria, kidnapping has emerged as a formidable rival. Nature abhors vacuum. Since industries in Nigeria continue to shut down and legitimate businesses are dying due to an unconducive and frightening environment, kidnapping — the new industry — is thriving. This underworld industry is becoming one of the largest employers of labour.

To be employed in this industry doesn't require evidence of spending many years in school. What is required is either being out of school due to lack of basic education which could be blamed on parents and/or government or having a certificate but no job. These two situations are calamitous; I don't know which is more calamitous: not being schooled at all and growing up as urchins, or being schooled and obtaining certificates but remaining irredeemably hopeless due to unending joblessness.

It is not a prophesy — one is not prophesying — to say people will be Kidnapped tomorrow in Nigeria. This has become an everyday experience. (We can only pray not to be the next victims.) It is only that when soft targets like schools are hit, the breaking news becomes even more sensational. The series of kidnappings in schools recently led to the closure of many schools in the North. Many have criticized this, arguing that the region, notorious for out-of-school children, should not shut down existing schools, even if they're not effective. They are right.

But the government is not wrong either if it thinks it cannot protect those schools and the pupils in them. The government should rather be criticized for its nonchalant attitude toward villagers who are being kidnapped and murdered in scores almost on a daily basis. If schools are shut down because pupils were kidnapped, why are our villages not being shut down by the government?"

If the government shut down our schools because it cares, why doesn't it shut down our villages too to show that it truly cares? To be more caring, states like Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kwara, and Kogi should also be shut down because of the rampaging outlaws who won't let us sleep peacefully with our eyes closed.

Just last Saturday, bandits reportedly invaded Chacho community in Wurno LGA of Sokoto State where they abducted at least 30 women and girls, including a bride and her bridesmaids during the invasion. Government should shut down Chacho community because it cares.

Or better still, Nigeria as a whole should be shut down if the government cannot protect its citizens. Trump would be willing to take over. He has already parched on the necks of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and other lawmakers. Trump is, no doubt, on Tinubu's neck as evident in some steps he took recently which he was apparently not ready to take before Trump's invasion threat to protect his 'cherished Christians' from genocide.

But there is one thing Tinubu has not done. I hope Tinubu would quickly relieve Shettima of his vice presidential position. For we learnt recently from a so-called pastor that Muslim-Muslim presidency is also genocide against Nigerian Christians. That is Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo from Plateau State. I strongly believe his thinking cap was not on his head when he made that claim. Lexicographers across the globe are advised to reach out to Dachomo for more understanding of the the word 'genocide.'

Let's just hope that Donald Trump, who is already on the necks of our rulers, does not know that Muslim-Muslim is also a genocide against Nigerian Christians. Maybe the NNPP chieftain Buba Galadima is right anyway. If his opinion is anything to go by, the country needs to be recolonized. If not recolonization as Galadima suggests, then the country needs a serious factory reset. Some of us are not just normal.

We are in a deep mess. To add insult to the country's injury as it oozes out blood and pus, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was quoted as saying that the children kidnapped in a school in Niger State "are FINE and will be back soon,” Ribadu added that “the children are where they are and will come back safely." How can kidnapped students be fine in kidnappers' dens, mostly located in deep forest? This should be noted as one of the major achievements of Tinubu administration. Even the blind can see this achievement! It is called Tinubu's gain!
Against all odds, under Tinubu, children flourish in kidnappers' hands. The non-kinetic approach is truly yielding the expected result. That kidnapped children would find solace is unthinkable in previous administrations. This is not only wonderful, it is a rare feat. Tinubu's gain.

I still do not understand why some of these government appointees don't like to wear their thinking caps when they intend to address the public on serious issues, especially those that border on the thin line between life and death. Thirteen months ago, I wrote a column titled "Tinubu's Gains: Is Ribadu Living In Fool's Paradise?" It was at the time Nigerians were groaning due to T-pain. Ribadu bragged about what he called Tinubu's Gains. One of the gains was that Nigerians can move and travel to anywhere without fear. I called that a big fat lie. After one year one month, Ribadu told the world that the yet-to-be-rescued kidnapped children are fine. This can only happen in fool's Paradise.

Thursday again, that was yesterday, Ribadu told us that Nigeria remains the only functioning democracy in the entire Sahel. Functioning democracy? Really!? No wonder hundreds of children who are supposed to be in school are fine and doing well in the bush under the 'care' of bandits. May the Almighty God grant our rulers emotional intelligence. Saying kidnapped children are fine in the bush is like teasing parents of these victims. Our rulers should measure and vet their speeches before they cough them out. This is insulting.
May I use this medium to plead to our rulers to do the needful. Our forest should be combed to fish out kidnappers and rescue the kidnapped. I don't care maybe the approach is kinetic or non-kinetic. No child, or adult, can be fine in kidnappers' dens. May the Almighty grant all the rescued victims the ability to overcome their trauma and may we never be victims.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists (agents of Satan) are common enemies to all Nigerians, who are either victims or vulnerable to being kidnapped and becoming victims. Though they threatened to kidnap President Tinubu, one can easily discard the threat as an empty threat and a joke. Tinubu is not vulnerable, and one cannot reasonably imagine that the President of Nigeria — the (gi)ant of Africa — will be kidnapped, just like that, by bandits.

Even Trump, who polices countries where Christians are 'genocided,' can only verbally threaten to kidnap our dear President Tinubu. He cannot make his threat real. If you think I'm naive to have underestimated the power of the almighty Trump, I respect your opinion.

But does the Nigerian government see these agents of Satan as enemies? I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if any Nigerian who doesn't belong to the ruling class is sure. The fact that the Nigerian government has chosen to be non-kinetic in combating these bandits is disturbing. How do you appease devious people? Then, how do you appease devils? These people are both devious and devils. I agree a government might be forced to make peace if bandits had overpowered it and if the government had capitulated to bandits. The Nigerian government hasn't openly admitted to capitulating to bandits.

Rather, the government, through the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that "the security agencies have a way of contacting these people. They (bandits) know the consequences of not complying with government demands. They know they could be pummelled."

Really? Onanuga's body language shows the government is capable of dealing with the bandits. Explaining how the Eruku worshippers were released, Onanuga stated, "After the incident, the DSS and military were involved in the rescue effort. They contacted the bandits to release the captives unharmed."

However, despite Onanuga's bragging about the government's strength, the government refuses to come out clean. What really happened? Rescued or released? How were the kidnapped Eruku worshippers and school girls rescued? Were they really rescued? If they were rescued, why wasn't there any exchange of gunfire?

A curious female lawmaker, who I think is confused like me, asked, "We've seen the children, but where are the kidnappers?" Could it be that the government uses juju? Or could it be that the prayers offered by our Christian and Muslim clerics who are on the government payroll did the miracle?

If the kidnapped victims were released, it wasn't for free, of course. How much ransom did the government pay? Knowing what was paid is not even the issue. The point is, did the government pay or not? If the government paid, what did it pay? Ransom or tribute? If it was ransom, isn't that telling these criminals that banditry is lucrative? In other words, is the government not investing massively in the banditry economy?

After the rescue of the Eruku and Maga victims (or is it release?), is the government taking records of the series of attacks and kidnappings that follow? Listing them would require another article, not this column.
If tribute is what was paid, the government should let Nigerians know who they should be loyal to. Should our loyalty be to the federal government or to some bunch of bandits in their headquarters (forests)? Farmers, in some areas, already pay tax to bandits, and it's understandable which authority those unfortunate farmers are loyal to.

The Kebbi State Governor believed he was in charge. He still couldn't come to terms with how those school girls were kidnapped. There was intelligence on a likely attack, and the military was immediately mobilized to protect the students. The military left, and about 45 minutes later, bandits kidnapped the students. A baffled Governor Nasir Idris asked, "Who authorized the military withdrawal? How did security personnel pull out at such a critical time? That's our concern. We have asked the military to investigate and identify who gave that order." The answers to the above questions, which Governor Idris is desperate to know, may never be known.

We're already in a state of anomie. But President Tinubu, in an attempt to reassert his authority, declared a state of emergency — a nationwide security emergency. He directed security agencies to recruit 20,000 new police officers and deploy them to vulnerable communities.

This is a commendable effort. But isn't this putting the cart before the horse? The government should equip the existing police officers first. Isn't it suicidal to deploy new recruits to vulnerable communities without proper equipment? Also, the government should implement effective screening mechanisms to prevent criminals from infiltrating the security forces.

Just recently, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, revealed that suspected Boko Haram members and other criminals were found on the recruitment lists of the Nigerian Army and police.

The President also urged the National Assembly to begin the process of establishing state police forces, citing the need for localized security structures to respond quickly to threats. If this is true, the President should demonstrate his commitment to state police by taking concrete actions. He should submit an executive bill to the National Assembly for usual rubber-stamping.

However, it's worth noting that this insecurity is becoming increasingly indiscriminate. It's taking on a democratic character, with lawmakers and influential individuals becoming vulnerable. This has led to an unusual, but welcome, development. Some lawmakers dare to disagree with President Tinubu's approach to addressing the escalating attacks. They're opposed to negotiating with bandits. The lawmakers now know that bullets kill and that Nigerians' lives must be protected. They expressed concern for their safety following the President's directive to withdraw police officers from VIPs.

Let's hear from Wase again: "The withdrawal order that has been given, I think, if we are not careful, there will be more now, because I watched a video where one of the kidnappers or bandits was boasting that they are going to get the head of Mr. President. They are going after politicians, and these people are all unrepentant."

Another lawmaker, Senator Aliyu Wamakko: “I am afraid I have to disagree with the idea of withdrawing police aides to VIPs...That is going to constitute another danger, because the VIPs are going to be the next target, and the government will come back and revert the policy.

For those who think President Tinubu has pocketed (bought off) our lawmakers, who can only say yes; think again. Our lawmakers have now begun to crane their necks out of Tinubu's pocket to say no. This is a life-or-death situation. One must be wise and vigilant. But it will be good if the lawmakers are left without police guards so that they can feel insecure like every common Nigerian and give lawmaking the seriousness and attention it deserves.

Ultimately, Tinubu's state of emergency may not yield results until the underlying issues are addressed. Those enabling terrorism, including top officials, bankers, and military personnel, should be held accountable. Since the government has chosen to extend a handshake to these criminals in its non-kinetic approach instead of draining the blood out of them, what's the need to recruit more police and military officers? Obviously not to fight bandits.

I hope the new officers won't start fighting innocent Nigerians. May Nigeria witness peace again.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists (agents of Satan) are common enemies to all Nigerians, who are either victims or vulnerable to being kidnapped and becoming victims. Though they threatened to kidnap President Tinubu, one can easily discard the threat as an empty threat and a joke. Tinubu is not vulnerable, and one cannot reasonably imagine that the President of Nigeria — the (gi)ant of Africa — will be kidnapped, just like that, by bandits.

Even Trump, who polices countries where Christians are 'genocided,' can only verbally threaten to kidnap our dear President Tinubu. He cannot make his threat real. If you think I'm naive to have underestimated the power of the almighty Trump, I respect your opinion.

But does the Nigerian government see these agents of Satan as enemies? I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if any Nigerian who doesn't belong to the ruling class is sure. The fact that the Nigerian government has chosen to be non-kinetic in combating these bandits is disturbing. How do you appease devious people? Then, how do you appease devils? These people are both devious and devils. I agree a government might be forced to make peace if bandits had overpowered it and if the government had capitulated to bandits. The Nigerian government hasn't openly admitted to capitulating to bandits.

Rather, the government, through the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that "the security agencies have a way of contacting these people. They (bandits) know the consequences of not complying with government demands. They know they could be pummelled."

Really? Onanuga's body language shows the government is capable of dealing with the bandits. Explaining how the Eruku worshippers were released, Onanuga stated, "After the incident, the DSS and military were involved in the rescue effort. They contacted the bandits to release the captives unharmed."

However, despite Onanuga's bragging about the government's strength, the government refuses to come out clean. What really happened? Rescued or released? How were the kidnapped Eruku worshippers and school girls rescued? Were they really rescued? If they were rescued, why wasn't there any exchange of gunfire?

A curious female lawmaker, who I think is confused like me, asked, "We've seen the children, but where are the kidnappers?" Could it be that the government uses juju? Or could it be that the prayers offered by our Christian and Muslim clerics who are on the government payroll did the miracle?

If the kidnapped victims were released, it wasn't for free, of course. How much ransom did the government pay? Knowing what was paid is not even the issue. The point is, did the government pay or not? If the government paid, what did it pay? Ransom or tribute? If it was ransom, isn't that telling these criminals that banditry is lucrative? In other words, is the government not investing massively in the banditry economy?

After the rescue of the Eruku and Maga victims (or is it release?), is the government taking records of the series of attacks and kidnappings that follow? Listing them would require another article, not this column.
If tribute is what was paid, the government should let Nigerians know who they should be loyal to. Should our loyalty be to the federal government or to some bunch of bandits in their headquarters (forests)? Farmers, in some areas, already pay tax to bandits, and it's understandable which authority those unfortunate farmers are loyal to.

The Kebbi State Governor believed he was in charge. He still couldn't come to terms with how those school girls were kidnapped. There was intelligence on a likely attack, and the military was immediately mobilized to protect the students. The military left, and about 45 minutes later, bandits kidnapped the students. A baffled Governor Nasir Idris asked, "Who authorized the military withdrawal? How did security personnel pull out at such a critical time? That's our concern. We have asked the military to investigate and identify who gave that order." The answers to the above questions, which Governor Idris is desperate to know, may never be known.

We're already in a state of anomie. But President Tinubu, in an attempt to reassert his authority, declared a state of emergency — a nationwide security emergency. He directed security agencies to recruit 20,000 new police officers and deploy them to vulnerable communities.

This is a commendable effort. But isn't this putting the cart before the horse? The government should equip the existing police officers first. Isn't it suicidal to deploy new recruits to vulnerable communities without proper equipment? Also, the government should implement effective screening mechanisms to prevent criminals from infiltrating the security forces.

Just recently, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, revealed that suspected Boko Haram members and other criminals were found on the recruitment lists of the Nigerian Army and police.

The President also urged the National Assembly to begin the process of establishing state police forces, citing the need for localized security structures to respond quickly to threats. If this is true, the President should demonstrate his commitment to state police by taking concrete actions. He should submit an executive bill to the National Assembly for usual rubber-stamping.

However, it's worth noting that this insecurity is becoming increasingly indiscriminate. It's taking on a democratic character, with lawmakers and influential individuals becoming vulnerable. This has led to an unusual, but welcome, development. Some lawmakers dare to disagree with President Tinubu's approach to addressing the escalating attacks. They're opposed to negotiating with bandits. The lawmakers now know that bullets kill and that Nigerians' lives must be protected. They expressed concern for their safety following the President's directive to withdraw police officers from VIPs.

Let's hear from Wase again: "The withdrawal order that has been given, I think, if we are not careful, there will be more now, because I watched a video where one of the kidnappers or bandits was boasting that they are going to get the head of Mr. President. They are going after politicians, and these people are all unrepentant."

Another lawmaker, Senator Aliyu Wamakko: “I am afraid I have to disagree with the idea of withdrawing police aides to VIPs...That is going to constitute another danger, because the VIPs are going to be the next target, and the government will come back and revert the policy.

For those who think President Tinubu has pocketed (bought off) our lawmakers, who can only say yes; think again. Our lawmakers have now begun to crane their necks out of Tinubu's pocket to say no. This is a life-or-death situation. One must be wise and vigilant. But it will be good if the lawmakers are left without police guards so that they can feel insecure like every common Nigerian and give lawmaking the seriousness and attention it deserves.

Ultimately, Tinubu's state of emergency may not yield results until the underlying issues are addressed. Those enabling terrorism, including top officials, bankers, and military personnel, should be held accountable. Since the government has chosen to extend a handshake to these criminals in its non-kinetic approach instead of draining the blood out of them, what's the need to recruit more police and military officers? Obviously not to fight bandits.

I hope the new officers won't start fighting innocent Nigerians. May Nigeria witness peace again.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Since the United States President Donald Trump threatened to invade Nigeria and the US Department of War signaled its readiness, things have been topsy-turvy. Cases of kidnappings, killings, and general insecurity have ballooned to an alarming rate, which could be said to be unprecedented since Tinubu took over the mantle of rulership more than two years ago.

The frequency of attacks and kidnappings calls for an urgent response from the government. The only response from the government so far is denial. While killings are ongoing, the Nigerian government keeps denying 'genocide' against Christians in Nigeria.

Like the Nigerian government, the Reverend-father-turned-Governor in Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, also openly made a denial. Governor Alia, by implication, calls Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who reported Christian genocide, a blatant and pathological liar—considering the fact that Anagbe's emphasis on genocide against Christians was majorly on Benue State. I cannot just understand why a prominent Bishop in Benue State and the State Governor (also a reverend father) would be on a different page on a serious matter of life and death.

Alia said, "We do not have any jihad in Nigeria. I'm speaking to you as a reverend father and as a governor. If anything like that were happening in Benue or any part of Nigeria, I would be the first to raise the alarm." Governor Alia reiteratedly dismissed claims that religious genocide is taking place in the state. He admitted that, though the state, like many other states, faces serious security challenges, the situation does not amount to genocide.

On Tuesday, while speaking on Piers Morgan's show, Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, did well to dispute figures by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which claimed that over 50,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, with 18,000 churches destroyed.

However, Tuggar spoiled the show when he was pestered for the exact figure. He said, "In the last five years, I can categorically tell you that 177 Christians have been killed. The number of those injured are 98, while seven were abducted."

177 Christians in five years? In a single attack in Benue State less than six months ago, those reportedly killed were around two hundred people. This is not how to prevaricate with statistics. This is not being diplomatic with figures; it is a lack of tactics in defending government failure. Can't Tuggar avoid citing figures and just explain that the country's violence affects all and sundry, including Christians, Muslims, and other groups?
This is exactly how Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, disputed the claims of Christian genocide while addressing journalists on Tuesday without offending the Christians. The Pope admitted that Christians have been killed but pushed aside the Christian genocide narrative. In his words, "I think in Nigeria, in certain areas, there is certainly a danger for Christians, but for all people. Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered."

Tuggar again contradicted himself, saying, "We are not hiding any facts, but, as I said, we don't go about trying to identify a Nigerian's faith when they have lost their lives." So, how did Tuggar arrive at that ridiculous figure since the government he represents doesn't go around identifying the faith of Nigerians kidnapped or massacred by bandits?

At this critical juncture of Nigeria's existence, we should be very careful about how these issues of killings and kidnappings are framed. The kidnapped schoolgirls in Kebbi were immediately framed as Christians. The Satanic errand guys, at home and abroad, are eager to throw Nigeria into a religious inferno while they watch. Before the list of the kidnapped schoolgirls was out, they argued they were Christians because northern Muslim females don't go to school, not to talk of boarding school. However, these Satanic agents were disappointed when the list revealed entirely Muslim names.

So, what exactly is genocide? I checked my dictionary; you can check yours too. It tells me that genocide is "the systematic and deliberate destruction of a group of people, typically by killing substantial numbers of them, on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, or nationality." In this literal sense, I find it difficult to believe or conclude there is ethnic or religious genocide in Nigeria. If there is, since killings and kidnappings started many years ago, no single Christian, except if he or she disguises, should be seen in states like Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, or Sokoto by now. No Yoruba or Igbo should be seen still breathing in the aforementioned states.

Let's turn the binoculars to the South. If there had been ethnic or religious genocide in the South, no single Muslim, Hausa, Kanuri, or Fulani should be found working or trading, except he or she disguises, in states like Bayelsa, Imo, Rivers, and Ondo.
I checked my dictionary again. It says, by extension, genocide is also defined as "the systematic killing of substantial numbers of people on other grounds." This gives me a clearer picture. The last time I can recall genocide taking place somewhere in Nigeria was when the Boko Haram group first declared war against the Nigerian State. Even then, the genocide was limited to the North East, the capital of Borno (Maiduguri), and Yobe (Damaturu), to be specific. Yet, the genocide was not against any ethnic or religious group. It was against men in uniform (military and police officers) and Yan Boko (the educated class). These two classes of people were then systematically and deliberately killed.

But if genocide is used metaphorically as a reference to large-scale destruction of lives and property, I think 'genocide' perfectly describes what is going on presently in Nigeria. In that case, just as there is genocide against Muslims and Christians, so is 'genocide' against travelers and students. There is 'genocide' against Nigerian farmers and against all Nigerians who do not belong to the ruling class. There is 'genocide' against Nigerian resident doctors, Nigerian lecturers, Nigerian teachers, Nigerian civil servants, and all Nigerians who could not live a decent life and are vulnerable to attacks by bandits and terrorists.

Due to the general insecurity in Nigeria and widespread government-induced democratized poverty in the country that discriminates against no one, Nigerians have developed a lot of phobias. We have developed phobia to travel, phobia to go to houses of worship, phobia to eat three square meals, phobia to marry as a single, phobia to add more..., and in fact, phobia to close our eyes while asleep. The 'genocide', as I wrote two weeks ago, isn't only against Christians but against Nigerians.

Reportedly pained by the kidnappings of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and worshippers in Kwara State (my state), President Tinubu decided to stay back, having finalized a scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, to attend the 20th G20 Summit and 7th AU-EU Summit, respectively. The President's decision to stay back is commendable, but that would not stop the new current of attacks.

Also, the reiterated directive of President Tinubu to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls abducted by the bandits is the very rhetoric Nigerians are used to. It will not stop the move to empty Nigerians by the agents of death. What the President should do is address the problem of insecurity from its root. Sponsors of terror are known to the government. Taking drastic action on the findings of Danjuma Ali-Keffi, a major general (rtd), which exposed how top officials, a top banker, and top military brass were involved in terror financing would be a good starting point.

Tinubu should put 2027 aside. The fact that our batified judges have finally and unpretentiously 'decamped' to APC and now sing "on your mandate we shall stand" only depicts us as unserious people who really need Trump's vicious and sweet intervention. But would Trump's intervention herald any good? I join other commentators who think engaging mercenaries, like former President Jonathan did, would be better. With mercenaries, Nigeria would not need to trade its sovereignty.

Lastly, I plead to all Nigerian Christians and Muslims, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, and others to live in peace. We should not allow agents of death to stoke the ember of enmity among us. We are too wise and sufficiently educated to be manipulated. Let's not be fooled and divided in the name of religion and ethnicity. May the Almighty restore peace to our country.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

The young Nigerian Navy officer, Lt. Ahmad Yarima, won the trophy against the "indefatigable" FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. This week is said to be the weakest week for Wike, not because Wike is weak, but because he was weakened.

Note, Wike is not weak because Abuja, which he ministered, has been mapped out by Trump for invasion. He is weak because a Yarima, who was not yet born when Wike graduated from university, taught him to be humble.

The Nigerian social media was agog and is still agog with jubilation over humiliated Wike, the man who "owns" Abuja. Wike, until his encounter with Yarima, knew only one god in Abuja—himself. Not even Tinubu. He expected to be worshipped by all. However, Yarima is an exception. It's not that Yarima doesn't know Wike is a deity to be worshipped; it's just that the young military man believes he has to do his job.

In the course of doing his job, the "sacred" Wike was desecrated, to the delight of most Nigerians. If Wike, as some would say, has always been an eyesore, Yarima is a cynosure—the opposite equivalent of Wike. Take a look at Wike and Yarima again. I became tired of counting; I had to stop counting the number of beautiful ladies who were immediately "married" to Yarima after his encounter with Wike. Many, who are yet to marry him, have already fixed their wedding dates. Some are about to make their marriage proposals.

In fact, just within 24 hours, one particular lady "married" Yarima, and the marriage immediately produced some number of kids. If you still think AI isn't one of the greatest inventions of this age, please wake up before you're mistakenly buried as a relic of the past.

The Yarima vs Wike drama is very interesting. In one episode of the drama, we saw Mohammed Badaru, the Minister of Defense, who quickly came on board to express esprit de corps. Though not a military man, but by virtue of his portfolio, Badaru backed Yarima's action. He was quoted as saying, "Well, at the ministry, and indeed in the armed forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty."

I think, as a minister, his comment shouldn't have made a mockery of the injured Wike, who is also a minister. Yes, I don't expect him to chide or praise Yarima. Yet, I think it's unministerial to say you'll defend your staff on lawful duty against another minister. Anyway, it could be that everyone, including Badaru, is tired of Wike – the Abuja Landlord. Hahaha!

I tried to determine the angle of elevation of Wike's neck, being a relatively short man, as he looked up at a tall Yarima to yell at him: "Get out, you are a fool." Then I realized I need to study mathematics further—I need more lessons in mathematics to get the measurement right.

Yarima retorted politely and insisted, "I am not a fool." He didn't forget to add "sir." That is to say, he was very composed as the fiery Wike spewed brimstones. Many have praised Yarima for his calm but resolute demeanor. I am with the majority on this.

Wike: "Get out", "Shut up." Yarima: "I will not shut up," "I am an officer," "I have integrity," "I am not a fool," and (I am not Fubara). Yarima didn't explicitly say he is not Fubara, but many listeners interpreted Yarima's "I-am-not-a-fool" statement as an indirect way of saying "I am not Fubara."

In the heat of the altercation, when Yarima refused to get out as instructed by the yelling Wike, Wike stylishly got out. Many observed that Yarima's left hand was inside his pocket. Only God, and maybe Wike, knows what might have come out of Yarima's pocket. Applying gerontological wisdom, Wike humbly got out, even though Yarima didn't instruct him to, or shout "get out" at him.

That said, we should always remember that the FCT Minister is equivalent to a governor. In other words, Wike is the Governor of Abuja. How can a governor of a state be denied access to any land—a yet to be developed land—under his territory?

While many celebrated Yarima and denigrated Wike, I've seen some few individuals who argued that Yarima was wrong to have denied Wike access. They premised their arguments on some provisions in the Land Use Act, 1999 Constitution, and some court cases that could serve as precedent. They might be right. But since my analysis in this column is a romantic analysis, I'm leaving the legal analysis for our learned legal experts.
In fact, an analyst said, "Those praising Yarima are useful idiots who are not thinking well because they don't like Wike." He is right too.

That is why I choose to romanticize my analysis. But if one is an idiot for praising Yarima, the truth is that the idiocy, as the analyst acknowledged, is a useful one because it is about Wike, and brutes like him would learn.

Then, one furious Joe Igbokwe insisted that Yarima must be sacked for what he did. I looked at him again, I mean Igbokwe. But when I realized he's an old man, I concluded: well, old people think differently. It was later I learnt from Deji Adeyanju that Igbokwe, who is an author of five books, is actually struggling to get Tinubu's juicy appointment, which has not been forthcoming. If that is true, his call for the sack of Yarima is understandable.

But is Yarima a hero? Some have argued that he should have been at the frontline, defending Nigerian territory as a military officer. A coward, which Yarima is, according to them, is rather wasting Nigerian resources – protecting his boss' land. That is an interesting argument.

If this argument holds water, and I think it does, it's still not Yarima's fault. That is the job he has been assigned to do. We may blame the military as an institution or the government for the inappropriate assignment.
Those who do not see heroism in what Yarima did also said: would Yarima be bold enough to do what he did if he had been a son of nobody? This is an allusion to his father, who is a retired general. I can't answer this question. His critics too can only make conjecture. The answer can be "yes" or "no."

So, is Yarima a hero? Honestly, and I have to be frank here, he is not a hero in the sense that it's not Bello Turji that he captured alive and humiliated. At the same time, he is a hero because he single-handedly humiliated Wike, whom many Nigerians not only see as a problem but as cantankerous, garrulous, loquacious, argumentative, arrogant, self-important, megalomaniac, and hidebound.

Many Nigerians have used some of these long words to describe Wike. I'm not saying they are wrong. But why should I stress myself when a simple three-letter word (MAD) qualifies him better. Wike is a madman. Only a mad minister will condescend so low the way Wike did to enforce directives. Good for him, he found his match in Yarima, who knows how to handle madness. He humbled and handled Wike without manhandling him.

Before anyone reports me to Trump that I called a whole FCT Minister a madman, Wike actually acknowledged he is a madman. And I believe he is not mistaken. He knows himself better. He carefully chose the adjective for himself.

Those who think Wike's wings have been clipped do not know Wike. Admittedly, and obviously, he has been humiliated by someone he considers a boy who should "shut up" when he is talking. Yet, I am very sure, the madness in Wike has not left him and will probably not leave him because he is determined not to lose his job. Though he might regain his sanity when he loses his job that gets him intoxicated, but because he would like to remain a madman, he is determined not to lose his job.

One most important lesson is that our rulers in Nigeria should adopt a new matrix for decent behavior. It is wrong to disrespect rulers, but that is when they embody decency, justice, clemency, and good behavior. However, when rulers are criminals, brutes, ruthless, and selfish, citizens would have no regard for them. Our rulers can make themselves lovable to the citizens.

May God help Nigeria.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

Nigeria is a great country by whatever criteria one chooses to measure greatness. Define greatness as an admirable concept from any perspective, and you will find out that Nigeria has the potential to be great. However, the country has been plagued by selfish, inept, and unpatriotic rulers who could trade anything for their insatiable appetite for pleasure and the capture of state power. Until we elect leaders and reject rulers, I don’t see Nigeria surmounting any of its problems.
‎So, how do we distinguish leaders from rulers at the poll? This might be somewhat difficult since rulers can deceive the electorate and present themselves as leaders. Here I am referring to contesting candidates who have never held public office. But for those who have been in office, we already know them. Rejecting the bad, the ugly, and the worst among them is very easy— but only if we are reasonable people.

‎We lose our reason and sanity when we allow ethnicity, regionalism, and hypocritical religiosity (the most dangerous of all) to influence our sense of judgment. In addition, we lose our sense of humanity when we sell our conscience for peanuts; when we vote for candidates in return for crumbs (spaghetti, rice, sugar, biscuits, and other consumables) as if occasional food puts an end to hunger induced by injustice and caused by bad governance.

‎Since Bishop Wilfred Anagbe from Benue State made the controversial claim that there is an ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria, religious fissures in Nigeria have widened to a more deplorable state. Due to our hypocritical religiosity, which derides objectivity, every writer, commentator, and analyst on this genocidal claim is viewed, first, from his name. Whether he bears a Christian or Muslim name is the first thing to find out. Should a Christian analyst claim the claim of genocide against Christians is too wild to believe, he would be branded, immediately, as a useless and sell‑out Christian. His brethren will reject him and libel him a Judas.

‎Similarly, should a Muslim condemn the Nigerian government for denying that there is genocide against Christians in Nigeria, saying it is not a well‑thought‑out diplomatic response, all hell would let loose on him for betraying a Muslim‑Muslim government. I have my position on this issue, like many other commentators. However, stating my position, as others have done, will not solve the problem. As far as I am concerned, the Nigerian government has the solution to the problem if it intends to solve it.

‎Now, let’s put the argument of whether there is genocide against Christians or not aside. The question to ask is: what is the government doing (or planning to do) about this overwhelming insecurity that leads to the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)? I checked the website of the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC); as of today (7th Nov 2025), there are 48 individuals and 11 entities identified as financiers of terrorism on the sanction list. What is the government doing about these terrorism sponsors? Is being placed on a sanction list all that is required? May be President Tinubu should submit the list to Trump, the new "Messiah."

‎If the Nigerian government is truly willing to collaborate with the United States, why now? And is the United States a country to actually collaborate with to fight insurgency? What footprints have its interventions left in those countries in crisis? According to Trump, “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.” Those who care to know should ask citizens of Libya, Syria, Iraq, Vietnam, Somalia, Haiti, and Panama how vicious and sweet the intervention of the United States was. But do we really blame those who reported the Nigerian government to megalomaniac Trump?

‎I listened to the Bishop Wilfred Anagbe's controversial presentation where he testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, saying Christians face “systematic, frequent” violence. While he generalized that there is genocide against Christianity in Nigeria, his emphasis was more on Benue State.

‎But to be frank, is Benue State a place to be and feel safe? I know the northern Muslims would say Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Borno are far worse than Benue State in terms of insecurity. In fact, they could plausibly argue that the killings in each of these core Muslim states are far more than the killings in Benue State. That is true and no doubt about it. But should the Christians in Benue State resign themselves to fate while they are being killed on a daily basis? Should they be shouting "Ba Korafi"  (No complaint, all is well) and singing "Ọmọ Ologo"  while they continue to bury, conduct mass burials of, their loved ones who fall to the cold hands of marauding kidnappers and terrorists?

‎What have the Muslim organizations, sects, and clerics in the North been doing while their villages are being wiped completely off the surface of the Nigerian map by bandits and terrorists? No protest, it is haram. No demonstration, you go to Hell when you demonstrate. No complaint, it will amount to criticizing rulers in public, and that is also haram. If a Muslim cleric were to testify before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa about genocide against Muslims in Nigeria, his action would be described, by his clerical fellows, as rebellion against rulers which is haram that leads to Hell. When terrorists strike and kill hundreds of your people, just say “Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un— to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.” That is all.

‎I actually don’t know who did this to us. Yet our people are being moved in droves to the slaughter labs on a regular basis. What the Muslim clerics in the North proudly do is engage terrorists, with the support of the government, in “peaceful” dialogue. I am still struggling to understand what this means. Apology to those Muslim clerics who could not make sense of this nonsense.

‎Now that those who care for their people report the Nigerian government—for doing nothing about the “genocide” committed against them—to the almighty Trump, the government is running helter‑skelter. I wish the government, under the rulership of Tinubu, would run in the right direction.
‎But, is there genocide against Christians in Nigeria? This is half the truth. There is truly genocide in Nigeria, but it is not against any religious group. It is against Nigerians. So Trump should be generous in firing his quick, vicious, and sweet missiles. They shouldn’t be fired against the killers of his “cherished Christians” only; they should be fired against the killers of innocent Nigerians. We are all victims of wicked, selfish, and nonchalant rulers in Nigeria. May the Almighty restore peace to our mother country. We are really in a mess.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
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