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Opinion

As IG Bans FSARS, what next for Nigerian youth with ASUU still on 7-month strike

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Alhasan Bala

 

 

By Alhassan A.  Bala

 

Though since the coming of President Muhammad Buhari administration, there’s arguably no protest that succeeded in bringing the attention of the president, while many protesters have been harassed, tear-gassed and some ended up in the police net.

 

Even the once-powerful Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, could not organize a successful protest or strike.

 

The #Revolution Now protest was one of the protests that were cracked down by the police,  with so many counter protests.

 

For the #BringBackOurGirls movement, one can imagine that it is no longer in existence, as only a few newspapers (Daily Trust and Peoples Daily)  keep the record and give a daily reminder.

Kano University promotes 17 academic staff to the rank of Professors

For others like #FreeZakzaky, protests are still ongoing in most northern states and the FCT.

 

Lest I forget, there is another group of protesters from the northwestern region due to banditry,  kidnapping, and other security challenges, but the leaders of the protest were summoned to Abuja and detained for some days, which months later no any word from that northern group again.

 

The EndSARS protest began last week after a video emerges and went viral of how the officers of the unit brutalized some innocent youth,  which the Nigerian youth said is a daily occurrence.

 

And in a rather unusual swift reaction, the Inspector General of Police, Muhammad Adamu on Sunday afternoon disbanded the FSARC which now brings an end to FSARS that the Nigerian youth have been protesting about.  Could this bring an end to the almost two weeks protest by the Nigerian youth?

 

Is it not time to focus on education now?

 

Education is one of the most important areas every country that wants to develop give priority to, but since independence did Nigeria give the needed priority to education?

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The coming of private universities can be described as a good development due to the increasing population and the few public universities but can the quality of education be compared between the two?

 

Since the military regime of the former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has been going on strike due to one agitation or another, though there was a break concerning strike until after the return of democracy in the year 1999.

 

Since that year, a strike by ASUU has become an annual occurrence with the exception of 2004.

 

The strike is affecting the academic calendar each year with an extending year of graduation of hundreds of thousands of Nigerian students, not to talk of how it is affecting the quality of education the students ought to get due to the crash program of the calendar by the lecturers.

ASUU lament non-payment of 5 months’ salary at UNM

The 2020 indefinite strike embarked upon by the ASUU was because of federal government insistence that all federal government workers must enroll in IPPIS, which ASUU kicked though some few members had since enrolled.

 

The union insisted that its members will not enroll while even in his budget presentation speech president Buhari insisted that only those enrolled will be paid salary.

 

The popular saying always goes “if two elephants are fighting the grass suffers,”  FG and ASUU are the elephants while students and their parents remain the grass who are still suffering.

 

Thanks to the banning of FSARS now those involved in the protest online and on the streets were majorly university students who have been at home for over 7 months due to the ongoing ASUU strike. Will they now start a protest to #EndASUU strike just as they succeeded in the #EndSARS?

 

If they are to start who will they support: the government or the ASUU?

 

If they support the government and defeat ASUU they should be ready to pay more in their school fees as no visiting lecturer will go free of charge. Which subsequently the children of the poor may not be able to attend to public universities.

The opposition parties and other civil society organizations are keeping mute on the ASUU strike, but why is it so?

Many leaders of the opposition politician either have private school or their children study or are studying abroad.

And for most of the civil society activists, most of the protests they are leading were sponsored or bankrolled by some people that have an interest.

 

And if they support the government there are all possibilities that the suspension of the strike will only be a break,  as the government is always breaking her promise with many unions.

 

What will the students do now? As there is no indication of calling off of the strike as the major actors still hold on to their grounds.

 

Who is right between the Government and the ASUU?

How can Nigeria university students compete with their counterparts from other countries?

 

But while I am asking these questions,  I also asked myself who can or will answer them? Only time will tell.

 

This piece is written by Alhassan A.  Bala.

President, National Association of Islamic Studies Students UniAbuja and Abuja based broadcast journalist.

He can be reached via balahassan2007@gmail.com

Opinion

Let President Tinubu Rename University of Lagos After Gowon, Not Abuja

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Adnan Mukhtar Tudun Wada

 

 

Adnan Mukhtar Tudun Wada

I was not happy when Northwest University Kano was renamed to Yusuf Maitama Sule University, as student leaders of that University then, we followed the interest of the students who were also not happy with the renaming at that time for one reason; the renaming was politically motivated, to hurt the founder of the institution Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. I was busy mobilising students to protest, the next day I was invited to the DSS for questions where I spent hours and all the people we were mobilising the protest together ran and dissociated themselves from it. I have no option but to plead with the DSS to release me, assuring them that not a single student would protest the government’s action.

The renaming has affected many students who are seeking admission abroad; it’s Northwest University on my transcript and Yusuf Maitama Sule University on my certificate. This is kinda confusing and not good at all.

Politicians should immortalise individuals in their new projects not existing ones. The renaming of the University of Abuja to Yakubu Gowon University is not good for the university’s alumni.

The President should have found a new project or built a new University by naming it after the former Head of State.

I don’t support the idea of playing politics by renaming our universities and this happens mostly in Nigeria.

Imagine waking up renaming the University of Maiduguri to Mohammed Goni University, Yobe State University to Ibrahim Geidam University, the University of Ibadan to Abiola Ajimobi University, the University of Lagos to Lateef Jakande University.

It will be bad for the alumni of the aforementioned universities to come across this.

Why is this only happening in Africa? Look at Makerere University in Uganda, it was established in 1920 but despite Yoweri Mosevenni’s long reign; he didn’t for once attempt to change it to even his name for selfish reasons.

He didn’t think of renaming the Entebbe International Airport after him but in Nigeria, we have this culture of renaming everything after individuals.

If you want to be immortalised, leave a lasting legacy as Gowon did in establishing NYSC. That enough is Okay and better than naming an institution after him.

President Tinubu should have renamed the University of Lagos after Gowon, not Abuja. I’m sure his people will reject this not for any reason but because of the large number of people that will be affected by it.

The University of Abuja Alumni were all crying over this painful decision.

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Opinion

Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya: Champion of Civil Society and Good Governance in Northern Nigeria

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Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, is an influential Civil Society figure in Kano State and Northern Nigeria. He is currently serving as the Executive Director, Citizens for Development and Education (CDE), he has dedicated many years of his civil society activism as advocate for the promotion of democracy, good governance, anti-corruption, peace building and women empowerment

Amb. Waiya, holds number of academic qualifications, including a Higher National Diploma in Public Administration from Kano State Polytechnic, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, Master’s in Public International Law at Maryam Abacha, American University, Maradi, and he is currently pursuing a doctor of philosophy at Skyline University, Kano in International Relations

In the course of his career, he held several positions and managed a number of projects. He served as the Director, Alhilal Foundation, from 2003 to 2007, an organization which focused on women empowerment, through basic literacy and skills acquisition. He later coordinated the North West Zonal Office of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Foundation. Amb. Ibrahim Waiya, led and coordinated a number of Local Government Councils Elections Observation missions across 19 Northern states.

In 2011, Waiya managed the Campaign against Drug Abuse under the auspices of Northern Youth Assembly, a youth driven platform with leadership structures in the Nineteen Northern States. He served as Secretary, for both, Kano State Stakeholders Committee on Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign and Kano State Stakeholders Committee on Anti-Child Abuse, a project which was coordinated by the office of the Special Adviser, Child Welfare and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. His involvement in election observation coordination missions and various public engagements, highlights his commitment to civic engagement towards community development, democracy and good governance

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Waiya’s extensive experience includes free consultancy support services to numerous Government Ministries and Agencies such as: Kano State Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development, Kano State Ministry for Community and Rural Development, office of the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kano State on Child Welfare, Ministry for Special duties, office of the special adviser, joint security services. He has facilitated numerous training workshops and seminars, impacting his knowledge, skills, experience on the community, particularly for community based organizations

In recognition of his contributions, he was appointed to several key positions, such as the President, of the Kano Civil Society Forum, Chairman of the Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks, Convener, Nigeria for Peace Project, Managing partner, United Nigeria Project, Head of Secretariat, Kano Peace Committee, Secretary General, National Action for Women Agenda,(NAWA), chairman, Board of Trustees, Northern Youth Assembly, (Majalisar Matasan Arewa) Fellow, Institute of Security and Strategic Studies, Fellow, Institute of International Peace and Secure Society, Fellow, Institute of Business Diplomacy and Financial Management, member, Commission of Inquiry on Missing persons, member, Implementation Committee, on the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission of inquiry on missing persons, member, Commission of Inquiry to investigate, various political violence and cases of missing persons, that occurred in the State from 2015 – 2023, member, Commission of inquiry to investigate protest, arson and destruction of public and private properties that occurred from 1st – 10th August, 2024 Amb. Waiya, served as Consultant on various government projects, such as: Kano State Security Trust Fund, Safe Corridor, Campaign against Drug Abuse, across the 44 Local Government Council Areas. Amb. Waiya”s active participation in peace building, policy advocacy and legislative reform has continued to impact positive change in Kano State, the North and Nigeria at large.

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Opinion

“I Transition to PR and Digital Marketing to Transform Brands Globally” – Ibrahim Ayyuba Isah

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As 2024 comes to a close, Ibrahim Ayyuba Isah reflects on his journey from journalism to public relations (PR) and digital marketing. With over a decade of experience in media and communications, Ibrahim’s transition was fueled by a desire to empower businesses—starting with Northern Nigeria but extending globally—to build impactful narratives and achieve sustainable growth.

“Every brand, regardless of location, deserves access to the tools and expertise needed to thrive in today’s fast-paced world,” Ibrahim says. “My goal has always been to bridge the gap in strategic communication, ensuring that no business is left behind.”

From Journalism to Strategic Communication

Ibrahim’s illustrious journalism career spans over a decade, during which he served as a Senior Reporter at TVC News, covering critical developments, including the Kano State Government House for three successive administrations. His work involved breaking major news stories, producing multimedia content, and engaging audiences through digital platforms.

“I’ve always been passionate about communication, but I realized I wanted to do more than report stories—I wanted to help brands craft their own,” Ibrahim shares. “That’s what led me to pivot into PR and digital marketing.”

To equip himself for this new journey, Ibrahim pursued advanced studies, earning a Master’s in Communication Studies and a Master’s in Public Relations from Bayero University, Kano. He further honed his expertise with a Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing from the London School of Business Administration and a Master Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Digital Marketing Skills Institute. These credentials underscore his commitment to mastering the art of strategic communication.

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Empowering Brands Through Ayrah Media Concept

As the CEO of Ayrah Media Concept (AMC), Ibrahim leads a PR and creative agency that provides businesses with tailored solutions, including PR consulting, social media management, corporate campaigns, and digital marketing.

“My vision is to empower brands to connect with their audiences, tell compelling stories, and achieve global relevance,” Ibrahim explains. “Through AMC, we’re showing businesses—whether in Northern Nigeria or beyond—that they can reach new heights with the right strategies.”

In 2024, AMC worked on several impactful campaigns, including Ibrahim’s role as a Lead Consultant for the WOFAN-ICON2 project in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, where he developed and executed PR and communication strategies to amplify the project’s impact.

Changing Perceptions and Building Bridges

Transitioning into PR and digital marketing came with challenges, including shifting perceptions about its value.

“Many businesses see PR and digital marketing as optional rather than essential,” Ibrahim says. “But the results are transformative. Strategic communication is not just about visibility; it’s about building trust, credibility, and lasting connections with your audience.”

This philosophy drives Ibrahim’s approach, ensuring that businesses of all sizes—whether local startups or established corporations—can access high-quality PR and marketing services.

Looking Ahead

Ibrahim’s vision for the future extends far beyond regional boundaries. While his roots and passion lie in Northern Nigeria, his focus is on creating strategies that resonate globally.

“Brands in Kano, Lagos, Abuja, or even New York share a common goal: to connect with people and make an impact,” he says. “My mission is to ensure that every business, regardless of size or location, has the tools and strategies to achieve that.”

In 2025, Ibrahim plans to document his professional journey in a book that will explore his experiences as a journalist and PR expert, offering insights into the evolving landscape of communication and its role in business success.

A Message of Gratitude

As he reflects on the year, Ibrahim expresses his gratitude to those who have supported his journey. “I’m incredibly thankful to my mentors, collaborators, and clients who have believed in my vision. Together, we’ve shown that impactful communication has the power to transform lives and businesses.”

With a clear vision and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Ibrahim Ayyuba Isah is poised to lead the way in redefining PR and digital marketing, not just in Nigeria but across the globe.

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