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Good-heartedness: The Impetus to Addressing Hardship in Nigeria

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Abdurraheem Saad Dembo

 

By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo

It is based on my personal assessment of the current economic situation in the country that I came up with the idea of good- heartedness. The idea struck me repeatedly while meditating, hence I decided to romance my keyboard.

According to Merriam’s Webster Dictionary, good-hearted is having a kindly generous disposition. In the same vein, Oxford Learners Dictionary describes good-hearted as kind; willing to help other people. In view of this, it is no gainsay that good-heartedness is a potential driving force towards alleviating the suffering of the masses amid the hyper inflation in Nigeria. The government officials who dish out policies and citizens must be good-hearted.

Furthermore, those in the position of authority should know that the Almighty will ask them and everyone about our escapades on earth. The current economic hardship is hitting the masses of Nigeria in an unprecedented high way. Traders and manufacturers should imbibe the virtue of kind-heartedness, because making money at the expense of the poor masses is unGodly and satanic. As a trader you bought a cement in the morning and by evening, you have added about 40 percent price increase because of speculations and greed. It is a public belief and knowledge that such money cannot help you. We reap whatever we sow, that is the reality about our existence.

The Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammadu Iliyasu Bashar, on Wednesday met with the business community in Kebbi State on the high prices of food commodities in the state. Here is part of what he said: “We are all to blame; we should stop blaming the government. We should all go back, sit down and see where we need to contribute to improve the economic situation”. He said instead of blaming the government, the market traders should be just in the way and manner they set food commodities to buyers so that the economic hardship that is currently being witnessed in the country could be resolved.

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In a similar move, a renowned Ilorin born Islamic scholar, Sheikh Hamad Labeeb and his group toured markets in Ilorin on behalf of Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari to admonish the traders to desist from incessant increment in the prices of food commodities.

Most importantly, to the progressive guys, coming online and telling Nigerians that they are exaggerating the hardship in the land, you are admonished to take things easy as life is not stable and very dynamic. Is it because you are enjoying “kobo kobo patronage” from political big wigs? You may not be making sense as the public will be seeing you as political caricatures. It is a dangerous politics to openly deny the obvious fact that people are extremely suffering. Hence, I appeal to them to stop playing the ostrich; you cannot love President Tinubu more than some of us. Even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander- in-Chief of Federal Republic of Nigeria has not denied the fact that there is hardship in the land. Rather, he has been optimistic that there would be light at the end of the tunnel. To corroborate this, here is what he said in Lagos on Thursday during the commissioning of Lagos Red line rail,

“Democracy and governance are and must be for the people. As for our policy, IT WILL CONTINUE. We will not stop it. Corruption must end in Nigeria. Yes, Corruption will fight back, we will fight it and ruin it. We will exterminate it! Nigeria money must be for the majority of Nigerians to build good education, healthcare and modern transportation for majority of the people. We are focused and determined and we are on track. In the end, all of us will be happy for all the sacrifices we made. The Hope is here, Nigeria will be out of economic problems…..”.

Similarly, the Fuji Maestro, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, cancelled the yearly birthday carnival for his 67th birthday on 3rd March. He however urged his family and friends to rather use the occasion to reach out to the less privileged in the society. According to K1 “many people are praying for survival at this point; to feed well is a big issue for many and, as someone that benefits from many of these people crying and lamenting, I share in their pains and see no reason I should be celebrating.”

To be good-hearted or kind-hearted has nothing to do with wealth. All it requires is the willingness to help others. The world is structured like a ladder. We are not all on the same step; there are people at the lower end while some are up the ladder. Some are even at the middle of the ladder. With the current economic challenges in the country, we should not wait until people around us come for help. Once you are capable to help them, please do so amid the current hardship. Just as Roy Bennett says, “Be the reason someone smiles. Be that reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” This is the definition of good-heartedness.

abdurraheemsaaddembo@gmail.com

Opinion

Izala Sect: Crisis of Leadership, Accusations of Shiism Meddle in Polarising Its Members, History Repeats Itself

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By Yakubu Nasiru Khalid

Formally, the Izala sect was formed in 1978, created to eradicate innovation (bid’a) within the Islamic doctrine. It has a modern structure and leadership both at the state and national levels. Therefore, the leadership of the Izala has come with a well-structured and hierarchical bureau and the feeling that they are different from who they see as the “Conservative Islamic Group.”

The structure comprises three arms: the Council of Ulama, the Administrative Council, and The First Aid Group. Each of the councils has its own head and followers to achieve designed goals. Even with this structure, the sect experienced crises at both levels, which polarised its leadership.

The reasons attached to the polarisation of Izala at the national level later descended to many states where the organization has a large following. The reasons were multifaceted, from jurisprudence, political, financial, and external meddling to sundry issues.

Initially, there was a problem regarding the leadership of the organization, especially the question of who was the supreme leader of the organization between the Administrative Council and the chairman of the Ulama Council. At the time, the head of the Administrative Council was Alhaji Musa Muhammad Maigandu, from Kaduna, and Sheikh Ismail Idris was the chairman of the Ulama Council, Jos faction recognized Ismail Idris.

The Jos faction rejected Maigandu for not being a scholar but a businessman, arguing that an Islamic organization should be led by a scholar, not a businessman. This added more fire to the crisis.

Furthermore, the Kaduna faction was very critical of some views and fatwas of Ismail Idris, especially those that dealt with the issue of bid’a. According to Ismail Idris, the followers of Izala would not pray behind an Imam who’s not a member of Izala, they would also not marry from the family of a person who inclined to Sufism and would not eat the meat of an animal slaughtered by a follower of the Sufi group.

The Kaduna faction was outrightly against these views and opposed them. Another vital factor that played a role in the split of the Izala group was the accusations and counter-accusations of financial management. Ismail Idris was accused of organizing in the Arab countries, and he was further accused of personalizing vehicles donated to the Izala sect.

In addition, Ben Amara argued that the eruption of the Gulf War in the 1990s between the USA and Iraq was another important factor in the polarisation of the Izala. The Jos faction supported the American invasion of Iraq because of the Saudi Arabian interest, while Kaduna supported Iraq. The Jos faction called Kaduna “Saddamawa” meaning (supporters of Saddam) while Kaduna called Jos “Bushawa” meaning (supporters of American interest).

The leadership of the Jos faction blamed Shia for the internal crisis of Izala and accused some Ulama of being secret agents of Shiism who were working toward dismantling the group.

yakubunasirukhalid@gmail.com

 

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Opinion

Gov. Yusuf’s executive order extending retirement age for HoS, Kano Assembly Clerk, and others unconstitutional

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Sani Usman-DanAbdullo, a Director of Admin and General Services at the Kano State Agency for the Control of Aids, KSACA, has written to the state assembly, seeking its intervention in the
Executive Order issued by Governor Abba Yusuf.

Mr DanAbdullo, in a petition dated January 6 and addressed to Speaker of the Assembly, Jibrin Ismail Falgore, recalled that the governor had in January 2025 issued Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, extending the service period of some civil servants.

According to him, the governor extended the service year of the Head of Service, Assembly Clerk, some judicial officers, Permanent Secretaries and a host of other staff in the state health sector for 2 years after they were due for retirement as of December 2024.

The lawyer also recalled that the state assembly had enacted a law fixing the retirement of staff at 60 years of age or 35 years of service, depending on whichever comes first.

Mr DanAbdullo, therefore, asserted that the governor’s executive order was unconstitutional, “since the House has already made laws which the order seeks to alter”.

He noted that that executive order is not meant to alter, amend, modify or expand the law made by the legislature.

“This act, is, therefore, a clear violation of the principles of rule of law and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution being not only a clear attempt to usurp the legislative powers of this Honourable House, but to contradict the existing laws already enacted by it in exercise of its powers as such,” the petition added.

While dismissing a claim that the governor issued the order in the spirit of the Doctrine of Necessity, Mr DanAbdullo said there was no justification for extending the service years of the affected retired officers since there are many competent hands with adequate qualifications to be appointed.

“And as for the staff in the health sector, they can be retained on contract arrangement in line with the existing service law of Kano State,” the petition added.

Mr DanAbdullo, therefore, warned that the provisions of the Constitution must not be subordinated to any other law, and must not be subjected to the indignity of deletion of any section or part thereof.

“In view of the foregoing, I urge this esteemed House to employ all legal mechanism at its disposal to overrule the Governor’s decision in the act complained of, which is capable of setting a very dangerous precedent that will ruin the entire public service system of our dear State, if allowed.

“TAKE NOTICE Sir, this act of indiscriminate issuance of executive order, if allowed, will cause the entire Kano State the following catastrophic effects,”

The State Assembly failed to attend to the petition even if it means dismissing it for fear of the governor, if the petition is not attended to we will have no option but to go to court”. He added

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Opinion

The Movement (Tafiyar Matasa) and the Very Big Questions to Answer

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Comr. Habu Hassan Abdullahi

Comr. Habu Hassan Abdullahi

Yes, I am not some sort of social critic who would unfairly denigrate someone’s achievement for personal gain or political interest that I do not have. Thus, this is pre-eminently the right time to speak the truth to the members of my generation in Nigeria whether they care to accept it or not. But remember the truth is always truth and can stand alone.

No doubt that not everyone is happy with how leadership is running in this country, with the exception of those at the corridor of power. But this is not enough to be a raison d’etre to handle our dear nation to the hands of inexperienced youths. Forgive my pen for the use of “inexperienced”. Just because most of them have never been to real leadership. Of course, I am myself opposed to the exclusionary habit of the present politicians, they’ve relegated youths to the mantle of power but we have to cautiously control our faculty of thinking to avoid getting entangled in a lust for power.

I was very happy when I heard the idea of “The Movement” known as “Tafiyar Matasa” in the Hausa language. And of course, the genesis of the movement was attributed to the unavoidable “EndBadGovernance” protest of 1st August, 2024. The movement began immediately after the protest, in fact, it is one of the noticeable outcomes of the protest due to the unity it brought. The idea of the movement was preached and promoted by some prominent northern activists and social media influencers to serve as a last resort to the youths in their effort to bring good governance. No one can deny the fact this is a laudable effort. But the very big question supposed to be asked here is: youthfulness is the only parameter and yardstick to measure the caliber of a good leader? If yes, why Yahaya Bello (Former Governor of Kogi) and Abdurrasheeed Bawa (former EFCC Boss) were arraigned for looting the public treasury! The point I want to make here is, being young or old will not be a determining factor for an individual to be a good leader. We can have corrupt leaders within any range of age.

Another important issue to take into cognizance is the failure of some youths to comprehend the logic and existing distinction between being a good activist and being a good leader. Leadership is quite different from activism, therefore, a good activist may not necessarily be a good leader. It is common knowledge that the conveners of this important movement lack practical leadership acumen and organizational skills that are fundamental for successful leadership. Okay, should we handle our future to the trial and error leaders? We have to exercise extraordinary care when it comes to leadership.

Yet another problem faced by this movement is financial constraints. To be sincere and frank, the quantum resources required to run a great national political movement like this oversizes the pockets of the conveners. Another organic question to ask here is: where the movement conveners can solicit humongous financial resources? From the politicians they are castigating? If yes, this is performative contradiction!

Finally, I would like to remind my fellow youths that new breed, as the late Yusuf Maitama said, cannot solve the Nigerian problem. There must be mutual cooperation and understanding between the new breed and old breed. We must work together with them to acquire all necessary experience, knowledge, and practical leadership skills.

Written by
Comr. Habu Hassan Abdullahi
From Bayero University, Kano
Department of Education
Contact via 07065941454 or habu92hassan@gmail.com

 

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