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Opinion

Agbese:Wise, Intrepid, Fearless-Dare Babarinsa

Published

12 months ago

on

Late Dan Agbese

 

 

Dare Babarinsa, CON
Chairman, Gaskia Media Ltd

I first met Oga Dan Agbese in 1984 during the preparatory days of Newswatch, the pioneering Nigerian newsmagazine. Before then, his reputation had preceded him as one of the stars among the alumni of our Department of Mass Communication of the University of Lagos, UNILAG. Then we met at the home of Dele Giwa, off Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, where I had gone to meet the four editors who were destined to shape our lives.

Agbese was the only one I did not really know among them then. He had the reputation of being the man writing the Candido column in the old New Nigerian newspapers, a great institution that dominated our growing up years that is now regarded as Nigerian Journalism Golden Age. Candido, the man behind the mask, column was said to have been created by Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, one of Agbese’s illustrious predecessors as editor of the New Nigerian. Here was he now before me in flesh and blood! We were to work together for five giddy years. His influence was to remain with me forever.
Newswatch early years was dominated by big dreams. I was among the four first editorial staff of Newswatch; Rolake Omonubi, Dele Olojede, Wale Oladepo and I. Among the four founders, three of them were already well known to those of us coming from the stable of the Concord Group of Newspapers. Ray Ekpu was already a famous editor who ran the Sunday Times with so much vigour and creativity that the old conservative elements of President Shehu Shagari’s government felt very uncomfortable with him. He was forced out and, in the end, resurfaced as the chairman of the editorial board of the Concord Group founded by that great man, Chief Moshood Abiola.

When I was a student at Unilag, Dele Giwa, as the feature editor of the Daily Times, was the man who made me a stringer for the paper. I was introduced to him by my friend and roommate, Waheed Olagunju, who later became the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry. I was writing a column for the Daily Times called Campus News every Friday. Yakubu Mohammed, the editor of the National Concord, was the one who employed me and Oladepo in November 1982. Mohammed was also the one Oladepo and I followed into Newswatch. The man we did not know before was Agbese.

 

We soon found Agbese to be in a special class of his own. To him, journalism was science. To him, a journalist needs to be precise and unambiguous. He should employ brevity if it would convey a clearer meaning than circumlocution. He writes as he speaks; with precision and wisdom. He put himself under the rigour of proof and demanded the same from us. When we encounter Oga Agbese, we knew we were in a special master’s class of journalism. He taught us a lot. He demanded beauty of expression; not of flowery language, but of the kind of words that convey greater truth than the best photographs and paintings. He was a special kind of artist.

Like his other colleagues, Agbese regarded journalism as an instrument of service to Nigeria and humanity. He was resolute, resourceful and intrepid in the pursuit of his calling as a first-class journalist. He believed in journalism as a pillar of any thriving democracy. He put himself in the line of fine for his belief. He was fearless. Therefore, he was one of the heroes who gave us democracy. He endured with dignity and courage the constant harassment and intimidations during the military era. In the formative years of Newswatch, he was designated the managing director until our editors decided to combine the office of Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief and Dele Giwa was allowed to hold the two offices.
But the journey was meant to be turbulent. What was meant to be a professional business concerns soon became a serious struggle with the operators of the Nigerian state. On October 19, 1986, less than two years after Newswatch hit the news stand, Dele Giwa was killed with a parcel bomb and our life was changed for ever. Our editors were at the centre of the storm. The echo of that bomb still rings in our ears till today.

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Less than one year after Giwa was killed, Newswatch carried a story on a panel report on the draft Constitution that would guide the Third Republic. The military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida seems to have been looking for any excuse to pounce on the media house. This exclusive story, which is based on the truth, was the excuse the regime used to outlaw Newswatch. It passed a special decree, called the Newswatch Prohibition Decree, declaring that even the media house cannot seek redress in the court of law, declaring that “notwithstanding anything written in the Constitution or any other law,” Newswatch remained banned. It was the beginning of Newswatch Second Session. I remember Oga Dan and his colleagues, corralled in front of our office at Oregun Road, surrounded by security agents as they were being prepared for detention.

But no prison could keep the soul of a great person in bondage. Despite the travails and vicissitude of those days, Agbese and his colleagues stood tall. Agbese was figure of serenity under pressure, including the pressure of deadlines. He demanded from us his subordinates, the exactness of science and would not allow any fussy language to escape his scalpel as an editor. He demanded what he gave. His column, brimming with wits and wisdom, was a pilgrimage into Nigerian history and society. His thoughts, deep and clairvoyant, ring with candour and bitter truth. He was the one who described Chief Obafemi Awolowo as “the best President Nigeria never had,” in an essay he wrote to mark Awo’s 78th birthday. When Awo died on May 9, 1987, Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was to quote him without attribution. Agbese was an original thinker who thought us to value critical thinking.

In October 1990, I went to inform him that I would be resigning. By that time, it had become an open secret that I and four of my colleagues were planning to start another magazine, TELL. He invited me to his house and we held a long discussion in his private study. It was an intimate moment and our discussion was frank. I learnt a lot of lessons on how to treat subordinates from the great men who led us in those giddy years at Newswatch.
I am indebted to Agbese. I learnt Mass Communications in Unilag, but the great men of Newswatch thought me journalism. Agbese was deep. His solidity and courage give the impression of timelessness. You have the feeling that nothing can scare him and when you enter his office, he would raise his head, with his glasses perched on his nose, you are confronted with something almost spiritual. Agbese had a presence filled with ethereal force, creative and comforting. He transmits his aura with effortless ease. He was a great man.

My memoir, One Day and A Story, published by Gaskia Media Ltd in 2016, was based on my five years tour of duty in Newswatch. After it was published, I went to my bosses at their new office on Acme Road to present copies. I was received enthusiastically. Our former General Editor, Olusoji Akinrinade, joined Agbese, Ekpu and Mohammed to give me a royal welcome. I am happy that I had maintained a cordial relationship with my old bosses over the years. Some years ago, when I approached Mr Mohammed to come and serve on the Advisory Board of Gaskia Media Ltd, he readily agreed.

Recently I visited him at home to congratulate him on the publication of his enthralling autobiography, Beyond Expectations. With the death of Agbese, a significant chapter of that book has closed.

But Agbese, like all great thinkers and writers, would always be with us. His corpus of works, which includes, Babangida: Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria, The Reporter’s Companion, and The Art and Craft of Column Writing, would ensure that down the centuries, future journalists, historians and youths, would continue to cherish the depth of his thoughts, the profundity of his knowledge and the sheer beauty of his rendering.

Now, he has embraced mortality, the ultimate fate of all of us, so that he can inherit immortality. His magnificent wife, Aunty Rose, and wonderful children, should take solace that the patriarch completed his assignment on this side of the Great Divide. When he was with us, he was blessed with the wisdom of the ages like a living ancestor. Finally, he has become a true ancestor. May his valiant soul find eternal rest.

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Opinion

Kano’s War On Drugs: How Barr. Muhyi’s Taskforce Is Changing The Game

Published

4 days ago

on

November 2, 2026

By

Muhuyi Magaji

 

By Muhammad Abubakar Suleiman

When Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf declared a public health emergency on drug abuse on July 22, 2026, and inaugurated the Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, many in Kano saw it as another committee. Three months later, the committee led by Barrister Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado is dominating security headlines in the state.

The Taskforce was constituted as a multi-agency platform bringing together NDLEA, Police, DSS, Consumer Protection Council, Pharmaceutical Society, Ministry of Health, Anti-Daba Unit and other stakeholders. Dr. Ibrahim Garba Muhammad serves as Secretary.

From Raids to Results: Over 400 Arrests

According to briefings by the Chairman, within the first two months the Taskforce arrested more than 380 suspects and secured over 230 convictions. By September 29, when Barr. Muhyi spoke at the Kano Network of NGOs (KANET) Monthly Lecture at Nasarawa GRA, the figure had risen to over 400 arrests.

Presenting its scorecard to the State Executive Council in late September, the Taskforce reported a 35% reduction in drug-related crimes in the last three months, attributing it to intensified enforcement, seizures and over 500 convictions as of October 22.

Operations have focused on identified hotspots: Race Course, Filin Idi, Filin Mahaha, Tashar Rami, Kawo, Tashar Rimi, Jakara, Madigawa, Yalwa, Sanka, Kul Kul, Dogon Nama and Kukar Bulukiya.

Recoveries include Cannabis Sativa, Tramadol, Diazepam, Pentazocine, Pregabalin, Exol-5 and a Methamphetamine-based designer drug. In one case, 870,000 capsules of Pregabalin were seized from a pharmaceutical company over suspected diversion. Local weapons – knives, daggers, cutlasses and clubs – used by gangs were also recovered.

The Taskforce also recorded high-profile arrests. On August 18, it announced the arrest of a former Chairman of Rogo Local Government for allegedly selling and administering fentanyl injections to youths, after a victim who spent over N2 million on injections identified him.

Latest: Gang Sponsor Tracked to Port Harcourt

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In its most recent operation, the Taskforce announced on October 30 the arrest of a 27-year-old suspected gang violence sponsor, Ishaq Lawan Ibrahim, popularly known as Malam Keya, from Yalwa in Dala LGA.

According to the committee, Malam Keya was allegedly financing violent clashes by rival Daba gangs in Dala that claimed lives. He fled to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after crackdown intensified, but was tracked and arrested in an operation led by Head of Operations, CSP Bashir Gwadabe, and brought back to Kano. He is now in police custody pending prosecution.

Chairman Muhyi said the arrest outside Kano shows the Taskforce will pursue suspects beyond state boundaries.

Beyond Enforcement: Children, Rehabilitation and Technology

The committee says its mandate is not just enforcement. It reported rescuing 43 underage children allegedly exposed to intoxicants and convicting two dealers – Kabiru Isa and Usman Hamisu – for the offence. About 125 persons were referred to the Kano Reformatory Institute in Kiru for rehabilitation. With Kiru overstretched, government has provided an additional facility in Tofa.

The Taskforce has set an ambitious target of taking 10,000 youths off the streets for rehabilitation, skills acquisition and reintegration.

On August 21, Barr. Muhyi inaugurated nine sub-committees to professionalize the fight: Finance; Media and Publicity; Advocacy and Sensitisation; Licences, Inventory and Verification; Compliance, Inspection and Electronic Tracking; Monitoring and Implementation; Intelligence; Reformative and Traditional Council; and Anti-Drug Coordination.

Tech Turn: AI, 24-Hour Line and NDLEA Support

In the last two weeks, the Taskforce unveiled a new approach. On October 22, Barr. Muhyi, on behalf of Governor Yusuf, donated operational equipment to the NDLEA Kano Strategic Command led by Commander Dahiru Yahaya Lawan, to boost operations.

He also disclosed that Kano is deploying Artificial Intelligence for surveillance and tracking of suspected dealers, and equipping a rapid-response centre with ICT and a 24-hour toll-free line where residents can report and get response within 30 minutes.

At KANET lecture themed “Kano Drugs Crisis: Challenges, the Way Forward and the Role of the Community,” Muhyi stressed community intelligence and called for more rehabilitation to decongest remand homes.

No Sacred Cows

From day one, Barr. Muhyi has maintained a hard line on political interference. “No politician can pressure me to free drug suspects. The only person who can stop me is the Governor, and I know he will never interfere,” he told journalists on July 28.

That stance, coupled with intelligence-led raids, has earned the Taskforce both praise and scrutiny.

The Bigger Picture

Kano Police data cited by the Taskforce indicates about 70% of major crimes in 2025 were linked to drug abuse. The Executive Order outlawing Daba gangs provides a minimum of five years imprisonment under Section 97A of the Kano Penal Code.

Whether the Taskforce can sustain momentum will depend on three tests: securing the drug supply chain from pharmaceutical diversion, expanding rehabilitation beyond Kiru, and maintaining inter-agency cooperation without becoming a parallel enforcement body.

For now, in the markets of Filin Idi and the streets of Dala, residents say the presence of the committee is being felt.

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Opinion

The Reward For Hardwork Is More Work: A Rejoinder To Dr Garba Ubale Danbatta

Published

4 days ago

on

November 2, 2026

By

 

 

 

By Nworisa Michael

The redeployment of Hon. Comr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya PhD from the Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has attracted several reactions. While professional and civic organisations have congratulated him and acknowledged his contributions, Dr Garba Ubale Danbatta, a supposedly veteran journalist, has chosen to use the development to question his performance and professional conduct in his former ministry.

Dr Danbatta is entitled to his opinion. Nobody should be above criticism, especially in public office. However, when criticism is presented as a professional assessment, it should be supported by facts, not merely personal convictions or years of experience.

Before concluding that journalism suffered under Waiya, perhaps we should examine some of the developments recorded during his tenure.

Eight contributions worth considering:

• Grassroots information: Strengthened engagement with Information Officers across Kano’s 44 local government areas and eight zonal offices.

• Capacity building: Supported training programmes for local government Information Officers, alongside interactive engagements with editors and news managers.

• Media policy: Facilitated the inauguration of an 18-member committee to develop a media and information policy framework for Kano State.

• Digital transformation: Established a Digital Multimedia Department to modernise government communication, improve digital engagement and address misinformation.

• Peacebuilding: Advanced the Safe Corridor Project, an initiative focused on rehabilitation, skills development and reintegration of reformed youths.

• Media engagement: Engaged media practitioners, online publishers and political programme presenters on responsible public communication and professional conduct.

• Institutional development: Pursued interventions aimed at strengthening state-owned media institutions and improving the capacity of personnel within the information machinery.

• National recognition: Received the Crisis Communicator of the Year award at the 2026 National Spokespersons Awards in Abuja.

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These developments do not mean that Waiya’s tenure was without shortcomings. They simply demonstrate that there is more to his record than the sweeping conclusion offered by his critic.

There is also something interesting about the public reactions to his redeployment. The Kano State Forum of Information Officers, Northern Youths Assembly and International Peace and Secure Society are among the organisations that have publicly acknowledged his contributions and congratulated him on his new assignment. Their statements may not settle every debate about his tenure, but they show that his work was not viewed negatively by everyone who interacted with his ministry.

Now, to Dr Danbatta’s presentation of his professional experience.

I found it rather curious that a commentary intended to assess another public officer’s performance devoted three of its concluding paragraphs to the author’s own professional journey, positions held and years of experience. One could almost finish reading the piece knowing more about the author’s resume than the evidence behind his criticism of Waiya.

Same individual who has been unable to ensure good working relationship with his staffs at Pyramid Radio Kano where is currently serves as its manager, a station that constantly runs out of diesel and goes off the air, perhaps even he isn’t proud of this hence he left it out from the list of his workplaces listed.

With due respect, professional experience is valuable, but it should strengthen an argument, not become the argument itself. A good product sells itself. A journalist’s professional standing should be reflected in the quality, fairness and depth of their analysis. Thirty years in the profession deserves recognition, but it does not automatically make every opinion conclusive.

If the intention was to assess Waiya’s stewardship, then the more important questions should have been: What did he inherit? What did he change? Which initiatives did he introduce? What measurable outcomes were achieved? And where did he fall short? Those are the questions that give criticism substance.

We can be safe to say that Waiya’s redeployment was a direct reward for his performance in the former ministry. The Governor has publicly explained the cabinet adjustments as part of efforts to strengthen institutions and improve service delivery. What is evident, however, is that Waiya has been entrusted with another important responsibility, and his record in the former ministry remains open to public examination.

The Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs is not beyond criticism, and neither is Dr. Waiya. But fairness requires that we acknowledge the work done alongside the shortcomings alleged.

Frankly the most fitting way to understand this new assignment is captured in the title of this piece: the reward for hard work is more work. His previous assignment is now part of his public record; his new ministry presents another opportunity to serve.

Congratulations, Hon. Comr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya. The expectations continue.

Nworisa Michael is a
Writer, Public Affairs Commentator and writes from nworisamichael1917@gmail.com
1st Nov. 2026

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Opinion

My Achievements At Kano State Ministry of Environment — By Dr. Dahir M. Hashim

Published

6 days ago

on

October 31, 2026

By

 

Looking back on my time at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, one change I value most is how the public came to see the sector itself. Environmental protection became a stronger part of conversations about our health, neighbourhoods, livelihoods, and Kano’s future. People increasingly joined the work, supported our programmes, and held us accountable.

For that, I thank the people of my dear state.

This journey began for me on 6 January 2025, when His Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Executive Governor of Kano State, entrusted me with the responsibility of leading the Ministry.

The challenges were clear. Facilities had deteriorated, policies needed updating, enforcement was weak, and frontline workers were owed outstanding payments. Yet His Excellency saw what the Ministry could become and gave us the support to begin rebuilding it.

Our government-owned nurseries tell part of that story. Eight facilities that had become non-functional were fully rehabilitated, restoring our capacity to produce seedlings locally. Building on the administration’s three-million-tree planting programme in 2024, the programme grew to five million in 2025 and ten million in 2026, with all seedlings raised in government-owned nurseries. Behind those numbers was the recovery of public facilities that could continue serving Kano for years to come.

The same determination guided the restoration of the Kano State Pollution Control Laboratory. We renovated, equipped, and recommissioned it, giving the State the scientific capacity to test, monitor pollution, and support enforcement. We operationalised the Environmental Pollution Control Law and developed the Environmental Pollution and Waste Control Regulations to give that work a stronger legal foundation.

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At REMASAB, reforms improved the coordination of waste collection, evacuation, and disposal. Waste management became more organised and responsive, with operations supporting the evacuation of approximately one million metric tonnes of waste. The Dorayi Compost Plant was also brought back into operation, restoring the capacity to turn organic waste into useful compost and creating opportunities for investment.

Across flood-prone communities, we undertook drainage construction, clearance and erosion control. The stormwater harvesting intervention in Toranke and work on the Kano State Drainage Master Plan formed part of our effort to move towards better protection and long-term planning.

We also restored four public parks, with more underway. Spaces that had suffered neglect were given new management arrangements and a clear responsibility for maintenance. Families now have more welcoming places to spend time together, while the parks’ combined annual revenue increased from around ₦5 million to ₦90 million.

Alongside these projects, we rebuilt the policy foundations of the sector. We developed the Kano State Climate Change Policy, its implementation plan and results framework; advanced the Climate Change Bill; and reviewed the Forestry Law after more than five decades. We also developed the Climate Finance Reform Action and Implementation Plan and the Green Bond Framework to prepare Kano for environmental and climate investment.

Kano’s third-place finish in the just-concluded 2026 Climate Governance Performance Ranking, and the opportunity to present our work at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, gave us reasons to be thankful. They also reminded us how far consistent support and collective effort could take the state.

None of this work could have continued without the people delivering it every day. With His Excellency’s backing, we cleared nine months of salary arrears for 2,369 verified street sweepers and doubled their stipends, re-engaged inspectors and forest guards, and doubled the stipends of 875 sanitation vanguards. I remain grateful for their service.

Today, as His Excellency separates the ministries and appoints a new Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, my strongest feeling is gratitude.

To His Excellency, thank you for trusting me with this responsibility, listening to our proposals and supporting the decisions needed to carry them through.

To our staff and agencies, community leaders, development partners, civil society organisations, young volunteers, businesses and residents: thank you for standing with us. Your participation, patience and constructive criticism helped us improve. These achievements belong to everyone who contributed.

I congratulate the incoming Honourable Commissioner and offer my full cooperation to sustain the work we began together.

Serving the people of Kano State in this capacity has been a privilege. Thank you for the trust and support.

Dr. Dahir M. Hashim, Honourable Commissioner
Ministry of Water Resources, Kano State, writes from Kano.

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