Tijjani Sarki

I have always believed that governments should be applauded for genuine achievements. But I am equally convinced that no administration earns public trust by taking credit for projects it did not initiate.

The historical record on the Kano Northern Bypass and the Bagwai (Watari) Irrigation Scheme is clear. The Northern Bypass was initiated in 2007 under President Olusegun Obasanjo, while the Bagwai Irrigation Scheme has existed for decades as part of the Kano River irrigation programme. If the Tinubu administration has accelerated work on the bypass, it deserves commendation. However, advancing an inherited project is not the same as conceiving it.

I was particularly amazed by a recent post from a political aide to the President, which portrayed the Kano Northern Bypass and the Bagwai Irrigation Scheme as achievements of the Tinubu administration without clearly distinguishing between inherited projects and the administration’s specific interventions. My brother, what the people of Kano expect from you is not the rebranding of long-standing projects, but your influence in attracting new, tangible federal projects to our state. That, more than anything else, would be a legacy worthy of recognition.

I am often skeptical whenever political communication attempts to replace facts with convenient narratives. Governments earn greater credibility when they acknowledge the foundations laid by their predecessors while demonstrating the value they have added.

To be fair, the Renewed Hope Housing Programme deserves recognition. However, many working Nigerians and low-income families, the overwhelming majority of our population, still question whether such houses are genuinely within their reach.

As a Kano indigene, my greater concern is not who claims inherited projects but what our numerous presidential appointees are attracting to the state. Kano is proud of their appointments, yet their developmental footprint remains far less visible than many expected.

Rather than engaging in avoidable historical revision, I expect our presidential appointees, individually or collectively, to leverage their positions to attract fresh federal investments in irrigation, water resources, healthcare, education, roads, power, agriculture, and industrial development. Kano needs new projects that address its pressing developmental challenges, not borrowed glory wrapped in political narratives.

History remembers those who create lasting legacies, not those who merely claim inherited ones.

Tijjani Sarki
Good Governance Advocate and Public Policy Analyst
From the Ancient City of Kano
17th July,2026

By Ayoola Esther Ifeoluwa

Introduction

Few security issues in Nigeria generate as much debate as claims that Christians are facing genocide. International politicians, religious organizations, journalists, and scholars have expressed different opinions. Understanding this issue requires examining the available statistics alongside the broader context of Nigeria’s security challenges.

Arguments Supporting the Genocide Claim

The Sun Nigeria reports that several Christian organizations argue that many attacks deliberately target Christian villages, churches, and clergy. They point to repeated attacks in Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, and Borno, where churches have been destroyed and worshippers killed. Some advocacy groups estimate that tens of thousands of Christians have died since 2009 and describe the violence as systematic persecution.

Arguments Against the Genocide Label

Other researchers disagree with using the term genocide. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) indicate that although Christians have suffered serious attacks, Muslims have also been victims of terrorism, banditry, and communal violence. Many experts therefore describe Nigeria’s insecurity as a combination of terrorism, farmer-herder conflict, organized crime, weak governance, and competition over natural resources rather than a coordinated campaign to eliminate Christians nationwide.

Key Statistics

According to ACLED, more than 20,400 civilians were killed in nearly 12,000 attacks across Nigeria between January 2020 and September 2025.

According to ThisDay, various organisations have reported that many Christians have been killed or kidnapped in recent years, although exact figures remain disputed.

Recent Reuters reports indicate that violence has continued in Benue and Plateau States, resulting in repeated loss of lives, displacement, and destruction of property. In Plateau State, attacks in communities such as Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Jos North, and surrounding areas have claimed many lives. In Benue State, attacks have also been reported in Katsina-Ala, Kwande, Agatu, and Otukpo, while security agencies have intensified patrols following the killing of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) State Chairman. These incidents highlight the continuing humanitarian and security challenges facing both states.

A Balanced View

Evidence suggests that some attacks have clear religious dimensions, particularly those carried out by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP. In other cases, especially farmer-herder conflicts, religious identity overlaps with ethnic and economic disputes, making it difficult to attribute every incident solely to religion.

Overall, the available evidence suggests that Christians have experienced serious persecution and violence in several regions of Nigeria. However, legal experts remain divided on whether the situation satisfies the international legal definition of genocide.

Conclusion

The debate over Christian genocide in Nigeria is unlikely to end soon because of the different interpretations of the evidence. What is beyond dispute is that thousands of Nigerians, both Christians and Muslims, have lost their lives due to insecurity. The priority should be to strengthen security, prosecute perpetrators, support victims, and address the root causes of violence, including poverty, weak institutions, environmental pressures, and political failures.

Sources
Reuters
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project)
ThisDay
The Sun Nigeria

By Ayoola Esther Ifeoluwa
200 Level Student
Department of Development and Strategic Communication
University of Abuja.

By Akor philomena omaufedo-ojo,

A mother rushes her feverish child into a government hospital in the early hours of the morning, hoping to be among the first patients attended to that day. Hours later, the waiting room is still packed. The only doctor on duty moves from one patient to another without a moment’s rest, while anxious families continue to wait. For many Nigerians, this is no longer imagination. It is becoming reality. As thousands of doctors leave the country every year in search of better opportunities abroad, the burden falls on the few who remain, while ordinary Nigerians pay the ultimate price.

Nigeria’s healthcare system is under immense strain. With only about 55,000 practising doctors serving a population of more than 220 million people, the country has an estimated doctor-to-population ratio of 1:4,000. In some states, where doctors are even fewer, the ratio is estimated to range between 1:5,000 and 1:9,000. This falls far below the globally recommended benchmark of one doctor to about 600 people, highlighting the severity of the crisis.

The growing shortage of doctors did not happen overnight. For years, Nigerian healthcare professionals have continued to migrate to countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia in search of better salaries, safer working conditions, modern medical facilities and greater opportunities for career development. Poor funding of the health sector, insecurity, and inadequate welfare packages have further accelerated this exodus.

What makes this crisis particularly alarming is that it extends beyond the healthcare sector. A nation without enough doctors can not build a productive workforce or achieve sustainable development. When citizens are unable to access timely medical care, preventable illnesses become life-threatening, workers spend more days away from their jobs, businesses suffer reduced productivity, and the country’s economy bears the burden.

The consequences are borne not only by doctors but by millions of Nigerians. Patients spend long hours waiting for medical attention, emergency cases face dangerous delays, rural communities are left with little or no access to qualified doctors, and the few healthcare professionals who remain are forced to work under immense pressure. In many hospitals, exhaustion has become part of the job, increasing the risk of burnout,medical errors, and avoidable deaths.

The irony is difficult to ignore. Nigeria invests heavily in training medical doctors through public universities and teaching hospitals, yet many of these professionals eventually use their skills to strengthen the healthcare systems of other countries. While destination countries benefit from Nigeria’s investment in human capital, the communities that helped educate these doctors are left struggling with overcrowded hospitals, understaffed clinics, and inadequate medical care.

Medical experts have repeatedly warned that Nigeria can not continue on this path. The President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Afekhide Ernest Omoti has stressed the need for improved welfare, better hospital facilities, and stronger policies to retain healthcare workers. Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized that an adequate, well-trained, and motivated health workforce is essential for achieving universal health coverage and improving public health outcomes.

Reversing the trend requires more than appeals to patriotism. Government at all levels must invest in modern hospitals, review the remuneration of healthcare workers, expand medical schools and residency training programmes, improve security, and create incentives that encourage doctors to remain in the country. Equally important is ensuring that rural communities receive their fair share of healthcare personnel through targeted incentive schemes and better infrastructure.
Some argue that restricting doctors from leaving the country would solve the crisis. However, migration itself is not the real problem; the conditions that push healthcare professionals away are. Every Nigerian has the right to seek better opportunities, but no nation should make staying behind feel like a sacrifice. Rather than blaming doctors for leaving, policymakers must create an environment where choosing to remain in Nigeria is both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling.

Nigeria’s healthcare manpower crisis is no longer just a concern for medical professionals. It is a national emergency that affects every citizen. With only about 55,000 practising doctors serving a population of more than 220 million people, the country continues to face an alarming doctor-to-population ratio of approximately 1:4,000, while some regions experience ratios as high as 1:9,000. This falls far below the globally recommended benchmark of one doctor to about 600 people and the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum health workforce density for achieving universal health coverage. Behind every statistic is a human life, a child waiting for treatment, a mother hoping for a safe delivery, an accident victim racing against time,or an elderly patient seeking relief from illness. If urgent and sustained action is not taken, the question may no longer be why doctors are leaving Nigeria, but who will be left to save lives?

Akor philomena omaufedo-ojo, a 200 level student of the Department of Development and Strategic Communication.