By Abba Anwar

I received the information about the sad and peaceful passing of a great writer and one of the bookish minds amongst his peers, whose writings, as a commentator, cut across our culture, governance, politics, geography and religious thought, as very shocking and unbearable!

Before the few paragraphs coming below, let me express my condolences to his immediate family first, then the former Governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Malam Aminu Gusau, Malam Abubakar Mujahid, Malam Aminu Inuwa Muhammad, Malam Nura Adam Galadanchi, Malam Nafi’u Zangon Barebari, Malam Ibrahim Ado-Kurawa, Malam Ahmad Shu’aibu, Malam Muhammad Bakari Mika’il, all workers and volunteers of Al-Tajdid Hausa newspaper and all workers of Al-Tajdid Pharmacy, Sabon Titi.

A great loss of this magnitude is heartbreaking and very difficult to cope with. I first came to know Bello Sharada for close to three decades now. When struggle was the order of the day. Our youthful exuberance was glaringly visible and energizing.

From day one I understood that Malam Bello had a flair for writing. Especially on Islamic revivalism and struggle. Since then I knew he loved reading, reading and more reading. At later days, apart from comments on Islamic development, he also resorted to further engage in social and political commentary. Especially after the return of democracy in the country, in 1999.

As calmed and reserved as he was, he still liked discussions on politics, economy and governance. He didn’t hide his feelings about our nation, at the level of leadership and followers. Not minding whose ox was gored. So long as he believed with an opinion, after thorough research and discussions, he wrote his inner feeling for the public. Go and check some of his writings.

He did not hold back in amplifying what his conscience was clear on. As typical writers behave, they highlight certain traits that go down well with you today. And tomorrow they articulate what may not be palatable for your table. You know why? They don’t look at personalities, but other abstract realities. They observe attitudes, behaviors and realities.

Malam Bello was an embodiment of simplicity, good human relations, upright, and open discussions around many issues. The way he talked to other people gave insight of the kind of person he was. Very polite and selectively reserved. He related with people with respect and embracing engagement.

The way he handled Al-Tajdid newspaper was amazing and appealing. The editorial contents were catchy and convincing. As a religious source for information around us, then, amongst Hausa readers, there was semblance, to a higher degree, of objectivity and fairness in its reportage and other analyses.

He was glued to Al-Tajdid newspaper, that came to newsstand to offer an alternative to Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky’s Al-Mizan, that was managed by a good friend of mine Malam Danjuma Katsina. Whether Al-Tajdid was able to counter Al-Mizan to size, was a different story for another day. But today we are mourning the demise of our good friend of great substance.

As quintessential as he was, Malam Bello, was always in the social media and in the air via radio stations, creating awareness on many issues affecting our society. Be it from the lens of our religion or our culture, governance and leaders, followers and other societal settings. His major and particular interest was to see that our people are informed and wise enough to understand realities of life.

There was a scenario between the two of us when he once met me in my office, when I was the Features Editor of Triumph Newspaper, around 2005 and 2006, that time Al-Tajdid Islamic movement was, I think 10 years of 15 years at the time, I can’t remember the years vividly, he brought literature on how the movement started up to the time he met me in the office.

For younger readers, Al-Tajdid was a splinter group, exited from Sheikh Zakzaky’s movement many decades ago. The group then was led by people like Malam Abubakar Mujahid Zaria, Malam Aminu Gusau, Malam Ahmad Shu’aibu, Malam Aminu Inuwa Muhammad, Malam Nura Adam, Malam Nafi’u Zangon Barebari, amongst others.

Back to my office. When Malam Bello met me he put all the papers about Al-Tajdid history and said “Malam Abba we are celebrating the birth of Al-Tajdid. We need an article to be written by you, the Editor, and published in tomorrow’s or next tomorrow’s Triumph Newspaper please. I know you can do it. So I will tell my people that I gave you. So that they can expect it probably tomorrow.”

We laughed and he left. To Allah be the glory I worked hard and made sure it was published the following day. The very time he came calling I was busy editing four pages of articles for the following day publication. Because I always edited four pages daily. For the Daily paper and sometimes, but in rare cases, one or two pages for the Sunday Triumph.

But Allah Helped, I went through the literature brought by Malam Bello, I was able to finish the write – up and went back to three out of the four articles. Because Malam Bello’s work replaced the fourth page.

May Allah forgive all his shortcomings and accept all his good deeds. May Allah reward him with Jannatul-Fiddaus. May Allah guide his family as he exited from this world.

To the family specifically, please don’t let his library, his study room die a natural death.

Allah Ya jikan Malam Bello Sharada.

Anwar writes from Kano
Sunday, 30th August, 2026

Setting the Records Straight from the Published Budget Performance Report

By Hon. Muhammad Sanusi S. Kiru, FCIA

As a citizen of Kano State with an abiding interest in good governance, transparency and responsible public discourse, I consider it necessary to independently examine the figures currently circulating under the headline: “Kano Spends ₦26.5bn on Govt House, Governor’s Office, Travels in Six Months.”

Public expenditure must be subjected to scrutiny. The media has an indispensable responsibility to hold governments and public institutions accountable. However, such scrutiny achieves its purpose only when figures extracted from official financial documents are presented within their correct accounting and administrative context.

I have therefore examined the Kano State Second Quarter 2026 Budget Performance Report, the publicly available document from which the figures in the report appear to have been derived. My review reveals a number of important facts which members of the public deserve to know.

I. THE ₦25.869 BILLION IS NOT THE GOVERNOR’S PERSONAL EXPENDITURE

The official Budget Performance Report indeed contains an expenditure figure of approximately ₦25.869 billion under the broader Government House administrative classification.

However, this classification is not synonymous with the personal expenditure of the Governor, nor does the amount represent expenditure exclusively incurred by the Governor’s immediate office.

Rather, it is an umbrella administrative classification encompassing several offices, directorates, agencies and governmental functions.

It would therefore be misleading to interpret or present the entire ₦25.869 billion as money spent personally by the Governor or exclusively by his immediate office.

II. GOVERNMENT HOUSE PROPER RECORDED APPROXIMATELY ₦3.288 BILLION

A closer examination of the same official document shows that Government House proper, under administrative code 011100100100, recorded cumulative expenditure of approximately ₦3.288 billion as at June 2026.

This was against an approved annual provision of approximately ₦39.514 billion, meaning that only about 8.3 per cent of the annual provision had been utilised at the end of the first six months.

This distinction is fundamental.

The difference between the ₦3.288 billion expenditure attributable to Government House proper and the ₦25.869 billion aggregate expenditure under the wider administrative classification should not be overlooked in any objective analysis.

III. THE ₦25.869 BILLION COVERS SEVERAL ESTABLISHMENTS

The broader ₦25.869 billion figure incorporates expenditure attributable to several establishments and governmental functions administratively grouped under Government House.

These include, among others, the Deputy Governor’s Office, Protocol Directorate, Media and Publicity establishments and other offices and agencies.

For example, the official report indicates that approximately ₦4.471 billion recorded under the Deputy Governor’s Office was capital expenditure. The Protocol Directorate also accounts for a substantial component of expenditure contained within the broader administrative classification.

These are distinct governmental expenditures and should not be portrayed as the Governor’s personal expenditure.

IV. THE ₦626.95 MILLION DESCRIBED AS “TRAVEL”

The additional figure of approximately ₦626,947,782.13 deserves particular attention.

The amount does appear in the official Q2 2026 Budget Performance Report. However, examination of the underlying document shows that the figure appears under the Primary Healthcare expenditure reporting section, specifically against Local Travel and Transport: Training.

This raises a legitimate question as to the basis for adding the ₦626.95 million to the broader Government House administrative expenditure to arrive at the headline figure of approximately ₦26.5 billion.

If the expenditure is classified in the official document under Primary Healthcare and relates to local travel and transport for training, it should not be presented in a manner capable of creating the impression that the amount represents the Governor’s travel expenditure.

V. THE COMPARABLE EXPENDITURE ACTUALLY DECLINED

There is another important fact which deserves equal prominence.

The broader Government House administrative expenditure reportedly stood at approximately ₦28.84 billion during the first six months of 2025, compared with approximately ₦25.87 billion during the corresponding period of 2026.

This represents a reduction of approximately ₦2.97 billion, or about 10.3 per cent.

The year-on-year comparison therefore indicates a decline rather than an escalation in expenditure under the broader administrative classification.

MY FINDING

Having examined the underlying figures, my considered view is that the headline “Kano Spends ₦26.5 Billion on Govt House, Governor’s Office, Travels in Six Months” requires substantial clarification and context.

The ₦25.869 billion figure is contained in the official Budget Performance Report, but it represents expenditure under a broader administrative classification encompassing several offices, agencies, directorates and governmental functions. Government House proper recorded approximately ₦3.288 billion.

Similarly, the additional ₦626.95 million presented as travel expenditure appears in the official document under a Primary Healthcare expenditure section relating to Local Travel and Transport: Training. It should therefore not, without further evidence, be interpreted as the Governor’s travel expenditure.

Furthermore, the comparable broader administrative expenditure declined from approximately ₦28.84 billion in the first half of 2025 to ₦25.87 billion in the first half of 2026, representing a reduction of about 10.3 per cent.

Accountability is not served by shielding government from scrutiny. Neither is it served by presenting legitimate public expenditure figures without their necessary administrative and accounting context.

As citizens, we must continue to demand prudence, transparency and accountability from those entrusted with public resources. In the same spirit, public discourse—particularly on matters involving billions of naira of taxpayers’ money—must be anchored on accuracy, context and fairness.

The records are public. The figures can be verified. Let the facts speak for themselves.

Hon. Muhammad Sanusi S. Kiru, FCIA
Concerned Kano Citizen

By Peter Peace Eshiofune

In today’s Nigeria, a viral video can attract thousands of views within hours, while educational content may struggle to receive the same attention. This changing relationship between knowledge, entertainment and online fame came under scrutiny following comments by Nigerian rapper Oludemilade Martin Alejo, popularly known as YCee, during an appearance on the Afropolitan Podcast in June 2026.

YCee described what he called the “Olódò Uprising,” expressing concern about what he saw as the growing celebration of ignorance and the increasing value placed on internet fame and virality. He referred to what he called “Peller culture,” using popular content creator Peller as an example of a broader digital trend rather than as the sole subject of his criticism. His comments generated responses from Peller and others on social media.

The Yoruba expression “olódò” is commonly used as a derogatory term for someone perceived as unintelligent or academically weak. In YCee’s context, however, the expression was used to describe a perceived social trend in which content that attracts attention, regardless of its intellectual value, can receive greater recognition than knowledge, academic achievement or meaningful contributions.

The controversy became more complicated when content creator Jarvis responded to YCee. She pointed to her university education and argued that content creation should not automatically be interpreted as a rejection of education or evidence of ignorance. She also highlighted the difficulty many young Nigerians face in finding employment, presenting digital content creation as another way young people can earn a living.

Her argument raises an important question: Is the popularity of online entertainment evidence of declining intellectual values, or is it also a response to the economic realities facing young Nigerians?

The question cannot be separated completely from the country’s employment situation. According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate among Nigerians aged 15–24 stood at 6.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2024. While unemployment statistics alone cannot explain why individuals become content creators, they provide context for understanding why young people may explore alternative forms of work.

This economic reality helps explain why, for many young Nigerians, social media is no longer simply a platform for entertainment. It has become a space for entrepreneurship, self-expression, networking and communication. With Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital environment, the opportunity to reach large audiences has also created new possibilities for creators and digital businesses. DataReportal estimated that Nigeria had 47.8 million active social-media user identities in October 2025, showing the size of the audience available to creators and digital businesses.

At the same time, YCee’s concern cannot simply be dismissed. Social media platforms are built around attention and engagement. Views, likes, shares and followers can increase a creator’s visibility and, in some cases, create economic opportunities. This can encourage creators to produce content capable of attracting strong reactions.

The audience is also part of this system. Creators may produce the content, but audiences influence what becomes popular through what they watch, share, comment on and promote. The “Olódò Uprising” debate therefore goes beyond individual personalities. It raises questions about the values that millions of digital users collectively reward.

This distinction is important because entertainment and intelligence are not opposites. A comedian, musician, streamer or content creator can be intelligent and highly educated, just as a person with formal education can produce misleading or poorly informed content. The more important question is what society chooses to reward with attention and influence.

This is where media literacy becomes important. Young people need the ability to question what they see online, distinguish entertainment from misinformation and understand why certain content becomes more visible than others. Educators and communicators also face the challenge of promoting knowledge without treating entertainment as the enemy or appearing disconnected from the realities of young people’s digital lives.

The debate also shows that responsibility does not rest entirely with content creators. Audiences, platforms and communicators all contribute to the digital environment. What receives attention today can influence what creators produce tomorrow, creating a cycle in which popularity can determine the kind of content that is repeatedly seen.

Perhaps this is why the “Olódò Uprising” debate has attracted attention beyond the personalities involved. Beneath the arguments about YCee, Peller and Jarvis lies a larger question about Nigeria’s changing digital culture: If attention can be converted into influence and income, what happens when going viral becomes more attractive than developing knowledge and skills?

The answer should not be to reject entertainment or condemn young people who make a living online. Instead, Nigeria needs a digital culture where creativity and economic opportunity can exist alongside education, critical thinking and responsible communication.

Ultimately, the “Olódò Uprising” may be less about whether one person is intelligent or another is not. It may be about what Nigerians choose to celebrate, what they choose to amplify and the kind of digital culture they want to create.

Peter Peace Eshiofune
A 200-level student of the Department of Development and Strategic Communication, University of Abuja.