There are different categories of Muslims. There are Muslims by birth who can only be known as Muslims when they say they are Muslims. One cannot find any trace of Islam on them, even by their names, because they do not bear their Muslim names. This is common among the Yoruba where you see someone who bears Lanre Ishola and he is a Muslim. You hardly know he is a Muslim but in Ramadan. You know what I mean! There are also Muslims by name. These are found almost everywhere. For instance, in the north, you find someone whose name…
Author: Abdulkadir Salaudeen
It did not come to me as a shock. You shouldn’t expect less when you speak the uncomfortable truth to a corruption ridden government, to a government that does not govern, to a government that only exists in name. I always ask myself if those elected to govern Nigeria are the ones actually ruling us or the gun-wielding-teen-bandits. This mess is unprecedented. What did Sheikh Khalid say to deserve suspension? Is he not doing his work as a cleric? If the truth cannot be said through the pulpit in the mosque, where else should it be said? If the Ulama…
The Abuja-Kaduna train bombing is yet another grotesque episode in the series of seemingly unabated attacks. It is apt to conclude that, in Nigeria, “government exists but does not live or lives but does not exist.” However, it is sad that there still exists in Nigeria those who believe government exists and is up to its statutory obligation. These simpletons are quick to libel the sad news of train bombing as fake news. They insisted that no soul was lost and no one was injured because their parents, wives, and children were lucky not to be victims. Nothing aggravates the…
Examination mal-practice is dangerous to the survival of a nation. It needs no definition since we all know it. Only a moron, who is also afflicted with acute insanity, can claim not to know what constitutes examination mal-practice. Do you know why it is natural to know that examination mal-practice is a cheat? It is because our Creator did not only create us, He programmed us in such a way that we can distinguish right from wrong, right from left, and good from bad. Examination mal-practice distances us from our creator. Whoever makes it a habit is already on a…
The widely circulated memo issued by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has stirred more than the hornet’s nest. It has been a hotly debated topic not only among the Nigerian Muslims, but also among the Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal Christians. The Muslims argue that they have been vindicated. Their allegation of Christianization agenda is now proven beyond doubt. While some Christians continue to defend the memo, many others are of the opinion that the Church shouldn’t have had anything to do with politics. They argue that Nigeria is a secular state and thus there should be a separation of…
Nigerian police women are now allowed (optionally) to don their hijabs while on duty in uniform. The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, who introduced the new dress code has been lambasted and eulogized by haters and lovers of hijab respectively. There is nothing shocking about the mixed reactions. It is the norm and much expected in a country of exaggerated religious mutual suspicions. It seems to be a settled case in Nigeria that once a president is a Muslim, the vice must be a Christian and vice versa. Not only that, president or vice president, the Muslim ought to…
The recent crisis between Russia and Ukraine is unfortunate. The former, no doubt, is one of the most powerful countries in the world—military wise. The latter is far less powerful but backed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This organization was created for collective security of member states with the United States as the most powerful and thus a leading member. The crisis which we hope would be managed and prevented from lapsing into war has already been described as a prelude to (or symptom of) World War III. In this period of global economic crisis and increased sophistication…
Wonder shall never end. If nothing amazes us anew, the word ‘amaze’ or ‘amazing’ shall lost its meaning and significance and become hackneyed. But because the word ‘amazing’ retains its allure and charm, we get to witness amazing things time and again. Though we now live in a society where people do not grimace anymore at terrible things because of their frequency (daily occurrence) and ubiquitousness (happening everywhere), yet we still find some shocking happenings amazing. Typical of this is the case of the 18 year old girl who was in a desperate search. Desperate search? “For what?” I asked.…
Few days ago, Ondo PDP accuses Governor Akeredolu of secretly signing Executive Order to empower son (Babajide Akeredolu) who was appointed three months ago as the Director General of the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit. What follows is an article I wrote two years ago, published in Nigerian Village Square, with the above title. Enjoy. Nigeria has experienced 21 years of uninterrupted democracy. To say it is still nascent is pedestrian. If Nigerian democracy is a Nigerian, s/he must have been eligible to vote since 3 years ago when it was 18, eligible for marriage, and be independent of…
The upcoming general elections in Nigeria deserve our participation—all of us. I know we must be tired of the present leadership through wish many calamities were (and are being) let loose on us. There is leadership failure across all levels of government in Nigeria. The national leadership is on the lead of this failure. Deep inside us, I don’t think anyone would dispute this fact. I am aware that some people still think the best thing that has ever happened to Nigeria is the present leadership. This is what they say openly but deep inside them too, I have no…
People say parental failure. They are right. But can we blame parents alone? When parental failures become very rampant, the blame is shifted to the society. This is true of Nigeria; and by extension, the global society. I have futilely tried to train my mind not to be disturbed again by the deluge of bad news to which we are already accustomed in Nigeria. The gruesome acts of criminality committed by our youths nowadays are mental damaging. No one who is in the know of current events of today’s Nigeria can maintain mental equilibrium no matter how much he struggles…
He is the JAMB registrar. He claims Nigerians are over-educated. He was reacting to a plea to reduce JAMB’s fee from 3,500 to a lower fee. Let me give you the background. In an interactive session with senior journalists, editors and columnists in Lagos, participants drew the attention of Oloyede to the fact that some parents could still not afford N3, 500 fee for JAMB registration due to grinding poverty to which many Nigerians are subjected to recently. Recall that the form was initially sold at the rate of N5, 000 before President Muhammadu Buhari, out of magnanimity, approved the…
I don’t argue with those who argue that education is a scam in Nigeria—especially the youths. They are entitled to their opinion. To argue otherwise would lead to an unending argument. Agreed that one cannot always win, I detest losing an argument to an opponent. In Nigeria today, one needs to be a wizard to factually defeat the narration that ‘school na scam.’ What I do know for sure is that it is not wrong to be educated. If there is any secret behind the development of the most developed economies of the world today, it is of course education.…
Why shouldn’t he? Why should he? This is an ongoing debate. I have read people’s reactions—Muslims and non-Muslims. I observed most of the reactions are emotional; beneath them is bigotry. Bigotry is an ugly concept. I will not define it because of its relativity. But we should ask some questions. Is mosque a shrine—in a fetishistic sense—or a place of worship? Can non-Muslims enter the mosque with shoes or without shoes? Is Osinbajo’s entering the mosque with his shoes desecrating? If it is desecrating, must he have done so intentionally? To begin with the last question, it is not intrinsically…
In case you don’t know the nature of Nigeria’s prebendal politics, Tinubu going to Buhari is a good case study. It is better we open our eyes, they have started again. The excruciating sufferings of the masses is never their problem. How ASO Villa became APC Secretariat calls for serious investigation. When it became a wrestling or boxing ring where political gladiators—like Tinubu—declare their intention to wrestle for power is not clear to us. That is sycophancy or political prebendalism which we window-dress as political strategy. In the political permutations of an average Nigerian politician, voters’ votes do not count;…
I laughed hysterically and I cannot just help it when I read that the Federal Government trained some almaajiris on computer literacy. Computer training for almaajiris? Though amusing, I see it as a typical example of putting the cart before the horse. I hope someone is thinking like me. The Federal Government should learn how to set priority. This is just by the way. The focus of this column is on an exhilarating event which took place some weeks ago before the emergence of the so-called hijabi Miss Nigeria which we condemn as a misnomer. The event is about the…
While Nigerians are still wagging their tongues over the emergence of a so-called hijabi as the new Miss Nigeria, as if in a vicious cycle, another so-called hijabi (Adar Yusuf Ibrahim—a Somali Student) emerged as Miss University Africa Beauty Pageant. I cannot really tell when our universities became arena for beauty contest; though I don’t bother to find out. The point is, in quick succession, two ‘hijabis’ became beauty queens within two days. This is indeed a watershed in the history of hijab wearing. But the hijab, before now, had been a symbol of primitiveness, retrogressiveness, and disdainfulness in the…
Is Shatu Garko really a hijabite or a scarfite? And is her emergence as Miss Nigeria really a good news for the Muslims worthy of celebration? I will address these questions. But before then, other questions are as relevant. What are the criteria for choosing the most beautiful lady in Nigeria? Are ladies really beautiful? How do we determine beauty? What is Miss Nigeria? Is it a worthy title or a useless one? I can go on and on to ask other pertinent questions. Let me make two important points before going into the real meat. One, Nigeria is a…
I tried hard if I could find something good to write on. Unfortunately, all the available options—topical issues—are horrifying; to say the least. A former president of Nigeria who cannot be exonerated from the mess we find ourselves said the present President has done his best and it is a waste of time to expect more. Many could not agree less. But if that is true, I personally cannot controvert his assertion, we need heavenly intervention to survive in 2022. I mean God has to intervene. Why 2022? Why not beyond? An average Nigeria does not think about the distant…
The Sokoto carnage where people were burnt beyond recognition should unsettle and prick the conscience of the most callous government anywhere in the world. Whether that disturbs Nigerian Government or not is not the concern of this column. I leave that to the Nigerian public to discuss. Whatever their conclusion, this carnage will remain one of the darkest pages in the history of Nigeria. Not only that, the unborn generations will have a good reason to ask their parents and teachers: who were Nigerian leaders when this happened? But for those who died in this gruesome manner, all we can…
The El-Rufai I know is very dogged when it comes to doing what he considers to be right. Though he is mortal like anyone who could be wrong or right on a course of action he chooses to take or a trajectory he chooses to tread, his doggedness is what endears him to me. Yet I am not his fan. But I have always admired that dogged side of him and his ability to come up with novelties—new things—when it comes to governance. That alludes to his intelligence. Gov. El-Rufai is an intelligent administrator (take it or leave it). Always…
Any society where rape becomes ubiquitous and rapists are condoned is a disaster-prone society. Rapists are hard-edged criminals and I don’t know any where in the world where rape is not a crime. It is never a way of life. Subtract religion from the equation and add secularism to it, rape is still a crime. In other words, even in the most extreme secularist clime where God is considered non-existent and religion hasn’t the minutest influence in their affairs, rape is still not condoned. Understandably, it is difficult for rape addicts to be weaned from what they consider a…
Universities are citadels of knowledge which majorly focuses on imparting knowledge and building character. However, recent developments lead one to the conclusion that many students (if not most) do not know what university is and the place of teachers therein. It is obvious that higher institutions in Nigeria are facing numerous challenges. The challenges of infrastructure, funding, and miserable working conditions of teachers. These are reasons why universities in Nigeria—and other learning institutions—are always on strike. ASUU is warming up again for its regular—though justifiable—annual ritual. Not observing it seems to be a taboo. Be that as it may, the…
Collapse of buildings in Lagos where lives are lost is a recurring thing—it is not new. But as far as I can recall in the recent time, no collapse caught people’s attention like that of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations and the most recent one in Ikoyi (both in Lagos). Many believe that the collapse of Synagogue has a spiritual dimension to it. (Our people will say it is not ordinary). I hope that is understood. The one of Gerrard Road in Ikoyi is majorly blamed on Cut-Cornerism. I will come back to this. Humans are destined to be…
Secondhand smoking is said to be more harmful than primary smoking. In other words, passive smokers are said to be more vulnerable to health challenges than actual smokers. This is analogous to the effects of BBNaija on the rest of us. We suffer the consequences more than its actual actors. Participants of the BBNaija Show and its regular watchers have buried their moral sense to an unimaginable depth. To excavate their moral sense and successfully restore it needs heavenly intervention. Sermonizing and preaching to these advocates of nudity to eschew this animalistic vice might face serious limitations—it might not be…
To live with disability is harrowing in a society like ours. People living with disabilities (PLWD) require special attention. They deserve preferential treatments, affirmative actions, and our collective succor. But this is not the case in most cases. Who cares for the disabled in a country where the able people are being economically disabled? It has almost become a culture in our society whereby PLWD are considered outcast. Yes! I mean castaway. Nobody chooses to be handicapped in whatever form. Likewise, the population of handicapped is not a desired reality. But when they exist, they must (not just should) be…
I will not narrate my personal nasty experiences. But the general trend of things in Nigeria is enough to make one fall sick. Let me be precise, the sickness I am talking about is not the normal one which remedy is sought in hospitals. It is the sickness caused by hopelessness. The rate at which Nigerians are making their exit out of this Country is alarming. Do not think that I am referring to Nigerians who do not have the potentials to grow. I am not just talking about the dropouts, the vagabonds, the lazy ones, or the wretched.…
The life of this world, there is no doubt, is full of mysteries. Scientists and philosophers had tried and are still researching and pondering to understand some of these mysteries. The recent incident in Oyo State is one in a long line of such. I doubt there could be any scientific explanation; it is just a mystery. And if there is any such explanation, the scientists and philosophers—world wide—should put heads together through inter-disciplinary efforts to demystify the mystery. If they should, with success, it will be a breakthrough and a plus to science. It is true that science…
Do you agree with this assertion? I am not the maker. I read it somewhere. It is an assertion of someone who is fed up with the turn of things and events in Nigeria. It sounds bizarre, but there is an element of truth in it. And possibly, it is an absolute truth. No average Nigerian? No middle class? Though middle class could be a vague or rather an ambiguous term, I employ it in this context to refer to those people who are in the middle of the socioeconomic hierarchy. These are people who are not the poorest;…
This article is a reaction toSowore’s reaction to the Senate of AdekunleAjasin University, Ondo State. The University came up with a policy on indecent dressing allegedly imposed on students. Students are, by the policy/circular,threatened to be rusticated if they involve in any form of indecent dressing—a menace which many universities are battling with. This does not go well with the fearless human rights activist (Sowore) wholambasts the policy asdraconianwhich emanated from intellectuals that suffer from ‘indecent reasoning’! Ivory towerians—Intellectuals—with ‘indecent reasoning’? This seems to be a shockingly shocking shock! But honestly, accusing someuniversity ‘scholars’ with indecent reasoning is nothing startling—especially…
