Author: Hassan Gimba

TWO weeks ago, in what may aptly be termed security diplomacy, Nuhu Ribadu—the super cop who proved his mettle as a corruption-fighting czar and now serves as National Security Adviser—brought all his experience, and more, to bear on the task of dousing the fire threatening to engulf us from the guns of a ‘trigger-happy’ Donald Trump. The outcome of that effort, a delicate exercise akin to shuttle diplomacy, has offered Nigeria a new lease of life and renewed global respect. It has been a multi-pronged initiative that has simultaneously deflected Trump’s fury and vitriol from us while reorganising our security…

LAST week, a Federal High Court judge, James Omotosho, sentenced separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu to life in prison after convicting him on seven terrorism-related charges. This came after a decade-long trial in which prosecutors proved that his broadcasts and orders to his banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group incited deadly attacks on security forces and citizens. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, but the judge noted that “it is now being frowned upon by the international community. Consequently, in the interests of justice, and to temper justice with mercy, despite Kanu’s arrogance and lack of remorse, I hereby sentence…

WE have seen how America behaves when it sets its sights on invading a country. All the indices regarding Nigeria point in that direction. Its President has set the ball rolling, and we can already see how the chips are falling into place. Nigeria and South Africa are on his radar, but first things first, Nigeria is the easier prey. South Africa has proved to be a more formidable global player, so they are handling it with caution. But just as our ancestors had ways of warding off the evil eye, our leaders, too, must find ways to deflect the…

“You have to be very careful introducing the truth to the Black man, who has never previously heard the truth about himself.” – Brother Malcolm X WHENEVER America wants to invade, it invades. They concoct reasons from the air that make them look like angels out to save humanity. However, by the end of their invasions, after wreaking havoc on stable nations, the world always realises their deceit. On December 20, 1989, in an operation code-named “Operation Just Cause”, the US invaded Panama to overthrow the country’s leader, Manuel Noriega, because, according to them, he had become “a brutal dictator…

DONALD Trump, the 47th President of the United States, released a video on Truth Social threatening military action against Nigeria by stating, “I will do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about” and threatening to “go into that now-disgraced country guns-a-blazing.” Trump then claimed there is a genocide against Christians in Nigeria, instructing the Department of War to prepare for possible action, drawing a parallel to what he described as attacks on Christians. This narrative about Nigeria did not begin with Trump. In recent months, campaigners and Washington politicians have alleged that Islamist militants systematically…

IN traditional Nigeria, especially in the Muslim North, where I can confidently say I know a thing or two, segregation was minimal. Communities were integrated, with children of various social backgrounds associating freely. This social cohesion, evident from history and personal accounts, has eroded, giving way to educational divisions that now mirror and deepen societal inequalities. Stories from our elders describe community events that fostered lifelong friendships between the offspring of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie included the middle class, senior public officials, and wealthy families, while the proletariat comprised the masses. In those days, for instance, circumcisions…

LOCALLY known as Dr Madu in his youth and later more commonly addressed as Dr Mamman, Dr Madu was an Iroko tree of a man, full of compassion and a burning desire to spread health wherever he found himself. His six-foot-three-inch height and athletic build — which a champion heavyweight boxer would envy — would melt whenever a situation requiring compassion arose. Perhaps this was because he was sired by two noble people from the two most illustrious professions — that of the nobility and that of the clergy — who cared for the welfare of both body and soul.…

I HAVE a confession. Vice President Kashim Shettima has never been my man. I have never quite taken to him. Not that I hate the man some want to see as the Cicero of our time. But it is also not that I exactly dig the man others prefer to see as overly ambitious. Despite his good performances, especially in delivering speeches and jibes, I have always viewed him with caution. Jibes. Hmmmmn! Perhaps I never saw his jibes, especially those aimed at prominent leaders, as funny—except for the ones about Ahmad Lawan as a tomato seller or Osinbajo as…

THERE are these two half-brothers I opened my eyes to find yapping at each other, like two Rottweiler puppies tearing at each other for the fattest bone around. I came into this world and met them at it; I am sure I will exit it and return to my Creator, leaving them still at it. I would not have written about them, or even minded their sibling rivalries, if not for the fact that they have sucked the rest of the world into their feud, so much so that we now see our world through their lens. Their fight has…

WHOEVER tells you prayers don’t work does not know nothing! Kai, this speaking like a Yankee wannabe has pushed me off my regular lane. By the way, who has even observed that – because of this fixation with wanting to get an American-branded new wife and parents-in-law, which will lead to American kids, has made me write this using American spellings rather than the British ones I’ve been a stickler for? But I should be done with America and face prayers, prayers that can do almost everything, including giving me my dream of an American family, from parents’ in-laws down…

CONTEMPLATE this: I am someone born in Kaduna just after Nigeria was born, cut my teeth in the undulating plains of Fika, ran around on the cloud-caressing plateaux of Gembu where I started my primary education but was raised in the serene, motherly town of Maiduguri, even though I was told my ancestors came from Yemen, the pride of all freedom fighters who love justice and fairness. Since then, I have travelled around Nigeria, interacting with Nigerians from diverse backgrounds. Many have become great friends, while others will remain so forever. Growing up as a young man surveying and savouring…

I HAVE been under the weather for the past six weeks, a period during which I have not gone to my office. Though being visible almost always online may suggest otherwise, I do mean it in the literal sense. And ironically, what dipped me under the weather is the weather itself. There was a period when Abuja went rainless for about two weeks. Of course, it became a serious issue of concern to many, especially farmers and students of climate change. However, when the rains returned, it was not only to refill the emptiness its absence caused, but to overspill…

ABOUT two weeks ago, Nigeria lost one of its finest police officers who rose to the peak of its Police Force. Solomon Arase died at a relatively young age for an elite. With improved nutrition, general welfare, and medical health services, 69 is a youthful age for Nigeria’s elite class. The well-educated Arase earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University. He went on to get a Law degree from the University of Benin and a master’s degree from the University of Lagos. He also holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies and was a Fellow of…

THE over 100-year history of the Nigerian railway system, which pioneered the rapid opening of the country, is a mixed bag. There was an upward curvature amidst stability, before the cankerworm of corruption stagnated its growth, reversed its fortunes and virtually killed it. The first railroad was constructed by the British colonial government in 1898 with the construction of the 193-kilometre first rail line from Lagos to Ibadan between 1898 and 1901. With the amalgamation of the Lagos Government Railway and the Baro-Kano Railway on October 3, 1912 and the completion of the 640-kilometre Kano – Maiduguri rail line, then…

GENERAL Christopher Musa, the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, recently urged us to learn combat skills to protect ourselves when faced with danger. He made this point as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He likened the acquisition of martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo to driving, swimming, and other essential survival skills. He even suggested that, were it not for the fact that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been “watered down to three weeks,” the programme should train Nigerian graduates in unarmed combat skills for daily survival against evil men. He said: “I think…

BUT in reality, they do not know who they are, having become vessels for the new indolence that has deprived them of self-awareness and natural knowledge. Their goals converge on nothing more than the hurry to ‘outrich’ Dangote, Isiyaku Rabiu and Otedola combined. The patience to nurture a life following natural curvature is not a part of their makeup. You see, just like we are open-eyed, being led into the entrapment of Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) in the name of modernisation or civilisation growing artificial foods full of implications for our health, wealth, and sovereignty we are raising a future…

IN the past year or so, I have become a sad man. I feel sorry for myself, as I cannot do much to stem the tide. I also feel sad for our youth, who are daily ensnared by the ravaging trend. But I am more distressed for Nigeria, my country, for breeding such youth. We are mortgaging our country’s future by sacrificing our youth’s intellectual growth to Artificial Intelligence, AI. I recall our growing days with nostalgia. I started reading my senior sisters’ novels, the Mills and Boon series, and those by Agatha Christie at age nine. At the same…

“If your plan is for one year, plant rice; if your plan is for ten years, plant trees; if your plan is for one hundred years, educate children” – Guan Yiwu. THIS quote from Guan Yiwu, an earlier statesman and thinker who lived from about 720 BC to 645 BC, is often wrongly attributed to Confucius. The original quote roughly translates to: “The best ten-year plan is to plant trees; the best plan for the rest of your life is to plant people.” When taken further, the allusion to planting rice represents the short term; tree planting symbolises long-term investments…

YES, indeed, the late Muhammadu Buhari was perhaps the best politician of the Fourth Republic. He knew what he was doing when he spoke of Sharia in Sokoto, which caused him problems with the South and Northern Christians. But that solidified his Northern Muslim base and assured him of a solid 12 million votes. His kare jini, biri jini mantra further caused more schisms that made him the ultimate “champion” at home to be projected and defended at all costs. But perhaps the single most incredible view of himself that he deliberately courted and promoted, which made him “vulnerable” and…

THE late General Buhari was a man who, on two occasions, was welcomed into office by Nigerians who dared to hope for a better country. The first was in December 1983, and the second was 32 years later, in 2015. I do not want to include 2019, because it was a defining moment when those Nigerians who were believed to be honest proved themselves wrong. Unlike President Goodluck Jonathan, who had four years earlier told the nation that his ambition was not worth the blood of a single Nigerian and conceded defeat, these self-styled men of integrity held on to…