Author: Hafsat Salisu Kabara

IN a world obsessed with instant gratification and convenience, we often forget the true essence of relationships. We crave partners who possess a laundry list of desirable qualities, yet neglect to cultivate those same traits within ourselves. This disconnect between our expectations and our actions leads to dissatisfaction and, ultimately, disillusionment. We romanticize grand gestures and extravagant displays of affection while overlooking the simple acts of kindness and everyday effort that truly strengthen a bond. Instead of chasing an ideal that may not even exist, let’s ground ourselves in reality. Focus on fostering genuine connection, open communication, and unwavering support.…

THERE is no way you will have a beating heart inside you and not be livid by the tragic ‘Error’ or so they call it, by the Nigerian army. A gross error that resulted in the bombings of people who gathered for Maulud on the 3rd December, 2023 by the Army “drone” in Tudun Biri, Igabi LGA in Kaduna State. Some 127 people were reportedly killed in the errorful attack and another 60 were badly injured and are hospitalized. It’s no longer news that shortly after the tragic incident, the Kaduna State Government says the Nigerian Army has claimed responsibility…

IT’S been months after the general election in the country, nine months to be specific. The elected are long sworn into office, the appointed have resumed office and the country is on the go. The defeated are running from Tribunal, Appeal to Supreme Courts to seek redress. If there is a court above the Supreme Court, I am sure they will spend a fortune to go there. Going to court after election has always been a thing in the country but the wave of political court cases this time is unprecedented. I believe the judges are very happy with times…

A FRIEND called me last week, she read and my column and wanted to make some observations on some facts I highlighted in my previous piece about procrastination. I noted her observations and promised to mention her contributions next time I decided to revisit the topic. As we were about to round up the conversation, she mentioned her planned end-of-the-year vacation next week, according to her, her family is jetting out to three countries for the vacation and she sounded excited about seeing places and she did mention a few places. That got me thinking, it is that time of…

OVER the last couple of weeks, I made researches, sent out questionnaires, did surveys and took notes on a topic I had wanted to write about for this column, but as it is often with me, procrastination got the better of me when it was time to do the actual writing and before I knew it, the weekend was here again, the publisher was on my neck to send my column for the week. Therefore, I preferred to wait a week or two to pen down my researched topic, and decided to write about the reason for this delayed piece,…

RECENTLY, a consultant Neuro-psychiatrist, Dr Jimoh Adejumo, said the economic hardship in the country has affected the mental health of hundreds of thousands of Nigeria. Adejumo, who works with the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Yaba in Lagos, added that, factors such as inflation, poverty, child abuse, rape, broken homes and broken marriages, financial problems, traumatic experiences and degrees of violence among others are taking a toll on the mental health well-being of the citizens. It is difficult to argue with Dr Adejumo’s summation – in these trying times in the country, it is only apt to delineate these issues from the…

LAST week, space constraint limited my analysis on how vital our mental health is to our way of life. Today, let’s continue, its an under-statement to say, our mental health is an integral part of our lives and, as important as our physical health. The alarming rate of suicides in our societies today has made it paramount to discuss this issues openly and honestly. Lots of people think bringing an end to their lives is a solution to their problems, even the rich and famous have these thoughts and a common reason for that is DEPRESSION. Let’s talk about depression:…

I WAS initially reticent to write about this topic but on a second thought, I felt I should for the relevance of the topic to our society and especially for the patients of mental health issues. Let’s take a brief and broader look about mental health. Nigeria’s mental health policy was formulated in 1991, but it did not make adequate provision for community-based psychiatric care. Since there are only seven government-owned psychiatry facilities in Nigeria and these are always overwhelmed, there is the need to overhaul the existing policy and emphasise the urgency of a shift from inpatient psychiatric mental…

AS I sit and watch him talk a few days ago, it baffles me that this amazing old man will clock 87 in the next few days. He is still as smart, as observant, as alert as I remember with a keen analytical mind. Of course, age has its toll on him, but Baaba doesn’t act or look 87 one bit. A son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and a friend- a happy person and with a very big heart. Baaba’s blessings and teachings has been the bedrock of our success all of us – all 23 of us.…