Author: Mairo Muhammad Mudi

AS Nigerians continue to react to the news of the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, emotions are understandably high. Social media, television panels, newspaper opinion pages, and beer parlours alike have become arenas of heated debates, some deeply respectful, others vitriolic. But amidst the tributes, criticisms, and conversations, one trend stands out glaringly: the unrelenting blame placed at the feet of Buhari, even in death. Let me begin by making something very clear. This piece is not an attempt to erase the pain of those who lost loved ones during Buhari’s administration. It is not a dismissal of legitimate…

IN every nation’s origin story, there are communities that surrender everything so the country can move forward. In Nigeria, that community is Suleja. Yet few know it. Fewer acknowledge it. And fewer still understand the depth of what was given up. Once called Abuja, Suleja was the ancestral town whose lands, name, and sociopolitical identity were absorbed into a new national experiment: the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In 1976, under General Murtala Mohammed, Nigeria sought a capital that would serve as a symbol of unity, neutrality, and national cohesion. That vision found its geographic heart in the Abuja Native Authority,…

IN RECENT times, the name Hamdiya Sheriff has dominated discussions across media platforms, both within Sokoto State and beyond. For many, her face is now familiar, her voice clearer than ever. To some, she’s an untrained, outspoken youth; to others, she’s a symbol of the rising consciousness among the younger generation in Northern Nigeria. But whether loved or loathed, one thing is certain: Hamdiya did not set out to be an activist. She is what I would call an accidental activist, thrust into the limelight not by desire, but by circumstance. Your Excellency, Governor Aliyu, I write this not to…

THIS is the second or perhaps third time I’m writing about these individuals—an indication of how significant their roles have become in today’s Nigeria, where those entrusted with the duty of speaking for the masses have retreated into silence, leaving fearless voices like the Ordinary President and VDM to confront injustices on behalf of the ordinary citizen. In a time where silence is often mistaken for peace, and suppression mistaken for order, the importance of independent voices cannot be overstated. Recently, two prominent figures known for standing with the common man, VeryDarkMan (VDM) and Ahmed Isah, popularly known as the…

BEFORE I am accused of being rude to the elders please read the recent write-up by Oreoluwa which has sparked a necessary conversation about the state of leadership in Northern Nigeria. His words, though bitter, hold a painful truth that we must confront. I’d like to share his thoughts with you and add my own reflections on the matter. He wrote: “The Harsh Reality: The North isn’t failing; it has failed. Not because of God’s curse, but because of the choices they’ve made. They’ve chosen to glorify barbarism, breed fanaticism, and elect leaders who see bloodshed as a political strategy.…

LAST week, I shared column titled “Northerners, Don’t Punish Yourselves for Someone Else’s Crime.” The feedback I received, both from Northern and Southern Nigerians, filled me with hope. Hope that there still exists a critical mass of good-hearted citizens yearning for peace and unity in our beloved country. While sifting through some messages, I came across a heart-wrenching write-up by Dr Umar Osabo, referencing an essay by Idris Muhammad Abdullahi titled “Haba Arewa: One Hundred and Fifty Million Souls, Yet Conquered Without a Single Bomb!” The piece highlighted the tragic irony of Northern Nigeria’s decline—not due to war or natural…

“The Lion King In a land where the earth stays ever green, And the sky stretches vast and blue, Nature whispers its timeless tales— Stories etched in the veins of its people, Of unity, of triumph, from the greatest to the least. Their legacy stands tall, not just because of Zuma, the rock, A symbol of boldness and fearlessness, But because their hearts have always led with love. This is not just their story— It is the story of one among them. Allow me to tell you of the son of the soil, Fari mai farar aniya! Shuga, ba ka…

IN my preceding article, I emphasized the imperative of regular medical checkups for our menfolk. The overwhelming response I received was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. While many shared emotional stories explaining their aversion to medical checkups, others recounted heartbreaking accounts of friends and loved ones who succumbed to sudden deaths, often attributable to undiagnosed health issues. Amidst these narratives, a critical theme emerged: the glaring neglect of sleep among Nigerian men. A compelling narrative from those responses should highlight the urgency of my appeal. A gentleman, diligently managing hypertension for over twenty years through consistent medication and regular checkups, shared…

A STEALTHY threat lurks in the shadows, striking down men in their prime without warning. The disturbing reality in recent years is that a growing number of seemingly healthy and energetic men are collapsing unexpectedly during physical activities. This alarming phenomenon has become increasingly frequent, leaving despair, personal loss, and communal grief in its wake. A haunting memory still lingers with me. My brother-in-law, a towering figure with a chiseled athletic build, was a basketball sensation who proudly represented our state and nation on the court. To all appearances, he embodied the picture of health, with his relentless passion for…

TIME, the great leveler, inexorably degrades everything, including the most vaunted forms of power, leaving even the most mighty and haughty to the mercies of forgiveness or the merciless brutality of vengeance. However, the intoxicating allure of power often numbs the perceptions of our leaders to this timeless, history-attested reality, rendering them oblivious to the inevitability of their own mortal vulnerability. This is a democratic nation, where peaceful demonstrations and free expression are enshrined as fundamental rights. Yet, we witness a bizarre spectacle where the exercise of these rights is met with a ferocity of repression that was hitherto unimaginable,…

THE recurrent disturbing news reports on the state of insecurity in Katsina State should make anyone headed in that direction, even if for combat purposes, to feel apprehensive let alone for someone going there for intellectual pursuits or literary interactions. So with fear stealthily accompanying me, I embarked on my journey to Katsina to attend the 4th Katsina State Books Fair organized by Lukman Umar Kankia and Amal Abdullahi Abubakar. I arrived the venue in a combative mood fully armed with a poem I composed to vent out my anger and frustrations as a writer to the audience. And what…

He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg. – Chinese Proverb THE online platform of Daily Trust Newspaper of February 14, 2022 carried a pleasant story where it quoted the Director of Highways, Construction and Rehabilitation, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing saying: “the Suleja-Minna dualization projected to be completed in January 2024 would be completed much earlier due to availability of funds.” This is April 2024 and the work is still no where near completion, with the feasibility for its getting completed soon uncertain. But then, they crawled until the roads…

I FIRST heard of Hajiya Hussaina in her late mother’s room, one of my favourite aunts, Hajiya Azumi (Aisha) who was my father’s elder sister. I saw her picture on the wall and she truly was an embodiment of beauty and elegance. I was told she was my sister. In what could be deemed as a limitation but in reality a tool for fostering greater familial bond, there is no semantic equivalence for cousin in my native tongue – you are either a sister or a brother. So in my little girl’s mind I felt proud that I had an…