My journey with Trust

...also published in Daily Trust

Though the emergence of the Daily Trust newspaper as the 2016 winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NNMA) is a remarkable milestone in its pursuit for unrivalled journalistic excellence, it isn’t unexpected. After all, since its establishment in 2001, its potential to grow more competitive at the national level was already quite evident, especially in view of the phenomenal popularity of its sister paper across northern Nigeria i.e. the Weekly Trust, which had been launched in 1998, albeit its title is now discarded in favour of the Daily Trust.

Also, though I am not in a position to shed light on the dynamics behind the Daily Trust ‘s attainment of this feat, yet, inasmuch as nothing good materializes in a vacuum, it’s obvious that its management and editorial team have conceived and pursued polices that enabled the paper to achieve its potential, earn and maintain this enviable level of credibility, which suggests that they are particularly committed to the ethical and professional values in journalism that also explains why the paper outdoes other major national dailies that had dominated the scene for decades in the past.

Groaning from afar

Also published in Daily Trust

In light of the elaborate myths woven around living abroad, there is a common, albeit erroneous, assumption among many home-based-Nigerians that their foreign-based countrymen living in some rich and efficiently managed countries are simply spared the “frustration” associated with being Nigerians.

This longstanding assumption further takes root as the country’s socio-economic crisis gets worse that explains why an increasing number of people subscribe to it as Nigerians go through, perhaps, the worst ever economic hardship in the country, which is rightly or wrongly nicknamed Buhariyya.

 President Buhari

Also, it’s quite easy to perceive this assumption particularly in conversations involving home-based-Nigerians and their foreign-based countrymen, where it’s often quite difficult for the latter to convince the former over the erroneousness of this assumption. After all, with the alarming rate at which poverty ravages lives and unleashes despair throughout the country, on the one hand, and the obvious disparity in the quality of life between Nigeria and elsewhere, on the other, one can understand why the largely poverty-stricken Nigerians cling to this assumption.

Absolving the Ahlul-bait (ll)

Also published in Daily Trust

In addition to the vast network of intermarriage between Ahlul-bait and Sahaba, and between their respective descendants also, which I highlighted last Friday in the context of debunking the already fictitious enmity between them, I now similarly highlight some instances of the Ahlul-bait’s obvious preference for naming their sons and daughters after the Sahaba, which further debunk that myth.

For instance, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ali zainul-Abideen bin Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ali ibn Musa Al-Kazim ibn Ja’afar As-sadiq, Abdullah ibn Ja’afar ibn Abi Talib, among others, each named one of his sons after Abubakr As-siddeeq. Likewise, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ali zainul-Abideen bin Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib and Musa-Kazim ibn Ja’afar As-sadiq etc each had a son named after Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Also, Ali ibn Abi Talib and his brother, Aqil ibn Abi Talib each equally had a son named after Uthman ibn Affan.

Absolving the Ahlul-bait (l)

Also published in Daily Trust 

Here we go again, another Shiite religious ritual, the so-called Arba’een, is just around the corner, and their religious processions are already underway to Karbala, Iraq where the main worship rites are conducted, and which (i.e. Karbala) is the holiest city on earth, according to their belief.  (See Mustadrakul-Wasa’el, v10, p322, or Biharul-Anwar, v101, p109 etc.).

As usual also, it’s an occasion when they intensify their show of hatred against the Sahaba i.e. the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and indeed hurl all sorts of insults at them. By the way, this piece is closely related to a previous piece of mine titled ‘In Defence of the Sahaba’ (Daily Trust, 14, Oct. 2016) where, in the light of some of the many relevant Qur’anic verses, I highlighted the righteousness of the Sahaba and indeed their superior virtues, which were only surpassed by the righteousness and virtues of the prophets of Allah, peace be upon them.

Now, the fact that Shiites’ hatred against the Sahaba is based on the unfounded claim of the existence of hatred or enmity between the Ahlul-bait and the Sahaba, and having absolved the Sahaba in the abovementioned piece, I intend to highlight some instances that equally absolve the Ahlul-bait, disprove any claim to that effect and indeed prove how the Ahlul-bait and the Sahaba were bound together by genuine love and mutual respect.

Dynamics of America’s decline

Also published in Daily Trust

The just concluded and hotly contested presidential election in the United States attracted unprecedented global attention, which wasn’t unusual as the country remains the world’s largest economic and military power and where almost every country today has strategic interests to pursue and/or defend.

Since the end of the Second World War, the United States and its then archenemy, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) had been engaged in a tense struggle for global dominance in what was known as Cold War, until the fall of the USSR in 1991, and ever since then the United States has been the sole global superpower, a privilege it has largely abused.

However, the current steady but persistent decline of its global influence gradually ushers in a new world order where its global dominance will be a thing of the past, and indeed where there would be no sole global superpower anymore. After all, throughout history there have been incidents of rise and fall of empires, which simply means that the US and indeed any other global dominant power in the future will not be an exception. Besides, analysts around the world have been commenting on the dynamics of the looming eclipse of the US current global dominance, and speculating on its aftermath and the possible ensuing world order scenarios.

Ambassadorship for the sake of it

Also published in Daily Trust

Now that another list of Nigerian ambassadorial nominees has been released, a look into the Nigerian diplomacy and the pattern of appointing Nigerian ambassadors and high commissioners reveals how such appointments are, in most cases, made just for the sake of it, instead of pursuing any specific foreign policy.

Obviously, Nigerian ambassadors and high commissioners are either carrier diplomats i.e. civil servants who have built their careers in diplomacy and risen through the ranks to become ambassadors, or non-career diplomats i.e. those appointed from different carrier backgrounds most of whom are either defeated candidates compensated with ambassadorial appointments, or political allies rewarded for their contributions to the election victory of the ruling party. The successive civilian administrations and military regimes in the country have maintained this tradition, which the current administration under President Buhari appears to equally maintain.

In Defence of the Sahaba

Also published in Daily Trust

Over the past couple of days, Shiite religious adherents in many cities around the world held their annual procession purportedly to mourn the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib who was killed in Karbala, Iraq, one thousand three hundred and seventy-seven years ago. It’s an annual Shiite religious occasion in which the Shiites openly chant curses and unprintable insults at the Sahaba i.e. the companions of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, peace be upon him, especially Abubakr As-siddeeq, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, Othman ibn Affan etc, and particularly two of his wives, Aisha bint Abibakr and Hafsat bint Umar.

The main procession was, of course, to the city of Karbala in Iraq, which, according to their religious belief, is holier than Makkah, as they also believe that whoever makes a ‘pilgrimage’ to the grave of Hussein therein, especially on the Day of Arafat while Muslims are in faraway Makkah performing Hajj, earns a reward as though he has performed Hajj and Umra one thousand times. (See Biharul-Anwar, v101, p109, and Furu’ul Kaafi, v1, p324).

Nigerian Shiites who equally maintain this belief, are also growing increasingly audacious enough to openly and unambiguously insult the Sahaba in their public gatherings and Hussainiyya shrines, unlike in the past when they would only utter derogatory innuendoes and other vaguely insulting insinuations against them.

A post-Buhari Nigeria

Also published in Daily Trust

Though it’s perhaps too early to be obsessed with post-Buhari political scenario in Nigeria especially considering the probability of him seeking reelection in 2019 when his current tenure expires, and in fact the probability of him getting reelected then hence serving his maximum two terms in office, yet considering how time flies so fast, it is indeed high time that Nigerians began thinking of his potential successor in 2019 or 2023, as the case may be.

Though Nigerians are sharply divided in their assessments of his performance so far, and despite his real or perceived shortcomings in terms of competence, he must be succeeded by not only a more competent successor, but equally uncorrupted also, for the country to sustain the rare glimmer of light it’s beginning to see at the end of the tunnel in spite of the huge challenges that still bedevil it.

Reflections on Buhari administration

Also published in Daily Trust 

As Nigerians groan under the current excruciating economic hardship, which is arguably the most severe ever experienced in the country, their growing sense of disappointment in government is quite understandable, considering their hitherto high expectations following decades of drift that reached its worst during the previous administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Though many Nigerians weren’t being realistic in their expectations, in the first place, many others had rightly expected President Buhari to kick-start his administration at a swift yet measured tempo necessarily needed to arrest the drift and effect reasonable and tangible economic development achievable in light of the available resources. In other words, on President Buhari’s assumption of office, many Nigerians rightly assumed that, within the period between his election victory and his assumption of office, a substantive and comprehensive action plan had already been prepared. Soon afterwards, however, some clues indicating otherwise and instead indicating his government’s inadequate readiness to immediately roll-out its promised economic reform strategies, began to manifest themselves. It turned out that, even tasks as relatively easy as shortlisting the names of the candidates for various major political appointments simply hadn’t been done.

Hajj, Al-adha sacrifice and Ikhlas

Tomorrow is the Yaum-At-tarwiyya that marks the beginning of this year’s Hajj when Muslim pilgrims are expected to flock to the tent city of Mina on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah, to spend the next few days performing Hajj rituals there and at a few other holy sites around. The exercise climaxes on the Day of Arafat, i.e. this Sunday, to subsequently usher in the Eid-Al-adha the following day, as the remaining Hajj rituals and Eid Al-adha festivities continue concurrently over the subsequent few days.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, Hajj attracts divine reward too large to measure, which explains the authentically narrated Hadith where the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) said ‘Al-Hajj Al-mabroor (i.e. Hajj free from vice) ‘has no divine reward for it that is befitting enough except the Paradise’ (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim. Interestingly, he (i.e. the Messenger of Allah) further explained Al-Hajj Al-mabroor where he said ‘Whoever performs Hajj throughout which he does not commit obscenity and wrongdoing, sloughs his sins and turns sinless as the day he was born’ (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim).

The '–iyya’ suffix in Kano politics

Also published in Daily Trust

The trending practice of adding the Arabic-inspired '–iyya’ suffix to the last name of a politician probably began in Kano when ‘Kwankwasiyya’ coinage emerged in the run-up to, or shortly after, the 2011 gubernatorial election in the state, which saw the return of Eng. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso to Kano State Government House as Governor, after he had lost his re-election bid in 2003 to the hitherto politically obscure civil servant, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau who subsequently reigned for eight consecutive years.

L-R: Eng. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Whether it was coined deliberately or spontaneously, Kwankwaso soon adopted it as the name of his personal political project, which he had been discreetly pursuing all along dating back to his previous tenure as Governor, and through which he has been apparently seeking to achieve unrivalled political influence and leave  behind a political legacy to rival or even outrival the political legacies of late Mallam Aminu Kano and late Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Rimi whose political charisma outshined and indeed outlived their respective political parties. 

Boko Haram: Confidentiality of news sources

Also published in Daily Trust 

The recently released Boko Haram propaganda video shows many of the more than two hundred abducted Chibok girls along with an armed masked man offering the federal government a swap deal to release the girls in exchange for the release of their captured fellow terrorists by the Nigerian military and other security agencies. However, though he defiantly reiterated the group’s determination to carry on their terror attacks, he nonetheless betrayed exhaustion-induced despair the group is apparently groaning under due to the sustained military pressure on them since the beginning of this administration.

Following the release of the video, the Nigerian Army declared Hajia Aisha Wakil, a member of the now dormant Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, Ahmed Salkida, a journalist and Ahmed Bolori, an activist, for alleged link with the terror group. By the way, though the administration of President Buhari has considerably weakened Boko Haram terrorist group, which consequently faces imminent defeat, the failure of the military and intelligence agencies to locate the whereabouts of the abducted girls, let alone rescue them remains a huge source of embarrassment to it, considering how their abduction attracted the interest of the international community and influential non-governmental organizations around the world.

Army-Shiite clashes: JCI report at a glance

Also published in Daily Trust

In the aftermath of the late last year’s Army-Shiite bloody clashes in Zaria, and amid the ensuing heated controversy over the justifiability or otherwise of the amount of force used by the Army against the Shiites, I wrote a two-part article titled ‘The external dynamics of Zaria incident’ on December 18and 25, 2015 respectively, in which I avoided speculation over the party responsible for sparking the clashes pending the outcome of the official inquiry into the incident. I, instead, dwelt on the underlying external dynamics behind it, which, among other dynamics, represent the context in which the circumstances of the incident are properly understood.

Now that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry commissioned by Kaduna state government in the wake of the incident to conduct a thorough public inquiry into the immediate and remote causes of the clashes, and give recommendations on the ways to forestall its recurrence in the future has submitted its report, a mere glance at the report shows how much effort the commission members had put into making the report as exhaustive and objective as possible, notwithstanding the decision by the Zakzaky-led Shiite group to boycott its proceedings. After all, whatever they would have said, had actually been said by their fellow Shiites and other apologists who made presentations in the course of the proceedings. 

Foiling a revolt: Tale of two approaches

Also published in Daily Trust

This piece is inspired by an anonymous short Arabic Facebook post on the recent foiled military coup in Turkey as quoted by the Turkish-based exiled former Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi on his Facebook page I translated it into English as hereby quoted “Al-Assad (the embattled Syrian President) and Al-Maliky (former Iraqi Prime Minister) confronted protesting masses with military tanks in their respective countries, whereas Erdogan (Turkish President) confronted the tanks of revolting army with the masses. Erdogan triumphed whereas Al-Assad and Al-Maliky failed”. Notwithstanding the leaders mentioned in this comparison, I found it very interesting indeed, for it highlights two conflicting approaches to foil a revolt, with, of course, two different outcomes accordingly.

Though even before the beginning of the series of the mass protests that swept across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, starting from 2011, there had been mass protests in a few countries in the region, which were brutally suppressed e.g. the 1982 Hama protest in Syria, which the then Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad ruthlessly quelled by massacring forty thousand people according to Syrian Human Rights Committee, the 2011 mass protest phenomenon in the region would remain particularly historic due to its extensive geographical reach and its fundamental, albeit largely counterproductive, socio-political outcomes across the region.

The treachery of the century

Also published in Daily Trust

The British government’s decision to participate in the United States-led military invasion of Iraq in 2003 was obviously unpopular with the British public who adamantly kicked against it despite the passionate insistence of the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair that the war was necessary in order to disarm the then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction. Besides, when, after the invasion, it turned out that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction after all, and that the so-called intelligence on the bases of which the US-led military coalition invaded it was a hoax, the criticism grew further raising serious questions about the credibility of the then UK government.

It became clear that the invasion was basically orchestrated by a notoriously megalomaniac clique in the White House, the Pentagon, US Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which included, but not limited to, the then President George W. Bush, his deputy Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, his deputy Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Bremer and George J. Tenet who as the then Director of the CIA oversaw the fabrication of an elaborate concoction of layers of lies to justify the impending US-led military invasion of Iraq.

Hypocritical criticism of shady recruitment

Also published in Daily Trust

Over the past few months there have been scandalous revelations of shady public recruitment exercises in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and perhaps a few other government agencies. Though each of the three scandals was widely condemned, the revelations weren’t surprising, after all, for they simply re-highlighted how federal government institutions systematically flout due process in staff recruitment exercises, which is equally rampant at the state and local government levels as well.

I, for one, actually found the avalanche of criticism against the government officials involved more surprising instead, as it sounded too passionate as though the scandals had unfolded in Norway, for instance, not Nigeria. In any case, no one denies the fact that public recruitment exercise in Nigeria is most of the time, if not always, shady due to the deep-rooted culture of nepotism in the country. This is especially in recruitment exercises into major revenue generating government agencies, departments and other major government bodies e.g. the aforementioned three and, of course, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and its subsidiaries etc.

Reflections on post-terror attack reactions

Also published in Daily Trust and here also in the same newspaper 

In the wake of every terror attack rightly or wrongly believed to have been carried out by a Muslim or some Muslims, a heated controversy over Islamic stance on violence usually ensues. This, by the way, happens especially when the attack is carried out in any of the major Western European countries, the United States, Canada and a few other countries elsewhere e.g. Australia, or when the attack targets their citizens or interests anywhere in the world.

While a terror attack in any of these countries attracts huge international media attention, which, in turn, triggers global condemnation and generates worldwide show of sympathy for the victims, a similar terror attack, or even a much more devastating terror attack, in Africa or some parts of Asia, for instance, doesn’t attract appropriate, let alone similar amount of international media coverage and show of empathy. Unfortunately, it’s as though the sanctity and value of people’s lives are nowadays determined by their respective countries’ socio-economic development and political influence on the world stage.

A look into insurgent groups in Nigeria

Obviously, Nigeria’s already fragile national cohesion is bedevilled by persistent challenges that have escalated into real existential threats to the country, on at least two occasions. On the first occasion, the country experienced a bloody thirty-month-long civil war in the 60s, while on the second occasion it experienced a serious turbulence when, in 1990, some naïve and narrow-minded military officers attempted to violently overthrow the then federal military government, in the process of which they also announced the excision of some states with a particular ethno-religious population predominance, from Nigeria.

Though Nigeria managed to survive the turmoil on those two occasions and has indeed survived other similar, albeit relatively less serious, threats to its survival, the persistence of some organized seditious activities that persistently undermine its stability and, in fact, pose existential threat to it casts serious worries not only about the country’s prospect of achieving meaningful development, but also about its future as a sovereign political entity, for that matter. After all, the conflicting agendas of the sponsors and plotters of the rebellious activities perpetrated by various militant groups in the country highlight the extensiveness and intensity of the chaos that would certainly prevail should they manage to overthrow the institution of government in the country or any part thereof, God forbid.

The dynamics of creek militancy

Also published in Daily Trust

The large-scale and sustained crude oil and gas exploitation in the oil-rich Niger-Delta, and lack of adequate and effective environmental protection measures have undoubtedly affected the sub-region’s environmental quality hence the livelihood of millions of Nigerians out there who depend on subsistence fishing and farming, and who rightly lament the successive governments’ insensitivity towards their plight particularly over the past two decades.

Now that the change-oriented Buhari administration is confronted with the renewed challenge of violent militancy in the sub-region, which a new militant group calling itself Niger-Delta Avengers is currently conducting, there is a general expectation that, unlike what obtained in the past; the federal government would be seriously committed to solving the crisis this time around. Because, among other things, the persistence of such attacks on oil and gas infrastructure especially with the current increasing tempo, scale and intensity will certainly undermine and indeed frustrate whatever economic reforms the federal government is pursuing.

Reflections on subsidy debate

Also published in Daily Trust

The controversy that trailed the recent removal of oil subsidy triggered an interesting debate amongst Nigerians with divergent opinions on the issue. Nigerian economists, in particular, both the literalists who hardly see beyond the literal meanings of the economic theories they have learnt, and the pragmatists who supposedly view such theories in the context of Nigeria’s peculiar socio-economic circumstances, argued over its economic implications, advantages and disadvantages in the short, medium and long term. Likewise, other intellectuals in various academic fields and elsewhere, the barely educated, and even uneducated passionately expressed their views against or in favour of its removal. 

Being a free-for-all right from the start, the debate was unfortunately marred by rudeness and intolerance that characterized the approaches of many contributors especially on social media and other internet platforms where allegations and insults were traded. In fact, even some otherwise respected public commentators went to the extent of making insulting innuendoes against those holding contrary views on the issue.

Confessions and the question of conscience

Also published in Daily Trust

My column, titled ‘The politics of kayan aiki’ (Daily Trust, March 27, 2015) on the eve of the presidential election last year, dwelt on the flow of staggering amounts of kayan aiki (i.e. funds used to influence and manipulate election results) that literally flooded the country’s political scene during the campaign period. The sharing spree of kayan aiki at that time was simply too extravagant to elude even a casual observer. Also, due to the sheer amount of money involved, the beneficiaries ended up richer, of course according to the extent of their respective connections in the corridors of power and abilities to manipulate circumstances.  

Though election campaign in a capitalist-oriented political system e.g. Western-style democracy, necessarily, albeit unfortunately, entails spending huge amounts of money largely raised by individuals and vested interests, the situation in Nigeria is particularly unfortunate. Unlike elsewhere, election season in Nigeria is characterized by massive and systematic plundering of public treasury by the incumbent public office holders hell-bent on clinging to power at all cost. Their accomplices in the private sector also contribute individually and collectively to ensure the victory of their benefactors and partners in crime. For instance, the N23bn involved in the ongoing poll bribery scandal was part of such accomplices’ contributions from oil industry, to bribe Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) officials in order to tamper with the election result in favour of the incumbent president then. 

The plight of Dr. Afridi

Also published in Daily Trust

Five years ago, the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conducted one of its most audacious yet clandestine operations in which it killed Osama Bin Laden who was, until his death, the most wanted person in the world. Bin Laden was widely believed to be the mastermind behind some of the worst attacks that targeted the US interests within and outside the United States, e.g. the 1998 almost simultaneous terror bomb attacks on its embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the 2000 bomb attack on its giant naval guided-missile destroyer, USS Cole, in Aden, Yemen, and, of course, the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York and Washington DC. 

The United States, therefore, had launched a global manhunt to capture or assassinate him, in the context of its controversial global war on terror, which it declared in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the wake of which it literally went berserk breaching the sovereignty of many countries, and actually invaded some others, witch-hunted organizations, persecuted and victimized individuals, in a blatant disregard for its own relevant laws and the applicable international laws, as well, under the pretext of counterterrorism. Its arrogant and megalomaniac former President, George W. Bush Jr, in whose tenure the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred was particularly reckless in this regard. 

Pitying the President

Also published in Daily Trust

Though the plight of the overwhelming majority of Nigerians enduring the current wave of economic hardship, which is said to be the worst ever in the country, is indeed heartbreaking, President Buhari himself attracts pity as well, under these circumstances, albeit certainly not for the same reason, for obvious reason. He, instead, attracts pity in view of the sheer magnitude and complexity of the challenges bedevilling his presidency amid mounting expectations of the extremely exhausted hence rightly impatient Nigerians desperate for change after decades of groaning under excruciating poverty and misery. This, however, doesn’t de-emphasize his obligations as President, let alone justify his failure to deliver, anyway.

Having come to power as arguably the most reputable public figure in Nigeria who has over the decades earned and maintained an enviable reputation for honesty, President Buhari has been caught up in a quagmire represented by the largely apathetic and, in fact, obstructive civil servants and political office holders, on the one hand, and a populace that, though is desperate for change, yet is largely resistant to what real change entails, on the other.

Global peace in Islamic perspective (lV)

Also published in Daily Trust  

The pursuit of real global peace is obviously a collective responsibility that requires concerted efforts by all countries as well as regional, continental and international governmental bodies to achieve. The process to attain it, therefore, is unavoidably complex, because it, among other things, involves dealing with increasingly conflicting priorities and interests of many countries from various cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as some powerful vested interests with conflicting agendas that influence the course of international politics today.

In any case, Islam enjoins Muslims, as individuals, communities and governments, to actively participate in any undertaking aimed at achieving positive, constructive and productive things for the humanity. Besides, Islam maintains a particular emphasis on the need to maintain peaceful coexistence among people to ensure adequate protection of human life, wellbeing, property, dignity, among other things. In fact, Islam enjoins Muslims to cooperate with even hostile individuals, communities or entities in order to achieve strategic common interests e.g. peace. Islamic civilization, starting from the era of the messenger of Allah, to the successive Caliphates of his four rightly guided Caliphs and the subsequent Muslim empires and emirates across the world, if full of such instances that show Islamic principled socio-political and diplomatic pragmatism.

Global peace in Islamic perspective (lll)

Also published in Daily Trust

Anyway, though, Muslim scholars and intellectuals around the world are indeed making commendable efforts to counter the wrong religious interpretations that breed extremism and terrorism, more needs to be done to check the activities of such terror theorists who still indoctrinate innocent Muslims and turn them into terrorists.

While doing this, however, caution should be observed, lest the counter-extremism efforts unnecessarily compromise some Islamic principles, basic teachings or moral values. After all, there is a growing trend in this regard, as some Muslim intellectuals and thinkers who are apparently intimidated by the global dominance of the so-called liberal culture seem rather ashamed to present, defend and promote Islamic perspectives that contradict such so-called liberal culture, for fear of being branded religious extremists.

Global peace in Islamic perspective (ll)

Also published in Daily Trust

Islam also emphasizes the need to derive inspiration in the pursuit of peace, from the circumstances of the origin of man, for it indeed underscores mankind’s common interest to pursue global peace, regardless of their racial, ethno-religious and other differences.  Allah the almighty says ‘O Mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) he created his wife {Hawwa (Eve)}, and from them both he created many men and women, and fear Allah through whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you’ (The Noble Qur’an, Surah 4. Nisa (The Women), Verse 1,)

In the same vein, He, the Almighty also says ‘O Mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another.’ (The Noble Qur’an, Surah 49, Al-Hujurat (The dwellings), Verse 13, as translated by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, and Muhammad Muhsin Khan in Translation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an in the English language).

Global peace in Islamic perspective (l)

Also published in Daily Trust 

Today’s column is actually a paper I presented at the International Islamic Conference organized by the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’ikamatis Sunnah in Nigeria, in collaboration with the Makkah-based Muslim World League, between 17th and 19th of March 2016, in Abuja, under the theme of ‘Security and Stability in the Face of Contemporary Challenges’. However, due to space constraint, I will serialize it over the next few weeks, God willing, barring any need to postpone a particular part(s) in the series in order write on another issue. Enjoy... You can also watch the video here 

Today’s world is defined by mysterious paradoxes and inexplicable contradictions that affect our lives as human beings. Though, we are supposedly civilized, culturally and socially refined, yet real peace isn’t only increasingly elusive, but the alarmingly growing pervasiveness of violent conflicts across the world and the sheer barbarism that characterizes them are perhaps unprecedented in human history.

Nigeria in anti-terror Islamic military alliance

Also published in Daily Trust

Though during his recent visit to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Muhammadu Buhari made a rather ambiguous statement, which some reporters interpreted as Nigeria’s rejection to join the newly formed Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT), he later made it clear during his subsequent visit to Doha, State of Qatar, that Nigeria had indeed joined the military coalition.

Given the unmistakable religious identity of the military alliance, and the longstanding, albeit largely politically motivated, rivalry between the two main religious adherents in Nigeria i.e. Muslims and Christians, President Buhari’s statement has, ever since then, continued to generate controversy over the justifiability or otherwise of Nigeria’s decision to join it.

White elephant projects

Also published in Daily Trust

The mere sight of many resource-consuming white elephant projects in towns and cities across Nigeria provokes huge frustration, in view of the sheer amounts of public funds effectively wasted therein, as the projects don’t add any value to the economy, and aren’t likely to do so in the foreseeable future, either. Unfortunately, this trend persists anyway despite the acute scarcity of funds experienced at all levels of government in the country.

While many of such projects are completed, albeit still unutilized or grossly underutilized, many others initiated several years ago are still purportedly under construction, or rather, have been simply abandoned halfway and at the mercy of the succeeding holders of the public offices concerned, who may not necessarily bother to complete them, after all, since they equally have their own plans for similar white elephant projects. 

Capitalising on forex crisis

Also published in Daily Trust

As the economic repercussions of the discontinuation of the regular supply of foreign exchange to bureau de change (BDC) operators by the Central of Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continue to unfold, there are tremendous opportunities for local manufacturers and entrepreneurs, in particular, who can capitalize on the situation to achieve phenomenal growth.

After all, since they lost ground following the gradual collapse of the country’s local industries, Nigeria’s economy lost a great deal of its economic potential. This is though, some local manufacturers, especially in southern Nigeria, have, nevertheless, managed to not only survive, but, in fact, thrive anyway, as many successful entrepreneurs have emerged and grown into successful business owners. However, unfortunately, in northern Nigeria, which was already lagging behind economically, ever since the eventual collapse of the region’s vibrant and promising industries, the situation has been going from bad to worse.

As stealing gets difficult…..

Also published in Daily Trust

The recent revelation by President Muhammadu Buhari that more than two trillion naira were saved in just three months, thanks to his administration’s commitment to the Treasury Single Account (TSA), is greatly encouraging, considering the sheer amount of the funds saved, which is equal to about one-third of Nigeria’s total budget, and which would have otherwise ended up in the personal bank accounts of some corrupt civil servants and politicians.

Likewise, the recent detection of more than two hundred thousand ghost workers on the federal government payroll, which, by implication, means saving billions of naira that some unscrupulous civil servants have been systematically stealing over the years as purported salaries, allowances and other entitlements of such ghost workers, proves the efficiency of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) technology, which greatly facilitates President Buhari’s anti-corruption drive.

Budget financing: Counting on recoverable loot

Also published in Daily Trust

As oil-dependent countries continue to adopt cost-saving measures and pursue alternative revenue generation and/or augmentation policies to tackle the economic impacts resulting from the persistent fall in crude oil prices globally, the level of anxiety that characterizes the approach of each country in this regard varies according to the extent of its economic vulnerability.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, countries, which have been able to use their oil revenues in the provision of adequate economic infrastructure, and have been able to make substantial progress in economic diversification (e.g. the UAE that has been able to reduce its dependence on oil by 70%,) are coping with the situation quite comfortably by simply implementing further economic diversification strategies having already had the economic infrastructure necessarily needed in order to achieve effective and sustainable economic diversification.

Meeting with Mr. President

Also published in Daily Trust  

On the last day of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recently concluded three-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates, I was among a group of UAE-based Nigerian professionals, businessmen and students who had an audience with him at the ultra-luxurious Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE.

Though the event ran quite smoothly, however, organizationally speaking, it left a lot to be desired anyway, which was though disappointing, it wasn’t actually surprising after all especially for those familiar with the way Nigerians generally organize events.

Circumstances of forex crisis

Also published in Daily Trust

Though the recent decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop selling foreign exchange (forex) to bureau de change (BDC) firms in the country triggered an instantaneous and dramatic further depreciation of the naira, which in turn worsens inflation, it’s hard to propose any other measure to save the country’s alarmingly dwindling foreign-exchange reserves from which the CBN used to regularly sell foreign exchange to the BDCs.

Besides, economically speaking, selling foreign exchange by the CBN to the BDCs isn’t sustainable in the long run, after all. Moreover, according to the CBN, it’s only in Nigeria that currency exchange operators depend on government for hard currency supply. In any case, what can’t be denied is that, the scheme never served the economic purpose for which it was introduced.

Subsidy removal: The UAE experience

Also published in Daily Trust

Now that it increasingly appears that the controversial fuel subsidy regime in Nigeria will almost certainly soon be abolished, my experience, so far, following similar removal here in the United Arab Emirates has greatly dispelled my worries about its impacts on the cost of living. After all, even before its removal, the subsidy regime here was already transparent and the fuel supply management was already perfectly efficient, contrary to what obtains in Nigeria where it is characterized by monumental corruption and operational mediocrity. 

Like other crude oil producing countries where oil remains their primary source of revenue, the UAE government’s finances have been affected by the dwindling oil prices in international markets, hence it opted for the removal of fuel subsidy in order to save the huge amount of funds spent on the subsidy in favour of investment in more beneficial and sustainable economic endeavours. The new deregulated fuel price regime came into effect on August 1, 2015. Consequently, ever since then, on the 28th of each month the prices of diesel and petrol for the following month are announced based on crude oil prices in international markets.