Memo to anti-Almajirci activists

…also published in Daily Trust

Having written articles on different occasions on Almajirci phenomenon in northern Nigeria, and following my article titled “Hypocrisy over Almajirci” (Daily Trust, Friday, March 31, 2017.), I resolved not to write on the issue again having been convinced that elite hypocrisy and tacit resistance by many influential Almajirci apologists in the region are actually what undermine the efforts to end it. 

However, seeing a growing interest among many individuals and groups in anti-Almajirci activism, I felt prompted to address this memo to them hopefully to help steer their activism towards success.

Memo to Abuja, Kaduna Mauludiers

…also published in Daily Trust

It’s common knowledge that, in addition to the so-called Maulud celebration of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the two major Sufi mystical orders in Nigeria (i.e. Tijjaniyya and Qadiriyya) have also introduced different Mauluds to celebrate the birthdays of their respective mystical saints. However, what’s particularly interesting and indeed ironic is that, the Maulud of Shehu Ibrahim Inyass introduced by the Tijjaniyya mystical order has always outclassed even the so-called Maulud of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in terms of grandeur, glamour and follower turnout.

Though this year’s Maulud of Shehu Inyass, which comes up tomorrow wasn’t initially scheduled to take place in two cities, a disagreement between feuding parties within the mystical order over which city (between Abuja and Kaduna) would host the occasion has necessitated holding it in both cities simultaneously as a result of the insistence of each party to hold it in its chosen city. At the time of writing this piece, the situation remains the same.

Killing spree amid intelligence gap

….also published in Daily Trust

A critical look into the underlying challenges hampering the ongoing war on Boko Haram terrorists and other armed groups behind the growing killing spree across northern Nigeria reveals an inexcusable intelligence gap as one of such challenges.

Of course, the country’s three security intelligence agencies concerned i.e. the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the State Security Service (SSS) are jointly responsible for this gap.