By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi.

                  6-1-2025.

The vice president was sent on a condolence visit by, and to represent, the president, who found it convenient not to go there in person, but was always available and ready to rush to France or any Western country at the slightest opportunity, even without invitation 

At the condolence visit to Southern Zaria to commiserate with the family of Reverend Hassan Mathew Kukah over the loss of his elder brother, Vice President Kashim Shettima announced that President Tinubu had approved the citing of a Federal University in Southern Kaduna.

He added that it was part of the Tinubu regime’s commitment to the region's development, citing the appointment of General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff, as evidence of the President's attention to the region's progress. 

The Vice President further stated that discussions were ongoing for the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan and the provision of other forms if the dividends of democracy in the area, which has for long been ignored by previous administrations since the return of democracy in the country.

Development, wherever it may take place is a needed part of progress, but we do not have make promises about it in order to score cheap political points. Besides, the message by the president to the people of Southern Kaduna, apparently made to divide the Northern Region, amounts to shooting oneself on the foot. It looks so, because it explains a lot of things, among which are the suspicious ‘accidental’ bombings of Muslims gatherings or towns by the supposedly trained Nigerian Airforce. 

The Nigerian Military High Command is headed by General Christopher Musa, as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a position that gives the officer the authority to do as he pleases with the Nigerian military. This we have witnessed many times. It is called ‘undue muscle flexing’ by some opportune people.

The recent bombing ‘accident’ which occurred in Silame Local Government in Sokoto State, a couple of weeks towards the end of last year, was only admitted to by the Nigerian Military High Command, after earlier insisting that all those bombed to death or wounded were informants of the terrorists, Lakurawa. The belated owning up to the ‘deliberate’ killings came after the persistent pressure from some patriotic Nigerians, and even non Nigerians.

Before it, there was an ‘accidental’ Airforce bombing on 3/12/2023 in Tudun Biri town of Kaduna state, where at least eighty five (85) innocent Muslims, celebrating the Eid-Maulud were unnecessarily killed by the Nigerian Airforce.

The questions to ask the Nigerian Military are; don’t the Airforce possess the intelligence that would guide it to accurately attack the bandits? Regarding the Sokoto state accidental bombing, should it not have been better, indeed more important, to arrest the so a called informers of the bandits, than to silence them permanently, which was what was achieved by the ‘accidental’ murder?

The Nigerian Military cannot be that sloppy if it could be called for a peace keeping mission in foreign countries several times. And every time it was invited for such operations, the task was carried out successfully, with high commendations from the United Nations(UN).

So it is curious why a rag tag of untrained none state actors should elude defeat by highly trained professional soldiers for decades, while the federal government keeps on singing the familiar sing song of ‘winning the war against the terrorists’

The National Chairman of Kautalhore Association, Alhaji Badejo is behind bars, being illegally detained on the orders of a very senior military officer, for the ‘offence’ of defending the right of members of the association, whose farmlands were being forcibly confiscated for the purpose of a developing a super farm by the said officer.

Alhaji Badejo had said NO, and still insists on his NO, despite the several adversities that he had suffered and is still suffering, for standing up for the association in Sokoto state, the same state being claimed as the birth and ‘home’ state of the owner of the the face behind the adversities.

This is also part of the hidden plot of President Tinubu to eliminate as many as possible the Muslim population of Northern Nigeria, weaken and evilly divide the region into Muslims versus Christians, a fault line that is very weak in the area at the moment.

The open and sometimes hidden support given by some Nigerians, especially from the Northern states, is a pointer to the fact that such people do not share the aspirations of the majority of the electorate. They pretend to be oblivious of the fact that there is a pervasive poverty, which gave rise to the grave hunger among all but the very wealthy in the country, among which the political class belongs.

The extreme hard time in Nigeria would have been a case for serious concern to leaders in serious nations. It is never the case here, where the preoccupations of the so called elected leaders are corruption and the 2027 general elections, which their equally unpatriotic supporters would try to rig for them.

 

If God gives one a special favour in whatever way, He means for that servant to use it positively for the advancement of His less endowed servants, but not for their self advancement. Getting Allah’s favour is akin to getting the keys to both Heaven and hell, defending on how the favour is used. It is an automatic key to Heaven if used positively, but a sure way of damnation in hell, if negatively applied.

God has given such favours to some of His creations among human beings and among the jinns, so that others may benefit from them, but many prefer to use it for self advertisement  and advancement in this temporary world, instead of their permanent hereafter. 

He gives power, He gives fabulous riches and other forms of wealth, He gives religious knowledge, He gives Western education to whom He chooses. While few fear Him, and use the favour He gives them for the advancement of His other servants, majority of those who receive the favours use it unwisely and with vanity for the applause of their fellow beings in the world.

Those who only find reasons to lavish praises all the time to the people in positions of power, authority and influence, regardless of what their abysmal performance might have meant to the ordinary person, fail to realise that they do not cheat anyone but themselves. Such people always give their ‘assistance’ under the klieg light for the world to acknowledge and reward them accordingly, but not for God to appreciate and reward them handsomely in the next world.

Referring to those who, despite the prevalent excoriating poverty and hunger in the country, they do not find anything wrong with that, because their only pastime appears to be handsomely rewarded for praising these money-worshipping leaders, at any given opportunity they get.  

 After the abysmal failure of his boys in the National Assembly (NASS), his official and unofficial spokespeople, the many government owned and sponsored media outlets (including many of the new variety type), the bribery option as well as some Northern praise singers, President Tinubu is so desperate and insistent to have the contentious and controversial tax reform bill passed by the  NASS. 

Since he is known for his love of accumulating money, regardless of where it came from as long as it would end up in his bottomless pockets, it may be safe to assume that he must have agreed to a contract from a foreign country, to destroy the Northern region of the country, or at least the hegemony that gives it its political edge during the presidential election. 

This assumption is based on his constant romance with the US, which is building ‘the biggest Consulate in the world, in Lagos, Nigeria, and France, which President Tinubu regularly visits. More importantly, he is said to be in a secret push to have some Northern elders persuade the resisting governors, such as Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, to throw their support for the tax reform bill. 

The bottom line appears to be that there may be a very SINISTER motive behind the president’s insistence that he must have his way on the of matter, given the fact that majority of the citizens have in various ways expressed their rejection and revulsion against the bill. After all, Nigeria is supposed to be operating the US form of democracy, where the majority is supposed to have its way at all times.

May God free us from the leadership of anyone who doesn’t fear His anger on the Day when it is going to be late for any act of repentance.

Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.