I am  not a frequent writer of apologies and thank you at the same time. That is the plain truth to the matter. I am however, changing all that, because this is very serious and important matters, the realisation of which came to me recently. Therefore, to apologise, and thank others in the same breath will not be out of place.

More times than I can remember, I have been ‘bothering’ some people with my almost daily articles. I am in the habit of sending to them such articles without their prior requests which, with the benefit of hindsight, is very wrong of me. To such people, whether they run a conventional media or the online version, I offer a mighty apology, and promise never to continue with it again.

In particular, I want those who explicitly expressed the desire, those who inferred on the desire and or those who indirectly expressed the desire to discontinue the ‘forced’ receipt of the unsolicited articles from me, to understand that the writing is ‘forced’ on me by circumstances beyond my control. And I am very grateful to God for that.

The doctors have told me that the victims of STROKE do eventually heel, but the heeling processes might TAKE time. It is not going to be as quick as one might want or expect it to be.

All the same, the ‘CHEATS’ had a field day with yours sincerely before the doctors’ advice saved the day. Millions of naira had been wasted in the quest for quick recovery from the disease. But the quick recovery never came. Only the disappointment of the quick disappearance of the money remains.

To avoid the loneliness, as is often the case, the doctors usually prescribe medications, including sleeping pills, to make such victims fall asleep most of the time. But as time passes on, even the sleeping pills stop performing the function that they are supposed to do, because of constant use. And one is left with nothing to do but to ‘toss and turn’ even in the dark. Except if there is something to engage the mind at such times. In my own case, writing is what I know how to do, even if not well enough.

But I am NOT by this admission, soliciting or requesting any of the readers for assistance. Far from it. It is just to put the records straight, among other things, some of which would be mentioned later.

The ‘thank you’ is to two people in the persons of Alhaji Isa Buhari of the online Linconet Media Nigeria platform, and Malam Danjuma Mohammed Katsina, who is the publisher of the hard copy version of the Katsina Times Forum Magazine and the administrator of its online version. 

The two brought to my attention that the correct name of the famous Kano skit comedian is Dan Bello, about whom I penned an article yesterday, not the ‘Dan Abba’ I used throughout the piece.

The ‘avoidable and silly’ mistake only goes to show my ‘humanness’, which is a function of my frailty as an ordinary person, made up of flesh and blood.

Above all, it proves that all my articles are NEVER sponsored or PAID for by anybody. They were penned because of the interest I have for writing.

Anyone who could claim to have given me any amount of money before or after the appearance of my articles in hard copy or online, I make bold to challenge them to come forward and say so, or have somebody to speak for them. None of the people I wrote on or about has given money to me. I have never solicited nor received a kobo from anyone for all my articles. The topics of my writings were determined by the exigencies of the time, but mostly by the interest of the art.

The clarification becomes necessary for me, because there are allegations and insinuations to the effect that I collect money, especially from ranking politicians to tarnish images of some people in government and or launder images of my imaginary paymasters. It is simply not true, as most of the people I wrote on or about did not know, if they saw, me from Adam (AS).

By the way, writing, as one ancient philosopher had said, was ‘90% perspiration and 10% inspiration’. And, before the social media made its hard copy redundant outside the shores of the United States, the Time Magazine (of the US) used to advertise itself in the following lines: ‘Of all the arts in which the wise excel, nature’s chief masterpiece is the art of writing well’.

May we be able to write well. May we also be able to fulfil, in full, our obligations to our creator, Allah, (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), and our fellow human beings. And animals as well.

Malam Malumfashi wrote from Abuja.