LG Election: Uba Sani’s Silver Bullet
By Ibraheem Musa In politics, elections are lost and won, in most cases, even before voting, counting and announcement of results are made. Next week, local government election, on October 19, will hold in Kaduna State and the outcome, from the optics, is pretty much obvious and self evident . Indeed, the result will celebrate […]
Why Schengen visa applicants from Africa face high rejection rates
In Europe, nearly one-third of Africans applying for a visa to Europe’s Schengen area are rejected — the highest refusal rate of any region – according to Henley & Partners. Africans face a high rejection rate for visas to enter the Schengen group of countries. The group is made up of 29 European countries that […]
VP @58: An Outlier With A Cause
By Ibraheem Musa In sum, providence, unalloyed altruism and the common touch, propelled him to the hustings and largely, these attributes leapfrogged Senator Kashim Shettima to Olympian heights, culminating in the Vice President position. Specifically, the long and tortuous journey, like a fairy tale, started some 21 years ago, in the run up to the […]
Hajj 2024: A Tale of Triumph and Turmoil
By Abdullahi Yunusa The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, a spiritual journey for millions of Muslims worldwide, is a complex logistical operation. For Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with a significant Muslim population, the Hajj is particularly challenging. This year, the exercise was no different, as the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) grappled with a […]
HAJJ 2024: How NAHCON Weathers the Storm
By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu “As we reflect on the challenges overcome and the successes recorded, I am proud to report that notwithstanding the reservations entered which we appreciate was within individual rights, the 2024 Hajj was a success: thanks to cooperation and coordination with stake holders, including State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards and some tour operators.” This […]
Inclusion: Uba Sani’s Template For Peace
By Ibraheem Musa Usually, the presidency is like an orchestra and the president, in our present system, dictates the tune like a conductor. Indeed, he leads in front, sets the tone of governance and gives general direction. Similarly , the Vice President, Ministers and sundry aides, including the federal bureaucracy, walk in tandem with him, […]
Gov. Uba Sani: One Year Scorecard
By Ibraheem Musa Collectively, the checklist is wide and diverse but a common nomenclature connects them to a political register. Loosely, tarring of roads, building edifices and constructing culverts, as well as block of classrooms, are called Dividends of Democracy in Nigeria. Indeed, at every milestone, politicians reel out these brick and mortar achievements with […]
Uba Sani’s Politics Without Bitterness
By Ibraheem Musa At first, it didn’t make sense but in retrospect, the slogan preached against the hurly-burly of Nigerian politics. In 1979, five parties slugged it out at the polls and each of them, in manifesto and programs, was distinct from the other in every material particular. First, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) […]
Malagi’s Ministerial Midas Touch
By Ibraheem Musa Somehow, he took a French Leave but the satirist, as Ndaeyo Uko then was, rocked and ruled the media space in the 90s. Indeed, he was as prolific as he was proficient, sustaining 10 columns on the Daily Times stable. Naturally, he ruffled a few feathers and Chief Alex Akinyele, then Minister […]
Hajj 2024:Who will Bell the Cat?
By Ibrahim Dan Halilu The recent announcement by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON informing intending pilgrims about the change in the amount they will pay for 2024 Hajj did not come as a surprise. The Commission had prepared the minds of the intending pilgrims for an increase a early as January when it […]