The Learner

When I received the Kano State Foreign Scholarship to pursue my master’s degree at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in India in 2012, my first challenge came from the then-deputy vice chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK). Prof. Yahuza Bello understandably questioned the university’s name, among other inquiries, and asked me to meet with Prof. Sa’id Babura and Dr AB Baffa to investigate the institution’s credentials. Dr Baffa and I thoroughly examined the university’s accreditation status and ranking. We confirmed that LPU was not only fully accredited but also ranked as the best private university in India at that time. Convinced by our findings, BUK released me on fellowship. BUK later employed some of my friends with whom I studied at LPU. Many of us have earned PhDs from other universities since then, while others are gainfully employed in Nigeria and abroad. Our degree certificates still bear LPU’s name, and these facts speak volumes about the university’s standing. Whil...

Marriage is vital. I am a product of marriage and have been married for over a decade. However, we must teach our daughters that there are other achievements besides or in addition to getting married.   While looking for a second wife, a friend met a girl. However, upon realising that she was not his type and that she “accepted” him only because she was idle and had no other suitor, he promised to help her start a business and return to school.   He first gave her a small amount of capital to restart the snacks business, which she said she had once done. Months later, she did nothing. He, in fact, realised that she had most likely wasted the money. He was angry and sad, but he didn’t give up on his mission to improve her life.    Since she left secondary school without sitting the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) due to family issues, he gave her money to register for this year’s WAEC/NECO exams. As I type this, she has not done so yet. She dreams only of...

By Muhsin Ibrahim My wife and I got an appointment to meet with some real estate agents and see a new apartment we applied to rent. I wanted to practice the little German I could speak to impress them, but it didn’t work. Sensing my disappointment, one of them, apparently well educated, told me I was lucky to understand a little German. In contrast, he couldn’t speak any Nigerian, referring to a non-existent language he called “Nigerian”. I appreciated him, but reminded him that such language did not exist. I have had similar encounters in India, as I wrote   here . Due to Africa’s colonial past and ‘peripheral’ status on the world stage, we effectively learn about other, more prominent countries than their people know about us. For instance, most Africans learn about the European country that colonised their own country. As Nigerians, we learn about Great Britain and the English language and literature in school. English is our official language! We also know a lot about the Uni...

Muhsin Ibrahim muhsin2008@gmail.com Kano is the commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria, a region now known for its illiteracy and poverty, with millions of children roaming its streets in search of food. The rate of ethno-religious conflict rises side-by-side with kidnappings along highways. Boko Haram also still attacks rural areas of Borno and Yobe states. The ills bedevilling this one-time prosperous part of the country are too many to discuss in a quick, brief and, perhaps, poorly organised article like this one. Nigerian political leaders do not improve conditions for the populace. Corruption remains their frailty. Generally, though, bribery and corruption have been firmly instituted in the country. They have permeated our everyday life. An Al Jazeera English journalist interviewing the then-presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari in 2014 stated that Nigeria and corruption were synonymous. Disturbing as this may sound, it is true. Mr Buhari unseated a sitting pres...

Dapchi Schoolgirls’ Abduction: The Big Picture by Muhsin Ibrahim muhsin2008@gmail.com As it is with anything and everything in Nigeria, the Dapchi schoolgirls’ abduction has been politicised. Only a few people now care to, honestly, empathise and sympathise with the victims’ families. The governments of Yobe, the state where the school is, and of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the security operatives care more to give alternative narratives surrounding the case and deflect blame than pragmatic efforts to rescue the poor, innocent girls. The girls’ whereabouts and fate are yet unknown and unpredictable. The previous government of Goodluck Jonathan denied the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014, in the same way the current one initially reacted to the Dapchi girls. One wonders how possible this is. This is a manifestation that Nigeria’s problem goes beyond leadership. I no longer quickly accuse our leaders of our plights than I do ourselves. It’s first and foremost ...

Production :    Sadau Pictures Producer:        Rahama Sadau Director :         Yaseen Auwal Year:              2017 Cast :               Ali Nuhu, Rahama Sadau, Hafsat Idris, Fati Washa, Zainab Booth, Rabi’u Rikadaw, Sadiq Sani Sadiq and others Introduction The mobile phone has, since its introduction and ensuing popularity, been playing double-edged functions in many cases and instances. The ‘conservative’ Hausa community of northern Nigeria is one of such a case. For years, some people, parents, in particular, have refused to let their female children use it, while some husbands have equally denied their wives any access to any Internet-enabled cell phone. It is, however, ironical as most if not all of those ‘deniers’ use the smartphones, yet they f...

Muhsin Ibrahim muhsin2008@gmail.com The word “culture” defies any simple definition, though attempts to do that have been made and continue to be. In response to a post I made on Facebook the other day, a friend commented that “ Hausa culture has nearly eroded to extinction ”, for, according to him, when one asks many young Hausa (men and women) about their culture, they will tell you, “Islam is my culture”.  Weak, if not erroneous, as I believe this view is, it makes me happy for several reasons. Culture, religion, and, to an extent, language are carriers of considerable value. The most valuable of them all is, to me, religion. Therefore, I would prefer a Hausa girl or boy to identify herself/himself first with Islam than with the culture, as the culture is not as perfect as the religion is. However, neither the culture nor the religion means anything significant to countless Muslim girls and boys in the 21 st century. This is one of the reasons why his argumen...

Muhsin Ibrahim @Muhsin234 (Twitter) While serving the nation as corps members, there was nothing more on our minds than life after the assignment. Life was full of uncertainty and apprehension. The allowance, which was almost doubled during our stream, of N19,800, and the little stipend from our various primary places of assignment (PPAs) will stop coming once we finish. Subhanallah! My confidant, Anas Musa, went and purchased job application forms for us at the Kano Senior Secondary School Management Board (KSSSMB). He filled him, but I was somewhat reluctant to do the same, for I was tipped off that I might be retained at my PPA or employed by a few other greener places. I finally did, and we submitted our applications. About a year passed, and no one invited us to an interview, an aptitude test, or anything else. Immediately after the Service, I got an appointment with BUK and later Anas with the Federal University, Dutse. Months later, I got a call from a prestigious priv...