The Learner

By Muhsin Ibrahim My wife and I got an appointment to meet some real estate agents to show us 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 I understood 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 there was no such language. 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 United...

By Muhsin Ibrahim Part One It was 2005 when I applied for admission into Bayero University, Kano (BUK).  In Nigeria, getting admission without knowing someone at the university is pretty hard . My late father was working there as an accountant, but remembering how my immediate older brother couldn’t secure admission a year before despite our father’s efforts, I did not bother to ask for his help. Our eldest brother (Yaya Babba), now late, was nonetheless a student. Knowing he was not an ‘ordinary’ student due to his age, I approached him for assistance. I was lucky Yaya Babba knew Malam Jamilu Ahmad Salim. I cannot say what his position at the University was then, but he could help, Yaya Babba assured me. My only fear was my SSCE result, which was neither WAEC nor NECO, the two conventional entry exams. I had NABTEB and was applying to the Faculty of Education. But on the other hand, my UTME/JAMB result was excellent. Yaya Babba met Malam Jamilu during a Hajj pilgrimage the...

  Doha Debacle: My tedious transit at Hamad International Airport By Muhsin Ibrahim I was filled to the brim with boredom and regrets about my choice to transit at Qatar’s Hamad International Airport when a smiley, albeit timid-looking guy threw a question at me, “Are you Muslim?” I answered in the affirmative. He saw the name on my boarding pass that I put beside me while calculating how to spend 24 hours at an airport. I knew no pastime could take away my angst and anguish during this period. Still, I was determined to survive it. “My name is Fahad Muhammad, and I am from Pakistan”, he added. In sum, despite his faltering, heavily accented English, he helped me kill more than an hour. He was glad, even fulfilled, that he spoke with a Muslim [ South! ] African, meaning an African. Thanks to cricket, many average Pakistanis and Indians see all blacks as South Africans! But, unknown to him, I was happier, for I was going through something akin to depression. I began forei...

  By  Muhsin Ibrahim German Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn’t need any introduction. Divorced and with a doctorate in Physics, Merkel, 67, has been a leader of Germany for sixteen years. She is the first woman to lead Europe’s economic powerhouse and the beacon of democracy. Chancellor Merkel wanted to leave in 2016. However, many people, including world leaders, encouraged her to stay. With Donald Trump coming to power in the US, Brexit knocking on the door of the European Union and the smoke of refugee crises still smouldering, almost everyone knew that Merkel was the best in that crucial position. Thus, she re-contested in 2017 and, expectedly, won. But, whatever has a beginning has an end. Germans go to poll tomorrow, Sunday 26, 2021, to elect Merkel’s successor. The electorates are practically voting for parties, not a particular candidate for the chancellery. The parties would, of course, want to have the majority to form a government, but it does not happen. Often if not...