(105): We thought this day will not come

At a point even General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB), the President-elect of Nigeria, thought that March 28^th 2015 will never come. As he said in April 2011, “this campaign is the third and last one for me; since, after it, I will not present myself again for election into office of the president.”, said the General, at the International Conference Centre Abuja. The mood of the Centre was overtaken by emotions, tears being shed, including an unlikely one from General Buhari, politicians like Malam Nasir El-Rufai and Chief Tunde Bakare were overtaken by a sober reflection of those words. 

Unknown to many people, those words actually marked the beginning of the success of the struggle. After the declaration of the results by INEC, a caller from the United States made an appeal in the BBC Hausa’s flagship programme Ra’ayi Riga (have your say), aired every Friday in the evening edition of the programme, pleading with General Buhari never to give up in the struggle to liberate Nigeria; the caller said, the presence of Buhari in politics has already made the difference, and without people like him in politics, it will be difficult for many of our elites to understand that managing the resources of a nation is a call to national duty, not an opportunity to plunder the resources of the nation.

To many of us, the youths, it wasn’t much about General Buhari not contesting, but who will step in to his shoes? Who is the candidate to develop such mass appeal with an impeccable record in public service? Someone who is courageous, fearless and determined, somebody whose mistakes you will certainly believe are made out of the sheer conviction in what he believes is right, rather than through dirty tricks, carefully conspired by our nocturnal politicians.

It wasn’t easy to find one. Those that may exist do not have the charisma and the captivating personality of General Buhari. The good news though was there were some candidates who could be developed for the future. Though not at par with Buhari, but certainly could make their marks if given the opportunity. Some of the names that came to mind were those of Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, then the Central Bank Governor of Nigeria, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, former FCT Minister, Chief Babatunde Fashola, the Governor of Lagos State, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, former EFCC chairman, Governors Adams Oshiomole, Rotimi Amaechi, Dr Kayode Fayemi, General AB Dambazau, former Army Chief and Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano; all of them have their weaknesses but certainly they provide a glimpse of hope for the future.

Interestingly, with the exception of Malam Sanusi Lamido, now Emir Muhammad Sanusi II of Kano, the rest are still in active politics within the opposition APC, apart from Malam Nuhu Ribadu’s unexpected and unsteady political dilly dallying.  

A key contribution of GMB presidency is to mentor and prepare these kind of personalities for the highest office, at least to fill the psychological vacuum of potential Nigerian leaders, especially with the energy of the immediate and post-independent generation like General Buhari, and his contemporaries reaching a declining stage.

This was a serious topic of discussion especially for those of us living in the diaspora. Such discussions prompted me to write a short opinion piece on 19^th April, 2012 entitled “Buhari and political mentorship” published the same week in the Daily Trust, and a couple of other news platforms.

An excerpt from the article suggests that “one of the political stories that dominated the pages of Nigerian newspapers in the last few days was the debate on whether General Muhammadu Buhari should contest the 2015 presidential election. Clearly public opinion was divided on the issue between those who support the idea of Buhari contesting again, and those who think the General should have some rest. I believe General Buhari will make the right decision at the right time. My personal opinion is that he shouldn’t contest, but if he does contest, he has my vote”.

I received a couple of responses, but two standout, one of them from an elder brother, and the other from an influential Nigerian. Both of them disagreed with me, and I saw their point, few weeks letter, this influential Nigerian told me that, “write it on paper, Buhari will contest the 2015 elections, no doubt it”. The rest is now history. 

It requires unquestionable determination, foresight, self-belief and unshaken resolve in doing what is right for GMB to spend twelve years in opposition. Even when President Obasanjo hinted that he might support Buhari to contest the presidential elections in 2007 under the platform of PDP, Buhari remained consistent and stayed in the opposition. Today he has come to political power in his own terms, propelled by the commitment of the Nigerian people to have a government of their choice.

As we celebrate the victory that eluded Nigeria for a long time, we shouldn’t forget the key lessons we can learn from the Buhari struggle. A little comparison from 2003-2015 could be helpful as summarized in the table below. I will make the comparison using 6 criteria, (1) National platform (2) campaign structure (3) funding (4) party politics (5) elite consensus (6) electoral umpire. I hope this could help us understand what is different between 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Issues	2003	2007	2011	2015
National Platform	·         A semi national platform under the ANPP. It has 9 governors out of 36, mainly in Northern Nigeria with some representation in the national assembly from other regions.	·         A weaker national platform under the ANPP with five governors from northern Nigeria only.	·         A regionally strong political party with appeal to the grassroots, CPC, but without an elected official all over Nigeria.	·         A strong national platform under APC spread across the regions of the country. ·         Significant number of elected representatives.
Campaign Structure	·         The Buhari Organisation (TBO). ·         Heavily regional and populated by non-political juggernauts, and some technocrats desperate for change. ·          Strong support from Nigerians in diaspora	·         Same as 2003	·         Same as 2003/2007	·         A strong campaign structure, highly representative of the country ·         Populated by active political actors with strong organizational ability
Funding	·         Poor funding, and lack of grass root initiative in raising funds for the campaign. ·         Innovative means of campaign collection using technology was relatively new or untested in the country.	·         Same as 2003	·         Same as 2003/2007 ·         Weaker funding due to the party lacking elected officials	·         Strong funding from party officials, elected politicians ·         Grassroots fundraising and utilization of innovative technology for campaign donation
Party Politics	·         Dominated by the People’s Democratic Party ·         Heavily populated by anti-Buhari politicians ·         Not ready to give up political power transparently ·         Using religion to scare and dent the image of Buhari among Nigerians especially non-Muslims	·         Same as 2003	·         Same as 2003/2007	·         Fusion of opposition parties into a single formidable opposition known as the All Progressive Congress (APC ·         Divided ruling party with strong internal opposition ·         Stronger desire for an alternative political platform among Nigerians ·         Use of religion against Buhari ineffective among Nigerians ·         Energized youths with social media platform seeking for change in party politics
Elite Consensus	·         Lack of elite consensus on Buhari presidency	·         Same as 2003	·         Same as 2003/2007	·         Significant elite consensus ·         More favorable international climate
Electoral umpire	·         Highly partial electoral umpire	·         Same as 2003	·         Semi-independent electoral umpire	·         A more independent electoral umpire ·         Use of technology in elections

Buhari is lucky to come to office on a strong national platform with support and political sagacity of the likes of Chiefs Bola Ahmad Tinubu, Rotimi Amaechi, Bisi Akande, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’I etc. But Buhari is also unlucky to come to office at a time of declining oil prices, dilapidated infrastructure, damaged civil services required to move his programmes and policies, and a huge state of insecurity. The good news is, historical leaders who make the difference emerge in periods of crisis, and we hope and pray that General Buhari succeeds in becoming the brand Nigeria is yawning to get. Nigerians are watching and with Jeganisation, a process that uses technology to prevent electoral fraud, and peacefully bring change of government; the electorates will surely keep their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) somewhere safe, and God-willing they will pass their judgment sometime in 2019.

12^th Jumada II, 1436,   1^st April 2015         15:16

Buharinol

Buharinol

(A poem dedicated to ANPP presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd)

By

Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u

When the insects of
Indiscipline spread and
The leaf of patriotism dries
Buharisecticide should be applied

When the nation shivers from the
Fever of corruption and the polity
Is plagued by the diarrhoea of uncertainty
Buhariquine should be administered

When the typhoid of selfishness
Affects the conscience of the leaders
And a strong antibiotic is required
Buharixin is an alternative

When embezzlement damages
The eye of transparency and the lens
Of accountability searches for drug
Buharimphenicol is the choice

When politics of ideology
Is auctioned and principled
Politicians are scarced
Buharicracylin is the option

When the treatment of the ailment
Loses direction and attempt
For an alternative proved abortive
Give Buharinol a trial

When the pen fed up with
The prescription of caution and
The poem needs antibiotic of stability
Buharicillin is highly effective

Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u
mjyushau@yahoo.com
(9:00pm 6th/02/03)

(102): Ali Mazrui: The demise of a scholar and global-statesman

I just sat in the office early morning on Monday 13^th October 2014, when I noticed that I had three different text messages on my phone, the first of the three from Dr Abubakar Alhassan started with Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un (from God we came and unto Him we shall return), I was in a state of anxiety  before I even started reading the text message, for I knew we must have lost somebody dear to our hearts, and so the message stated that Professor Ali Mazrui has passed away the night before.

There is no better person to break this news to us than Dr Alhassan, since Dr Mazrui himself stated that he has two sons called Abubakar, and of course Dr Alhassan was the second one. Professor Ali Mazrui is a household name not only in Africa but globally, yet for any student of the social sciences, Professor Ali Mazrui stands out. Here is an African scholar who greeted our screens through his award winning documentary, Africans: A Triple Heritage, was a professor in almost every major university worthy of its name around the world, an adviser to heads of government, a public intellectual, an activist, African nationalist, historian, sociologist, political scientist and an authority in the study of dialectics and Islamic political thought. Until his death he was a scholar and global-statesman.

It is difficult to find a scholar of his caliber with such humble mien, willing to learn from others, and respect for his students and colleagues alike. In the last fourteen to fifteen years I have listened to a number of distinguished professors, read some of their work, yet without exaggeration Professor Ali Mazrui remains exceptional.

I only met Professor Ali Mazrui once, courtesy of the effort of Dr Abubakar Alhassan, who with the support of Bayero University, Kano invited the erudite professor to deliver a public lecture at the BUK old campus in the year 2000. I was a 300 level undergraduate student then, and Malama Binta Suleiman who was teaching us Broadcast Continuity Writing announced at the end of the class that our next lecture on Saturday morning will not take place, and a wave of silence arrested the mood of the class; and she then announced that Professor Ali Mazrui will be delivering a lecture on that day, and so she couldn’t afford to miss it.  For we the students, you can imagine the level of excitement for having the once in a lifetime opportunity to listen to one of the most distinguished African Professors in history.

Early hours that Saturday morning, we were at the old campus to make sure we get Sahun Farko (the first row). But within an hour, after a well-coordinated publicity around the city of Kano, the Bayero University theatre has become too small to accommodate the sea of human beings flowing into the old campus. It was more than a university event, it was a real public lecture. We were so lucky to get in.

Extra television monitors had to be provided in the open theatre, and extended public address systems to cover other areas of the campus so that people could listen to this important lecture, yet for the audiences jam-packed in and outside the venue, they were only waiting for one thing, the first sight of Professor Ali Mazrui. 

Our professors, lecturers and other invited guests were already on the high table waiting for the arrival of the special guest. Almost everyone among the who is who of Bayero University was there, and shortly afterwards, the then Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, Dr Muhammad Yahuza Bello, as representative of the Vice Chancellor, late Professor Musa Abdullahi, and Professor Emmanuel Ajayi Olofin, the Chairman of the Public Lecture series led Professor Ali Mazrui into the lecture theatre, and within seconds the entire hall was gripped with a thunderous ovation. Welcome Professor Ali Mazrui.

As our teachers of Makarantun ilmi (traditional Islamic schools), always remind us that Al ilm Annaafi’ Yukassiru Sahibuh, a beneficial knowledge humbles its possessor, the first lesson of the day was the humility exhibited right from the introduction of the guest speaker through to the entire event. Professor Olofin, a highly respected Professor of Geography told the gathering that if it would take what Professor Ali Mazrui has done to become a Professor, he himself wouldn’t have been qualified to be one; of course Professor Olofin has ticked all the dots to be a Professor, yet when the intellectual giants mount the podium, they were so humble that we students could only exchange the smile of admiration.

The title of the lecture was “Nigeria Between Lord Lugard and the Digital Divide: Political Culture and the Skill Revolution”. But during the introduction Professor Mazrui stated that  his paper is caught between the influence of three personalities, Lugard who amalgamated the northern and southern protectorates of Nigeria, Bill Gates who at the time was the leading symbol of the digital revolution, and of course Uthman Danfodio, the 19^th century reformer. It was in the analysis of these three personalities that a glimpse of the dialectical ability of Professor Mazrui to make comparison on issues that might on the surface look unrelated, captivated the audience.

“Northern Nigeria was historically the first in literacy among the peoples of Nigeria. Northern Nigeria was also the first in written literature. But Northerners as the first in literacy in the history of Nigeria have not been the first in digitization. Northerners as the first in written literature have not been the first in computerization”, said the Professor

“It is true that even in written literature it was not a Northerner who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. But it is doubtful that the jurors in Sweden for the Nobel Prize bothered to read any literature in Hausa, Kiswahili, Zulu, Igbo or even Soyinka's own Yoruba language”

“This is not a reflection on Soyinka. It is a reflection of the dominance of European languages in our African lives. We are prisoners of Euro-linguistic paradigms”, said Mazrui, who was greeted with astounding ovation, but also brought forward the rivalry between Mazrui and Soyinka, after the latter has allegedly accused Ali Mazrui of being a ‘fundamentalist’. 

The presentation raised a lot of eyebrows especially since Northern Nigerian was struggling with the loss of political power. Some newspapers even wrote editorials criticizing Professor Mazrui for being a stooge in the hands of northern establishment.

After the lecture a reception was organized in the evening at the faculty of Law for the Professor, but it was an opportunity for many to listen once more to this great son of Africa.   It was during this session that Professor Abubakar Rasheed and the late Professor Alkali Abba asked Ali Mazrui an interesting question about ‘cloning’ from an Islamic perspective, and in his characteristic humility, Professor Mazrui suggested that, since Professor Sani Zahraddeen was around, and as a Professor of Islamic Studies, he was more qualified to answer that question.

I have heard so many good stories about Ali Mazrui from Dr Abubakar Alhassan, whom I also believe is in the best position to narrate them, but one thing is clear, Africa has lost a son, the intellectual community have lost a scholar, and to the politicians an adviser willing to say it as it is. 

As stated by Darryl C Thomas in the 1998 collection of essays entitled “the Global African: A Portrait of Ali Mazrui” edited by Omari H Kokole, “Mazrui has continued with the tradition established by other African scholars and activists, focusing on the triple heritage, reaffirming African, Western and Islamic traditions in the African and African diaspora experiences” (p. 79). 

Mazrui has written significantly in different areas, but the triple heritage thesis might be the contribution he will be most remembered for. Our sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, students and other well-wishers. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannatul Firdaus, Amin.

11:19

19.12.1435

13.10.2014

(101): WhatsApp: It’s time for pre-marriage training

Between 2007 and 2008 I had the privilege of managing an Islamic center in Sheffield. It was an experience I would always cherish because it brought me closer to the community. The Muslim community in Sheffield is one of the best I have ever interacted with. 

That experience taught me what it means to work for a community, and understand that for a society to succeed, people have to come together, identify their problems and work towards finding a lasting solution to them. Sheffield is a friendly city, some people call it the village city, and the Muslim community comprises of different nationalities; Pakistanis, Yemenis, Somalis, Caribbean’s as well as the English.

One of the key problems we found at the time was the high rate of divorce among the community. Though the issue of divorce is common even among the host community, but certainly everyone should be concerned about the rate of divorce in any society because of its implication on the wider environment.  Delinquency, prostitution, depression, poverty are some of the common results of family breakdown. A child requires the two parents to taste the delicacy of parenthood.

So what was the way out? of course the cases that come on daily basis require urgent solutions, from reconciliation to marriage counselling etc. but the Center decided that the best way to confront this social problem was by arresting it from the root-cause, by ensuring that young people have enough training on issues related to marriage before  tying the knot.

So a date was set for the training during a bank holiday (the name of public holidays in the UK), when most kids were at home. Gladly the parents cooperated by bringing their children, and even those who are married registered for the training. The workshop included a talk by a Muslim scholar who discussed the concept of marriage in Islam, the roles and responsibilities of the husband and the wife, and how Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) managed his household.

Other working sessions during the workshop include personality traits by asking the participants to identify the best traits for a potential wife or husband, how to communicate those traits to the potential spouse etc. Other issues include managing disputes, family upkeep especially for those with little resources, and strategies to ensure that couples remain happy especially after the honey moon period is over. In fact there was a session by a good friend who has been married for 20 years sharing his experience with the participants on how the journey lasted without a major marital crack. 

Even in Nigeria, some communities are making efforts like this, though it may not solve the problem of divorce completely, but at least it will contribute in making the youth understand such important responsibility, and perhaps work hard to ensure that marriages survive.

I was motivated to write this piece after listening to a message that has gone viral on the social networking application, WhatsApp. Of course the content was meant to entertain as with many messages like that on WhatsApp, but it also reveals the psyche among our youths.

The message was from a school teacher who just finished her lesson, and asked the pupils to listen to her prayers and respond with Amin. The teacher wanted a good husband, religious, handsome, rich, whose mother is dead, who will sponsor her for Hajj and Umra regularly, support her to travel abroad, love her excessively, someone who is patient like a donkey, reserved, and one she will control with ease. Bachelors, I hope you are listening!

The teacher did not stop there, she is seeking refuge from marrying a poor person (talaka) who would make her travel by foot, or live in a mud-house, and whose relatives wouldn't bother her etc. the prayer was full of dreams that can only be found in a dream.  Yes it was entertaining, but beyond the surface of the entertainment is a coded message on the mentality of our youth.  Both boys and the girls are only thinking of the greener side of life as I explained in previous series on Kayan daki and Marital Stability in Hausaland.

No wonder marriages crash because neither of the parties can manage the expectation of the other party. It is time for Islamic organisations, especially in Northern Nigeria to take this issue seriously by preparing the youth for this important responsibility before it is too late. No matter how little, such pre-marital training could contribute in reducing the number of zaurawa (divorcees) in our society.

3:50

06.07.1435

05.05.2014

(100): Understanding the dream of your kids

This column will celebrate its 100^th edition with one of the friends of this blog, parents and the youth.  It is common in our part of the world to simply send kids to school, and in this age parents are very good in spending their resources on the education of their children.

But what many parents are not good at is helping those children to have a dream, and work towards achieving that dream. Instead, the parents decide that every brilliant child in the family must be a medical doctor, not a bad choice, though, but what criteria has the father or mother used to decide that medicine is the best course for the child.

I was once told an interesting story about someone seeking admission for his daughter. You know the Nigerian way, getting admission into higher institutions of learning sometimes requires a ‘long leg’, and so if your leg is short, you have to find an influential person to make it long enough to secure the admission. This gentleman contacted a fellow teacher to assist him; so he came with the qualifications of his daughter. After studying the results carefully, the teacher told the man that based on the result he sees, it is better for the lady to study something in the social sciences. The gentleman was quite, and then replied “amma Hajiya ta ce medicine ta ke so ta karanta” (but my wife wanted her to study medicine).

An area that requires significant attention is for parents to carefully understand their children and know their dream.   That way they can help them to achieve their goals in life. This is something that needs to be done early rather than waiting until the kid finishes secondary school and starts seeking admission to university, or for the parents to simply decide that he must study engineering when his potentials are those of a lawyer who could work his way to become a Senior Advocate.

It is also important for parents to understand the most important dream of their children and help them develop a passion that will actualize such a dream. Where there are pitfalls in the dream, parents can easily guide their children into making the right decision.

I have no doubt in my mind that parents select such disciplines like medicine, engineering,  and law because they want the best for their children. When the kids fail to get into these programmes, perhaps attention is given to economics, accounting or business administration. With the exception of few, you rarely see parents encouraging their kids to study education or even journalism. But there are some critical questions you need to ask yourself as you work towards helping your kids to achieve their dream.

First is weighing the risk between imposing a discipline which they don’t like and then ending up with  a career that will never be described as a success, or making them lose the study entirely; there are many examples to prove that.

Secondly, as a parents, which option is the best between studying a course that your child hates, and graduating with a pass degree, compared to supporting him to study a course of his dream and graduating with first class or an upper second class honours?

So what do you need to do now? The answer is simple. Engage your children in a discussion right now and begin to understand their dream and career choices. Provide them with as much information as you can and develop their interest. Purchase books that align with their dreams and encourage them to study those books as part of their private study. Tell them stories about people who have followed the same process and how they succeeded, the challenges they faced, and  how they overcame such challenges. In fact in such discussion encourage your kids to tell you how they intend to follow such career and take it to a greater height.

As you prepare to start guiding your kids to achieve their dreams, be ready for some shocks as they can come up with a crazy idea.  How about if he tells you that he wants to become Wayne Rooney or Lionel Messi since football pays a lot and brings fame. Handle it with care and show him the comparative advantage of skill acquisition and contributing to society by leaving a legacy that makes impact beyond entertainment.

And finally if you have a friend who has achieved the dream of your child, visit him frequently and encourage the two parties to engage each other in meaningful conversation, so that your child can learn more from first-hand experience. The thinking and the dream of our children should not be left to be decided by the streets especially in this age when misguided elements can snatch the thinking of your child. What do you think?

 4:56 

28.06.1434

28.04.2014

(99): Revisiting our values

Today’s tsaraba will start with an apology for the unannounced absence of this contribution which is about to make its 100th anniversary since it started as a series two years ago. Gladly the celebration does not require a budget, nor a grand occasion to be marked by speeches from special guests. In fact the 100th anniversary will save you the burden of travelling to my home state of Kano, let alone commit a political blunder that will require the political Juggernauts in the city to come and sweep it away.

In the course of the absence of this column, I met two brilliant individuals, one of them a retired senior administrator in one of the leading universities in Nigeria, and the other an active academic who still gives his contribution for the betterment of our society. By coincidence both individuals are linguists with firm commitment to their culture.

Our discussion about the Hausa language in particular focused on the effect of using foreign curriculum from nursery to secondary schools, and the impact of that on our youths. Yes, it is a fashion today to take your kids to schools where Hausa is not taught as a language, and these days it is common to hear that “kasan ban yi Hausa a makaranta ba”, (I never studied Hausa language at school).

I told my guest about a story that happened around 2003. I was writing a research paper on the Hausa home video industry, in the course of that I interviewed one of the leading actors in the industry, and he told me that one of his fans called him from Abuja and told him that she had the word Zaure in one of the home videos he has featured, and she asked him for the meaning?

As we continued with our conversation, one of my guests said, that is even better, perhaps you never had the expression “tuwon rice”. Mhm.  I never heard about it. The only time I remember we tried to use non-Hausa terms to explain traditional food was about two years ago when we held a fundraising dinner in Newcastle, UK to do some charity work in Nigeria by supporting orphans and conduct some healthcare projects.

My friend and brother Dr Mukhtar Ahmad brilliantly translated a lot of the names of Hausa food into English for the benefit of the non-Hausa speaking contributors. Yes, I still smile when I remember such terms like “mash rice” for Tuwon shinkafa, and “beans cake” for Kosai, as well as ‘pumpkin sauce’ for miyar taushe.  But you see, he was able to do that because he understands the Hausa language very well, and so that understanding was used to benefit the people back home.

Gladly the guests enjoyed the food fair. It was a pleasure to see a mixture of the English, Pakistanis, Indians, Arabs and other groups enjoying African local dishes, not just for the sake of eating, but to support a human cause.

Language is an asset we should never play with as much as we can. Even those who live in foreign countries try their best to ensure that their kids speak their mother tongue. Those who allowed that opportunity to slip away ended up regretting it, for their children are normally caught in the crisis of identity.

Indeed we live in times when understanding a foreign language is an asset, and we should encourage people to learn as many languages as possible, but that shouldn’t be at the detriment of our native tongue. Language is not as innocent as we might assume. It is important for our school administrators to understand this, particularly private schools promoting foreign curriculum at the expense of carefully developed content that takes care of our languages and value system.

The Chinese, the Indians, the Malaysians, and other countries that are making progress did not do so in a vacuum. They always maintain their culture and language, and even work hard to export it. Today, Indian and Chinese restaurants have become global brands. I wonder whether our kids who struggle to understand Zaure, will be competent enough in our local languages to be good ambassadors for our people in the future.

4:42

21.06.1435

21.04.2014

(98): The limit of favouritism

One of my favourite teachers at the Kano State College of Arts and Sciences, popularly called CAS was Malam Ahmad Gambo. Those days were beautiful because the Kano State government at the time had succeeded in bringing the best of the best to teach at the College. In the Arts and Social Sciences you had such brilliant minds like Dr Said Dukawa, Malam Zakariya M Zakari, Dr Ado Mukhtar Bichi etc.

Despite the hectic nature of the IJMB programme, you never want to miss your lectures. For certainly apart from the lesson you take from these lecturers, you also learn one or two things about life.

Towards the end of the IJMB programme, many of the students were worried about getting admission into university, not because they will fail in the exam, but simply for the fear of what in Nigeria is called ‘long leg’. As students expressed those fears, Malam Ahmad, in his philosophical way said something that has remained with me till this day. All you need to do is to make sure you get the best result in the final exam, he told us. Should your application be thrown into the dustbin, if the result is good enough, the paper will shout from the dustbin to remind the admission officer that you have forgotten a qualified candidate, and so he must find a place for you. He added.

In essence what Malam Ahmad was teaching us was that we should remain confident and understand that favouritism has a limit. Many of the students listened. To date I couldn’t remember one student who had 10 points and above in the final IJMB who couldn’t secure admission into the university, of course some got it much harder than others, but at the end, those who passed the exam well proved that their results cannot be dumped in the dustbin.  

For those who may not be aware, the IJMB is a post-secondary school programme conducted by the Institute of Education at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Students normally take a combination of courses that will lead them into a degree programme. For instance if you want to study medicine, your combination will be chemistry, physics and biology. If you get good result you can be admitted into the second year in the university. It is equivalent to what is called high school or college depending on the system.

About three years ago, I attended a rigorous job interview. Instead of the traditional single interview panel that you find in many organisations, in this occasion you attend four different panels. In the first panel, you develop a module, from teaching to assessment and present it to the entire staff of the department. You then move to another panel to discuss your research. In fact even students have to evaluate your ability, so you attend a student panel and teach them for half an hour, and then finally, you attend the main interview. Each member of these panels will give you a score and the total result as well as your performance in the final interview decides whether you get the job or not.

The professor chairing the interview sessions, a brilliant and jovial person noticed that many of the candidates were worried, and he said something interesting which has remained with me to date, “each and every one of you is qualified to get this job, that is why you have been shortlisted”, and suddenly all the faces started smiling. He then continued, “So you are not competing with the person next to you” he added, “you are simply competing against yourself, all you need is to prove that you are the best candidate for the job.”

Why am I narrating these boring stories to you? The answer is simple, I am worried about the self-defeatist attitude which I noticed in some of our youth. They believe ‘long leg’ is everything? I disagree. Yes ‘long leg’ is a reality, perhaps those unlucky youths who lost their lives or got injured in the Nigerian immigration interview were there because they don’t have a ‘long leg’. But understand that favourtisim has a limit, if you do your homework, one day your chance will come. I conclude with one of my favourite quotes attributed to Dale Carnegie, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy”.

4:56

30.05.1435

31.03.2014