Thirty years ago, a quiet message travelled from the ancient community of Dukawuya in Kano: a child had been born. It was an ordinary announcement, yet it emerged from a place that has never been ordinary.

Dukawuya is one of the historic gatewaysKofathat once guarded the ancient walls of Kano against foreign invaders. Long before modern cities grew noisy with human traffic, Dukawuya stood as a sentinel of history, culture, and resilience. Even today, it occupies a unique intellectual geography. To its south stands Bayero University Kano (BUK); to the west, the Federal University of Education (formerly ATC/ABU); to the east, Kano Polytechnic; and to the north, the Women Teachers College (WTC) and Government Secondary School Dukawuya. Few communities in Nigeria are so completely encircled by institutions of learning. It is no exaggeration that Dukawuya is rightly described as the Centre of Education in Kano.

It was in this cradle of knowledge that the newborn was named Gidado, after a man remembered for his integrity during the Abacha administration. His educational journey began in two worlds at once. In the mornings, he attended Stella Maris, a Christian school in Garki, Abuja. By afternoon, he joined young pupils studying the Quran in the traditional Almajiri‑style setting in Wuye. Two systems. Two philosophies. Two streams of knowledge flowing into the same young mind. This early exposure to diversity would later define his worldview.

After primary school, he moved to Command Secondary School, Asokoro, where the culture of military discipline sharpened his sense of responsibility. Yet his parents, determined to expose him to broader experiences, later enrolled him in Alhaji Akilu Islamic School in Modibbo, Kanoa rural environment where life was simpler, harsher, and deeply instructive. From there, he returned to Abuja to complete his secondary education at Nigeria‑Ghana College. Each school left its imprint: faith, discipline, resilience, and curiosity.

With strong results, he gained admission into BUK to study Sociology and Mass Communication. Immersed in a new academic ecosystem, his performance improved steadily, surprising even those who had watched his earlier journey.

But destiny had its own interruptions. At the time, Boko Harams insurgency was spreading fear across Northern Nigeria. Schools, markets, and security formations were under attack. The Federal University of Education, just a short distance from Dukawuya, was among the institutions targeted by suicide bombers. Concerned for his safety, his parents made a decisive move: they relocated him to Baze University, Abuja.

There, he continued his studies in Mass Communication and graduated with a Second Class Upper. His academic curiosity later took him beyond Nigerias borders to the University of Westminster in London, where he earned a Masters degree in Media Campaigning and Social Change.

Yet education alone does not define a life. His career spans impactful roles as an intern and trainee at leading media organizations, including Premium Times, Daily Trust, and BBC London. During his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year at Government House, Minna, he worked under a mentor who remains his current boss, learning the intricacies of crisis communication, strategic media engagement, and reputation management.

But his true passion was beginning to reveal itself: digital journalism. From that passion emerged Youth Digest, a platform he created to inspire young Nigerians through engaging stories and practical skills. Soon after, he launched the Campus Journalism Awards (CJA) and the Youth Digest Dialogue Initiative, both aimed at empowering young communicators across the country.

Determined to pursue deeper, more impactful journalism, he founded News Digest, a platform that gained more attention than anticipated. At one point, his work led to a confrontation with security operatives. He was arrested in Abuja and transported to Ilorin over a report investigated by award‑winning journalist Alfred Olufemi. A court case followed, producing an initial unfavourable judgment before being overturned on appeal.

Even earlier, a case of mistaken identity had placed him under interrogation by the then CSP Tunde Disu‑led Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos. After careful questioning, he was cleared by the officer who is now the Inspector‑General of Police. For a young journalist, these encounters were less frightening than they were instructive.

Meanwhile, his communication skills were opening new doors. He participated in the World PR Forum in Ghana and the UN Young Assembly in Washington, consulted for organisations and brands, and steadily built a reputation in strategic communication. His roles later included Social Media Coordinator for Baze University, Chief Communication Adviser for CISLAC/Transparency International and Special Assistant to the Director‑General of Voice of Nigeria, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndacea mentor whose influence he acknowledges with deep respect.

Recognition soon followed, including a 30 Under 30 Young Communicator honour.

But perhaps the most meaningful recognition came from home. During the holy month of Ramadan, a message arrived from Sarkin Kofar Dukawuya, Alhaji Bello Maitama. The letter praised his familys contributions to the community and the pride they had brought to the ancient gate that once defended Kano. In recognition, the community resolved to confer upon him the traditional title of Shettiman Dukawuya.

The title carries deep symbolism. Though his grandparents were born in the Ilorin Emirate and his ancestry traces back to the Kanuri people of Bornowhere Shettima signifies leadership and scholarshiphe and his father were born in Kano. His family is the custodian of the oldest Quran in Ilorin, brought from Kanem‑Bornu by their forefathers. Thus, the honour connects three regions, three cultures, and generations of history.

Today, March 29, 2026, as he turns thirty, I reflect not only on the years that have passed but on the journey that continues. I celebrate my son, Gidado Yushau Shuaib, for the discipline he has shown, the challenges he has endured, and the honours he has brought to our family and community.

To Shettiman Dukawuya, I say: May your path continue to be guided by knowledge, humility, and service. And may the next chapters of your story be even more remarkable than the first thirty years.

Above all, to the Dukawuya Community, we remain deeply grateful for this great honour.

Yushau A. Shuaib is the author of “A Dozen Tips for Media Relations” yashuaib@yashuaib.com

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I have always resisted being dragged into ethnoreligious arguments. Not because the issues are trivial, but because many of the loudest voices in such debates are not merely passionatethey are fanatical. Some are so blinded by affiliation that they excuse injustice, flirt with heresy, or even justify violence in defence of identity. In recent months, especially after U.S. President Donald Trumps inflammatory threats against Nigerian Muslims over an alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria, I found myself losing respect for some elders, friends, and colleagues. Their positions were so reckless and prejudiced that I questioned whether our long-standing relationships had ever been grounded in sincerity.

It was against this background that recent media reports jolted my memory: a Department of State Services (DSS) operative, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, had been arrested for allegedly abducting, raping, and forcibly converting a Muslim girl to Christianity. Instantly, my mind travelled back to 2016the traumatic case of Ese Oruru and Yunusa Dahiru, popularly known as Yellow. That episode dominated newspapers, television screens, social media timelines, and the commentary of self-styled influencers who fed hungrily on outrage.

In March 2016, precisely 10 years ago I intervened in that heated national debate with an article titled Ese Oruru: From Delta to Northern Savannah. (Link to the article:https://yashuaib.com/2016/03/ese-oruru-from-delta-creek-to-northern-savannah-by-yushau-a-shuaib/) Drawing from my positive 1992 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) experience in Delta State, I contrasted a past era of inter-ethnic openness with the poisonous divisions that surfaced during the Ese OruruYunusa Dahiru saga. Ese, a teenage girl from Bayelsa, and Yunusa, a young Kano-born artisan living in Yenagoa, became unwilling symbols in a storm whipped up by sensationalist media, political opportunists, and religious bigots.

My argument then was simple but unpopular: what should have been treated as a grave but personal criminal matteran ill-advised and unlawful teenage elopementwas irresponsibly reframed into a national crisis of religion and ethnicity. The case was weaponised. Hypocrisy flourished. Sectarian outrage drowned nuance. And anyone who urged restraint or perspective was branded a traitor.

The facts of that case are well known. Ese Oruru, a teenager, was taken from Bayelsa to Kano by Yunusa Dahiru, who claimed to be her boyfriend. She was allegedly forced to convert to Islam and married without parental consent. Following intense public pressure, she was rescued in 2016 while pregnant. In 2020, a Federal High Court sentenced Yunusa to 26 years in prison for child trafficking and sexual exploitation. On appeal, the sentence was reduced to seven years, accounting for time already spent in custody.

What received far less attention, however, was what happened afterwards. Yunusa reportedly completed his secondary education while incarcerated and was described by the Nigerian Correctional Service as a well-behaved and reform-minded inmate and was released in 2023. Ese Oruru, on the other hand, despite the trauma and stigma, returned to school and later gained admission to the University of Ilorin, from which she graduated in 2025. These outcomes did not erase the crime, but they reminded us that justice, rehabilitation, and human recovery can coexist.

Fast-forward to the present. The DSS has confirmed the arrest of its operative, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, following a petition alleging that he abducted a Muslim girl, Walida Abdulhadi, kept her in a DSS residence for two years, sexually exploited her, and forcibly converted her to Christianity. According to her family, they searched desperately for Walida during this period and reportedly lost her mother to the trauma. They only learned of her whereabouts when the suspect allegedly called her father on New Years Day 2026, claiming Walida had given birth to his child and that he intended to marry her.

The familys lawyers have rightly described the case as a grave abuse of office and demanded prosecution and an independent investigation of the DSS facility involved. To its credit, the DSS confirmed the arrest, condemned the alleged conduct as a violation of its code of ethics, and announced that a full investigation is underway, with assurances that findings will be made public.

And yet, here lies the uncomfortable question: where is the outrage?

Nearly a decade ago, Nigeria erupted over the abduction and alleged forced conversion of Ese Oruru, a Christian girl, to Islam. Today, a Muslim girl is alleged to have been abducted, raped, and forcibly converted to Christianity by a state security operative. Will this case attract the same volume of condemnation? The same moral panic? The same international attention? Or will it be quietly processed because it does not fit a preferred narrative?

When I wrote in 2016, I was almost crucified for refusing to dance to the drums of sectarian hysteria. Today, faced with a disturbingly similar incident, I find myself cautiousalmost hesitantto speak, knowing how easily principled arguments can be twisted into accusations of bias.

But silence, too, is a position.

Yushau A. Shuaib is the author of An Encounter with the Spymaster and can be reached via yashuaib@yashuaib.com.

The post From Ese Oruru to Walida: Exposing Selective Outrage in Child Sexual Exploitation Cases appeared first on YAShuaib.

I was disturbed watching videos of a young man dressed in designer outfits, adorned with expensive wristwatches, wearing exotic shoes, displaying bags of costly perfumes, and being chauffeured around in flashy vehicles. His entourage includes a motley crew of well-armed bodyguards with sophisticated weapons, attendants, allies, and hangers-on, whether striding with him in processions or moving in long convoys. To top it off, he even took to the skies in private jets.

What is evident is the young chaps clear cultivation of celebrity culture, steeped in material flamboyance, whether in balling with music superstars like Davido, driving about in supercars and hosting associates to flamboyant gourmet dinners which are all deliberately videoed for showboating on his social media platforms, for maximum publicity.

What I found deeply disturbing was that this young man, who goes by the name Abba Yusuf Bichi, is a Nigerian. Yet, with his over two million followers on social media, he remains largely unknown among the hardworking Nigerian businessmen and multimillionaires who could afford such a life of extravagant opulence.

Surprisingly, he shares a name in a manner that appears too close for comfort with a humble, modest, and result-oriented spymaster Yusuf Magaji Bichi, the Director General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS). Could they hail from the same fast-developing Bichi Emirate Council of Kano State? I havent bothered to verify, as it ordinarily would seem absurd to associate the pompous and flashy young man with the accomplished spymaster.

Spymasters play a pivotal role in intelligence and covert operations worldwide. They lead and manage sleuth networks while overseeing critical tasks related to national security, counterterrorism efforts, and other clandestine endeavours on behalf of the state.

Due to the delicate nature of their veiled assignments, spymasters function behind the scenes. They ensure that their family members, spouses, children, and even parents remain shielded from public scrutiny to avoid unnecessary exposure.

The spymaster we know well, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, boasts extensive intelligence work experience. He has performed in various operational roles before assuming leadership positions within the Department of State Services as its Director-General.

Many within the security and intelligence services can attest to Bichi’s professional integrity. For instance, Chief Peter C. Nwaoduah, one of the longest-serving directors-general of the DSS (1992-1999), vouched for his competence and dedication.

In a foreword to a book on the legacy of Yusuf Bichi, Nwaoduah wrote: “The personality in whose honour this collection was put together is not used to being celebrated. If anything, he would be embarrassed, if not blushing! Bichi is known to be taciturn, even indifferent and shy to take credit for the numerous services rendered to the Nation.

“Bichi is used to everyday life packed with action fast-paced and non-stop in the protection of his fatherland! He is addicted to his job. He always has been, and this explains why, from the beginning, he chose a life of being an operative of what Nigerians call The Secret Service or The Secret Police.

“He had a successful first outing and, after that, retired! But again, service to the Fatherland came beckoning. It was not what he prepared himself to do again. He needed a quiet life after retirement. However, imbued with patriotism, he was back to work!”

Similarly, the shortest-serving DG of the DSS (August to September 2018), Mathew B. Seyefa, narrated their relationship, which spanned some 40 years. As he recounted, they joined the service on the same day, and their first point of convergence was their mutual attraction for Mallam Aminu Kano’s enduring legacyan epitome of modesty, populism, and aversion to primitive material acquisition.

Seyefa emphasised, “People change when power is entrusted to them, but Bichi, as DGSS, has remained his simple, unassuming, warm, and unflappable self.”

Therefore, it is not surprising that on several occasions, the DSS, under Bichi, has issued warnings to Nigerians regarding the dangers of flaunting wealth in public. In one such advisory, the service stated that ostentatious displays of affluence pose a significant security risk and attract the attention of criminal elements, including kidnappers and bandits.

Since flaunting wealth endangers the individual, the family, and the broader community, the Secret Service advises citizens to adopt moderate lifestyles and avoid unnecessary show-offs.

One may wonder about the real background of the young celebrity, Abba Yusuf Bichi. And while his means of livelihood remain shrouded in mystery, he maintains predictable routines. He boasts an ostentatious attitude akin to Yahoo Yahoo boys, who expose themselves easily to security scrutiny and public irritation, often leading them to hire legions of security agents for protection as they embark on their various acts of ridiculous and conspicuous material exhibitions and consumption.

While public officers and businesspeople are urged to lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income, ostentatious displays of questionable affluence should be discouraged due to their negative impacts on society. The seeming glitter of these highly impressionable displays can lure vulnerable youth down perilous paths, including the yield to fraudulent activities, prostitution, and even money rituals.

However, it is essential to differentiate between these so-called celebrities and genuinely accomplished and wealthy individuals. True wealth often resides in modesty and humble lifestyles, even amidst enormous financial success. The overnight flaunting of opulence by money-miss-road celebrities serves as a bad influence, inadvertently signalling to impressionable youth that material wealth is attainable through any means, including illicit ways. Moreover, such displays attract the attention of violent criminalskidnappers, armed robbers, and banditsworsening crime rates in society.

Nigerian youth must be encouraged to acquire digital literacy and financial education. Wise investments can secure their future without resorting to criminal activities. Additionally, safeguarding personal information in todays digital age is crucial. Even cybercriminals exploit such data for extortion and attacks. Citizens should remain vigilant and take measures to protect themselves and society.

Meanwhile, to stem the tide of reckless wealth flaunting, responses like those recently taken against naira abusers should be activated. Relevant law enforcement bodies, including anti-corruption and revenue agencies, should scour social media accounts to find many who might be engaged in opulent displays, verify their sources of income and tax compliance, etc., and ascertain their social rectitude. Prosecution should follow where necessary.

It is fascinating how two individuals sharing the name Yusuf Bichi can lead vastly different lives one in the spotlight of luxury and the other a conservative dwelling in the shadows of covert operations.

By the way, who is the young and over-protected celebrity?

Yushau A. Shuaib is the author of “An Encounter with the Spymaster.” www.YAShuaib.com, yashuaib@yahoo.com

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Yushau A. Shuaib with Asagba of Asaba, Professor Chike Edozien in Asagba’s Palace on Sallah Day in 1993

“Daddy there is something else which bothers me. I’m in love with one charming young lady from this place (Southern Nigeria).”– YAShuaib December, 1992

The above quote were the exact words in my harmless and innocent “Open Letter to My Parentsin the North” during my youth service. The letter which was published in some national dailies was one of my articles published during the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) between 1992-1993 in Asaba Delta State.

Surprisingly, some contents of the Open Letter, generated controversies which prompted a rejoinder from the management of NYSC and a summon from Communication Adviser to Governor Felix Ibru, Chief Paulinus Akpeki for clarifications.

Meanwhile, the intervention of Asagba of Asaba, the traditional ruler of my host community, Professor Chike Edozie was the soothing balm that boosted my confidence to serve in Igboland in the Niger Delta. While the government officials and the traditional institutions ensured the safety of youth corps members, especially those from other parts of the country, I nevertheless sustained constructive engagements with the host community through my writings.

Faiths, tribe and culture were never barriers in the relationship between non-indigenes and members of the communities as inter-tribal marriages were prominent features of Delta people. During Islamic festivities, the traditional ruler organised special feasts for Muslims in his palace. On such occasions, Muslim youth corpers, mostly from Northern Nigeria were treated to bumptious meals and non-alcoholic exotic wine.

The generous hospitality of the people, encouraged some corpers to stay behind after the service year. I accepted an offered of automatic employment in the Government House, Asaba as Public Relations Officer after the service. The government of this predominant Christian state in its magnanimity also sponsored my Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca for Islamic obligations.

I was sincere with my reference to ‘young charming ladies’ in the Open Letter because of what I witnessed with my naked eyes. I must confess that before the end of the youth service, some of my colleagues, especially from the North had picked some of those damsels legally or otherwise as their partners which in some cases resulted to marriages.

While I could not confirm if all the female partners were over-age or under-age, since only parents can determine that, most of the ladies looked very mature, intelligent and responsible in every sense. At that period Non-indigenes and corps members were not treated with suspicions but dignified and respected by parents of those ladies who welcomed them to their abodes with open heart.

It is therefore, unfortunate the current unnecessary bickering over the allegations of abduction or elopement, as the case may be involving a young lady, Ese Oruru and a young man, Yunusa Dahiru who left Bayelsa State in the Creek of Niger Delta to Kano a core-Northern state in the Savannah.

After media reports on the alleged abduction, the police have taken over the case by flying the two young Nigerians from Kano to Abuja and later to Bayelsa State. Meanwhile the police have arraigned Yunusa in handcuffs for criminal charges of abduction of the teenager.

In between these periods, the family of the two young Nigerians were being quoted in the media exonerating their wards of any offence. Rather than douse the tension through fair and objective editorials and news contents, some media were busy aggravating the tense situation by provocative coverages of the event that tend to create divisions in the polity.

Some ridiculous reports claim that a popular traditional ruler encourages abductions of young girls from other parts of the country for monetary compensation including limousines and mansions for abductors. Another news item claims the abduction saga is to depopulate a particular region and increase the population of another region.

On the social media, the debate has shifted to abusive rancour with most disparaging derogatory remarks between Muslims and Christians as ethnic jingoists are fanning ember of hatred between Southerners and Northerners.

Meanwhile it has been discovered that Yunusa who had been in love with Ese took her to Kano and claimed that he had converted the young lady to Islam. The conversion seems to be a ploy by the young man to hoodwink his parents and members of his community to accept his proposal to marry the teenager whose age is right for marriage in some cultures.

The fact that cannot be denied is that Ese was neither a victim of ritualists who could have harvested her body parts for diabolic spirituality nor a victim of kidnapers who could have demanded for ransom payments. She was neither a victim of a slave master who exploits the vulnerable into child-labour nor a victim of wicked merchants of infancy who proliferate baby factories for money-making. Ese, and to some extent Yunusa are merely victims of infatuation, foolish love that went awry.

The infatuation exposes the hypocrisy of the selfish political elites and some misguided public commentators jointly playing to the gallery for the purpose of “notice me” with their unwholesome campaigns of ethnic chauvinism and religious bigotry. Rather than managing the saga towards national unity and cohesion, they escalate it with primitive preachment towards self-destruction.

The dirty politics of ‘hailers and wailers’ social media antagonism also came to play where every issue is argued around ‘Goodluck Jonathan’ as an embodiment of Southern Christians and ‘Muhammadu Buhari’ as a representation of Northern Muslims.

The sad reality drama should have encouraged patriotic Nigerians to sponsor a Nollywood movie with central theme of “Love from the Creek to the Savannah” towards promoting love, peaceful coexistence, mutual tolerance for a united country.

While we must condemn the abduction saga, we should not lose our sense of reasoning and decency. We should eschew sectional sentiments and encourage our youths to establishrelationship based on trust, love and respect.

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As the Director Academic Planning of the university, Mr. Mani Ibrahim was taking round on inspection tour on some of the facilities on the campus, I saw some students sitting by the entrance to the school. I felt something was amiss.

During the short inspection, I admire the quality academic buildings; hostel accommodation; a Mosque and a Chapel for worshippers. There are also well-situated shopping Mall, Bookshop, Cafeteria and a Bank. The sports arena accommodates football, basketball, squash, volley-ball, badminton, table tennis and gyms.

Also I discovered that apart from fibre-optic broadband Internet with Wi-Fi connection to all Campus buildings, there also internet access to over 16,000 full-text on-line academic journals.

Baze University is an institution founded by a forward-looking and progressive young Northern entrepreneur, Senator Datti who would rather invest in education than engage in the usual business of contract and supply of average Nigerian businessman. Interestingly, whereas there is an abundance of private universities already established by southerners, Baze University is one of the very few established by Northerners.

Since the university was established, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed has devoted his energy, time and resources into the development of the university which is strategically located in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Apart from creating job opportunities for a great number of Nigerians, the academic institution now has over 1,500 students pursuing various courses of study. Some of the students actually transferred from some local and foreign universities.

Modelled after British university system, many faculty members were trained in the United Kingdom including the Vice Chancellor Professor Michael Hood. The university currently offer courses in Financial Management, Computer Technology, Arts, Science, Law and is scheduled to launch programmes in Medicine and Engineering by September 2015.

As we were rounding up, I was surprised to see some of the protesting students spotting designer clothing, and blocking a street on the campus with exotic automobiles. Upon inquiry, I was made to understand that the students were protesting an increase in their tuition fee from N1.65 million to N1.8 million annually with effect from January, 2015.

Some of the students displayed placards carrying different inscriptions with the central theme of telling the university to maintain the prevailing tuition fees.

Even in the midst of the protests, Senator Datti who is also pro-chancellor emerged from his office, calming the students and assuring them that their concerns would be carefully assessed. As a former active student myself however, I cautioned him against getting too close to the hot-headed students. During students’ demonstrations, anything can happen.

The strikingly suave gentleman politely brushed my observation aside, insisting that he had to move around to ensure that young individuals don’t resort to actions that could be injurious to their lives or the inflict harm on others. It was my delight to accompany and observe him while moving around to calm his wards and prevailing on them not to take their protests outside the institution’s premises.

I jokingly pointed to one of the students wearing a rather expensive wrist-watch and shoes that he was obviously in a position to afford the about N200,000 increment. Hear his retort: “Not all hands are equal. Please don’t judge everybody by the privileged few.”

One student informed me that his mother actually borrowed money to pay for his tuition fees while his elder sisters contributed money for his other expenses like accommodation and feeding. Another claimed that his younger ones are desirous of coming to the school but that outrageous fees might discourage his parent for the sponsorship.

The proprietor took the pain to explain to some of them the necessity of the increase. He pleaded with them to understand that the school was struggling to be one of the very best in Africa and reminded them of university rule mandating students to issue a one-week notice before embarking on any form of protest. This is so that authority can arrange for adequate security coverage for maximum protection of protesters.

He explained that the current regime of fees was introduced over three years ago but that inflation has escalated costs by 31.8% due to falling value of the Naira. He said it was vital for the university to maintain standards and quality, by being able to continue to improve facilities, attract high-quality staff, employ key international scholars, bring external examiners from the UK and enhance research.

While regretting management’s decision to reluctantly increase fees, Datti told them that by September 2015, the university will commence degree programmes in Medicine and Engineering, which are also capital intensive courses.

One other highlight of the exercise was the maturity with which leader of the students’ union, Muazu Yahaya and other members of his executive handled the protest, which ensured that the entire exercise remained peacefully till the end. The student leaders continued with a form of shuttle diplomacy between their aggrieved colleagues and management.

Yahaya said “As university students, we are adult who are entitled to express our grievance to the authority to find solutions to them. Everyone is feeling the economic crunches. As the university cries so also are our parents.”

The post That Peaceful Protest At Baze University appeared first on YAShuaib.

ASUU Strike and Nigeria Students

Open Letter to ASUU: Have Pity on Poor Students
By Yushau A. Shuaib

This missive is to appeal to members of Academic Staffs Union of Universities (ASUU), individually and collectively to consider the plight of innocent students and their helpless parents and return to work.

Since July 2nd, 2013 when they declared a “total and indefinite strike” over issues they claim have remained unresolved pertaining to 2009 agreement, innocent students and their poor parents have been at the receiving end of the stalemate.

While some government officials are lousy and combatant in their approach to resolving the faceoff over the strike, it is difficult to fault their arguments and the statistics they reel out over the level of government’s intervention and implementation of the contentious 2009 agreement.

It is therefore a welcome development the recent disbursement of N100 billion by the government for the implementation of the first phase projects listed in the Needs Assessment Report of Universities and another N30 billion to support Federal university Councils in the payment of arrears of Earned Allowances to deserving staff.

As I wrote in an article on the problems of public and private universities in Nigeria in October 2011, the deregulation of education in Nigeria is a deliberate effort to break government’s monopoly on education and by allowing the establishment of private universities to check the incessant strikes by lecturers in public institutions.

I then pointed out that that most of the current leaders attended public universities that were well-funded. Our leaders, including some of the current activist-lecturers enjoyed scholarships and crisis-free academic sessions which unfortunately, the current students could not enjoy.

While we accuse political leaders of selfishness, there is no difference between them with some of the lecturers in their seeming connivance in the promotion of private universities and patronage of foreign institutions, to the expense of our public universities.

It is regrettable that while attempting to register their grievances against inadequate funding from the government, ASUU members take some actions that are inimical to the progress and development of their poor students. Yet, the flexibility of academic environment with job security and huge severance packages influence the decision of many lecturers to remain on the payroll of public universities. We are also aware that some of the lecturers provide part-time lecturing to the private universities in the name of private practice (PP), while others would rather lobby or take political appointments and consultancy jobs than attend to the needs of their students. Surprisingly too, some professors are yet to adapt to the new use of information technology. They still rely on old books and theories of past centuries when the internet provides the theory of reality and practicability.

We must also blame ASUU for indiscipline and lack of adequate inspection on the campuses which have caused cultism, drug addiction, gang rape and other criminalities on campuses. For instance, the incessant ASUU strikes influence idle students to engage in prostitution, robbery and kidnapping to earn a living and to occupy their times. It is therefore not surprising that some of the institutions are alleged to churn out certificated illiterates who can barely write their names and place of origin.

Not every parent can afford or willing to send their children to expensive private universities that widen the social gap between the rich and the poor. The private institutions, too have their weaknesses with some of them operating medieval laws that weaken independence and freedom of expression on the campuses. Like regimented garrisons where all forms of feudal measures are taken, the private institutions do not treat their students as adults but pupils in boarding schools who must observe strict wake-up time and bedtime light-out.

The option of missionary universities also have some challenges. Instead of making the fees affordable, some of them develop unwritten house-rules that ‘no student will ever fail to graduate because of spiritual interventions.’ Apart from discriminatory policies against those that do not believe or practice their faiths, some of them conduct virginity tests on students upon resumption. While worshippers, occasionally act as part time lecturers, whose allowances could be paid ‘only in heaven,’ some of the recruited scholars are actually lecturers from established public universities within their vicinities.

We know that we have crises in our hands and it seems the government with recent moves have demonstrated willingness to resolve the crisis. After a recent meeting of key government officials with Vice-Chancellors and Chairmen of Councils of Public Universities, it was disclosed that the government had implemented some of the agreements it entered with the academic staff. These include implementations of the Consolidated Salary Structure for Academics and non-teaching staff; National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for staff of universities; Amendment of Pensionable Retirement Age of Academics in the Professorial cadre as Professors and Readers now retire at 70 years while others now retire at 65 instead of 60 years.

Government has also provided a counterpart funding of N250 million to help ASUU meet up with the mandatory deposit required for registration of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO) while it continues to assist state universities through the Federal intervention agencies.

There should be a way to resolve demands pertaining to commercial ventures, especially the alleged request by ASUU for the transfer of government landed properties to universities, which government resists because ASUU has no structure to manage or maintain such property.

While we must call on our policy makers to ensure that our universities are adequately funded, our lawmakers should enact laws that would compel lecturers to be responsible to their duties and concentrate on the job for which they are discriminatorily remunerated. The law should also compel public officers to send their children to public institutions where they can relate and compete with other poor students.

Regulatory bodies such as NUC, JAMB, NECO and WAEC should be more proactive and responsive in monitoring responsibilities so as to ensure that Nigerian universities comply with international best practices.

This article by Yushau A. Shuaib has been published in September 2013 in the print editions of the Economic Confidential, People’s Daily, Daily Sun, Thisday, Daily Trust, Nigerian Tribune, Vanguard, National Mirror and Blueprint.

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Cultism exists in few universities in Nigeria

The major aim of establishing tertiary institutions is to build high-level manpower for national development. It is a place where people acquire the needed tools; social, mental and intellectual skills, which will be required by the beneficiary to become self-reliant and resourceful member of the society.

In Nigeria today, there are public universities owned and funded by the governments, on the other hand are the private universities, owned by individuals, business enterprises and religious bodies. Statistics show that as at October 2011, there are 36 federal universities, 37 state universities and 45 privately owned universities.

The deregulation of education in Nigeria is a deliberate effort to break government’s monopoly on education, thereby giving freedom to private participation in the provision and management of education in order to check the incessant strikes by lecturers in public universities improve the quality of education and return the lost glory in the nation’s university system. These factors largely influenced the decision of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar’s administration to endorse and approve private universities of which they are also beneficiaries of the licences.

Ironically, most Nigerian leaders benefited from the public universities when they were well-funded with scholarship, free meals, free accommodation, stipends and high quality facilities for learning. Unfortunately these same beneficiaries could not maintain the standard which they enjoyed as students of public universities; instead they have allowed it to go into near total demise.

While one could observe the selfishness of some of our leaders and their seeming connivance in promoting private universities to the expense of the public institutions, yet the so-called leaders would rather sponsor their children to study in foreign universities rather than allow them attend any of the private or public higher institutions in Nigeria.

There are clear justifications for the establishment of private universities, these include increase access to education due to acute shortage of places in the existing institutions, overcrowded and deplorable physical facilities. The lecturers in public universities under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) could also be blamed for the bastardization in that system. Members of the union, in their efforts to register their grievances against inadequate funding from the government take some actions that are inimical to the progress and development of their poor students.

In fact the flexibility of academic environment with job security and huge severance packages influence lecturers to retain their offices in public universities while providing part-time lecturing to the private universities in the name of private practice (PP). Some of them would rather lobby or take political appointments and consultancy jobs than attend to the needs of their students. Surprisingly too, some professor are yet to adapt to the new information technology. They still rely on old books and theories of past centuries when the internet provides the theory of reality and practicability. Only in Nigeria University one could find a lecturer that does not have an email.

Indiscipline and lack of adequate inspection and close monitoring on the campuses by relevant authorities have caused some students at the public universities to engage in cultism, drug addiction, gang rape and other criminalities. The situation becomes worrisome whenever there are strikes, where some idle students engage in prostitution, robbery and kidnapping to earn a living and to occupy their times. At the end, these institutions churn out certificated illiterates who could barely write their names and place of origin, not to mention the application and demonstration of their expectedly acquired knowledge.

The federal character principle that permits universities the right to give priority attention to the catchment areas in admission of students and recruitment of staff also has its negative effect on the university system. This results in situation where dunderheads are admitted and unqualified workforce recruited. The outcome of such policies is clear for everyone to see.

Private universities as profit-making ventures, apart from being expensive have also widened the social gap between the rich and the poor as a new status symbol. Proprietors are not required to understand the knitty gritty of managing an academic environment but can give directives to recruited administrators. Requirements for admission into private universities are not stringent as under-aged applicants and failed candidates in national common entrance examinations could easily get admissions once they could afford to pay the exorbitant fees into private universities. There is also an arbitrary inflation of tuition fees annually. There are also medieval laws put in place by some schools to weaken independence and freedom of expression on the campuses.  Like regimented garrisons where all forms of feudal measures are taken, the universities do not treat their students as adult and matured persons but like boarding schools’ boys and girls. For instance, one of these universities is reported to have strict wake-up time and bedtime light-out to be observed by the students.  In another instance, a university is reported to conduct virginity tests on students upon resumption.

The missionary universities established by religious organisations have some tactics to woo prospective students for enrolments. Some have unwritten house-rules that ‘no student will ever fail to graduate because of spiritual interventions.’ They also have discriminatory policies against those that do not believe or practice their faiths. Apart from employing the service of some of their worshippers as part time lecturers, whose allowances could be paid ‘only in heaven’, most of the other recruited scholars are actually lecturers from established public universities within their vicinities. Since well-qualified tutors would rather take offer in public universities because of the flexibility I mentioned early, the less qualified and jobless candidates are mostly in private universities where they are reengineered to work tediously to bring out the best in their students.

The establishment of private universities could be a blessing to Nigeria’s education system but not an alternative way of funding the public ones, because there are huge federal budgets and various revenues generated in the name of taxes for education available to government institutions of learning. Therefore government has no excuse not to adequately fund the universities.

The private universities should remain private for the very rich who could afford them but without government’s financial interventions, since they are established for maximization of profit on investment. They could utilise other avenues of revenue generation through charity organisations as well as private entities that are willing to provide endowments and sponsorships as parts of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes.

Policy makers and lawmakers should ensure that our universities are adequately funded and make laws that would compel lecturers to be responsible to their duties and restrict them from Private Practices once there are improvements in their salaries. Top public office holders should be compelled to send their qualified children to public institutions of learning so that the poor would have confidence in getting the best training out of it.

Regulatory bodies such as the Nigeria University Commission (NUC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) should be more proactive and responsive in their close monitoring to ensure that Nigerian universities both public and private comply with international best practices with quality standard in term of examination supervision, enrolment, and accreditation of courses.  Well qualified staff; administrators and lecturers should be employed to meet the needs of their students.

This article by Yushau A. Shuaib has been published in October 2011 in Economic Confidential, People Daily, Nigerian Tribune, Daily Trust, Leadership, Blueprint, Champion, Vanguard, National Mirror and New Nigerian Newspapers

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Miss World, Agbani Darego

Mariette Ohumunwe is my Miss World. And I do know that many families pray to the almighty God to bless them with such children whose talents, skills, brilliance and intelligence are being recognized even outside the shores of our nation. Surprisingly, she is just eight years old, younger than Darego by ten good years. In fact, she is a pupil of the Montessori Nursery and Primary School of Igbinedion Education Centre. Precisely, February last year, she, in far away Japan, Asia, a considerably distant continent from Africa, emerged the recipient of the Biennial World Children Arts Exhibition. Her artwork is said to be one of the 46, 421 entries from across the globe. In fact, entries were received from more than 114 countries. And yet, this innocent looking and impeccable young girl is amongst the best three in the world.

This is therefore in commemoration of the first anniversary of this global success of the young girl who was not given a red carpet reception back home, nor could she dine or wine with the mighty at any of the powerful arms or government, not even the type of enticing hug given to Darego by Present Olusegun Obasanjo. In fact, she neither received special presents for herself nor family nor was she shown on a live network programme for even a few seconds, not to talk of hours or days. She could not even be considered as the Child of the Year nor to talk of a Personality of the Decade.

It took a few media houses after the award in February last year, to announce the accomplishment of this rare genius, whose success came through self discipline and improvement on what she learnt in school. For a feat to be adjudged by professionals and world acclaimed art critics as the best, is a clear testimony to hard work, artistry, and legendary talent. The caliber of the panel clearly indicated that the competition was not a game of chance whose rules and criteria are shrouded in mystery depending on the disposition of a few personalities at that particular time in specific demographic location.

She is surely not the first Nigerian who is not well recognized at home. Many are still making waves in the world scene without attention drawn to them for emulation. It may be recalled that it took the visit of President Bill Clinton to Nigeria for most of our countrymen to know that one of the most respected computer gurus in the whole universe is a Nigerian.

It will do us a world of good, if our best, especially amongst the young ones, are promoted and given the best of encouragement and motivation to become good citizens. For children, who have no voices of their own and can form no unions and associations to push for their rights and privileges, there is the need for special bodies to protect their interests. Since there is neither a Minister of Children Affairs nor Special Adviser/Directorate of Children Matters, it will not be out of place if Mrs. Stella Obasanjo’s Child Care Trust or even the Mrs. Titi Atiku’s WOTCLEF organization is urged to take the right step in promoting the ingenuity and resourcefulness of youngsters

Such a body should be charged with bringing the best out of children through regular competitions and effective monitoring. They should not be carried away by the so-called modern craze where fashions of nudity and utter abuse of morality are put forth as the source of attracting investors to our nation. How can such argument be tenable when the world itself is fighting against sexual exploitation and spread of HIV? Our girls, young and elderly, should be told the whole truth that black is beautiful but not when displayed as a kind of doll for negative cultural exploitation. Though nobody is against foreign husbands and foreign boyfriends, what we really need are true and honest investors who would not be looking for girls they may end up using for such ugly indecent movies and western craze of modelling, but would harness our country’s potentials, vast mineral resources and manpower for social and economic development.

Afterall, most of the world beauty pageants, Miss Universe, Miss intercontinental and Miss World recipients inclusive, do not have the real value of African womanhood as a requirement for selection. The African femininity, without exaggeration, enables one to mirror oneself from unblemished and fleshy cheeks, women who are healthy and full of life, exhibiting in enticing physiques. An African must also be dark, thick and robust, devoid of a skinny, bony and tiny body frame. Artificial makeup and expensive attires are not what make the natural beauty.

Some few years ago, some Indians vehemently protested against the hosting of one of such world pageants in their country, with some committing suicide, in opposition to the exhibition of immorality and cultural imperialism on their soil.

If Nigerians still buy the idea of hosting the Miss World, it will be fair if we can first invite the organizers of the Biennial World Children’s Arts Exhibition, which award we won earlier. The participants may also be invited to see the art works of the paralyzed man in Lagos who uses a pen in the mouth to draw portraits of some of our leaders and also that of the crippled woman in Kano who uses her feet to design beautiful images and scenes.

The benefits of such worldwide exhibitions on our soil, apart from showcasing the mastery of those less privileged Nigerians, would be dollar-earning ventures from the auctions of such works. What a better way to attract investors to our human skills and greatness! Afterall, none of our religions, Islam, or Christianity, professes and promotes indecency and pornographic exposures.

This article by Yushau A. Shuaib was originally published in Thisday Feb. 10, Nigerian Tribune Feb. 12 and Vanguard February 15, Post Express February 16, Daily Trust February 18 and National Interest March 6, 2002

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Just as I was ruminating on the plight of my generation, my four-year-old child, Gidado, walked in with his nursery school mate, Damilola whom he proudly called his sister. They were coming from a birthday party of his best friend, Chukwudi, who is also in nursery two. I reflected on the innocence of this troika and unconsciously prayed that the three children, under five years, from different tribes and religions, would not witness the kind of rivalry and vendetta amongst the present crop of elders.

As I tried to scribble this piece, I looked at them playing happily and teardrops trickled down my visage. My hand shook and my lips trembled. I felt downcast and hopeless on the fate of the nation and the coming generation. How, for goodness sake, do you elders derive satisfaction and contentment from perpetuating the hegemony of your group, whose age bracket starts from fifty years and above, and who witnessed the country’s independence from the colonial masters? I kept wondering on what your intent was in forming associations based on primordial lines and ideals. What has been the benefit of your so-called elder groupings of the like of Afenifere, Ohanaeze, Arewa Forum, apart from instigating the youths to take up arms against one another? The day we discover the jinx that enables you to control the gullible youths among us, by the strings like robotic machines, considers yourselves a collective write-off.

On several occasions, I have thought that all of you elders are bloody liars, folklore storytellers as you recalled your youthful days which were incredibly blessed with unimaginable prosperity, that someone could buy a brand-new car from the savings of half a year’s salary; that a time existed in the country when university students, towards their graduation, were wooed by employers for automatic employment, with good remuneration packages; that there was a period in the past when you dined and wined together with people from other regions, regardless of ethnic, religious, tribal and political considerations. As a young man, I still marvel at how our forefathers brought up the present elders from earnings from their farm produce, which were enough even for export to other countries for foreign exchange earnings that sustained our emerging economy.

But now, take a look at how the Chief, the Alhaji, the honorary doctorate degree holders, have bastardized our economy. I read in history books, that the colonial masters taught and advised you on how to harness our abundant resources, which they also exploited, to better their economy. Instead of maintaining the position of Nigeria as one of the world’s largest producers of cocoa, palm kernel, groundnut, animal skin, cotton and rubber, our today’s elders ignored this profitable agricultural sector and solely depended on the lately discovered oil revenue. Like drinks to a drunkard, it blindfolded your gumption as you indulged in a reckless and extravagant display of opulence.

Oil, a rare natural gift from God, was made the only source of our development, ignoring the fact that our forefathers, the guardians of our present elders, used proceeds from agriculture to feed, clothes and bring them up. The same black gold, which ought to unite them, then became the genesis of senseless civil war where many of my contemporaries were mercilessly slaughtered like Ileya rams. Those who miraculously survived the extermination were rescued to foreign lands like the world computer genius, an Igbo, who, with others, excel tremendously in their present endeavours. The rest of us, left at their mercy, are made to wallow in abject poverty with the persistent unemployment syndrome, which you exploit to encourage us to fight your cause of disintegration.

See how you have exacerbated the labour market with your systematic annihilation of the youth from ordinary employment, not to talk of holding public office. You should remember how you and others of your ilk instituted a law and legalized unnecessary requirement that, after all relevant qualifications, fresh or even unemployed graduates are mandatorily requested to acquire some years of working experience, which are realistically not feasible. As the citadel of learning yearly churns out large numbers of graduates into the unemployment market, you exploit their vulnerability and desperation to recruit them into political thuggery and other such condemnable criminality.

You force the unemployed to worship godfatherism and indulge the pretty ones, who may be the age mates of your grand children, in illicit and indecent carnality before they become employable. This is not fair. We are watching you. Remember how you perpetually nominate yourselves at your several stage-managed national conferences, and exclude us from holding public political and sensitive offices, ignoring the fact that one of you, a former Head of State, performed exceedingly well at his youthful age while in office. We know you must have advised the present Nigerian leaders not to consider youths for such positions as ministers, ambassadors and other relevant posts so that you would not be shamed by the youth’s ability to perform better than you. It is no more news that many young leaders abound throughout the world, performing creditably in all spheres of socio-political and economic fields.

And with all your schemings to benefit more from the system, you now expect me, at my youthful and useful age, to desert my friends from across the Niger and to remain primitively and absurdly attached to my tribe. You can’t stop us from befriending and marrying from other tribes. I am proud of taking Emeka, Tunde, Efanga, Osa, Yusuf and others as my companions and they would forever remain my natural and national brothers, whether you like it or not.

For your information, we youths have come of age. We will forever remain united, strong and vibrant to fight those of you who portend danger to our oneness. The anti-youth postures which resulted in the deliberate exclusion of youths from the decision-making structure of the society, either through convention, decree or through the scheming of the elders, would not be condoned anymore. Why wouldn’t you give us the chance to contribute meaningfully towards the development of this nation, by advising your age-mates in government to regard the youths generally as a constituency which must be represented at all levels of governance, with a minimum quota of position allocated to them?

We have realized how you created classes to deliberately cut across ethnic, religious and sectional differences so as to perpetuate your hegemony as a class, to put the youths in place and checkmate their “encroachment” into your agenda. But the youth are now mature enough and would remain resolute and stand against being used again as sectional chauvinists and bigots. We will fight to protect the interests of our fatherland, rather than killing ourselves.

We must not be infested with the corruption and bribery viruses. This infection has inclined our elders towards primitive accumulation of capital, to enable them to attain their selfish political agenda. If you as elders fail to eradicate poverty by encouraging us to develop interest in agricultural practices, we can initiate other ways and means to develop ourselves, to enable us to break the myth of money politics that has been the root of gangsterism and violence.

While this letter is warning of what the youth can do, based on our population strength, I call on you, elders, to note that for genuine economic transformation, our country needs people like you to be committed and patriotic to the cause of one Nigeria, under one destiny, at moving the country to the level of developed nations.

This article was first published by Tribune Nov. 4, Daily Time Nov 10, Daily Trust Nov 15, 2000

Please see a response in Re: Elders

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NYSC Logo

Being a published Speech Delivered by Yushau A. Shuaib at a farewell dinner for the Final Year Students of Mass Communication Department, Bayero University, Kano.

Let me first affirm how honoured I am to be invited to this farewell dinner for the outgoing students of the Mass Communication Department and to be in the midst of my highly educated and responsible lecturers of this citadel of knowledge.

As some of you may have known my experience and progress so far, which is the will of Almighty God, all these are due to the tremendous theoretical and practical training I received from the ever accommodating and learned lecturers of this department. Our frank but very friendly atmosphere with the lecturers has been in the great tradition of this enviable department. To our lecturers, you’re most gracious and very understanding – I do thank you for imparting in us this rare knowledge.

I would like to also commend the effort of the executive members of Mass Communication Students’ Association (MACOSA), organisers of this dinner, whom I have envied in recent times for their many programmes and activities which compelled some of us, with pride, to make some humble contributions, to the development of the Department in the small ways that we could. The outgoing executive, under the leadership of Malam Abubakar Alhassan, served the Association with compassion, vision and honour. They have performed wonderfully with driven force to succeed.

Since my speech is to share my experiences with you during my undergraduate days and the NYSC scheme, it is imperative to recall the contributions of MACOSA during my tenure as PRO in 1991. Due to inadequate funds, we limited activities around the campus where we made progress in organising MACOSA Week, produced and directed a programme for Kano State Radio Broadcasting Service, made mandatory contributions of at least seven feature articles to major newspapers on monthly basis and the indirect participation of mass communication students in the production of Campus Voice, the magazine of which I was the Editor-in-Chief. We also had an excursion to some selected media houses not beyond Kaduna and witnessed the installation of a satellite dish, the first in any Nigerian university, mounted in the department. With all the aforementioned, I have to admit that there is a lot of improvement in MACOSA activities in recent times – I hope the incoming executive will improve the tempo.

In an effort to improve my future carrier as a journalist, I wrote feature articles, short stories, and poems for the print media and joined Bayero Literary Society where members contribute and critically analyse literary works submitted to the workshop and published in a literary magazine called “The Parakeet.” My participation in all these extra curricular activities was to demonstrate and practise what I learnt in the classroom which I believe today, with God’s will, assisted me greatly to the present position I find myself.

Since tonight’s dinner is in honour of outgoing students of this department, I find it necessary to inform you that your knowledge of Public Relations – a segment of Mass Communication, will be a great asset to you in your daily activities. As you are aware, PR is associated with exchange of goodwill. First and foremost, you must appreciate the value of communication as you have learnt its sciences, its technical contractions and how to direct it. And you have acquired the knowledge about human beings, what they like, dislike, cultural background, hopes and aspirations, the various endeavours people engage in for a living or for recreation, philosophical bends, language peculiarities, the level of socioeconomic developments which influence political tendencies and preference. With this background knowledge, you are well equipped to relate easily with anybody in mutual and beneficial relationship of goodwill. With demonstration of higher sense of humility and due respect to others, you are more acceptable in the society.

The Public Relations techniques I learnt in school did assist me when I found myself in the NYSC camp in Asaba, Delta State. Due to the way I related with everybody, I was in fact nominated by the NYSC state director to be the Director of Orientation Broadcasting Services OBS with other corps members as members. I used the (OBS) to run interview programmes, sport commentaries, a request programme, drama, news items and many others. At the end of the one-month orientation exercise, the Corpers were well-informed and peace did reign in the camp. Some OBS members were rewarded with lucrative postings.

But for some reasons, I was posted to the ministry of information, Asaba where I wrote a feature article on the plight of corps members and on the political and societal problems of the young state. Those articles drew the attention of the state government and solutions were proffered. My technique was to criticise today and praise tomorrow (call it balanced journalism) but it paid off at the end. One of the problems of the newly created state was lack of information machinery for adequate information dissemination. There was no state owned newspaper. They relied on neighboring states’ media to reach the citizenry and the Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS) was limited to Warri, where the station is situated, leaving the capital and other councils in the dark. It was in view of these problems that I undertook research work round the Local Government Areas in the State titled “Alternative Media Information for Delta State Government” where I proposed how the state could effectively have its own newspaper and expand a booster station to improve the reception of DBS to all nook and crannies of the state. The research was officially received and commended by the state government

Still on information dissemination. In my singular effort to make sure that corps members in the state were well informed, I proposed to the state NYSC Secretariat the need for a newsletter – a cheaper medium of communication, in information and entertainment of corps members, wherever they may be, on the happenings around them and the scheme’s activities in the state. Approval was given and I became the Editor-in-Chief and successfully published it monthly.

The above were just some of the programmes a mass communication graduate can embark upon or participate in during the NYSC exercise.

If you intend to be a successful corps member, as you are about to go for your service, kindly note my little recommendations:

1. Don’t influence your redeployment to another state, unless where necessary, for example, marriage and health problems.2. Don’t reject your place of primary assignment, unless where necessary.3. Think about embarking or participating in the under listed programmes.

a. serving in major committees in the camp, for example, sports, food, theatre groups, information committees and many others.

b. participate regularly in the sanitation exercise and you may initiate new areas for concentration.

c. organise a rag-day or any form of an appeal fund to raise money for the less privileged in the society, fire victims, patients, prisoners, motherless homes, psychiatric hospitals or organise party for them during Xmas/Sallah days.

d. organise evening classes for students about to sit for exams or adult literacy programmes.

e. organise/participate in seminars, workshops, conferences to enlighten the public or campaigns, like tree planting, WAI campaign, anti smoking, AIDS, Road safety campaigns etc.

f. embark on landscaping, beautification of places of your primary assignment or any other place like the palace, state secretariat and hospital.

g. to minimise road accidents, you can create police stands, make zebra crossing, sign post too can be very good.

The above are some of the award winning projects corps members could undertake. But all these can be attained with fervent prayer to God and striving hard with all sense of commitment and the will to act at the right time.

In conclusion, I wish to state that the way we analyse projects and implement what we learn today should reflect the future circumstances and status. The best years for us as mass communicators are yet to come. This will happen only if we as mass communicators hold fast to professionalism by developing and applying appropriate communication knowledge and skills that will make us dynamic leaders of tomorrow.

Once again, thank you very much for your invitation and attention and God bless.

*First published by the Beacon, the official newspaper of the Department of Mass-Communications, Bayero University Kano. This paper was a speech delivered by the author at a Dinner Party for graduating students of the department in August 1998.

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