Throwing the baby out with the bath water: The case of Kano film village

Throwing the baby out with the bath water: The case of Kano film village By Abdullahi Dahiru Much has been said regarding the proposed Kano film village. People are also aware that the project has been cancelled due to an outrage from section of Muslim clerics and some members of the public. More than $10m had been budgeted to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the Hausa language film industry, known as Kannywood. According to member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, in an interactive session with Kannywood filmmakers, the film village has cinematography centre, 400-capacity auditorium for training, hostel, sound stage, eatery block, three-star hotel, shopping mall, stadium, clinic, among others”. According to Jibrin, the Federal Government would release 1billion Naira for the kick off of the 20-hectare film village, which would be modeled like a film center in China and India. Now, this proposed film village attracted much criticism from some scholars who believed it would promote “immorality”. There were sermons denouncing the project. There were debates in social media with many people criticizing it. Then suddenly, federal government announced the cancellation of the project after the opposition from clerics and social media. It is usually common for people to express resentment towards introduction of anything new. There are things that were viewed negatively in the past, attracted much criticism, only to be embraced later. In 1975, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia instituted modern reforms that led to the installation of television. Many Saudi clerics opposed the idea believing television would cause or exacerbate immorality. This provoked violent protests, one of which was led by his nephew, Prince Khaled, who during the course of an attack on a television station was shot dead by a policeman. On 25 March 1975, King Faisal was shot point-blank and killed by his half-brother's son, Faisal bin Musaid, who had just come back from the United States, to avenge the killing of his brother, Prince Khaled .The murder occurred at a Majlis, an event where the king or leader opens up his residence to the citizens to enter and petition the king. King Faisal lost his life due to reforms that brought television to Saudi Arabia. But television is now being used in Saudi Arabia to broadcast prayers from the Grand mosque and the mosque of the Prophet in Medina. We all know that western education itself faced strong opposition from Muslim clerics when it was first introduced by the colonialists due to the fear that it was a secret plot to convert Muslim children to Christianity. The opposition however reduced when people start seeing the benefit of western education and their children graduating from schools without conversion to Christianity. But still opposition to sending female children to Western schools in Northern Nigeria persisted until recently. We all know how opposition to conventional banking, law and insurance have made the North very deficient in those sectors. In the biography of Sheikh Abubakar Gumi titled “Where I stand”, Sheik Gumi narrated the story of his friend, Mallam Aminu Kano, who faced a strong opposition from section of Kano Muslim clerics, when he gave his party, NEPU a slogan called “SAWABA”. Some clerics were outraged that Aminu Kano used a Koranic word “SAWABA” as a slogan for a political party. Aminu Kano went to Kaduna to seek for the opinion of his friend, Sheikh Gumi. Gumi and Aminu had both taught at Teachers College, Maru. Sheikh Gumi said “SAWABA” was an Arabic word that mean “RELIEF” and he doesn’t see any harm using it as a slogan, more so, that Aminu Kano sought to bring relief to his people. In essence, there are things that people may oppose, only to see their benefits later. I think, whatever resentment people may have regarding the film village could have been addressed when the village is made. There is a censorship board that regulates the act of making films in Kano. Nothing prevent Islamic scholars from approaching the censorship board with a suggestion on how to address the issue of “immorality” in the films produced by Kannywood. They can also offer suggestions to government on how to address those grievances rather than calling for outright cancellation of the film village project. We all know that Kannywood film industry thrives because of patronage from people. People watch these films and listen to the songs being made by the artists in their homes and offices. Now, that the film village project has been cancelled, that would not stop production of Kannywood films or their viewing by people. In essence, what is the rationale of cancelling the project when one can watch these films from TV stations and cinema houses? What is the rationale for the cancellation when people can download pornographic videos from their smart phones and watch them from the comfort of their homes? I do not watch Kannywood films myself. I cannot remember when last I watched those films-probably since the days of “SANGAYA” and “MUJADALA”. But I do not think outright cancellation of the proposed film village is right or circumspect. It is similar to “throwing the baby out with the bath water”. Kano state has lost N3billion worth of investment. Sad! DR Abdullahi Dahiru contributed this piece from Kano.

Re:Drilling accountability into education

My friend Auwal Sani Anwar was honoured 2weeks ago by Malam Nasir el Rufai to write in his Friday column on Thisday newspaper on any topic of national importance.As a lecturer,Auwal couldn't have choosen any other topic than education knowing fully the decay in the system and he wrote a piece titled :"Drilling accountability into education". Auwal Sani Anwar is one of the prolific writers among our generation of young Nigerians.I know Auwal since our secondary school days in Kano.We were privilaged to attend one of the best secondary schools in the then Kano state and we finished the same year.We met several times through interactions between Science Secondary School Dawakin Kudu and Science Secondary School Tawakin Tofa in form of debates and quiz computations.I remember a journey we made in the same vehicle from Kano to Zaria in 1991 to participate in a quiz competitions organized by Kano science schools old students Association ABU Zaria branch.He was among the participants from Dawakin Tofa together with people like Aminu Magashi,Nasir Alhassan Kabo and Mahmud Abdulwahab,while I was among the ones selected to represent Dawakin Kudu.I later met him again in ABU zaria as undergraduates and was a known personality in our hostel then at ABU teaching hospital because incidently his wife was also a medical student then. No doubt,the decay in Nigeria's education sector has reached a dismal level.When my wife was teaching in a secondary school in Kano,she used to quarrel with the principal and other staff who insist on "helping" the students with answers.During examination days,a teacher for a particular subject is suppose to answer the questions and write the answers for the students to copy.That is why the students can no longer depend the result scored during WAEC,JAMB and NECO examinations and that is why even universities are insisting on post JAMB examination to be conducted by each university. But I believe making a law that will compel government officials to send their wards to government schools is not a solution.We usually assume that the rot in our education sector is found only in public schools.Infact,examination malpractice is more prevalent in private schools than public ones because the proprietors will not risk allowing their students fail the examinations lest people will withdraw their wards from schools. The only solution is to return to “status quo ante”.I mentioned our interactions with Auwal during our days at Science secondary schools to show that these schools became best in Nigeria with meager resources but with discipline and dedication to work. I remember those days,we had a teacher called Mr Okereke that taught us chemistry.There were students that use to read small examination-directed books called “key points”.God save you if Mr Okereke saw you with those books. He insist that we must read Ababio,Abbot and similar text books. During examinations students are thoroughly searched before allowing them into the examination hall.Those schools insisted that we must become independent in thinking and writing examinations.We were not allowed to listen to transistor radio but are only allowed to watch TV once during weekends.We were made to read during prep sessions in the afternoon and night.The teachers insist we must write our notes ourselves.We did not like those strictness of our teachers then,but later we found out that they made us stronger.There were times when our collagues from those schools teach their fellow students in university topics like calculus and engineering drawing because they were taught in secondary schools. Those are the ethos and values that made our schools good in those days and we must return to them if we want to salvage our education sector.

INEC and conduct of 2011 election

The appointment of Prof Jega was welcomed with euphoria and it rekindled the hope of Nigerians of conducting a credible election. Many people registered as eligible voters.

But despite the much hyped electronic registeration, many people registered more than twice and were not detected by INEC.Some of them sold their votes to be used by other voters especially under-aged ones or engaged in multiple voting spree. I know a guy that voted 4 times in this week's gubernatorial elections. There was no provision to address the issue of multiple voting even with single voter’s card.

When a cast my vote in this week gubernatorial election, I went back home and returned to the polling unit at around 4pm to see what is happening, when most voters have already cast their voters and left. The policemen have gone for prayers and I was shocked to see many people casting their voters even without proper accreditation.

There are many cases of ballot stuffing, alteration of result collated at the polling unit, inflation of figures of votes cast, unbelievable voter turnout in some states with outrageous number of people casting their votes for the same party, inducement of voters with money and gifts of petty items and many widespread manipulations.

Even though some people do not like criticism of these elections, but I believe the election has many flaws that have vitiated its credibility and closing our eyes to this brazen manipulations and usurpation of people's mandate will not in any way help us to progress as a nation. The onus is on INEC and the federal government to accept this shortcomings and device ways of preventing similar flaws in future elections.

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My encounter with a herbalist

3days ago, I was discussing with some friends in front of our family house, when suddenly a herbalist interrupted our discussion.
“Salamu alaikum”, the man shouted.
“Wa alaika Al-salam”, we replied.
He brought several concoctions wrapped in polythene bags.
“I have medicine for typhoid, pneumonia, hypertension, impotence”, the herbalist said, offering some of the concoctions to us.
Nobody among us collected any of the concoctions. So, he repeated the same statement offering the same concoctions to me specifically.
“I am alright and doesn’t suffer from any of the ailments you mentioned”, I replied.
“Did you attend secondary school?” I asked him.
“Yes, Alhaji”, the herbalist replied.
“Now, can you spell either of the words “typhoid” or “pneumonia” and collect N1000 in return?”I asked him.
The herbalist was perplexed and could not give any answer.
“Do you sincerely know the meaning of the words “pneumonia” and “typhoid”?I asked him again.
The man became furious and hurriedly walked way saying “If you don’t want to buy my medications, please do not discourage other people from buying”.
Then I remembered a story narrated to me by Abubakar, a technician working in our office. Six people leaving in his neighbourhood ingested a concoction given to them by a herbalist as a remedy for ‘pile’. They started having bloody diarrhea after taking the concoction. Four of them died while two recovered after difficult resuscitation in hospital.
Many people are suffering in silence due to ignorance, superstitions and poor regulation of the activities of herbalists and traditional healers in Nigeria.

Eclampsia as a common cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria

Eclampsia as a common cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria
By
Abdullahi Dahiru
Many women lose their lives during childbirth especially in developing countries where medical care is still inadequate.
Maternal mortality ratio is highest in the African region, estimated at an average of 800 deaths per 100 000 live births. In Nigeria it is estimated at 1000 per 100 000 live births with wide regional disparities. Common causes of maternal deaths include bleeding, hypertensive diseases in pregnancy, obstructed labour, eclampsia, maternal infections and unsafe abortions. Eclampsia is the most common cause of maternal death especially in Northern Nigeria accounting for about 30% of all maternal deaths while studies carried out in Southern Nigeria found haemorrhage and unsafe abortions as the leading cause of maternal mortality.
Eclampsia is an acute and life threatening complication of pregnancy characterized by the appearance of convulsions in a patient with high blood pressure and protein in the urine. It may occur before, during or shortly after delivery.
Common risk factors of developing eclampsia include first pregnancy, multiple gestations and pre-existing hypertension. When eclampsia occurs after delivery, especially in Northern Nigeria, it may be associated with some harmful traditional practices like “hot bath” and ingestion of Kunun Kanwa [a lake salt rich in sodium].
The hallmark of eclampsia is the occurrence of major epileptiform convulsions. Other features include headache and nausea preceding the convulsions. Patient may present with other features like abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, liver and kidney failure. Blood pressure is raised and proteins are present in the urine. The mortality varies with the number of fits, the quality of the treatment and the speed with which treatment is made available. Pregnant women with eclampsia are believed to be possessed by evil spirits especially in rural areas where level of educational attainment is still low; and hence those type of ailments are thought to be beyond the realm of modern therapy and the expertise of traditional healers are thought first. This results in considerable delay in seeking modern obstetric care and can lead to severe morbidity and mortality.
The aim of management of eclampsia is prevention of further convulsions, control of the elevated blood pressure and delivery of the woman as soon as possible. These are achieved by sedation and use of drugs like magnesium sulphate and use of antihypertensive drugs. The woman can either be delivered by caesarean section; or with the aid of vacuum extractor or forceps.
Early detection and management of pre-eclampsia are essential part of antenatal care and hence prevention of eclampsia involves regular antenatal visit by all pregnant women. The community should also be educated about obstetric complications like eclampsia and when and where to seek for assistance. All health care facilities should ensure skilled attendance i.e. doctors and midwives at every birth. Doctors attending to pregnant woman should be trained to be proficient in life saving procedures like caesarean section, forceps delivery and vacuum extraction. We should promote antenatal care attendance by pregnant women and female education.
Government, health care workers and well- meaning Nigerians should demonstrate more commitment towards reducing maternal deaths resulting from eclampsia and other pregnancy related complications.

Living in fear

Living in fear
By
Abdullahi Dahiru
Nigerian society is recently experiencing deterioration in security situation in the country leading to proliferation of some criminal activities that were not common in the society.
Some of these criminal activities include high profile murders of prominent personalities and common people, kidnappings in demand of ransom, armed robbery, ritual killings and ethno-religious conflicts.
Recently, I read a story in one of the national dailies of a man butchering his father with an axe to death, and another frightening and absurd one in which a man killed his own wife and son. Several politicians, journalists and high ranking government officials have been murdered without the perpetrators been identified and punished.
Ritual killings have also become rampant in many parts of Nigeria. Young children and sometimes even adults are killed and parts of their body like the eyes, tongue and genitalia used for ritual purposes.
I recently managed a case of a 10 year girl who was abducted by unknown stranger in front of their house and was found by a Good Samaritan raped and abandoned by the abductor. Sometimes even toddlers are raped by adults; and some of them become infected with diseases like HIV and hepatitis or even lose their lives in the process. The father of the girl later told me that he now live in perpetual fear because he is afraid that the girl or his 2 other young daughters may be abducted and raped again.
We all now live in fear like the father of this poor girl because we are afraid of what may happen to us. We live in fear of armed robbers attacking us in our own houses in the night. Politicians, wealthy businessmen and high ranking public officials, and their relations are afraid of being kidnapped in demand of ransom. Travellers on dilapidated Nigerian roads are also afraid of falling victims of armed robbery attack or loosing their lives to road traffic accidents, because the roads have become death traps where thousands lose their lives annually.
We also live in fear of ethno-religious and civil disturbances. Several Nigerians have lost their lives and their properties looted or destroyed due to ethno-religious conflicts that have become common because of increasing intolerance and deep-seated hatred among Nigerians .A minor misunderstanding or altercation between 2 people of different ethnic or religious belief can lead to loss of several lives and properties.
I believe these criminal activities continue to happen because of deteriorating security situation in the country; and also because the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are not usually identified and punished. When ethno-religious crisis occur for example, probe panels are constituted by governments; the recommendations of the panels are not utilized and the perpetrators go scot-free.
Government should ensure that the security agencies are empowered to pre-empt and prevent the occurrence of some of these atrocities like the ethno-religious conflicts because mostly there are security reports indicating possibility of occurrence of these conflicts which are not utilized to prevent their occurrence. Perpetrators of all these criminal activities should be identified and punished to serve as a deterrent to other people. Dilapidated roads should also be repaired to reduce the carnage on our roads. Nigerians should also have the courage to free their minds from deep-seated hatred, animosity, excessive greed and avarice; menaces that have shackled the country for several years.

Mid-term assessment of Yar'adua administration

Mid-term assessment of Yar 'adua administration
By
Abdullahi Dahiru
Being a opinion submitted for publishing in African Renaissance journal.
President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was sworn in as Nigeria’s president on 29th May, 2007 to succeed Olusegun Obasanjo after an election widely regarded as flawed. The administration since its inception is therefore faced with strong challenge of credibility from the Nigerian citizens and the international community.
This challenge led the president to constitute a committee under Justice Muhammed Lawal Uwais to suggest ways of reforming the electoral process. However, one of the key recommendations of the committee that seek to transfer the power of appointing electoral commission chairman to judicial service commission was jettisoned by the government; and the government insist on appointing the electoral commission chairman. There is also not much enthusiasm towards implementation of other recommendations of the committee. Re-run elections in several states like Ekiti were still marred by widespread rigging. Where results of election are cancelled by election tribunals and fresh elections conducted, the ruling party wins in majority of the states.
One of the cardinal programmes of the administration is the vision 20:2020 which aims to make Nigeria to be among the 20th most industrialized nations by the year 2020. However, apart from repeating the same mantra time and again by government officials, there is nothing on the ground to suggest implementation of programmes aimed at achieving that objective. The promise of generating 6000MW of electricity before the end of 2009 remains illusive. The administration has also not taken concrete step to repair the dilapidated transport system. Nigerians are daily losing their lives in road traffic accidents.
The administration has also promised to respect rule of law and fight corruption. But less than one year from its inception, the erstwhile chairman of Economic and Financial crimes Commission [EFCC], Mr Nuhu Ribadu was posted in a controversial circumstance for a course at National institute of policy and strategic Studies [NIPSS] and replaced by Mrs Farida Waziri. Mr Ribadu was later dismissed from the Nigeria Police on charges of insubordination. The removal of Mr Ribadu and subsequent dismissal from the Nigeria Police has made many people sceptical about the administration’s commitment to fighting corruption.
Industrial actions by several workers unions in demand for salary increment have become incessant since inception of the administration. Academic staffs of Nigerian universities have been on strike for 4 months now leading to suspension of academic activities in most universities. However, the President visited Saudi Arabia to grace the occasion of opening a university when the nation’s universities remain closed due to strike action by university lecturers.
Foreign relations has not been given much importance by the Yar’adua administration as the President was absent at this year’s United Nations summit, a summit he should have attended but decided to visit Saudi Arabia instead.
The nation is also facing serious security challenges like kidnappings in demand of ransom, armed robbery and religious crisis like the recent Boko haram crisis in Northern Nigeria.
With all the problems bedevilling the administration, I believe President Yar’adua has taken some steps to address the lingering militant actions in the Niger delta by declaring an amnesty to the militants. Thousands have accepted the amnesty and surrendered their arms.
The recent sanitization of the banking sector by the central bank governor is also a positive step in improving the nation’s economy. The EFCC was able to recover over N 100billion from the non performing loans granted by several banks.
I believe the administration has performed below expectation of most Nigerians because it has failed to address much of the problems bedevilling the nation; but we expect the administration to make an improvement before the next general election in 2011.
The administration should implement all the recommendations of the Uwais panel because that is the first step that will reform the electoral process and ensure that the nation conducts a free and fair election in 2011 and subsequent elections. Steps should also be taken to improve power generation and repair critical infrastructure like roads and railways. Government should also try and resolve the lingering industrial action by university lecturers and all other unions and prevent future occurrence of similar strike actions. The government should also improve security situation in the whole country. It should also give more emphasis to foreign relations and better collaboration with International community.
It is our expectation that the election of 2011 will give Nigerians the opportunity to elect the people that will lead them, not an election that will be marred by rigging and violence.