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Friday Sermon: The Population Bomb 2

Published

7 years ago

October 12, 2018

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

“Nigeria can produce food for 600million people through the application of the right technology. Commitment is needed by stakeholders dedicated to increasing food production for the country, as well as regaining her position as a net food exporter.” Danish Ambassador

For thousands of years famine has been humanity’s worst enemy. Until recently most humans lived on the very edge of the biological poverty line, below which people succumb to malnutrition and hunger. A small mistake or a bit of bad luck could easily be a death sentence for an entire population. Misfortune or stupidity on the collective level resulted in mass famines. Human history is full of horrific accounts of famished populations, driven mad by hunger. Some say it is nature’s way of correcting the population. During such events provisions become scarce; and governments are far too weak to save the day or provide for the people. We see it happening today, especially in this our clime where governments abdicate their roles and the masses are usually left in the lurch.

At such times people cry to God to ‘Deliver them from hunger’. But God does not send down ‘manna’ anymore. The ‘sinful’ nature of man has made God to withdraw to the high heavens and we should not expect such prayers to be answered today. Now it is ‘work and eat’ as we read in Psalm 128:2 “For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.”

What this means is that governments should look out for the welfare of their people; not the Church or the Umma. During the last hundred years, technological, economic and political developments have created an increasingly robust safety net separating humankind from the biological poverty line; except here in Africa where we are being left behind.

At the first World Food Conference held in Rome in 1974, delegates were treated to apocalyptic scenarios, particularly about China and India. Then, Deng Xiaoping just started opening up China and there were 700 million Chinese living in extreme poverty. The conference concluded that there was no way for China to feed its billion people, and that the world’s most populous country was heading towards catastrophe. But they were proved wrong; China performed the greatest economic miracle in history by lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty, not by divine intervention, occasioned by fasting at the ‘Camps’, or ‘prayer cities’ or reading copiously from Chairman Mao’s ‘Little Red Book’ but by the dint of far reaching socio-economic policies and micro-management by successive Chinese leaders. In 1974, China had only 8million university graduates: Today, she has more than 300 million graduates, roughly the entire population of the United States of America. Yet China is not an Islamic or Christian nation.

Are we prepared to do what China did to conquer the debilitating consequences of the population bomb? Are we prepared to stop the obnoxious social and cultural practices that still prevail among some sections of our society such as child marriage; a most ungodly and unholy practice which is not supported by any scripture known to man. The same goes for the institution of polygamy which the faithful usually attribute to an injunction of the Quran but which in context, is about doing justice. “If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly [with them], then only one, or [a captive] that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.”(Quran 4:3)

Permission to have more than one wife is not a substantive law in the Holy Qur’an, but a remedial or emergency law. It should not be brought into operation unless circumstances justify it, such as times of war when many men lose their lives, women are widowed and children are orphaned. The objects of marriage are four-fold: Protection against social, moral, and spiritual maladies (2:187; 4:24); secondly, a source of progeny (4:1); thirdly, a source of a loving companion providing peace of mind and comfort (30:21); and finally, the social and economic protection of orphans and widows of war (4:127).

To discourage polygamy, the Holy Qur’an first limits the number of wives to a maximum of four, before imposing a strict condition of equality: “If you fear that you will not be able to deal equitably then (marry only) one.” Later in verse 129 we are told, “It is not within your power to maintain perfect balance between wives, even though you are so eager.” To deal equitably is an injunction; any violation of this is a significant sin and against Quranic law. Thus, this permission of a maximum of four wives nonetheless imposes considerable restriction and severe conditions on males that makes taking another wife almost impossible.

Apart from proclivity to polygamy and child marriage, there are other hindrances to concerted population control, one of which is the Christian attitude to birth control and contraception.

The Church and Population Control

Despite the changing attitude of other churches, Catholicism maintains its traditional opposition to population control. The Church holds contraception to be sinful and contrary to scriptural teaching. Thus, St. Augustine declares that “intercourse even with one’s legitimate wife is unlawful and wicked where the conception of the offspring is prevented”. Onan, the son of Juda in the Bible, did this and the Lord killed him for it. See Genesis 38:3-10. The punishment for breach of the levirate marriage law however, is laid down elsewhere in the Old Testament (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10). The Old Testament also contains the general injunction to “increase and multiply”: Licence to procreate. Contraception, Catholics maintain, is corrupting to the individual, since it reduces self-control and its employment in the majority of cases will be for selfish reasons. Marriage will be degraded to a legalized form of prostitution. Furthermore, contraceptives undermine public morality by removing the fear of pregnancy, which is a powerful deterrent against promiscuous intercourse.

There is however an argument which stands to reason and cannot be easily faulted: “We must strive to multiply bread so that it suffices for the tables of mankind, and not rather favor an artificial control of birth, which would be irrational, in order to diminish the number of guests at the banquet of life.” This imposes an immense responsibility. And whose responsibility is it to multiply the bread; our governments of course by their policies, which in the end might entail some social engineering.

Can we trust our leaders to make enough bread available on our tables? Can we guarantee schools for our children and employment after graduation? What of those who for one reason or the other could not get to the Uni, are we making provisions for them to become artisans and self-employed technicians? Are we making provisions for girl-child education, instead of sentencing them to early, premature marriage or as gifts to their father’s friends? Are we encouraging the nomads to get educated instead for roaming the forest and destroying the farms of innocent people and in the process provoking mayhem and communal strife? Are we expanding the base of healthcare for our people and making provisions for improvements? Are we investing in the future; when only 350 Nigerians are responsible for more than 80 per cent of the N5.4 trillion debt portfolio of AMCON?

Presently, the figures are not good: Rise in the number of internally displaced children and a corresponding increase in birth rates have led to a surge in the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. A Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted by UNICEF and the Nigerian government revealed that the number of out-of-school children rose from 10.5 million in 2010 to 13.2 million in 2015. Terry Durnnia, education chief, at UNICEF said 45 percent of out-of-school children in West Africa are Nigerians, 60% of them are in the North and majority of them are girls due to early marriage. Azuka Menkiti, UNICEF education specialist, said 50 percent of pupils in the north do not further their education. According to Femi Falana; “Having failed to fund public education, the children of the poor are roaming the streets, hawking goods while the rich are educating their children in private schools at home and abroad. But to the detriment of the society, the abandoned children of the poor are being recruited to criminality by terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal gangs.”

By some estimates Nigerian tertiary education institutions produce up to 500,000, half of these graduates are sentenced to the unemployment queue. What will then happen when we become the third most populous country in the world? These are unimaginable scenario to contemplate.

By 2050, 80 per cent of all the poor people in the world will live on the African continent; 50% of that will be in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two countries will account for 40 per cent of all the poor people in the world. Yet, in 1960, the per capital income in Nigeria was higher than what it was in South Korea, and China.

Currently we are not making serious efforts to expand and improve education and health and create enabling environment for employment nor are we making strenuous efforts to invest in the future? Yet, some people have enough money in their war chests more than some states. If care is not taken, says the Emir of Kano, we risk the chance of becoming the poverty capital of the world. Those countries that escaped the poverty trap achieved the feat because they planned for the future. We too can avert the coming eruption if we start now, but we need leaders who are committed to the Nigerian Project and not sectional and ethnic demigods and jingoists.

O Allah; “Guide us to the straight path.” Quran 1:6

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend

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Iran Has Given Up on Nuclear Weapons, Trump Claims

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

Eric

US President, Donald Trump, said on Tuesday that Iran gave him a “very big present” related to the Strait of Hormuz, boosting his confidence that he is talking to the right people in Tehran to end the war.

The cryptic announcement came a day after Trump unexpectedly postponed threatened attacks on Iran’s power plants and said Washington is in negotiations with unspecified figures in Iran.

Tehran has, however, denied being part of any talks to end the war, which is now in its fourth week and has disrupted global oil supplies passing through the strategic Hormuz Strait.

“They did something yesterday that was amazing actually. They gave us a present and the present arrived today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“That meant one thing to me — we’re dealing with the right people.”

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for new US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Trump said the “gift” was “very significant”, adding that it was “oil and gas-related.”

Asked if it was related to his demand that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic, Trump replied: “Yeah, it was related to the flow and to the strait.”

The US president added that the “present” was not related to Iran’s nuclear program, but repeated his claim that the Iranian side “agreed they will never have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump has not yet revealed who the United States is negotiating with in Tehran, saying only on Monday as he postponed a threat to attack Iran’s energy sites by five days that it is a “top person.”

“We’re actually talking to the right people, and they want to make a deal so badly,” Trump said.

Former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the joint Israeli-US air campaign, and successor Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public.

But Trump said that the killing of Khamenei senior and a host of other top Iranian officials meant “we have really regime change. The leaders are all very different with the ones that we started off with.”

US Vice President, JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, global envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were all involved in the Iranian talks, Trump said.

But he did not confirm reports that Witkoff and Kushner were headed to Pakistan for talks with Iran, with Vance possibly to follow afterward if the negotiations appeared serious.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered on Tuesday to act as a mediator to end the conflict.

He said he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, promising Islamabad’s help to bring peace to the region.

Trump meanwhile joked that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth “didn’t want it to be settled” because he wanted to keep striking Iranian targets.

“We see ourselves as part of this negotiation as well. We negotiate with bombs,” Hegseth said when he was called to the podium by Trump.

Agency Report

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Dangote Warns of Dire Consequences for Nigeria If Iran War Continues

Published

2 days ago

March 24, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s foremost industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has warned that Middle-East tensions driving global oil volatility could have far-reaching consequences for Nigeria and African economies.

Dangote spoke on Monday in Lagos after a courtesy visit and Eid-el-Fitr homage to President Bola Tinubu.

He said the visit was to extend Sallah greetings, reconnect with the president after some time, and reaffirm respect and continued support for the administration’s policies.

Dangote noted Nigeria had no direct role in the crisis but would still feel the impact because of deep global economic interdependence.

“We are part of a global village, and unfortunately, developments like this will affect us even if we are not directly involved,” he said.

He warned that prolonged tensions could trigger higher fuel prices, rising transport costs, inflationary pressures, and widespread hardship across African economies.

“If the situation does not de-escalate, we will end up paying a heavy price, especially given existing economic challenges,” Dangote said.

He explained that governments could face mounting fiscal strain as subsidies rise and revenues fluctuate under unstable global oil market conditions.

Dangote added that Africa’s rising debt burden could worsen under prolonged instability, further limiting fiscal space and weakening economic resilience.

“Africa is already grappling with debt, and additional shocks will only compound hardship for governments and the people,” he said.

He said escalating energy costs would disrupt nearly every sector, including small enterprises, manufacturing chains, logistics operations and household consumption patterns.

“Energy affects everything. From small businesses like barbers to industries running generators, everyone will feel the impact if costs continue to rise,” he said.

Dangote noted that some countries are already adopting coping strategies such as reduced workdays, energy rationing and remote working arrangements.

He said such measures, while necessary, could reduce productivity, slow economic output and affect livelihoods, particularly among vulnerable populations.

Dangote urged global leaders to prioritise de-escalation, stressing that many Africans rely on daily earnings and remain highly exposed to economic shocks.

“In Africa, in Nigeria, many people depend on daily earnings. If they don’t work, they don’t eat. So we must pray this situation comes down quickly,” he said.

On Tinubu’s recent visit to the United Kingdom, Dangote said the trip had opened new economic opportunities and strengthened Nigeria’s investment outlook.

“I believe the visit has opened many doors. Diplomacy without economic outcomes is incomplete, and this has created opportunities for Nigeria,” he said.

He said agreements reached during the visit, especially in infrastructure and financing, signaled growing international confidence in Nigeria’s reform agenda.

“It is not just about the money committed, but the confidence it shows in Nigeria and the reforms being implemented,” he said.

Dangote said planned investments in critical sectors such as ports would significantly improve trade efficiency and support medium-term economic expansion.

“These investments will help improve our infrastructure, especially in key areas like ports, and complement ongoing government efforts,” Dangote said.

He expressed optimism that other countries, including Germany, would follow with investments as confidence in Nigeria’s economy strengthens.

“Once confidence is established, other countries will come in. It is a signal that Nigeria is ready for business,” he said.

Dangote said the agreements would enable Nigerian private sector players to access international financing and technical support for large-scale projects.

“For Nigerian investors, this shows we can approach these agencies to access funding. It means they are now open to supporting our projects,” Dangote said.

He described the development as a breakthrough, noting that such credit facilities had historically remained underutilised by Nigerian businesses.

“We have not really utilised these resources before, but now there is clear capacity and willingness to fund viable Nigerian projects,” he said.

Dangote reaffirmed his support for the administration, expressing confidence that reforms, partnerships and investor confidence would drive sustainable economic growth in Nigeria.

NAN

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The Travails of Nasir El-Rufai

Published

4 days ago

March 22, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The present predicament of the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has created diverse camps of supportive, non-supportive and completely indifferent reactions.

The former governor, who completed his two terms in office on May 29, 2023, has remained in the news ever since for the wrong reasons. First, falling out with his supposed godson, the incumbent Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, who has accused him of embezzlement of public funds while in office, using the state house of Assembly.

Secondly, he was unceremoniously dropped from the list of favored applicants for ministerial positions after the Senate, in a brazen act, rejected his nomination and failed to confirm him after undergoing ministerial screening. El-Rufai has neither forgiven the Senate nor President Bola Tinubu for allowing that to happen.

El-Rufai, whi was once the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had consequently turned himself into a vocal critic of the government, offering explanations why the present administration must not be allowed to return to power in 2027.

His most recent outburst of accusing the NSA, Mallam Nuru Ribadu, of orchestrating his arrest on arrival to Nigeria from Egypt, had set the stage for his present predicament. The former governor had in a live interview on Arise Television, claimed to have tapping into the NSA’s communications line, thereby becoming privy to the discussions relating to the order of his arrest. He was therefore, invited to explain the whys and hows of his bugging a high level security line. El-Rufai has not come out of detention ever since. His journey has proceeded from the gaurdroom of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the Department of State Security (DSS).

From all indications, these are not the best of times for the immediate past Governor. And stakeholders have insisted that it’s only a passionate presidential pardon that could extricate the former FCT minister from all entanglements.

Meanwhile, a cross-section of the newest opposition block, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has insisted that the predicaments and persecutions El-Rufai found himself, and is facing at the moment are orchestrations of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by President Tinubu just as the ruling party has maintained that the former governor is facing the music of his actions and inaction while in office between 2015 and 2023.

Recall that in August 2023, the Senate set the tone for what awaits El-Rufai in the Tinubu administration, when the group, against all expectations rejected his nomination as a minister, confirming 45 others. He was one of the nine former governors nominated for ministerial positions by the Tinubu administration.

The Senate refused to confirm the nomination of Nasir El-Rufai, as well as two other nominees including Stella Okotete (Delta) and Sani Danladi (Taraba).

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had informed that the three nominees not confirmed would be subjected to further security checks even as he advise them to take their matter to Mr President, stressing that the non-conformation status stemmed from ‘security reasons’.

It must be recalled also that during El-Rufai’s screening on the floor of the Senate, Senator Karimi Sunday from Kogi West Senatorial District raised a “very strong petition” against the ex-Kaduna governor that bothered on insecurity, unity, and national cohesion.

Sunday, who praised El-Rufai’s performance as Kaduna governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) some 20 years ago, said, “but I have a very strong petition against you that bothers on security, unity and cohesiveness of the Nigerian nation and I think that petition has to be considered along this screening exercise”.

Much as there was a loud resistance from the Senators against the subject, the Senate President insisted on allowing the Kogi senator’s view to stand, citing reception of other petitions against the former governor.

“Distinguished colleagues, perhaps I should inform you that I have received petitions from many other people in respect of other nominees but this is not where we are to deal with petitions. Our job here is to screen and of course, we can refer petitions to where petitions would be dealt with.

“These are the nominees of Mr President. If it is something that is a formal petition before the Senate, we will look at it formally but there are certain petitions that we have to refer to the Presidency or security agencies to look at and that has nothing to do with us.

“I think by the time we are going with the issue of confirmation and approval, we will so advise. So, I will want to plead with my brother (El-Rufai) to take a bow. So, don’t bother about (addressing the petition). Thank you.”

That was the beginning of the many Travails that trailed, and continued to trail the former Kaduna governor. His case was never revisited. His preferred, and speculated ministerial portfolio, Power, was handed to a legal practitioner, marking the end of the presidential consideration. That was when El-Rufai and Tinubu’s relationship entered the stage of ‘no love lost’

Shortly afterwards in June 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s ad hoc committee had earlier submitted its investigative report on the El-Rufai administration’s financial dealings, loans, and contracts to the House

The chairman of the ad hoc committee, Henry Zacharia, said the loans secured during El-Rufai’s tenure were largely misused, and in some instances, proper procedures were not followed in obtaining them.

The Assembly Speaker, Yusuf Liman, alleged that El-Rufai’s administration misappropriated N423 billion, resulting in significant financial burdens for the state.

Many Nigerians, though had their misgivings about the 8-years stewardship of El-Rufai, dismissed the charges, claiming it was an aftermath of his altercations with the president. Some assumed it was a witchhunt perpetrated by an administration that has issues with the ex-governor.

In response however, El-Rufai sued the Kaduna State House of Assembly over claims that his administration embezzled N432 billion and left the state with significant debt obligations.

He filed a fundamental rights enforcement case against the Kaduna State House of Assembly at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.

El-Rufai, who appeared in person to file the lawsuit, alleged that the committee denied him a fair hearing, according to a statement by the former governor’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, posted on his X handle.

The lawsuit, filed by El-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, contested the Kaduna Assembly Committee’s report, which accused El-Rufai of corruption.

Adekeye wrote, “His lawyer, AU Mustapha SAN, said that El-Rufai approached the court as a Nigerian citizen who is entitled to be given a fair hearing before his rights can be determined by a quasi-judicial or investigative body or courts in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

“El-Rufai also asked the court to declare that by the provisions of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities and Other Related Matters of the Government of Kaduna State from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023, as ratified by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, is unconstitutional and therefore null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution.”

Though questions as to whether the persecutions and legal attacks on El-Rufai were products of his vituperations on the presidency for canceling his nomination as a minister, the former governor had continued to leverage on any interview to speak of the incompetence of the administration, while attempting to rally Nigerians to vote out the government come 2027. El-Rufai had also joined the now major opposition party towards wrestling power from Tinubu and his APC government.

On February 12, 2026, El-Rufai was accosted by security operatives, who attempted to arrest him upon his arrival from Cairo at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. His passport was seized in the scuffle that ensued, even as he reportedly declined to accompany operatives without the presentation of a warrant.

To make matters worse, El-Rufai, while appearing on a live interview boasted of intercepting a phone conversation, where the NSA Nuhu Ribadu, had given the order for his arrest on arrival to Nigeria.

El-Rufai had alleged that he and some others listen to the telephone conversations of Mr Ribadu after an individual tapped the NSA’s phone.

He defended the legality of the phone interception, acknowledging that it is technically illegal but claiming, “The government does it all the time. They listen to our calls without a court order. But someone tapped his phone and told us that he gave the order.”

But like the government has been waiting for the slip, they capitalized on the revelation to initiate another round of investigation against the former governor

In His reaction after the interview on Arise TV, Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, raised concerns about the implications of the claim for national security.

“El-Rufai has confessed to wire-tapping Nigeria’s NSA on TV. Does it mean that he and his collaborators have wire-tapping facilities?” Onanuga queried.

He added that the issue should not be ignored, stressing the need for accountability.

“This should be thoroughly investigated and punishment meted out. El-Rufai is not too big to face the wrath of the law,” the presidential spokesperson stated.

However, between February 16 and 18, El-Rufai was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the allegations of misappropriating ₦432 billion during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.

The government made good its threat as the DSS arrested the former governor, and filed cybercrimes charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against him over the phone-tapping allegation. The case was filed as FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026.

The prosecution said he admitted to intercepting the NSA’s communications, failed to report others who conducted unlawful interceptions, and compromised public safety and national security by using technical systems to tap the NSA’s phone.

The alleged acts were said to violate provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003. No arraignment date has been fixed, and Mr El-Rufai has not publicly responded to the charges.

El-Rufai’s immediate family members have however, denied the DSS allegations just as the former proceeded to the courts to get a judgment declaring every finding as may be presented by the DSS as untenable, citing unauthorisation.

But the ICPC has continued to hold on to the former against the law as many respondents have cited.

In its defence, the ICPC attempted to provide a provide a timeline of events, to prove that El-Rufai’s detention followed a court approved process tied to ongoing investigations into alleged financial crimes., according to statement signed by John Okor Odey, the Head, Media and Public Communication at the ICPC.

“The initial remand order was granted, allowing the Commission to detain the suspect for 14 days to investigate allegations of money laundering and abuse of office. Upon the expiration of the initial order, the Commission applied for a 14-day extension to complete its investigations, which the court acceded to on 5th March, 2026.”

It further noted that an earlier attempt by El-Rufai’s counsel to nullify the remand order had already failed.

“Counsel to El-Rufai attempted to set aside the remand order issued on 19th February, 2026, but the application was dismissed on 9th March, 2026.”

The ICPC maintained that the former governor remains in custody in line with legal provisions.

“Mallam El-Rufai remains in the lawful custody of the ICPC under the remand order dated 5th March, 2026. The Commission is strictly following the court mandated timeline, including the requirement for a progress report.”

It emphasised that all actions taken so far align with the law.

“The ICPC conducts its duties with the highest professionalism and respect for the rule of law. The remand of Mr El-Rufai has been authorised by a court of law in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.”

The Commission also reiterated its stance against media interference in legal processes.

“Furthermore, the ICPC remains firm in upholding its longstanding policy of avoiding media trials. We believe that legal disputes should be settled in the courtroom, not on newspaper pages and social media platforms. The Commission’s leadership remains steadfast and undeterred in confronting any and all challenges in the course of the current investigation.”

It urged the public to rely on verified information.

“We urge the public to avoid spreading unverified information and to rely on official updates from the Commission.”

It will still be till end of March before the fate of El-Rufai is known in these fast-paced travails with the government-controlled security agencies.