Opinion

Voice of Emancipation: Delusions of Northern Nigerian

Published

4 years ago

June 26, 2021

Eric

By Kayode Emola

It is very awful when people vested with some authority deliberately tell lies just to score a cheap point. That was what happened last week when a northern group claimed that the revenues generated from cotton and groundnut were what was used to develop the oil industry in the Niger Delta. This story which is completely untrue and unfounded, was yet capable of misinforming the unsuspecting masses and turning a lie into the truth overnight.

Perhaps this is not the first time such a situation will happen as the Yoruba people and other nationalities in southern Nigeria have constantly been fed with such many lies in the past. After all, it was once argued that the North are the providers of food for everyone in Nigeria. But the truth of the matter is that southern Nigeria is blessed with the most fertile soil in the country and has one of the best yields in agricultural produce.

Let me state it now for the record that the country Nigeria should not have been amalgamated into a union but for the resources of the south and the ever-increasing deficit in the north. It was this that made British government desperate and antsy when the parsimonious Lord Lugard did everything he could to force a union that was destined to ruin lives upon the natives. The Secretary of State for the colonies Lord Harcourt in 1912 when trying to balance the books for acquiring northern Nigeria that was always in deficit, called on Lord Lugard to help solve his greatest nightmare. Lugard had previously around 1906 wrote a long memorandum calling for the amalgamation of northern and southern Nigeria due to the continuous deficit in the Northern Nigeria budget. He argued that since Britain controlled both territories, joining the two protectorates was the right thing to do in order to spare the British tax payers of continuously supporting an unviable northern Nigeria not minding the peculiarities of both protectorates.

It is a shame that we the Yoruba people for many centuries have let our guard down and allowed many mishaps come our way, especially those of the 20th century. One would have thought that with the level of education our people have acquired over these years we should have been the brain powerhouse of Nigeria. Alas this is not the case; we have our intellectuals happy to be at the beck and call of the “supposed” illiterate northern Nigerian people. Having taught in several schools in northern Nigerian, I can emphatically say people of northern Nigerian are not as daft as we portray them to be. Majority of them have sound intellectual acumen equal to that of an average southern Nigerian person if not even higher. The only major challenge the people from northern Nigerian face is that their leaders and elders have not taken formal education seriously and has not done much to invest in this aspect for their theming population as compared with the south.

With our education in the south, we always think it makes us more superior humans than people from the north. However, we lack the requisite actions that should make the uneducated shiver when we make bold a claim. It is a pity that the level of education being handed down from the latter part of the 20th century was education not designed to transform our mind but that which makes us conform to the norm handed over to us from colonial Britain. For instance, most Yoruba leaders during the time of independence looked on without qualms when all our major institutions were systematically and covertly converted by the Fulani central government into Nigerian property. We lost all our tertiary institutions built by the Yoruba regional government to the Federal government. We also lost our many high commissions around the world, our radio and television stations, among several institutions that should have provided the backbone for our economic development.

With all the resources that should have given we the Yoruba people the independence and freedom we worked so hard to achieve. We watched whilst everything was either taken away from us or completely destroyed right before our very eyes. Our Yoruba leaders and present-day politicians continue to look on and to cheer the northern oligarchs as they manipulate our destiny. This has left us completely helpless and vulnerable thus making what is a difficult world even harder to survive. I believe many of these fantasy leaders would expect that this would continue in perpetuity but alas it is only a deluded mind that would think evil will triumph over good all of the time. It should be noted that not all generations will be confused and there is always a generation that would eventually get it right. I believe this generation is here to make things right so that the next generation need not suffer what we and our parents suffered.

Whilst majority of the Yoruba leaders continue to live in their cocoon thinking that the status quo in Nigeria will continue forever. Many northern Nigeria people continue to live in their delusion that Nigeria is indissoluble as though it was a chemical agent that has been bonded in a laboratory that cannot be reversed. Oliver Lyttelton, the Secretary of State for the Colonies when Nigeria was seeking her independence made a statement to the British Parliament on 21 May 1953 where he stated that; recent events in that time have shown that it is not possible for the three regions that made up Nigeria then to work effectively in a federation so closely knit together as that provided by the constitution. He noted that the constitution will have to be redrawn to provide for greater regional autonomy and for the removal of powers of intervention from the central government.

It is not surprising today that the first item that was attacked during the military era of the 1960’s when we attained independence from Britain was the Nigerian constitution. The same unworkable central government arrangement Mr Lyttelton talked about was hurriedly introduced which has continued to plunge the country into an abysmal depth with no hope of redemption. One would have expected the Yoruba politicians to quickly do whatever it takes to reverse the ugly trend but since no one was suspecting, the ugly situation was left unabated until it got worse. Whilst things are now at its worst, majority of our Yoruba politicians are still not conscious of the fact that Nigeria was built on a false premise whose promise of hope, unity, prosperity and love only lies in the recitation of the national anthem.

Northern Nigeria today is riddled with blood hungry terrorist opposing every form of western education. Schools are been pillaged every now and again to kidnap innocent students to the extent that it has now become a new normal. Rather that the northern elders and leaders to openly condemn these nefarious activities, they continue to spur the terrorist on. Urging them in their act of violence as if it is the only way to make a case for their own misfortune. To the extent that a popular cleric is now openly calling for the central government to enter into negotiations with the terrorist. This dastardly act that has now pillaged the country is the last that is about to break the camel’s back as Nigeria cannot survive its current misfortune.

It is a known fact around the world that treating the symptoms of any ailment can never bring the desired healing. A holistic examination needs always be carried out to examine the root cause of the ailment and then appropriate solution offered. With the many problems bedevilling Nigeria at the moment, one need not ask if dissolving the country along the arbitrary lines of latitude which doubles as the regional line is the only viable option. Whilst I implore the Yoruba people to look critically into their exit from Nigeria that is sinking into the abyss on a daily basis. I will urge the northern Nigerian to wake up from their delusion that Nigeria is indissoluble. No northern money was used to finance any project from the south. On the contrary, The Yoruba nation is contributing around 72 percent of her revenue to the Nigerian state and only getting around 18 percent in return. When the northern farmers threatened not to bring onions and other foodstuffs to southern Nigeria to sell, it was them who suffered it the most. The earlier the north and the south realise that Nigeria is no longer a viable entity, the better it is for everyone involved.

Opinion

How Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza (PT, mNSP) Became Kano’s Healthcare Star and a Model for African Women in Leadership

Published

6 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

My dear country men and women, over the years, I have been opportune to watch numerous speeches delivered by outstanding women shaping the global health sector especially those within Africa. Back home, I have also listened to towering figures like Dr. Hadiza Galadanci, the renowned O&G consultant whose passion for healthcare reform continues to inspire many. Even more closer home, there is Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza, my classmate and colleague. Anyone who knew her from the beginning would remember a hardworking young woman who left no stone unturned in her pursuit of excellence. Today, she stands tall as one of the most powerful illustrations of what African women in leadership can achieve when brilliance, discipline, and integrity are brought together.

Before I dwell into the main business for this week, let me make this serious confession. If you are a regular traveler within Nigeria like myself, especially in the last two years, you will agree that no state currently matches Kano in healthcare delivery and institutional sophistication. This transformation is not accidental. It is the result of a coordinated, disciplined, and visionary ecosystem of leadership enabled by Kano State Governor, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf. From the strategic drive of the Hospitals Management Board under the meticulous leadership of Dr. Mansur Nagoda, to the policy direction and oversight provided by the Ministry of Health led by the ever committed Dr. Abubakar Labaran, and the groundbreaking reforms championed by the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board under the highly cerebral Professor Salisu Ahmed Ibrahim, the former Private Health Institution Management Agency (PHIMA) boss, a man who embodies competence, hard work, honesty, and principle, the progress of Kano’s health sector becomes easy to understand. With such a strong leadership backbone, it is no surprise that individuals like Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza is thriving and redefining what effective healthcare leadership looks like in Nigeria.

Across the world, from top medical institutions to global leadership arenas, one truth echoes unmistakably: when women lead with vision, systems transform. Their leadership is rarely about theatrics or force; it is about empathy, innovation, discipline, and a capacity to drive change from the inside out. Kano State has, in recent years, witnessed this truth firsthand through the extraordinary work of Dr. Fatima at Sheikh Muhammad Jidda General Hospital.

In less than 2 years, Dr. Fatima has emerged as a phenomenon within Kano’s healthcare landscape. As the youngest hospital director in the state, she has demonstrated a style of leadership that mirrors the excellence seen in celebrated female leaders worldwide, women who inspire not by occupying space, but by redefining it. Her performance has earned her two high level commendations. First, a recognition by the Head of Service following a rigorous independent assessment of her achievements, and more recently, a formal commendation letter from the Hospitals Management Board acknowledging her professionalism, discipline, and transformative impact.

These acknowledgements are far more than administrative gestures, they place her in the company of women leaders whose influence reshaped nations: New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern with her empathy driven governance, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with her courageous reforms, and Germany’s Angela Merkel with her disciplined, steady leadership. Dr. Fatima belongs to this esteemed lineage of women who do not wait for change, they create it.

What sets her apart is her ability to merge vision with structure, compassion with competence, and humility with bold ambition. Staff members describe her as firm yet accessible, warm yet uncompromising on standards, traits that embody the modern leadership model the world is steadily embracing. Under her stewardship, Sheikh Jidda General Hospital has transformed from a routine public facility into an institution of possibility, demonstrating what happens when a capable woman is given the opportunity to lead without constraint.

The recent commendation letter from the Hospitals Management Board captures this evolution clearly: “Dr. Fatima has strengthened administrative coordination, improved patient care, elevated professional standards, and fostered a hospital environment where excellence has become the norm rather than the exception”. These outcomes are remarkable in a system that often battles bureaucratic bottlenecks and infrastructural limitations. Her work is proof that effective leadership especially in health must be visionary, intentional, and rooted in integrity.

In a period when global discourse places increasing emphasis on the importance of women in leadership particularly in healthcare, Dr. Fatima stands as a living testament to what is possible. She has demonstrated that leadership is never about gender, but capacity, clarity of purpose, and the willingness to serve with unwavering commitment.

Her rise sends a powerful message to young girls across Nigeria and Africa: that excellence has no gender boundaries. It is a call to institutions to trust and empower competent women. And it is a reminder to society that progress accelerates when leadership is guided by competence rather than stereotypes.

As Kano continues its journey toward comprehensive healthcare reform, Dr. Fatima represents a new chapter, one where leadership is defined not by age or gender, but by impact, innovation, and measurable progress. She is, without question, one of the most compelling examples of modern African women in leadership today.

May her story continue to enlighten, inspire, and redefine what African women can, and will achieve when given the opportunity to lead.

Dr. Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

Opinion

Book Review: Against the Odds by Dozy Mmobuosi

Published

2 days ago

December 4, 2025

Eric

By Sola Ojewusi

Against the Odds is an ambitious, deeply personal, and unflinchingly honest memoir that traces the remarkable rise of Dozy Mmobuosi, one of Nigeria’s most dynamic and controversial entrepreneurs. In this sweeping narrative, Mmobuosi reveals not just the public milestones of his career, but the intimate struggles, internal battles, and defining moments that shaped his identity and worldview.

The book is both a personal testimony and a broader commentary on leadership, innovation, and Africa’s future—and it succeeds in balancing these worlds with surprising emotional clarity.

A Candid Portrait of Beginnings

Mmobuosi’s story begins in the bustling, unpredictable ecosystem of Lagos, where early challenges served as the furnace that forged his ambitions. The memoir details the circumstances of his upbringing, the value systems passed down from family, and the early encounters that sparked his desire to build solutions at scale.

These foundational chapters do important work: they humanize the protagonist. Readers meet a young Dozy not as a business figurehead, but as a Nigerian navigating complex social, financial, and personal realities—realities that millions of Africans will find familiar.

The Making of an Entrepreneur

As the narrative progresses, the memoir transitions into the defining phase of Mmobuosi’s business evolution. Here, he walks readers through the origins of his earliest ventures and the relentless curiosity that led him to operate across multiple industries—fintech, agri-tech, telecoms, AI, healthcare, consumer goods, and beyond.

What is striking is the pattern of calculated risk-taking. Mmobuosi positions himself as someone unafraid to venture into uncharted territory, even when the cost of failure is steep. His explanations offer readers valuable insights into:
• market intuition
• the psychology of entrepreneurship
• the sacrifices required to build at scale
• the emotional and operational toll of high-growth ventures

These passages make the book not only readable but instructive—especially for emerging

African entrepreneurs.

Triumphs, Crises, and Public Scrutiny
One of the book’s most compelling strengths is its willingness to confront controversy head-on.

Mmobuosi addresses periods of intense scrutiny, institutional pressure, and personal trials.

Instead of glossing over these chapters, he uses them to illustrate the complexities of building businesses in emerging markets and navigating public perception.

The tone is reflective rather than defensive, inviting readers to consider the thin line between innovation and misunderstanding in environments where the rules are still being written.

This vulnerability is where the memoir finds its emotional resonance.

A Vision for Africa

Beyond personal history, Against the Odds expands into a passionate manifesto for African transformation. Mmobuosi articulates a vision of a continent whose young population, natural resources, and intellectual capital position it not as a follower, but a potential leader in global innovation.

He challenges outdated narratives about Africa’s dependency, instead advocating for
homegrown technology, supply chain sovereignty, inclusive economic systems, and investment in human capital.

For development strategists, policymakers, and visionaries, these sections elevate the work from memoir to thought leadership.

The Writing: Accessible, Engaging, and Purposeful

Stylistically, the memoir is direct and approachable. Mmobuosi writes with clarity and intention, blending storytelling with reflection in a way that keeps the momentum steady. The pacing is effective: the book moves seamlessly from personal anecdotes to business lessons, from introspection to bold declarations.

Despite its business-heavy subject matter, the prose remains accessible to everyday readers.

The emotional honesty, in particular, will appeal to those who appreciate memoirs that feel lived rather than curated.

Why This Book Matters

Against the Odds arrives at a critical moment for Africa’s socioeconomic trajectory. As global attention shifts toward African innovation, the need for authentic narratives from those building within the system becomes essential.

Mmobuosi’s memoir offers:
• a case study in resilience
• an insider’s perspective on entrepreneurship in frontier markets
• a meditation on reputation, legacy, and leadership
• a rallying cry for African ambition

For readers like Sola Ojewusi, whose work intersects with media, policy, leadership, and social development, this book offers profound insight into the human stories driving Africa’s new generation of builders.

Final Verdict

Against the Odds is more than a success story—it is a layered, introspective, and timely work that captures the pressures and possibilities of modern African enterprise. It challenges stereotypes, raises important questions about leadership and impact, and ultimately delivers a narrative of persistence that audiences across the world will find relatable.

It is an essential read for anyone interested in the future of African innovation, the personal realities behind public leadership, and the enduring power of vision and resilience

Opinion

Redefining Self-leadership: Henry Ukazu As a Model

Published

3 days ago

December 3, 2025

Eric

By Abdulakeem Sodeeq SULYMAN

In a world filled with talents and unique gifts, nurturing oneself for an impact-filled living becomes one of the potent metrics for assuming how one’s life would unfold – either in the nearest or far future. I am sure the question you may be curious to ask is ‘what is the important quality that has shaped the life of every individual who has unleashed their ingenuity?’ Apparently, our society is filled with numerous people, who missed the track of their life. Their iniquity is boiled down to one thing – failure to lead oneself.

Realising how important it is to be your own leader has been the springboard for every transformative life. Notably, this also becomes the premise for appreciating and celebrating Henry Ukazu for setting the pace and modeling self-leadership in this era, where self-leadership is under-appreciated by our people. Self-leadership itself engineers purposeful and impactful living, turning individuals to sources of hope to others.

This is exactly what Henry Ukazu symbolises. The name Henry Ukazu is akin to many great things such as ‘Unleashing One’s Destiny,’ ‘Finding One’s Purpose’ and ‘Triumphant Living.’ Regardless of the impression one have formed about Henry Ukazu, one thing you cannot deny is his ability to be pure to nature and committed to his cause. Henry Ukazu is one of the rare people who still believed in the values of the human worth and has committed every penny of his to ensure that every human deserves to live the best life.

The trajectory of Henry Ukazu’s life is convincing enough to be choosing as an icon by anyone who chooses to climb the ladder of self-leadership. Oftentimes, Henry Ukazu always narrate how he faced the storms of life when birthing his purpose. He takes honour in his struggles, knowing full well that every stumbling blocks life throws at him helped in building himself. If not for self-leadership, he will not found honours in his struggles, let alone challenging himself to be an example of purposeful living to others.

Without mincing words, Henry Ukazu’s life has been blessed with the presence of many people, with some filling his life with disappointments, while some blessing him with immeasurable transformations. Surprisingly, Henry Ukazu has never chosen to be treating people negatively; rather he would only choose the path of honour by avoiding drama and let common sense prevail. That’s one of the height of simplicity!

Dear readers, do you know why today is important for celebrating Henry Ukazu? Today, 3rd December, is his birthday and with all sincerity, Henry Ukazu deserves to be celebrated because he has chosen the noble path, one filled with honours and recognitions for being an icon of inspiration and transformation to the mankind. As Henry Ukazu marks another year today, may the good Lord continue shielding him from all evils and guiding him in right directions, where posterity will feel his role and impacts!

Many happy returns, Sir!