Inna lillahi wa inna ilaiHi Raaji'un!
I received the news of the passing of the Chief Imam of Owo and Chairman of the Ondo State League of Imams and Alfas, our father, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe, with deep sadness, albeit with total submission to the will of Almighty Allah. His death is indeed a huge loss to his family, the people of Owo, Ondo State, and our dear nation.
I vividly recall, with fond memories, my visit to Owo in 2022, during the conferment of an honorary doctoral degree on me by Achievers University in Owo, Ondo State. The sheer warmth and spiritual depth of the people were exemplified in no small measure by the late Chief Imam, who stood as a man of wisdom, integrity, and humility.
His spiritual guidance and leadership touched countless lives, and his absence will be deeply felt.
On behalf of my family, I extend my heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, the Muslim Ummah, the good people of Owo, and the government of Ondo State.
May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings, grant him Jannatul Firdaus, and give his family and community the strength to bear this irreparable loss.
Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, CON (Majidadin Daular Usmaniyya)."
With utmost gratitude to God, I am excited to share that, this afternoon at 3:06 pm, my wife and I welcomed a new soldier into our family—another beautiful baby boy. The mother is in excellent health, as is, of course, the father. Kindly remember us in your prayers.
One of the biggest mistakes some Southerners (not all) make is to look down on Northerners. Calling them Aboki and Nama because you think they are dull. What you mistake for dullness is actually restraint. They are as intelligent as you, and probably more so. But they are restrained by their religion, which governs every aspect of their lives.
From the day they are born to the day they die and are buried, Islam governs their lives and gives them clarity. As a result, for the most part, they do not act outside the boundaries set for them by their religion. They talk less because Islam has disciplined them to be more introspective. But if they have to speak, they are just as eloquent, or perhaps more eloquent, than you and I. In Hausa, Arabic, and English. And sometimes in Fulfulde. Waxiri Atiku Abubakar, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and Ambassador Hassan Turkur, for example, are fluent in all four languages. And except for Ambassador Turkey, they speak and understand Yoruba with lower fluency.
This polyglottic ability is common to most core Northerners. The ones in the Southwest speak Yoruba. Those in the Southeast speak Igbo. They will not tell you because bragging is unIslamic. It is only when you befriend them that you will discover it yourself.
They have the ability to talk and say some of the things you say. But they won't because of the discipline their religion imposes on them. They can act in the same way you act, but they are inhibited due to the training their faith has put them through. They can dress as sexily as you. But they opt not to because Islam is conservative, especially in modes of dressing. There is nothing that you can do that they cannot do. They do not do it, not because they cannot. Rather, they choose not to do it out of fear of God.
Be aware that whereas the colonial masters met some Southerners and Middle Belters butt naked (if you argue, I will produce photos. I say this not to shame anyone, but history is history and is sometimes not pleasant), barefooted, and without any central authority or organised form of government, or writing system, they met core Northerners fully clothed, on horses or donkeys, with sandals, a form of writing (Ajami) and a system of organised hierarchical government that started in Sokoto, invoiced parts of the present day Niger Republic, and ended in modern-day Cameroon.
Rethink the way you look at Northerners. Other than the Yorubas, with their Oyo Empire, the Binis, with their ancient civilisation, and the Itsekiri, with their centuries old standing navy, no other Nigerian people had a complete and modern system of government, with internal organisation and organised transition of power, that transcended their domain and extended to dominating others, apart from the core North.
Whereas, in some places, women do not inherit or have only recently been allowed to be educated, core Northern women have ALWAYS been guaranteed inheritance rights by Islam. They can choose who they will marry and have been educated and educators for centuries. Oh yes. Fact-check me. Nana Asmaʼu was a poet and teacher 200 years ago. And the only woman on Nigerian currency, Ladi Kwali, was a world renowned potter and teacher of pottery skills.
If you know what is good for you as a people, restrain yourself from disrespecting them, and instead, treat them with mutual respect and do not underestimate them. To do so is to make the greatest political mistake you can make, which may set you back decades as a people.
Wise people will learn from the above. But some people will only insult, abuse and threaten. Because when you have nothing in your culture that you hallow, you become shallow.
Reno Omokri
Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Globetrotter. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022.
Nigeria is about to commission Dangote's $19 billion 650,000 barrels per day refinery, the largest single train refinery in the world, at the end of this month. And you have never shown any excitement about the project. You haven't praised it. But you read somewhere that Rwanda wants to build a $2 billion airport, and suddenly you began to praise Rwanda and talk down Nigeria. Yes, Buhari is a disappointment. But you are not better. Rwanda would kill to have what Nigeria has.
#TableShaker
At 5:26 AM today, a beautiful boy cried himself to our world—and made us parents. The newcomer and his mother are in the best of state and shape, and so is their father and husband. May Allah grant him a life of essence and guide him to partake in the redemption of his society.
Pictures of survivors and facilitators during their training for Literacy and Numeracy in various centres in 6 LGAs of Sokoto State. Programme facilitated by @I4Youth in partnership with @ngBritish under the EU-ACT project with support from @EUinNigeria@laureabdul4@komo3008
Join the Conversation to better Understand the ACT Programme; the Objectives, Strategies, Reach and Current activities with @CesdaOfficialtwitter.com/i/spaces/1vAxR…
Time: 8:00 PM WAT
Date: Wednesday, August 17
Venue: Twitter Space - @civicactionng
In a few hours I'll be in this robe which commands maximum respect in the academic community and the world in general. This robe for me is a symbol of grit, hardwork, commitment, patience, delayed gratification & everything else I had to go through for almost 10years to get here.
Some personal news:
I'm happy to announce that yours truly has been promoted from "Analyst" to "Senior Analyst on Sub-Saharan Africa" at the Tony Blair Institute. So grateful for a great team and many thanks to friends and well-wishers for your support and feedback. Thank you.
University of Lagos, current Council Member representing Africa at the World Journalism Education Congress, and Member, Advisory Group, ACSPN, Prof Ralph Afolabi Akinfeleye, holds tomorrow, April 9, 2021, at the Committee of Vice-Chancellor’s Function Hall, 4, Parakou Street,
A book, “Journalism, Communication and Society”, edited by Prof Umaru Pate, President, the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) and Vice-Chancellor, Federal
University,Kashere, in honour of the former Head, Department of Mass Communication,
ACT, MCN, and RoLAC respond to COVID-19
Read more about how our EU-funded programs supported stakeholders to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visit the link for more: justice-security.ng/news/act-mcn-a…@EUinNigeria
Photo credit: MCN