The Yoruba people have, for centuries, nurtured a rich cultural and religious heritage built on diversity, coexistence and mutual respect. Across generations, Yoruba communities have accommodated Isese, Islam and Christianity while preserving a shared identity rooted in language, customs, family values and communal bonds. However, increasing instances of inflammatory rhetoric and religious provocation by individuals claiming to speak for Isese or Christianity are raising concerns about the future of peaceful coexistence among Yoruba Muslims, Christians and traditional worshippers. Traditional rulers, religious leaders and community authorities have a responsibility to address such tendencies before they degenerate into religious hostility, social division…
Author: Editor
In August 2017, I addressed today’s theme in one of my columns. Since then, the situation has worsened considerably. We do not spend sufficient time reflecting on the rapid deterioration of our culture, and we bask in the ignorance that our culture and tradition reflects long held values inherited from our forebears. Meanwhile, Nigerian culture has transformed considerably and has become extremely troubling and indeed frightening.Over the past three decades, millions of private citizens have acquired arms, top-level combat arms, and are using them to kill other private citizens to steal their possessions or to avenge their god from whatever…
Residents of Yidna community in Shiroro Local Government Area have been urged to take full responsibility for the newly rehabilitated Primary Health Care Centre to ensure its protection and long-term sustainability, as the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NSPHCDA) officially handed over the facility to the community. The Executive Director of NSPHCDA, Dr. Junaidu Inuwa, who performed the handover, said the rehabilitation of the health centre formed part of the Niger State Government’s efforts under Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s New Niger Agenda and the health sector reforms being driven by the Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr. Murtala…
Every season begins with optimism. Every seed planted represents an investment in a future that can never be guaranteed. That has always been the nature of agriculture. What has changed is the scale and complexity of the uncertainty producers must now navigate. Extreme heat, prolonged dry periods and intense rainfall are reshaping the production environment, often within a single season. The challenge is no longer simply producing higher yields. It is building farming systems capable of performing consistently in increasingly unpredictable conditions. This requires a fundamental shift in thinking. For decades, agricultural success was largely measured by a farm’s ability…
Africa stands at the centre of the world’s energy transition. Beneath its soils lie the lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, nickel and rare earth minerals that will power electric vehicles, batteries and renewable energy systems across the globe. At the same time, the continent is being celebrated for expanding renewable energy generation and positioning itself as a leader in climate action. Yet beneath this optimistic narrative lies a far more troubling reality. Across Africa, communities are increasingly paying the price for a transition that promises to save the planet while sacrificing the very people who have contributed least to the climate…
Defending Islam in today’s world can be an extraordinarily difficult and lonely responsibility, particularly when the struggle is not only against external misconceptions and hostility but also against internal divisions, betrayal and the actions of individuals who, knowingly or unknowingly, create additional burdens for the Muslim community. My Nigerian experience has taught me that the challenges confronting Islam and Muslims are often more complex than they appear on the surface. In many instances, those who claim to defend the faith are forced to contend simultaneously with external critics and internal actors whose actions sometimes weaken the very cause they claim…
The Niger State Government has expressed concern over the growing burden of viral hepatitis, revealing that thousands of residents tested positive for the disease within the past year and calling for greater public awareness to curb its spread. Speaking at a press briefing in Minna, the state capital, to commemorate this year’s World Hepatitis Day, the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Murtala Bagana, disclosed that 7.5 per cent of more than 20,000 people screened for Hepatitis B between July 2025 and June 2026 tested positive. He added that 5.4 per cent of 18,600 people tested for Hepatitis C also tested…
The children of Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, have reportedly backed a plan to dedicate one-third of his estimated $36.5 billion fortune to charitable causes, potentially creating one of Africa’s biggest philanthropic legacies. The move could see more than $12 billion of the billionaire’s wealth eventually committed to the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which focuses on improving healthcare, education, nutrition and economic empowerment across Africa. According to a Bloomberg report cited by BusinessDay, Halima Dangote, an executive director at Dangote Industries and one of the billionaire’s daughters, confirmed that the family supports the plan to devote a significant portion of its…
Northern Nigeria, home to millions of us, is rich in fertile farmland, abundant sunshine, youthful populations, strategic trade routes, and mineral resources. Yet it remains the least developed region, with massive abject poverty and a heavy dependence on Abuja to finance its future. Although this is a general Nigerian problem, its consequences are most visible in the North, where insecurity feeds directly on economic fragility. The central argument of this article is simple: the North cannot achieve lasting progress unless security and development are squarely addressed together. Ordinary citizens should reasonably expect much from this new Fund. We have all…
The Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, has expressed concern that misleading religious teachings by some clerics are undermining efforts to improve family planning uptake in the state. He made the remarks on Monday while declaring open a four-day training on the Human Rights-Based Approach to Family Planning in Bauchi, organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Bauchi State Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the State Primary Healthcare Development Board. Dr. Mohammed said some Muslim and Christian religious leaders who are not well grounded in the…