Saturday, November 29, 2014

Adamawa PDP Governorship Ticket: The Desirability of Nuhu Ribadu


The general consensus in Adamawa state is, the state needs a paradigm shift in terms of development because the state is 20 years behind its peers in terms of socio-economic progress.

There is also bi-partisan and public consensus that Adamawa central zone should produce the next governor. And everyone also believes Adamawa needs a governor that is relatively young, incorruptible, well-read, and urbane, with a clean record.

Putting all these into consideration, Nuhu Ribadu is the perfect candidate to be the next governor of the state.

Nuhu is well-cultured, well-read and has integrity to jealously protect, so he will be well motivated to leapfrog Adamawa’s development to where it is supposed to be.

If the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) means business and committed to presenting to the Adamawa people a candidate that will appeal to all segments of the society politically and economical. A candidate that can earn the party ,the nation as well as the troubled northeast, ‘clean face’ in the international community, - Nuhu Ribadu is it.

Some individuals with dissenting views, question that though Nuhu is without doubt very good, must the PDP be the vehicle for him to be governor to rescue Adamawa? The answer is yes- because Nuhu’s immediate constituency- ward, local government area, senatorial zone, friends, peers and indeed Adamawa state and the northeast are overwhelmingly PDP, so naturally he should be in the PDP.

Nuhu is charismatic, urbane and with ‘clean hands’. He has a higher chance of winning the elections on the platform of PDP than any other political party. Nuhu’s superb qualities further give him and the PDP, an edge over every other candidate and party. In fact the PDP can leverage Nuhu’s candidacy to gain strong political points in the troubled northeast.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980. 





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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Farmers-Herdsmen Conflict: The Jigawa Solution


Farmers-herdsmen clashes are among the most serious security challenges facing Nigeria today, especially the northern part of the county. Tussle for the use of agricultural land is becoming intense and more prevalent. It is the most predominant resource-use conflict in Nigeria. Clashes between farmers and herdsmen over land are as old as trade in Nigeria.

Reports of bloody clashes between farmers and herdsmen have become a recurrent problem that most Nigerians are concerned about, because its ripples affect everyone in the country. Apart from being a major cause of food shortages and food price increase, thousands of lives are frequently lost; many farmlands and cattle are lost as a result of these clashes.

The Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido has provided a permanent, feasible and win-win solution. In most parts of Jigawa state, the government has established grazing reserves and water pumping windmills for herdsmen to freely nosh their herds. The grazing land is also watered frequently by the water pumping windmills for grasses to grow even during dry seasons. On the other hand, the farmers are provided with large expanse of farmland to cultivate crops. One beautiful thing about some of the farmlands is that they have dual function- they have on them facilities for dry season farming.

Water pumping windmills, cattle routes, demarcated grazing reserves and farm land are not new in Nigeria, but this writer was amazed with the stretch of the windmills, grazing reserves and farmlands. Definitely, Governor Sule Lamido must have used the physics theory of ‘series connection’. Throughout Jigawa state, water pumping windmills, cattle routes, demarcated grazing reserves and farmlands are established at strategic and well-thought locations.

Apart from promoting co-existence and harmony between farmers and herdsmen, instead of the usual conflict, a major benefit of this Governor Lamido’s initiative is that it has enhanced local community security, safety and development. Furthermore, another beautiful result of the project is, most of the herdsmen do not unnecessarily wander around in search of pasture and water because the windmills provide drinking water for their own use as well as for large cattle stocks. The multi-bladed wind pumps constantly pump water which continually irrigates the large area of the land on which lush grasses grow even during dry seasons. And finally, the herdsmen feel ownership of the land.

Farmers-herdsmen clashes in Nigeria are a problem affecting the entire Nigerian society. However, Governor Lamido has brought a new dimension to solving the problem. Therefore states and the federal governments should model this beautiful solution. Modeling this solution will be very easy because water pumping windmills are economical and environmentally friendly and Nigeria has demarcated grazing reserves, marked cattle routes and large farming areas. 


Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com 08036070980
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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Is It Time For a Strong President?



Strong democratic institutions are very important in a democratic state; but if a nation is in a precarious situation- especially war time, a strong leader is most needed. The absence of a strong leadership that could produce a spiraling effect on Nigeria’s war against insurgency is the main cause of the current chaotic security situation in Nigeria’s Northeast. The current scary situation would not have become this messy, had it been that we have strong leadership. 

Some people are of the view that President Goodluck Jonathan appears not to be on top of issues of statecraft when it comes to tackling the growing violence of a frightening magnitude, fuelled by few hundreds ragtag insurgents. This view is not an attempt to cast aspersions on the exalted office of the President; neither does it suggest that the President should have applied iron-hand in his style of leadership. But the fact is that we have allowed insurgents to unjustifiably kill Nigerians; annex their lands and humbled our gallant military thereby making Nigeria appear a weak country. Indeed, the situation has given the insurgents the control of the course of war in the northeast.

Some schools of thought may argue that Nigeria’s peculiar political environment and the prevailing political situation are what make the President appear not to be on top of the war. A strong leader could have intelligently used both the carrot and stick approach and avoid the current situation which has brought confusion in the minds of most Nigerians. Is the government really in-charge of the nation’s affairs?


The current frightening insecurity in Nigeria has taught Nigerians a big lesson. Few months from now, Nigeria will elect a new President, there is hope that Nigerians can turn things around; insist and vote for a strong President regardless of ethnic, religious or geographical considerations. Even though the Nigerian political environment, most especially, the choice of who occupies the seat of the President has so much been polluted with mundane issues and lack of political progressivism, Nigerians must insist for a strong leader. Nigerians must choose a President and Commander-in-Chief with the ability to inspire enthusiasm in Nigerians with just a wink of an eye, an individual with vision for the future, who can go the extra mile to get things done, one that can differentiate between reality and smokescreen and also remain positive in the public eye, no matter what the situation may be.

When Nigeria has such a President, development issues will quickly replace mundane ones in our polity; ragtag insurgents will be decimated within days and Nigeria will be returned to normalcy, with her lost respect in the global eyes restored. Though, for Nigeria to have such a President come 2015, we need only one thing- Nigerians vote with their ‘heads’ not with their ‘hearts’


Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com 08036070980. 


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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Still on Gov Lamido Development Strategy



Governor Sule Lamido’s Special Adviser on Media, Adamu Muhammad Usman has intelligently and with verifiable facts responded to comrade Aminu Aminu’s piece on Gov. Lamido’s development strategies. Case closed. Aminu has been educated on areas that he was hitherto ignorant of. However, three reasons have compelled this writer to also add his voice to the discourse: first, Nigerians cherish real development based on new thinking and sound decision making. Secondly, we from the northeast of Nigeria are prayerfully yearning for result-oriented Governors like Sule Lamido and thirdly, discourse of Governor Sule Lamido’s development strategy goes beyond Jigawa state- it will for long remain national subject. The Jigawa people should know that the debate of development strategies in Jigawa during the administration of Governor Lamido has earned a national limelight.

Lamido’s development strategies in Jigawa state should be a working-document for states in Nigeria, especially the 19 northern states with similar geographical, cultural and economical terrain with Jigawa. Lamido has become a role model for those holding public office and future leaders, because he has exhibited what is expected of elected leadership in the Nigeria of our dream.

To have someone like Sule Lamido as governor is a blessing to a state. Governor Sule Lamido’s careful planning and execution of people-oriented projects and programmes, including the visibly enhanced economic growth and quality of governance in Jigawa State is clearly an indication that, despite the general poverty of ideas among most public office holders and the scarce resources in most northern states, there are leaders who are genuinely committed to people oriented and sustainable development.

What development enthusiasts and many citizens whose states have not recorded appreciable development love about Governor Lamido’s strategy is- despite the meagre resources and the population of Jigawa people being mainly rural dwellers and peasant farmers, the governor is achieving significant results. He has been able to do this by using a ‘reductionistic’ approach. This means attending to the basic things by employing small things- an approach encompassing new thinking that completely shifts away from the traditional way of development in most states in Nigeria. Governor Lamido’s strategy employs a new concept where development in agriculture, roads, education, electricity, healthcare, water supply, transportation, youth development and other sectors are tackled through segmentation of the various sectors into their smallest units, then a head-on tackling of each unit. The Jigawa people are very lucky to have Sule Lamido as governor.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com 08036070980. 

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Saturday, November 1, 2014

What Does Boko Haram Want?- According to Ahmed Salkida

Source: @ContactSalkida
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