Have your say

Yes, it’s time again to hear your voices, dear readers. Below are some of the responses I got from you recently. Please keep the letters coming and enjoy today’s offering. Have a great weekend.
– Al-Bint

Re: Because he was worth
It is exciting for me to know that the then thirteen year old Ahmad (my namesake) in one of your previous editions titled ‘Naira for your thoughts’, published on September 3rd, 2011 has gained admission into the university. What about Mahmud?  I haven’t read anything about him lately.
While it is disdainful that Ahmad, like many young people of this generation, including myself, lack a good knowledge of Nigerian history especially about our founding fathers – it is largely not our fault as History classes/lessons have since been stopped in our primary and secondary schools. Even when we were been taught History, the History books available centered more on the activities of the explorers (marauders and fortune seekers) than the activities of our founding fathers in achieving development in the country.
This is why the Ministry of Education and other educational agencies in charge of our curriculum should seek its review to re-introduce History as a subject in our schools so as to inspire critical thinking, a balanced judgement between the past and present and bring about the reawakening of our indigenous ethical and social values that is needed to be inculcated into our young generation.
Many of the Biafran agitators may have no knowledge of the Nigeria civil war and the magnitude of property destroyed and lives lost due to the fact that teaching History has been relegated to the background.
I enjoyed Tahir’s lecture given to Ahmad about who Sardauna of Sokoto was and what he lived for.
Comparing Sir Ahmadu Bello who died fifty years ago, with the current crop of northern leaders; past and present (who hide under his shadow) would be tantamount to comparing light with darkness.
Just as the glaring disconnect between the young generation of Ahmad and I and the generation of the Sardauna is, the current northern leaders share a great disconnect with him and his achievements.
Sir. Ahmadu Bello, like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa amongst other founding fathers of blessed memory, was incontrovertibly committed to the development of the northern region and the country at large. He didn’t just maintain an incredibly incorruptible character, but had apathy for corruption and administrative ineptitude. Unlike our current leaders who pay lip services to emulating his legacies and are notable for self-glorifications over little or nothing done to their states, Sardauna  had integrity, mental capacity and epitomized honesty.
He established the prestigious ABU Zaria, Bank of the North (now defunct), Northern Nigeria Development Commission, and paid great attention to agriculture and leather works. He further championed the industrialization of the north and enlistment of students/youths into the Nigerian Army and other educational institutions.
It is undeniable that his achievements still speak volumes today even though they are under-reported by the media.
He governed the whole north for six years yet owned no houses abroad or a fat bank account except his house, farmland, a radio set and some pieces of clothing.
Sardauna of Sokoto was no doubt an administrator par excellence who didn’t manipulate the system to his advantage at the region’s expense.
Today, many have forgotten our founding fathers and their legacies – we now celebrate plunderers of our treasury whose avarice has impoverished the land.
 Moshood Ahmed
The Chief Coordinator, Society for Educational Development, Abaji (SEDA)

… Ahmad note
In your column piece on Sir Ahmadu Bello titled ‘Because he was worth it’, you wrote  “You see, fifty years ago, Nigeria was made up of only three regions.”
That is factually incorrect. Mid West region was created in 1963, 53 years ago, which brought the number of regions to four by 1966 when the Sardauna was killed.
Please convey this correction to Ahmad.
johnakpa2004 <[email protected]>

Re: All about hurricane Muri
Most of our problems today happened as a result of our negligence of history as a crucial course or subject. An adage said ‘A river that does not know its origin will surely dry up’. Most of today’s students don’t know the history of our African heroes like Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, General Murtala Ramat Muhammad, Dr.Nnamdi Azikwe to mention but a few. This is because History is not given a priority in our curriculum and that is why most  students lack this kind of knowledge. History recognizes the past, adjusts the present and shapes the future. I hereby implore my fellow students to make visiting places like Museums, Archives and other historical monuments their hobby so as to learn much about their history. Monument should be placed at historical places such as “Ilapa” where the remains of Sir AbubakarTafawa Balewa was found, as recently suggested by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah. May the soul of General Murtala Muhammad and other African heroes rest in perfect peace. Ameen
Hassan Imran, [email protected]

Re: No more smarties
The availability of smart phones and other social media platforms really portends a lot of challenges to parenting nowadays. Smart phone(s) possession and social media usage have become a trend that many, including myself are addicted to consciously or unconsciously.
Aside many lewd and senseless (abusive) discussions, on such platforms, time wastage and neglect of duties/studies their usage causes, the magnitude of pornographic images, sites, and erotic texts to be spread.
I have visited many supposedly ‘safe’ sites and got unsolicited nude images and contents mostly as adverts and they are just so offensive-I honestly wish the internet in Nigeria can be monitored to clampdown on nudity and sexual suggestive contents which serve as ‘poisoned baits’ to widespread immorality in the country.
Smart phones and television are two beneficial gadgets to our generation, yet they are very delicate and dreadful to one’s moral integrity, worship and academic studies amongst others. As a future father who would like to see his children and family live within bounds set by Allah and His Messenger (SAW), I am afraid of how my wife and I can bring up our unborn children to be ideal Muslims and turn them away from indulging in the ‘smarties fuss and obsession’
Furthermore, I honestly don’t believe your approach in this case by stopping the kids access to smart phones/internet was good. What if they have access to their friends’ phones? You simply don’t know what kind of files they have saved on such phones. I feel some forms of monitoring and restrictions as well as sanctions can be applied like parental control on television sets and allowing the kids have access to internet and smart phones for just few hours (e.g. two hours) daily, restricting them to certain sites which must be adjudged to be safe, going through their conversations/history daily and submission of their phones every night once it is 9:00p.m.,before going to bed etc. I dislike situations where parents are asleep while their 14 year old son is busy pinging/chatting till 2:00a.m. He later sleeps off and wakes up between 8:00a.m. and 9:00a.m. thereby missing the morning prayer.
There is more to buying your children smart phones and allowing them watch every channel on television than loving them.
As you rightly stated, ‘it is better to be late than be sorry.
Moshood Ahmed,
Chief Coordinator, Society for Educational Development, Abaji (SEDA)

Message from a fan
Assalamu alaikum Anty Bint. How are you and your family? Am a BIG FAN of your column. I started reading your write- ups when I was 15 from my father’s newspaper. I used to consider it just like a story at that time. I read it for two years 2012&2013 around the end of 2013 my dad started reading news online he stopped buying newspaper and since then I didn’t read your column up till the end of  2015 when my sister reintroduced me to it. I don’t see your diary as merely story-telling, I see it as an educative piece of writing. Allah Ya kara basira. Please where can I get you’re the column apart from the newspaper? Bissalam
Asma’u Bg from Maiduguri.

For now you can only get it in the newspaper and also in our on-line edition of it. Thank you Asma’u. Al-Bint