Deep Thought

 Nigerian Looming and Preventable Flood: Can the Narrative be Changed? By Prof. M. K. Othman   In Nigeria, flooding is the most imminent preventable disaster, occurring annually with dire consequences, including the loss of life and property across several communities nationwide. The statistics over the last five years (2021-2025) are alarming and underscore the urgent need for stronger prevention. In 2021, 27 states were affected, with thousands of hectares of farmland destroyed. In 2022, the worst floods in a decade occurred, destroying 305,400 houses and 569,000 hectares of farmland across 35 states, valued at $6.68 billion, equivalent to N9.352 trillion. In 2023, the National Bureau of Statistics estimated economic losses from flooding in Nigeria at approximately $9 billion, equivalent to N12.6 trillion. A combined analysis of 2024 and 2025 flood losses estimates losses at $9.5 billion (N13 trillion). According to World Bank and NEMA reports, the losses are estimated at $6...

 Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1bn is a beginning, not the solution III. By Prof. M. K. Othman 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 become understandably skeptical after witnessing countless interventions announced with great optimism but implemented with little transparency. This Security Trust Fund cannot afford that fate, and the personalities involved cannot...

 Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1 Billion Is a Beginning, Not the Solution II By Prof. M.K. Othman   This piece is a corollary to last week’s write-up, which posed several questions: What are the mandates of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund? Will the Trust Fund end up similar to Trust Funds established a few decades ago without tangible results? Will the state governors fulfill their one-billion-naira monthly pledge? Answering these questions and offering recommendations to make the Trust Fund effective and sustainable are pertinent to the success of the high-integrity personalities who serve on the fund's board of trustees. These skilled personalities have a high capacity and are endowed with a wealth of experience from diverse backgrounds; it would be highly desirable for them to accomplish their assignment and uplift the region and the nation from the dreadful, nightmarish situation that insecurity has landed us in. The trustees' mandate is explicit and significant:...

 Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1 Billion Is a Beginning, Not the Solution By Prof. M.K. Othman Confession: I am not a security expert, but my interest in security matters has led me to read widely and to write more than 10 articles on insecurity in Nigeria over the last 5 years. I also submitted a 12-page security memorandum during a stakeholders’ security interaction with the Katsina State Governor, Mallam Dikko Umar Radda, in September 2025. I also had a one-on-one interview on security challenges with the current Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR (Rtd), when he was Chief of Defence Staff, and wrote a 2-part article, publishing the interview in my column and in several other online papers. These experiences have deepened my conviction that insecurity in Nigeria demands urgent, informed, and collective action. As a concerned citizen, born, raised and educated in the northwest, Nigeria, like millions of others who call this region home, I grew up knowing a N...

 Radda’s Relentless Efforts on Security: Dialogue, Deterrence, and Search for Stability By Prof. M.K. Othman In Nigeria’s North-West, particularly Katsina State, the struggle to establish security lies in balancing dialogue and deterrence. Governor Radda’s administration has focused on managing this balance to achieve lasting stability. For over a decade, communities in Batsari, Jibia, Safana, Danmusa, Faskari, and Kankara faced persistent armed banditry. Villages were destroyed, schools closed, and farmland abandoned. The December 2020 abduction of hundreds of students in Kankara became a defining moment of crisis. When Governor Dikko Umar Radda took office in May 2023, he confronted not just insecurity, but a community traumatized by years of violence. His challenge: restore security without militarizing daily life, seek peace without legitimizing crime, and offer realistic reassurance. As the Hausa proverb notes: “When the flood overwhelms, even fish seek refuge.” In response, l...

 Constructive and Unbiased Journalism: Tribute to Katsina Post @ 10 By Prof. M. K. Othman Saddiq Mustapha and Mustapha Saddiq, often mistaken for the same person because of their similar names, are, in fact, two bosom friends. Both were classmates in secondary school but later pursued different tertiary-level programs, Mustapha Saddiq in health sciences and Saddiq Mustapha in agricultural sciences. Twelve years ago, they reunited, driven by shared passion, to establish “Katsina Post”—an indefatigable e-newspaper focused on Katsina state in particular and Nigeria in general. Their initiative is inspired by legendary media figures from Katsina, including the late Alhaji Abidina Coomassie (Today Newspaper), the late Alhaji Ismaila Isa Funtua (Democrat Newspaper), the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (Reporter Newspaper and Sentinel Magazine), the late Wada Maida, and Alhaji Garba Dangida. Alhaji Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman of Media Trust Group and publisher of Daily Trust Newspaper, ...