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Faborode@70: Salute to Dogged, Principled and Ever-Smiling Mentor

 Faborode@70: Salute to Dogged, Principled and Ever-Smiling Mentor By Prof. M. K. Othman I first met Prof. Michael Oladimeji Faborode in September 1999 at the annual conference of the Nigerian Society of Agricultural Engineers (NSAE) at Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, where I served as an academic staff member for over eight years. I left in 1998 to join Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Although I was no longer working in Bauchi, I still had significant influence at the conference, having served as the pioneer local chapter ASUP chairman and the first National Financial Secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) under the leadership of Mallam Hadi Auwal, of blessed memory. At the end of the conference, there was an AGM and elections for new NSAE officers, during which two candidates competed keenly for the National President position: Prof. Faborode and Dr. Yiljeph, of blessed memory. Their campaign almost split the conference attendees into two opposing camps, potenti...
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Re: Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1bn is a beginning, not the solution

 Re: Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1bn is a beginning, not the solution By Prof. M. K. Othman   As a citizen with only one nationality, Nigerian, I have accepted the idiom that peace and security are the fundamental pillars upon which other societal developments are built. Security brings peace, harmony, and love, and enables people to be productive, efficient, and effective in their daily lives. Security is expensive; it requires heavy investment in finance, human resources, and infrastructure, but it is still cheaper than insecurity. Insecurity is so expensive that you may be lucky to end up with your life or on a hospital bed. That is why when you are unfortunate to face the arduous task of choosing between your money or your life, you would soon realize you have but only one choice- your life and are ready to surrender any worldly materials. “Your money or your life” criminals are the old-time armed robbers, “beautiful” saints to today’s bandits, whose violent antics have...
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Nigerian Looming and Preventable Flood: Can the Narrative be Changed?

 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...
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Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1bn is a beginning, not the solution III.

 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...
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Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1 Billion Is a Beginning, Not the Solution II

 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:...
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Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1 Billion Is a Beginning, Not the Solution

 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...
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Radda’s Relentless Efforts on Security: Dialogue, Deterrence, and Search for Stability

 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...
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