Deep Thought

 Re: Kwankwaso: Sagacious Political Bride in the North By Prof MK Othman My piece with the above caption generated multiple comments; several commendations with few condemnations. This is normal considering the personality of Kwankwaso who executes his political agenda with passion. He is among the few refined politicians with principle and discipline but may not be blameless in the Nigerian project. Only two edited reactions are presented. Happy reading.   Thank you, Prof, for your well-articulated article on the above subject. Presently, Nigeria, a country of over 200 million citizens has been battling with incompetent leaders in positions of authority. Of the so-called political leaders, some were in the military, some were in civil service, and some were in the private sector but they turn out to be dictators in the gown of democracy. They have demonstrated their inability in leadership, which is the major setback in developing Nigeria, a country that was generally regarde...

 Kwankwaso: Sagacious Political Bride in the North By Prof MK Othman On the Nigerian political chess board of today, Kwankwaso is the most sought political bride by the three dominating parties; APC and PDP. Each of these two keenly contesting parties may be ready to offer high valuable dowry to woo this political bride, as a guarantee for a huge success in the forth coming presidential election. However, the bride is neither willing or ready to be wooed for the sake of winning election by any means. As a true disciple of the sage, Mallam Aminu Kano of blessed memory, Kwankwaso is not likely to cave-in just for mere inducement of political office position. Aminu Kano became a painful thorn in the flesh of feudal lords who took over from colonial masters, continued with colonial policies and danced the kind of music played by their masters. Today, we are all paying the price of the divide-and-rule system we inherited from the colonial lords. Mallam Aminu Kano lived all his respectfu...

 Obi, Mustapha, and Adebayo: Wreath for the Political Triplets By Prof MK Othman Passionate love for Nigeria, capacity, and ability to serve the nation with all their strength and might are the common features of the three political giants making them to be a political triplets. Obi, Mustapha, and Adebayo are presidential candidates of LP, AA, and SDP, respectively. In addition to their passionate love for the country, they are strongly weathering the political tsunami of the 2023 presidential campaign with dexterity, I cannot but salute their courage and audacity. Each of these three, would have been a big catch to the two dominating parties; APC and PDP but shunned them. In the absence of well-known progressives whose voices are no longer loud to provide direction out of the precarious political quagmire, these men, the political triplets are better alternatives to those in the two parties; APC and PDP. These parties were given all the opportunities to right whatever wrongs were ...

 Dr. Akinwumi Adesina: Grand Salute to a Worthy Ambassador By Prof. M. K. Othman My first visit to the Headquarters of the World Food Prize Foundation in the Des Moines, Iowa State was in July 2017. It was a mission full of spectacular experiences with amazing outcomes whose memory remains refreshing to date. We were warmly welcomed by the Foundation’s President, Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn with an affable smile, warm reception, and resonating voice. The voice was so expressive that I knew, I heard it before but couldn’t recall where and when. I quickly remembered he was the keynote speaker of the annual International Conference of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), held in Spokane, Washington State. When I told him I witnessed his speech at ASABE Conference, he held my hand as if he found his lost brother.  Amb. Quinn’s cordiality and diplomatic acumen made us feel at home, he knew we were from Nigeria, and then he seemingly uttered “Nigeri...

 Dr. Akinwumi Adesina: Grand Salute to a Worthy Ambassador II By Prof. M. K. Othman I am pained to resume this piece on a sad note. “My darling mother, Eunice O. Adesina passed away today at the age of 92. I am blessed you were my mother. You gave birth to me, nursed me, cared for me, and brought me up. I am forever grateful Mum. So long sweet Mum, greet Dad and sleep well. I love you. Your loving baby, Akins”. This was the announcement made by Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina to the world via his Twitter handle, which indicates his brevity and bravery in handling emergencies. Blessed with famous children including the worthy ambassador and passing away at the nonagenarian age of 92, Mama Eunice lived a well-fulfilled life of blessings. May her soul rest in perfect peace, and may God, the Almighty give the family fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss, amen. My heartfelt condolences, to Dr. Adesina and his family.  In continuation of last week's article, how Adesina touched the lives o...