Deep Thought

 Insecurity: Who is Safe in `Nigeria? By Prof M.K. Othman Blueprint newspaper published the first part of this article three years ago on Thursday, January 14, 2021, in my weekly column of Deep Thought. Because of what was written in the article, I received a ton of threats to my life from the dark forces operating behind the scenes. Momentarily, the threats baptized me into the world of being a social critic and its consequences. Fear of death is pointless because everyone eventually has to experience the bitterness of death: kings, queens, and their subjects, as well as murderers, oppressors, and terrors, must all succumb to the cold hands of death at the appointed time without hesitation. Why should anyone be a cause for another person to go to the grave? Still, I was certainly taken aback because I had not written worse than what others had written or said about the security situation in this country. The chaotic situation where lives and properties have no value, people and pl...

 Ningi-gate: Macabre Dance in Public Domain By Prof M.K. Othman The legislature, judiciary, and executive are three pillars of the presidential system of democratic governance. The relationship between the three arms of government is a perfect complementary system for transparency, accountability, checks, and balances to advance the cause of governance and achieve national development.     The legislature is the most influential and powerful compared to the other two. The legislative arm is the heart and brain of government, as it can make and unmake the two different arms because it can have an overbearing influence on them, even though the judiciary is always a judge in a tussle between the executive and legislature. The executive formulates, implements, and funds government policies, projects, and programs in line with constitutional provisions, while the legislature regulates and oversees the executive and judiciary. The legislature has the power to summon the executi...

 Obasanjo@87: Grand Salute to Embodiment of Africanism and Leadership By Prof. M.K. Othman   On August 21, 2017, I held my head high, overwhelmed by the pride of being a Nigerian in the United States of America. Thanks to the portrait of Olusegun Obasanjo, conspicuously hung in an auspicious room called the "Hall of Laureates" at the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa. I was daydreaming until the resonance of the articulated voice of Ambassador Kenneth Quinn woke me with his unforgettable statement, "These are pictures of pioneer board members of the World Food Prize Foundation." I was not expecting to find a picture of a black African hanging amid the photographs of board members in the laureates' hall. Still, the picture of one of our own, Chief Obasanjo, was there. He indeed made me happy and moved with dignity. That was not all; Ambassador Quinn proudly announced that the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate was won by one of us, a famous Nigerian, Dr...

 Re: Nine Years After Prof Ahmad Falaki- The Fall of Farmers' General II By Prof. M. K. Othman Contrary to Mark Antony's statement in Shakespeare's play in 100 BC, "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is often interred with their bones," there are certain men whose good was so great that part might have been interred with their bones for heavenly reward. The other part might continue to immortalize them several years after their deaths. The testimonies of people touched by Prof. Mustapha Ahmed Falaki during his well-spent life make it irresistible not to share a few more with those not opportune to associate with him. Happy reading.   It has been exactly nine years, one week today since Falaki died. I first interacted with him one-on-one and closely around 1989 when choosing undergraduate project topics in agronomy for the crop science option. The tradition then was students chose topics drawn along IAR research activities by lecturers. On his guidance...

 Salamatu-WOFAN: One Woman's Ferocious Fight against Family Hunger and Poverty in Nigeria By Prof. M.K. Othman Nigeria, as a developing country, has a pocket of rotten eggs but is endowed with kindhearted people who give a helping hand to people in need. Hajia Salamatu Garba is a benevolent personality who founded the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) to provide hope to the hopeless. The story of WOFAN creation is a heartwarming and motivational tale of how an act of kindness from one person can spark a lifetime dedication to helping the unfortunate and rescuing those in need. One bright sunny day, Hajia and her students of Biological Sciences at Ahmadu Bello University waited for the driver of the Departmental vehicle to go for field practical in nearby villages. The driver failed to show up; Hajia, a tenacious woman, hardly accepted failure and thus decided to drive the students in her car for the practical. Her decision to drive the vehicle became an entry point that com...