Deep Thought

 Economic Hardship: Nigeria Should Have No Business with Hunger II By Prof. M.K. Othman How can we triple or quadruple the current irrigable land? This question was posed in the first part of this piece last week. In 1998, out of Nigeria's 320,000 hectares planned for irrigation, only 97,000 hectares were developed, and only 70,000 hectares were used for irrigation under the public irrigation system. Twenty years later, not much was achieved; available information from the work of Ocheja indicates the existence of 92 irrigation schemes, with 57 in the north and 35 in the south. The 92 irrigation schemes have 413,394 hectares of irrigable land, but only 100,300 ha were developed, with 35,127 ha under irrigation, indicating 35.02 percent capacity utilization. In addition to public irrigation schemes, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated a total irrigation potential at 2.0 million ha under fadama (floodplain areas) nationwide. However, less than 25 perc...

 Economic Hardship: Nigeria Should Have No Business with Hunger By Prof. M.K. Othman The fact that hunger is destroying the Country is infuriating and frustrating. The cost of a 50 kg bag of rice has skyrocketed, ranging from 60 to 77k, out of reach for the average Nigerian. The salary of graduates of tertiary institutions can hardly purchase a bag of rice. I am exasperated each time I see the price of rice hitting 77k and above. My annoyance originates from my humble knowledge of the solutions to the issues. Still, we are unwilling to act in the right direction, stop the inflation, and bring down the prices of food items to the affordability of many Nigerians. With a high level of seriousness, we can drive down the cost of rice to 40k and below in eight months. Likewise, the prices of other food items can come down and chase hunger out of Nigeria. The Country should have no business with hunger. How can we do that?   Before discussing "how," we must remind ourselves of the e...

 Insecurity: Who is Safe in Nigeria? II By Prof M.K. Othman In the last three months of 2024, the insecurity monster has direly reared its ugly head in several corners of Nigeria. People's in-depth cries of horror, hopelessness, and desperation reign in numerous Northwest, East, and Central communities. Insecurity and economic hardship caused by inflation and devaluation of the Naira have knocked people to their knees, making them behave like they are drowning in a deep blue sea without an iota of savior. What a pity.    Aside from the Northwest, the Federal Capital Territory has emerged as a significant abduction hotspot. Other hotspots of this crime are the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the southwest and Ekiti State. On Monday, January 29, 2024, tensions in Ekiti rose as a result of two distinct kidnapping instances. Three monarchs were abducted while traveling back from a security meeting in Kogi State in Oke-Ako. The abductors were well-armed and used the area's poor roa...

 Rescue from French Neo-colonist Claws: Senegalese New Dawn By Prof MK Othman I have yet to visit Senegal, but I had a sound rapport with the good people of Senegal during my educational sojourn in France over two decades ago. The people are unique, can easily be identified from the crowd, and amiable, especially to Africans. They have a giant physique with a husky voice but a Wolof intonation that produces a golden melody, which makes the listeners look at the speaker intensely. Senegal has over 30 languages, but Wolof is the most widely spoken one, with 80% of the population speaking it as a first or second language, and it acts as Senegal's lingua franca alongside French. Unlike other immigrants, the Senegalese people are restless and hardworking, earning a living from multiple jobs in France but hardly seen in crimes. Politically, I found the Wolof people, the dominants in Senegal, to be harmless and seemed to be contented with the way things have been, enjoying the French Neo-...