Deep Thought

 Re: Ahmad Babba Kaita- Former Senator with a Difference By Prof M.K. Othman   My article on the above subject attracted many reactions, most notably the commendations of former Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita. Very few of the readers’ comments accused me of playing partisan politics and promoting the Senator above other politicians in Katsina state. The accusers failed to realize that commending well-deserved personalities, irrespective of who they are, has been part of my writing ethics. For example, I wrote on Engr David Umahi, Hajia Dr. Salamatu Garba, Professor Zulum, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, and several others for their excellent performances in touching and positively changing the lives of millions of people. Senator Babba Kaita is in the category of these personalities, who, after his controversial defeat in the 2023 election, continued with his philanthropic and economic empowerment of people beyond his constituency. The purpose of extolling the virtues of such personalities i...

 GMO in Nigeria: How Safe is TELA Maize? By Prof MK Othman Genetically Modified Organism is a byproduct of biotechnology. In medicine, biotechnology existed many centuries ago as an innovation. Hitherto, biotechnology was a non-issue or, like any other technological breakthrough, until it widened its scope to include the latest globally controversial product: a genetically modified organism, GMO, or transgenic organism. This recent status brought biotechnology to its contemporary limelight with attendant hype and sensationalism and shot it to the global footing of a multilateral agenda. The first stage of biotechnology is breeding crops or animals. Traditionally, breeding plants and animals aim to tailor the plant or animal for a particular character or trait improvement. For example, a new crop variety might be bred for drought tolerance or disease resistance. Traditional breeding involves using germplasm from the pool of ancestors with desirable traits of interest and crossing th...

 Banditry and Prof Saidu’s Dastardly Assassination: One Death, too Many By Prof. MK Othman Unknowingly and knowingly, I was in a callous bandits’ den last September 2023. I was on a team inspecting a ten-hectare maize-cowpea farm in the Yakawada-Sabuwa axis, notorious for bandit dastardly activities. Hitherto, I would not have allowed my worst enemy to do so if I had known I would visit the location. As we approached the area, it downed on me how dangerous our mission was, but we went ahead without ado. I was surprised to find the area calm and peaceful, with several people busy on their farms, and I went ahead and did what brought us. On our return trip, my journalistic instinct forced me to find out if the area was as dangerous as we believed. It was hazardous enough, but the farmers negotiated to cultivate their farms. I was so ashamed and sad not to let myself know the details of such a negotiation. How many places are under siege and can only be utilized with monetary bargaini...

 Re: Inaccessible Democratic Dividends and Sins of State Governors By Prof M.K. Othman Still, on the considerable investment to become a governor, I have to quote the words of Dr. Abba Sayyadi Ruma of blessed memory, who said, "You need a minimum of N2 billion for the primary election and another N2 billion for the general campaign. Those giving you financial support attach a string to it for debt payment and a large profit margin (after winning the election), so why should I invest over N2 billion to become a governor?". One illustrious political scientist of international repute, who has seen it all from the days of erudite social crusader Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman to date, told me that a governor confessed that he spent about eight billion Naira to win his governorship election. So why should some Nigerians invest a staggering quantum of resources – finance, human, time, and energy to "serve" people as their Governor? Yet, the Nigerians' living conditions continue...

 Ahmad Babba Kaita: Former Senator with a Difference By Prof M.K. Othman At the height of the 2015 political campaign, Katsina State APC governorship candidate Masari decided to spend a night in each of the 34 local government headquarters as a strategy to interact with the local people and indicate he was one of their kith and kin. Many of us blindly following the Buhari campaign train were not only in support of the strategy but also expended our limited resources to advance it. When it was the turn of Bindawa Local Government to host Masari for a night's sleep, many people were afraid of hosting him to avoid the wrath of the then-governor Shema. I was then approached to provide my house to accommodate Masari, which I promptly did with enthusiasm against the advice of my friend, who felt I should not be seen opposing the Shema's government. Bindawa and 11 other LGAs are located in the Daura Senatorial Zone, with six LGAs each under Katsina and Daura emirates, respectively. Th...

 Emergency on Food Security: Policy Dereliction, Consequences and Possible Solutions By Prof MK Othman President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) declared a state of emergency on food security on July 14, 2023, to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal and address the precarious food shortages and hunger that have defied all efforts and continued ravaging the country with reckless abandon. BAT is the only President to have made such a declaration on food security, the most critical security for human survival. I can imagine BAT's feelings when he declared a state of emergency on food security as a quick fix to address the monster of hunger and squalor. He was virtualizing every hand to be on deck to make agrarian Nigeria achieve food security in a matter of months with excess for exports. He was so confident that we all thought his aggressive strategy could trigger the transformation of the agricultural potential into reality. Now, food insecurity is worse than a year ago, and the ...

 Inaccessible Democratic Dividends: Unwieldy Power and Sins of State Governors By Prof M.K. Othman Three months before the demise of Dr Abba Sayyadi Ruma of blessed memory, the former Minister of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources invited me to his Kaduna residence and sighted his digital empire, which he was about to deploy to achieve his lofty dream of revolutionizing Nigerian agriculture. Abba was an ideologue of digitizing agriculture and supporting services to boost productivity and remove poverty from smallholder farmers altogether. I was so fascinated listening to his splendid idea that I did not know when I requested that he vie for the position of governor to uplift people's livelihoods. He pretended not to hear me, but I persisted with my request. Ruma said, "Prof, aspiring for governorship requires huge financial resources; the delegates for the primary election are like a bag of potatoes, when you buy it from the market, transport it, and take ...