Category: Hannatu Musawa

Most parents of adolescent children will identify with the fact that it is a time of change and challenge for all involved. Due to hormonal changes in the body, an adolescent’s mood may swing from admirable behaviour to a despicable show of rudeness at home and in public. A great number of problems encountered between parents and teens are attitude problems, underage drinking, drug abuse, drunk driving, bullying, rebellion, smoking, submission to negative peer pressure, body issues and lying.

These problems can be overwhelming for many parents. Nagging, yelling or issuing threats are definitely not the best approaches to addressing a troubled teen. Because modern-day parents are extremely busy, other productive strategies have to be used to deal with children. It helps to exercise an unbelievable amount of patience and to be able to think practically and strategically. It is understandable, though, that parents become confused and frustrated, at a loss as to how to react to these problems. As parents, we may become irrational and emotional; the first instinct is to lash out negatively. This in turn results in verbal or even physical abuse between parent and child and if this trend continues for one reason or the other, a parent would be forced to admit that a losing battle is being fought without a victor.

In Nigeria, adolescents react to rapid changes to the environment. These changes affect the society in major ways, as 43% of the Nigerian population is made up of adolescent children (Bamgbose, 2002). When adults are not properly educated or morally sound, these characteristics are almost always passed down to their children. Adolescent children can be said to be in transition to acquire biological features peculiar to the adult population group. This period of life between childhood and adulthood refers to teenage children between thirteen and eighteen years of age. It is described by specialists as a turbulent period of overwhelming stress. There are physical traits associated with adolescence, such as profuse perspiration and body odour (if hygiene is not prioritised), enormous appetites, skin problems that can be acne-related, social awkwardness, curiosity about sexuality, self-consciousness, feeling lazy or lethargic and disruptive and sometimes, aggressive behaviour.

With this barrage of problems, it is paramount that parents enlighten themselves on issues that may be plaguing their children and interact with them as much as possible. Many parents mistake, for example, doing homework or going to the church/mosque with their children as interacting optimally with them – this is not the solution. Interacting with your children by participating in activities that they enjoy such as football, swimming, seeing a movie etc. is so much more productive for both parties. Engaging your child in a project they find interesting will build a strong foundational bond that will serve as a lasting understanding, even in times when you or they become frustrated. Some parents feel utterly lost when it comes to tackling their adolescent children, especially if the aggression or hostility being shown by them is not related to physical abuse, or an alcohol or substance abuse problem.

At this point, it is very important that parents distinguish between normal teenage mood swings and rebellion and signs of actual depression. Even though depression may occur at any age, it can affect adolescents more than it does younger children. Symptoms of depression can appear at the age of 13, but more often show up at 16 and 24. Unfortunately, depression is very difficult to detect in adolescents, especially because they don’t open up so easily, due to insecurities. Dr Michael Miller, editor-in-chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter says experts have identified certain characteristics that distinguish mood swings from depression in adolescents. They are:

• Severity: The more pronounced the symptoms (changes in mood, behaviours, feelings, thoughts), the more likely that the problem is depression and not a passing mood.
• Duration: Any deterioration in behaviour or mood that lasts two weeks or longer, without a break, may indicate depression.
• Domains: Problems noticed in several areas of a teen’s functioning – at home, in school and in interactions with friends – may indicate depression.

The first step to helping your child is to recognise and accept the fact that they have a problem. Encourage your child to also identify what is happening to them and assure them that they are not alone in tackling the issues. Educate your child on ways to cope with problems and model appropriate behaviour for them to follow. Support them towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle; for example getting enough sleep, exercise and eating proper, balanced meals. Adolescents should also be motivated towards taking preventative steps through creativity and being involved in interactive activities. One of my traditions has been to make children socially responsible by giving them practical lessons. Teach your child to feel empathy towards the less privileged, orphans and the disabled. I have engaged in community service activities with my daughter, nieces and nephews from their foundational years, to ensure they develop a high level of empathy for the less fortunate in the community. I often point out almajiris who walk in the baking hot sun without so much as slippers on their tiny, worn feet or any proper clothing. Engage them in interactive problem solving; “If you were president, what would you do to ensure that all children are safe and properly cared for?” Or “How many different policies would you suggest to ensure that child trafficking ends and all children have equal opportunity to go to school?” This question can be posed to older children.

While teenage mood swings can be very difficult to deal with, it is important that parents support their children. Do your best to understand what that child is feeling; take a mental time travelling machine trip to remember how strange many things were to you at that age. Most teenagers find it excruciatingly difficult to talk to their parents about their feelings. Focus on the fact that your priority should be to help shape your child into a productive and self-sufficient adult.

It may take the last drop of patience you have, but resist the temptation to address temperamental mood swings by lashing out in anger or annoyance. Do not take any negative behaviour personally by being a bully instead of a parent with great inspiration and advice. Be observant of your child’s mood and ensure that when they are upset or in pain, you are there as a shoulder to lean or cry on. When your child does well, reward them with love and recognition instead of material gifts, for many parents are unwittingly guilty of showering their children with too many gifts. Your time and attention are far more valuable in the long run than the latest iPod or PS3.

Raising a young adult is challenging, but should not have to be a nightmare. Do the best you can, like many parents and it is guaranteed that the impact of your influence will shine like a bright light through your child. One day, the thought of the growing pains will be a distant and fond memory.

These problems can be overwhelming for many parents. Nagging, yelling or issuing threats are definitely not the best approaches to addressing a troubled teen. Because modern-day parents are extremely busy, other productive strategies have to be used to deal with children.

To speak of a political revolution where power is given back to the people in Nigeria once seemed farfetched. That was until the just concluded elections, where an incumbent government was toppled in a peaceful civilian-to-civilian democratic transition. For the fist time in the consciousness of several generations of Nigerians, the people’s use of their power, through the ballot box, was respected and the clamor and push for ‘change’ became Nigeria’s reality.

But just as Nigerians are getting used to its new-normal, that hydra headed monster of political greed, selfishness and irrationality has already started popping its monstrous head back into our society; as if it had never left. This time it comes by way of an absurd piece of news that our newly sworn-in legislators are about to receive a whopping N8.64 billion as “Wardrobe Allowance.”

If this disturbing revelation turns out to be true, then one has to wonder whether there was some misunderstanding of the mantra of ‘change’ upon which most of the legislatures used to come into power. While most Nigerians understood the ‘change’ to signify a departure from the pilfering and depravity, which was seen to define former administrations, perhaps the vast majority of the legislatures understood ‘change’ to mean a change of outfit from the $1,000 Armani suit they wore yesterday to the $2,500 Givenchy tie they may choose to change into tomorrow.

Now listen, unless Coco Chanel, herself, is going to magically appear and stich every part of every one of the legislatures attire personally, this talk of bungo pay allocated for wardrobe allowance in light of the ensuing circumstance presently in Nigeria is completely out of order. But even ‘if’ the late great Ms. Chanel was to miraculously come back to life and recreate her masterpieces for Nigerian lawmakers, providing N8.64 billion as Wardrobe Allowance for lawmakers is just flipping unacceptable!

But wait… let’s not get it twisted; if everyone thought that every single political biped that climbed on the broom, printed posters with their faces next to that of General Buhari’s and rode onto power on the promise of ‘change’ in the last election was sincerely intentioned to represent that change, then we need to think again. With this preposterous claim that legislators are about to receive a whopping N8.64 billion as Wardrobe Allowance, to speak of a political revolution where real change has come into effect would seem illusionary were it not for the number of times the possibility has been raised, in precisely those terms, by our politicians who continue to nurse the outlandish fantasy that every member of APC truly represents the much needed change.

If this wardrobe allowance claim is true, I daresay, one could possibly be forgiven in thinking that the bubble in the corridors of the National Assembly must have a very strange reverse refractive effect where the world is viewed from the inside out. Otherwise how could any fat-cat, insatiable legislature justify N8.64 billion as Wardrobe Allowance despite the swelling problems our nation faces as a result of poverty, long unemployment lines, insecurity, social and infrastructure decay and general despondency?

If anyone had any doubt that a good number of our political class that speak of ‘change’ are having a laugh, then this allegation of bungo spending by the legislature is enough to stand them corrected; of that there can be no question!

Since 1999, the impediments that have ensured the rearward development of this democracy have been fast and furious. And now that we thought that there would be some reprieve, suddenly, we are confronted with this alleged incongruity of our undistinguished lawmakers and their abundant taste of an outrageous fashion sense.

If this account of legislature wardrobe allowance is true and allowed to stand, it would effectively amount to a sum of N21.5 million each for the country’s 109 Senators and N17.5 million each for the 360 members of the House of Representatives. Presumably, this amount is separate from other allowances such as; furniture, housing and transportation, which the lawmakers are expected to receive. Apparently, with regards to the housing allowance, each of the 107-senators besides the Senate President and his deputy, will be paid N4,052,800, while each member of the House of Representatives will be paid N3,970,425 upon assumption of office. Furthermore, it is assumed that the Senate President, Deputy Senate President and the Speaker, Deputy Speaker will be provided accommodation by the federal government. Can all this truly be happening while Nigerians continue to suffer from unpaid salaries, dwindling oil revenues, the precarious state of our economy, endemic corruption, insecurity high poverty rates, infrastructural underdevelopment and decay… the list goes on!

Based on the approval of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the housing allowance for political office holders is usually 200 per cent of their annual salaries, the furniture allowance is 300 per cent of annual salaries, while a motor vehicle loan is pegged at 400 per cent of their annual salaries. Honestly, this is preposterous and downright absurd! Where exactly is the Change that Nigerians voted for? Somehow, I don’t think this is the “change” that teeming Nigerians clamored and voted for during the last general elections. It is safe to assume that Nigerians voted for the status-quo to be changed not for it to continue like “the business as usual” manner of previous administrations. The 8th National Assembly members should indeed reflect the change Nigerians desperately wanted; the change under which they were voted into office.

Notoriously tagged as the most expensive parliament in the world, there is a widely held public conception that a significant part of the nation’s commonwealth is wastefully exhausted in the provision of our federal legislators. Since 2010, Nigerians have learnt of the federal legislature’s consumption of one-quarter of the nation’s budget. However, despite the stupendous sum the lawmakers appropriate unto themselves; their output has serially, dolefully and exasperatingly failed to measure up. Since the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and current Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s allegation in 2010 that 25% of the overhead of the Federal Government budget goes to the National Assembly, the money channeled into funding the legislative arm of government has continued to undoubtedly widen the gap between the legislatures and the people they are supposed to represent.

The huge sums allegedly accrued to the out-going National Assembly in the course of its tenure stretching from June 2011 to June 2015, is over bloated against the backdrop of their productivity level. Sometime last month, it was reported that the outgoing 7th National Assembly passed a total of 108 bills into law, out of the 1,068 bills sponsored and brought to its legislative attention. Yet, a good number of the bills passed were mainly thought to be executive-sponsored bills, made up of appropriation (budgetary) and supplementary appropriation bills as well as bills authorizing the Presidency to borrow loans. Hence, expert bills and public interest bills did not feature much. The outgoing 7th upper chamber succeeded in passing 67 bills (i.e. around 0.0925 bills per sitting), while the lower chamber passed the remaining 41 bills. Essentially, all the previous National Assembly members bequeathed the nation is 108 bills, leaving hundreds of other bills still pending, especially the very important and long-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, which was re-presented to the legislative arm of government by former President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2012.

When juxtaposed with American legislators, the 108 bills passed by the two Nigerian chambers is one of the lowest for any session of the United States’ Congress, whose two chambers passed 604 in just 1999 and 460 bills between 2007 and 2008. It is indeed a far cry to the busy hub of the American Congress. Between the last two years (2013 and 2014), the American Congress was able to pass 297 bills. Yet, the referenced number of the bills has been considered to be one of the lowest in the country’s legislative session’s history. Nonetheless, while the United States pays its lawmakers an average annual salary of about $174,000 with Britain paying its parliamentarians approximately $105,000, their Nigerian counterparts receive salaries and several allowances amounting to about $1.050,000 per annum. What a joke!

Since news of this alleged wardrobe allowance leaked, alarm has been stirred by an upsurge in public anger over this venality that will soon likely to run like a virus through the legislative house. This reported revelation about the unhealthy spending at the national assembly has galvanized the outpouring of scorn and venom from a disappointed general public. At this juncture, with the way Nigerians are feeling, the members of the National Assembly should be grateful that there have been no angry mobs storming their hallowed chambers, nor much of anything in the way of organized protest.

But, in all honesty, the mood of anger is growing from a people who united, fought and won a revolution together and had such high hopes of ‘change’ for Nigeria. This piece of news has touched grievances, which had been built against the last administration about the growth of a self-serving political class, arrogant habits of rule and an inward-looking cadre of legislatures, for all of which the most appropriate adjective seems to be high-handed. Thank Goodness this is not happening in the olden days when the lynch mob would have been the opposition long before a public revolt!

It’s that time of year again that I find to have so much meaning and beauty. To me Ramadan is so much more than fasting from dusk till dawn or feasting during Iftar. Not only is it a time when I endeavor to increase my Taqwa/Iman, become more charitable and strengthen my knowledge of the Holy Qur’an, it is also a time that I become closer to Allah and have a closer relationship with the Qur’an.

Many of us who celebrate Ramadan take journeys at this time of the year and this Ramadan I want to take a journey on how I can get the most benefit from the opportunity Ramadan affords me and I want to encourage anyone who wishes to come along on this journey in making this Ramadan one of great triumph and blessings. I took this same journey a couple of Ramadans ago, and hope to do the same on this Ramadan.

In my Ramadan journey this year as always, I wish to, first and foremost, give top priority to knowing and understanding the true contents and message of the Qur’an.

The reward for reciting and completing the Qur’an is abundantly rewarding.forgiveness form Allah. Ibn ‘Abbas narrates, saying, “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) was the most generous person, and He would be at his most generous in Ramadan because Jibril would come to him every night and he would study the Qur’an with him. Additionally, Bukhari reports from Fatima that the Prophet (SAW) told her in the last year of his life, “Jibril used to revise the Qur’an with me once every year…” As part of my journey this Ramadan, I intend to complete reciting the Holy Quran.

TWO POSSIBLE WAYS OF COMPLETING THE QU’RAN DURING RAMADAN ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1)   READ 4 PAGE AFTER EACH SALAT.

5 TIMES SALAT X 4 PAGE = 20 PAGE EACH DAY

20 PAGES = 1 PARA

1 PARA X 30 DAYS = 30 PARA

2)   THE QURAN HAS 600 PAGES APPROXIMATELY. IF YOU DIVIDE IT INTO 30 DAYS, THAT’S 20 PAGES A DAY. THAT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE FOR SOME. BUT IF ONE

DIVIDES IT ON THE 5 DAILY PRAYERS, RECITING IT GETS   EASIER.

Furthermore, I wish to take a moment to reflect on which aspects of my life; my routine, attitude, personality or behavior I need to improve on and what my plans are for changing for the better and bringing myself closer to the Islamic standard.

An important part of this journey for me is to be as charitable as I can possibly be. When possible, every time I see people in anguish and poverty, every time my eyes fill with tears at the sight of senseless killings, blown up bodies, devastation and displacement of innocent people, I will open my purse and give charity. I will remember to forego some of my necessities in order to provide for those who are in more need than me. I will also opt not to spend money on frivolous things and luxuries so that those who are in more need than my family and I can be helped through my charity.

In sha Allah, in my journey, I will sleep early after praying Ishaa and Taraweeh and go to bed with a clear and conscious intention of fasting the next day. Then, I will get up well before Suhur time thanking Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala for giving me life and then I hope to make special Du’aa for the mercy of Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala on our Ummah. From the start and right to the end of Ramadan, I will try not to sleep after Fajr, but instead study the Qur’an. In the last ten days of the Ramadan, I will go to bed with the intention of getting up early for Tahajjud prayers.

Throughout the day, for the duration of the Ramadan, I will find time to revise and re-learn the Surahs and Aayaat I already know. Once that is completed, I will learn at least one Aayah a day from a Surah that I do not already know.

Insha Allah, I will be extra kind, understanding, accepting, considerate and supportive to my non-Muslims friends and neighbours. I will listen to them, carry them along and find ways to have them participate in the blessings of Ramadan by sharing my food and gifts with them. I will counsel myself on my temperamental nature and strive to become calmer. I will try very hard to be forgiving to all those who have offended my family, my community and I. I will clear my heart from anger, suspicion and grudges. And I will do a lot of prayer on cooling down my hot, fiery temper.

For the full duration of the Ramadan, I will kick at least one of my bad habits and make a special effort to speak only to add value and to say only what is meaningful and useful. When I do not have anything useful to talk about, I will remember Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala through the beautiful and peaceful words taught by the Rasul (SAW), while paying attention to their meanings and feeling the impact of the words in my heart, my mind, my thoughts and my attitude.

Ramadan is a spiritual cleansing month not only for the soul but also for the body. It is said in a Hadith that the Prophet (SAW) said we should leave 1/3 of our stomach for water, 1/3 for air, and 1/3 for food.

Therefore, this Ramadan, in addition to my spiritual journey, I will be going on a health and weight loss one as well. While I embrace Ramadan for its spiritual benefits and all the positives that it represents, it really is an excellent opportunity to shed some extra weight. It can be very tempting to devour anything and everything edible during Iftar, but the tendency of this is putting on more weight than one had to begin with and becoming unhealthier.

When we fast, we are already resetting our metabolism by the protracted, long overnight fast, as well as the daily fasting. Our metabolism resets and our body begins to change the way it operates. There is no need to consume excess food at Iftar, dinner or Suhoor, but we usually do. And when we do that, our body thinks it is in a state of famine and will store everything we eat as fat, because it is worried about food supply.

Furthermore, eating once a day scares our body and our body starts to shut down and slow down our metabolism. A diet that is less than a normal amount of food intake but balanced is sufficient enough to keep us healthy and active during the month of Ramadan.

I know for me personally, each Ramadan in the past, I have always had a tendency to over eat during Iftar. But this year, I want to be disciplined, eat healthy, eat slowly, and practice constraint by ensuring my diet consists of ‘solely’ of green vegetables, green fruit and green juice. The diet will almost all be ‘Green Juice’ made from nutritious fruit and vegetables. Without a doubt restricting meals to green liquid for thirty days will make anyone loose weight, no matter how slow their metabolism is.

I know Ramadan is not about losing weight, but I would like to use this opportunity, to address my issue of gluttony and use control and constraint on what I eat.

If anybody wishes to follow my green food and juice diet plan and come on this health and weight loss journey with me, you are welcome to do so. I will, hopefully, post pictures of my meals and several recipes for making green juice on my Twitter Page at @hanneymusawa, my FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/hannatu.musawa and on my website on www.hanneymusawa.com.

However, while Ramadan is an excellent opportunity for overweight people to lose weight, please note that underweight or marginally normal weight people are discouraged from losing weight during Ramadan.

I also, Insha Allah, intend to dedicate my writing, articles and op-eds in the next four weeks of Ramadan fully to one subject, addressing an area that I wish to concentrate my prayer on. The 4-week series will be titled, ‘YA ALLAH, MY DU’A IS FOR…(FOLLOWED BY THE PARTICULAR SUBJECT TO BE COVERED IN THAT WEEK).” I am hoping that others will join me in my prayer and Du’a on this subject.

If, like me, you have decided to make this a meaningful and triumphant Ramadan by moving closer to Allah and identifying areas requiring improvement in your life, may Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala assist you and bless you for taking this step in your life.

If one can succeed this Ramadan in living as planned by the true tenants of the Quran, one will be able to look back and rejoice and feel inner joy and true happiness knowing that their Eid day will be the day of celebrating rewards from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala.

As we begin this journey for Ramadan, I wish each and every person welcoming this Ramadan a blessed, fruitful, safe and peaceful month. Ramadan Kareem and Ramadan Mubarak!

The 2015 elections have finally come and gone. The fever pitched atmosphere that characterized and inundated the polity pre-election has been doused by the seemingly credible, free and fair election of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. The pre-election doomsday prophesies and innuendoes that the elections were going to make or mar the unity of the country, has come to pass. The commendable performance of the umpire of the elections under the stewardship of Prof. Attaihiru Jega should be recognized and must be commended. The conduct of the two gladiators (the outgoing and incoming presidents) before, during and after the elections must also be acclaimed. More especially, the gesture of President Goodluck Jonathan and the symbolic phone call to concede defeat even before the final results were officially announced should highly be extolled and would go down well in the annals of history. Never in the history of our burgeoning democracy has such magnanimity and statesmanship been exhibited by a politician aspiring for the highest office of the land. The gesture without a doubt forestalled any hatched plans by evil does to scuttle the latter stages of the elections. Definitely, this is a milestone that is indelible in the history of Nigeria.

The 2015 elections which were the 4th elections to be conducted since the beginning of the 21st century saw an opposition candidate winning the presidential elections and the results allowed to stand. This is also a feat worthy of acclamation, good for our political development and every discerning Nigerians should be proud of. The wind of change has suddenly filled the atmosphere. You can almost touch it in the Northern region of the country. You can feel it in the Southern parts and you can sense it, albeit minimal in the Eastern parts of the country. Everywhere you go; Nigerians are looking forward to a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Anything short of this, the power and voices of the people through the ballot would surely be put to good use once again in the next elections. However, while majority of Nigerians are still basking in the euphoria of an opposition/Buhari victory, discerning Nigerians are concerned about the “opposition’’ in Nigerian politics. Is there really an opposition in our nascent political development? Opposition in politics simply means “the major political party opposed to the party in office and prepared to replace it if elected.” The APC emerged as the major opposition in 2013, and from developments in the just concluded elections, it is going to formally replace the PDP come May 29. A salient fact here is that majority of the candidates who won elections under the banner of the APC were former PDP members. Take for instance, north of the River Niger, almost all the gubernatorial candidates (except perhaps in Jigawa) who won elections in their respective states, were former PDP members. The APC government hasn’t officially taken over power and we are already witnessing an overwhelming amount of politicians decamping to the APC. In other climes, politicians are identified as “the opposition” and are well grounded in such parties. Is it that in Nigerian politics, the end justifies the means? It seems it doesn’t matter where you are coming from or how you made money or where it is gotten from, provided you’ve got loads of it, you can switch to any political party and aspire for any office in the land and win. Most of these victorious gubernatorial candidates under the APC were either in the House of Representatives and the Senate under the PDP banner. Most have held ministerial and top positions in the PDP-led government. However, they all have suddenly become “Messiahs” of change. In some parts of the country, an APC ticket is automatically a ticket to victory, irrespective of competence, antecedence, or integrity; likewise the PDP ticket. Precisely, a PDP ticket in the south-south and south-eastern zone is a sure ticket to government house and office. In the North, an APC ticket is also a sure ticket to government house and office. Largely, our political parties do not possess any clear-cut and well defined ideology. It seems, politics in Nigeria is akin to the “stomach infrastructure” ideology popularized by a sitting governor in the South-west.

Nevertheless, there have been opposition members since our emergent democracy in 1999. There have been people who have vociferously and silently been playing the role of the opposition, in trying to ensure that Nigeria carves out a healthy democratic development. There are unsung heroes who in their quest to legitimize a viable opposition, have died and lost everything along the way, believing in their cause. They’ve lost and arm and a leg but still remained steadfast and dogged in the opposition movement. There are some who have resisted tantalizing overtures and juicy appointments of sitting administrations, believing instead in a formidable opposition. These are the true opposition members who gave victory to the incoming President with their time, efforts, sweat, blood and lives, not some now masquerading as apostles of change. These people were the ones who initially painstakingly built this “Buhari brand” most people are now clamoring for and sadly exploiting.

The incoming president should be wary of sheep’s in wolf’s clothing, screaming change, acting like proponents of change but are not necessarily agents of change. Perusing some of their self-aggrandizement motives, they exploited the popularity of the General and the overwhelming cries of teeming Nigerians for change at the helms of affairs. Most are opportunist and might reveal their true colours after being officially sworn in. I recall being at my polling booth to vote during the presidential and National Assembly elections. On the ballots papers were only logos of political parties and boxes beside them for thumb printing. I recall being on the queue and was asked by several people what were the names of some Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates. Most people didn’t know the Senatorial and House of Reps candidates of the various parties. Majority of the electorates there, having thumb-printed APC for the presidential ballot paper, also thumb-printed for the APC’s Senate and House of Reps. candidates; without necessarily knowing their names. During the gubernatorial elections, it was a domino effect that occurred having declared the APC presidential candidate “winner’’; understandably, most people just voted for the gubernatorial candidates of the APC.

The elections are over and challenging problems await the incoming president. He needs capable hands, proven and tested, with like-mind vision, capable of taking Nigeria to greater heights. He needs capable individuals, regardless of political party affiliation, ethnicity, creed and gender who believe in the project called Nigeria. He needs to act as a leader of Nigeria and Nigerians, not a leader of a political party or particular region of the country. He needs seasoned professionals and technocrats from far and wide, home and abroad, who are willing to build a brighter future for the teeming youths of Nigeria. The incoming President’s journey began sometime in 2002 when he got into partisan politics. It has taken him a dozen plus one years to achieve his goal. He knows how arduous and pain-staking it was, eventually getting this illusive victory; credited to the teeming populace who believes in him. It is now the turn for him to meet the aspirations of teeming Nigerians who are looking up to him for the prophesied change they voted for. With great power come greater responsibilities. Whoever much is given, much is expected. There are great expectations on the shoulders of GMB. The timber and caliber of the “soldiers” who he appoints as his ministers would be scrutinized serially. Indeed, they would determine the direction his government is going to take. The fire of change is still burning. The expectation of hope is still alive within the populace. The passion with which Nigerians came out en-masse to vote for an agent of change, whose integrity and honesty is parallel to none, is still blooming. Surely, Nigerians wouldn’t want to be disappointed. Surely, Nigerians wouldn’t want the flame to be extinguished. Nigerians wouldn’t want their hope to be dashed. Nigerians wouldn’t want their efforts to be in vain. 2019 is not too far away, however, before we get there, Nigerians would want a bigger, better and greater Nigeria. Anything less and the President would surely face the music.

While, every day I get to celebrate and honor being a mother, and honor my mother, various days are set aside annually to celebrate the influence of mothers in society. This past weekend, Mother’s Day was celebrated in the United States. To mark this special day, I joined grateful children and mothers around the world to send goodwill messages of gratitude to celebrate the special gift of motherhood.

I celebrate the blessing of motherhood every second of the day because it is the ultimate gift. I celebrate being a mother and having the most special mother every moment and want to give a loving shout out to my mother this Mother’s Day.

Anyone who knows my mother, Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa (nee Yusuf Gurshe Rafindadi), will be aware of what a difficult task it is for me to attempt to find the words to describe her. A role model to all who know and love her, my mother lives her life with great humility. Her selflessness and kindness to others knows no bounds. She is a fantastic person who has been blessed with a great sense of humor, a kind nature, and an unassuming ability to make all those around her feel special and loved.

To have the blessing of being able to call Hajia Ladi, ‘Mom’ is, perhaps, the greatest fortune of my life. Continuously, I learn and grow from the pure example set by my Mom. The energy she pumps into the love and caring she displays to all those around her and beyond is boundless. She continues to be a source of inspiration to so many that she meets by her unselfishness, dedication and Faith in Allah. She unceasingly encourages her children, family, friends, neighbors and associates to work hard at life but always to put Allah first. Her faith cradles her and her loved ones even during the times when life throws curveballs. The courage she always shows in the face of adversity and her inner strength are truly what great people are made of. She is a true blessing.

My greatest wish for my Mom, as I watch her dedicate her life to encouraging, supporting, educating, protecting, helping, loving, and caring for all those she comes in contact with on a daily basis, is for her to be able to see herself the way the World sees her; which is as a blessing, an incredibly special and amazing person. A woman who is indeed a pure soul with a pure heart, a remarkable role model and a woman with great faith.

To me, Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa is a shining gem; a gift, an angel. She has incredibly strong values. In my eyes, if ever there was a portrait of a Godly mother, it is she. I am convinced that anything that is pure and good in me, Allah has planted it in me directly from my Mom.

My Mom is big on teaching. On a daily basis, she teaches me to live my life, make my decisions and conduct myself as if I am teaching my children and the next generation. One of her favorite quotes to me is one of Ghandi’s. “Hannatu, always be the change you want to see in the world…” she would say. This quote consistently reverberates in my head and sticks with me wherever I go. It is exactly how Mom lives her life.

Some of the greatest values I try to uphold; defending my honor religiously, keeping integrity, trying to do right, caring for the downtrodden, were instilled in me by Mom. Her lessons and example influence every good part of my life and positive thought process. They are the same lessons and example that I try and impart on my children every day.

Mom teaches me the difference between right and wrong and urges me to constantly try to make good choices. She teaches me to be faithful to myself, to my family, to my culture, to my nation, to my calling, to people around me, to my identity, to my bloodline, to my Father’s name and especially to Allah. She encourages me to be more focused and strive and finish things that I start. She always urges me to try as best as I can to keep my word and learn to accept and take correction. And she always worries and counsels me about tempering the fiery temper I inherited from Dad.

Mom teaches me that the things I should treasure should never be made with human hands. She teaches me that it is through giving that I will be filled and fulfilled. She teaches me that that originality feeds the soul and energizes the mind. She teaches me to exercise greater patience and always try to endure. She teaches me the difference between right and wrong. She teaches me not to use my power to hurt others. She teaches me to always strive to give more than I receive. This is an example that she lives with daily. Throughout her life she has always been known to help people, even at her own expense. It is the way she lives, even now. She simply loves being there for others and making their lives easier. It is the times that she helps people that you can see the greatest joy in her eyes.

As a little girl, she often took me to orphanages, shelters and hospitals so I could see people who were suffering; so I could develop a desire to help people who are suffering.  She made me touch and feed lepers in the days when people shunned them. She made me touch AIDS victims when people ran from them. It was through those acts she showed me the power of knowledge. “Hannatu, people run away from lepers and AIDS patients because they have not empowered themselves with the knowledge that these afflictions are not contagious, if handled correctly… People with AIDS and Leprosy are normal people who want to be treated normally…” That is the kind of woman my Mom is.

This Mother’s Day, I dedicate every morsel of who I am and everything that I have ever done good and right to my Mom. I thank her deeply for loving me so much and being the brightest light in my life. I thank her for showing me about what I should be and teaching me how to be free and how to dream. I thank Mom for being the ultimate example of forgiveness, compassion, friendship, kindness, strength, generosity, honesty, elegance, resilience, selflessness, care, hope and love. I thank Mom for telling me she loved me every single day of my life. Even when we were not together, she finds a way of getting the message across to me.

Mom is my rock, my anchor, my strong, beautiful, vibrant angel; my heart and my precious gift from Allah. I am beyond proud of her and everything she is. From the time I was a little girl, Mom and Dad have always been all I have ever needed in my life. They still come first beyond everything else. I truly have the very best parents in the world and, most certainly, the best mother in the universe! I thank The Almighty with everything that I have for the grace and gift he has given me in the form of parents.

“Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa, I know that I sent you flowers and we do the normal Mother’s Day routine, but I wanted to tell the world about the essence of you, my salute to you so they can celebrate with me on my great blessing of you, as I say Happy Mother’s Day to the Best Mother in the Universe… May we witness and celebrate Mothers Day together for many more years to come… I love you mom!”

It is that time of the democracy cycle again folks when politicians gather in a conclave of sorts and scurry like zombies at a buffet of raw human meat in order to grab themselves a government position and ensure their placing in the new administration. As the inauguration draws nearer, it is becoming harder and harder to escape the sense that the sheer desperation, egocentricity and idiosyncrasies of those who are so hungry for a government position, is presently at scorching fever pitch.

Watching the unpleasant clamor for government positions is comical, fascinating and disturbing. Listening to the clatter and the tussles between the different interests, watching the games and the intrigues that are being set is, to say the least, nauseating and bewildering. Observing politicians scraping the bottom of the desperation barrel and falling over each other in order to emerge as members of Buhari’s government has become almost embarrassing. The scorched-earth desperation on display is a regrettable drama, made light by the hilarious fact that, it doesn’t seem like any of them have really caught the attention of General Buhari, who seems to be observing the rituals quite intelligently, silently and analytically.

Change was and still is the mantra that engendered the unprecedented revolution that was witnessed at last month’s presidential polls, which saw the victory of the General at the just concluded election. Teeming Nigerians are still basking in the euphoria of that victory. Never in our 54 years of independence and 26 years of civil rule has an opposition presidential aspirant successfully wrestled power from the ruling party’s clutches; it was a feat worthy of accolades. However, while most Nigerians are still in a trance-like euphoria, it is quite sad to see the very obvious shameful display of desperate office seekers by some who were, recently, yelling for change like honorable screaming Banshees.

Of late, the media has been awash with various phantom lists of ministerial nominees. While the incoming President or his party hasn’t categorically made any list whatsoever public, obscure articles with names of certain individuals for ministerial slots are being sponsored on every media platform. Those very desperate and cutthroat measures that we have become all too familiar with in the Nigerian polity are, yet again, rearing their gluttonous fangs. Advertorials, obscure articles and phantom ministerial nominee lists being sponsored on news outlets seem almost like a form of coercion and blackmail that serves as a gimmick for those desperate for appointments in the Buhari regime to bulldoze their way into the incoming administration.

Discerning Nigerians came out in their millions; they came out in droves; young and old, Christians and Muslims, Southerners and Northerners and voted for change under the leadership of GMB. Change in the sense that they wanted something different from what was obtainable over the years. They want the “business as usual” attitude and mentality of successive administrations to stay and remain in the past. They want the status quo of corruption, impunity, incompetency, mediocrity and the habit of putting square pegs in round holes to be a thing of the distant past. But, Alas, even while GMB has not been sworn in, cretins orchestrating all sorts of measures behind closed doors and those sponsoring the phantom publications are already staking their claim. One shudders to think of the horrible mistake if such desperados portend what we might witness in the incoming administration. If this is so, then the change majority of Nigerians clamored for may just become an illusion.

If there is one thing that Nigerians should have learnt over our political and government experiences of the past, those who are so desperate to clinch power, those who are so desperate to grab power at all costs, are the major components in the destruction and basterdization of our democracy, of our country. It would be reasonable to presume that those who are so desperate to clinch power and are ready to go to any length in order to secure it, are individuals who do not have the interest of the nation at heart but their own personal interest and ambition. Penning down ones name in a list which, hasn’t been sanctioned by the incoming President or the party is completely repugnant to the values which represent the movement that General Buhari has established and the message he carried for over a decade.

In addition to the main features that Nigerians posses, we are a people who are very poor students of history. When the late Umar Yar’Adua died, the country saw the heightened desperation of politicians who strived to be named as President Jonathan’s vice president. There was so much desperation in the air that it became almost pathetic. President Elect Buhari must be wary of such people. He must do everything to the extent of his knowledge and in his power to resist surrounding himself with such people, like his predecessors did.

It is quite unfortunate that not many seem to understand that the quest for power is not necessarily a good thing. Apart from being transient, power can be the greatest Achilles heel and undoing of anyone who desires it so. Over time, the quest for power and relevance has brought many a stalwart to their knees. If there is one thing all Nigerians should have learnt is that, being seen to be too powerful within an administration and being identified as the figure-head within a government can be the greatest disadvantage for a person once that administration comes to an end. We have seen this trend all so many times. During the regime of General Sani Abacha, Major Al-Mustapha was identified to be one of the most influential and powerful figures in the administration. After the death of late President Abacha, Major Al-Mustapha automatically became the whipping boy for the errors of the administration and every fault, rightly or wrongly  was lumbered on his head. The same scenario played out when late President Yar’Adua died. Apart from the fact that everyone who knows him describes him as the most, vile, wicked, shady, corrupt, nasty, selfish and reprehensible douche bag and sack of filth of all time, Tanimu Yakubu, once identified as the piece of excrement behind all the major shifty decisions during that regime automatically became he fall guy. Up to this day, when any negativity in the Yaradu’a regime is brought up, blame is almost always layed on Tanimu’s head.

Now the same scenario is practically playing out with Allison Deziani-Maduekwe becoming the target with a bright red target smack in the middle of her back. It is she, who is likely o be made the scapegoat for many of the incongruities that may have taken place under this administration. In several quarters within the polity, it is mainly her head that is being clamored for to be brought to the chopping board, regardless of many others who partook in the administration and who may have also been culpable in any wrongdoing.

Those projecting their names or someone else’s name for appointments and so desperate for power should indeed think of the Tanimu’s and Dieziani’s and the take a cue from history. Power may have its benefits but not all that glitters is gold. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. Great men can become bad men with power. Power is not always a virtue.

Whatever happen in the next few weeks, whoever emerges, the overriding factor among public officials should be the interest of the nation and not their personal interest. The former should be the code of conduct guiding their activities as public officials. Public officials should be able to forgo their personal interest for the overall good of the nation.

As we enter into a new dispensation on 29 May 2015, one hopes the incoming President will look deeply and sieve the bunch of desperate, power hungry leeches who may not understand that moving forward, there will be no more random bites taken out of the national cake. One hopes that he will identify the individuals who do not wish well for the country and choose to put their interests ahead of the Nations. One hopes that he will strike out the names of those who are already poised to give a bad name to the change, which so many Nigerians have fought, bled and died for over the years.

This administration must be famed for it’s honesty, integrity and astuteness. And those who will be chosen to form the face of the government must reflect the virtues and values, which this movement has held so strong. President Elect Buhari must beware of the biblical serpent in the Garden of Eden, who comes with a sugar-coated tongue, but with a veiled aim of derailing the objective of change and providing better for the 170 million people who are relying on this promise of change. The hope of Nigerians is for the incoming administration must be made up of competent individuals, irrespective of party affiliation, age, gender, ethnicity or religion. It must be made up of Assemble a team that every Nigerian will be proud of, capable of taking us to a better alternative.

One hopes the president elect will tour the length and breadth of this great country of ours and even the diaspora, and put together a team of capable, qualified and professional Nigerians with the competence and compellability to confront head-on the ills that has bedeviled this great nation of ours for years. So many Nigerians, young and old have placed their trust and faith in the incoming government. They are desperate for positive change. Change is all they ask! Change is they we need! As for those so gung ho in hoarding after power at all costs, they should appreciate the need Nigerians have for change embrace the concept that; power is not that change, rather the change is the power.

Apparently, the fact that you may be a law abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, does not excuse you from being abruptly and randomly stopped whilst driving on the road by the gentlemen and women of the Federal Road Safety Corps. Even with your authentic up to date vehicle documentation, fire extinguisher and original driver’s license; you may be found guilty as charged by some the unforgiving Officers of the government agency. The Officers are certainly there for our own protection; but in recent times; many of us law abiding citizens have felt increasingly persecuted, wronged and subjected to unnecessary harassment from these .men and women in burgundy and fawn.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was founded in 1988 and is responsible for general road safety administration in the Federal Capital Territory and all of the thirty- six States of Nigeria. Their major functions are ensuring the safety of motorists and other road users on highways, recommending improved infrastructure in order to minimize accidents and mishaps and sensitizing motorists and the general public on the significance of obeying traffic laws on roads and highways. Prior to the emergence of FRSC, there was no significant government body that oversaw traffic rules and regulation were abided by. Between 1960- 1965; Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), made big strides towards a road safety program. The Nigerian Army trained its officers efficiently on road safety in the early 1970’s and these formed a foundation to the inception of rules and regulations that were to follow years later. An annual Road Safety Week was established by the Nigerian Army in 1972. The military junta of 1974 released a policy on road safety called the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC); sadly this organization was not sustained. Then in 1977, Oyo State took the lead by establishing the Oyo State Road Safety Corps as by then the number of fatal road accidents in Nigeria had risen to an alarming level. In those days especially it was hard to meet someone that had not been directly affected by tragedy that had befallen a loved one on our dangerous roads. The Oyo State Road Safety Corps was disbanded by the federal government in 1983. The accidents in Nigeria at that time were at an all-time high and according statistics Nigeria was placed as the second highest prone road traffic accident (RTA) in the world, only slightly better than Ethiopia. In 1988, the World Health Organization ranked Nigeria one of the countries with the highest road fatalities in the world as well.  Finally, the federal government had to address the growing senseless carnage on Nigerian roads, especially the highways; hence the inception of the FRSC. Road crashes are the second leading cause of death between the ages of 5 to 44 in African countries; most probably due to poor roads and blatant disregard for rules and regulations on the road.

For the most part, the functions of the FRSC are credible and legitimate for the safety of the motorists. Their presence on our roads were aimed at sanitizing what would otherwise have been a lawless and pathetic state of affairs. One of the most commendable achievements of the FRSC is that majority of Nigerian drivers now use their seatbelts and this has significantly reduced fatalities on the road. Infact prior to 1988; it was common for (especially) commercial drivers to cut out the seatbelts from their vehicles (because of the strong course nature of the belt) to tie luggage and load to the roofs of their cars. This practice has now totally desisted and it’s a strange sight to see a motorist not securely fastened to his/her seatbelt.

The most significant aspect of character when associating with the public is approach in terms of professional decorum. The Officers of the FRSC should focus their exuberant energy towards maintaining a professional rapport with motorists while discharging their job schedule. A reasonable tone should be adopted while interacting with the public. The fact that one is flagged down in the first place is disconcerting especially because many checks are done randomly; so one is made to feel like a victim of very bad luck even before any exchange has taken place. The FRSC should empathize with a flustered motorist before proceeding to throw the book at whoever happens to be the unfortunate victim of circumstance. Many a time, inappropriate exchanges have taken place between Officers and motorists.

These days the new trend in road harassment seems to be the forgery of producing “fraudulent driver’s license”. Who issues the license in the first place? Many bewildered and innocent motorists have been charged with this grossly unfair offense. One applies for a driver’s license by filling a form that they collected from the FRSC or VOA and attaching a passport photograph, then submitting it to the FRSC office and awaiting to be contacted for biometrics and capturing. He/she is then given a temporary driver’s license valid for two (2) months before being contacted to correct the final license. It is whilst collecting the final license that many unsuspecting victims are given the “fake one”. Instead of using the image captured in the system; an invisible force, it seems, within the FRSC miraculously produces an “original driver’s license” for the motorist with the attached passport picture on the application form. The legal implication of punishing and brandishing a victim of a fake driver’s license with “forgery” is a practice that has to desist. This is more so given the fact that FRSC isn’t a court and cannot come to the conclusion that a person has committed ‘forgery’ and entering it into their database. Forgery is a criminal offence and the negative consequence of labeling a person as such could be detrimental and far-reaching.

Instead of punishing and charging the said “perpetrator”, why not enlighten motorists on recognizing fake licenses on the spot so that even at the point of collection one can protest and ensure they are given an authentic one. Honestly, the tiresome process of even being captured and getting a license is painstakingly tiresome and many Nigerians can ill afford the endless waiting and tolerance of a computerized system of data capturing that is anything but efficient.

If an on-the-spot awareness scheme is not adequate enough to correct the fake license anomaly that has currently flooded our roads and highway users, a national awareness campaign on T.V, radio, print and social media should be launched by FRSC, informing the unsuspecting public of the fake license; urging everyone in the possession of a drivers license to go into an FRSC office to verify its authenticity and process a new license, should it be necessary.

It would be so refreshing if FRSC Officers would maintain and uphold that example of professional decorum while approaching motorists in a friendly, obedient and respectful manner. They should endeavor to take the time to explain, educate and enlighten drivers on the perils of not following our traffic laws. The practice of judging motorists as offenders on sight and exercising the power of being judge and jury and doling out a harsh sentence before one is given fair hearing is compounding to the problem of road mishaps. In the federal capital, many a commercial vehicle is seen in driving stunts either quickly reversing or performing a hair raising 360 degree turn trying to avoid the FRSC officers; hence putting other motorists and pedestrians on the road at grave danger.

The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be first and foremost the document by which all Nigerians are bound. So going by that premise, the Nigerian citizen also cannot have his human rights violated. Blatant disruptive behavior by an officer towards a motorist infringes on these rights; no Nigerian should be unduly disrespected or victimized. Once these basic rights are not infringed upon; the FRSC officer can execute his duty without acrimony or bias. Until that happens unfortunately many innocent motorists would have fallen victims of an unjust system and classified as innocence harassed.

FRSC is supposed to be one of the most professional and well-managed Parastatals in Nigeria. But on this issue of ‘fake licenses issued to unsuspecting drivers by FRSC… Law abiding driver stopped, harassed and labeled a forgery criminal by the same FRSC which issued the drivers license in the first place.., The Federal Road Safety Corps has got to do better!