Nigerian Education: A Bleak Future for the Nigerian University System? Â A few weeks ago, I had a heartfelt conversation with a young scholar I consider one of my mentees. He asked to meet me because he wanted to discuss issues he couldn’t share over the phone, and it took weeks before we finally connected….
Nigeria’s Perennial Flood: Occurrence of Preventable Disasters By Prof M. K. Othman Today, I am writing as a professional water resource engineer with over twenty years of experience in irrigation water management and hydrology, as well as a professor of extension who must communicate complex information to non-professionals clearly and straightforwardly. Through my training and…
Nigerian Youths: Time Bomb Waiting to Explode? II By Prof MK Othman Still, as parents, what can we do to prevent the bomb from detonating? What are the roles of the government in stopping this trend? These questions were raised in the first part of this piece. One elder statesman said that the bomb is…
Nigerian Youths: Time Bomb Waiting to Explode? Â In the last five years, I have written five articles on the Nigerian youth and their future, including “Nigerian Youths and Nation’s Future: A Time Bomb Waiting to Explode?” I and II in 2021, and “Nigeria-2023: Crying Aloud for the Youth” I, II, III in 2022. Instead…
Prof Roko’s Death: Ordeals of Academics in Nigeria Amidst thousands of unread WhatsApp messages, with more flowing in as Sallah day, Friday, June 6, 2025, progresses, I noticed an unusually lengthy message sent to my direct message (DM) by a well-respected senior professor; I couldn’t help but pay attention to it. It was a message…
StopASUUStrike-Yayale’s Unfinished Tasks By Prof MK Othman On Tuesday, May 27th, 2025, I caught a glimpse of Alhaji Yayale Ahmed and even shook his hand. The ASUU’s warning of industrial action from the week before flashed in my mind, reminding me of Yayale’s arduous tasks. I could imagine the heavy burden placed on this elder…
Insecurity: One-on-One with the CDS, General C.G. Musa II At the entrance of the Defence Headquarters, I noticed a difference between my conceptual image of the Defence Headquarters and the actual one. I expected to meet stern-looking soldiers with frowning faces, glaring at civilians as they passed the security checks into the premises. Instead, I…
Insecurity: One-on-One with the CDS, General C.G. Musa. The complexity of Nigerian security challenges seems beyond human comprehension, defying logic and common sense. If not, how do we explain that some citizens work against the national collective successes just for a pot of porridge? Our challenges are mainly man-made and primarily driven by selfish reasons….
This week, an ardent reader of my column, who is also a friend and colleague, Prof. A. A. Ammani, requested permission to use my column as a guest writer. I considered the subject of his discussion and believe the issue is essential, especially for the young Nigerians who annually write JAMB’s UTME in hundreds of…
Nigeria’s Violent Crimes: Urgent Need to Nip it in the Bud  I was once a victim of 30-minute banditry. My household and I, and a few others, were held captive for 30 minutes in my house by a bunch of 8-armed men in a hellfire traumatic experience from about 8:30-9:00 pm on June 12,…
