Your turn to talk

It seems that the entire world is captured by liers and propagandists that is why it’s easy for Osama’s death to be staged for political gains and yet people will believe. Bello Kamal Like other skeptics of the May 2nd Ben Laden killing, you made a very selective consideration of the various facts surrounding the […]

It seems that the entire world is captured by liers and propagandists that is why it’s easy for Osama’s death to be staged for political gains and yet people will believe.

Bello Kamal

Like other skeptics of the May 2nd Ben Laden killing, you made a very selective consideration of the various facts surrounding the killing. You considered only those that favoured your theory and you were silent on those that didn’t. Our knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the killing has now gone beyond what the Americans have told us. There are now additional accounts that have corroborated what the Americans said. Immediately after the killings, the Pakistanis went in and took forensic evidence as well as Ben Laden’s family members who survived the raid. Those family members have told the Pakistanis that Ben Laden was killed in their presence. And the source of this story was not America but the Pakistani intelligence who interviewed them and the story was reported by all of the world’s major media organisations.  These family members include his 13 year old daughter and one of his wives who was shot in the leg during the operation. These two are still in the custody of the Pakistanis. You chose not to address this fact. Instead, you cited Benazir Bhutto’s slip that Ben Laden was already dead. It is surprising that you considered Bhutto’s words a stronger evidence than the testimony of members of Ben Laden’s family who were with him when he was killed.

It is logical to suspect what America says in view of its past behaviour. But to insist on doubting what America said even when there is supporting evidence from non-American sources is not only illogical but it throws up the question of what your motives could be.

Raji Bello

Salam,

So who do we believe? The Americans said they killed Osama. The victim’s son (Omar) issued a statement asking for his father’s body. The Pakistan Taliban sent suicide bombers to kill over 70 Pakistani recruits over the killing of Osama. On the other hand, you are saying the so called killing was stage managed for political ends. Your evidence? Benazir had a Freudian slip (how did an opposition politician get to know the truth), Osama was on dialysis (another rumour). Osama’s will was released by a paper (well I have a written Will now, if tomorrow your paper decides to publish it, does that make me dead? – By the way what makes you think Islamic wills cannot be made public before death? Are Islamic wills always written and never verbal). Come to think of it, has it ever occurred to you that Osama could be responsible for spreading the false information on his death?

I have no stand on America’s war on terror. I don’t know who did the 9/11 attack or what Americans should do with their alleged suspect. My interest in your article is purely intellectual. I find your argument rather curious and at variance with my impression of you.

Sa’adu Jijji

RE: Is this Boko Haram Yusufiyya?

I feel the powers that be in Nigeria only listen to what they want to hear. Believe me, nothing will come out of this bombing issue. Nigeria has no investigative culture whatsoever.

They are now waiting for the US and Saudi Arabia to wade in and take over the investigation if there will be any. Another Nation would have carried out thorough investigation into the Boko Haram phenomenon long before now but certainly not our Naija. And if ever carried out, where evidence points at the involvement of the untouchables, then the whole thing will get swept under the carpet. The only thing I know that will put a stop to all these restiveness is when these big issues of injustice, corruption, poverty, unemployment, lawlessness and other vices are addressed. If we don’t then we are surely going to have much more than Boko Haram to contend with in this country.

Maryam Mamman Nassir

Re: Maikokos Anonymous

I got married two and a half years ago. I know that disqualifies me from being a member but I really need you to do me a favour by sneaking me into this association. I want to be his ‘rayuwa’ all the way and I’m very optimistic this association will help me realise that.

Umm Kulthum

Wallahi, I just dey laugh after going through your fantastic piece Maikokos Anonymous. You gave us a mind’s eye view and picture of the unfortunate happenings in our homes. Don’t forget we need to hear a Maigida Anonymous side also. I must commend you on always giving me something to chew every week. Allah ya kara basira, amin.

Maimuna Babangida

Assalamu alaikum. I so enjoyed reading your piece on the above. However, I think by limiting membership of the group to 10 years and above you are not taking into consideration the realities of today’s marriage life. Some women are plunged to mkw status as early as 3 or 5 years into the marriage, I wish you would expand the group to include these young sisters because they really need help on how to cope. And I think there are some issues that are easier to discuss in such a group than one on one. What do you think?

Wasalam.

Zulai Bello

RE:  One sure way to stop this murderer

I must commend you for this thought provoking, incisive and straight to the point article on the topic which looks at the war on Mosquitoes/malaria. Your article hit the bulls-eye by saying that we have always been tackling the Symptoms through the use of mosquito nets, anti malarial drugs & insecticides leaving out the root causes, the breeding ground for mosquitoes, i.e. garbage heaps, gutters filled with all forms of solid wastes. I couldn’t agree with you more on all the points raised. Sadly most people seem comfortable with filth and garbage partly due to the typical Nigerian slag, “we are used to it” or “there is nothing we can do” or absolute ignorance. God will deliver us from ourselves

We have continuously been working at only one side and largely ignoring the other side. There are always two sides to a coin, that is to say it is two ways traffic, the tail (symptoms) and the head (causes). So the fight for control of malaria has to be holistic in nature if we are to have victory, or else we will be fighting an endless war while some people and organizations are smiling to the bank. We will also not meet the UN Millennium Development goals (MDG) nos 4,5,6 and 7 by the year 2015 if we keep tackling only the symptoms of malaria.

In 2009, Mr Onno Rulh, World Bank Country Manager, advised the nation on control of nylon bag disposal as a way reducing malaria prevalence.

So much has been said about the need to take more seriously the issues of poor sanitation, waste disposal and construction of drainages. It appears Nigerians are divided on the solution to the problem, there seems to be a grand conspiracy mainly supported by government to be only on the side of symptoms tackling while majority of us wish that the causative side will be considered together. I am deeply encouraged to know I have people like you on my side, working hard to raise awareness on the urgent need to embark on projects to institute good waste management, proper sanitation and waste disposal in our polity.

I am working on several wastes to wealth projects in addition to my main projects on safety maintenance culture and practices. Please keep up the good work, you have my full support. We must change our dirty habits which continue to make us a laughing stock and which causes disease and deaths to us endlessly. This is a fight we must win.

Engr. Aaron Shekarau, MD/CEO, Abacus Engineering Limited, Kaduna

RE: Starting with the man in the mirror

Fantastic! Whether we like it or not what you said is the truth and the reality of the issue. All the cases you cited the victims are directly or indirectly beneficiaries of the looting which left us in penury and poverty to mention a few, so why should they be spared? It is the tree of injustice and self-interest which they planted that started bearing fruits.

Rabiu Musa

As a concerned Nigerian (northerner?), I enjoyed your article “Starting with the man in the mirror” and agree with most of your analysis and conclusions. What I am uncomfortable with is the areas where you remained strangely silent. Is it deliberate or simply a case of a “blind spot” which we all have?

You correctly stated that when the rampaging youths hit the streets after the presidential elections they were not interested in who you voted for, or your religion. They destroyed even properties of members of the party they purported to be campaigning for. Your conclusion, again reasonable, is that these were marginalized, uneducated youths who were lashing out at a system that has left them out.  You concluded that we need to begin to look at ourselves and what we could be doing that could have contributed to the mayhem. In essence, make changes beginning with ourselves. I could not agree more.

But I am troubled by what you did not say: what role did the Christian community play in the marginalization of northern youths that would warrant church premises being burnt and businesses owned by struggling and economically marginalized Christians being looted and burnt? If anything, the church has been in the vanguard of development and eradication of ignorance and poverty in the North. Missionary schools and hospitals did not discriminate against non Christians. So how has the church marginalized “northern youths”  to have merited attack? I wish you had said something or will say something to answer this vexing question.

Terver Timothy Gyuse (an educated, marginalized, northerner (?))