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After the damage of Boko Haram: Battling with the battered health sector in Borno state using the partnership model for emergencies

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2 years ago

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After the damage of Boko Haram: Battling with the battered health sector in Borno state using the partnership model for emergencies

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Reporting the health sector within the web of humanitarian crisis in Northern Nigeria is my hobby. Health is one of the beats I have chosen to ensure that I contribute to further the cause of humanity before I say good bye to this world and to enhance excellence my calling journalism. Reporting health up here means one must have enough empathy for the people who are at the mercy of the terrorized health sector in Borno state and North Eastern Nigeria. This sector is so important to humanity that each time the insurgents want to plunder primary health centres, they cart away the drugs and skilled workers before bringing down the structure by fire. That is an indicator that even the wrong doers in the bush know the value of health in our shared humanity.

Prying into the Borno Health Partners Forum

I do not attend the Borno health partnership forum to report on everything that is happening but to contribute my quota to the best of my ability to belp rebuild the sector which has been battered by lingering years of insurgency. By this I mean about 14 years of insurgency where almost every infrastructure was destroyed by the insurgent Boko Haram in their trail.
And that I have been doing to the best of my ability especially the guidance of the meeting as a catalyst in the “risk communications pillar.” The subsector where massive enlightenment is given to the people whenever emergencies like sickening cholera out breaks chokes the medical practitioners or the recent diphtheria which has killed over 67 people in its trail. Sadly the ” risk communication” is one of the most badly managed pillar because the bank rolling world partners refuse to allow the Borno State Government to lead as it should. Deciding which path to walk at any given time and even choosing where to go with the permission of the health Commissioner who is equally guided by the Governor of the state Professor Babagana Zulum. Representatives of the two world health bodies have rather decided to turn themselves into a cabal or a caucus who meet separately and impose their decisions on the rest of the partners regardless of the interest of the Commissioner who is represented by the incident manager (IM) at any given time. That itself has created a shaky foundation for that pillar and the mounting of lingering lacuna which strips them bare whenever their own managers are in need of action or solutions in certain ways.

Out of interest, I have seen many non medicals like myself in the house and they all do their best to help out in one way or the other to make things work out. The only pillar which has not existed in the last seven years is that of “security” which will go a long way to act as a liaison between the military, police and the health sector. But I have a belief that with the evolution of the sector over the coming years, we would soon have a sitting security personnel who would be an instant reference point whenever challenges of that nature falls on the table of the IM.

One also realizes that it’s time to begin to analyze on a yearly basis some of the developments in the sector so that the world gets to know those that are behind the heavy toil for the sector to be moved from where it was when boko haram struck capturing 22 council areas in the entire state to the envisaged level of excellence we are trying to take it to. And there are many non medical professionals with like minds whose contributions to crushing emergency challenges over the years have been invaluable to astounding emergencies like cholera which has harassed health managers and kept them on their toes. Looking back into the sector, I remember that there was one year of the cholera scourge that everyone who was a doctor in the ministry had to abandon their files, put on their coats and gloves and were lined up at the muna garage axis ensuring that they helped slow down the mortality rate which was screaming to high heavens. That is an indication that the medical workers both serving and retired have also managed to stay above board at the primary health care level.

Pending challenges to be crushed in Borno state

There are many pending challenges before the health partners working as a team to make things better for Borno state. One of the challenges before them is the inability sometimes to understand the fact that change is the only permanent phenomenon in life and we must all prepare to embrace it. A lot of partners still do not understand why change from the old order of doing things to the new is important. Some so called financial partners want to completely adjust the ideal narrative by wrongly taking the drivers seat in almost every pillar including risk communication and sometimes, the good old surveillance. Two sensitive pillars which are supposed to go together. 90 percent of the time I have sat in that meeting, Abdu Mbaya or Modu Kyari who is the deputy head of the communications pillar in the primary health board are hardly carried along. One little brat or the other in the United Nations international children’s fund (UNICEF) and world health organization (WHO) will stand up to speak for the entire Borno State which they know nothing about. And most times when they speak, they do not impress the IM or the meeting because they talk only about what they understand in their own foreign designed system. They hardly display knowledge on how to solve problems in the 27 Council areas of the state. One particular one, name withheld in the WHO who used to be a tea boy for a previous disgraced communication expert is the most confused of them all because of his obvious limitations of what to do for the good of the state. He parades himself with some air of importance that does not align with his rascally and rude persona badly polluted with the trial and error syndrome associated with road side mechanics.

I don’t blame them completely. Its simply because the state has been unable to sit on the drivers seat all these years in some of these pillars before the advent of Dr Lawi Meshelia. Some of us who should know are equally to blame too because we saw these dysfunctional nitwits play with the intelligence of the state and we did not raise alarms to the Commissioner or the Governor of the State, Professor Babagana Zulum knowing in his disposition towards mediocrity regardless of who is involved. It is change in the old order that will bring about what will benefit the state when it comes to enlightening people on how to get the best out of the web of complex information needed to make the operations at the primary health care get better for instance.

The management of emergencies at the primary care level have seen many administrators on and off the forum of partners and each one, foreign or Nigerian did his or her best to better the system. But that does not mean that they do not have their limitations. One is talking about constraints ranging from management style to low capacity based on background training and sometimes downright timidity in stamping their feet to getting certain things right based on contemporary practices. And that is the reason why some partners used to jump into the drivers seat without permission from the State which is supposed to be the driver for everything as it concerns the building of the health sector and crushing emergencies like the on and off Polio, monkey pox, COVID-19 or Diphtheria as it is announced by the state epidemiologists from time to time.

The numerous interventions of emergency manager Beatrice Muraguri

Most of the partners have done their best. It’s not just bad news all the way because most critics of journalists believe they only do bad news without seeing the good sides of anything. I wish to report to you that we have seen quite a good number of good managers in the system. I can never forget the frantic efforts of Dr Collins Ovilli who jumped into the trenches with other doctors like Mohammed Guluze then emergency manager to ensure that the cholera mortality figures do not scream more than it was then. To us poisoned by insurgency in our backyard 50 dead is noise but 100 is really a screaming figure.
At present, Dr Beatrice Muraguri is one of the good souls of the WHO and has been making her presence felt in all the three states badly influenced by the lingering insurgency. Sometimes I have sat in that meeting hall in Damboa road, watching and listening to all her contributions and they are always for the common good of humanity. Sometimes she used to ponder and literally pressing the state to hurry up and sit tight on the drivers seat to crush these emergency headaches. To her as a clinical epidemiologist nothing is impossible if minds and hearts are brought together. Diphtheria for instance has reached 67 deaths as at the time of writing this report, do we want to wait until it gets to 100 before we deal with the challenges bedeviling the management of the disease? In as much as people are not perfect, Dr Beatrice is one woman who means well for Borno state. I have watched her from my binocular and I have seen her as an extremely transparent professional who has water tight empathy for the people of the entire BAY states. She is a distinguished African woman who understands how to serve humanity using the template of the state or council areas accordingly. She is not one of those whose bosses had questionable records before being asked to leave the WHO because of dubious activities aided by a commissioner name withheld sacked suddenly from the government. We have seen a theatre Commander here who shut down the activities of three non Governmental activities NGO’S when they ran foul of the laws of the land, “so none of them will tell us they are better than the people they met on ground” said General Adeniyi the then TC.

Co management of the sector with WHO

In spite of all these challenges for instance, since the advent of Dr Lawi Meshelia, a lot of things have changed for the better. Some of them were procedures which had to change even though with difficulty. Lawi drives the system like a task master and some of the partners used to the old system do not likne him for doing the right thing. But Lawi a foreign trained public health specialist like Beatrice is getting tremendous results. Even though I could read from his body language sometimes that he is not happy with the trickles of results he has been having in areas like the risk communication and surveillance pillars which have terribly shaky foundations going by what we see from the cholera and now diphtheria torments of the people. Since Lawi arrived as the incident manager, he has succeeded in gradually changing the old ways of doing a lot of things. Obviously this foreign trained public health specialist understands that emergencies in a system where most of the infrastructure has been destroyed by insurgency you virtually have to be regimented to get results. That means he must step on some toes if he must get results. Emergency is not the “na so we de do am” kind of phenomenon in which obvious mistakes are tolerated as the norm. It must be a near perfect phenomenon and that is what the distinguished university of Maiduguri (unimaid) trained Dr Lawi is tying to achieve. Before his advent, the ministry officials allowed pillar heads to just do what they wanted without proper capacity to back the system. Then came Shafiq Muhammad a Pakistani who for the first time between 2017 and 2018 tried to fix a suitable template in which the emergency system could work without forming themselves into a parallel ministry of health that would be dabbling into non emergencies. That system has stood the test of time till this day because it was a transparent system. But like a disease it relapsed into the old system with the exit of Dr Shafiq because the very foundation was not properly fixed in such a way that pillar heads who are ministry officials will own the system and drive the steering and change gears at their convenience. It was literally in disarray because nobody had dug the right hole for the pillars to be firmly rooted. Safiq learnt very fast from Martinez Jorge and drove the system from 2017 to 2018.By the time Jorge left Safiq was running at a speed faster than he met on the ground but there was a lot to be defined properly. When safiq left, we have had several other managers including Dr Kida who had to act as IM even at retirement. His style was actually different because he tolerated most of the excesses of the partners. Always smiling and not wanting to step on toes. With the advent of Dr Lawi, pillar heads and deputies meet regularly with him to state what they have achieved and he freely directs if he thinks they are driving down the wrong way. This kind of proactive professional on the drivers seat has come at a time when he is most needed. He is trusted by his permanent secretary Mohammad Guluze and Commissioner Professor Baba Mallam Gana a consultant Oncologist. Lawi has an almost regimented managerial style which most of them had not gotten used to. But one believes that as time goes on, they will surely get used to his style and we would wake up one day to discover that all the emergencies are gone with the dry wind of the sahel savanna.

Ex Raying the background of the current IM Lawi Meshelia

Dr Lawi Meshelia is one of those medical practitioners who benefitted from the extension of service years by five years by Governor Babagana Zulum which is why he is still in service. He was equally the arrow head in charge of the primary health care agency when Borno won the best primary health care agency prize money of $1.2m attached to a competition created to bring primary health care under one roof in Nigeria.
He holds a Masters Degree in Public Health (MPH) from Royal Tropical Institute, KIT in Amsterdam, Netherlands. And of course an MBBS from the University of Maiduguri. His exposure and broad mindedness to tolerate people stems from the fact that he did his secondary school at the Federal Government College Odogbolu in Ogun State and has traveled to almost all the states of the Federation. Dr Mshelia has attended courses with certificates in different aspects of public health in countries in Europe, East Africa, West Africa and South-Central Africa. He also attended numerous public health courses across Nigeria to stream line his focus. He has actually brought a semblance of stability and order since he took charge as IM.

Battling the second challenge which is the red tapes in the Ministerial system

I had to mention Lawi’s background so partners understand why he is so suited for the job and if care is not taken you may call him a slave driver because you must do things the right way he wants you to do it. If at the end of the day the results is tremendous, he hardly takes the glory but transfers it like a dutiful civil servant to his superiors in the ministry where he had worked all his days as a medical doctor. Ever ready for emergencies and working towards solving any red take that will stand in his way as long as it is not finance which he does not have power over. By the way, it is this finance that used to make some ngos misbehave and tend to want to take the steering wheel from state health managers.

Handling the first visit of the commissioner and his desires to win the next prize for the best primary health in Nigeria

When the Commissioner of Health paid his first visit to the emergency operation centre EOC recently, it was excitement galore all the way. He obviously never anticipated that so many partners will be lined up one by one introducing themselves and taking it upon themselves to uplift the health sector of Borno State which has been badly battered by insurgency. He came across as a very lively and friendly medical practitioner shaking hands with partners and thanking them for a job well done.
Professor Baba Gana commended the partners for being very supportive in their contributions to moving the sector from where they found it to where it should be. He assured that the molecular laboratory in Umaru Shehu Hospital will soon become a reference lab for the future of the sector especially in dealing with emerging emergencies. That to him will relax the delay in going to competent labs outside the state to get results of suspected cases as at when due. On vaccinations the British trained oncologist said that left to him, the country should begin to develop its own local capacity to produce vaccination which will go a long way in trampling upon stubborn emergencies like Diphtheria, Cholera and measles so that they do not linger longer than expected. How soon that will happen? Only time will tell.

After the damage of Boko Haram: Battling with the battered health sector in Borno state using the partnership model for emergencies

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Feature

General Chris Musa, Hi-tech Fencing of Nigerian Porous Borders and the Foolish Pride of Sowore

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3 days ago

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March 25, 2026

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General Chris Musa, Hi-tech Fencing of Nigerian Porous Borders and the Foolish Pride of Sowore

By: Bodunrin Kayode

This is like a distraction to my daily routine in Maiduguri but there was no way my binoculars could miss the recent unnecessary rant of Yele Sowore who dared to demonize one of the warriors of the “hadin kai” theatre General Chris Musa by calling him a “foolish” man simply because he rightly suggested that we need a fence to protect residents from our known and unknown enemies. A high tech fence that can even compete with what the Israelis have against their known enemies. I told myself I had to leave whatever I was doing to defend the General and the Borno people. And to correct the ignorant impression he has painted with such misplaced comments.

Reading such despicable bile coming from someone who is not in touch with the trauma of Borno residents and has never visited even the capital city of Maiduguri spells volume about a man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of the armed forces yet so ignorant about Nigeria. He sounded so daft in his presentation that one begins to wonder if indeed he was educated as he claims to be. He actually spoke as if he was paid to do so because nothing happens in the vacuum in Nigeria these days.

You are very wrong Yele

Let me educate him on why this fence will help our war Commanders in the operation Hadin Kai especially if the contract would be given to military engineers who will build with one hand and handle weapons for protecting themselves with the other hand. This is because no civilian contractor will be safe enough to take such a big risk meant to stop insurgents to cross cross as they will.

Borno is the only State sharing massive borders with three African countries. Chad, Niger and Cameroon. That places the State in a very critical situation when it comes to the management of intelligence and warding off the criminals related to the 16 year old lingering insurgency war. It puts our Intel agencies at a vulnerable defensive state rather than proactive position of strength to help the military.

And indeed, like several other countries have done to protect their people, hi-tech fences were built with sentry towers to ward off external aggressors. In our case, those enemies of state who will get to terrorist cells in Libya, Mauritania and even the Magreb region to train and return with standby mercenaries to kill, steal and destroy the existence of our people. They have been doing it since 2009 and will not stop till General Chris Musa succeeds in positioning a memo that will sail through the national executive council for the first phase of the fence building spree to commence.

I watched Sowore vomit so much gibberish recently about General Chris Musa that i wonder if he knows that he can never rival the pedigree of the Minister of defence. He should equally know that he is just a confused brat in terms of pedigree compared to the towering image General Musa has built for himself. Sowore therefore is not qualified to de-market the Minister for any reason at all under the sun. He is rather the “foolish” one using his language, that needs to apologize to Gen Musa for talking out of point. How much will it cost to build the Israeli type of fence even if we must get it from the stolen commonwealth EFCC and ICPC are recouping daily for government?

Yele’s lack of focus and failed Presidential ambitions

Sometimes I wonder if we as Africans don’t believe in reverencing our role models rather than spending time firing arrows of the Pull Him Down syndrome (PHD) against them out of foolish pride and envy. That Yele contested for the position of President on the platform of an obscure party does not mean he is qualified to hold the political position of councillor even in his state Ondo. He should go start at the level of councillor to see how acceptable he is before daring to want to be our Commander in Chief which he will never get.

He even had the audacity to call General Musa “foolish man”. I don’t blame him, its because talk is always free in Nigeria. If not, that people like him give unnecessary importance to themselves even without electoral value who would have known him even as an ordinary ilaje boy. How on earth do you demonize a man who is fighting to save his country from eminent collapse so we do not have a repeat of what happened in Afghanistan here. A situation where after a long generational fight of asymmetric warfare, the Americans had to leave the county for their very enemies, the Taliban to take over the reigns of government.
I used to think Omoyele had some grits around his persona but it is obvious he is just a confused empty barrel fit for the noise he makes around himself.

Sowore who has never held a political position in his life should know that right thinking people in Nigeria do not take him serious because of the lack of focus in his pattern of activism. I wonder why anyone would think building a fence like other countries faced with terrorism is a stupid idea when he has not come to Borno for an informed survey on the matter. Sowore has really touched the raw nerve of Borno people by de-marketing an actionable idea which most of the informed residents here think will make sense. How foolish he looks now!

Yes Borno needs a hi-tech fence with all the sophistication of technology we can get

You really need to be in Borno state to understand why President Tinubu must build a fence to restrict infiltration of criminals into the country. For as long as there is a sahelian insurgency going on in Mali and Libya, we really need to build that fence as quickly as possible. Mali alone has a coalition of two groups liked to ISis and Al-qaeda while Libya is equally polluted because they have a massive power vacuum created after the death of Gaddafi. From Mali, fighters are passed through Niger into our territory.
For the information of Yele, Saudi Arabia built a fence to stop Iran long time ago from having incursions into their territory and today they can sleep with their two eyes closed. The Saudi Kingdom started the 900km fence against terrorists from Iran in 2014 and are trying to fence the entire country against extremists bent on bringing them to their knees. Pakistan equally has a 2,600 km fence with Afghanistan to prevent smuggling and religious extremism caused by incursions. Many countries with similar challenges are thinking about it so why should Nigeria be different? At least 40 countries have constructed security fences around their borders to avoid extremists infiltrating into their communities since 9/11. America isn’t exempted either.

So what is Sowore talking about? As far as I am concerned , he does not live in Borno and is not qualified to know what is biting the residents on ground. Someone should tell Sowore to stop that foolish rant he started against a solid professional like Minister Musa because it is an unsellable and unwinnable campaign. The proposed fence will generate over 5000 jobs and we in Borno are waiting for it.

Bodunrin Kayode writes in from Maiduguri

General Chris Musa, Hi-tech Fencing of Nigerian Porous Borders and the Foolish Pride of Sowore

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Feature

Public Institution Should be Run with Integrity, Efficiency and Vision- Justice Umar

Published

1 month ago

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February 23, 2026

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Public Institution Should be Run with Integrity, Efficiency and Vision- Justice Umar

By: Michael Mike

Honourable Justice Mainasara Ibrahim Kogo Umar, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal of Nigeria, embodies discipline, depth, and judicial conviction. A man of impeccable character and tested integrity, he is widely regarded as dependable in moments that demand courage and clarity. With decades of experience in legal practice, public service, and institutional leadership, he stands as one who has truly “been there and done that.”

His record reflects landmark contributions—both individually and collectively—shaping conversations around accountability, constitutional responsibility, and anti-corruption enforcement. Justice Kogo Umar represents a compelling study in legal pragmatism, institutional reform, and principled leadership.

In this interview with a select group of journalists, he speaks candidly about reforming the Tribunal, strengthening anti-corruption mechanisms, and his broader vision for justice and public governance in Nigeria, excerpts:

Question: Good afternoon sir, can we meet you?

My name is Mainasara Ibrahim Kogo Umar. I hail from Katsina State. I come from an aristocratic background, but over the course of my journey in unionism and activism, I became deeply influenced by Marxist ideals.
I have been involved in many spheres of life, particularly activism and legal practice. I have fought against corruption for several decades. Currently, I serve as the Continental President of the African Transparency Front, among other responsibilities.

I was appointed Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal on 13th July 2024, after 23 years of leaving the organisation. I previously served here as a young lawyer and later as Chief Registrar of the Tribunal before pursuing other endeavours.

By God’s infinite mercy, I have returned as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. My appointment generated some controversies because the President deemed it necessary to revitalise this very important institution.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal is the only judicial institution specifically mentioned in the Constitution under the Fifth Schedule. It tries public officers on matters relating to breaches of the Code of Conduct, abuse of office, illicit enrichment, ostentatious living beyond legitimate earnings, and issues of ethics and morality.

As Chairman, one must be above board. You are the arbiter who determines the personal and official conduct of public officers.
The Constitution clearly defines who public officers are. They include the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Vice President, ministers, members of the National Assembly, members of the diplomatic corps, service chiefs, judges—including Justices of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of Nigeria—members of academia in public institutions, and anyone at the federal, state, or local government level who earns a salary from public funds.

The Tribunal’s mandate is not restricted to asset declaration alone. Even if you declare your assets beyond three months after assuming office, you are already in breach. Subsequently, every four years—whether appointed, elected, or employed—it is mandatory to declare your assets. This serves as a benchmark to determine whether your acquisitions align with your legitimate earnings.

Public officers are not permitted to engage in private business or trade while in office, except farming. If you wish to enter politics, you must resign before contesting.
Upon appointment, the Chairman of the Tribunal can only be removed under three circumstances:
1. Upon attaining the age of 70;
2. By voluntary resignation;
3. For misconduct or breach of the Code of Conduct, in which case both chambers of the National Assembly must invoke their constitutional powers to remove the Chairman.

The Senate, on 20th November 2024, exercised this power and removed the former Chairman on grounds of abuse of office and misconduct. On 26th November 2024, the House of Representatives affirmed the removal with an overwhelming majority.

On 20th February 2025, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation presented my appointment letter, backdated to 20th November 2024. I was subsequently inaugurated by the President and sworn in on 7th October 2025.

What was the state of the Tribunal when you assumed office, and what are the current challenges and your vision?

When I assumed office, the Tribunal was in a very poor state. Staff morale was low, infrastructure was dilapidated, there was no electricity or water supply, and furniture was grossly inadequate.

I immediately restored electricity and water supply, reactivated boreholes, revitalised transformers, and sought technical assistance. Through outreach to international agencies, we secured computers, laptops, photocopiers, and other equipment.
I restructured the institution by expanding it from three departments to thirteen, aligning it with my vision.

One major vision is to transform the Tribunal into the Code of Conduct and Anti-Corruption Court, in line with Section 15(5) of the Constitution, which mandates the State to abolish corrupt practices and abuse of office. A bill to that effect has passed second reading at the National Assembly. If passed, anti-corruption agencies would prosecute relevant cases here.

How does the Tribunal collaborate with agencies like EFCC and ICPC?

Currently, the ICPC prosecutes at State High Courts, while the EFCC prosecutes at the Federal High Court. However, under the proposed reform, cases involving public officers could be prosecuted here.
This Tribunal operates summary jurisdiction. Before assigning hearing dates, I require lawyers to file all written submissions in advance. After reviewing them, hearings focus on adoption and cross-examination, and judgments are delivered promptly. Ideally, no case should last more than six weeks.

The Constitution prescribes specific penalties, including removal from office, disqualification from public office for up to ten years, and forfeiture of ill-gotten assets. These are without prejudice to other criminal penalties under the law.
We have also created departments for international liaison—including collaboration with Interpol and international courts—and enforcement of judgments.

How do you ensure fairness in high-profile cases?

The Tribunal does not initiate cases. The Code of Conduct Bureau investigates and refers cases, while the Attorney General prosecutes. We handle adjudication.
We do not consider status or public pressure—only facts, evidence, and the law. Decisions are reached collectively by a panel of three judges. Public expectation, institutional responsibility, and the demands of the law must be carefully balanced.

How many cases have been referred since your assumption of office?
I inherited thousands of cases, some dating back over two decades. After discussions with the Bureau, we agreed that only cases within a reasonable timeframe—preferably within three years of occurrence—should be referred to ensure effectiveness.
Currently, we handle between two and five cases weekly. The Bureau determines which cases to refer.

What is your vision for the Tribunal in the next five years?

In the next five years, the Tribunal should be placed on first-line charge to guarantee financial independence. We should expand to at least 36 judges, with judicial divisions across the six geopolitical zones and Abuja.
Funding must increase significantly to support infrastructure, security, and institutional growth.

I have served in public service for 36 years and have never taken illegal money. A significant portion of my earnings has gone to charity. My goal is to reposition this institution as a model of public governance and exemplary leadership.

Within five years, once the institution is fully reformed and functioning optimally, I intend to step aside. I do not wish to remain in office until retirement age. My mission is to rebuild, reposition, and leave behind a strong, sustainable institution.
I aim to demonstrate that public institutions can be run with integrity, efficiency, and vision.

Public Institution Should be Run with Integrity, Efficiency and Vision- Justice Umar

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Feature

Celebrating the Legendary Malam Umaru A. Pate

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2 months ago

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February 11, 2026

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Celebrating the Legendary Malam Umaru A. Pate

By Hamza Idris

Tuesday, February 10, 2026, marks his last day as the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Kashere, Gombe State.

The world saw him smiling as he bade farewell to the university community, as captured in stories and tributes by those who know him, and carried by multiple print and broadcast media platforms.

In journalism, his tenure at Kashere is what is aptly described as a success story, and his departure can fittingly be termed a glorious exit.

Many of us call him Malam as a mark of reverence because we find it very difficult to look into his eyes and call him Prof. The reason is simple: by the Grace of Allah, he made many of us what we are today.

Malam Pate was not alone in shaping our journey while we were at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID). We also had Malam Danjuma Gambo, Malam Abubakar Muazu, Malam Alhaji Musa Liman (late), Malam Mohammed Gujbawu (late), Malam Mustapha Mai Iyali, Malam Nasiru Abba Aji, Mr Udomiso, Mr Nwazuzu, Malam Musa Konduga, Malam Hassan A. Hassan, Madam Ramla (late), Malam Musa Giwa (late), and Malam Alabura (late). I hope I have got all the names correctly, among others. They all impacted our lives positively, and we remain eternally grateful.

But today is Malam Pate’s day, and HERE IS MY STORY ABOUT HIM, which I have told again and again at different fora, and which I am glad to tell once more today.

The best way to tell his story is by using the parable of the blind men and the elephant. Here it is:
Once upon a time, a group of blind men heard that a strange animal called an elephant had been brought to their village. None of them had ever encountered one before, so they decided to learn what it was like by touching it.

Each blind man approached the elephant from a different side.

The first man touched the elephant’s leg and said, “An elephant is like a pillar—strong and firm.”

The second man touched the tail and said, “No, the elephant is like a rope, thin and flexible.”

The third man touched the trunk and declared, “You are both wrong. An elephant is like a thick snake.”

The fourth man touched the ear and insisted, “An elephant is like a fan, wide and flat.”
The fifth man touched the tusk and said confidently, “The elephant is like a spear, hard and sharp.”

Soon, the blind men began to argue. Each believed he alone was right and that the others were wrong, even though each had touched only one part of the elephant.

A wise man who was passing by listened to their argument and said, “All of you are right, and all of you are wrong. Each of you has touched only a part of the elephant. Because you cannot see the whole thing, you think your part is the entire truth.”

The blind men fell silent, realizing that the truth was greater than any single perspective.
This parable clearly tells us the man Malam Pate. You only tell what you know about him but to him, all his proteges are his favourites.

After we graduated from UNIMAID in 2002 and completed our NYSC, I continued with the job that was available at the time—teaching.

In 2005, Daily Trust newspaper had a vacancy in Yola, Adamawa State, and the then Bureau Chief, Malam Abdullahi Bego (also an alumnus of Mass Communication, UNIMAID and currently the Commissioner of Information in Yobe State), was tasked with the responsibility of getting the right person and he reached out to Malam Pate to nominate anyone he felt could serve as State Correspondent in Adamawa.

Malam Pate then contacted one of our classmates, Amina Mohammed. However, for some obvious reasons, Amina did not take up the job. Instead, she informed Malam Pate that I was yet to secure a proper job in line with what I studied at the university.

He asked her to tell me to call him, which I did. Amina currently works at the information unit of Federal Medical Centre, Yola. I remain eternally grateful to her.

Malam Pate then linked me up with Malam Bego after vouching for my integrity and passion for the job—and that was it. I was offered automatic employment as a Reporter and Researcher—no interview, nothing.

This was over 20 years ago. Only God knows the number of people who secured jobs through Malam Pate. The mere mention of his name clears the pathway. It is very unlikely to visit five establishments in Abuja and any other state, provided they have a public affairs directorate, without seeing someone that got there through Malam.

It is very unlikely to visit any media organisation in Nigeria (newspaper, radio or television) without coming in touch with someone that benefited from Malam through training or mentoring. It is also very unlikely to visit any faculty or department of mass communication or journalism in any university or polytechnic in Nigeria, without seeing someone who studied under Malam, or benefitted from his supervision or mentorship in the course of his studies. He is a real benefactor.

Malam Pate is one of the guarantors on my CV. The other two are my former Editor-in-Chief, Malam Mannir Dan-Ali, and Malam Bego. Over the past 20 years, I have secured dozens of fellowships and trainings, both at home and abroad, largely because their names appear on my résumé. I also presented endless papers at high profile gatherings, all because some good people told others that yes, you can do it.

Ahead of the World Press Freedom Day in 2016 or thereabouts, Malam Pate called and asked me to write about my experience covering the Boko Haram crisis under the theme: Professionalism and Risk Management in the Reporting of Terror Groups and Violent Extremism in North-East Nigeria, How Journalists Survived to Report.

He, on his part, wrote the contextual aspect of the topic, shared the byline with me—even though he did the bulk of the work—and went on to present the paper in Helsinki, Finland.

Gladly, the same paper has found its way into at least two books, including Assault on Journalism, edited by Ulla Carlsson and Reeta Poythari, Nordicom, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2017); and Multiculturalism, Diversity and Reporting Conflict in Nigeria, Evans Brothers (Nigeria Publishers) Limited, which he edited together with Professor Lai Oso (2017).

The paper has also been cited in many MSc and doctoral theses, both in Nigeria and around the world.

Indeed, Malam Pate is a father figure to many of us. Kindly share your experience in the comment section so that we can collectively celebrate this enigmatic figure.

Malam, as you open another chapter in your life after recording this milestone at the Federal University Kashere, may Allah continue to be your driving force, granting you good health and amity as you tirelessly change the face of journalism teaching and practice.

Celebrating the Legendary Malam Umaru A. Pate

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