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Isa Gusau: A part of me is gone
Isa Gusau: A part of me is gone
By: Yakubu Ahmed BK
Innalillahi Wa’inna Ilaihirrajiun. Death – the ultimate leveler has knocked on the door (as it will on ours) of Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser, Media and Strategy to the Borno state Governor Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
Isa was a complete gentleman, a professional and a loyal friend who gave his all to what he so much loved. Years my junior but almost at par with those who began before him.
Our paths crossed in Maiduguri early 2000 or thereabout and we clicked almost immediately, because we shared many attributes. He was Daily Trust’s Correspondent in Borno and I was Concord Press Correspondent there too, after I had spent 10 years as a Reporter and later a News Editor with Borno Radio Television Corporation BRTV. If you work in Borno, you just have to be at your best. Borno has a way it builds your confidence and sharpens you into a courageous person – and of course into a go getter. He was courageous, and one thing nobody can take away from him was his professionalism – one hell of a writer if you would.
It was not for nothing that he meritoriously served former Borno state Governor (now Nigeria’s Vice President) Kashim Shettima as SA Media for eight solid years from 2011. It was not for nothing again that Kashim Shettima’s successor Babagana Umara Zulum inherited him – and was glad to have done that. Isa was somewhat irreplaceable, no carbon copy of him, take it or leave it.
We spoke last some two weeks ago and believe me even though we were close, he never uttered a word about what he was going through healthwise other than the general knowledge even amongst his closest friends that he had some challenges which we all thought he had dealt with since his surgery at a hospital in India a year ago. It was he who called and as usual, he had some professional suggestions on how I should handle certain PR issues of my Principal in my position as the Commissioner for Information and Culture Kebbi state. We have become used to checking on one another on the professional realm. Each time either of us called, it must be about what either he or I thought should be done to advance the frontiers of image making for our respective bosses.
Since my appointment as Information Commissioner some five months ago, he became restless for me to hit the ground running and to make “that first impression.” The advises we offered to each other were mutual, but I must confess that I drew much more from his fountain of knowledge than he did from mine. That was obvious because he has image managed and PR consulted much earlier than myself and had done it more successfully. The fact that he achieved that much in a state that was not his attested to his capacity and ability in the area he had chosen for himself.
A part of me is gone and I just can’t decipher where to run to when I hit that point of creative slowdown. Of course, we drew from each other but my sense of loss was made worse by the reality that I must dig out with bare hands since one of the shovels is gone. Allah ya jikan Isa Gusau.
Yakubu Ahmed BK is Commissioner for Information and Culture, Kebbi state.
Isa Gusau: A part of me is gone
DIGITAL RIGHTS: EU, ASF FRANCE SUPPORT FIGHT AGAINST CYBERBULLING IN NIGERIA
By: Michael Mike
Avocats Sans Frontieres (ASF) France with the support from the European Union (EU) in conjunction with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), through it e- RIGHTS Protect has called for more strength to fight against cyberbulling and digital rights violation in Nigeria.
This was made known at the grand finale of the national inter-school digital rights competition organized by ASF under it E-RIGHTS platform last Tuesday in Abuja.
After a thorough engagement by various schools across the country, four schools from different States and zone were qualified to the final, namely Kano State, Lagos, Imo and FCT.
In the keenly contested competition, the Sonmori Senior Comprehensive High School, Ifako Ijaiye, Lagos State emerged as the winner, followed by FCT, Imo and Kano respectfully. The winner takes home the sum of one million Naira with support also from the eRights project to empower what they are doing in terms of digital literacy.
ASF France, Nigeria County Director, Angela Uwandu Uzoma, explained that, the competitions is more than celebration of talents, but celebration of courage, consciousness and commitment. She said, the occasion is not just to shaping conversation of the students, but to shaping their future.
She further said “The eRights project aims at promoting digital rights, not just for the adults, but also for the children, ensuring that the children are not left behind in this conversation. So children are themselves today participating in putting out empowering videos, messaging to discourage cyberbullying, to say no to cyberbullying because of the attendant effects and the harms that it can cause”
“The Cybercrimes Act, which was recently revised, amended particularly with Section 24, which was amended in 2024, to ensure that the government addresses some of these issues
“The government needs to do more. And we’re seeing that this Act, which ordinarily should protect citizens, to empower them to create a safe space for engagement, ensure that people are able to express themselves freely as guaranteed by the Constitution, including children” she added.
Also, the EU representative at the event, Program Manager, CSO, Human Rights and Youth, Mrs. Wynyfred Achu-Egbuson, believed that, the competition will bring to the understanding of Yong people that they have a responsibility towards not only protecting their rights but also protect the rights of other people who use the digital space.
She further said, the issues surrounding digital rights in Nigeria and other developed countries of the West is dynamic. Therefore, the issues of legislations and regulation towards digital rights is developing, the situation is dynamic and ever changing
DIGITAL RIGHTS: EU, ASF FRANCE SUPPORT FIGHT AGAINST CYBERBULLING IN NIGERIA
One killed, several injured in farmers-herders clash in Niger
By: Zagazola Makama
At least one person killed and several others injured following a clash between Fulani herders and Gwari farmers in Kpowi village, Fuka District, Munya Local Government Area.
Zagazola Makama learnt that the incident, which occurred on June 2 at about 4:30 p.m., was reportedly triggered by a dispute over alleged farm trespass and destruction of crops.
The altercation led to violent confrontations between members of the Fulani and Gwari communities.
Security sources confirmed that six Fulani residents identified as Ahmadu Bature, Dauda Bello, Haruna Umaru, Shuaibu Bature, Bature Bello, and Safiya Auta sustained various degrees of injuries.
Similarly, four Gwari individuals Yusuf Pada, Pius Pada, Dantala Yusuf, and Joshua Mai’anguwa were also injured during the clash.
All the victims were evacuated to the General Hospital in Kaffin-Koro for medical attention. However, Ahmadu Bature was confirmed dead on admission.
The situation has been brought under control following swift intervention by operatives, and leaders of both communities have been invited for a peace dialogue.
One killed, several injured in farmers-herders clash in Niger
VP Shettima Arrives Abuja Airport En Route Mokwa, Niger State
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, en route to Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State for an on-the-spot assessment of the flooding that has affected the area.
The Vice President’s visit is aimed at conducting a firsthand evaluation of the flood damage and delivering President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s condolence messages and assurances to families affected by the natural disaster.
Earlier, President Tinubu had issued a statement expressing deep concern over the severe flooding, which has resulted in tragic loss of lives and displacement of families. The President extended heartfelt condolences to affected families and the people of Niger State.
In his statement, President Tinubu announced the immediate activation of the National Emergency Response Centre and confirmed that he had been briefed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on the scale of the disaster. He assured that search-and-rescue operations are ongoing, with all relevant federal agencies mobilised to support the state government’s efforts.
VP Shettima Arrives Abuja Airport En Route Mokwa, Niger State
Eid-el-Kabir Celebration: NSCDC Deploys 4,500 Personnel in Abuja
DIGITAL RIGHTS: EU, ASF FRANCE SUPPORT FIGHT AGAINST CYBERBULLING IN NIGERIA
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