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My Binoculars: A tribute to the late Comrade Dauda Haruna, former chair of the correspondents chapel Borno state and Correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa service
My Binoculars: A tribute to the late Comrade Dauda Haruna, former chair of the correspondents chapel Borno state and Correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa service
By: Bodunrin Kayode
I have heard two sudden deaths from protracted illnesses in less than two weeks today. They were both close to me which is why I grabbed my binoculars at least for my former chair Dauda Haruna whom most of my colleagues do not know I had known for a very long time before coming to Maiduguri.
I first came across Comrade Dauda Haruna through the internal radio service of the Daily Times newspaper in 1996. We got talking when I was transferred from the jalingo office to Jos to relieve Chuks Akaeme our senior correspondent who was proceeding on his annual leave. I was the closest relief hand asked to cover Plateau for three months. I arrived Jos from the Taraba office in January ’96 and met an elderly female radio operator who worked with my colleague Oga Chuks. Under normal circumstances, the radio operator should read my reports through the radio to our head office agidingbi near Alausa Lagos. But any time madam Bridget was not around, I do rush to the radio room and call Alpha Golf (Agidingbi )myself to send breaking stories especially when the fax was down. Because there was no radio relief hand and it was during the military regime of Mohammed Mana with lots of reports from his spokes man Mike Omeri, I had to learn to work alone.
First time meeting on radio
Dauda was the the first to reach out to me because everyone heard every other person who was sending his report using codes or Charlie Oscar, Delta, Eco. Dauda Haruna was skilled in his tuff then and he delivered our reports well. That day he asked for his colleague madam Bridget and I said she had traveled to enjoy her holiday. This is Dauda Haruna the radio operator in Borno state. Nice meeting you here. My boss Mallam Jirigi speaks well of you. Thanks I retorted. He is a very good friend. We used to meet at annual editorial conferences in Lagos before it was shifted to kaduna where we met under the supervision of Oga Kangiwa and Dr Farouk Umar who manned the entire north. He sounded warm on the radio. I promised checking on him anytime I was in Maiduguri for any program as it was my professional exposure target to know all the states of the north whether or not my employees posted me there.
The opportunity came and it was when Ibrahim Jirigi had a dastardly car crash which broke his leg. So for me, as a good colleague, I had to create time to go see him that year. On arriving safely in Maiduguri for the first time, I met Haruna Dauda in the house of Mallam Jirigi. After commiserating with Jirigi whose leg was in plaster of paris, in came some top VIPs so I pulled out to chat with Dauda Haruna at close range at the other side of Jirigi’s massive house. He was the organizer of the entire house then making Jirigi’s visitors feel at home. There was no GSM then but we knew each other’s line from the daily times directory. He took me to my hotel afterwards and I left the following day.
From then on we had intermittent calls through the telephone and sometimes if Lagos became incommunicado I radio send my reports to him and he will keep vigil until the coast was clear and send same to Lagos. By the time the papers arrived Jos or Makurdi the following day, my stories were inside. We who were reporters then used to have reliable radio operators whom we called reliables. And Dauda Haruna was definitely one of them. Very dedicated to his job. We worked as a family and if you made certain mistakes in your reports, they will help you amend it like a family.
Transition to international radio
So you can imagine my joy when I later realized that he had gone to mass communication school, broadening his skills and had chosen the voice of America Hausa service which was a similar one to that of his boss Jirigi who was making waves in the BBC Hausa service. I started listening to him not knowing that I would one day be routed to Maiduguri to work with my friend and helper. He would tell me later that he owed a lot to Mallam Jirigi who was his main motivator to join the hausa radio service. A lot of dangerous politics affected the daily times and the paper had to shut down due to mismanagement.
I applied to “the Nation” newspaper for a job and even before completion of the interview process with human resources, the news editor Oga Niyi had directed that there was no option for me but Maiduguri. I was not too happy because of the headlines of insurgency I was reading before arriving. But on arrival, I have had a smooth stay courtesy of chairmen like Comrade Dauda Haruna. I have come to accept that the Maiduguri I visited when himself and Jirigi were managing daily times office was quite different from the Maiduguri of January 2014. I came in joined the chapel and we became colleagues till Sunday that he breathed his last. His humility was one of a kind from the way he spoke to me but I had to remind him that we are now colleagues in the same chapel and that we should continue that way. He accepted and life went on as friends.
Enjoying his tenure as chairman Dauda Haruna of the correspondents chapel
Comrade Dauda was actually a man of few words because he was always looking out for the good in others. He was not a deliberate “fault finder” and never a “control freak” which is why some colleagues thought he was weak especially when he literally refuses to kill a fly with a sledge hammer when the circumstances cropped up. In a controversial chapel like that of the correspondents, where unity is not absolute due to vested interests, he was quite transparent and made sure that he united the chapel each time there was a congress. For some reasons, he understood “straight jacket” people like us and will always hint me of why certain decisions were taken even when i felt otherwise. As for favors, I actually thank God that the entire chapel was favored by way of welfare during his time. The entire reason for the existence of the NUJ is for the upholding of professionalism and welfare of colleagues and he navigated through that with ease.
The last day of seeing him in his lifetime was recently when I took a friend and drove to his residence in 1000 housing estate. We bought a pack of moringa tea and presented as a gift to him. To spice the visit I called for hot water and a tea cup to wash the tea in his presence. The wife brought a big flask with which we poured water into his cup and ours. He asked if I wanted sweetener but I said no I was fine. I had learnt to drink all my teas blank sometimes without cream having contacted diabetes too in 2014. So we were watching each other’s back as time went on.
He had a nice tenure as chair of the chapel and in conjunction with his colleagues in the executive, they actually took some indelible decisions that most of us will never forget. That was why we protected his interest when certain forces dared to go against the norm. He called me that day to thank me for my little role in the stabilization of the chapel. He longed to return to do what he loved best and was almost sobbing in the phone. He then admonished me to take care of myself and hung off. As Comrade Dauda Haruna returns to mother earth, may God grant the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the family the special grace to accept this big void that his demise would create for them. Amen.
My Binoculars: A tribute to the late Comrade Dauda Haruna, former chair of the correspondents chapel Borno state and Correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa service
French Government Calls for Collaboration to Protect Oceans for Plastic Threat
By: Michael Mike
The French government wants Nigeria, the rest of Africa and the global community to mobilise resources, policies and collaboration to protect the oceans from the dangers of plastic waste.
The French Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria,
Jean-François Hasperue, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja during a plastic waste awareness programme at the French Institute.
Hasperue said the call for a united front to tackle the challenge became necessary because plastic waste has become one of the most pressing environmental crises facing the globe, with oceans bearing the brunt of the escalating threat.
The envoy explained that from floating debris to microplastics embedded in marine organisms, the evidence of damage on the oceans has been overwhelming.
He said: ‘’Our panellists were explaining that the microplastics that are eaten by fish in the lagoon of Lagos might be eaten by people in Asia because fish have been taken by foreign boats and sold everywhere in the world. So yes, it’s a global issue that we need to address. And there is one specific issue, of course, we decided to address within the UN conference in Nice, is the one of biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions.
“Because it has been for too many years, a gap in which we have not been able to raise cooperation among countries to save these biggest parts of the oceans. And I expect that we will announce that we have reached the 60 signatories for ratification by the end of this week. So the BBNG will be able to be implemented starting the 1st of January 2026.”
According to Mr Hasperue, the French government is raising awareness in Nigeria particularly in Nigerian universities as part of global strategy to build capacity of students and also to rally support for empowering global local communities.
He said: “We are part of a global strategy of France, because of course we would like to act at different level. We act first globally, and that’s why we decided to welcome the UN Conference on Ocean, which is actually happening in Nice from the June 9th to the 13th this very week. And that’s why in the wake of this global conference, we wanted here in Nigeria and in Abuja to organise at our level a debate, but not only a debate here, but activities all over the month of June.
“And we had not less than 11 activities happening in six different states in Nigeria, first of all to raise awareness in Nigeria, but also to rally support for empowering global local communities.”
Hasperue underscored the importance of the UN Ocean Conference to addressing the dangers of plastic waste on oceans, noting that awareness creation remains very critical to ending the menace.
He added that: “We have to take into consideration that plastic, although it has been a solution at some point of history, that it has been now so massive, so huge, that it has become a problem. So now we have to better think how to better produce plastic, how to make sure that plastic is better recycled, and how we make sure that it will less affect all life all over the world.
They are part of a global strategy by France to not only act at the global level, but also at the level of the communities. So we have a double approach, top down, but also a bottom up, to make sure that we create the link between what we are doing on the global stage to raise awareness, but that it has a translation down to the local communities. In every country we are working with the governments and civil society organisations.”
The Deputy French Ambassor to Nigeria stressed that the French government is helping Nigerian universities with recycling plastic and micro plants as well as funding of projects in the universities.
He said: “We have a fund of 750,000, 100,000 euros now, which is about helping universities in recycling plastic. So within this project, we have two micro plants that will be given to Nile University and UNILAG to recycle plastic within the universities. We are also funding a project in five different universities.”
Similarly, Sebastien Bede, the Attaché for Scientific and Higher Education Cooperation at the French Embassy, pointed out that the French government has been cooperating with Nigerian partners to develop projects and implement solutions to plastic waste.
‘’So we have this project we call the French Embassy Fund to actually develop and implement solutions to tackle plastic pollution in Nigerian university campuses. And the idea is threefold. First, as previously the Deputy Ambassador said, to equip two universities here in Nigeria, UNILAG, Nile University in Abuja, with microplants to recycle plastic.
This comes with capacity building, with Plastic Odyssey, to train the staff and develop integrated solutions, which goes from collecting the plastic on the campus, sort it out, clean it, grind it, and then the final product. So we have the input and the output. So there’s been a collective reflection on what is the need here in Nigeria on the campuses.
About 17 Nigerian university students were awarded for their efforts in turning plastic waste to viable economic ventures.
French Government Calls for Collaboration to Protect Oceans for Plastic Threat
BfNigeria Takes Steel Development Drive to China
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria has taken the drive to develop its steel industry to China as the Director-General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Mr. Joseph Tegbe, and the Minister for Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu are currently on a high-level working visit to the Asian country to attract strategic development projects and deepening industrial cooperation with key Chinese partners.
The delegation held a strategic meeting with executives of Sino Steel, one of China’s largest and most influential steel conglomerates over the revitalization of the Ajaokuta Steel Company, a key industrial asset considered critical to Nigeria’s manufacturing ambitions and job creation strategy. The talks centred around technical evaluations, operational modelling, and financing frameworks required to restore the facility to full productivity.
A statement on Wednesday from NCSP, said earlier Mr Tegbe had met with the leadership of Jingye Steel, one of China’s foremost private steel manufacturers with a global footprint, where they explored the possibility of establishing integrated steel mills in Nigeria, a critical step toward strengthening local capacity for steel production and supporting key sectors such as infrastructure, automotive manufacturing, and construction.
The Minister for Steel subsequently led Nigerian officials on a site visit to the production facilities of Jingye Steel, located in the Hebei province in China.
In Beijing, Tegbe held a productive meeting with SYS Company, a leading water engineering and environmental solutions firm specializing in wastewater recycling and renewable energy generation. Discussions focused on the potential deployment of SYS’s innovative technologies in Nigeria, particularly in converting wastewater into reusable resources and power. The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to environmental sustainability and the development of a circular economy that supports energy diversification.
Earlier in the visit, the Director-General of NCSP held a follow-up meeting with executives of CSSC Haishen, advancing a prior understanding between the Chinese firm and CPL Ltd, a leading Nigerian medical and pharmaceutical equipment company. The meeting centered on securing competitive pricing for medical equipment, enhancing knowledge transfer and operational support, and identifying financing solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of the healthcare modernization initiative.
According to the statement, these strategic engagements underscore NCSP’s broader mission to build transformative partnerships that harness China’s technological expertise and Nigeria’s development priorities—delivering practical outcomes across health, industry, infrastructure, and environmental innovation.
BfNigeria Takes Steel Development Drive to China
Phone shop operator killed in armed robbery in Abuja
By: Zagazola Makama
A phone shop operator, Idris Yakubu, was on Tuesday stabbed to death during a robbery at his shop and residence in Dakibiyu Village, Abuja.
Zagazola Makama was reliably informed by sources that the incident occurred at about 3:30 a.m. when a group of unidentified assailants reportedly broke into his premises, stole several mobile phones, and fatally stabbed him on the left side of his back.
He was later rushed to the Gwarinpa General Hospital, where medical personnel confirmed him dead on arrival.
Sources close to the family said the assailants targeted valuable phones before attacking Yakubu, who was believed to have tried to resist the robbery.
Upon receipt of a distress call, the Divisional Police Officer of Jabi Division swiftly dispatched a patrol team to the scene.
A police sources said that the victim was found lying in a pool of blood and was rushed to Gwarinpa General Hospital, where a medical doctor confirmed him dead on arrival.
The family of the deceased requested the release of the body for burial in accordance with Islamic rites, and the request was granted after due documentation.
The sources said investigation is ongoing to recover the stolen phones and track down the fleeing suspects.
Phone shop operator killed in armed robbery in Abuja
Ban GMO Foods in Nigeria Now, Groups Tells FG
French Government Calls for Collaboration to Protect Oceans for Plastic Threat
BfNigeria Takes Steel Development Drive to China
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