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TRIBUTE: GOOD NIGHT SANI KASSIM MAIDAMMA

TRIBUTE: GOOD NIGHT SANI KASSIM MAIDAMMA
By: Balami Lazarus
Growing up in Zaria as children and young men in our teens was interesting and full of fun that was some decades back then.
Looking back recently I decided to do a long roll call of my close childhood friends and some peer groups. I found out that some of us are ‘missing’ on the list. And one such person was Sani Kassim Maidamma (SK). Aminu Suleman called and told me that Sani was no more.
I lacked what to say and sensed that he would end the call. We were living in the same neighbourhood where our parents were known to each other. Later, SK and I went to the primary school, All Saint Anglican Primary School Samaru- Zaria, one of the top rated primary schools now Saidu (LEA) Primary School.
SK and I were once in the same classroom, sitting on the same desk that was in class four (B) and we have always been together till we left in 1976 and our friendship continues to his last days on mother earth after a protracted illness.
It is therefore necessary for me to write this piece as a remembrance of SK. He was one among our very good childhood friends for those of us that were close to Sani Kassim. SK, I do remember when you were the Secretary of Sabon Gari (Zaria) Local Government Council where you touched lives in terms of employment, contracts and charity.
I recalled your visit to our former primary school where you made promises in your capacity as Sole Administrator of Basawa Area Development Council and you fulfilled them.
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I thanked you for your kind gesture whenever I visited you in your office at the secretariat. It was always a plus to my pocket or my car tank. To tell you how good SK was, when I informed
Audu Dachar of his death was downcasted and what came out of him. “Oh my God! Sani was a good guy.” Really being good is associated with late SK.
He was nice to anyone that came into contact with him. Your heart was a synecdoche of your whole when you were here with us.
SK had a chrisma that attracted people to him. His house was a rallying point for some of us. It was my first point of call once I was in Zaria before reaching my parent’s house. This has no doubt has to do with your very large kind heart SK.
I also glee in my heart when we close from school. I will follow you home and Iya will make sure I eat something no matter how little it was before proceeding home with a warning as usually not to play around with dead tractors by the side of your house.
We share some things incommon with SK, he was stout, well- built, dark in complexion, fearless, down- to- earth and a lover of books. SK was a footballer, that is where we slightly parted ways in interest. I was more on the adventurous side of life as a boy- snakes hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, swimming ( bridge diving) and hiking. That was me as a boy.
As a good footballer, SK played for the defunct Samaru United Football Club and A.B. U. Workers Football Club. My good childhood friend and brother Sani Kassim Maidamma, your baritonic voice stands out and I always felt flattered when you addressed me as Don Lazarus either directly or on the phone. I missed you .
Before the black- out, SK was an Editor for Hotline NewsMagazine Kaduna, Teacher, Lecturer, politician and was a PhD student with Faculty of Administration, Department of Local Government Studies Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
He was once with Aminiya of Daily Trust Newspaper Abuja. SK died on the 30th May 2017 at the National Hospital. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. May Allah grant him Al Janna Firdaus. Ameen.
Balami, a Publisher/ Columnist. 08036779290
TRIBUTE: GOOD NIGHT SANI KASSIM MAIDAMMA
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Teenager butchered in suspected ritual killing in Ogun, one arrested

Teenager butchered in suspected ritual killing in Ogun, one arrested
By: Zagazola Makama
A 16-year-old boy, Lawal Wahab, has been gruesomely murdered in Igbile area of Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State in what authorities suspect to be a ritual killing.
Zagazola learnt that the boy, who had been declared missing for several days, was confirmed dead after his decomposing body was discovered on July 23 along Old Express Road in Igbile.
His father, Lawal Olumide, of No. 28 Jagerin Street, Ijebu-Ode, said he received the tragic news after efforts to locate his son proved abortive. Wahab had reportedly been staying with his grandmother before he went missing.
Security operatives who visited the scene confirmed that the boy’s corpse was mutilated his head, both wrists, heart, and private parts were removed, in what is believed to be a ritual-related killing.
Following an intensive investigation, one suspect, Salawu Omikansola, aged 25, was arrested in connection with the murder. He was apprehended alongside a man identified as Serefusi Agemo and others whose identities are being withheld to aid the ongoing investigation.
Authorities disclosed that confessional statements were obtained from the suspects, with video evidence recorded. The case file and associated exhibits will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Abeokuta, for further investigation.
Efforts are ongoing to track and apprehend other accomplices in the heinous crime.
Teenager butchered in suspected ritual killing in Ogun, one arrested
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Education Undergoing Revival Under Renewed Hope Agenda — VP Shettima

Education Undergoing Revival Under Renewed Hope Agenda — VP Shettima
** Receives University of Ibadan Sole Ambassador Plenipotentiary award
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has restated the Federal Government’s unwavering resolve to reposition Nigeria’s education sector.
Specifically, he affirmed that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will mobilise both public and private sector support to uplift institutions such as the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria’s premier university.
This is just as the Vice President has been bestowed with the highest alumni honour of the University of Ibadan, “UI at 75 Ambassador Plenipotentiary.” He obtained a master’s degree (MSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1991 at the University.
Speaking on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the management of the University of Ibadan, led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Vice President described the institution as the greatest citadel of learning in West Africa, recalling its illustrious past and continental impact.
“This is an honour that I cherish deeply. Ibadan is certainly the greatest citadel of learning in this country and in West Africa. When we were there, we had students from South Africa, Namibia, and even the Caribbean.
“There was a time when the King of Saudi Arabia was sick and he was recommended for treatment at the University College Hospital, Ibadan,” the Vice President said.
He pledged the government’s commitment to mobilising both private and public sector resources for educational transformation across the country.
“We are going to mobilise resources from both the private and public sectors to ensure that UI and other universities in the country succeed.”
VP Shettima also highlighted the President Tinubu administration’s education-focused policies, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), aimed at supporting indigent students.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are determined to rescue the educational sector. The Nigerian Education Loan Fund is the first of its kind, directly addressing the needs of underprivileged students,” he stated.
On the economy, the VP said that Nigeria had turned a corner, expressing confidence in the country’s economic trajectory.
“Our economy has turned the corner, we have crossed the Rubicon, and we are on the path to sustained economic growth. The tax revenue of the government has steadily increased. The President is an economic guru who understands the language of commerce and is completely at home in the economic ecosystem,” he said.
Earlier, Professor Adebowale explained that the award given to the Vice President as UI at 75 Ambassador Plenipotentiary is the first in the university’s history in recognition of his contributions to both the public and private sectors.
“You are a foremost alumnus of the University of Ibadan — the first and the best,” Professor Adebowale said.
He continued: “We honoured some of the alumni as UI at 75 Ambassadors, those who are friends of the university, and we made them Ambassadors Extraordinary. We thought that, for the position you have assumed and being an Alumnus of our university, we exceptionally put you in a class and decided to induct you as UI at 75 Ambassador Plenipotentiary. You will be the only person to be so awarded.
“We came here to honour one of our own; someone who has contributed in the banking sector, as Governor of Borno State, and now as Vice President of Nigeria.”
Other members of the delegation included the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba; Registrar of the University, Mr. Ganiyu Oke Saliu; Director of Alumni Relations, Professor Olakunbi O. Olasope; Lecturer at the Department of Classics, Babatunde Blavo and Mr Oladayo Olajide of the Directorate of Public Communications at the university.
Education Undergoing Revival Under Renewed Hope Agenda — VP Shettima
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Joint Nigeria–Niger military offensive hits major terrorist stronghold near Damasak

Joint Nigeria–Niger military offensive hits major terrorist stronghold near Damasak
By: Zagazola Makama
In a major show of regional military cooperation, troops of the Nigerian Military in collaboration with the Nigerien Defence Forces have launched a decisive joint offensive on a fortified terrorist stronghold located between Damasak in Borno State and Diffa in southern Niger Republic.
Zagazola Makama learnt that the offensive, which began in the early hours of Sunday, targeted a well-defended insurgent position approximately 25 kilometres from Damasak and 17 kilometres from Diffa, believed to be operated by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the location served as a key logistical hub and operational base for the insurgents, complete with anti-aircraft (AA) gun emplacements and an extensive network of trenches.
“In the first wave of the assault, the Air Component Command of Operation HADIN KAI conducted four precision strikes which successfully knocked out enemy anti-aircraft positions and neutralised scores of terrorists,” the source said.
The coordinated strikes were immediately followed by aerial bombardment from the Nigerien Air Force, which delivered additional blows to the insurgents’ infrastructure and personnel. A subsequent Battle Damage Assessment confirmed the effectiveness of the air operations.
On the ground, combined troops from Nigeria and the Nigerien Defence Forces subsequently executed a dual-flank ground offensive to clear and secure the area.
“This joint operation point to the recent deepening regional cooperation between Nigeria and Niger Republic in the fight against terrorism and trans-border criminality in the Lake Chad Basin,” confirmed the source.
The offensive comes at a time of increasing cross-border attacks and insurgent movement in the region, especially around the Kamadougou-Yobe River axis and other porous points of the Nigeria–Niger border.
Joint Nigeria–Niger military offensive hits major terrorist stronghold near Damasak
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