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TRIBUTE: GOOD NIGHT SANI KASSIM MAIDAMMA

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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.   

Also Read:  SWEET SUGAR, BITTER LIES

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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Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA foil bandits’ attack in Katsina

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Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA foil bandits’ attack in Katsina

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and Police Command in Katsina State, have foiled an attempted attack by armed bandits in Malumfashi Local Government Area.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at about 7:35 p.m. following credible intelligence that armed bandits on motorcycles were heading towards Gora village.

Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA and other security operatives, intercepted the bandits and engaged in a fierce gun duel.

The bandits fled in disarray under superior firepower. No casualty was recorded, and calm has since returned to the area,”said sources.

The sources added that aggressive patrols and clearance operations had been intensified to track down the fleeing criminals.

Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA foil bandits’ attack in Katsina

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“When nations come together, we can overcome the hardest challenges”- UN Resident Coordinator Insists

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“When nations come together, we can overcome the hardest challenges”- UN Resident Coordinator Insists

By: Michael Mike

In advancing its advocacy and sensitisation of critical stakeholders on the ‘Pact for the future’, the United Nations in Nigeria in collaboration with partners, has convened a strategic dialogue on the United Nations at 80 and the Pact.

At the dialogue, convened in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), and the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), and held at the UN House in Abuja, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, reiterated the importance of international cooperation in solving the world’s most challenging issues.

He said: “Peace is fragile. Inequalities grow. Climate change accelerates. Technology advances faster than governance. Yet one truth remains constant: when nations come together, when people come together, we can overcome even the hardest challenges,” adding: “That is why the Pact for the Future matters.”

Fall further said that the Pact rested on five pillars: Sustainable development, Peace and security, Science and technology, Youth and future generations, and transforming global governance.

He noted that the pillars were not abstract ideas, as they represent the foundation of the world we want. A world of peace, dignity, equality, and sustainability.

“That is why the United Nations is working hand in hand with Nigeria on the Pact for the Future. We are aligning our cooperation with the five pillars of the pact and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as we know that the SDGs are lagging. We are leaving no one behind.” The UN Resident Coordinator added.

Former Head of State and Chairman National Peace Committee, General Abdulsalam Abubakar (Rtd) said in his video message: “Dialogue must now lead to tangible results. Our commitment must be credible, time-bound and deliverable. Anything less can lead to distrust and weaken our democracy.”

To the participants he charged, “Your responsibility is to commit to concrete steps that will align every peacebuilding effort towards real progress. Nigeria’s future will be secured only by our unity of purpose and the sincerity of follow-through.”

The Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Syndoph Endoni, expressed the Permanent Mission’s appreciation of the dialogue, stating that it was not merely an exchange of views, but a collective effort to advance the effective realization of the Pact for the Future and reinforce Nigeria’s peace building framework.

He disclosed that Nigeria was reviewing existing peacebuilding frameworks and initiatives by identifying key achievements, gaps, and opportunities for reform; prioritising critical areas of focus, including security sector reform, women’s participation in peace and security and youth engagement; and addressing cross-border terrorism, organized crime, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons, as well as climate-related security risks.

Speaking at the event, Director of the United Nations’s Team for Pact Implementation, Themba Kalua, underlined Nigeria’s leadership role in this new era of multilateralism. According to him, Nigeria was an active voice in negotiating the Pact, pushing for progress on poverty eradication, digital cooperation, Security Council reform and climate justice.

The Pact for the Future, he said, “strongly resonates with Africa’s Agenda 2063. Both envision a just, peaceful and prosperous continent, powered by inclusive development and regional solidarity. Aligning the Pact with African priorities and national strategies will be essential to translate words into real change. Nigeria’s experience and leadership at regional and global levels make it a vital partner in this endeavour.”

The Chairman of Savannah Centre and Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs Professor Ibrahim Gambari, referenced the New Agenda for Peace, a United Nations policy brief, launched in July 2023 by Secretary-General António Guterres, that outlines a vision for strengthening international cooperation to prevent conflict and build sustainable peace.

Gambari, who was also a former Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, emphasised that the Agenda remained a living guide to everyone in promoting trust, solidarity, and universality through concrete actions like investing in prevention and peacebuilding, empowering women and youth, reducing strategic risks from new technologies and climate change, and adapting to new forms of violence.

“When nations come together, we can overcome the hardest challenges”- UN Resident Coordinator Insists

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Bandits raid villages in Rafi LGA in Niger, rustle cattle

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Bandits raid villages in Rafi LGA in Niger, rustle cattle

By: Zagazola Makama

Armed bandits have attacked three villages in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, rustling an unspecified number of cattle.,

Sources said that the attack, occurred on Aug. 29,

Zagazola gathered that, the assailants in large numbers invaded Ungwan-Buteri, Ungwan-Bagoma, and Ungwan-Landibo villages, carting away livestock from the homes of Alhaji Dankawo, Alhaji Chukuba, and Alhaji Juli, all of Ungwan-Buteri in Tegina District.

The sources said that security operatives and other security forces had since launched a manhunt for the bandits, with a view to recovering the stolen cattle and restoring normalcy in the area.

Bandits raid villages in Rafi LGA in Niger, rustle cattle

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