suleimansblog

I wrote this in 2013 . . .one by one, they will be exposed

Salisu Suleiman. 

Christmas is not the only reason why many people in Spain look forward to the end of the year. Another reason is that annually, thousands win huge sums of money from El Gordo, meaning the ‘The Fat One’ in Spanish. It is one of the largest prizes in lottery.

As the day of the draw approaches, a lottery fever grips Spain and millions of people join lengthy lines to buy lottery tickets for a chance to win a share of The Fat One. In 2012, the equivalent of about N500 billion was shared among winners.

In Nigeria, El Gordo also takes place, except that participation is not open to the public, but restricted to a select few; top politicians, serving and retired military officers, traditional rulers and other elite.

Salisu Suleiman.

A theory is a set of related hypotheses that attempt to specify the relationship(s) between a set of variables with the objective of understanding the nature of things. Usually, a theory summarizes a body of empirical evidence and may be used to derive hypothesis, explain laws or build models.

Theories also help explain why and how situations occur or change.

Salisu Suleiman.

On the 5th of May 2015, APC governors-elect under paid a courtesy visit to the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari to congratulate him, and in the words of the Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha, “We have come to notify the incoming president on the challenges ahead of him. As it is today, most states of the federation have not been able to pay salaries and even the federal government has not paid its April salaries”.

Salisu Suleiman.

Since the outcome of the March 28th 2015 presidential election, the president-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari has become the toast of everyone, including some who shunned him like a pest in the past. Everyone seems to be angling for an opportunity to be seen shaking hands with Buhari and having the photos published and broadcast nationally and internationally.

By Salisu Suleiman.

Last week, we examined how ‘Hurricane Buhari’ made orphans of some key political actors in the North, including Modu Sheriff, Attahiru Bafarawa, Ibrahim Shekarau and Nuhu Ribadu. There were others who saw change coming, but either misread its velocity and ferocity and were thus swept away.

Sule Lamido

This former minister of foreign affairs and outgoing governor of Jigawa state wanted to become president.

By Salisu Suleiman.

Hurricane Buhari might have come and gone, but it has left the political landscape of Nigeria, particularly the north, unrecognizable. Within the blink of an eye, old political structures and power-brokers had been blown out of power and into political irrelevance.

Salisu Suleiman.

One of the more theatrical moments of the last presidential campaign was the effort by Vice President Namadi Sambo to recite the opening chapter of the Quran. Unfortunately, what came out was so garbled that many people wondered whether that was the way he recited the  chapter – which every adult Muslim must recite at 17 times - in the course of five daily prayers.

Salisu Suleiman.

The first time I collected a voter’s card was during one of Nigeria’s several aborted transitions to democratic rule. At every opportunity, I yearned to cast my vote and stood for hours for that privilege – braving rainfall, sunshine and hunger. I never saw the outcome of my votes. In 2003, 2007 and 2011, my preferred candidate for president – Muhammadu Buhari - either lost, or was adjudged to have lost.

Salisu Suleiman.

Imagine that you've had a long, difficult day of meetings, visits and sorting out personal issues, and finally retire to bed at about midnight. However, the moment you fall asleep, you’re woken up and told that not only did you have another visitor, but that he was already waiting in your living room.

Salisu Suleiman.

The brutal swipe of the scimitar slashes through flesh and bones, cutting through the cord of life in one cruel instant. The sand is soaked with my blood, gushing from deep within, as my head topples sideways. They do not bother to look my direction to see blood oozing out, nor care to notice the life ebbing out of my helpless body. They have gone on to the next victim, each methodical slash ending a life once so full of promise.