Category: Daily Trust

Troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have intercepted a suspected terrorist logistics supplier with N5.302 million in cash and defused an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted along a major road in Zamfara State.

The operations, conducted on August 7, also forced terrorists to flee during separate encounters in Zurmi, Birnin Magaji and Shinkafi local government areas of the state.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force (North West), Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lt-Col Aliyu Danja, disclosed this in a statement.

According to him, troops of Sector 2, working with the Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, responded to a report of a suspected IED near Jabanda village in Zurmi Local Government Area.

He said the team located and cleared the device before scanning the road and declaring it safe for motorists.

Danja said that while returning from the operation, the troops encountered terrorists at Birnin Tsaba village in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area and engaged them.

He said the terrorists were forced to withdraw into the bush, adding that a subsequent search of the area led to the recovery of two motorcycles, a camouflage jungle hat, a handheld radio and other items.

In Shinkafi Local Government Area, the spokesman said troops of Sector 2, in collaboration with the Mobile Police Squadron, acted on credible intelligence about terrorist activities around Kwanar Jolof.

‘Troops engaged the terrorists with superior firepower, forcing them to withdraw in disarray,’ he said.

A follow-up search of the area, according to him, resulted in the recovery of a motorcycle, a pair of camouflage uniforms, a camouflage vest and a jungle hat, among other items.

Danja further disclosed that troops on patrol near Maradun intercepted a 35-year-old suspected terrorist collaborator and logistics supplier, identified as Lawali Dan Alo.

He said a search of the suspect’s bag, which he claimed contained food items, led to the discovery of N5.302 million in cash and a mobile phone.

‘Preliminary interrogation showed the suspect was allegedly delivering the funds on behalf of a terrorist leader to another individual, Kasimu Garba, who was arrested at his residence,’ the statement said.

The spokesman said both suspects were in custody and would be subjected to further investigation.

The Theatre Command commended the troops for their vigilance, courage and prompt response during the operations.

It said aggressive patrols, intelligence-led operations and targeted actions against terrorist networks would continue across the North-West region.

The command also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and provide timely and credible information to security agencies to support efforts to restore lasting peace in the region.

After the bishops’ recent closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Cardinal John Onaiyekan made a striking claim: that presidential aides are shielding the President from the true suffering in the country, presenting a false ‘rosy picture,’ and that Tinubu already appears desperate about winning the 2027 election.

As a writer and observer of governance, I share that concern. A president who controls the instruments of state, commands a united party, and faces a divided opposition has little rational cause for electoral anxiety – unless overzealous handlers are manufacturing threats where few exist. The question, therefore, deserves to be asked plainly: what exactly is President Tinubu afraid of?

The EFCC’s freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts barely a week before the July 2025 governorship election – citing a court order later reversed by the President himself – was not merely a legal misstep. It was a political signal of ‘over-sabi’ – that familiar Yoruba expression for excessive, misdirected overzealousness – gone disastrously wrong.

It also raised a question that goes beyond Osun’s finances and cuts to the heart of governance in Abuja: are these the deliberate choices of a confident presidency, or the panicked manoeuvres of handlers who have convinced the President that 2027 is a battle he might lose? Because by any honest reading of Nigeria’s political landscape, the evidence for such fear is astonishingly thin.

Tinubu enters the 2027 cycle with structural advantages unmatched in recent democratic history. He controls the executive machinery of the Federal Government with unusual cohesion. The CBN and FIRS – custodians of national treasury and revenue – and the full architecture of anti-corruption agencies operate within a presidency facing no internal rebellion. The security services – police, DSS, and the military – answer to the Commander-in-Chief. INEC operates within a constitutional framework that any well-resourced incumbent can navigate with relative ease.

Why should he entertain fear? His party, the APC, has absorbed opposition defections at a rate that has reshaped the electoral map. Several governors elected on opposition platforms in 2023 have since crossed over, weakening the institutional backbone of any credible challenge. The PDP, Labour Party, and other formations remain fractured – much like 2023, when the split between Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso arguably delivered the presidency to Tinubu on a platter of gold. Has he forgotten that blessing in disguise?

Tinubu won the 2023 election under conditions far more hostile than anything he faces today. President Muhammadu Buhari was not enthusiastic about his candidacy. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, ministers, and other APC heavyweights were either rivals or reluctant supporters. Yet Tinubu prevailed.

He now enters 2027 with those internal rivals neutralised and with the incumbency advantage he lacked in 2023. So why are his handlers suddenly desperate – even flirting with anti-democratic impulses? Should a president who survived 2023’s turbulence now need anti-corruption agencies freezing a state’s accounts one week before an election to prove loyalty?

Governance under Tinubu is mixed – but not devoid of genuine achievements. Abuja, under the politically abrasive but undeniably effective Nyesom Wike, has witnessed accelerated infrastructural development: roads, housing schemes, and urban renewal projects visible to anyone who drives through the city. One may dislike his crude politics, but his performance as minister rivals the El-Rufai era. Had these – and other ministerial achievements – been properly documented and consistently communicated, wouldn’t they have formed a persuasive counter-narrative to critics?

The Ministry of Information and National Orientation has also done strategic work in countering the internationally amplified ‘Christian genocide’ narrative – a framing that ignored the Muslim communities devastated by banditry and terrorism in the North-West and North-East. Doesn’t the lobbying that produced a more balanced posture from Washington – including under President Donald Trump – reflect a sophistication in foreign-policy communication that deserves amplification?

The administration has increased military remuneration, strengthening loyalty to civilian command. The foiling of a reported coup attempt further consolidates military alignment with the presidency. Do these achievements justify political panic?

One under-analysed dimension of Tinubu’s political arithmetic is the legacy of the Muslim-Muslim ticket. The Tinubu-Shettima pairing was controversial in 2023, with critics warning it would alienate Christian voters. Paradoxically, after the victory, the administration has appointed Christian technocrats to some of the most economically sensitive ministries and key security portfolios – alongside many Yoruba appointees. Whether by design or necessity, hasn’t the Muslim-Muslim ticket ended up delivering significant Christian representation at the apex of federal governance?

Retaining Shettima for 2027 follows the same logic: consolidate the Muslim North – especially the core North that delivered decisive margins – while Christian appointments counterbalance the optics. It is a defensible strategy. But doesn’t it require sophisticated communication – which has not always been forthcoming?

Back to Osun: The real danger. The EFCC’s freezing of Osun’s accounts days before an election was legally arguable but politically indefensible. The timing made it impossible to interpret as anything other than partisan interference. The President-ordered reversal after the alleged court order only confirmed what the optics had already declared.

The damage is not to Governor Ademola Adeleke or the opposition party. The damage is to President Tinubu. It invites the central question every overzealous enforcement action provokes: did the President authorise this – and other similar actions, including judicial manoeuvres?

If yes, it suggests a president anxious about 2027 despite overwhelming structural advantages – or one willing to compromise institutional integrity for marginal electoral gain. If not, it suggests something equally dangerous: that agencies are acting in his name without his knowledge, and that the presidency is unable to control institutions under its authority.

Neither interpretation flatters the presidency. Both are politically corrosive. Nigeria has seen this pattern before. Weaponising anti-corruption agencies does not strengthen incumbents. It delegitimises institutions, hardens opposition resolve, generates sympathy for targeted figures, and provides ammunition to international observers already sceptical of Nigeria’s democratic governance.

Does the arithmetic of intimidation ever favour the intimidator? Tinubu is not a political novice. He is one of the most strategically sophisticated political minds Nigeria has produced. The Lagos model – whatever its imperfections – demonstrates his ability to build and sustain political structures over decades.

Which makes the question more urgent: who is advising him that these manoeuvres are necessary? Are they genuinely trying to secure his re-election? Or are some exploiting his perceived anxiety for their own selfish interests? The greatest threat to a Tinubu second term is not Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, or Kwankwaso. It is the growing perception that a confident presidency is behaving like one that is not.

A cardinal condition of good governance is for the leadership to lead in line with the concerns of the followership. That is the essential distillate of the ageless definition of democracy as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. This means that a democratic government owes its direction and enterprise to the concerns of the governed at all times. In this context, even when reforms are being executed, such need to mirror the expectations of the wider cross section of the governed, as the entire purpose of good governance is to serve the people creditably. Hence, any deviation from this template diminishes the democratic credentials of any government. Just as well, any government that fails to heed this creed automatically disqualifies itself from the ranks of democracies, even if it may not accept this timeless truth.

This could be the acid test the Bola Tinubu administration may be having difficulty with, given its manifest, entrenched fixation with intolerance for opposition tendencies, be such expressed in thought, speech or action.

It is also in this context that the ongoing mismanagement by the Presidency of a simple homily by the Catholic Bishops Council of Nigeria (CBCN) during their recent visit to President Tinubu needs to be appreciated. This is also why the latter public reiteration of the CBCN stand by Cardinal John Onaiyekan in his recent interview with Arise TV is being twisted out of its deserved proper light by the handlers of the president.

As is now public knowledge, during the visit to Tinubu by the CBCN delegation, the body raised concern over several issues that have plagued the polity and discomfited Nigerians – millions of whom are members of their ecclesiastical flock.

Among their submissions to the president was the concern over the integrity of the forthcoming 2027 general polls, as the country is teetering towards a one-party state, a condition which remains in conflict with the intendment of the Nigerian constitution. The constitution provides for a multi-party democracy in order to the avail citizens the liberty of enjoying as many shades of political interest as possible.

With the president’s political party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) – actively engaged in capture of the Nigerian state through vicious surreptitious maneuvers by the Presidency and is thereby controlling 32 out of 36 state governors – it remains a wonder how the clerics could have put their concern better.

The CBCN also raised the issue of the depressed state of the economy along with the unprecedented state of privation and attendant despair which most Nigerians across the country were facing as daily life. In their specific words, the Nigerian ‘economy is bleeding.’

From what is in the public domain about the CBCN visit, the president apparently disagreed with the position of the clerics in literally all that they presented to him. Of note was the dismissiveness with which the president treated the homily from the bishops. But matters did not end there.

While Tinubu dismissed their observation outright and awarded his performance high marks, his media aides adopted the disposition of rabid attack dogs to denigrate the clergy men, and in particular, Onaiyekan without even addressing themselves to the merit of the position of the latter.

Apparently, Onaiyekan’s sin was that he brought to the public domain and in context, the take-aways from the meeting between the president and the bishops.

Interestingly, however, while the issues raised by Onaiyekan may not be fresh in the public space as such remain the real unmistakable state of affairs across the country, the fact that in the Arise TV interview, Onaiyekan conveyed a disturbingly detached disposition of the president to the real issues facing Nigerians outside the walls of Aso Rock, and his fixation on winning a second term in office by all means, have gotten under the skins of his handlers; hence their assault on the Cardinal as the whipping boy for the CBCN.

The issue now remains the merit of the bishops’ homily in the context of relevance and timeliness.

While the preponderance of commentaries on the matter hails the cleric for speaking truth to power, the Presidency is berating him for toeing a direction at variance with its narrative of the state of affairs.

In that context therefore, the real issue before Nigerians borders on what Onaiyekan said and why it should or not irk the Presidency to attract so vehemently, a series of rebuttals and personal attacks on the cleric.

Taken in perspective however, hardly is there any new angle in what Onaiyekan said that had not been said earlier by other observers, and even with more vehemence. His sin must, therefore, lie in the potency of the moral integrity behind his status in the context of which, his observation that the forthcoming polls may be compromised to the extent of denying opposition candidates a level playing ground, hit home.

Apparently, Onaiyekan, like many other so endowed Nigerians, may be seeing a likely sit-tight disposition of the president along with a third term agenda or even life presidency in view. Even with that, not a few observers had said so in the past without as much ruckus from the Presidency as it is with Onaiyekan this time.

In his classic novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’, the late Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe, cited an adage that the ‘elderly are uncomfortable when dry bones are mentioned.’ Is that now the case with Tinubu and his network? One may ask.

The Presidency needs not be so pesky with the words of advice by the CBCN and the ‘amplification’ of same by Onaiyekan. What the CBCN and Onaiyekan are saying is also what all Nigerians currently trapped in the economic straits ravaging the country are saying. They are, therefore, messengers of the truth. And truth cannot be hidden, no matter the efforts to suppress it. The only way to handle truth is to heed it. And so be it with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Fuskar Gabas Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) located in Shahuci Ward in Kano Municipal Area Council of Kano State, was among the over 217 PHCs in Kano state that were revitalised under a programme spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

The Federal Government had in 2023 unveiled plan to revitalise 17,600 Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities across the country, which was aimed to make basic maternal, newborn, and child health services accessible to communities.

The upgrades focus on infrastructure, equipping health workers, and securing a reliable power and water supply.

After revitalisation, the Fuskar Gabas PHCs’ infrastructure was upgraded with standard infrastructure, skilled health workers, reliable electricity through a solar power system and regular water supply from a dedicated borehole.

As such, when Sadiya Muhammad conceived her fourth pregnancy, she visited the facility for her antenatal services.

According to her, she conducted the antenatal services and delivered her previous three pregnancies at a private hospital due to the then poor condition of the Fuskar Gabas PHC.

‘But when my husband noticed that the condition of the facility has significantly improved, he told me that we would be relieved of spending more money in a private hospital.

‘In fact, even people that are not living far away from Shahuci ward, are now visiting the facility for healthcare services. Because we got our prescribed drugs from the hospital, and sometimes there are categories of people that are given the drugs to them for free, like those under the BHCPF programme,’ she narrated.

According to her, there is no delay in seeing a health personnel, they are always on their post to render the required services.

Our correspondent who visited Fuskar Gabas PHC, reports that two years after the revitalisation, the facility now records a high influx of patients who hitherto had to patronise private facilities at exorbitant prices.

For instance, when Hassana Hassan Abubakar, brought her 16-year-old brother to the Fuskar Gabas PHC in Shahuci over complaints related to stomach ache, the health workers promptly attended to him.

According to her, before the revitalization, people of the area hardly visited the facility, despite its proximity to them, but preferred to attend private hospitals or other secondary health facilities located many kilometres away.

‘But since the renovation was completed sometime in 2024, people from our area find it easier and are attending the PHC to get a qualitative healthcare service. There are a lot of changes, starting from the facility’s building, equipment and manpower.

‘In the past people had to spend a whole day waiting in a queue before they could be attended to, but now within one hour, a patient can be attended to, admitted and start receiving treatment,’ she said.

According to her, the pharmacy is always stocked with required and prescribed drugs, which are also affordable.

‘There is adequate electricity and clean water supply, there is enough equipment and other facilities that make it comfortable for both the health workers and the patients,’ Hassana said.

Thugs’ unrest prevents 24-hour service at the facility

However, our correspondent learnt that despite the qualitative healthcare service offered by the facility to the community, it cannot operate a 24-hour service due to lack of adequate security.

As such, by 4pm when the drip administered on Hassana’s brother had not yet finished, the health workers told them that they have to remove it and discharge him because the facility operates only between 8am and 4pm.

They have no choice than to find a commercial tricycle and take the hapless patient, who was yet to fully recover, home hoping to return the following day to continue with the medication. Similar to Hassana, a three-month-old pregnant Sadiya, said her nightmare is the lack of 24-hour service at the facility.

‘My fear is that in the event I start labour in the night hours, we don’t have a choice than to patronise private hospitals that charge exorbitant prices or go to the general hospital, which is very far and risky considering the security situation in the area. Sometimes it is even difficult to get a tricycle during the night time,’ she lamented.

She, therefore, appealed that the facility should be providing a 24-hour service, especially for people like her, the pregnant women.

Also, when Hauwa, (not real name) a pregnant woman was brought to the Fuskar Gabas Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in labour, it was already 6pm and couldn’t be admitted for delivery, because it was already 4pm, the time the facility closed because it cannot run a 24-hour service.

As such, Hauwa couldn’t be admitted and the two watchmen on duty that evening directed them to visit the Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital, a distance of about 10 kilometres.

This was a great risk, considering the maternal mortality rate in the state, which according to a report is currently estimated at 570 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Daily Trust learnt that once it is 4pm, the Fuskar Gabas PHC closes for the day, and all patients on admission have to be discharged prematurely, to either return the following day or go elsewhere.

Therefore, despite the upgrade and the qualitative services offered at the facility, a resident of the area lamented that, ‘the lack of 24 hours services is affecting our people. Whenever there is an issue at night, we have to visit Murtala Muhammad General Hospital, because the facility cannot run 24-hour services.

‘This is very challenging, especially for pregnant women, especially when the labour started during night time. We have to go to other places, despite being close to the facility, and it is frightening due to insecurity issues. So, we are appealing to the government to improve it and make it a 24 hours PHC, a resident of Shahuci, Maryam Ibrahim said.

The Technical Officer of the Fuskar Gabas PHC, Malama Asiya Nasidi Adam, explained the reason the facility closed by 4pm.

‘The PHC is located in a densely populated area notorious for thuggery activities, the thugs frequently launch attacks in the area. So, it is very risky to operate a 24-hour service, because of the fear of the unknown, especially during the night time.

‘There are a lot of patients that are patronising the hospital, but we have to close and discharge patients whenever it is 6pm, because we cannot guarantee security of our patients and staff,’ she explained.

According to her, there was a time they had to spend the night at the facility when a fight erupted between rival thugs’ groups.

She said, ‘We were about to close for the day, when a crisis erupted between rival thugs’ groups, they later started attacking innocent passers-by, a development that forced us to lock the gate from inside and sleep in the facility.

It was gathered that only two watchmen are engaged through local arrangement by the facility to provide security.

Lack of adequate manpower, equipment derailing gain of revitalisation

Daily Trust reports that the PHC is providing services in areas like Antenatal, labour and delivery, family planning, laboratory, OPD, Pharmacy and A/E, as well as the BHCPF, but there are not enough staff to handle the units.

The technical officer said the facility has only 17 permanent staff, with over 20 working as casual staff, being paid meagre allowances on money generated by the hospital.

‘Running 24 hours service, inadequate manpower and provision of security is the impediment stopping the hospital from running a 24-hour service.

‘Although, we have a solar system installed, it is not enough considering the size of the facility and the equipment that requires electricity to function optimally,’ Asiya Nasidi said.

Our correspondent reports that, although they are receiving an average of seven birth deliveries in the facility daily, they don’t have a blood bank, nor trained medical personnel to handle blood transfusion.

As such, in the event of a complication in delivery or any other case that requires such services, a patient has to be quickly referred to a general hospital, located some kilometres away from the facility.

‘What we usually do is to study the pregnant woman or patients records even before the admission, if we notice there will be possible complications, we will not even admit them, but ask such patients to visit another facility that can handle such issues.

‘To ensure that there is no any form of delay complication, there is a programme introduced by the NPHCDA, where we engage the services of Commercial Tricyclists that assists us in evacuating such patients to other secondary facilities, especially pregnant women,’ she said.

We are worried over sunset closure – WDC Chairman

On its part, the Ward Development Committee Chairman of Shahuci, Malam Inuwa Nasidi, said as representative of the community in the day-to-day running of the PHC, they are worried that the facility does not render 24-hour service.

‘We have recorded a great development in the facility, when it was renovated two years ago. Water was provided, with functioning toilets and regular power supply through a dedicated solar system.

‘And because of the renovation, the hospital is now providing qualitative healthcare services to people from far and near wards, like Tudun Nupawa, Zango, Zaitawa, Dukawa, ‘Yan Awaki, Kofar Wambai and other locations surrounding the facility.

Malam Nasidi lamented, ‘But despite these developments, once it is 4pm the hospital closes for the day. And it is a great set back to our communities.

‘Often pregnant women would be brought to the hospital in labour, but when the child delivery is not ready until closing time, they have to be referred to another facility, which is a great inconvenience.

He also added that there is need for additional staff which are inadequate because of the high number of people that are visiting the hospital.

Plan underway to employ more staff, provide security at PHCs – SPHCMB

On his part, the Director General of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board (KSPHCMB), Professor Salisu Ahmed Ibrahim, said the board is working to resolve the security threats restraining PHCs from operating 24-hour service.

He, however, explained that factors prevent the board from operating 24-hour service in most of the facilities.

‘Number one is the issue of human resources. If we don’t have a required and adequate number of skilled healthcare workers, especially for services like maternal and child health. Another thing is the security issue, which we have and it is scattered around the state. As such, if we don’t have adequate numbers of these critical categories of manpower, there is no way we can run a 24-hour service,’ he said.

‘We also need skilled birth attendants, that is a midwife, a nurse or a Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW), who are recognised to take delivery services.

Prof. Ibrahim said they are having security threats across the three senatorial districts of the state. ‘So, we cannot risk our staff to go there to work at night. Another thing is hard to reach areas.

‘There are areas that are really difficult to reach even during the day, based on the terrain of the road and the bushy nature of the area. So, this factor actually negates us from allowing our staff to work for 24 hours.’

However, the director general said the board is making plans to have a local arrangement with vigilante groups in the facilities where they want to start providing a 24-hour service.

‘We are planning to have interim arrangements with local vigilante groups, where we will be able to provide local vigilante groups around the facilities, especially at night to allow the PHC to provide 24-hour service,’ he said.

On the issue of manpower, Prof. Ibrahim said there is a comprehensive plan by the state government to employ more health workers to be posted to the facilities.

‘Presently, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has approved the employment of 2,500 medical healthcare personnel across all the cadres. Doctors, pharmacists, nurses, CHEW, JCHEW, laboratory and pharmacy technicians.

‘But most of them will be posted to secondary health facilities, because they are the referral centres for the PHCs across the 44 LGAs.

‘However, there is another plan to employ another 3,000 health workers that will work under primary health care. Already the proposal has been submitted to the governor and we are waiting for his approval,’ he explained.

The director general added that, ‘the model recruitment we are trying to do is a localised recruitment based on the local government of origin. We employ staff from there so that they will be able to attend to the people even at night.’

One of the wonders of medical practice comes from solving complex puzzles. The ‘Aha!’ moment you have when you finally string together all the pieces of history, symptoms, and signs and see clearly the diagnosis for what it really is is difficult to describe. It’s the quiet satisfaction of solving a mystery that has been hidden in plain sight.

Last week, I had one of those moments.

A young woman in her early thirties, soft-spoken, complaining of back pain. She was the last patient, and I was already exhausted and hungry. It looked like a straightforward open-and-shut case, and so I suppressed a yawn and proceeded to take a brief history. Her story was flowing easily until I discovered her last menstrual period was five years ago when she was pregnant with her baby. Ever since she got pregnant and had her baby, her period had not returned.

I was perplexed. ‘So, what have you done about it?’ I asked.

She had one child, a healthy pregnancy, a healthy delivery, or so she thought. Soon after childbirth, she was told that some tissue had been left behind in her womb. It happens occasionally after delivery, and when it does, the retained tissue must sometimes be removed to prevent infection or heavy bleeding. She underwent a Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA), a simple procedure that has saved countless women’s lives.

But this woman’s symptoms didn’t go away. She continued to have abdominal pain and occasional spotting. At another hospital, she was told again that there were still retained products of conception in her womb. She underwent another MVA, twice now.

Three months after childbirth, she continued to have abdominal pain. This time she went to a more expensive private hospital and was told the same thing- there was some tissue (likely from bits of placenta) left in her womb. That was how she had MVA number three. Like many patients, she trusted that every intervention being recommended was necessary. After all, when you are in pain, you rarely question the hands trying to help you.

Her abdominal pain gradually subsided, but her period never returned. She had taken all sorts of medication, both orthodox and unorthodox, yet her period didn’t return. And of course, she didn’t get pregnant again. The poor woman had given up on that part of her life that she would not have mentioned it, if I hadn’t asked for a detailed explanation of her lack of menses. What bothered her now was her lower back pain.

As she recounted her story, I found myself asking the questions doctors are trained to ask. When exactly did the problem begin? What changed just before everything became different? Had she experienced even a single menstrual period after the last procedure?

Her answer was simple.

‘No, doctor. Not once.’

Hello, Asherman’s syndrome!

Most people have never heard of it. Even among healthcare workers, it’s not always the first diagnosis that comes to mind. Asherman’s syndrome occurs when scar tissue forms inside the uterus, causing the walls of the womb to stick together. Instead of a healthy uterine cavity lined with soft tissue that grows and sheds every month, the cavity becomes partially or completely obliterated by adhesions. Menstrual flow becomes scanty or disappears altogether, and for many women, pregnancy becomes difficult or impossible.

The condition most commonly develops after procedures involving the uterus, particularly following dilatation and curettage or repeated uterine evacuation after childbirth or miscarriage. It’s important to emphasise that procedures such as MVA are essential and often lifesaving when correctly indicated and properly performed. The key word being ‘properly performed’. MVAs have dramatically reduced maternal deaths worldwide. The problem isn’t the procedure itself but unnecessary repetition, overzealous and traumatic instrumentation, delayed recognition of complications, or inadequate follow-up.

What struck me most wasn’t the rarity of the diagnosis but the length of time she had lived with it. For five years, she had focused on her inability to conceive, yet the most important clue had been quietly present from the very beginning: the disappearance of her menstrual periods immediately after repeated uterine procedures.

As doctors, we often tell patients to pay attention to unusual symptoms, but women have long been conditioned to normalise suffering. They are told painful periods are simply part of being female. Heavy bleeding is dismissed as hormonal. Difficulty in conceiving is blamed on stress, age or fate. When a woman’s periods stop completely after childbirth, many simply wait, hoping nature will correct itself.

Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t.

The encouraging news, however, is that Asherman’s syndrome isn’t necessarily the end of the story. Advances in hysteroscopic surgery now allow many of these adhesions to be identified and carefully divided under direct vision, restoring the normal uterine cavity. Combined with hormonal therapy and meticulous follow-up, many women regain their menstrual cycles, and some go on to conceive naturally or with assisted reproductive techniques. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the chances of preserving fertility.

That is why awareness matters.

Not every woman whose periods stop has Asherman’s syndrome, and not every woman who undergoes an MVA will develop it. The condition remains relatively uncommon. But every woman deserves to know that the complete absence of menstruation following uterine surgery isn’t something to ignore or simply ‘wait out’ for years.

As I watched my patient leave the consulting room, I thought about the countless women who quietly carry unanswered questions about their reproductive health. Some have accepted infertility as their destiny. Others continue searching from one clinic to another, hoping someone will finally connect the dots.

Medicine is often celebrated for its sophisticated technology, advanced imaging and cutting-edge treatments. Yet some of the most important diagnoses still begin the old-fashioned way, with a careful history, a patient who feels heard, and a doctor willing to listen closely enough to recognise the story hidden between the words.

Because sometimes the womb falls silent. And when it does, we owe it to every woman to ask why?

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested three more persons suspected to be members of the kidnapping ring that abducted the dean of agriculture, Nasarawa State University, Professor Samuel Avengbe Okunsebor.

The don was rescued by DSS operatives two days after some gunmen kidnapped him in the wee hours of Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at Mile Uku, a border community between Lafia and Nasarawa-Eggon LGAs.

Two suspects, including a lady, were arrested by the DSS at the time.

A security source disclosed that DSS operatives arrested the three other members of the kidnapping gang on Friday night at a local brothel on the Mararraban Akunza, Lafia – Makurdi highway

According to the source, ‘The suspects were identified as 25-year-old Yakubu Abubakar (aka Black/Starboy), of the Doemak tribe in Plateau State; 37-year-old Usman Abubakar Mairiga, and 27-year-old Sale Babauro Abubakar. Mairiga and Abubakar are Hausa and Fulani respectively, the source added.

The source also disclosed that the suspects are in the custody of the State Command for further, investigations.

The move, he added, followed a valid detention warrant from a magistrate’s court.

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has described lack of electricity in rural communities, particularly at night, as one of the factors responsible for increased population growth in the country.

Fayose stated this after his inauguration as Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

The former governor is among the 26 newly appointed heads of 10 Federal Government agencies and commissions by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in July 2026.

In a video shared by ARISE News on its X handle on Saturday, Fayose said the lack of electricity in many communities is forcing residents, particularly men, to retire to bed early and engage their wives because of limited recreational activities at night.

He said addressing the country’s electricity challenges would promote nightlife and provide alternative recreational activities that would encourage people to stay outdoors.

‘Why don’t you address this issue of electricity? The people at that level have no alternative attraction. Nothing else matters to them. After 7 o’clock, it gets dark there.

‘Everybody is engaging their wives. And the population simply becomes double. The simple problem is because there is lack of electricity,’ Fayose said.

He added, ‘People go to bed early. Their mind is simply prepared that, well, if this is the only available recreation, let me remain here. But when we address this electricity, there will be nightlife. There will be recreation outside your wife.’

The first thing that strikes a visitor or listener when Kirikiri is mentioned is ‘maximum prison.’ However, there is more to this community beyond the prison, as before sunrise, scores of commercial motorcycles snake through the two narrow roads linking the community with Mile 2, Apapa and Lagos Island. Kirikiri is a well known area in Apapa, Lagos State, famous for housing the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, a major federal correctional facility established in 1955.

The unending queue of trucks entering the community to lift petroleum products from the numerous tank farms lines both sides of the roads, with urchins collecting tolls from the trucks. During school hours, pupils in crisp uniforms dodge motorcycles as they navigate their way to classrooms, while the aroma of fried akara and freshly baked puff-puff from roadside kiosks at the entrance into Kirikiri community fills the air.

From the waterfront, wooden fishing boats glide across the calm waters as fishermen return with the morning’s catch. Nearby, barges ferry goods between jetties, a reminder that Kirikiri’s economy, has always been tied to Lagos’ maritime heritage.

Yet, outside the community, few people know this side of Kirikiri.

For millions of Nigerians, the name evokes only one image, the sprawling correctional centre that has, for decades, made Kirikiri synonymous with incarceration.

Most residents said single narrative had eclipsed the story of a thriving neighbourhood, where generations have lived, worked and built their futures.

At 66, High Chief Babatunde Babalola Shabi, the Baale of Kirikiri town, has watched the community transform from a sparsely populated settlement surrounded by mangrove vegetation into one of Lagos’ busiest working-class communities.

‘When I settled here in the late 1970s, there were more cashew trees than houses. The prison was already part of the landscape, but nobody imagined that one day, the entire community would become known only because of it,’ he recalled.

Pointing towards a busy street filled with tricycles and traders, he said: ‘Look around you. Does this look like a prison? This is a living community.’

According to Shabi, his greatest disappointment is that outsiders seldom see beyond the prison gates.

He said, ‘I have children who are professionals. Whenever they tell people they are from Kirikiri, the first reaction is always about prison. Imagine carrying that stereotype throughout your life.’

The traditional ruler narrated how the community assists warders in ensuring that inmates never abscond when they come out to do public work. ‘I remember how some inmates tried to escape during the COVID-19 period. About six or seven of them had a hashed plan of how to burrow a hole through the prison walls without knowing that the surrounding environment is a tick-reptile-infested mangrove swamp. The Navy assisted the hunt with their helicopter. The fleeing inmates were tracked down into the swamp. About two of them had been eaten up by crocodiles before security operatives got to them,’ he said.

Another resident of the area who identified himself as James Oyinkro disclosed that he moved into Kirikiri town with his parents many years ago. He said the town was more of a fishing community than what it is today.

‘As a young man I used to go fishing with my late parents along the Kirikiri creeks. It was a community of very few people. There was a small airstrip in the area. Smaller aircraft landed and took off carrying some Europeans who were in charge of the construction of Tin-Can Island port,’ he noted.

He also said that as young boys, they usually rushed to the airstrip to watch the landing and takeoff of the aircraft, adding that those who owned small fishing trawlers started setting up small offices by the jetty.

Weekend Trust reports that long before the correctional centres became household names, Kirikiri was sustained by water. Along the waterfront, fishermen repair torn nets beneath makeshift sheds, while wooden canoes bob gently against the shoreline.

The air carries the smell of smoked fish and salt water as traders negotiate prices with buyers from neighbouring communities.

A 58-year-old fisherman, Bassey Edet, who has spent nearly three decades on the waters said, ‘The lagoon feeds many families here.

‘People think Kirikiri is only a prison, but many households survive through fishing, marine transport and waterside trading.’

Our correspondent reports that children run along the shoreline as barges loaded with building materials and industrial supplies navigate nearby channels, illustrating how the waterways remain vital to commerce.

Factories that keep Lagos moving

Beyond the residential streets are Kirikiri industrial estates, where thousands of workers report daily at manufacturing companies, warehouses and logistics firms serving Apapa Port and Tin Can Island.

Edet, however, noted that most of the factories relocated because of heavy traffic into the area.

At one tank farm, a machine operator, Ibrahim Musa, said most outsiders had no idea that Kirikiri supported a large industrial workforce.

‘We handle all petroleum products which trucks distribute across Nigeria. Every morning, workers come here from FESTAC, Satellite Town, Amuwo-Odofin and even Ogun State,’ he said.

He believes the prison has unfairly overshadowed the area’s contribution to Lagos economy, saying, ‘We help industries to grow, yet people remember only the correctional centre.’

Inside the warders’ quarters, a welder, Emmanuel Okafor, wiped sweat from his face as sparks flew from a steel fabrication workshop.

He said, ‘There are hundreds of artisans here – mechanics, electricians, carpenters, painters and welders. Our workshops train apprentices who later establish businesses across Lagos. We work on Tokunbo cars and do other repair works.’

Shaping future leaders

By the side of Kirikiri police station is Dr Lucas Secondary School, where a police officer recounted the daily routine: ‘Every day, the morning assembly echoes with the national anthem before students disperse into classrooms.

The policeman, who didn’t want his name mentioned, said former students of the school had become medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, academics and entrepreneurs.

‘Some of the old students once told me that they were often surprised when people reacted negatively after hearing they lived in Kirikiri. But the always reply that excellence speaks louder than address,’ he said.

A market that never sleeps

By midday, Kirikiri market becomes a sea of colour and sound. Inside the market, traders display baskets of tomato, pepper and onions, alongside smoked fish, fabrics, electronics and household items, with customers bargaining loudly as wheelbarrow pushers navigate crowded pathways.

Saying that business often begins before dawn, a market leader, Alhaja Rukayat Bello noted, ‘Our customers come from many parts of Lagos. If Kirikiri was only about prison, these markets would not be this busy.’

She estimates that thousands of people earn their livelihood directly or indirectly through commercial activities in the community, adding, ‘We don’t make headlines because we are simply trying to make honest living.’

For younger residents, the prison has become an unavoidable part of their identity even though they have never stepped inside it.

Ifeanyi Okoli, one of the youngest chiefs in the area, said he vividly remembered how some of his classmates laughed at him whenever he mentioned where he lived.

‘They usually asked if I greeted prisoners every morning. It was embarrassing until I invited some friends home. They couldn’t believe that Kirikiri looked like any other Lagos neighbourhood,’ he noted.

A history longer than the prison

Local historians said Kirikiri’s strategic location along Lagos waterways attracted fishing communities, traders and later industrial development long before the correctional facility became nationally recognised.

Its proximity to Apapa’s ports, Tin Can Island and major transport corridors encouraged manufacturing firms, warehouses and marine-related businesses to establish operations in the area.

As Lagos expanded westward, Kirikiri evolved into a mixed residential, industrial and commercial community.

The correctional centres undoubtedly became its most famous landmark, but they never represented the whole story.

Meanwhile, the community development association elder, Chief Adebayo, believes that changing public perception would require sustained storytelling.

‘We are not ashamed that the correctional centre is here. It serves an important national purpose. What we reject is the assumption that everyone who lives in Kirikiri is somehow connected to prison’ he said.

He noted ongoing community sanitation projects, youth empowerment programmes, neighbourhood security initiatives and religious organisations supporting vulnerable families, saying, ‘This community has produced successful people in every profession.’

Long before the endless procession of petroleum tankers became part of its identity, Kirikiri was known for quiet residential settlements, fishing communities and the imposing correctional centres that made its name popular across Nigeria and beyond.

Today, however, the Lagos suburb has acquired a new nickname: ‘Tank Farm Village, a name coined by residents, truck drivers and commuters who have watched the community transform into one of the country’s busiest petroleum storage hubs.

At daybreak, Kirikiri awakens not to cheerful songs of birds welcoming the new day but the thunderous roar of diesel engines with hundreds of fuel tankers queuing up patiently along narrow roads leading to sprawling petroleum depots that dominate the skyline. Steel storage tanks tower over homes, while the smell of petrol hangs permanently in the air.

For many residents, the new identity is one of mixed blessings.

The tank farms have brought jobs and commercial activity. Roadside food vendors, mechanics, vulcanisers and spare parts dealers now rely heavily on the steady stream of tanker drivers and depot workers.

Prosperity with a price

Our correspondent observed that small businesses have sprung up to serve the booming petroleum logistics industry, turning once quiet streets into bustling commercial corridors, translating to prosperity coming with a price.

Traffic congestion has become a defining feature of everyday life. During school hours, schoolchildren weave through parked tankers to reach their classrooms, while commuters spend hours navigating roads clogged by articulated vehicles waiting to lift petroleum products. Residents speak of sleepless nights caused by the constant movement of heavy trucks and the fear that an accident or fire could trigger a catastrophe.

Environmental concerns have also become part of daily conversation, with many residents concerned about air pollution, deteriorating roads and the long-term health implications of living among massive petroleum storage facilities.

But High Chief Shabi told our correspondent that most of the roads and drainages had been rehabilitated by some of tank farm owners.

Despite these challenges, life continues, with markets opening before sunrise.

To outsiders, Kirikiri may simply be another industrial district, but for those who call it home, it is a community caught between opportunity and sacrifice, a neighbourhood that has become indispensable to Nigeria’s fuel distribution network while struggling to preserve its own identity.

As evening approaches, workers return from factories, fishermen pull in their final nets and children chase footballs across dusty playgrounds.

Calls to prayer mingle with church bells as roadside restaurants fill with customers discussing football, politics and the rising cost of living. It is an ordinary Lagos evening. Yet for the people of Kirikiri, ordinary has always struggled to compete with a name that evokes extraordinary images.

Behind the towering prison walls is a community that has spent decades nurturing dreams, educating children, building businesses and sustaining industries; hence residents want Nigerians and others to look beyond the prison walls and see the other side of the community.

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has explained that the state government committed over N1.5 billion to the 2026 mass wedding programme to fulfil a campaign promise and provide comprehensive support to 1,500 newly married couples.

The governor said the initiative, popularly known as Auren Gata, was conceived to assist couples not only to get married but also to begin their marital lives with adequate social, economic and household support.

Yusuf stated this on Saturday while speaking at the wedding ceremony organised for the 1,500 couples under the state’s mass wedding programme.

He said the programme was one of the key promises made to residents during his campaign across the 44 local government areas of the state ahead of the 2023 general elections.

‘Alhamdulillah, to the glory of Allah, today we have continued to fulfil that promise,’ he said.

According to him, all prospective couples underwent comprehensive screening before being admitted into the programme, including medical examinations, marriage counselling, workshops and seminars designed to prepare them for the responsibilities of married life.

The governor said the medical screening was particularly important to protect the health of the couples and their future children.

He disclosed that each bride received N100,000 as dowry and another N100,000 as a capital grant to enable her start a small business and become economically self-reliant.

The beneficiaries also received household furniture and essential items, including beds, mattresses and other necessities, as well as food items and other support to ease the financial burden associated with starting a new home.

Yusuf urged the newly married couples to regard marriage as an act of worship and conduct their homes in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

He advised them to exercise patience, fairness and mutual respect, while resolving disagreements peacefully and maintaining understanding in their homes.

‘Always remember that marriage is an act of Ibada. Therefore, strive to conduct your matrimonial life in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of our noble Prophet Muhammad,’ he said.

The governor prayed for Allah to bless the marriages with righteous children who would be beneficial to their families, society and humanity.

He also expressed appreciation to traditional rulers, Islamic scholars and other guests who attended the ceremony and contributed to the success of the programme.

Yusuf specifically acknowledged the members of the Kano State Council of Emirs, including the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, as well as the emirs of Rano, Karaye and Gaya, for their guidance, prayers and support.

He equally thanked Islamic scholars and clerics who travelled from different parts of the country to participate in the programme and counsel the couples.

The 2026 mass wedding programme was designed to provide financial, household and social support to selected couples across Kano State, with activities spread across the state’s 44 local government areas.

Former commercial motorcyclists, factory workers, teachers and traders are embracing mechanised rice farming. Unlike in the past when northerners returned en masse to the northern part of the country before or during the rainy season to cultivate their farmlands, this time, the tides have changed as most of them have decided to remain in the southern part of the country to cultivate farmlands.

As dawn breaks over Magboro, a bustling community straddling the Lagos-Ogun border, the familiar roar of commercial motorcycles gives way to the hum of tractors. The sound of factory sirens that once dictated the daily routines of many northern youths has been replaced by the rhythmic movement of harvesters and irrigation pumps across vast stretches of rice fields.

Along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, a quiet agricultural revolution is unfolding.

Every morning, hundreds of young men who left their homes in far away Borno, Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa and other northern states in search of greener pasture, now make their way to expansive rice plantations instead of navigating the chaotic streets of Lagos as commercial motorcyclists or reporting for shifts at factories.

For years, Lagos represented hope for thousands of young northerners escaping unemployment, poverty and insecurity. Some found work in manufacturing companies while others survived by riding commercial motorcycles, popularly known as okada. Although these jobs provided temporary relief, many said they offered little opportunity to build a stable future.

Today, an increasing number of them are turning to agriculture, describing it as a more rewarding and sustainable source of livelihood.

Weekend Trust visited the rice farms in Magboro and found a community where farming has become more than an occupation. ‘Factory work couldn’t change my life’

Among those whose lives have taken a different direction is Ali Adamu, a seasonal migrant from Borno State. Standing beside his rice field with mud-stained boots after hours of work, Ali recalled arriving in Lagos several years ago with high expectations. Like many young northerners, he believed securing a factory job would provide the financial stability he much-desired to enable him support his family back home.

Reality, however, proved different. He noted: ‘When I first came to Lagos, I worked in an aluminium factory. The work was difficult. We worked for long hours daily, yet my monthly salary was less than N60,000. I had to wait until the end of the month before receiving my salary; and even then, it was never enough.’

According to him, the income barely covered feeding and transportation. ‘There was hardly anything left to save. Sometimes I had to call my relatives or friends for financial support before the next salary came,’ he said.

However, everything changed after he joined the rice farming project in Magboro.

‘Today, I cultivate my own portion of farmland. Apart from working on my farm, I also work as a labourer on other farms and earn money almost daily. We are also fed while working. At harvest, I have enough rice to feed my family and still have surplus to sell. My life has changed completely.’

Adamu admitted that farming required patience, commitment and hard work, but insisted that the rewards far outweighed what he earned when employed in a factory.

‘People think farming is only for villagers, but agriculture is business. Here, we have peace of mind. Unlike in some communities in Borno where farmers live in fear of attacks, we can cultivate our crops without constant anxiety. That is one of the reasons many of us now come to the South during the rainy season,’ he said.

‘Agriculture is serious business’

Another farmer, Mustapha Bello, noted that many Nigerians still underestimated agriculture. According to him, the notion that farming is meant for poor villagers only discourages many educated youths from exploring its enormous opportunities.

‘People still believe that farming is only for those who have nothing else to do. That is not true. Agriculture is one of the most profitable businesses when it is properly organised,’ he said.

Mustapha explained that the Magboro project had expanded significantly since it started more than three years ago.

He said, ‘This season alone, we planted over 1,000 bags of rice seeds, and by the grace of God, we expect one of our biggest harvests within the next three months.’

According to him, the current farming season represents the largest cultivation since the project began.

‘We farm during the rainy and dry seasons. Yearly, the number of participants increases because people are seeing the results,’ he noted.

According to him, the project’s success became possible after a community leader and Sarkin Noma of Ogun State, Alhaji Muhammed Bello Besse transformed what was once a small initiative into a mechanised farming enterprise.

‘The first people who cultivated rice here were northern okada riders living around Magboro. They started on a small scale.

‘When our leader, Alhaji Bello Besse saw what they were doing, he encouraged them and later joined the project. He secured more land, introduced mechanised farming and imported modern agricultural equipment that made cultivation much easier.

‘That was when professionals and many other people started joining us,’ he said.

Mustapha, himself an experienced rice farmer from Kebbi State, said he had cultivated rice for many years before relocating to Ogun.

He described the Magboro project as exceptional, saying, ‘Kebbi is famous for rice farming, but honestly, farms of this size are difficult to find there. As far as I know, this is one of the biggest rice farming projects anywhere in southern Nigeria.’

He appealed to both the federal government and the Ogun State Government to invest in the project.

‘If governments support farmers here with infrastructure, irrigation, improved seedlings and machinery, thousands of jobs would be created and Nigeria’s food security would improve tremendously,’ he added.

French teacher finds new calling in farming

Interestingly, among the hundreds of people working on the Magboro rice fields is Adam Abdulwahab, whose story differs from many of the northern migrants.

Unlike others who grew up in farming communities, Abdulwahab had never cultivated a farm before.

A part-time French Language teacher in Lagos, he said the irregular nature of his teaching job compelled him to seek another source of income.

‘I don’t teach every day. Most weeks I only have classes two or three times. Instead of sitting at home or looking for another salary-paying job, I decided to invest my free time in farming,’ he said.

His parents are Nigerians from the North who migrated to Ghana several decades ago, where he was born and raised.

‘I never imagined that I would become a farmer because we had no farming background. When I first came here, I knew absolutely nothing about rice farming,’ he also said.

His curiosity, however, soon turned into passion. ‘I came to observe what they were doing and they welcomed me and taught me everything – from clearing the bush and preparing the land to transplanting rice seedlings, applying fertiliser and using herbicides at the appropriate time,’ he recalled.

Today, he proudly calls himself a farmer, saying, ‘I now have my own farmland. And whenever I am not teaching, I come here

Besides working on my farm, I also work for other farmers and earn income daily.

‘I no longer wait until the end of the month before I have money to feed my family. I earn whenever I work. And I am building something that belongs to me,’ he said, adding that farming has restored his financial independence.

For Abdulwahab, agriculture is no longer a temporary occupation. ‘It has become my future,’ he noted.

Ali Bukar, on his part, said farming represents more than an economic opportunity; it is a chance to rebuild a life disrupted by insecurity.

The Borno indigene said he grew up in a family where agriculture was the only occupation he knew.

‘My parents were farmers and I grew up on the farm. But because of insecurity, many of us could no longer cultivate our land safely,’ he said.

He said repeated attacks on farming communities forced many young people to migrate southwards. ‘I left Maiduguri looking for peace and an opportunity to continue the work I already knew. I didn’t have to learn anything new because farming has always been part of my life. The only difference here is that we have better machines and a safer environment,’ he said, explaining how he immediately joined the rice project in Magboro when he heard about it.

According to him, the peaceful atmosphere allows farmers to concentrate on production instead of worrying about survival.

‘In many parts of the North, farmers spend more time thinking about security than farming. Here, we wake up every morning with only one goal-to cultivate our crops,’ he noted.

‘Why I abandoned okada riding’

For Mustapha Sama’ila, the decision to abandon commercial motorcycle riding was easy. The Katsina State indigene said he migrated to Ogun after repeated bandit attacks made farming and livestock rearing almost impossible in his community.

‘When I arrived here, I joined many of my friends who were riding okada. At that time, it seemed like the quickest way to earn a living,’ he said.

But the work came with challenges. There was constant harassment by law enforcement officers, frequent seizure of motorcycles and the daily risk of accidents.

When rice farming project started, he decided to give it a try.

‘I discovered that farming gives me more peace of mind than okada riding,’ he added.

Unlike commercial motorcycle business, he said farming offered something more lasting.

‘Every season, you can see the result of your labour. You produce food, support your family and build something for the future. Anyone who sincerely tries this farming will think twice before returning to okada business,’ he also said.

From bureau de change to farming

The same conviction inspired Nasiru Abubakar, a Financial Accounting graduate who has spent decades in Lagos working in the bureau de change business.

Before relocating to Lagos, he worked at his local government in Kebbi State. ‘My monthly salary was N23,000. It was impossible to survive on that income,’ he noted.

He later entered the foreign exchange business, but noted: ‘The challenges affecting bureau de change operators made many of us start looking for alternatives.’

He said rice farming became the obvious choice. ‘I now see agriculture as one of the safest long-term investments. It creates wealth, provides food and gives people steady income,’ he revealed.

As more professionals join the project, rice fields are gradually becoming a symbol of changing attitudes towards agriculture. What was once regarded as a profession for the poor is increasingly attracting educated Nigerians, who now see farming as a modern business capable of generating sustainable wealth.

For Muhammed Isiyaku, moving from factory work to rice farming marked a turning point in his life. The Borno State indigene said he worked in a tomato paste processing company in Wasimi, Ogun State, where he earned N85,000, montly. ‘But it wasn’t enough to improve my life. I resigned from the factory and joined my friends who introduced me to farming’ he said.

According to him, each farmer is allocated a portion of land to cultivate while also working as labourers on other farms to earn additional daily income. ‘Apart from the wages we receive, farm owners also provide us with meals. That support has encouraged many of us to remain in farming.’

‘I rode Okada for 20 Years without anything to Show for It’ said Usman Nuhu, who has lived in Lagos for more than two decades. He narrates that he began his journey in Lagos as a cobbler before venturing into being a commercial motorcyclist.

‘I started as a shoemaker when I first came to Lagos. Later, I became an okada rider in Port Harcourt, Lagos and eventually Ogun State before I joined rice farming,’ he said.

He explained that although commercial motorcycle riding sometimes earned him between n8,000 and n10,000 daily, the income rarely translated into savings. ‘For nearly 20 years, I had nothing meaningful to show for all my hard work. Most of the money I made went into settling problems with law enforcement agencies or recovering motorcycles seized during operations. Sometimes we also had to deal with harassment from area boys.’

He notes that he left the business after realising that farming offered him greater financial stability. ‘I wanted a better future, and today, I have peace of mind. I can save, and I have brought my two wives from Kebbi State to live with me in Ogun because I now earn enough to take care of my family.’

Another farmer, Yazid Muhammed from Kebbi State, said he had been riding commercial motorcycles since the administration of former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola. ‘I started coming to Lagos from Kebbi during the Fashola administration. I initially combined farming with okada riding, but as my farm expanded, I abandoned the motorcycle business completely,’ he said. ‘Today, I concentrate on my farm while also working on other farms to earn additional daily income.

Muhammed Abba, arrived Ogun State early this year, for him, farming is the only occupation he has ever known.

‘I was born and raised in a farming community in Borno State. Farming is the only work I know, but insecurity forced us to abandon our farmlands. Because of Boko Haram attacks and banditry, we could no longer cultivate our land safely.’ He said he relocated after learning about the rice farming project in Magboro. ‘We now farm peacefully here. Our major challenge is the weather because the south doesn’t receive as much sunshine as the North, which sometimes delays crop maturity. Apart from that, we have no serious problems.’

Women also thriving in the project

The project hasn’t only attracted menial workers or men, but has also attracted women who also seek better livelihoods.

Hadiza Muhammed, from Kebbi State, said she spent several years in Lagos selling cooked food before venturing into rice farming.

‘I invested my little savings, and with the support of Alhaji Bello Besse, established my own rice farm. I no longer sell cooked food. My full attention is now on farming.’ She said,

She also narrates that she now employs labourers while supervising activities on her farm, most of which is mechanised.

‘It takes about five months from planting to harvest. This is my third year in rice farming, and it has enabled me to support my family financially. My target after this year’s harvest is to buy a house for my elderly mother in Kebbi State.’ ‘she said.

Oluwaseun Oyenike,though not a northerner but an indigene of Oyo State, notes that she never imagined she would become a rice farmer.

Formerly a hairdresser, she joined the rice farming project two years ago while still running her salon.

‘I started farming alongside my hairdressing business, but I later realised farming was more profitable. I eventually closed the salon to concentrate fully on agriculture.’ She said,

According to her, she now employs workers on her farm and supervises them personally to ensure quality production, while noting that she now earns more than she ever earned as a hairdresser.

‘I came to Ogun from Oyo State in search of better opportunities, and farming has exceeded my expectations.’ She said,

She urged governments at all levels to encourage more youths and women to embrace agriculture.

‘There is hope in farming. If more youths and women are properly sensitised and supported, agriculture can provide sustainable livelihoods for thousands of Nigerians.’ She said,

‘Why I bought into the northern youths idea’

At the centre of the agricultural revolution in Magboro is Alhaji Muhammed Bello Besse, the Sarkin Noma (head of farmers) of Ogun State and the chairman of the Albarka Farmers’ Group.

Walking through the expansive rice fields, Bello said he never imagined that what began as a small effort by a handful of commercial motorcycle riders would grow into one of southern Nigeria’s largest mechanised rice farming projects.

He recalled that the initiative started when some northern youths living in Magboro decided to cultivate rice on a small piece of land.

‘They are like my younger brothers. When they started, they had little capital. I encouraged them by giving them loans, ranging from N1 million to N10 million. Whenever they harvested, they paid me back without any problem,’ he told Weekend Trust.

According to him, it was after visiting their farms that he realised the enormous agricultural potential of the area. ‘When I saw the fertility of the land, I knew this project could become much bigger,’ he added.

He said he immediately began discussions with traditional rulers and community leaders, leading to the acquisition of hundreds of hectares of farmland.

‘We abandoned the old system of farming and embraced mechanisation. We acquired tractors, planters, harvesters and other modern equipment. That changed everything,’ he also said.

Bello said the use of machines significantly reduced labour cost and encouraged more people to venture into rice farming.

‘Today, we have people from different professions working together here. Lawyers, teachers, traders, civil servants, bureau de change operators, factory workers, graduates and former okada riders all cultivate rice side by side,’ he noted.

According to him, the project has completed three farming seasons and continues to expand.

He said the initiative had also attracted experienced rice farmers from Kebbi, Borno and Niger states, who now provide technical support to younger farmers.

‘Rice farming requires experience. We invite experts from states that have been producing rice for decades to teach our farmers modern techniques,’ he added.

Government’s involvement

The rapid expansion of the project hasn’t gone unnoticed. Bello disclosed that officials of the Ogun State Government, including the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Bolu Owotomo, had visited the farms.

‘The commissioner came here and expressed satisfaction with what he saw. Officials from Lagos State have also shown interest in collaborating with us,’ he said.

He believes that stronger government support could transform the project into a major contributor to Nigeria’s food production.

‘If the federal government invests in irrigation, farm roads, storage facilities and processing equipment, this project alone can produce enough rice to supply not only the South-West but many parts of Nigeria,’ he also said.

He added that beyond food production, agriculture remains one of the fastest ways of addressing youth unemployment.

‘Instead of waiting for government jobs that may never come, our youths can become employers of labour through agriculture,’ he said.

Experts advocate peri-urban agriculture

Agricultural experts said projects like the Magboro rice farm demonstrated the growing importance of peri-urban agriculture in Nigeria.

According to them, cultivating crops around major cities reduces transportation cost, improves access to fresh produce and creates employment opportunities for thousands of young people.

The experts noted that agriculture around urban centres also strengthened food security, especially at a time when Nigeria is grappling with rising food prices and increasing rural-urban migration.

They urged the government at all levels to support young farmers with affordable loans, improved seedlings, fertilisers, irrigation facilities and extension services, saying such investments would encourage more young Nigerians to embrace agriculture as a profitable business rather than viewing it as a last resort.

Challenges remain

Despite the impressive progress, the farmers said several obstacles continued to threaten their operations.

Among the major challenges they identified are the high cost of agricultural inputs, limited access to affordable credit, inadequate storage facilities and fluctuating market prices.

Some also expressed concern over rising fuel prices, which have increased the cost of operating tractors, water pumps and other farm machinery.

Others appealed for the government’s intervention in constructing access roads to the farms, saying transporting harvested rice becomes difficult during the rainy season.

They also called for the establishment of rice processing centres closer to the farms to reduce post-harvest losses and increase profitability.

As the sun slowly sets over the sprawling rice fields of Magboro, tractors return from the farms while groups of young men gather under makeshift shelters to discuss the day’s work.

Weekend Trust reports that some of the farmers who once spent long hours weaving through Lagos traffic on motorcycles, exposed to accidents, police raids and uncertain daily earnings and enduring exhausting factory shifts for salaries that barely sustained them, now speak confidently about hectares of farmland, expected harvests and plans to expand production. They no longer see agriculture as an occupation reserved for villagers or the unemployed. Instead, they see it as a business capable of transforming lives.

Their stories also challenge a long-held perception that migration from northern Nigeria to Lagos must end in commercial motorcycle riding, factory work or menial labour.

In Magboro, another narrative is taking shape, one where young Nigerians are building wealth from the soil while contributing to the country’s quest for food security.