Where does the security of marriage truly lie? It is a question as old as the institution itself, yet as fresh as the changing realities of modern relationships. For many, family planning has long been embraced as a form of security, a protective shield crafted through the use of contraceptives, careful child spacing, and informed decision-making. The World Health Organization describes family planning as the ability of individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and to decide the spacing and timing of their births. This idea sounds simple, yet behind it lies a web of…
Author: TheStories
The Northwest University Sokoto (NWUS), in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), held its Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) orientation programme on Thursday for the 2024/2025 academic session. The event, held at the University Auditorium, brought together officials of the ITF, principal officers of the institution, SIWES supervisors, academic staff, and hundreds of students preparing to embark on their industrial training. Delivering the Vice Chancellor’s opening remarks, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr Jamil Lukman Ahmad, who represented the VC, Prof. Mukhtar Umar Bunza, described the programme as a critical transition point for students. He said SIWES serves as…
A random post on social media once pulled me in like a headline too good to scroll past. It declared that “gossip dies when it hits a wise person’s ears” and went on to claim that “rumors are started by haters, carried by fools, and believed by idiots.” Predictably, it had amassed waves of likes, comments, and approving emojis—likely fueled by growing frustration over fake news, misinformation, and scandalous headlines that sneak their way even into the most respectable institutions. But I paused. Something didn’t sit right. While the quote clearly aimed to promote restraint, dignity, and maturity in the…
As the Emir of Keffi, His Royal Highness, Dr. Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, reaches the significant milestone of ten years on the throne in December 2025, his tenure stands out as a compelling study in progressive traditional leadership. Ascending the throne on December 14, 2015, the Emir’s journey has been marked by a successful and intentional effort to harmonize the deep-rooted traditions of the Keffi Emirate with the imperatives of modern development and global relevance. This blend of the old and the new has positioned the Emirate as a beacon of stability and advancement in Nasarawa State. Blending tradition and…
Northern Nigeria is going through one of the most challenging periods in its contemporary history. Insecurity remains widespread, unemployment continues to rise, and political fragmentation deepens the region’s vulnerability. At a time when the North is desperately searching for direction, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko’s message at the 25th anniversary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) offered not just a reminder of what has gone wrong, but a blueprint for what must be done. Speaking in Kaduna during the ACF celebration, Wamakko declared that “the North must now move together in unison as against what was happening hitherto.” It was a…
The Vice Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), Prof. Bashir Garba, has assured that his institution will continue to support the Northwest University, Sokoto (NWUS) as its NUC-appointed academic mentor. In the same vein, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Professor Sabir Anas, has pledged to support NWUS in all areas of need. Professors Garba and Anas pledged when the Vice Chancellor of NWUS, Professor Mukhtar Umar Bunza, led a delegation on separate courtesy visits to UDUS and UDUTH on Thursday. “We are delighted to have you in our midst as the Vice…
This reflection is about a belief many Africans have carried for generations: the conviction that somewhere in our bloodline lies an extraordinary force like mystical, physical, or ancestral power that should naturally place us at an advantage in moments of crisis, conflict, or competition. If this power were as absolute as we were raised to believe, then Africa ought to dominate not only its own destiny but global arenas in events like sports, creativity, warfare, resilience, and the ability to confront hardship with a kind of supernatural ease. For centuries, especially in Nigeria, we were fed stories coated with enchantment…
The answer is far more profound than simply “bringing a child home.” It is a journey of re-creating meaning, rebuilding identity, and reclaiming hope. This truth surfaced vividly in a recent emotional outburst online. A desperate cry came from a childless woman who, behind her seemingly confident appearance, confessed to battling an emptiness that had quietly eroded her from within. Her story struck the internet like a quiet storm: “I may look strong, but I’m empty inside.” In her trembling voice, one could hear the echo of a pain many bear silently. The woman, Chinenyenwa, had married in her twenties,…
In recent times, my worry for Nigeria has grown heavier than ever. The first question that haunts me is simple yet unsettling: when people relentlessly announce that “genocide is happening in Nigeria,” how exactly do they imagine this helps a divided, polarized, and fragile nation? Are they trying to heal it, or to prepare its final grave? Their proclamations often read like an obituary written too early, a dirge so loud that it summons the very death it mourns. Rather than easing pain, these messages deepen fear, insecurity, captivity, and helplessness, leaving citizens, even the powerful, feeling exposed and abandoned.…
Public conversations about insecurity in Nigeria almost always collapse into one familiar argument: religion. From claims of an “Islamic agenda” to talk of “Christian persecution” or “Fulani jihad,” the narrative is often reduced to faith — a simple, emotional explanation for a complex national tragedy. But these labels, though loud and deeply internalised, miss the real story. Worse still, they are tearing apart communities that have lived side by side, shared food, and raised families together for generations. The uncomfortable truth is this: Nigeria’s insecurity is not a religious war. It is a criminal economy — organised, protected, and sustained…