Opinion
Nigeria Must Not Become A Wasteland

The political, business and economic classes seem to lose sight of the fact that a land without a people is in another word known as a wasteland. And what is a wasteland?
A wasteland is a society uninhabited by a people, and therefore the exploiters, manipulators and abusers of the commonwealth will have nobody and nowhere to ply their trade, whatever that may be. This is a fact that most of them seem to have so missed in their blind rush to rob the common people of everything, including their sanity.
Religious leaders are part of this ruthless group, but we decided not to mention their insidious role in the exploitation of the commoner because we have spoken about them in an earlier article on the subject of corruption. The word ‘corruption’ is not supposed to be spoken in the same breath with the phrase ‘religious leaders’, but what is abnormal elsewhere is very normal in Nigeria, especially when it comes down to the exploitation of the common people.
It is a known fact that despite its abundant resources and potential for extreme wealth, Nigeria is one of the backward nations in which only an insignificant number of people benefit from the commonwealth to their satisfaction and, above all, wish.
This is the way they want it, because theirs is a group, regardless of members’ religion and race, that does not welcome gate crushers, until it is absolutely necessary to do so. And so is mostly done by way of marriages. It is like a secret society, the secret of which it does not want outsiders to know and share with others outside the clique. It is a clique that non-members are fiercely not allowed to know what goes on in it. Along the way, a non-member may even lose his life with the members’ fierce protection of their exclusive conclave.
As stated earlier, when marriage calls with a ‘commoner’, members try all they can to disallow it, but when that is not achieved, it is reluctantly agreed upon until the ‘common’ party is fully integrated into the conclave. And so, a new member is then reluctantly born into the otherwise exclusive group. And all of the members of the group belong to one religion or the other, with, maybe, some holding firm to the traditional beliefs. Still, they feast on the commonwealth as if it was their own to do as they please.
It would seem that we believe in a different God. Muslims among us believe that our God is a just God, Who does not condone injustice on one over another, and that everyone must account for their actions in what we generally call ‘the hearafter’ before God (SWT). It is my belief that some members of this group do not believe in accounting for what they did while they were on this earth, even though those who believe in Christianity believe that Prophet Isa (AS), (Jesus Christ) ‘died for their sins’. This much is evident in their blind quest to exploit the common person, and they keep ‘acquiring’ from the commonwealth that which they, their children and grandchildren cannot spend in a sensible manner in their lifetime, try as they may.
Yet, the common person celebrates these people as heroes, which gives them the licence to continue their exploitation (of the Common person) of what by the laws of the land belongs to all. Celebrated on these shores, these people steal the Commonwealth blind and bring out a pittance by way of supposed charity or ‘assistance’ to the poor in the name of help. How is it possible to help a person from the proceeds of what you ingeniously or forcefully stole from him? This only happens in the land of the Mafia or in Nigeria, which is controlled by its own mafia. The earlier the Nigerian mafia is done away with, the better for the common person, now in the pole position to utilise, defend and enjoy the Commonwealth, as the laws of the land meant it to be.
By: Abdu Malumfashi, Abuja.
Opinion
Checking Herdsmen Rampage
Do the Fulani herdsmen have an expansionists agenda, like their progenitor, Uthman Dan Fodio? Why are they everywhere even the remotest part of other areas in Nigeria harassing, maiming, raping and killing the owners of the land?”
In a swift reaction, The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) decried and strongly condemned the invasion by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
In his denunciation, MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke described the incident as very unfortunate and deeply troubling, warning against a recurrence of the violence experienced in Benue State. “The killing of yesterday is bad and very unfortunate. We are getting preliminary information about how the herders gained access to the farmland, and it appears some hoodlums may be collecting money and granting access illegally.”
He called on the Hausa community in Rivers State to intervene swiftly to prevent further attacks.
“We want the Hausa community in Rivers State to take urgent action to ensure these issues are resolved”.
But will such appeal and requests end the violent disposition of the Fulani herdsmen? It is not saying something new that the escalating threat and breach of peace across the country by the Fulani herdsmen or those suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, leaves much to be desired in a country that is bedevilled by multi-dimensional challenges and hydra-headed problems.
Some upland Local Government Areas of Rivers State, such as Etche, Omuma, Emohua, Ikwerre, Oyigbo, Abua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, have severally recounted their ordeals, as herdsmen invaded farmlands, destroyed crops, raped female farmers and killed protestant residents.
Again the wanton destruction of lives and properties which no doubt has overwhelmed the Nigerian Police, makes the clamour for State Police, indispensable. The National Assembly should consider the amendment of the Constitution to allow States to have their Statutory policing agencies.
Opinion
Is Nigeria Democratic Nation?
As insurgency has risen to an all time high in the country were killings has now grown to be a normal daily activity in some part of the nation it may not be safe to say that Nigeria still practices democracy.
Several massacres coming from the Boko Haram and the herdsmen amongst all other insurgencies which have led to the destruction of homes and killing, burning of communities especially in the northern part of the country. All these put together are result of the ethnic battles that are fought between the tribes of Nigeria and this can be witnessed in Benue State where herders and farmers have been in constant clashes for ages. They have experienced nothing but casualties and unrest.
In the month of June 13-14, the Yelwata attack at the Guma Local Government Area by suspected gunmen or herdsmen who stormed the houses of innocent IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) claiming the lives of families, both adults and children estimated to be 200 victims. They were all burnt alive by these unknown gunmen.
This has been recorded as one of the deadliest insurgencies that had happened in recent years. Some security personnel that were trying to fight the unknown gunmen also lost their lives.
Prior to the Yelewata attack, two days before the happening, similar conflict took place in Makurdi on June 11, 2025. 25 people were killed in the State. Even in Plateau State and the Southern Kaduna an attack also took place in the month of June.
All other states that make up the Middle Belt have been experiencing the farmers/herders clash for years now and it has persisted up till recent times, claiming lives of families and children, homes and lands, escalating in 2025 with coordinated assaults.
Various authorities and other villagers who fled for safety also blamed the herdsmen in the State for the attack that happened in Yelwata community.
Ehebha God’stime is an Intern with The Tide.
Opinion
How Reliable Is AI
We all know the uprising introduction of artificial intelligence in this age. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science that focuses on creating machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. AI is rapidly evolving and is already integrated into many aspects of our daily lives, from recommendation systems on streaming platforms to autonomous vehicles and virtual assistants.
Artificial intelligence systems are imbued with abilities like learning, reasoning, problem solving, decision making etc. AI aims to develop systems that can “think” and “act” in ways that resemble human cognitive abilities.
In as much as the benefits of AI are vast, there lies in-between certain effects on humans.
Students now employ the use of AI for projects and assignments rather sorting out information themselves for their own learning.
The emergence of AI has caused many to be reliant on AI systems for work
Currently, Mr. Elon Reeve Musk, the CEO of Tesla is currently working on the Tesla bot project also known as Optimus. This is AI going to the next level; Creating a humanoid robot for various tasks.
Hubert Dreyfus (Philosopher and Critic of AI). Though not strictly a psychologist, Dreyfus’s influential critiques heavily impacted the psychological and philosophical discourse around AI. In works like ‘What Computers Can’t Do”, he presented a pessimistic assessment of AI’s progress and challenged the foundational assumptions of the field, arguing that human intelligence is not merely information processing and cannot be fully replicated by digital computers. He critiqued the “unbridled optimism” of early AI pioneers like Herbert A. Simon.
One will agree that the emergence of AI has made most researchers reluctant to sort for information, which makes them a hundred percent dependent on AI.
While many embrace the technology for its potential to enhance practice and research, we need to concurrently emphasize the critical need for ethical guidelines, addressing biases, ensuring patient privacy, and understanding the unique aspects of human cognition and empathy that AI currently cannot replicate.
Israel Martins Osene, is an intern with The Tide.
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