Aliyu Abba, 12. PC: Adama Abubakar By: Adama Abubakar It was a breezy Sunday morning in Kano when I left for Borno, Nigeria. I was very excited because I had been wanting to visit Maiduguri for a long time. But the smile on my face and the amount of happiness I felt were cut short when I engaged in a strange interaction with the boys I came across, who appeared to be unlike many I had met in my life.  The boys sitting next to me had a mix of innocence and curiosity in their eyes, and I was curious to know who they were, so I asked if they were with their parents or guardians, given their ages, which could be between 7 and 11 years old, and they answered 'NO', letting me know that they are all by themselves. I could not speak, so I remained silent and began to ponder.  I remembered that earlier, as our bus was about to leave the park, an elderly man, probably in his 50s, approached our bus and gave some advice to the young children; from the advice given to them, I learned that...

  Photo:WuzupNigeria  

Hadiza Ibrahim Ngulde In a distressing development, eight students from the University of Maiduguri, were reportedly abducted while en route to the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FCMDS) Annual Convention in Enugu State.  The group, which includes four members of the University of Maiduguri Medical Students Association (UMMESA), departed from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) on Wednesday morning, August 14, 2024. According to the press release signed by  General Secretary UMMESA, Abass Omotiti, the University of maiduguri  students passed the night University of Jos where they met 10 other students, making the total of 18 to attend the Conference in Enugu State. However, their journey was cut short when they were allegedly abducted while traveling along the Otukpo (Benue) - Enugu road on August 15, 2024. All efforts to reach them proved futile, after the last communication recorded from the students occurred at 3:24 pm, same day. Th...

A groundnut farm along Dalori community, Maiduguri PC: Adama Abubakar By: Adama Abubakar There have been several anomalies in rainfall in agro-climatic zones in Africa, with variations in the rainfall amount received during growing seasons in different agro-climatic zones in recent years, it has been observed that rainfall is more reliable from May until July, and less reliable in March, August and October, this is according to a research by CGIAR program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Climate change has become a major issue in Nigeria, particularly in the country's northern region, which is known for its arid zone and states affected by a decade-long conflict.  Borno, which was the epicenter of the insurgency in Nigeria is facing numerous challenges caused by climate change. However, climate change poses distinctive challenges towards several human activities, but predominantly, farming has been noticeably affected due to delayed rainfall. Farmers in Mai...

  I ndiscriminate disposal of non-biodegradable waste. Photo; Fatima Bintu Idriss By: Fatima Bintu Idris Climate change is becoming an issue day by day, as its effects continue to erode soil fertility, hence threatening means of survival. Anthropogenic activities caused by people keep increasing most especially the dumping of non-biodegradable waste which contributes massively to the infertility of the soil.  Communities in Borno state, largely depend on farming systems to ensure food security. In southern part of the state, Biu local government area is known as the food basket of the state, but in recent years, people experienced poor harvests for reasons unknown.  Maryam Mohammed said they had a bad harvest caused by an unknown factor even after following all farming strategies, their crops still failed them. Unlike Maryam, another farmer - Halima Bukar was able to identify that her farmlands no longer function the way they used to because the soil is not fertile anymo...

  The nature of farmland in Fariya community PC: Zainab Yetunde Adam By: Zainab Yetunde Adam & Sa'adatu Awwalu Salihu   22-year-old Fatima Julde is one of the women who were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Maiduguri and resettled twice in different locations as a result of flooding. Mrs Julde sought temporary shelter at Alau Dam, Konduga Local Government in 2015. But, in 2023, the river's constant overflow washes away their shelter and farmland and in turn made her and her family seek another temporary shelter at Fariya, a desert community in Jere Local Government . The residents, could not farm like in their previous location due to desertification and had to go to nearby farmlands in search of firewood for cooking and water for consumption which is unsafe for them, especially women of the community. This report gathered that Girls and women in Fariya community are vulnerable to Gender Violence which is often silenced.  Umma Shehu* who is an Internally Dis...

By: Aisha Yusuf Sabo Union of Campus Journalists University of Maiduguri chapter, has on Wednesday, 1st November, 2023 held its official launch and inaugurated first set of EXCOS.  The event which took place at American space, Ramat Library University of Maiduguri, had professionals and members of the union in attendance.  Declaring the event open, The UCJ Unimaid President, Rukaiyatu Idris, disclosed that the team is working diligently to ensure reaching the core objectives of the union, as it is poised to record milestone achievements and ensure responsible journalism. Highlighting overview of the union, the General Secretary, Abdullahi Khairalla, said the union of campus Journalists is fashioned after the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) which is the professional body of "Penpushers", adding that just like the NUJ, UCJ caters for the interests of campus Journalists noting that the chapter has a membership strength of over 150 students On his part, the Head of Department...