Author: The North Journals

By Sani Saidu Muhammad Africa, particularly the Sahel region, is confronting a new wave of extraction driven not by armies or chartered companies but by algorithms, biometric systems, and artificial intelligence platforms controlled largely from the Global North, a new report has warned . The report, The Silicon Scramble for Africa, argues that Western-led “inclusive AI” and digital identity programmes are reproducing colonial patterns of resource extraction, this time centred on data, minerals, and invisible digital labour while offering limited benefits to African communities. It describes the continent as an emerging testing ground for algorithmic systems marketed as tools for…

In Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city, the traffic rarely sleeps. From early morning until dusk, engines idle, horns blare and exhaust fumes hang in the air, a familiar haze in a city expanding faster than its roads can cope with. Congestion here is not just an inconvenience; it is a steady contributor to air pollution, rising transport costs and carbon emissions – a reality shared by many growing cities across the Global South. Threading his way through this daily gridlock on an electric bicycle is Engr. Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen, a science and climate journalist who has decided that the climate crisis he…

Hon. Tijjani Muhammad Amana, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has congratulated Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State on his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a media chat in Abuja, Hon. Tijjani Mohammed described the Governor’s decision as being in the best interest of the Plateau people. Hon. Tijjani Mohammed had planned to attend the Governor’s reception in Jos but couldn’t make it due to unavoidable reasons, though he’s well represented at the reception. He expressed his support for the Governor’s decision, stating it was a move that would benefit the people of Plateau…

My article on the above topic, published today, Monday, 26 January 2026, on News Chronicles, is already generating a volume of reactions that should neither be ignored nor overlooked. These responses are valuable in our collective pursuit of validation, progress, and informed judgment drawn from diverse opinions, lived experiences, and careful observation, the elements that help shape outcomes of merit, public expectations and benefits From the samples of opinions compiled below, with more still coming in, it becomes increasingly difficult to agree with the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). When alcohol…

By Bagudu Mohammed Last week, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control had commenced enforcement of the long-debated ban on the production and sale of alcohol packaged in sachets and small bottles below 200 millilitres. According to the report, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, made this disclosure during a media parley in Lagos, explaining that the move followed a directive of the Senate. Although the agency had announced as far back as November 2025 that enforcement would begin by December, the process was briefly halted after the Federal…

My attention has been drawn to the selective outrage and hypocrisy that many people, as usual, have deployed in judging the defection of Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano. His action is being portrayed as a moral lapse and even a “betrayal,” based on the premise that he has disappointed someone who once supported him. However, a closer look at those promoting this perspective reveals that such reactions largely come from individuals who harbor deep resentment toward the APC and sympathy for the opposition. The so-called sin of Abba Yusuf might have been more easily tolerated had he defected to the…

By Moses Amos Hector Ruiz Arroyo, chief executive officer of HRJ Sport Management, has completed the transfer of Nigerian international Salim Fago Lawal to Czech top-flight club Viktoria Plzeň. Mr Ruiz Arroyo, a Spain-based FIFA-licensed football agent, facilitated the move from Croatian side NK Istra 1961, with the highly rated centre-forward signing a three-year contract with the Czech champions. The transfer represents a significant step in Lawal’s professional career, providing him with the opportunity to compete at the highest level of Czech football and gain further exposure on the European stage. Lawal arrives in Plzeň with notable international experience, having…

By Moses Amos Matthias Anwana Gangl, owner and chief executive officer of OneUp Football Agency, has facilitated the transfer of midfielder Larissa Rusek from Germany’s 1. FC Nürnberg Women to Juventus Women Football Club, following the player’s impressive half-season in the Frauen-Bundesliga. Mr Gangl, an Austria-based attorney and FIFA-licensed football agent, oversaw the move after Rusek’s consistent performances in Germany drew interest from several European clubs. The transfer to Juventus Women marks a significant step in Rusek’s career, placing her among Europe’s elite women’s football teams and offering opportunities to compete for both domestic and continental honours. Industry observers say…

By Aminu Adamu As educators grapple with declining reading engagement among secondary school students, a grassroots literacy organisation is testing a practical, low-cost response: embedding open-access book clubs directly within schools and supporting them with sustained mentorship. This week, Bookish Alchemy launched its 2026 outreach programme by establishing book clubs at UMRABS and Aisha Academy School in Zaria. The intervention has reached over 600 students, many of whom voluntarily enrolled during the first week, an early indicator of unmet demand for structured reading spaces. Schools across northern Nigeria face shrinking reading cultures driven by limited access to books, weak extracurricular…

Diaries | The North Journals | On a dry morning in Kaduna in the late 1950s, Sir Ahmadu Bello stood at the centre of a region that was already slipping into history. The Northern Region, vast, anxious, uneven—was awakening to the fact that independence was no longer a distant promise but an approaching reckoning. Power was shifting. Old bargains were expiring. New fears were forming. Bello understood this better than most. He also understood something else: that leadership, in moments like this, was less about ambition than about containment. Long before he became the most powerful politician in Nigeria, Ahmadu…