The Learner

Elon Musk and the Dangerous Spread of Islamophobia By Muhsin Ibrahim One might expect that brilliant people possess a greater capacity to understand nuanced issues. However, this is often not the case. Prejudice and bias can obscure even the sharpest minds, leading to mischaracterisation of basic truths. Elon Musk needs no introduction. Yet, despite the tech billionaire’s extraordinary intellect and achievements, his views and social media posts on anything remotely related to Islam and Muslims reveal a gross misunderstanding and evident bias. Musk’s commentary on the Middle East, since the October 7 attack, and immigration-related issues is riddled with inaccuracies and distortions. I once saw one of such posts. Initially, I thought it was by a parody account. After realising it was indeed Musk’s verified account, I recommended that he read Rashid Khalidi’s seminal book, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine , to cure his ignorance. Now, following the terror attack on the Christ...

When I got the Kano State Foreign Scholarship to study for my master’s degree at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in India in 2012, my first challenge came from the then-deputy vice chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK). The DVC, Prof. Yahuza Bello, understandably questioned the university's name, among other inquiries, and asked me to meet with Prof. Sa'id Babura and Dr. AB Baffa about this issue. Dr. Baffa and I examined the university's accreditation status and ranking, among other things. We confirmed that it was not only fully accredited but also ranked as the best private university in India at that time. Convinced, BUK released me on a fellowship. BUK later employed some of my friends with whom I studied at LPU. Many of us have PhDs from other universities today, while others are gainfully employed in Nigeria and abroad. Our degree certificates still bear LPU's name. These facts say much about the university's status. While I wish LPU had a more ...

By Muhsin Ibrahim Decades after gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria remains a complex country in every sense. It is a nation of abundance and poverty, exceptional brilliance and widespread illiteracy, and much more. With a population of over 220 million people of diverse characteristics and backgrounds, Nigerians are found across the globe. Nigeria has the good, the bad and the ugly. Wole Soyinka, the first African Nobel laureate, recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Aliko Dangote, also from Nigeria, has been the wealthiest black man for over a decade. However, Nigeria is also known for having some of the most wanted fraudsters on the FBI list. The country also overtook India as the so-called capital poverty of the world, with 71 million people living in extreme poverty today. Like many countries with petrodollar economies, Nigeria has had to contend with a plethora of socio-political crises occasioned by long years of corruption, social neglect, prebendal politics, political exclu...

By Muhsin Ibrahim Messi and Ronaldo need no introduction. The stories of their long-lasting, exceptionally record-breaking careers are ubiquitous. What do you think they share in common? Many things. But their thirst for success and patriotism stand out.   As it's said, Messi has "completed" football. While Ronaldo hasn't won the World Cup, he has won several other trophies, including the Euros. Yet, both wept over the same trophies they had won in the past few days. Would a Nigerian player do the same?   Super Eagles player Victor Osimhen and former coach Finidi George recently had a disagreement. The  player  expressed his frustration on social media, speaking about the  coach  as if they were on the same level. This kind of public disagreement is rare in the world of professional sports.  Despite their  remarkable success in their respecti ve  clubs, Messi and Ronaldo have never had any public disputes  with their national team manage...

Marriage is vital. I am a product of marriage and have been married for over a decade. However, we must teach our daughters that there are other achievements besides or in addition to getting married.   While looking for a second wife, a friend met a girl. However, upon realising that she was not his type and that she "accepted" him only because she was idle and had no other suitor, he promised to help her start a business and return to school.   He first gave her a small amount of capital to restart the snacks business, which she said she had once done. Months later, she did not do anything. He, in fact, realised that she had most likely wasted the money. He was angry and sad but didn't give up on his mission to better her life.    Since she left secondary school without sitting for the senior secondary school examination (SSCE) due to family issues, he gave her money to register for this year's WAEC/NECO examination. As I type this, she has not done so yet. She onl...

  By Muhsin Ibrahim Procrastination affects not only writers but also people from almost all walks of life. We all have tasks to do. However, due to procrastination, we keep saying that we will do them later again and again until the time is gone. When I was writing my dissertation, I struggled with procrastination. I would often put off writing, thinking that I could do it later. This led to a lot of stress and anxiety as deadlines approached. However, I was determined to find a solution. I tried different techniques, such as setting strict deadlines for myself and breaking up my work into smaller, more manageable tasks. Eventually, I found a solution that worked for me. I was reading a book with a ‘funny’ title:  The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck , when I found the following: ‘When I was in high school, my math teacher, Mr. Packwood, used to say, “If you’re stuck on a problem, don’t sit there and think about it; just start working on it. Even if you don’t know what you’re ...