Look beyond the surface- by Habibat Salawu

More often than not, people exhibit one common trait. You must be wondering what I am talking about. All right, in my first year Economics class, the lecturer had talked about Economic theories and two common fallacies or mistakes made when developing a theory. Now one of such fallacies was what he called "fallacy of composition". This fallacy arises when one infers that something is true of the whole from the fact that it is true for some part of the whole. In other words, because something is true of one, you therefore deduce that it is true for all.

Beyond Economics, this fallacy rings true in the wider world. People no matter their station and place have the tendency to judge others based on the actions of one person. Consequently, a whole tribe, community, group, clique, sect and oh, even nations have been labeled as “such and such” just because a member(s) of that group exhibited a certain behaviour, usually negative. Here are a few case examples: because a few Nigerians have decided to take the corrupt route, then the foreign world looks at all Nigerians as potential criminals; because a few Northerners are unsavoury, then all Northerners should be treated with caution because they are violent!; because it has been said that some Yoruba women are dirty, then all Yoruba women are dirty (we have made a lot of jokes about this one); because he steals, then his family members are potential thieves. The list is endless. Most of the time, these opinions are formed by people not due to personal contacts or experiences with such people, but from “hearsay.”

Each time someone asks of my tribe and I mention it (Ebira), they pause and I have come to expect that reaction all the time. And am trusting you must have heard one story or the other about Ebiras, so you know what I am talking about. Much later, after they have gotten to know me, I get statements like “I would never have pegged you for an Ebira” or “You are different from what I know of them”. You would think that as intellectuals and students, we would reason a lot differently from others. Well… that is not the case. Oh! Yours sincerely has been guilty of this attitude at one time or the other. I had not fully discounted the story about Yoruba women before coming to the university. And now?...A close friend of mine and my present roommate are Yoruba and they are just as hygienic as the next person...if not more.

Pals, I have learned that a person’s personality is not always influenced by background or identity. The society and environment plays a key role in shaping who we are. So give that person a chance before you go judging him based on where he’s from or who his parents or friends are. Look at people in terms of what they are, not who they are. To do this, you have to get to know them. Look beyond what you see.

Personality NOT identity should be the criterion for building opinions and relationships with people. Believe me, our world will be a friendlier place for it.

By: HABIBAT, Salawu

A girl in our region

There was once a girl in our region,

Who loved tete-a-tete with dogs.

The last time we launched grudges,

She summoned her pets to mount a lion.

By then, we were lost in oblivion.

By: ABDULHAFEEZ, Oyewole and JOLAOLUWA, Aina

What can words do?

What can words do? This is a question not as trouble-free as it looks on the surface, it has stratum upon strata. To answer it, you must peel off these layers one by one, to get to the depth where the answer rests. Well, let’s fast forward a bit, and assume that I have peeled the onion off its veils.

The pen is mightier than the sword they say, but the pen is only mighty because it wields out words and not blood, as it’s the case with the sword. It is because of the power of words that intellectuals are now ascribing muscle to the pen. But in truth, the homage they pay is to words. Words, whether spoken or written, is the most strongest weapon ever known to man, it has won wars, dethroned Kings, enthroned kings, won hearts that worship at its alter, change a civilization, won a civilization and even stolen a civilization. The world has proved that he, who has the strongest and most prevailing words, owns it. This is the means by which the strong men of the world keep all that power.

Someone once said; I don’t know who, that it takes a single writer to change a civilization. The wisdom here is that, only knowledge can actually free a man, only when a man is enlightened by the illuminating lens of knowledge, that he can completely understand not only himself, but the society that he populates. So if you want to rule over your fellow men, shutdown those lenses and keep it in a place where only you can access. Of course, that is a selfish POV, but unfortunately, both our intellectuals and leaders have kept the masses on the fringes, using this inhumane tactics.

We as writers and intellectuals, should burden ourselves with not only being the sole eye of the society, but must open more eyes that will help us spread the gospel of sensitization and enlightenment. We owe this to our society!

 By:  SADDIQ, Dzukogi