Abdulrasheed Hammad
(He/Him)
As seen in:
El País,
The Nation (Nigeria),
TheCable,
Global Investigative Journalism Network,
University World News,
All News,
The Herald Nigeria,
The International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR),
Ripples Nigeria,
Dataphyte
and
Covers:
Climate Change Reporting/ Accountability and Transparency Reporting/Data Journalism/Solution Journalism/Fact-Checking Reporting/Investigative Journalism/ Communication
Lawyer & Multi Award-Winning Investigative Journalist | Freelance on Health, Education, Human Rights, Climate & Accountability | LL.B | BL
Articles by Abdulrasheed Hammad
Court orders university to pay millions to former students
NIGERIA Nigeria’s Federal High Court sitting in Calabar has ordered the University of Calabar (UNICAL) to pay NGN55 million (US$40,440) to eight former engineering students who were admitted into an unaccredited programme at the university. The court awarded NGN50 million in general damages and NGN5.247 million in special damages to the students for the psychological trauma and academic delay they suffered.
HE concession abuse leaves visually impaired in the lurch
NIGERIA In Nigeria’s higher education and examination systems, visually impaired candidates are facing barriers that limit their access to education, ranging from denied entrance examination accommodations to administrative negligence and policy reversals that affect their lives.
From the Pitch Stage to the Write Up, the Line Edit to Publication: How Editors Can Help Investigative Stories
In an era where investigative journalism serves as a key instrument for societal change, editing watchdog reporting can be pivotal in making or breaking a story’s impact. From narrowing complex stories to ensuring accuracy, great editing turns strong reporting into powerful journalism.
Dean of law jailed for five years for sexual harassment
NIGERIA A law professor who served as dean at the University of Calabar in Nigeria has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually harassing students, in a landmark case that campaigners hope will deter others from abusing their power.
La lucha de los funcionarios jubilados nigerianos para cobrar el dinero que les corresponde tras 35 años trabajando
Aliru Adebayo Idris, ya fallecido, se incorporó a la administración pública del Estado de Kwara, en Nigeria, como maestro de primaria en 1978, y trabajó durante 35 años hasta su jubilación en 2013. Idris se jubiló como funcionario de nivel 12 y pasó a cobrar una pensión mensual de 20.000 nairas (10,91 euros) hasta su fallecimiento. Sus gratificaciones ascendían a más de un millón de nairas (545,70 euros), pero cuando falleció, el 20 de abril de 2024, el Estado de Kwara seguía sin pagárselas.
Hundreds of graduates blocked from proceeding to law school
NIGERIA At least 300 law graduates from Ekiti State University (EKSU) have been denied access to Nigeria’s Law School, despite paying exorbitant amounts of money towards their higher education tuition to secure the uninterrupted completion of their legal education.
Excluded: How hearing-impaired students are left behind
NIGERIA Habiba Yusuf, a recent special education graduate from Bayero University in Kano (BUK), north-western Nigeria, was excited when she graduated and was mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). At the NYSC orientation camp, she had intended to use the knowledge and skills from the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, designed to equip corps members with practical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge.
‘No bra, no exam’ video sparks outcry about ‘harassment’
NIGERIA A long-standing practice at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun State, Nigeria, to prevent students from sitting for examinations if they do not wear bras, has caused a stir after the frisking of women was recorded and the video was posted on X. The video, which has gone viral, shows students standing in line.
Law students awaiting bar results face alleged extortion
NIGERIA A suspected fake WhatsApp message that has been sent to about 5,000 law students who sat for Nigeria’s bar exam in February – and offers to adjust their results upwards in exchange for hundreds of US dollars – has left several students distressed as they await their official results.
Lecturer accused of forcing students to be farm labourers
NIGERIA The dean of the Epe campus of the department of agricultural sience at Lagos State University (LASU) in Nigeria, Olatunji Abanikanda, has been accused of subjecting students to “degrading and inhumane treatment” on the department's farm where they do their practical course work. This was after a viral video was posted on Facebook that showed students left shivering in the sun and rain without shelter while under Abanikanda’s supervision.
Government scraps scholarship programme to study abroad
NIGERIA Nigeria’s federal government has officially scrapped the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship programme after calling it a “waste of resources”. Under the programme, Nigerians could study abroad in countries such as China, Russia, Algeria, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt and Serbia. This follows mounting criticism from past beneficiaries who accused the government of neglect of the programme, particularly over the non-payment of stipends for nearly a year, Punch reported.
Freedom of expression: Student not reinstated after a year
NIGERIA Several Nigerian students who have voiced their dissatisfaction about their universities and political leaders on social media have faced disciplinary action and intimidation – actions that human rights activists believe are undermining freedom of expression in Nigeria.
They survived a disease few ever do. Then the hard part began
Image description: A woman wearing a patterned headwrap and a dress made out of newspaper clippings, embraces a younger woman in white. They stand against a lush mountain backdrop under a bright sky, evoking warmth and support. In 1994, Fidel Strub was just three years old when the pain in his gums began. It crept quickly—into his jawbone, then his cheeks. Eventually, there was a hole on his face.
Questions linger as Sokoto government fails to account for N600 million project funds | The ICIR- Latest News, Politics, Governance, Elections, Investigation, Factcheck, Covid-19
By Abdulrasheed HAMMAD Despite the disbursement of millions of naira for the execution of development projects, residents of Sokoto face many challenges due to poor or deteriorating infrastructure.
State government ‘abandons’ students in Northern Cyprus
NIGERIA The Zamfara State government in Nigeria has allegedly abandoned about 90 scholarship students who were sent to study at the Cyprus International University in Northern Cyprus three years ago. The students have been battling to meet their basic needs because the state stipend of NGN178,000 (now about US$114) that they received for the first six months quickly ran out.
Controversy over appointment process of vice-chancellor
NIGERIA Controversy has been surrounding the process to appoint a new vice-chancellor for the University of Abuja, or UNIABUJA, following the placement of advertisements that appeared to be favouring a specific candidate. The university’s governing council was expected to announce the names of three candidates who will be in the running for the position as soon as the deadline for applications closed on 7 October.
Angry students set fire to provost’s house, destroy his car
NIGERIA The College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi State, remains closed after angry students set fire to the residence and destroyed the car of the college Provost Haruna Saidu-Sauwa over the alleged non-accreditation of three courses as well as accusations of extortion. The Kebbi State government ordered the indefinite closure of the college following violent protests that erupted on 17 October.
Student leaders allege ongoing police brutality, harassment
NIGERIA Students in Kwara State, Nigeria, are angry about alleged ongoing incidents of police brutality, harassment and extortion.
Abandoned Projects Hamper Development and Healthcare Service Delivery in Sokoto
Earlier this year, Jamilu Ahmad, a primary school teacher, rushed his 60-year-old father, a farmer, to Kuchi Primary Health Care for urgent medical attention. His father needed surgery, but the Kuchi health centre lacked doctors and adequate medical facilities. The hospital admitted him but had to call a doctor from Koko General Hospital, who arrived the next day.
[Reporter's Diary]: How question about Al-Sheriff water registration led to reporter’s harassment, arrest in Sokoto | The ICIR- Latest News, Politics, Governance, Elections, Investigation, Factcheck, Covid-19
By Abdulrasheed HAMMAD ON June 15, 2024, I set out to speak with several table water factory owners about their products not being registered with National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). I wanted to hear their side of the story after my thorough investigation. I was working on an investigative report about some Sokoto factories producing contaminated sachet water.
Nigerian students accuse Teesside of mishandling visa crisis
UNITED KINGDOM-NIGERIA Some Nigerian students are refusing an offer by Teesside University to help fund flights home for students ordered to leave the country after market devaluation of the Nigerian Naira currency left them unable to pay tuition fees on time.
Hunger and academic setbacks as students wait for stipends
NIGERIA Nigerian students studying in Russia, Morocco, Algeria, China, Hungary and Venezuela under the federal government’s Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship have called on their government to pay stipends that were due about 10 months ago, saying they were experiencing financial hardship that was affecting their academic work. Students each receive an allowance of US$500 per month (US$6,000 per annum) to pay for food, local transport and equipment or books.
No graduates nine years after start of dentistry programme
NIGERIA Nine years after the inception of the dentistry programme at the University of Jos (Unijos), not a single cohort has graduated because the programme has yet to be accredited and students professionally trained. Students say a lack of lecturers and equipment are the biggest issues, but that little is being done to solve the problems. To voice their concerns, dentistry students staged a protest recently.
Lecturers who beat students in class: What can be done?
NIGERIA Earlier in 2024, a viral video surfaced on social media showing a lecturer disciplining students. In the video, a student was seen following the lecturer around by doing a frog jump and, in the same video, the lecturer was seen slapping some of the students and asking them to kneel in front of the class. Following the posting of the video, the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Wudil, Kano, suspended the lecturer.
Amid heatwave, students struggle to fast and study
NIGERIA Since the beginning of Ramadan on March 11, Muslim students studying in northern Nigerian universities have struggled amid extreme temperatures to juggle fasting with their academic activities. Students have pleaded for adjustments to the timetables for lectures and exams and for a stable supply of electricity in hostels and classrooms so that fans can run as the heat takes its toll on them during the fast.
Displaced by bandits: Sokoto children struggle for survival amidst government neglect, hunger, malnutrition | The ICIR- Latest News, Politics, Governance, Elections, Investigation, Factcheck, Covid-19
By Abdulrasheed HAMMAD In this report, Abdulrasheed Hammad uncovers the sad reality of Sokoto’s children, who are displaced and endangered by hunger and malnutrition amidst government neglect. The report also highlights the harsh lives of refugees in Wurno and Wamakko IDP camps, displaced by bandits and Boko Haram, and the impact on their livelihoods. Fear of bullets, not hunger, gnawed at Umar Ali’s stomach.
Student’s murder prompts improvements in on-campus security
NIGERIA The murder of Deborah Modupe Atanda, a second-year nursing student at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) in Nigeria in 2023, set off a chain of events to enhance security on the campus, but experts warn about a general deterioration in safety that universities should address urgently.
Cybercrime-fighters under fire for treatment of students
NIGERIA Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been accused of illegal and unconstitutional conduct after two recent raids on two university campuses, the arrest of about 90 students for alleged cybercrime – and the alleged publication of all the students’ names and photographs on the commission’s website. University World News learnt earlier in December 2023 that some of the students are considering legal action against the EFCC.
FEATURE: Despite laws, corp members, job seekers face rejection, discrimination over religious beliefs
Tales of rejections Abdullahi Abubakar was deployed to Saki East in Ago Amadu, Oyo State, in 2021. When he arrived at Adu Grammar School, the secondary school to which he was posted, the school’s principal rejected him on the basis of his Islamic faith, he studied Islamic Studies and left his beard unshaven. He informed them that he could teach any subject other than Islamic studies, but he was not accepted.
How vested interests ruined Sokoto schools with shady contracts (4)
At a school named GSS Tureta, located in a rural community in Sokoto, Vice Principal in charge of administration, Mallam Balla, and some teachers were seen using students for hard labour on their farms. During a visit on August 14th at 11:21 AM, the reporter noticed that the class had only a few students present. When inquiring about the reason for this, the students in the class explained that their peers had gone to Vice Principal Mallam Balla’s farm to work.
How vested interests ruined Sokoto schools with shady contracts (3)
At GGDSS Arkilla, an all-girls school, the absence of an administrative block has forced the principal into using a store as an office. The reporter also found that teachers were using a dilapidated classroom as staff room. Deteriorated classrooms dotted the school, with roofs in a state of disrepair. The situation had caused significant inconvenience to both students and teachers, especially when it rained. Consequently, the learning environment had suffered.
How vested interests ruined Sokoto schools with shady contracts (2)
In early August 2023, at 12:12 pm, during a visit to a female students’ school named GDSS Mabera, this reporter found nobody in all the classrooms. Instead, a young man was seen smoking marijuana in one of the abandoned and dilapidated classrooms. As soon as he noticed the reporter’s presence, he left immediately. The classrooms were deteriorated and abandoned.
How vested interests ruined Sokoto special school with shady contracts (1)
Enoch Isiah, an SS2 student of A. A. RAJI Special School in Sokoto, who is visually impaired, sat down, brooding over the condition of the school built to educate students with disabilities. The school’s structure makes it difficult for him to move around. Enoch and other visually impaired students lack access to assistive tools such as Braille displays, Braille note-taking devices, and screen readers that would facilitate learning. To worsen matters, teachers hardly come to the class.
Fisical Transparency: Despite ICT advancement, Nigerian states’ open contracting portals inaccessible to citizens Original
By Abdulrasheed Hammad Open Contracting Portals in Nigeria are online platforms designed to provide transparent and accessible information regarding public procurement processes and contracts. The objective is to promote open contracting practices, enhance accountability, and reduce corruption within the Nigerian public procurement system.
Fisical Transparency: Despite ICT advancement, Nigerian states’ open contracting portals inaccessible
By Abdulrasheed Hammad Open Contracting Portals in Nigeria are online platforms designed to provide transparent and accessible information regarding public procurement processes and contracts. The objective is to promote open contracting practices, enhance accountability, and reduce corruption within the Nigerian public procurement system.
Fiscal transparency: Despite ICT advancement, Nigerian states’ open contracting portals inaccessible | The ICIR- Latest News, Politics, Governance, Elections, Investigation, Factcheck, Covid-19
By Abdulrasheed Hammad Open Contracting Portals in Nigeria are online platforms designed to provide transparent and accessible information regarding public procurement processes and contracts. The objective is to promote open contracting practices, enhance accountability, and reduce corruption within the Nigerian public procurement system.
Law students are helping innocent inmates to regain freedom Original
NIGERIA Zubairu Adam*, an inmate at the Suleja correctional centre in Niger State in the North-Central region of Nigeria, has a mental illness that makes him wander onto people’s premises. One day, he rambled into the compound of a high-ranking police officer. He was arrested and charged with trespassing, mischief and attempt to commit theft.
For the Kalenjeni Community of Sokoto State, Medical Attention is 2 Hours away on Bad Roads
On 20 August 2022, 70-year-old Umaru Kalenjeni, a resident of the Kalenjeni community, rushed his pregnant daughter-in-law, Asmau Sanni, to the General Hospital in Binji, Sokoto, when she fell into labour. Finding adequate transportation to the hospital took hours. The road to the hospital was also torturous, worsening Asmau’s pain. By the time she got to the hospital, she had developed such complications that she was referred to the better-equipped Maryam Abacha hospital.
Rising death rate: group takes fight against malaria to high-burdened rural Nigerian communities
DANJA, KATSINA: When Ismail Maikudi’s six-year-old son came down with severe malaria in May 2022, doctors at the Danja Comprehensive Healthcare in Bagaruwa community, Katsina State, said he needed a blood transfusion as part of treatment. But, sadly, the boy died during the transfusion. Spread from person to person through mosquito bites, malaria remains one of the world’s most severe public health problems.
Two Kwara communities benefited from borehole project but they have since stopped working
For many years now, water scarcity has been a challenge in the Ode Opele community in Kwara State. To get water for their household use, most residents trek long distances and sometimes fetch from the stream. “We know the river is not good for health, but we fetch it for our household use because we don’t have an option,” 35-year-old Grace Issac, a fish seller in Ode Opele, said.
[INVESTIGATION] After spending N70m, contractor ‘shabbily executed’ Sokoto roads | The ICIR
By ABDULRASHEED Hammad To address recurrent accidents on Gagi to Gidan Dilo and Fakon Idi roads, in Sokoto State, the Federal Government, in the 2020 Federal Government Consolidated Project awarded the sum of N70 million to Techno International Company Limited for the construction of the two roads.
After UDEME report, Kwara government provides new dumpster in Oja Gboro
Two Months after UDEME reported the conversion of a multi-million naira drainage to a dumpsite by residents of Ita-Epa, Oja Gboro in Ilorin, the Kwara state government has provided a dumpster in the area to control indiscriminate waste disposal. The drainage which was previously congested with refuse had also been cleared. Between 2016 and 2018, the then senate president, Bukola Saraki, had facilitated a drainage project in the area to address the flooding problem that greatly affected residents.
Two Kwara Communities Benefited From Borehole Project, But They Have Since Stopped Working
For many years now, water scarcity has been a challenge in the Ode Opele community in Kwara State. To get water for their household use, most residents trek long distances and sometimes fetch from the stream. “We know the river is not good for health, but we fetch it for our household use because we don’t have an option,” 35-year-old Grace Isaac, a fish seller in Ode Opele, said.
Here's hhow An NGO Is Offering Hope To Children With Down Syndrome, Other Disabilities In Sokoto
By Abdulrasheed Hammad Valerie O Aihimegbe, a 16-year-old girl with Down syndrome, was enrolled in a private school in Sokoto alongside people without disabilities. However, due to a lack of improvement and proper care, her parents withdrew her from the school and enrolled her in Handicap Opportunity for Positive Engagement Society (HOPES), an organisation offering free education to children with disabilities. Aihimegbe speaks but cannot hear, and this has affected her learning capability.
Here's how an NGO is offering hope to children with down syndrome, other disabilities in Sokoto
By Abdulrasheed Hammad Valerie O Aihimegbe, a 16-year-old girl with Down syndrome, was enrolled in a private school in Sokoto alongside people without disabilities. However, due to a lack of improvement and proper care, her parents withdrew her from the school and enrolled her in Handicap Opportunity for Positive Engagement Society (HOPES), an organisation offering free education to children with disabilities. Aihimegbe speaks but cannot hear, and this has affected her learning capability.
New water project easing water scarcity in Kwara communities
For many years, water scarcity persisted in the Okelele community in Kwara State. To get water for their household use, many residents trek to communities like Akerebiata, Harmony, Oja Oba, and Oke-Okuta, each not less than seven kilometers from the Okelele. In 2019, a privately-owned borehole was constructed in the community with the hope of ameliorating the problem. Residents paid N150 to fetch a drum of water, which is about 25 litres.
How project facilitated by lawmakers ease water scarcity In Kwara communities
For many years, water scarcity persisted in the Okelele community in Kwara State. To get water for their household use, many residents trek to communities like Akerebiata, Harmony, Oja Oba, and Oke-Okuta, each not less than seven kilometres from the Okelele. In 2019, a privately-owned borehole was constructed in the community with the hope of ameliorating the problem. Residents paid N150 to fetch a drum of water, which is about 25 litres.
In Kwara community, residents turn multi-million Naira drainage to dumpsite
For many years, residents of Ita-Epa in Oja-Gboro community, Ilorin East local government area of Kwara State, clamoured for the construction of drainage to curb the incessant problem of erosion in the area. Their prayers were eventually answered in 2016 and 2018 when senator representing Kwara Central, Bukola Saraki, nominated a drainage project to be constructed in the community. Spanning a few kilometres, the drainage cuts through the Ita Epa community in Oja-Gboro, Ilorin Kwara State.
How charcoal, indiscriminate logging contribute to deforestation in Kwara
By Abdulrasheed Hammad In Kwara State, the loggers and charcoal producers are making fortunes from deforestation but no one is planting to replace the fallen trees. Abdulrasheed Hammad travelled to Moro local government area of the state to document how loggers, charcoal producers, and firewood makers are falling trees amid official neglect. On April 7, numerous trucks loaded with charcoal left Moro forest at Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, Northcentral Nigeria.
Fact-Check: Did Yemi Osinbajo Hold Meeting with Tinubu, Fashola, Ambode, and Sanwo-Olu In Ikoyi?
A post circulating on Facebook claims that the Incumbent Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo held a high-level consultation meeting with the prospective presidential aspirant, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Akinkumi Ambode, and Ex-Governor of Lagos State and incumbent Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola at Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s residence in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
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