The Gift or the Grind: A Conversation We Must Have

From: Usman Abdullahi Koli

(Magatakarda)  

There’s something about silence that disturbs the conscience, especially when words are needed. And there’s something about words that unsettle the comfortable, especially when they carry inconvenient truths.  

Shamsuddeen Bala Muhammed spoke. That’s all he did. He did not insult; he did not mock; he did not reject kindness. He simply questioned the nature of empowerment—whether it should be a meal that fades with hunger or a skill that feeds for life. And for this, his own peers turned against him.  

Seyi Tinubu came to the North with bags of food, a gesture that speaks to immediate needs but does little to change long-term realities. Shamsuddeen, the son of a governor yet still a northern youth at heart, raised a fair point: Are we not tired of the cycle of dependency? Are we not tired of the optics of charity when empowerment is what we truly seek?  

But instead of engaging in the conversation, many chose to attack the messenger. They called him privileged. They accused him of speaking from comfort. But since when does privilege invalidate truth? And more importantly, why must truth be convenient before it is accepted?  

Yet, if those pointing fingers had looked beyond the noise, they would have seen that @⁨~M.S.B.A.M⁩ has, for years, quietly supported young people through job creation, business mentorship, and scholarships. Many have benefited from his commitment to empowerment—not through cameras and press releases but through direct impact. His stance was not one of contradiction but of lived conviction.  

As for the attempts to drag up his past, let it be known that the law has spoken. A court of competent jurisdiction cleared him, and in a nation that upholds justice, a man acquitted should not be perpetually shackled by accusations. If anything, this only proves how eager some are to deflect from the real issue at hand: the future of northern youth.  

If truth makes some uncomfortable, perhaps it is because it exposes a reality many would rather ignore. For years, young people in the North have been yearning for real empowerment—education, skills, and opportunities that provide dignity, not just survival.  

What Shamsuddeen pointed out was never an attack but a call for a better, more sustainable future. And if this truth is offensive, then maybe the problem is not with the speaker but with the system that has made us accustomed to celebrating the bare minimum.  

Usman Abdullahi Koli,  

Bauchi, Bauchi State.