I enjoy a conversation that makes me realise I need to learn more. What tires me is an argument where nobody is responding to what the other person actually said. We replace someone's position with something easier to mock, then celebrate our victory over it. Please, that is a very convenient competition. A useful disagreement s…

During the TurnUp Jigawa training in December 2023, I facilitated a discussion on policy-making and legislative advocacy. We had young people from across the state in the room, and the work was about participation that continues beyond campaign season. That matters to me. If our political energy disappears after the result is announ…

I once asked young people around politicians to think about how they could become more useful to their communities. Access to a public office can become an opportunity to explain a problem, rather than only an opportunity to be seen beside an important person. The question is what we carry into that room. A clear account of a school…

If you are from a village, some public discussions sound different to you. A service that appears close on a map may still be difficult to reach. An online announcement may not reach the person it is supposed to help. Coming from Harbo gives me a reason to ask those questions. It does not mean I can speak for every rural community, …

I am from Jigawa, and that connection is one reason I cannot simply look away when something is wrong. Visiting rural communities during the floods brought questions about schooling and public services closer to me. It is easy to defend a place when the conversation is about its good people and culture. The harder form of loyalty is…