Farewell to 2017

Like other years, 2017 has gone forever. Every year has its pains and gains, and 2017 cannot be an exception. It is, therefore, wrong to paint one year as basically painful. This is because what is painful to one person could be desirable to another.

Usually, every year, deaths and births are recoded; hence while some people are crying, others are celebrating. It is often said that one person’s meat could be another’s poison.

During the year under review, many people lost their lives through road accidents, kidnappings, armed robberies and assassinations. Others also died of economic hardship, yet the country is moving forward. And another year will soon appear.

In 2017, many parts of the North heaved a sigh of relief from the menace of Boko Haram. For those people, the year was the best. It is on record that before 2017, a lizard was enough to create pandemonium in the entire North. Places of worship were basically no-go areas.

The year also witnessed communal clashes and killings in several places. People who had lived together in peace for many years became enemies, just as herdsmen became notorious on account of their clashes with farmers across the country.

Last year was particularly painful for me, but it is hoped that 2018 would bring relief. Let there be peace in this country.

Garba Kawu Daudu, Department of Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Bayero University, Kano.