The Kanuris are the dominant ethnic group of Borno State in Nigeria 's northeast. Historically, they are a distinct political entity stretching over 1,100 years and have been a Muslim emirate since the eleventh century. Their typical sub-Saharan savannah climate experiences low rainfall from June to September with harmattan wind blowing a mixture of cool and warm air from mid-December to mid-March. It is marshy in the eastern part, on the shores of Lake Chad , sandy and covered with scrub bush, scattered thorny trees, and occasional baobabs. There are also large flat surfaces of hard grey clay at the bottoms of ridges, which provide material for buildings and pottery.

Every memorable human act is not without a reason and the Kanuri traditional marriage is not an exception. Dr. Bulama Mali Gubio, a custodian of Kanuri traditional heritage sums it thus: "we marry to enhance our race, sustain mental peace, love  and affection and promote unity among extended families, because our culture abhors immorality, especially among the female. And all these aim at fulfilling Islamic obligations of keeping faith and sustaining legal family system towards ensuring chastity and promoting moral excellence."

Interestingly, the Kanuri marriage process begins with Rawo - the process of falling in love. Yes, love! Surprised? They employ variety of ability testing processes like Askil (traditional dance between young people where girls clap and boys dance vigorously to show their physical fitness); nguwa, traditional wrestling to display physical powers; Kadi, tracing of the footsteps of thieves to retrieve stolen items, an indication of a young man's capability to defend his people; Surwa, collective free labour to help members build houses, till and cultivate farmlands; Ng?mur, (sallah festivities); Sawaram, coming together of the bride's and groom's friends to engage in ceremonial performances; Zuwu, Qur'anic school graduation ceremony; and Kasuwu, weekly market days to impress the family of a chosen loved one.

Ra'aski, the act of 'being in love' is next where gifts like clothing, scent, cosmetics are sent through a delegation. The process is called 'Gawo' meaning, formal presentation of the boy to the girl and leads to Kworo, where the official consent of the girl is sought. A delegation of dignitaries comprising men and women visit the girl's family, and they in turn wait to receive the visitors. Kola nuts, sweets, etc are presented by the boy's family in return for items like clothes, cosmetics, money, etc. Kworo literally means 'to take' and the girl's acceptance or refusal is signaled through expression of smiles, happiness, sadness or denial.

Sarte and Sadawu follow. Sarte, the fixing of a marriage date, is usually agreed upon after deliberations on: the loneness of the suitor, refund for previous suitors, confirmation of medical history of the two families (also a modern trend) and the agreement of the payment of Sadawu (dowry). To complete the process, payment of dowry, a compulsory act is the most important of the all rites. Islamically and according to Kanuri tradition, without dowry the marriage is prohibited.

Traditionally, the preferred marriage for a man is to a young virgin, 10 to 14 years of age. But this form of marriage is very expensive, and most men cannot afford it as a first marriage when they are themselves usually in their late teens to mid-twenties. Divorcee marriage attracts less expenditures, while marriage between cousins reduces the required bride-price.

It is unthinkable in the Kanuri tradition and culture for the bride to appear in public. She will never be seen in public from the day her marriage is fixed. Only her fiends will be assessable to her for a whole year until the traditional marriage rites and ceremonies are concluded. She will not even visit her family. It is only when she is transformed from childhood to womanhood that she goes to rejoice with her family and stays for one week. This is called 'fato kuru.' Her family will celebrate her one year successful marriage, and if she is lucky with a pregnancy or baby.

Right now, in the rural areas, some families still observe this tradition. Unfortunately, greater population live in the urban centres, where so many things like cutting of the cake, floating gowns at luncheons, while the bride and groom dance to music adorned in gorgeous dresses.

The Kanuri marriage ceremony, as prescribed in Islam observes the walimat (wusk?ru). When the marriage ceremony takes place on Saturday, dishes are prepared on Sunday and dignitaries, friends and well wishers are invited to the homes of the bride and groom to dine. Also, there is the traditional singing and dancing to entertain women who gather, sing and dance; but without mingling with men.

A girl at birth is labeled 'fatu' and is transformed into womanhood through stages. After her naming ceremony, she is addressed as 'tiwal' and as she circles at the age of 3-4, she will be called 'kurkumi', where she realizes her gender and begins to know he worth by covering up her nakedness.

At the age between 7 and 8, she is called 'njoima', and her hair is divided into three parts of small patches of undeveloped hair: one in front, one at the middle and the other at the back. Even if her hair is fully developed, it will be trimmed to guard against public attention. Between the ages of 10-12, she is now called 'kl?yasku'. Her hair will be allowed to grow in full, maintaining the three divisions. Thereon, she is ready for marriage. Traditionally, parents will never allow a child to grow above 14years without marriage because it is a mark of shame or lack of good fortune to allow her experience her first menstrual period in her parent's house. So, parents hasten before she attains the age of 15, so that she can let her first blood as a virgin on her husband's bed. When she gets married, she will stay in the husband's house for one year. Afterward, the process of transforming her hair to a woman called 'gotto' takes place. But nowadays, right from the time they attend nursery or primary schools, they plait their hairs as if they are grown up women, in pattern with foreign cultures.

Presently, in urban centres, girls at marriage plait their hairs as 'kl?yasku', but it is defeatist and only a formality, because their hairs have already been plaited on several occasions, a deviation from the Kanuri culture of transforming a girl through the six stages of womanhood.

After marriage, she becomes 'ngimsuri.' That is, someone who has been disvirgined by her husband and develops into 'amida', a young lady. Thereon, she becomes 'kalekale', a coinage from a bird who is regarded as having see it all by visiting every tree. Now a fearless woman, she metamorphoses into a woman - 'kamu'. She becomes 'dapchi' - a woman that has mastered the art of communication and association between male and female gender and graduates to 'gudum' - a well trained woman who knows all the arts of womanhood - child bearing/rearing, men caring and situation managing. Thereon, she becomes 'njita' - pepper, at the age of 45-50, and becomes a woman who now assumes authority, talking with audacity without any form of fear. Finally, she becomes 'kumurso' - an old woman and transcend to 'awulumdu', like a child, now retracing the stages of transformation in Kanuri women.

Nowadays, the dynamics of urbanization, the expensive nature of the traditional rites and the influence of western education are major factors contributing towards non-observance of Kanuri traditional marriage. Observably, in urban centres like Maiduguri , one can hardly distinguish between the western, Hausa and the Kanuri culture, which are now all mixed up. Alien cultures have taken prominence over the Kanuri culture, which if strictly observed is very beautiful, but unfortunately, very costly culture, which is presumably why people are running away from it.

Islamically and according to Kanuri tradition, you marry for four reasons - beauty, wealth, family and religion. According to custodians of the tradition, the best marriage is based on religion. "So, remember that if anyone confesses love to you as a Kanuri girl, the first thing to note is his religion. He must be a Muslim. Whether he is Kanuri or not, is not the main issue. He must practice Islam in totality. A Kanuri girl can marry anyone, provided he is a Muslim, from a good family background and gainfully employed to cater for her needs", says Dr. Gubio.

Expected rites in Kanuri traditional marriages are very simple and in line with Islamic injunctions to express 'love' between the couple; respect for the 'waliyyi', the giver, who could be her father or guardian; observance of 'sadau', which is the dowry; 'sigga', the act of asking and acceptance between the family of the bride and groom; and their witnesses. The minimum dowry in Kanuri marriage is a quarter of a dinar. So if a dinar costs ten thousand naira, the dowry will be about N2,500, which could be said to be cheap.

When the groom's family brings gifts to the bride-to-be, they also bring so many items for the bride's mother, aunt(s), uncle(s), sister(s), grandfather(s) and mother(s). Finally, when the bride is leaving for her husband's house, things like the foam from the water used to wash her hair; the 'kaulu', which is washing of the hand and feet with palm oil and milk; and carrying her to the car which will convey her to her husband's house will all be paid for by the groom's friends.

All these aim at showing the value and love for the bride and to exploit her blessings. Traditionally, the success of her marriage is believed to be largely dependent on the quantum of blessings realized from these activities. So, if amount is realized, she will receive less blessings from her relatives and her marriage will lead on just like her wretched wedding.

Aminaummi Yusuf  wrote in from Department of Mass Communication,University of Maiduguri

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Glo mobile, recently, at the Kaduna International Trade Fair, dazzled its customers with wide range of products and gifts.

Globacom turned its participation at the just concluded 31st Kaduna International Trade Fair into a carnival to celebrate its teeming supporters in Kaduna metropolis. Its presence at this year's edition was described as the most successful going by the number of people that trooped to its pavilion either to buy Glo lines or to recharge their phones.

A Globacom official disclosed that the stock of lines and recharge cards had to be increased almost on a daily basis as people kept asking for more.

The Globacom pavilion was a beehive of activities throughout the duration of the fair as subscribers and visitors had a thrilling time either to purchase Glo products or to configure their phones for the numerous value added services rendered by the telecoms giant.

A subscriber, while giving an insight into the reasons for the rush for Glo lines at the fair, said “apart from the vast improvement in the Glo network, the urge to participate in the ongoing Glo BID2WIN promo which is giving out exciting prizes including cars and others, stimulated both the old and new Glo subscribers”.

Eighteen brand new Kia Rio cars will be given out in 18 days while the prizes are to be changed every 18 days to raise the roof of excitement.

Following the success of the Glo' text 4 million' promo in 2009, Nigerians have been itching for another exciting and life changing promotion from Globacom. The introduction of BID2WIN was a welcome delight for many and it has been generating excitement.

Shehu Ali, a student of Kaduna Polytechnic, disclosed that he had always doubted every promotional activity until his neighbour's younger brother won N1 million in the Glo 'text 4 million' promo last year. He said that the experience changed his perception and he promised himself never to miss out from any other promotional offer from Globacom.

Globacom also gave its subscribers and visitors, various give-aways, including t-shirts, fez caps and bandanas, just for visiting the Glo stand. There was also a daily draw, during which Glo subscribers won handsets and scores of recharge cards.

The Glo Day event at the fair became another opportunity for subscribers to connect with the company and win. Prizes such as mobile phones and recharge cards were won by the Glo subscribers who were present at the event venue.

Speaking at the ceremony, the company's Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohammed Jameel said that Globacom since inception had maintained a vision of serving as a tool of Nigeria's economic diplomacy with its commitment to building the biggest and best network on the African continent.

He added that the vision is quietly being actualised through Globacom's foray into Benin Republic, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana and also through the delivery of the first privately built transatlantic submarine cable which is poised to transform voice and data services between Africa and the rest of the world.

The Glo GCOO, whose address was read at the event by the Regional Manager, Mr Kemi Kaka, expressed the joy of the company to be a part of the Kaduna International Trade Fair. He lauded the organisers for putting up a befitting trade fair to showcase Nigeria's rich potentials to the whole world.

He also disclosed that Globacom, in line with its vision of protecting the interest of its subscribers, recently introduced TALKMORE, a prepaid package which allows Glo subscribers to enjoy more value for their money. Calls from any Glo number to another on this package now go for as low as 30 kobo per second or N18 per minute, giving subscribers 50 per cent free talk time.

"That is the cheapest call rate in the country today. It is our way of ensuring that Nigerians continue to have the opportunity to communicate at affordable rates," he said.

Senator Walid Jibril, a member of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture was full of praises for Globacom for its people-centric focus. He commended the company for always championing the cause of its subscribers in the country and called on the company not to rest on its oars.

Also speaking at the Glo Day, Prince Remi Fadaunsi, the Chamber's Vice President, commended Globacom for its giant strides in the country and wished it greater contributions to Nigeria's development and outstanding success in the years ahead.

Visitors and guests at the Glo Day event which held inside the Fair ground had more than enough of entertainment packaged by Globacom.

A dance group, Ultimate Dancers, also kept the huge crowd entertained.

Globacom said that as a Nigerian company, it would continue to provide genuine leadership in the area of meeting the telecom needs of Nigerians.

Gabriel Ewepu examines the basic reason for the failure of SERVICOM in public service delivery

In Nigeria, service delivery has been a very big challenge, with its negative effects impacting seriously on the public sector. The delivery of public service  in Nigeria today, falls quite below internationally acceptable standard.

It is  impacting negatively and adversely on policy implementation and the general standard of living. It has retarded the growth and development of our national life. In fact, all sectors of the economy is heavily affected, as confidence in public service delivery has eroded drastically.

Tracing and going down memory lane, it would be recalled that immediately after  independence in 1960, and into the late 1970s, the public sector lived up to expectation because of the discipline of public servants, and the patriotism, dedication, loyalty and commitment they brought to bear on the public service. There were no delay in policy implementation, the achievements were tremendous and appreciated, Nigerians were satisfied and were happy because of the quality of service delivery they enjoyed.

The sense of patriotism was a pride to the public servant. The public sector was very attractive not just the remuneration, but the manner with which work was done and the quality of service delivery.

Students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions craved and desired to be employed into the public sector because of the  patriotism, prospects, focus, and motivation, not only in cash but also in general welfare. Graduates were eager to work in the public sector instead of the private sector because public servants were encouraged to build up their careers with adequate training. Every public servant wanted his opportunity to contribute     his/her quota to the socio-economic development of the country.

The nation first, before any other priority, was  the  principle and watch word in public service which brought about sound and quality service delivery in the educational system, judiciary, bureaucracy, the military, politics and health institutions.

This went far to the extent that other sister countries like Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Botswana, Equatorial  Guinea, Guinea, Sao Tome and Principle, Liberia, etc, called for judicial, educational, health, technical and bureaucratic services to move their country forward. This formed the basis of Nigeria's foreign policy, adopting Africa as its centre-piece of foreign policy under the then military regime of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976-1979. This went far to boost Nigeria's image in the region and comity of nations.

The educational system was very vibrant and virile and played a very significant and remarkable role in building sound and efficient human resources, which had the orientation of efficient service delivery of high international standards.

The products from the nation's tertiary institutions were men and women of high caliber. In fact, the quality of manpower was a force to be reckoned with because it was ranked as one of the best in Africa.

The care and concern for staff welfare was very commendable because staff performance and productivity was optimal. In fact, management and staff were innovative and creative in improving service delivery; this made policy of government to be more achievable because of management and staff doggedness and resilience.

Nigerians were satisfied with the services rendered by the public sector because of the professionalism in service delivery, and were not having the urge to patronise foreign goods and services because of the high standard in service delivery. The mind-bugging questions are what, why and when did the Nigerian public service lost dedication and patriotism in service delivery? The answers are not far fetched.

The Obasanjo-led civilian administration rolled out a policy to revamp service delivery under a nomenclature called Service Compact (SERVICOM). The objective is to ensure good and quality service delivery to Nigerians and also empower Nigerians to complain and report when they are exploited, bullied, oppressed and harassed to the SERVICOM desk in respective ministries, departments and agencies.

In spite of the introduction of SERVICOM  into the public sector,  service delivery in most ministries, departments and agencies still remain very poor.

The abysmal performance and productivity of ministries, departments and agencies reveal that he SERVICOM charter failed to put staff welfare into consideration, but rather relegated it to the back ground.

Mrs Nnenna Akosa spoke with Public Service Agenda on the policy of SERVICOM in ministries, departments and agencies. She stated that the policy was not well formulated and that government failed to understand the welfare of workers is paramount and imperative when it comes to the issue of service delivery. She says that government should repackage its welfare programme for workers to perform optimally in service delivery.  Also, she says, workers’ plight should be considered before such policies like SERVICOM are formulated.

For Nigerians to be served better and to move the nation forward, welfare should be a very important issue to be addressed and improved upon by putting in place motivational strategies that will change the attitude of workers in performing their duties.

The government should pay workers salaries and allowances promptly, entrech a policy of regular promotion,  reward for hard work and dedication, training and manpower development, provision of  logistics, prompt payment of pensions and gratuities, management transparency and inclusion of staff in decision making process.

It is important to emphasise that quality service delivery is only achievable when there is good staff welfare. Relevant public service departments like the Head of Service of the Federation, Bureau for Public Service, Ministry of Labour  and Productivity, etc. are to critically consider and come up with concrete ways to boost staff welfare for good performance in service delivery.

The fact remains that when public servants welfare are neglected, it will affect the policy implementation and service delivery because human resources can only be effective when it is well taken care of. This is the time government should really address this cardinal issue with all sense of urgency in line with the public service reforms and the target of vision 20;20:20.