The Booming Boomer

What if some of the behaviours we try to correct in autistic children are actually their way of coping?Rahanatu Yusuf, Founder & Managing Director of The Brainbloom Centre, joins Hadiza Isma El-Rufai for an important conversation about autism, parenting, special needs education and what meaningful inclusion actually looks like.Rahanatu explains why some autistic children avoid eye contact, why sound, light or touch can become overwhelming, and why behaviours such as stimming may actually be forms of self-regulation rather than “naughtiness.”The conversation also explores early intervention, ADHD, stigma, individual education plans, hidden talents, employment and independence for people with special needs, parent burnout, autism and vaccine misinformation, and why society may need to stop forcing autistic children to fit into our world and start meeting them halfway.Rahanatu’s journey into this work began personally. Trained as a chemical engineer, she moved into special needs education after her son experienced developmental delays, leading her to study Montessori education, special education and eventually build The Brainbloom Centre.Watch or listen on your preferred platform:https://boomingboomer.com#TheBoomingBoomer #Autism #RahanatuYusuf

Richard Ali has spent his career moving between literature, publishing, law, peacebuilding and entrepreneurship.In this episode of The Booming Boomer Podcast, Richard joins Hadiza Isma El-Rufai for a wide-ranging conversation about Nigerian identity, leadership, conflict, artificial intelligence, publishing and the power of storytelling.Richard explains why he believes Nigeria’s elite have failed the Nigerian project, why building a shared national identity still matters, and how stories can be used as tools for peacebuilding and countering violent extremism.They also discuss his journey as a novelist and poet, the story behind City of Memories, co-founding Parrésia Publishers, why he describes publishing as a labour of love, and why he believes books themselves were an early form of artificial intelligence.Richard also shares his views on AI and inevitable job losses, his work through Engaging Borders SRD, the role young people can play in transforming conflict, and his journey into Nigerian specialty coffee through Tigre Coffee.A conversation about words, identity, technology, culture and what it means to build something that lasts.Subscribe to The Booming Boomer Podcast:https://youtube.com/@the_booming_boomer#TheBoomingBoomer #RichardAli #Nigeria

Samira Haruna Sanusi lived through the extreme realities of sickle cell disease: multiple organ damage, six years in a wheelchair, years of treatment and more than 30 surgeries just to survive.Then a successful bone marrow transplant changed her life.In this episode of The Booming Boomer Podcast, Hadiza Isma El-Rufai sits down with Samira to talk about the reality behind her survival, the younger brother who became her bone marrow donor, and what life feels like now without the crises and pain that once defined it.Their conversation also goes beyond Samira’s personal story. They discuss genotype compatibility, AS + AS relationships, the impact of sickle cell on entire families, IVF and gene selection, motherhood after recovery, faith, writing through pain, and the advocacy work she now does through the Samira Sanusi Sickle Cell Foundation.Samira is an author, humanitarian and founder of the Samira Sanusi Sickle Cell Foundation. She is also the author of S Is for Survivor and I Wrote This for You.Watch the full conversation and subscribe to The Booming Boomer Podcast for more conversations with people whose experiences, ideas and work are shaping society.

Suraj Oyewale did not originally plan to become an entrepreneur.His ambition was to rise through corporate Nigeria and eventually become an executive at a major oil and gas company. But an unexpected turn in his career pushed him into consulting, a side business and eventually full-time entrepreneurship.In this episode of The Booming Boomer Podcast, Suraj Oyewale, widely known as Sir Jarus, joins Hadiza Isma El-Rufai to talk about the decisions, opportunities and setbacks that shaped his journey.He reflects on building a successful career in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, why he eventually walked away, and how a business he initially started simply to supplement his income grew beyond his expectations.The conversation also explores hard work, luck and timing, why equally hardworking people can end up with very different outcomes, and why young people should be careful about comparing their lives to what they see on social media.Suraj also shares how an anonymous Nairaland username became the Sir Jarus brand, how he built a reputation around career guidance, the unexpected conversation that led him into real estate, what money taught him about responsibility, and why success rarely follows one fixed path.Guest: Suraj “Sir Jarus” Oyewale, FCA Entrepreneur, Author & Career AdvisorHost: Hadiza Isma El-RufaiThe Booming Boomer PodcastSubscribe for more conversations with people building, creating and shaping society.

Dike Chukwumerije has spent years using poetry and storytelling to examine what it means to be Nigerian.In this episode of The Booming Boomer Podcast, he joins Hadiza Isma El-Rufai for a conversation about patriotism, Nigerian identity, Pan-Africanism, creativity, family and the power of words.Dike explains why he still believes in Nigeria despite its challenges, and why he believes the country should not be reduced to its politicians.“Nigeria is the people.”He also shares what travelling across 21 states with his Made in Nigeria production taught him about how much Nigerians actually have in common, and why he compares the Nigerian character to the River Niger itself: unconventional, communal and deeply aspirational.The conversation goes beyond the country.Dike reflects on discovering the power of poetry after being booed onto a stage in the UK before receiving a standing ovation, overcoming stage fright through relentless rehearsal, and spending nearly two decades building his poetry career alongside a regular job.He also speaks about raising four children, choosing family over career opportunities, the dangers of constant social media comparison, and why young people need enough stillness to hear their own voice.Guest: Dike ChukwumerijePerformance Poet, Author & Spoken Word Theatre PractitionerHost: Hadiza Isma El-RufaiThe Booming Boomer PodcastSubscribe for more conversations with people building, creating and shaping society.

Why do we hide parts of ourselves, even from the people closest to us?Fatima Bala, author of Broken: Not a Halal Love Story, Hafsatu Bebi and The Lies We Tell, joins Hadiza Isma El-Rufai for a conversation about writing honestly, creating deeply human characters and telling Northern Nigerian stories without pretending difficult realities do not exist.Fatima reveals that Broken was originally written anonymously, giving her the freedom to write without constantly censoring herself. She reflects on the story behind the book, the relationships and generations explored in Hafsatu Bebi, and why secrets became central to her latest work, The Lies We Tell.They discuss love, family, faith, identity, marriage, appearances, private struggles and why some truths are easier to hide than confront.Fatima also opens up about her writing process, balancing motherhood with creativity, writing on her phone whenever she finds the time, being an introvert in an industry that requires visibility, and the responsibility she feels when representing Northern Nigerian life through fiction.And beyond her own books, she explains why she wants to see more Northern Nigerian writers telling their own stories.Guest: Fatima BalaHost: Hadiza Isma El-RufaiPodcast: The Booming Boomer PodcastSubscribe for more conversations across literature, business, culture and public life.

“I didn’t choose Nigeria. Nigeria chose me.”After moving from the United States to Nigeria, Mira Mehta saw tomatoes being left along rural roads while much of the tomato paste sold in the country was imported. That contradiction eventually became the idea behind Tomato Jos.Mira Mehta is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tomato Jos, an agribusiness working with smallholder farmers to strengthen tomato farming, processing and local food production in Nigeria. In this conversation, she shares how a public-health career brought her to Nigeria, why she stayed, and what it took to build a business in Northern Nigeria.She speaks about earning the trust of farming communities, supporting women farmers, reducing post-harvest losses, improving yields, competing with imported tomato paste, surviving crop failures and learning that cash can matter more than profitability when running a business.The conversation also covers food security, local manufacturing, GMOs, agricultural subsidies, roads, insecurity, fertilizer costs and the realities young entrepreneurs must understand before starting a business.Watch to the end for Mira’s advice to young entrepreneurs and the three areas she believes Nigeria must address to strengthen agriculture and economic growth.Guest: Mira Mehta, Co-Founder and CEO of Tomato JosHost: Hadiza Isma El-RufaiPodcast: The Booming Boomer PodcastListen on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Gloria Chinyere Okwu joins The Booming Boomer Podcast for a conversation on cancer advocacy, public health, writing, and the lived experiences that shaped her voice.A Nigerian writer, communication specialist, and healthcare advocate, Gloria speaks about turning personal experience into public awareness, and why stories can become powerful tools for health advocacy in Nigeria.Guest: Gloria Chinyere Okwu, Writer, Communication Specialist & Healthcare AdvocateHost: Hadiza Isma El-RufaiPodcast: The Booming Boomer PodcastListen on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

He cried while writing the poem. Then cried again when he tried to type it.Abdulkareem Baba Aminu speaks about pain, creativity, comics, journalism, Northern Nigeria, and the story behind his poetry collection, Kill The Poet, Save The World.Abdulkareem Baba Aminu is one of Northern Nigeria’s most accomplished creative voices. He is a journalist, columnist, cartoonist, illustrator, writer, poet, and author. His work spans journalism, literature, visual art, popular culture, comics, and storytelling. In this conversation, he speaks about growing up in Kaduna, discovering books and comics, publishing his first writing at the age of 12, becoming part of Weekly Trust and Daily Trust, creating popular newspaper pages, editing Daily Trust Saturday for over 13 years, and building a life across different creative worlds.He also talks about his poetry collection Kill The Poet, Save The World, published by Masobe Books, the painful personal experience behind some of the poems, the value of Northern Nigerian creativity, the importance of supporting young writers and artists, and why creatives should not limit themselves.Watch to the end for a grounded conversation on art, journalism, poetry, comics, culture, pain, discipline, and what it means to build a creative life without choosing only one identity.Guest: Abdulkareem Baba Aminu, Journalist, Author, Cartoonist, Illustrator and PoetHost: Hadiza Isma El-RufaiPodcast: The Booming Boomer PodcastListen on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.#AbdulkareemBabaAminu #KillThePoetSaveTheWorld #MasobeBooks #NorthernNigeria #KadunaCreatives #NigerianWriters #NigerianJournalism #Comics #Poetry #AfricanLiterature #CreativeWriting #BoomingBoomerPodcast #BoomWithHadiza #NigerianPodcast #AfricanPodcast

he was First Lady of Niger State, but she still went to the hospital, attended clinics, performed surgeries, took deliveries, and treated patients.Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello shares what it was like to serve publicly while remaining a practicing obstetrician-gynaecologist, and why her medical work shaped the way she understood leadership, healthcare, and service.Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello is a consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist, women’s health advocate, founder of Raise Foundation, and former First Lady of Niger State. In this conversation, she speaks about growing up in a family grounded in discipline and values, practicing medicine while in public life, her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the work of Raise Foundation in maternal health, safe deliveries, antenatal care, tricycle ambulances, and community-based healthcare support.She also reflects on one of the most painful moments of her medical career, the realities of maternal mortality in Nigeria, the role of faith in difficult times, her journey memorising the Qur’an, and what it means to leave behind a legacy of doing good.Watch to the end for a grounded conversation on medicine, public service, women’s health, faith, and the realities behind healthcare in Northern Nigeria.Guest: Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello, Consultant Obstetrician-Gynaecologist, Founder of Raise Foundation, and Former First Lady of Niger StateHost: Hadiza Isma El-RufaiPodcast: The Booming Boomer Podcast