Author: Eniola Anuoluwapo Soyemi

Eniola is a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston University in 2017. Her dissertation, 'Law's Moral Legitimacy and the Significance of Participation', is focused in political and legal philosophy and uses Nigeria as a case study is asking why and when we ought to obey the law.

‘Baba Yaya’ and the Islamization of Nigeria? | by Omolade Adunbi

16/07/2018

“Up until the 1970s and 80s, many Nigerian communities lived harmoniously with pastoralists. Anecdotal stories abound of children living in the rural communities of the 70s and 80s welcoming Fulani herders to their town centers with chants of ‘Baba Yaya’… We no longer hear these stories.” In the last few months, there has been an increase … More ‘Baba Yaya’ and the Islamization of Nigeria? | by Omolade Adunbi

Fidel Castro and the Liberation of Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau | by Abel Djassi Amado

06/12/2017

“Che Guevara’s 1964/1965 Africa journey was a critical juncture in the relationship between the PAIGC and Cuba. In January 1965, Che met with Amilcar Cabral in Conakry. A few months later, Cuba’s first material support to the PAIGC was shipped on board the Uvero.” Its been a year since Fidel Castro’s death, and his legacy … More Fidel Castro and the Liberation of Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau | by Abel Djassi Amado

Lets Talk About Palestine | by Inès Abdel Razek

09/11/2017

Inès Abdel Razek answers 12 frequently asked questions on life in Palestine. Despite several decades of media coverage, many people, including the well-educated, are ignorant about the reality of life in Palestine. This isn’t an attempt to explain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in its entirety. And it is not a travel guide. Q: When you say … More Lets Talk About Palestine | by Inès Abdel Razek

The Return of Cabo Verde’s African Question | by Abel Djassi Amado

15/06/2017

“Given Portugal’s destructive history in Cabo Verde, and the continuing mistreatment of Cabo Verdeans in Portugal, why then does the Cabo Verdean political and social elite continue to cow-tow to their former European masters?” A few months ago in April, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, made an official five-day visit to Cabo Verde. The … More The Return of Cabo Verde’s African Question | by Abel Djassi Amado

The Problem with Tech Start-Ups | by Olusegun Sotola

13/04/2017

In 2016, 314 IT Hubs were identified across Africa, this was up 150% from 117 hubs just a year earlier. Yet, many tech-based products do not seem to be a response to specifically African markets. The number of, and interest in Africa’s start-ups has grown phenomenally. According to Disrupt Africa’s 2016 Report, 146 tech start-ups … More The Problem with Tech Start-Ups | by Olusegun Sotola

Explaining Government Instability in Guinea-Bissau | by Abel Djassi Amado

28/02/2017

“Government instability in Guinea-Bissau has left economic and social institutions perilously weak. As a result, Guinea-Bissau remains a low-income country, with a nearly 70% poverty rate in 2010, a meagre GDP per capita of USD573, and an annual growth rate in decline.” Since its handover to civilian rule in 2014, Guinea-Bissau has undergone no less … More Explaining Government Instability in Guinea-Bissau | by Abel Djassi Amado

The Niger Delta and the Politics of Usable Nigerians | by Omolade Adunbi

26/01/2017

Life expectancy in the Niger Delta averages just 40 years, compared to between 53 and 55 within Nigeria as a whole. Yet, the Nigerian state and the multinational corporations operating in the Niger Delta have refused to address the historical processes that led from a ‘usable’ Niger Delta of the 1950s, to a current population … More The Niger Delta and the Politics of Usable Nigerians | by Omolade Adunbi

Overlooking Women’s Health in Northern Nigeria| by Aisha Mukhtar Dodo

10/01/2017

“From 2012 to 2015, Nigeria’s health budget consistently remained at around a paltry 6 per cent of the national budget; with a decrease to 4.64 per cent in 2016. This is despite pledging to commit 15 per cent of the national budget to the health sector at the Abuja declaration in 2001. One of the … More Overlooking Women’s Health in Northern Nigeria| by Aisha Mukhtar Dodo

in Light of the Death of the Liberal Left | by Danielle Purifoy

15/12/2016

“After Mr. Trump’s election, after Brexit, and after the multiplicity of far-right agendas across Europe, it has become dishearteningly clear that there will always be those who when the time for action is near, instead resign themselves to forgetting the pledges they made before the storm.” At the start of 2016, the UK’s exit from … More in Light of the Death of the Liberal Left | by Danielle Purifoy

Trump’s Africa Policy: Creating a ‘Useful’ and a ‘Useless’ Africa | by Abel Djassi Amado

16/11/2016

“So much of what Trump may, or may not, adopt as official US foreign policy towards Africa is uncertain. One of the things that will, however, influence what impact a Trump White House has on African countries will be the ability of African leaders to astutely define their own national interests.” Following last week’s US … More Trump’s Africa Policy: Creating a ‘Useful’ and a ‘Useless’ Africa | by Abel Djassi Amado