Africa – POLITICAL MATTER •

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

A View from the Young: Change in Nigeria | by Kemi Lijadu

20/10/2015

“Nigeria is a land of the young. According to the CIA World Factbook, the median age in Nigeria is 18.2 years old. Those under 25 alone make up 62.39% of the population” Nearly five months after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office, many parts of the president’s ‘change agenda’ still remain hidden from the … More A View from the Young: Change in Nigeria | by Kemi Lijadu

The Feminist Plot or ‘All Men Are Welcome Here’

15/09/2015

“the women of Abeokuta who serenaded the Alake into understanding that his appendage was not a sufficient mark of authority prove that in this land there is nothing new about the feminist interrogation.” In Rousseau’s conception, the idea of shame is a largely human invention. The first human being to put on clothes and build … More The Feminist Plot or ‘All Men Are Welcome Here’

The Lion, the Confused African, and the Outraged Oyinbo

04/08/2015

“The issue has never been that the West loves our animals more than it loves us. It has been that we have been seen as those very animals against which we compete for petition signatures and coin donations. The challenge we have on our hands is to force our elevation into human category.” I have … More The Lion, the Confused African, and the Outraged Oyinbo

Corruption, Transaction Costs, and the Problem of Nigerian Prosperity.

27/07/2015

“Along with poor electricity generation and an unstable security environment, corruption can be added to the list of things that increase the transaction costs of economic activity” Does corruption affect economic growth? If so, how? Political scientists and economists have been concerned with these questions for decades now. And as is the case with most … More Corruption, Transaction Costs, and the Problem of Nigerian Prosperity.

Bring Back our Girls … Without the Hashtag.

09/07/2015

It has been 450 days since 200 school girls were abducted from the town of Chibok in Northern Nigeria. It is just shy of 14 months since the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, stood in front of a camera with a placard and announced her “outrage” with a hashtag. It cannot be … More Bring Back our Girls … Without the Hashtag.

Teacher, Don’t Teach Me Nonsense.

02/03/2015

Over the next few weeks, and in the run up to the Nigerian elections on the 28th of March (note my confidence that they will actually be held on that date), I, and a selection of guestwriters, will be focusing on a set of persistent issues that consistently and, often negatively, pervade the Nigerian socio-economic … More Teacher, Don’t Teach Me Nonsense.

Soludo Addendum.

29/01/2015

Yesterday I wrote about Charles Soludo’s article published in Vanguard Nigeria. It occurred to me that I had left out one important note of shame. Any Nigerian who would stand in unironic praise of former army officer Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s so called economic achievements, as Soludo does in the aforementioned article, ought to be greeted … More Soludo Addendum.

Nigeria’s 2015 Elections: Looking for a Saviour.

28/01/2015

“Nigeria’s problem is mental; and it is this hurdle that Nigerians must cross if it is ever to achieve its political and economic goals.” On the 14th of February, Nigerians will take to the ballot boxes to select a new (or old) president. Current president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the candidate from the People’s Democratic … More Nigeria’s 2015 Elections: Looking for a Saviour.