Mali’s Amadou Touré and the Conundrum of African Leadership

Amadou Touré, coup maker, coup victim, military ruler, and eventually civilian chief of state in Mali, died last week in Istanbul at the age of seventy-two. Touré dominated Mali’s governance for some twenty years and, in death, is being praised as a “soldier of democracy.” Following his successful 1991 coup against Moussa Traoré, military ruler for thirteen years, Touré orchestrated a transition to elections and civilian government. In 2002 he was elected president and, in 2007, reelected....

Financing Boko Haram

There has long been speculation about how Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations are funded. Some funding clearly comes [PDF] from criminal activity, with kidnapping particularly lucrative, and from bank robberies. Presumably, protection rackets also play a role. At some times and in some places, Boko Haram has been able to impose “taxes” on the local population. Boko Haram has also been involved in trading, especially in the Lake Chad Basin. Weapons—a major expense—appear often to come from government armories, sometimes because...

Nigerian Security Forces and the Dangers of a Violence-First Approach

On October 20, 2020, Nigerians watched in horror on social media as men suspected to be members of the military opened fire on peaceful #EndSARS protesters—a movement responding to a litany of abuses by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a special police unit—in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. For more than a decade, Nigerian civil society groups have trained members of public security forces regarding the inviolability of human rights. Despite such training, Nigerian security agencies still...

Between Legislators and Executive Officials, Who Should Nigerians Hold More Accountable?

Not to excuse the legislature but the major problem of governance in Nigeria at all levels, come from the executive. ―Ebuka Onyekwelu Very often, Nigerian lawmakers at federal and state levels are under severe criticisms more than their counterpart in the executive arm. There is a complete shift that places legislators on constant spotlight and public assessment. In consequence, Nigerian lawmakers are constantly labeled ‘jobless’, with coinages like ‘legislooters’ invented to paint a clear picture...

Comedy of Nigerian Trumpsters ― a reflection on Donald Trump’s reelection mayhem

“In a modern democracy, evangelicals are satanic weapons of mass destruction.” ― Dr. Anthony Obi Ogbo In my previous article, I had classified Black people stomping for Donald Trump as “Idiots”. This was not because there is anything wrong with supporting a politician or a party, but, thoughtless political support confutes the very core purpose of what politics should be. Thus, political affiliation without substantial attachments of interests and benefits might end up as a...

There is Another Side of Trump’s Assault of Our Democracy

“The fragility of our democracy has been exposed by Trump” ―Frances Ngozi Okafor I promised my friends and family that I would shut up and just watch this election, but at this time, thing have taken a major turn. Thus, silence is no longer an option, so you must excuse me but  Trump’s refusal to accept the results of this election is actually a good thing. Hold on, and I would explain. I know as...

Weirdness of Donald Trump, His Nigerian Supporters, and Preachers from Hell

Strange political bedfellas from the cold, temperate Potomac to the mean, hot, tropical river Naija If you are going to lose in a chess game, you give up the king. If you were in a poker game, your choices would ride on your freaking abilities to bluff, and with that wild paste of ugliness that defines a gorilla’s mug…as in countenance…as in, you guessed it, a poker face. The oddities abundant in these wildly different...

Africa-China Cooperation: Maximizing the Gains of the Last 20 Years

Africa must not be carried away by western paternalism and the seemingly condemnation of everything China but concentrate on where the interests of its people will be better served. —Dr. Olalekan Augustine Babatunde 20 years ago when the African leaders put pen to paper and formalized trade and investment agreements with China, little did they realize how much groundwork they were laying for future generations considering how much the world has changed in multilateralism. The...

Abuse of Police Officers by Privileged Nigerians ―Dire Security Implications

This kind of Police is a sad reminder that despite her pretensions to the contrary, Nigeria is not yet a 21st Century organized country. ―UgoGold Nzeakonobiukwu Ofonedu As is the case everywhere in the world, the job of providing security within the boundaries of Nigeria is the exclusive preserve of the Nigerian Police Force. And through the years, the Nigerian Police Force have evolved from a tiny Constabulary Unit which took care of the British...

Election Night Has Been A Big Media Event Since Electric Lights First Announced the Winner in 1892

As election night approaches, Americans will turn to their televisions, computers and smartphones to watch results come in for local, state and national races. Over the years, news coverage of winners and losers has become must-watch programming – even if it is, as longtime NBC election-coverage producer Reuven Frank put it in 1991, “a TV show about adding.” The main goal of journalists on election night was – and is – to be the first...

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com