I wrote in USAfrica Online in 1996 that Nigeria’s broadcasting industry was at a crossroads. While state television continued to dominate the airwaves, several newly licensed private broadcasting stations were trying to find space despite significant startup costs and a military government uncertain about what the future held for them. At the time, the big question was whether private radio and television would be able to establish themselves at all. Thirty years later, with a...

Nigerian social clubs, cultural organizations, and town unions meet every weekend in dozens of U.S. cities, including Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, and others. At these meetings, there is food (jollof rice), cloth (aso ebi), and joyous laughter, along with inevitable levies for funerals, weddings, or other projects back in Nigeria. These organizations — People’s Club of Nigeria International, Umuada Igbo, Ndi-Ichie Cultural Association, Omo Oduduwa, Zumunta Association, and hundreds of town unions formed around villages and...

Young Nigerians have shown a remarkable ability to create waves in the digital space. With a single click, they can expose a politician’s corruption, rally tens of thousands of supporters behind a single hashtag, and keep every political actor on edge from dawn until dusk. However, as the 2027 general elections draw closer, it is time to face an uncomfortable truth: loud online noise isn’t the same as real power in the political sphere. If...