On Saturday 15 June, the Al-Jazeera West Africa correspondent Yvonne Ndege, and her 3-man crew were arrested in Niger. According to information posted on the Al-Jazeera website: The team was initially detained at around 9.00 (GMT) on Saturday, questioned, and asked to hand over the material from a story they were filming about refugees. The … Continue reading »
Filed under Northern Nigeria …
Boko Haram Rejects Amnesty Offer: Now What?
“Mr Shekau said his group had done no wrong and so an amnesty would not be applicable to them. It was the Nigerian government that was committing atrocities against Muslims, he said. “Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we that should … Continue reading »
A Glimpse into the World of Almajirai in Northern Nigeria
I first met Hannah Hoechner in May this year, at the Oxford University Pan African Conference. I was outside the conference hall, getting some fresh air and chatting with several people when this friendly long haired brunette came to us and said hello in Hausa. Fascinated, we proceeded to ask her how come she could … Continue reading »
Northern Nigeria: The Disconnect Between Our Leaders and the Rest of Us
It is becoming a tired cliché to note that Nigeria is a country with vast potentials which have remained unrealized due to socio-political and economic challenges of which dearth of transformational leadership is at the heart of all. Again, it is common knowledge that this leadership deficit is more severe in northern Nigeria relative to … Continue reading »
“Re-thinking Nigeria’s Indigene-Settler Conflicts” ~ A Report by USIP
A few weeks ago, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) released a report, written by Aaron Sayne, looking at indigene-settler conflicts in Nigeria, the basis of deadly communal violence notably in Jos and Kaduna, but also Warri, Wukari in Taraba, parts of Benue and other parts of the country. The report, based on thorough … Continue reading »
Nigeria’s First Female Chief Justice
On 16 July 2012 Honourable Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar was sworn in as Nigeria’s very first female head of the judiciary, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). She became Nigeria’s 13th indigenous CJN after her confirmation by the Senate, replacing her predecessor, Honourable Justice Dahiru Musdapher, who retired on 14 July. Justice Mukhtar has had … Continue reading »
June 2012: Who is “Crushing” Who?
March 28th 2012 is one of those memorable days many Nigerians will not forget in a hurry. This was the day when reports filtered out that President Goodluck Jonathan had in an interview in far away South Korea, the previous day, confidently assured the international community that Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad commonly referred to … Continue reading »
“What is Boko Haram?” ~ A Report by BBC’s Andrew Walker for USIP
Several weeks ago, in an NGO where I was working then, one of the Executive Directors of the organization came to my department, to say hello to everyone. We exchanged pleasantries, and he asked of my nationality, to which I replied “Nigeria“. He then asked what part of Nigeria and I said ”…from the North…”. He … Continue reading »
Nigeria’s First Mass Wedding
On Tuesday 15th May, Nigeria witnessed its first mass wedding in the Northern city of Kano when 100 couples were married off by the Kano state government under a programme to address the high rate of divorces in the state. Mass weddings around the world are nothing new; with the earliest recorded in 324 BC … Continue reading »
Debenhams’ Adverts Signs in Hausa: Worth Celebrating or Shameful?
For the first time in my life, I am ashamed of being Hausa-Fulani or rather, at our behaviour. Usually I am one who is extremely proud of my identity: I love the Hausa language, how it flows easily and I relish the slightest opportunity to speak it in the midst of friends and acquaintances of … Continue reading »
