One cool morning many Septembers ago, Goni set out on a long journey to the urban capital of Borno with a few personal items, three companions, and a healthy herd of goats. He was going to sell the livestock at the Maiduguri Cattle Market, use the proceeds to buy fabrics, and then head back home …
Read more “Tragedy On The Road To Maiduguri’s Cattle Market”
When the creators of Nigeria’s capital Abuja envisioned the city in the late 1970s, they imagined it would be the hub of rail transportation, connecting all the other parts of the country. Over four decades later, that vision remains unrealised. Hope was rekindled in May 2007 when the capital territory authorities awarded the Abuja Rail Mass Transit …
Read more “Chinese Loans: Nigeria Is Spending Money It Doesn’t Have On Projects It Can’t Sustain”
Nigeria has been in a long-drawn battle with violent terror organisations for over a decade. These groups break up, expand, contract, and form new alliances as their strength either intensifies or wanes. Whatever happens, they have remained a threat to the safety of lives and property, and one key reason is their access to funding. …
Read more “How Are Terrorists In Nigeria Funding Their Violent Campaigns?”
Yagana Mamanaye’s life was complete, and then it wasn’t. She had everything she wanted. A home that embraced her. A husband who loved her. Children who brought her a garden of joy. A stable source of income. But, one by one, all those pleasures got sucked out and she was left with nothing. First, it …
Read more “She Lost Three Children Before The War, And Then It Took All That Was Left”
Elizabeth* and her inhaler were inseparable at the start of the year. The 22-year-old would fall asleep holding it and wake up gasping for air. She used the inhaler as many as eight times a day and had to buy a new one every other week. It was both stressful and expensive. When she heard …
Read more “Using Tech, A Group Of Young People Is Restoring Care To Nigeria’s Healthcare”
In practice, however, the rule is more complex than it sounds. Here’s how you can avoid the whispers and traps of plagiarism. One of the first lessons drilled into your head as a journalist is that plagiarism is bad. Like really bad. It is essentially the journalism equivalent of armed robbery — Perhaps even worse than passing …
Read more “Journalism’s First Commandment? Thou Shall Not Steal.”
When the Nigerian Communication Satellite company, NigComSat, was incorporated in 2006, the government had ambitious plans to make it world-class. The country’s excitement overflowed the following year with the launch of Sub-Saharan Africa’s first geostationary communication satellite. By April, it will be 14 years since the journey started, but NigComSat’s scorecard remains unsatisfactory. Domiciled under the Federal …
Read more “NigComSat: Nigeria’s Satellite Company Still Not Profitable 14 Years After Launch”
Ever since it gained independence, Nigeria’s electoral processes have been rattled by all forms of violence. The patterns remain strong as the country prepares to hold another round of elections next year. Nearly all of Nigeria’s general elections since independence have been tainted with the brush strokes of violence. The outrage that trailed the first election conducted …
Read more “Nigeria’s Deadly History Of Electoral Violence In Five Charts”
For a lot of bank users, accessing financial services has never been smoother. But persons with disabilities in Nigeria and Ghana continue to be left out, no thanks to barriers in buildings, behaviours, and policies. Ibrahim Omotosho, 39, drove into a bank in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria, in July 2020 to pick up his debit card. …
Read more “Banking Made Easy … But Not For People With Disabilities In West Africa”
Two hundred and seventy-six girls were kidnapped. Among them, over 100 are still missing. But, also, well over a hundred either escaped or were released by their captors. How are they faring? Over the course of two days, nine girls converge in a tiny hotel room in Yola. As a group, they are some of …
Read more “Keeping Up With The Chibok Girls: Chasing Dreams, Battling Discrimination, Dropping Out”