by Zainab Usman
Is Nigeria a nation?

I recently attended an event at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) on Change and Governance in Africa. One thing is clear: Africa is changing. The landscape of the continent is changing at a rapid pace, in some sectors, maybe a bit too rapidly but that is the topic of another write-up. The change is exciting. People are [...]

by Benson Eluma I have cast around for how best to characterize Nigerian literature 50 years after Independence, and I have decided to settle for the Abiku motif. Abiku or Emere is the colleague of Ogbanje, and these are personages that have played central roles in Nigerian lore and literature. They have also enjoyed a respectable filmic presence, at least [...]

Through the aspirations of the day of independence in 1960 we look beyond 2010 for a new Nigeria.

Out of the 17 African countries turning 50 this year, information ministers for 16 them have one thing in common – they wake up every morning and thank the heavens they don’t have Dora Akunyili’s job. Akunyili, Nigeria’s information minister, has the Sisyphean honor of debunking managing the country’s notorious reputation in a digital age. What other African information ministers [...]

Open Letter to the Nigerian People From your beloved country, Nigeria! By Temie Giwa WE NEED TO TALK! There is so much we need to discuss, but you are rarely around, you are always off talking about how horrible I am doing and how much I am not giving you what you need. How I don’t give you electricity, and [...]

by Sokari The original idea for this piece was to write a short essay on Nigerian Feminism over the past 50 years.  However there are still those who feel that “feminism” is unAfrican and I feel there needs to be a discussion on what Nigerian Feminism is before one can begin to name Nigerian feminists.   I give an example. [...]

by Seye Abimbola To have a medical school is an expensive, audacious undertaking anywhere in the world. From very humble beginning at the Yaba Medical School which produced 62 doctors in 18years (1930-1948) Nigeria has made unparalleled achievement in training medical manpower of all cadres. Nigeria has about half of all the medical schools in Sub-Saharan Africa, all nestled within [...]

By Kola Tubosun I’ve spent countless sleepless nights figuring out just how to write this article without rehashing the same old rote of complaining that has become commonplace while talking about Nigeria and the relationship of its constituent parts. I have started and deleted this piece about four times now, for want of a perfect way to begin to write [...]

In about a week from today, on October 1, it will be 50 years since Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom. Here at NigeriansTalk, and at the blogs of our contributors, we will celebrate Nigeria’s independence with a series of articles. The idea originates from a Twitter discussion on Nigeria’s independence. The discussion was started by Sokari. As is often [...]