The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) recently predicted that several cities in Nigeria would be affected by flooding if ‘proper measures’ were not taken. Already, about one hundred people have died in Jos, and six local government areas in Plateau state affected. Also, parts of Bauchi, Benue and Nasarawa are facing loss of lives and property from flooding. The issue is, [...]

It was with utter astonishment that the audience at Kofar Sauri Sharia court in Katsina on that fateful afternoon earlier this month, listened to the 12 year old pupil, Sani Musa, charged with theft, tell the court that he had to steal some metal scrap, in order to get money to enable him continue with his studies. He shocked the [...]

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 [...]

In the BusinessDay of November 9, 2009 In Africa, generally, the left-right political divide does not make much sense. I do not remember the last time I heard of a Nigerian political party with meaningful social democratic ideals. I have instead listened to populist politicians talk about how they would make education, health care, and social welfare available to all, [...]

In the BusinessDay of November 3, 2009 I was not a Nigerian until I lived outside Nigeria. Let me explain.The realization that I am Nigerian hit me right between the eyes when I went to study in Sweden. Apart from the fact that I was a foreigner, that is. Foreigner I was prepared for. The reason I chose to go [...]

This is a review of a few, selected, blog posts that discussed the Nigerian economy in the week that ended on March 14, 2009. Manasseh Egedegbe of the Stock Market blog at www.stockmarketnigeria.com says there is a silver lining in the Nigerian economy. In a post that he aptly titled A Silver Lining in the Nigerian Economy, he discusses the [...]