President Goodluck Jonathan’s claim that the bomb blasts that rocked the federal capital, Abuja, on 1st October, was not the work of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) continues to attract heavy criticism. The country’s Northern Political Leaders Forum has asked the president to resign within seven days or face the [...]
Recent trends and technological advances have made it easier for people to trace their historical lineage. This has sparked and sustained the success of programmes like the BBC’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ which over the past few years has attempted to bring family histories to life. An array of stars and celebrities have [...]
2010 has been a tremendous year for Africa. Not only are seventeen countries celebrating 50 years of independence, but the continent has also attempted to forge ties and unite under a banner of peace. The AU’s African Year of Peace and Security reflects a milestone in the continent’s history. The past fifty years have been [...]
Imagine, just for a moment, a young person taken by force or by guile from their home to work in a household without pay and are constantly subjected to abuse. Such situations are occurring throughout the world, seeing many endure the plight of modern day slaves. This is a phenomenon that the UK’s Channel 4 [...]
Journalism the world over labours under the curse of celebrity. There is no doubt that the reading, surfing, watching and listening public are fascinated by it. But are they fascinated to the exclusion of all else?As a journalist with more serious things on my mind I like to think not. But too many media proprietors [...]
It is all too often the case that reports of natural disasters and human suffering can only hold our attentions for the short-term. Niger’s current food crisis, which has been festering since 2005, serves to remind us that once the cameras have left and we turn our attentions elsewhere, [...]
Wild celebrations have broken out in the capital Kigali as early results have indicated that incumbent President Paul Kagame is headed towards a landslide victory. The festivities signal an end to a period of political tension that has been induced by the closure of media houses and countless arrests across the country. The country’s electoral [...]
The title of William Boyd’s book could have been invented for Desmond Tutu and I make no apologies for this rather personal review of his contribution to South Africa, Africa and the world. The former Archbishop of Cape Town and one of the most important public figures in South Africa has announced that he is [...]
It’s never easy finding a balance between freedom of expression and freedom from persecution. When international statesmen and lawyers drew up the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966), they had to work out how you could protect the right to freedom of expression while not allowing [...]
The decision by the Federal Government to celebrate Nigeria at 50 may appear to be a welcome development. 50 years is worth celebrating, but not in such an extravagant manner as is currently being planned and Nigerians are reacting. According to the federal government the N10 billion naira ($66 million USD) budgeted for the nation’s [...]
