Nigeria

Nigeria: News, Stories and Analysis.

Nigerian Monarchs Have Lost Their Reverence Who Will Save Nigerian Monarchs From Public Ridicule?

Oluwatobi OdeyinkaNovember 17, 2023

Nigerian monarchs have fallen off the ladder of deference in the current political arrangement. They have been stripped of their god-like status and today they are being subjected to public ridicule by public servants who possess real political power.

NigeriaOctober/November 2023

7 Books That Will Change What You Know About Party Politics in Nigeria

Peace Yetunde OnafuyeNovember 11, 2023

The books in this week’s list explore the nature of party politics in Nigeria. Some of our book recommendations served as resources for the third episode of our podcast, while others come highly recommended for anyone seeking to uncover the nuanced layers of Nigerian party politics.

NigeriaOctober/November 2023Read Something AfricanReading

The Nigeria Manifesto Book Review: The Trouble with Nigeria by Chinua Achebe

Ernest NwekeNovember 10, 2023

Forty years since its publication, Ernest Nweke believes that if there was ever a ‘right’ man to write any particular book, then Achebe is the man, and The Trouble with Nigeria is the book. What makes this book stand out is its boldness in speaking truth to power.

NigeriaOctober/November 2023Reading

‘Writing Is a Way of Being, a Mode of Inquiry, a Compulsion, a Pleasure’ Kemi Alabi’s First Draft

Kemi AlabiNovember 10, 2023

Poet and author of Against Heaven, Kemi Alabi, is experiencing a new disability and profound grief around the limits of care for sick Black people: ‘I’m wrestling with fear, anger; a complete reorientation to time, to my body, to the ableist world—and it’s demanding more honest language from me. I wish I could write around all this, but guided by Audre Lorde, I’ll write through.’

First DraftInterviewsNigeriaOctober/November 2023

The Republic: Season 1, Episode 4 Transcript June 12: Freest and Fairest of Them All

Wale LawalNovember 10, 2023

After eight years of anticipation, and eight years of promises from General Ibrahim Babangida’s junta, Nigerians were finally about to have their say at the ballot box. In this week’s episode, we head to the polls!

NigeriaOctober/November 2023PodcastsThe Republic Podcast

Sink Or Swim? Fubara Fights for Survival in Wicked Rivers

Yusuf OmotayoNovember 4, 2023

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State is on the verge of a potential impeachment after reportedly falling out with his political godfather and predecessor, Nyesom Wike. The situation highlights Nigeria’s problematic political landscape where political office holders are expected to be more responsive to their benefactors rather than to the people who elected them.

NewsNigeriaOctober/November 2023

Poetry from a Formalist Lens Book Review: Heaven is a Metaphor by Samuel A. Adeyemi

AncciNovember 4, 2023

In his debut chapbook, Heaven is a Metaphor, Samuel A. Adeyemi understands that it is not the passion for self-expression, writes Ancci, but the conscious command of language that makes poetry that is worth rereading.

NigeriaOctober/November 2023Reading

The Republic: Season 1, Episode 3 Transcript Two Sides of the Same Coin

Wale LawalNovember 4, 2023

In this episode, we take a look at the key election candidates and what platforms they ran under. We compare their profiles and proposed agendas for Nigeria, highlighting what political stakeholders at the time felt about each candidate and party.

NigeriaOctober/November 2023PodcastsThe Republic Podcast

‘I’m Not Afraid of a Blank Page’ Dipo Faloyin’s First Draft

Dipo FaloyinNovember 3, 2023

Nigerian journalist and author of Africa Is Not a Country, Dipo Faloyin, was frustrated by the fact that when most people think of Africa, they picture one of two things, poverty or safari: ‘I wanted to create something that both dispelled those myths while painting a comprehensive, reality-based picture of the past, present, and future of the continent.’

First DraftInterviewsNigeriaOctober/November 2023

How the Bigg Have Fallen A Tale of Mr Bigg’s’ Fall from Glory and Troubled Attempt at a Comeback

Oyindamola Depo-OyedokunOctober 29, 2023

Every now and then, a fresh X post asking, ‘What happened to Mr Bigg’s?’ pops up, evoking myriads of theories and nostalgic tales from younger millennials and Gen Zs. For most Nigerians in this demographic, the fall of the once eminent brand is simply confounding.

Best of 2023: EssaysNigeriaOctober/November 2023