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Today in 1937, Olusegun Obasanjo was born in Abeok

Today in 1937, Olusegun Obasanjo was born in Abeokuta.⠀
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On 05 March 1937, former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, was born in Abeokuta, in Ogun State. In 1979, Obasanjo became the first military ruler in Africa to hand over power to a civilian government for a transition to democracy.⠀
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Obasanjo's first term as Nigeria's head of state came during the country's military regime. After his superior, Murtala Mohammed, was assassinated in Ikoyi during an attempted military coup on 13 February 1976, Obasanjo took over as Nigeria's military head of state. He served in that position until 1979—when he handed power to Shehu Shagari's newly democratic government.⠀
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In 1999, Obasanjo was elected president of Nigeria during another transition to democracy, and he served two terms as President from 1999-2007. He received praise both for overseeing Nigeria’s transition to representative democracy in the 1970s and for his Pan-African efforts to encourage cooperation across the continent.⠀
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Although Obasanjo portrayed himself as a campaigner against graft and corruption, critics say he was far more rigorous when investigating his opponents than his administration, and that he became too interested in retaining power during the second term of his democratic presidency.⠀
___________⠀
📝: Wemimo, Editorial Assistant.⠀
📷: President Carter shakes hands and smiles after Nigeria military ruler Lt. General Olusegun Obasanjo made his welcoming remarks during ceremonies at Dodan Barracks. April 01, 1978. Bettmann / Getty Images

Why are schoolchildren being kidnapped in Nigeria?

Why are schoolchildren being kidnapped in Nigeria?⠀
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According to the BBC, 600 students have been kidnapped from schools in north-west Nigeria since December. The most recent kidnapping occurred last Friday when gunmen abducted 279 schoolgirls from a government secondary school in northwestern Zamfara state. A security expert, Kemi Okenyodo, believes that kidnapping hundreds of students rather than road travellers is more lucrative for criminal gangs since it guarantees publicity and government involvement in negotiations and millions of dollars in ransom payments.⠀
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Although the Nigerian government has often denied paying ransoms, a report by SB Morgen, a Nigerian consulting firm says that over $18 million has been paid as ransom in the country between 2011 and 2020. In an interview with the NYTimes, Mr Habib, an analyst in Maiduguri said it’s not just criminals who stand to benefit from the surge in kidnappings, corrupt government officials also profit. ‘Kidnapping of schoolchildren for ransom is fast becoming lucrative for criminals and for officials involved in the rescue process as well. The secrecy involved in rescuing the children makes it easier for officials to pocket millions of naira supposedly paid in rescuing the children,’ he said.⠀
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According to UNICEF, 13.2 million children are out of school in Nigeria—one of the world's highest numbers of out-of-school children. The COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity and socio-cultural norms have discouraged attendance in formal education and are having a devastating effect on education across northern Nigeria.⠀
___________⠀
📝: Tomisin, Editorial Assistant⠀
📷: Belongings of the abducted students at the deserted dormitory of the Government Girls Secondary School, the day after the abduction of 279 schoolgirls by gunmen in Jangebe, Zamfara State, northwest of Nigeria on February 27, 2021. Kola Sulaimon / AFP via Getty Images

'I wept bitterly after reading "The Joys of Mother

'I wept bitterly after reading "The Joys of Motherhood".' – Promise Frank Ejiofor in our latest First Draft.⠀
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First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.⠀
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Author, Promise Frank Ejiofor, 'discovered the power of creative writing' after reading "The Joys of Motherhood" by Buchi Emecheta. 'To a large extent, the story is an irony—the joys associated with motherhood seem to be sorrows. Emecheta tries to suggest to the reader that, despite her sad ending, Nnu Ego’s life was a very fulfilled one', Ejiofor said.⠀
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Ejiofor explains that Emecheta's book showed a glimpse of the challenges of motherhood in Igbo society, and the plight of African families 'where women are the breadwinners.'⠀
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Have you read 'The Joys of Motherhood'? What did you think about it? Let us know in the comments! To read more from Ejiofor, click the link in our bio.⠀
__________⠀
📝: Promise Frank Ejiofor.⠀
📷: Ojima Abalaka.

Today in 1932, Miriam Makeba was born in Johannesb

Today in 1932, Miriam Makeba was born in Johannesburg.⠀
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On 04 March 1932, Zenzile Miriam Makeba, a singer, songwriter, actress, and activist, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Makeba was one of the most visible and outspoken critics of South Africa’s racist apartheid regime from its inception in the 1960s until its dismantling in the early 1990s.⠀
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Makeba's career flourished when she moved to the United States as a young woman, and she received a Grammy Award along with American musician Harry Belafonte for their 1965 album, 'An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba'. Makeba, nicknamed 'Mama Africa', was among the first African musicians to receive worldwide recognition. She brought African music to a Western audience, and criticized her country's apartheid regime in many of her most popular songs.⠀
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While attempting to travel home for her mother's funeral in 1960, Makeba was banned from entering South Africa by the country's government. In 1963, her testimony against the South African government at the United Nations resulted in the government banning her music and revoking her citizenship. She became involved in America's civil rights movement, and in 1968, she married Stokely Carmichael, a leader of the Black Panther Party. As a result, she lost support among white Americans. While she was on tour abroad, the US government cancelled her visa, forcing her and Carmichael to move to Guinea. She continued to perform, mostly in African countries, and released new songs more explicitly critical of apartheid.⠀
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After apartheid was dismantled in 1990, Makeba returned to South Africa. On 09 November 2008, during a concert in Italy, Makeba suffered a heart attack and died. After her death, former South African president, Nelson Mandela, said that Makeba's music 'inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us’.⠀
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📝: Wemimo, Editorial Assistant.⠀
📷: Miriam Makeba during a performance. REX / Shutterstock

#miriammakeba #southafrica

Call for Submissions: Modern Slavery in Africa - T

Call for Submissions: Modern Slavery in Africa
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Tomorrow is the last day to submit to our May-July 2021 issue.
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In partnership with the Antislavery Knowledge Network at the University of Liverpool, we are currently accepting submissions for our May-July 2021 issue, in which scholars and experts will critically discuss Modern Slavery in Africa.
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We look forward to analytical and engaging essays, articles, book reviews and reading lists.⁠
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Submissions with a focus on Africa are now welcome on any of the following topics:⠀
⎈The perceptions or understandings of modern slavery;
⎈The relationships between modern slavery and historical slavery, racism and colonialism i.e., transatlantic slave trade, slavery and its afterlives;
⎈ Modern slavery or trafficking? How does exploitation manifest in Africa?;
⎈ How have patterns of exploitation changed during the global COVID-19 pandemic?;
⎈ Africa rising? Global capitalism and modern slavery;
⎈ Modern slavery, policy and law;
⎈ The arts and modern slavery;
⎈ Migration, mobility, free movement and modern slavery;
⎈ Environmental issues, climate change, and modern slavery; and
⎈ Other relevant topics in international affairs.
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Authors of accepted submissions will be paid at a competitive rate.⁠
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Deadline: 5 March 2021 (11:59 WAT)⁠
Word count: 1500-5000 words.
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For more details, click the link in our bio. ⠀⁠
____________⠀⠀⠀⁠
📷: Women gold miners dig at a mining site in the Cameroon town of Betare Oya. April 4, 2018. Reinnier Kaze / AFP via Getty Images

#EndSARS: A fight Nigerian youths must not lose. #

#EndSARS: A fight Nigerian youths must not lose. #OnSite⚡️
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In our latest online essay, writer, Adekunle Falade, examines the roles young Nigerians played during the #EndSARS protests and distills lessons for future protests.
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According to Falade, the #EndSARS protests reflected ‘the repressed frustration of Nigerian youths on broader issues of poor governance spanning several decades'. Falade argues that for many young Nigerians, the protests represented a ‘fight that they cannot lose'.
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Falade examines the role of social media in driving the #EndSARS protests noting that social media helped make the protests decentralized and forestalled any attempts at hijacking the protests.
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Falade highlights the level of organization that young Nigerians put into the protests such as the provision of funds for food, medical bills and legal aid. Ultimately, Falade argues that the ‘concerted efforts' of people online and offline helped sustain the protests for as long as it did.
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For more on this topic, click the link in our bio.
____________
📝: Adekunle Falade
📷: An #EndSARS protester in Lagos holds up a placard / QUARTZ

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