Je Suis Baga
In the march on Sunday, Hollande claimed that Paris was the capital of the world. Given the number of deaths at the hands of Boko Haram this month, Ian Taylor wants to know why all eyes are not on...
View ArticlePresident Goodluck Jonathan under fire as election nears
In this blog, our Co-editor Nic Cheeseman looks at the prospects for an APC victory in Nigeria at the February polls and the rumours of potential manipulation already surround the elections. On...
View ArticleVoice of votes – technology and the Nigerian election
Voice of Votes has recently started to garner attention in Nigeria and beyond. In the run up to the election, we asked Ismail Jibrin to tell us more about the technology-based offering, and how it...
View ArticleBuhari and beyond: The answers we have and the questions that remain
Co-Editor SJ Cooper-Knock explores Buhari’s victory and the questions that remain, as the nation goes to the polls once more for the Governorship and House Assembly. After a delay in February, and an...
View ArticleWhat the Nigerian presidential election has to teach us about African politics
Taking a comparative perspective, Co-editor Nic Cheeseman asks what lessons the Nigerian presidential election has for politicians in Kenya, and beyond. A strong opposition coalition, a weak...
View ArticleInternal divisions in APC as Buhari prepares to take office
In this blog, Michaela Collord asks whether the APC can remain unified for long enough to deliver the change that they promised to fellow Nigerians. Michaela is a PhD candidate in politics at the...
View ArticleWole Soyinka for Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford
Democracy in Africa is joining the campaign to elect Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka as Professor of Poetry. As the first African elected to this post, Soyinka’s appointment would be an immense historical...
View ArticleSix factors that help us to understand Boko Haram
This week, we launched a broader series on security in Nigeria, exploring the latest research and comment on the security sector and security threats in the country. As part of that series, we are...
View ArticleMuslim politics and shari‘a in Nigeria
Alexander Thurston argues that many accounts of shari’a law in Nigeria have underestimated the complex politics that surround this issue, overlooked the diversity of Muslim constituencies involved in...
View ArticlePower play in Kenya and the ‘ideology of order’
Nic Cheeseman explores the political battle underway in Kenya between county assemblies, the National Assembly, and the Senate. He asks what consequences these might have for Kenyatta’s pledge to...
View ArticleSetting a foreign policy agenda for the Muhammadu Buhari presidency
Babatunde Afolabi talks us through the foreign policy priorities for Nigeria’s new government. Babatunde is a consultant who has previously worked for the Economic Community of West African States...
View ArticleMoving beyond ‘pay revolts:’ Mutinies and politics in Africa
Maggie Dwyer pushes us to reconsider how we view mutinies in Africa. Soldiers are a part of the political landscape, she argues, and their actions need to be seen in the context of broader political...
View ArticleFuelling progress in Nigeria: Buhari and the petrol subsidy
Zainab Usman tells us why Buhari must phase out Nigeria’s petrol subsidy. Zainab is a doctoral candidate in International Development at the University of Oxford. She tweets via @msszeeusman....
View ArticleBuhari and Boko Haram: A return to brutality?
Andrew Walker argues that Buhari’s military past was characterised by a brutality that is likely to re-emerge as he seeks to tackle Boko Haram. Andrew has been writing around Nigeria since 2006. He...
View ArticleProducing certificates of origin and negotiating the state in Nigeria
Laurent Fourchard tells us about his research into certificates of origin in Nigeria, and explains why talk of ‘corruption’ does not get us far in exploring the politics and processes that surround...
View ArticleBuhari’s ‘new’ cabinet
After the long-awaited announcement of Buhari’s cabinet, Nic Cheeseman explores who has made the list, and the question marks that remain. This post was originally posted on Presidential Power. Four...
View ArticleGender Equity: Where there’s a will, there’s a way
The Winihin Jemide Series has published a global report today on women in politics and government in Nigeria. Drawing on data between 199 and 2015, this report highlights the nation’s successes, and...
View ArticlePressure Mounts on President Buhari
President Buhari might have entered office with a groundswell of support but that support is in danger of fading fast, argues Nic Cheeseman. This post was originally uploaded on Presidential Power....
View ArticleBiafran unrest and the shrinking national cake: what prospects for Nigeria?
Leila Demarest analyses how the failure of the South-East Development Commission Bill highlights an increasingly fragile fiscal pact in Nigeria. **** On 1 June 2017, the 43 Representatives of Nigeria’s...
View ArticleDIA BOOK CLUB: The Contentious Politics of Democracy and Islamic Law in Nigeria
Brandon Kendhammer interrogates the relationship between Islam and democracy in northern Nigeria in this piece for DiA, using research from his book ‘Talking Politics: Framing Islam, Democracy and Law...
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