DISPATCHES Vol 62 No 3 | NIGERIA After mounting security pressure, President sacks service chiefs 28th January 2021 Sacking of the high command is part of a wider security reorganisation Security experts in Abuja estimate that Nigeria's military, being deployed in over 30 of the country's 36 states, is under more pressure today than at any time since... READ FOR FREE
Vol 62 No 1 | NIGERIA Ready to rumble 7th January 2021 As President Buhari looks to his legacy, the jostling for succession will begin in earnest In May, President Muhammadu Buhari will reach the halfway point of his second and final four-year term. It is that point in Nigeria's political calendar, when the main... READ FOR FREE
Vol 61 No 25 | NIGERIA Unbalancing the books 17th December 2020 Promises of grand economic growth have been torpedoed by the Covid-19 pandemic and crashing oil prices This time last year President Muhammadu Buhari and his numerous economic policymakers were optimistic that 2020 could see growth acceleration, job creation, significant infrastructure investments and progress on...
Vol 61 No 24 | NIGERIA Protest, what protest? 3rd December 2020 Official denials over the Lekki shootings fail to stand up against the mounting evidence, while activists are targeted in a clampdown Nigerian government officials continue to downplay the army shootings at youth-led protests against the rogue Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit in October, and are doubling down on...
Vol 61 No 22 | NIGERIA Generals tighten their grip 5th November 2020 Determined to use the #EndSARS protests for their own ends, the securocrats have reasserted their role at the heart of government The Nigerian army's version of the shootings during the October protests was spelled out at a bizarre press conference in Abuja on 2 November by Attorney General Abubakar...
Vol 61 No 21 | NIGERIA Rage at the gates 22nd October 2020 Targeted with live rounds in Lagos, campaigners against police brutality step up their protests and political ambition Pressure is mounting on President Muhammadu Buhari's government after the shooting of protestors at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on 20 October with the African Union and... READ FOR FREE
Vol 61 No 21 | NIGERIA States carry on regardless 22nd October 2020 Rival candidates in Ondo State's elections campaigned for their national ambitions more than local issues After losing the Edo state elections last month, the ruling All Progressives' Congress (APC) held on to Rotimi Akeredolu's governorship of Ondo State on 10 October – a...
Vol 61 No 20 | NIGERIA How to make oil pay 8th October 2020 After 20 years of lobbying, a bill to reform the country’s energy industry is being pushed through the National Assembly – with a good chance of success There has been consensus in the country on two things since the return to civil rule in 1999: the management of oil and gas, which dominates the export...
Vol 61 No 19 | NIGERIA Buhari goes to the market 24th September 2020 The pandemic has forced the government to end subsidies and move towards cost-reflective electricity pricing – and risk the fallout Shrinking oil revenues and the wider economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic are putting pressure on policymakers to limit the damage. In the short term that will mean...
Vol 61 No 19 | NIGERIA Edo's not so merry-go-round 24th September 2020 The opposition PDP claims its success in a fiercely contested governorship poll will relaunch it for the next national elections The contest for Edo State governor on 19 September was set to be bitter and partisan with a heady mix of local and personal rivalries, just as the...