Posts tagged nigeria

As a nurse in the colonial civil service, my maternal grandfather, Ndumma, travelled all over Nigeria and Southern Cameroons. Recently, we retraced Grandpa’s journey from Ahaba to Bamenda in time for his granddaughter’s wedding. I have no idea how the old man came to go along. He probably overheard us planning the trip, for his grave is not a dozen feet from the family house.

Conflicts are breeding ground for many atrocities, which often have long lasting effects on people’s physical, social and economic lives. Chief among these atrocities is sexual violence suffered majorly be women and girls. As we commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual violence in conflict, let us think about how can prevent this injustice in our communities.

Many Nigerians have only a vague idea of what sexual consent and sexual abuse are. This, says Lucia Eguono, as well as the widespread culture of silence and shame, is contributing to the rising incidence of rape in the country.

Politics in Nigeria can be as sweet as honey, at least for those who wind up as presidents, governors, lawmakers, ministers, commissioners and, more recently, the growing army of political ‘sons’ called special assistants or advisers, writes Linus Unah.

Nigeria’s high level of unemployment, especially among the young and recent graduates, is one of the major factors responsible for the spread of job recruitment scams, Valentine Iwenwanne writes.

Nigeria will host the 8th regional conference of anti-corruption agencies in Commonwealth Africa in 2018 according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud and money laundering. The conference is significant considering that corruption continues to affect the continent’s efforts towards good governance, sustainable economic growth, peace, stability and development.

The disease of forging education certificates has infected every sphere of public life in Nigeria, including politics. In fact, several politicians have been embroiled in scandals involving fake certificates.

Nigeria might be a country facing too many challenges, but the latest announcement by the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu that the country will soon use indigenous languages to teach Maths and Science is a welcome development if implemented.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has introduced a policy that gives incentives to whistleblowers who provide information that ultimately results in the recovery of looted money or the successful prosecution of wrongdoers. However, the Zimbabwean government faces a difficult task convincing its citizens to speak out. After all, the Zimbabwean people have seen their government preside over corruption for decades.

Government officials in Nigeria have been accused of diverting money, food and relief materials meant for internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the Islamist group Boko Haram. This means that all the donations – especially those made directly to the government – might still not solve the humanitarian crisis in the north-east of the country.