A humanist per excellence, Eddie brought panache and mathematical meticulousness in explaining even the most complex of historical, political and ideological issues in Nigeria.
The new book by Chido Onumah is a collection of essays published by the author in various publications, including Pambazuka News, in the last three years focusing on the crisis of nationhood in Nigeria.
Nigerian journalist and author, Chido Onumah, a frequent contributor to Pambazuka News, just turned 50. To celebrate the milestone, he reflects on his life, work and the contradictions of the Nigerian nation.
This is a provocative book that provides students of international politics, foreign policy analysts,diplomacy, media practitioners and the sensitive general reader a critical entry point into the media in foreign policy formulation and implementation in a post-colonial state like Nigeria.
In Rivers State, four undergraduates are lynched for allegedly stealing laptops and cell phones; in Lagos a woman is beaten and sexually assaulted for stealing pepper; in Ondo State, a man is bludgeoned to death for being gay; and somewhere in Kano, a man is set free after more than two decades in prison for stealing a transistor radio. But there is no national outrage against high-profile thieves who have pocketed billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money.
Nigerian soldiers are notorious for their brutality against civilians whenever they encounter them. This possibly has something to do with the militarized nature of power in the country since independence. The soldiers hit a new low with the emergence of a video showing a group of cadets thoroughly brutalizing hapless citizens – and enjoying it.
At least 300 Shia sect members, and likely many more, were killed and hundreds more injured in December when the Nigerian army confronted the group in the north of the country. This deadly encounter reveals – once again – a country that is sleepwalking to a catastrophe.
There is renewed agitation in Nigeria to actualize the break-away republic of Biafra. While this demand is unrealistic in many ways, it points to an urgent need to address the unresolved question of Nigeria’s nationhood once and for all.
It is not easy to know how much a president, or any politician, is worth in Africa. So it was a matter of great public interest when Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, described by his image minders as ‘living an austere and Spartan lifestyle’, recently announced that he owns two inherited mud huts, some cows and a little money. But is that all?
President Buhari seems to have embarked on the war against endemic corruption with gusto. His recent appointment of a special advisory anti-graft team of respected Nigerians has met with approval. To truly lead from the front, the president ought to publicly declare his wealth and make other top officials in his administration do the same.
