Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa

Wednesday, 2 October 2019

NIGERIA @ 59

Is there a better place to be to celebrate at 59 on , 1st October 2019? I was at 's (1st Unity Photo & History Gallery in Nigeria) panel discussion in . I spoke on the theme: 'Celebrating the strength of our togetherness'.

speaking on the theme: 'Celebrating our togetherness'

L-R: Ms. discussing with Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa. Novo took Dayo on a guided tour of the gallery.

I like to see young Nigerians doing innovative things! Ms. Novo Isioro (Founder/Curator ANiSZA Foundation), transformed disused cabins into a photo gallery that tells the story of Nigeria. She conceptualised telling the history of Nigeria in pictures. Lest I forget, she was the 's official photographer for his first term (2015-2019). ANiSZA's photo exhibition is now a yearly event. The maiden edition was held last year, with the VP in attendance.

At least more than 200 students were in attendance at this year's event! They came to learn about the history of their country via pics. They also learnt from experienced panelists who explained project Nigeria to them. It is instructive that I was the only panelist born before independence. I told them about the Nigeria I grew up in, and they were able to compare with the Nigeria they know.

Novo with some of the students @ the event

The following things I told the young persons in the audience about the Nigeria in which I grew up intrigued them:

*We were given nutritious lunch daily in my Primary School, (a public school). Powdered milk was never in short supply daily.

*It was very safe for young children to commute to and from school without an iota of fear of being kidnapped or molested on the way.

*There was nothing like insurgency, rural banditry, Niger Delta crisis, etc.

*To us kids, at that time, it didn't matter where you came from, we were ALL Nigerians.

*An adult neighbour could correct and even punish you for an offence before your parents' arrival and as such elicit praise and thanks from your mom and dad.

*I was never a JAMBITE. I wrote entrance exam into each University of my choice. I got admission to each University SEPARATELY and decided to attend in 1975. I graduated in 1980 with a Second Class Upper Division (Political Science).

*Before I graduated, I had secured employment in at least three blue chip companies viz; Lever Bros. Nigeria Ltd (Unilever), and . All these companies came to interview us in my final year at the University of Ife! I rejected ALL the employment offers because I wanted to pursue my Master's Degree at the in Political Science, which I completed in 1982.

The above were novel as far as the young members of my audience were concerned. They wanted to hear more! I told them all was not lost. The Nigeria of tomorrow is to be shaped by them and their unborn children. They were told to obtain their once they clock 18 years of age so they could determine who 'governs' them.

Novo explaining the essence of a photo (showing Nigeria's founding fathers) to Dayo.

After the first session, where the panel discussed the strength in our diversity, there was a second session which comprised a fashion show that depicted what's typical of each of the . Then there was '' (spoken word) - all eliciting positive narratives about Nigeria. Yummy! Yummy! came next - Opportunity to taste food from the six geo-political zones. The food was sumptuous...I could not have thought of anything better to do on Independence day than to give hope to the next generation of Nigerians.

Kudos to Novo and her formidable team for this laudable venture! Many Nigerians below 40 have no idea about many events in the country before they were born. With innovations like this, the story is likely to change for the better...

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*SERAP asks President Buhari to stop Governors from 'borrowing' N17trnfrom pension fund https://t.co/bmmIGSBib?amp=1

*Nigerian farmers blame food shortage on attacks by bandits, herdsmen today.ng

*Nigeria submits BH-based movie to the Oscars allafrica.com/view/group/mai...

*The Babangida in all of us guardian.ng

*Yemoja, yearly festival by the Yorubas aje.io/zucek

*How graduates can generate self-employment guardian.ng

*Sterling Bank named best workplace in Nigeria in the 'Large Corporates' category punchng.com

*US removes reciprocity fees on visa for Nigerians premiumtimesng.com

*Nigerian citizens and the state of the nation/federation - Ebere Onwudiwe https://opinion.preiumtimesng.com/2020/12/07/nigerian-citizens-state-federation/

*Youth resume EndSARS protest in Oshogbo https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/south-west/429872-youth-resume#endsars-oshogbo/

*President Buhari threatens to 'deal decisively with violent protesters' https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/429878-buhari-threatens.../

*Hisbah, death for blasphemy - Reasons the US blacklisted Nigeria by Fredrick Nwabufo bit.ly/3m709zJNigeria's

*Nigeria's first animated movie allafrica.com/view/group/mai...

*Nigeria's crisis of Presidential accountability newsdiaryonline.cm/nigerias-crisis-presidential-accountability/

*The Prosecutor of the ICC says she has enough evidence to open formal investigations on Nigeria against BH, ISWAP & Nigerian Army HQ for crimes against humanity & war crimes icc-cpi.intharan student mobility universityworldnews.com

*Global lenders raise pressure on Nigeria to reform currency https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-12/global-lenders-raise-pressure-on-nigeria-reform-currency/

*Econet moves back to Nigeria with $100m Data Centre facility https://nairametrics.com/2020/12/12/econet-moves-back-to-nigeria.../

*Nigeria leads in Sub-Sahara student mobility universityworldnews.com

*Why real change proves elusive in Nigeria by M.J. Balogun opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2020/12/13/why-real-change-proves-elusive-in-nigeria/

*Shell's polluting activities in the Niger Delta https://lnkd.in/dJ_YHSZ #oil #environment #pollution #fishing #oil&gas

*Schools without guns https://nextierspd.com/schools-without-guns/

*Notes on fake decolonisation: What counts as authentic decolonisation? https://africasacountry.com/2020/12/notes-on-fake-decolonisation/

*Conflict potentials of the 2020 Water Resources Bill nextierspd.com

*CBN revokes operating licences of 42 Microfinance Banks https://ashenewsonline.com/gneral-news/cbn-revokes-operating-licence-42-mfbs/

*Income inequality leads to pervasive inequalities in access to education, healthcare and finance. It also hampers the quality of and quantity of economic growth ow.ly/g1PR5QzCQZO

*African-made content is crossing over into the real global cultural mainstream: Nigerian artistes blaze the trail economist.com

*Horrific practice of burning crime suspects punchng.com

*Nigeria: Insecurity - 349 killed, 290 kidnapped in violent attacks across Nigeria in November 2020 - Report premiumtimesng.com

*Founder, Leadership Newspaper (1962 - 2020) by Reuben Abati bit.ly/3awGELM

*Ekiti translates Amotekun law into Yoruba language thenatononlineng.net

*New Covid-19 variant (lineage B.1.1.7) in the UK now in Nigeria premiumtimesng.com

*Nigeria's oil faces threat as electric vehicle sales rise punchng.com

*Release of Kankara boys : The perfect Christmas present for Nigerians - Ebere Onwudiwe opinion.premiumtimesng.com

*The linguistic famine https://africasacountry.com/2020/09/black-saibs-decolonising-language/

*Africa's trade agreement: Great expectations, tough questions issafrica.org

*3 ways Nigeria's digital economy can improve in 2021 theafricareport.com

*30 interesting facts about Nigerian leaders https://buff.ly/2ycw7aI

*Ungoverned spaces: Why communities must fight back by Jibrin Ibrahim https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2021/01/08/ungoverned-spaces.../

*CAC implements CAMA Act 2020, introduces self-service portal - Registrar General https://t.co/f4JMR

*5 prominent Nigerian Professors lost to Covid-19 https://thenationonlineng.net/five-prominent-nigerian-professors-lost-to-covid-19/

*Naira slumps further, exchanges at N437/$1 (January 13, 2021) punchng.com

*Africa's free trade agreement: Great expectations, tough questions issafrica.org

*The tragic delusions of white exceptionalism africasacountry.com

*Nigerian teen jailed for blasphemy has sentence quashed edition.cnn.com

*How Africa can benefit from the new commodity super cycle issafrica.org

*Nigerian confraternities & the increase in human trafficking across Europe https://africa.org/nigerian-confraternities-human-trafficking-europe/

*Cameroon-Nigeria: Will there be a defined border soon? t.co/STCpcVAID8... theafricareport.com/62740/cameroon-nigeria-defined-border.../

*The need to stop the ethnic conflagration now by Bashir Othman Tofa opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2021/02/02/the-need-stop-thnic-conflagration/

*Biden's likely policy towards Africa by Oseloka Obaze https://guardian.ng/opinion/bidens-likely-policy-towards-africa/

*CBN orders Nigerian Banks to close cryptocurrency accounts https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/440826-cbn-orders-banks-to close-cryptocurrency accounts/

*Cryptocurrency & Nigerians: 7 things you should know punchng.com

*Nigeria's runaway inflation means low treasury bill yields will not last theafricanreport.com

*Black faces in high places: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala & bid for WTO DG africasacoutry.com/2021/02/black-faces-high-places/

*How women fared in Nigeria's 2019 elections cddwestafrica.org/how-women-fared-nigerias-2019-elections/

*Nigeria's economy has been hit by the pandemic, sharp drop in oil prices and capital flight. Here are 4 recommendations from IMF's annual review ow.ly/RFsJ5ODuga

*While Nigeria bans Cryptocurrency, Telsa buys bitcoin big premiumtimes.com

*Covid vaccines: Nigeria receives highest allocation in Africa punchng.com

*The mis-eduaction of the Nigerian middle class africasacountry.com

*Pan-Africanism today freedomlb.org

*6 main reasons why we banned Cryptocurrency -CBN https://thenationonlineng.org.../

*The pandemic in violent zones of Nigeria nextierspd.com

*Nigeria to vaccinate 109 million citizens against Covid-19 in 2 years africa.cgtn.com

*UK Supreme Court battles Environmental Justice for poor Nigerians: Oil-polluted Nigerian communities can sue Shell in English Courts youtube.com

*EFCC uncovers Internet Fraud Training Centre in Abuja channelstv.com/2021/02/18/efcc-uncovers-iftc-abuja/

*On-going insecurity in Nigeria: Era of contradictions nextierspd.com

*Telling Nigerian stories outside of Lagos & mainstream Nollywood africasacountry.com

*Gunmen kidnap scores of schoolboys in central Nigeria bangkokpost.com

*Nigeria has banned Cryptocurrency: Elon Musk says Bitcoin slightly 'better' than holding cash reuters.com

*Ethnic profiling: Sasha & the Shashasha among us by Jibrin Ibrahim https://www.premiumtimes.com/opinion/443825-ethnic-profiling-sasha.../

*Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's triumph & lessons for Nigeria reubenabati.com.ng

*EndSars: The Precariat & Nigeria's political sociology by Jibrin Ibrahim https://twitter.com/jibrinibrahim17?lang=en

*Nigeria hails appointment of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's historic appointment as DG, WTO allafrica.com/view/group/mai...# Nigeria

*Banditry, lawlessness & the failure of law reform in Nigeria by Dr. Sam Amadi https://www.thecable.ng/banditry,lawlessness-failure-law-reform-nigeria/.com/

*Regulate Cryptocurrency, don't kill it, VP Osinbajo tells CBN channelsty.com/2021/02/26/regulate-cryptocurrency-dont-kill-it-vp-osinbajo/

*The Kalashnikov challenge: Nigerian insecurity, poverty & conflict by Jibrin Ibrahim premiumtimesng.com

*Nigeria's new Military Chiefs face uphill battle chatamhouse.org

*Wave of violence nextierspd.com

*Is the future of Africa's amateur cinema streaming? africasacountry.com

*Nigeria's rail cost exceeds AU's estimates by over 100% guardian.com

*Gully erosion threatens lives and livelihoods in Nigeria climatetracker.org

*Fela met Sandra Izsadore in California during a 10 month US tour with the Koola Lobitos in 1969. Izsadore, a Black Rights activist, introduced Fela to the writings of Malcolm X, Franz Fanon & the philosophy of Blackism. During Black History Month, 2021, she wrote about her time with Fela. https://felakuti.com/news/sandra-izsadore/

*Nigerian NGOs issue ultimatum to President Buhari over inscurity https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/

*By targeting schools, Nigerian kidnappers put country at risk france24.com

*Hundreds of girls missing aftergunmen raid boarding school thetimes.co.uk

*More Nigerians don't trust government, fear losing jobs more than Covid-19 nairametrics.com

*Measuring the cost of not counting Africa's dead bbc.com

*Black History Month: Chimamanda N. Adichie's recommended reads amazon.com

*The death of cities in the wake of Covid-19 africasacountry.com

*Covid-19: How 5 hardest hit countries in Africa are coping https://www.premiumtimes.com/.../444184-covid-19-how-african-states-coping-covid-19/

*Banana peels Bawa must avoid as EFCC Chair guardian.com

*Over 30 million poor Nigerians now on Social Register - FG reubenabati.ccom.ng

*Black people in history: Little-known figures to know cnn.com

*The African agenda @ the WTO issafrica.org

*The Nigerian dream is to leave Nigeria africasacountry.com

*Nigeria: 4 incidents of student kidnap in less than 60 days! thecable.index

*Bitcoin plunges, Ethereum suffers, Musk loses billions cointelegraph.com

*War on education in Nigeria nextierspd.com

*Pioneers in Black Studies africasacountry.com

*Jebba food blockade: Affected traders lament more than N1b losses premiumtimesng.com

*They said they'll shoot: Jangeba schoolgirls recount kidnap ordeal reuters.com

*Why Africans keep migrating to cities thhps://www.dw.com/en/why-africans-migrate-cities/av-56621524

*Has Africa's time @ the WTO come? by Teniola Tayo https://ow.ly/mdIR50DMkSU

*Between abduction & freedom nextierspd.com

*Despite his age, Abdulrasheed Bawa faces the same challenges his predecessors faced by Ibrahim Farouk (YIAGA Africa) https://www.legit.ng/1405920-opinion-bawa-sentiments-youth-participation-politics-anti-corruption/

*10 things Nigerians expect from Bawa as EFCC Chair premiumtimesng.com

*BH teams up with bandits in Nigeria issafrica.org #LakeChadBasin

*Shooting mars reunion of freed schoolgirls with parents france24.com

*#EndSARS: How media report citizens' #5 for 5 demand yiaga.org

*Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II: A phoenix rises by Muhammad Abu Ihsan newsdiaryonline.com

*Burna Boy wins 2021 Grammys - Best Global Music Album community.thenationonlineng.net

*Wizkid wins Grammy with Beyonce's collaboration channelstv.com/2021/03/14/breaking-wizkid-wins-grammy.../

*Nigeria needs justice, not payoffs in order to build peace by Oge Onubegu https;//www.usip.org/publications/2021/03/nigeria-needs-justice-not-payoffs.../

*Nigeria's inflation hits 18.7% (as at 15th April, 2021) amid high food prices allafrica.com/stories/202104...

*Waterpreneurs cash in on Nigeria's water delivery crisis allafrica.co/view/group/mai...

*Rescuing Nigeria from failure https://nextierspd.com/rescuing-nigeria-from-failure/

*Nigeria suspends Twitter operations after social media platform freezes President's account washingtonpost.com

*78% Nigerian power consumers get less than 12-hour supply a day - World BANK punchng.com

*Ngozi, Tedros, Diop, etc. are Africa's voices on the global stage theafricareport.com

*How Chad leader, Idris Deby's death may affect Nigeria's security allafrica.com

*Geopolitics in the 21st century: Territories, identitiesand foreign policies https://www.psa.org/na/book/geopolitics.../

*Sad week in Nigeria (25th April 2021); Over 239 killed, 44 kidnapped in separate incidents premiumtimesng.com

*Nigeria's lawmakers sat for only 14 days in 3 months, missing deadlines for passing key laws premiumtimes.com

*African dictatorships and the coupthat claimed it wasn't by Jibrin brahim newsdiaryonline.com

*Lessons from Igbo trans-generational apprenticeship/entrepreneurship: Why it matters theconversation.com

*Kaduna State University increases fees for non-indigenes from N26,000 to N500,000 instagram.org

*Like Canada, US warns citizens against travelling to Nigeria icirnigeria.org

*That 'Nigeria first' foreign policy initiative guardian.ng

*7 African nations Nigerians can travel to by rad community.thenationonlineng.net

*ECOWAS Court orders FGN to pay $200,000 (N90m) to ex-Air Force woman 'raped, illegally dismissed' premiumtimes.com/news/458816-ecowas-court-orders-fg-pay-$200,000-to-ex-air-force-woman-raped-illegally-dismissed/

*Nigeria: Attacks on public infrastructure nexterspd.com

*Buying freedom: The ransom-kidnap 'industry' in Nigeria nextierspd.com

*Southern Nigeria Governors ban open grazing, call for national dialogue allafrica.com/view/group/mai...

*Will digital currencies wipe out crypto? trib.al/sTNHt1B

*Nigeria's possible futures & trajectories by Jibrin Ibrahim premiumtimesng.com

*The new colonialism: Western states are now exploiting Africa by dumping bio-hazardous waste dailymaverick.co.za

*A Kano state High Court has fined Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje N800,000 for wasting its time after he discontinued his defamation of character suit against an online publication, Daily Nigeria ait.live

*Federal High Court in Abuja vindicates former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, says she was ineligible for NYSC ait.live

*42 CSOs allege plot by NASS to manipulate key provisions of the Electoral Act amendment Bill vanguardngr.com

*World Bank urges Nigeria to rethink fuel subsidy, multiple exchange rates allafrica.com

*Why nominations are a headache for any Political Party allafrica.com

Friday, 27 September 2019

MEDIATING NATURAL RESOURCE CONFLICTS IN AFRICA

In the last two decades, many of the are as a result of disagreement about the relationship of citizens with the extant natural resources in their clime. Some examples are the over crude oil/; the about fodder/water, and the use of land by both farmers and herders. Indeed, these conflicts have regional, continental and international dimensions; etc. However, not much attention has been paid to the germane issue for mediating these conflicts with a view to transforming them into more manageable forms in order to ensure continued peaceful coexistence.

@ the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP) & African Peace-building Network (APN) workshop on ': Connecting Practice to Research & Policy'.

There was a pot potpourri of academics/researchers, practitioners and policy makers at the workshop:

* - Programme Director, APN
*Dr. Emeka Eze - Executive Director, WANEP
*Ms. Bridget Osakwe - National Coordinator, WANEP Nigeria
*Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa - Conflict Transformation Expert & Member,
*Dr. Nathaniel Danjibo - IPSS, University of Ibadan
*Umar Ahmed - Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
*Godfrey Maringira - University of Western Cape, South Africa
*Dr. Onyinye Oyindo - University of Port Harcourt
*Prof. Felix Asogwa - Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT)
*Jacinta Nwaka - Dept. of History, University of Benin
*Nathaniel Awuapila - CORAFID, Nigeria
*Ebenezer Asiedu - ECOWAS MFD
*Abubakari Ahmed - UDS, Wa, Ghana

After exhaustive deliberations, the following observations were made:

*Natural resources are a major cause of conflicts in Africa.
*Land, the main source of the natural resources, is loaded with historical, spiritual and cultural significance that goes beyond its contemporary value in many cases.
*Local disputes over natural resources may have national, regional, continental and international dimensions.
*Natural resources are managed by complex and overlapping systems of traditional and modern institutions.
*There is for natural resources traded on the international market.
*Violent conflicts over natural resources likely to occur in countries with weak institutions.
*There is a lack of in the management of for natural resources.
*Responses to natural resource conflicts are reactive rather than proactive.
*Early warning about natural resource conflict is not often accompanied by to same.
*Reportage of natural resource conflict discountenances sensitivity.
*There is no database of natural resource conflict mediators in Africa.

The following were recommended:

*More attention should be paid to prevention, management and mediation of natural resource conflicts in Africa.
*The spiritual, historical and cultural dimensions of in Africa should be taken into consideration by researchers, practitioners and policy makers in their work.
*The national, regional, continental and international dimensions of local natural resources conflicts should be taken cognisance of by mediators, practitioners and researchers.
*African countries need to develop strong institutions which would put effective and efficient modalities in place for the prevention and management of natural resources conflicts.
*There should be revenue transparency in the natural resource sector. There should be prior to export.
*Early warning of impending natural resource conflict should be complemented by early response.
*Reportage of natural resource conflict should pass the sensitivity test.
*Members at the inaugural workshop on 'Mediating natural resource conflicts...' should form the core of mediators in the field of natural resource conflict. More intensive training and interaction/workshops/conferences, etc are however needed.
*The trained core of ' ' could form the team for '' commissioned by .
*The comprising academics, practitioners and policy makers should be housed in the interim by WANEP.
*A database of natural resource conflict mediators should be compiled and constantly updated.

This is indeed a successful maiden outing for an ambitious project to identify and nurture academics, practitioners and policy makers who could effectively mediate natural resource conflicts in Africa. Bravo!

Related Links

*Mediation & the principle of emergence - Kluwer Blog https://lnkd.in/eNaDmRz
*Why empathy may be the most important skill you'll ever need to succeed in Mediation https://www.inc.com/yoram-solomon/10-reasons-empathy-is-most-important-skill-you-will-ever-need
*Interface between traditional and modern approaches to Conflict Mnagement by Iddy Ramadhani Magoti https://www.youtube.com/watch
*How to argue in a healthy way thriveglobal.com/stories/how-to-argue-in-a-healthy-way/
*From Sudan to Mali, how climate wars are breaking out across the Sahel https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-mali-conflict-climate-wars-conflict-sahel/
*5 reasons why Mediation should be mandatory https://www.thehrdirectory.com/five-reasons-why-mediation-needs-to-be-mandatory/
*Natural resources, sustainable development & peace in Africa wilsoncentre.org/webcast-natural-resources-sustainable-development-peace-in-africa/
*Will the colonised ever speak? https://africasacountry.com/2020/01/will-the-colonised-ever-speak?/
*How are you showing up as an active listener during Mediation? 5 steps to avoid the-advisor.co/how-are-you-showing-up-as-an-active-listener/
*Watchdog Mediation: Mediation is increasing in consumer disputes https://bit.ly/2GGHdpr
*5 ways to boost your bottom-line with empathy during Mediation https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-ways-to-boost-your-bottom-line-nina-majaniemi/
*Negotiation: Moving beyond intractability https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/negotiation
*Silence as argument in conflict situations https://www.synergycoaching.com/2020/02/silence-as-argument/
*How to be a good listener https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/20/how-to-be-good-listener/
*Breaking Nigeria/Africa's 'resource curse' through eco-system investing https://allafrica.com/news/group/main/id/00072071.html
*What is 'deep listening' during Mediation & how can it help during the Covid-19 pandemic? thriveglobal.com/stories/deep-active-listening-support-mental-health-empathy-cov-connection/

*What great listeners actually do https://trib.al/WPz4Y8t

*3 ways to build empathy in Mediation http://t.ted.com/6TeMiRG

Friday, 20 September 2019

FARMER-HERDER RELATIONS IN THE LAKE CHAD & WESTERN SAHEL

The Forum on Farmer-Herder Relations in Nigeria (FFARN) expanded its scope beyond analysis of the Nigerian situation. The conference held in between the 18th and 19th of September 2019 was attended by practitioners, academics, policy makers and other stakeholders from both . There was cross-fertilisation of ideas on the following areas: . I was a major stakeholder at the parley.

L-R: Nicolas Wicaksono (Research Fellow, SFCG) & Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa

FFARN, under the auspices of Search for Common Ground (SFCG) collaborated with the Institute for Peace & Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja to examine cross-cutting issues on the selected themes mentioned above in the and . I retired from IPCR in 2010 as the pioneer Director, External Conflict Prevention & Resolution. I was the very first and only female Director in IPCR to date.

The following were some of the participants:

* - Prof. of Peace Studies, UI & Keynote Speaker
*Dr. Bakut Tswah Bakut - DG IPCR
*Sher Ali Nawaz - Country Director, SFCG
*Dr. Andrew Kwasari - SSA to the President on Agriculture
*Dr. Shidiki Abubakar Ali - University of Bamenda
*Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa - Independent Consultant/Conflict Transformation Expert & Fmr. Director, IPCR
*Dr. Chris Kwaja - Centre for Peace & Security Studies, MAUTECH
*Dr. Koffi Alinon - Independent Consultant, Togo
*Dr. Saleh Momale -Kaduna State Peace Commission
*Dr. Joseph Ochogwu - IPCR
*Ms. Grace Awodu - IPCR
*Alice Kambire - West Africa Network for Peace-Building (WANEP)
*Djafarou Amadou - L'Association pour la Redynamisation de L'Elevage au Niger (AREN)
*Senator Shehu Sanni - Nigeria
*Dr. Anthony Bature - Federal University, Wakuri
*Abdoulaye Guindo - Association pour la Promotion des Initiatives de Developpment Communautaire (APIDC)
*Antoine Monemou - Association de Cooperation et de Recherche pour le Developpement (ACORD)
*Toyin Falade - SFCG
*Nathaniel Awuapila - Civil Organisations Research Advocacy & Funding Initiatives Development (CORAFID)
*Philip Vande - Federal University, Gusau
*Joseph Gimba - Centre for Peace Education & Community Development, Jalingo
*Adagba Okpaga - Centre for Peace & Development Studies, Benue State University
*Dr. Diamond Preye - Abdulsalami Abubakar Institute for Peace & Development Studies (AAIPSDS), Minna
*Chom Bagu - Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), Bauchi
*Dr. Ardo Aliyu - APESS
*Dr. Aboki Nawani - Centre for Youth, Women & Community Action, Lafia
*Dr. Agoso Bamaiyi - Adamawa State Agency for Peace, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction

A major observation was that many of the problems related to farmer-herder issues are similar across Anglophone and Francophone countries. Some of the observations and recommendations were:

*There is intensified '' as a result of the farmer-herder crisis. Food scarcity is rampant.
*The societal fabric is broken. Symbiotic relationship between farmers and herders stalled. The means of livelihood is now skewed.
* The conference should be made an annual event.
*Extant rules and regulations for stock routes should be re-visited.
*There is mass displacement of the populace which has led to serious humanitarian problems.
*Indigenous knowledge, which is widely available in the region should be deployed to solve the problems of farmers and herders.
*Value should be added to agricultural products across the value chain.
*Relevant technology, including AI, should be deployed to solve extant problems.
*Both farmers and herders are assets.
*Laws promulgated to solve the farmer-herder problem have now become part of the problem.
*Re-vitalisation of the needs urgent attention. The effort of the Lake Chad Basin Governors' Forum is noted in this regard. See for example my Blog post on the Governors' first conference: dayokusa.blogspot.com/2018/05/lake-chad-basin-governors-forum-lcbgf.html #LCBGF
*The Private Sector should be involved as part of the solution.
*Ungoverned spaces within nation-states continue to fuel crime. Vigilante groups are trusted more than government security forces.
*There should be greater collaboration between practitioners, academics and policy makers.
*Early response to conflict should complement identified early warning signs.
*In recent times, the intersection between farmer-herder crisis, rural banditry, kidnapping etc. is blurred because they often occur simultaneously.
*We need more positive narratives as regards the farmer-herder crisis.
*The National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) in Nigeria, recently adopted by the 19 northern states and the 'Agro Rangers Specialised Force are some good practices from Nigeria that could be examined in countries in the region under review. The Togo 'grazing zones' where a decent amount is paid on each cow, results in considerable income. This is another good practice for other countries to emulate.
*Security is beyond perimeter fencing. It is important to also enhance human security which ensures a level of confidence building in the populace.

A major take away was that regional solution to the farmer-herder crisis should be intensified because the challenge is beyond borders. Beyond working in silos, nation-states should reach out across the region for sustainable action to resolve the crisis. ECOWAS and the AU have critical roles to play in this regard.

Related Links

*The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice orders the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to investigate the January 2018 'mass killings and destruction of property in Benue state https://www.today.ng/news/nigeria/ecowas-court-orders-federal-government-mass-killings https://t.co/klB2G.wiyS
*Conflict prevention in the Sahel: Emerging practice across the UN - The UN must act earlier, often in non-Muslim settings where the UN is led by a Resident Coordinator (RC) https://cpr.unu.edu/conflict-prevention-in-the-sahel-emerging-practice-across-the-un
*Effort of the Judiciary in resolving the farmer-herder crisis in the Middle-Belt of Nigeria https://soundcloud.com/sfcg-nigeria/effort-of-the-judiciary-resolving-farmer-herder-crisis-middle-belt-nigeria/

*France to withdraw troops from the Sahel region https://www.overt.defense.com/2020/11/12/france-to-withdraw-troops-from-sahel-region
*The warning signs are flashing red: The interplay between climate change & Violent Extremism (VE) in the Western Sahel by Tom Midendrop & Reinier Bergema icct.nl/publication/the-warning-signs-are-flashing-red-the-interplay-between-climate-change-and-violent-extremism/
*Mapping the Geography of political violence in North & Central Africa https://oecd-development-matters.org/2019/10/17/mapping-the-geography-of-political-violence-in-north-and-west-africa/
Towards sustainable peace: Development approaches to tackling fragility, conflict and violence https://live.worldbank.org/sustainable-peace-development-tackling-fragility-conflict-violence
*The warning signs are flashing red: The interplay between climate change & violent extremism in the Western Sahel https://icct.nl/publication/the-interplay-between-climate-change-violent-extremism/
*Report: Liptako-Gourma is the epicentre of a security crisis affecting the Sahel-Saharan strip http://ow.ly/yedA50ytSqg
*Grappling with Sahelian insecurity https://t.co/ug1J1fcXzB #WestAfricaInsight
*West African Presidents urge US to stay in the fight against terrorism www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/west-africa.../2020/01/20/
*Western Sahel: Protests & Risks www.weforum.org>agenda>2019/01>all-the-warning-signs.../
*Growing violence in West Africa http://www.theendofhistory.net/.../ep-225-growing-violence-in-west-africa?
*Violence in the West African/Sahel region https://nextierspd.com/.../recovering-the-sahel.../
*We have to stop destroying nature - and 2020 should be the year we act https://bit.ly/2tTObVa
*Africa's pastoralists: A new battleground for terrorism https://africacentre.org/spotlight/africa-pastoralists-battleground-terrorism/
*Changing contexts & dynamics of farmer-herder conflicts https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260326683_changing_dynamics_farmer_herder_conflicts_across_west_africa/
*Understanding farmer-herder conflicts in West Africa https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277358041_understanding_farmer_herder_conflicts_in_west_africa/
*Growing herdsmen militancy is adding to West Africa's insecurity https://theconversation.com/growing-herdsmen-militancy-adding-to-west-africas-insecurity/
*Herdsmen militancy & humanitarian crisis in Nigeria https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/...
*The trajectories & dynamics of herdsmen militancy https://iiardpub.org/get/jhsp/vol2 no1 2016/thetrajectories.pdf
*Climate change, migration & conflict in West Africa https://cdn.americaprogress.org/wp-content/.../issues/2012/04/pdf/climate-migration-nwaafrica.pdf
*CoV: Loneliness is a modern invention - Understanding that history can us get through this pandemic https://time.com/5828736/loneliness-cov-history/

*Integrated approach to building peace in Nigeria's farmer-herder conflict nigeria.un.org/en/92147-integrated-approach-building-peace-nigerias-farmer-herder-conflict/

*Climate war in the Sahel? Pastoral insecurity in West Africa is not what it seems - Leif Brottem https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/11/climate-war-sahel-pastoral-insecurity-west-africa/

*Urban elites' livestock exacerbate farmer-herder tensions in Africa's Sudano-Sahel https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2019/06/urban-elites-livestock-exacerbate-farmer-herder-tensions-sudano-sahel/

*How gum acacia trees could help build peace in the Sahel https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/03/gum/acacia-trees-build-peace-sahel/

*When climate change meets positive peace https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2019/07/climate-change-meets-positive-peace/

*Climate change: Recognising the impact on West Africa https://cddelibrary.org/.../climate-change-impact-west-africa/

*Stabilising the Sahel nextierspd.com

*African land grabbing: Whose interests are served? guardian.ng https://t.co/ng2NIoyCiN?amp=1

*Sahel: What to look out for in 2021 theafricareport.com

*Sahel violence: Stepping back from the precipice https://bit.ly/3rC5GRW

*West Africa Transitional Justice mechanisms need bottom-up approach humanangle.ng

*G5 Sahel: N'Djemena Summit should re-define France-Sahel cooperation issafrica.org

*Sahelian crisis https://nextierspd.com/sahelian-crisis/

Saturday, 3 August 2019

THE PERCEPTION OF TIME IN NIGERIA

has not changed since I wrote a chapter titled 'The Perception of time in Nigeria' in the 1998 publication edited by & titled: 'Time & development in the thought of Sub-Saharan Africans'. The publication was the result of a two-day conference held in when I was Head, Department of Political Science, Lagos State University (). See http://books.google.com/books?id=fm11EvIOKykC&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=perception+of+time+nigeria...

African scholars from more than twenty countries converged in Dakar to x-ray the concept of time in their various countries. Nigerians continue to attend serious conferences, symposia, parties, workshops, etc very very late. This is what I wrote about Nigerians and their lack of respect for time in 1998. The situation remains the same.

'The average Nigerian believes that time should understand him/her and not that he/she should understand time. That is why he/she always comes late for every occasion/event because he/she does not want to be the first to arrive. Someone or many people must come before him/her. Since each person wants the other person to come before him/her, then nobody is there early and almost every event begins late.' - (1998)

Nigerians seem to have a cyclical perception of time. This lack of respect for time remains a national embarrassment! Many believe the more behind schedule you are when you arrive at any event is a measure of how 'important' you are. Some even want every other person seated so that their so called 'show-stopper attire' is easily noticed - those labelled 'slay queens & kings' come to mind. They then pose for the cameras. But we are ridiculing ourselves before the rest of the world! How wrong can individuals be when assessing their 'level of importance' vis-a-vis how late they attend events. In my opinion, those who come late to events ridicule themselves...

Related Links

*: How your brain creates now https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530030-500-the-time-illusion-how-your-brain-creates-now/
*: How your brain creates the 4th dimension https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332370-500-the-time-paradox-how-your-brain-creates-the-fourth-dimension/
*: Is time an illusion? https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23130890-900-metaphysics-special-is-time-an-illusion/
* isn't real: We just got space & time all wrong newscientist.com/article/mg24332440-600-quantum-weirdness-isnt-real-we-just-got-space-and-time-all-wrong
*Why you never have enough time, and what to do about it thriveglobal.com/stories/why-we-never-have-enough-time/
*How to figure out what's worth spending time on thriveglobal.com/stories/time-management-skills-productivity-focus-tips/

*7 non-essential tasks to give up to regain your time thriveglobal.com/stories/nonessential-tasks-let-go-give-up-tips/

*You are not crunched for time, you are just making these 8 time management mistakes entrepeneur.com/article/3589832.../
*Is reality real? How evolution binds us to the truth about the world newscientist.com/article/mg24332410-300-is-reality-real-how-evolution-binds-us-to-the-truth-about-the-world/
*Time nature of consciousness: Solving the biggest mystery of your mind newscientist.com/article/mg24332480...time-nature-of-consciousness-solving-biggest-mystery-mind/
*Why it's time to call time on the 'nature vs nurture' debate newscientist.com/article/mg24432601-800-why-its-time-to-call-time-nature-vs-nurture-debate/
*The tyranny of time https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/.../2436/the-tyranny-of-time/
*What's reality? What's the world's true nature? newscientist.com/article/mg24532670-700-what-is-reality.../
*True nature of consciousness: Solving the biggest mystery of your mind newscientist.com/article/mg24332480-00-true-nature.../
*The time paradox: How your brain creates the 4th dimension newscientist.com/article/mg24332370-500-the-time-paradox-how-your-brain-creates-the-fourth-dimension/
*Time-travel paradoxes via William Gibson's Agency newscientist.com/article/mg24532640-500-william-gibsons-agency-drops-time-travel-paradoxes-for-big-questions/
*Time lapse blognostics.net/blognostics-an-innovative-experience-in-literature-poetry-and-art/2020/02/16/time-lapse-biognostics/
*Limitation to time & space: Even a computer the sizeof the universe can't predict everything newscientist.com/article/2239097-even-a-computer-cant-predict-everything/

*Make time when there is none https://reclaim.ai

*Inside the incredibly slow race to re-invent time newscientist.com/article/mg2432960-900-inside-slow-race-re-invent-time

*How to calculate the true value of your time https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/356697.../

*Introduction to the Big O Notation, Time & Space Complexity https://dev.to/skaytech/a-gentle-introduction-to-the-big-o-notation-time-space-complexity/

*6 ways to maximise your time while working from home entrepreneur.com/article/356979/

*: For centuries, Africans have measured time/seasons/directions by the stars https://pressoffice.mg.co.za/content/dg45va620e7X9l8

*Did time flow in two directions from the Big Bang making two futures? newscientist.com

*According to neuroscience, taking a break from our busy schedules & devoting some to time to doing nothing is key to fostering creativity entrepreneur.com

*The 21st century time machine: Virtual Reality (VR) in the history classroom carleton.edu

Monday, 29 July 2019

SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FARMER-HERDER CONFLICT IN NIGERIA

There are many dimensions of the farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria which the Forum on Farmer-Herder Relations (FFARN) has dissected viz; Analysis of the conflict, Security responses to farmer-herder conflict in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, Conflict mapping of the crisis, The nexus between criminality and the crisis, The implications of the Open Grazing Prohibition & Ranches Establishment Law in Farmer-Herder Relations in the Middle-Belt of Nigeria, Responses to conflict between farmers & herders in the Middle Belt of Nigeria: Mapping past effort & opportunities for violence prevention, etc. I am a valued member of FFARN. FFARN is convened under the auspices of Search for Common Ground (SFCG).

The latest analysis, 'The ' was undertaken at a three-day intensive workshop in between the 23rd and 25th of July, 2019. The conflict analysis map of the farmer-herder crisis, produced at an earlier workshop by FFARN was the take off point. It was noted at the outset that the ecology is germane in the analysis of the farmer-herder conflict because it is basically a conflict over scarce resources - land and water.

Photo L-R: (Country Director, SFCG & @ the workshop

One of the facilitators said: 'When issues occur more than twice between people, you need to look beyond the issues and focus on the relationship'. Remember: Such a relationship includes the environment, context of the conflict. The dynamics of protracted socio-ecological conflict like the farmer-herder one, entails the following:

*Context (Constitution, background to the crisis)
*Needs (Acceptance, assets, security)
*Capacity (Relationship with the international economy, governance & the state, democratic control of the armed forces - DCAF)
*Actors (State, communal, groups)
*Conflict (Nature of the conflict)

We need to frame '' (CP) better. To be sure, we can actually prevent conflict at every stage - before, during and after. It is best to prevent conflict before it occurs. But if this is not done before the crisis degenerates into violence CP at this stage could de-escalate the conflict. Even after the conflict (the cycle of conflict), all the actors and stakeholders should always say: never agaain. The dividend of CP is development. African countries are losing too much to conflict due to toxic narratives. We need to keep tracking the cost of war in cash and kind for us to value peace more.

In ecological analysis we ask difficult questions like: How can we help both farmers and herders to reach common ground and return to the good old days when they had a symbiotic relationship?
We need to imbibe a CP mentality. Impunity needs to be curbed. Conflict entrepreneurs should be cut to size. We need to put on our preventive lens in all we do. Toxic discourse is inimical to progress. It could lead to the loss of more lives. Advocacy and engagement are the key tools for CP.

What then are the current gaps in CP?

*Limited indigenous and technical capacity.
*Monitoring and evaluation of the cost of conflict
* still difficult in spite of international treaties
*Undue external influence
*Lack of sufficient investment in conflict prevention and by extension, CP
*Lack of local ownership of peace processes.
*Inability to cope with emerging threats to peace
*Good governance is still a challenge (Participatory, respect for the rule of law, efficiency & effectiveness, accountability, transparency in all transactions, dearth of evidence-based advocacy, etc)

Tied to good governance is the concept of human security (HS). HS entails the following:
*Protection of both genders
*People-centred security
*Africa can learn CP from the rest of the wo
*HS should complement state security
*There should be evidence-based advocacy

Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa with the 'Conflict mapping map' developed by FFARN in the background

HS involves many types of security:
-Educational
-Food
-Political
-Health
-Economic
-Personal
-Community
-Personal

UNSCR 66/290 discusses the concept of HS. The context of issues like the farmer-herder crises is bombarded.

L-R: Bukola Ademola-Adelehin (Team Lead FFARN & Snr. Programme/Policy Analyst, SFCG) & Dayo

This brings us to the concept of development assistance. The destroyed the economy. There are many aspects of the context viz,criminal, perception and cultural. Beyond Nigeria, there are regional dimensions of the farmer-herder conflict.
The could be inimical to the concept of secure borders. Secure borders are necessary to prevent the smuggling of rustled cattle across boarders.

The socio-ecological analysis of the farmer-herder crisis is indeed a complex undertaking which involves the economy, politics, environment, etc. New issues keep popping up!

Related Links

*Climate emergency declarations in 850 jurisdictions & LGAs cover 160m citizens https://climate-emergency-declarations-cover-15-million-citizens/
*Malian Colonel honoured by National Defense University for research on farmer-herder violence https://africacentre.org/spotlight/malian-colonel-honoured-by-national-defense-university-for-research-on-farmer-herder-violence/
*How deadly disease outbreak could worsen as the climate changes newscientist.com/article/2319981-how-deadly-disease-outbreak-could-worsen-as-climate-changes/

*2 feared dead as herdsmen, Sunday Igboho's supporters clash in Oyo state punchng.com

*Dialogue with Pastoralists nextierspd.com

*Is an insurgency slowly gathering momentum in SE Nigeria? humangle.ng

*Nigeria's Buhari overhauls Military as security crisis worsens https://www.ft.com/content/ccaa99cc...

*Sahel's counter-terrorism takes toll on civilians issafrica.org

*Chad:6 things to know about the rebel group, FACT theafricareport.com

*UN suspends operations in Borno, Nigeria after series of attacks allafrica.com

*Why Chad's rebellion and Deby's demise could tip the region into chaos theafricareport.com

*Peace deals with insurgent groups in Nigeria? nextierspd.com

*Nigeria: Bandits' circle nextierspd.com

*Insecurity in Nigeria as @ 17th May 2021: 108 killed, 44 kidnappedin attacks across Nigeria in one week https://www.premiumtimesng.com/.../461862-insecurity.../

*Merchants of terror: he counter-terrorism economy in Africa democracyinafrica.org

*Meet Aisha, her spirit remains unbroken regardless of gruesome past and experience living in Sambisa forest with members of the BH terrorist group youtu.be/bLtz8FsTxMc

*Mas shootings & the failure of empathy goodmenproject.com

Saturday, 22 June 2019

20 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA

'Since 1999, the Presidency has exceeded the role and powers prescribed by the constitution.
Besides, over-concentration of power in the hands of Governors is indeed a fallacy'
-

The above quote represents the mood at the public event organised by to commemorate the . The following were at the event:

*, Director, - Chairman
*Mahmud Jega, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Daily Trust newspapers - Keynote speaker
*, - Speaker
*Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa, Conflict Transformation Expert - Participant
*, Founder, KIND - Speaker
*Aisha Osori, Executive Director, - Speaker
*, Fmr. Minister - Speaker

The occasion was also in memory of two deceased champions of democratic ideals on the African continent - Dr. Tajudeen Abdulrahman (died 10 years ago) and Prof. Abubakar Momoh (died 2 years ago). The consensus was that 'If the battle of yesterday was to rid ourselves of Military rule, today's challenge is to regain our citizenship'.

It was noted that the representation of women in parliament and indeed politics in general, falls short of expectation and it is the lowest in Africa. The masochistic and 'masculinist' nature of Nigeria's politics needs to evolve into a milieu where women are allotted safe spaces to ensure their effective participation in politics. The shows that no matter how long a lie is brandished as the truth, the victim could be vindicated posthumously!

The nature of politics in Nigeria is essentially transactional. This needs to change. As far as the practice of democracy is concerned, we should never let the perfect be the enemy of the little progress we've made. remain limited liability companies of their founders. This needs to be interrogated in order to allow for internal Party democracy. There are three major areas where citizens need to engage their leaders - , and citizens' rights.

On the whole, it was realised that democracy is work in progress which we should never tire of fine-tuning...

Related Links

*Lessons from the history of democracy https://t.co/1ZyIzAHPJg

*20 proposals to strengthen democracy & resolve electoral conflicts by https://lnkd.in/dj-DQJM
*Mo Ibrahim: Addressing Africa's governance issues https://www.thebanker.com/Reports/International-Meetings/View-from-IMF-World-Bank/Mo-Ibrahim-addressing-Africa-s-governance-issues?
* https://www.sunnewsonline.com/tears-sorrow-blood-lamentation-for-nigeria-at-59/

*Edo 2020: Blueprint for better elections in Nigeria https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/09/edo-2020-blueprint-for-better-elections-in-nigeria

*Religion & the consolidation of democracy in Mali: The dog that doesn't bark http://demanddevelopmentjournal.org/.../religion-consolidation-democracy-mali/

*Over 40 companies demonstrate IT solutions as INEC moves towards E-voting https://newsdiaryonline.com/over-40-companies-demonstrate-it-solutions-as-inec-moves-towards-e-voting

*Democracy works better when there is less of it ft.com/content/f68c13a4_1130
*Ideological convergence vs differentiation in Party ideology in Nigeria's 4th Republic https://www.ifra-nigeria.org/.../387online-workshop-14-convergence/
*Shielding elections from Presidential influence: Lessons from Cape Verde, Comoros & Madagascar issafrica.org/research/africa-report/shielding-elections-from-presidential-influence/
*Private gain must no longer be allowed to edge out the public good aeon.co/ideas/private-gain-must-no-longer-be-allowed-to-edge-out-the-public-good/

*Pursuing status quo or regime change? A critical analysis of external influence on Presidential term limits in Africa https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-

*Gambia opposition laments failure of bid to curb term limit https://www.reuters.com/...gambia-opposition-laments-failure-of-bid-to-curb-term-limit

*Nigeria: Cultural, economic & political undercurrents in Edo election, September 2020 by CDD https://www.cddwestafrica.org/.../edo-governorship-election #EdoElection #EdoLivesMatter #CDDAnalysisCentre

*Edo governorship election & the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria by Jibrin Ibrahim https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2020/09/25/edo-governorship election-consolidate-democracy/

*Information influence: Disinformation during Edo's 2020 gubernatorial election - The role of social media https://www.cddwestafrica.org/.../information-influence-disinformation/

*Edo poll voter turnout decline worrisome in spite of credible conduct - CDD https://www.vanguardngr.com.cdd.ampproject.org/.../amp/

*Nigeria: Mainstreaming Constituency needs into Legislative Agenda https://leadership.ng/.../mainstreaming-constituency-needs-agenda.../
*How democracies die by Steven Levitsky et al https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com>books>how-democracies-die...
*Africa needs to decolonise the democratic model to include responsive & afro-centric practices https://twitter.com/MatlosaKhabele
*Why good leaders make us feel safe ted.com/talks/simon-sinek-why-good-leaders-make-us-feel-safe/
*A new Eurafrica partnership by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Mo Ibrahim & Etienne Darignon https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/eu-africa-cooperation-jobs-migration-by-ellen-johnson-sirleaf-et-al-2019
*Democracy is damaged when people are afraid to speak out https://m.economictimes.com/opinion/interviews/democracy-is-damaged-when-people-are-afraid-to-speak-out-amartya-sen/
*Liberian lawmakers cut their salaries to save money for citizens in 2020 budget https://www.legit.ng/1266043-liberia-lawmakers-cut-salaries-by-30-cent-budget.html
*Can we can create an empathic alternative to the capitalist market? https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/empathy-capitalism
*Nigeria: Lessons from 8th NASS & need to improve legislative representation https://www.legit.ng/1266575-opinion-lessons-8th-assembly-improve-legislative-representation-by-moshood-isah.html
*Democracy is not for sale, INEC warns vote buyers https://www.thecable.ng/democract-is-not-for-sale-inec
*The facade of liberal democracy https://africasacountry.com/2019/10/the-facade-of-liberal-democracy/
*Need for progressive synergy between the executive and the legislative arms of government https://www.legit.ng/1268967-opinion-need-progressive-synergy-between-executive-legislative-arms-of-government/
* shows the importance of democratic tumult by Antonia Malchik https://aeon.co/essays/the-history-of-riot-shows...
* https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/three-branches/executive-branch.../
*The future of democracy in Africa issafrica.org/research/papers/the-future-democracy-africa/
*Putting governance at the centre of Africa's development mo.ibrahim.foundation/
*We have advanced Nigeria's democracy - https://www.blueprint.ng/we-have-advanced-nigerias-democracy
*Infinity &beyond: Governance in fragile states chrisunderwoodsblog.com
*Democracy is damaged when people are afraid to speak out https://m.economictimes.com/opinion/interviews/democracy-is-damaged-when-people-afraid-speak-out/
*What Nigeria must do to avoid World Bank's 'worst case scenario' allafrica.com/stories/202001210002.html/
*West Africa's key polls in 2020: Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Togo https;//buff.ly/2RjTMwT
*Monarchies are gradually disappearing https://theweek.com/articles/889866/monarchies-are-fast-disappearing/
*Political Vigilante Groups in Ghana's democratic governance: Some policy options https://www.ssrc.org/publications/view/political-vigilante-groups-in-ghanas-democratic governance
*Nigeria: Political Parties' de-registration & next steps https://newsdiaryonline.com/political-parties-deregistration-next-steps/
*What's behind rising authoritarianism? https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/whats-behind-rising-authoritarianism/
* aeon.co/essays/why-foucaults-work-on-power-is-important/
*Democracy must not become the silent victim of the CoV pandemic - Kofi Annan Foundation kofiannanfoundation.org/articles/open-letter-democracy-must-not-become-the-silent-victim-of-cov-pandemic/
*Policy on 'Conducting elections in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic' https://www.inecnigeria.org/wp-content/upoloads/2020/05/inec-policy-on-conducting-elections-in-covid-19.pdf
*INEC okays e-voting for 2021 https://t.co/90zawzdV6q?amp=1
*Why democracies do better at surviving pandemics chatamhouse.org/expert/comment/why-democracies-do-better-at-managing-pandemics/

*The role of CSOs in a democracy https://nickopoku.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-role-of-csos.html

*What is the Mali coup telling Africa? https://allafrica.com/stories/202008270717.html

*Political insecurity in West Africa: A call for democratic stability & peaceful elections https://www.wanep.org/wanep/index.php?opinion...political-insecurity-in-west-africa-call-for-democratic-stability-peaceful-elections

*Elections amid Covid-19 and public safety https://nextierspd.com/elections-amid-covid-19-public-safety

*: Navigating the nexus between rhetoric & emerging reality https://lnkd.in/gpUxbce

*Mali: Lessons on elections for Nigeria & West Africa theafricareport.com

*3rd term for Presidents of Cote d'Ivoire & Guinea must be stopped https://issafrica.org/iss-today/third-terms-for-presidents-of-cotedivoire-guinea-must-be-topped/

*Good governance as the lynchpin for Africa's progress in the face of Covid-19 & climate threats https://news.trust.org/item/2020092.../

*Analysis: Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis throws US November 2020 election into chaos, threatens governing crisis https://cnn.it/3jCtOR

*US: Christianity, character & the Presidency https://link.medium.com/

*Nigeria: Ondo election: Police arrests many for electoral offences guardian.ng

*Ondo Gubernatorial election: Up to N600,000 allocated for vote buying per polling unit - CDD https://punch,ng.com/up-to-n600000-allocated-for-vote-buying-per-polling-booth #CDDAnalysisCentre #OndoDecides 2020

*Mali's transitional government: The danger of the junta clinging to power https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_malis_transitional_government.../

*Constitutional Review & the Restructuring of the Nigerian Federation by Friends of Democracy opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2020/10/14/constitutional-review-restructuring-nigerian-federation/

*It is not about dismantling SARS, it is about democratising Nigeria by Jibrin Ibrahim newsdiaryonline.com/its-not-about-dismantling-sars-its-about-democratising-nigeria/

*Violent reprisal of peaceful protests constitute dangerous assault on citizens' Constitutional rights - CDD https;//www.cddwestafrica.org/violent-reprisal-peaceful-protest-assault-on-constitutional-rights-of-citizens/

*Polls in peril: West Africa's 2020 elections - CDD cddwestafrica.org

*INEC's conduct of Ondo guber poll improvement on Edo poll - CDD https://m.guardian.ng/politics/inecs-conduct-ondo-polls-improvement-on-edo.../

*Power failure: Why have young people fallen out of love with democracy? theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/20/power-failure-why-young-people-dont-like-democracy/

*INEC, new normal & Nigeria's quest for credible elections guardian.ng/politics/inec-new-normal-nigerias-quest-credible-elections/

*Towards human rights approach to citizenship & nationality struggles in Africa demanddevelopmentjournal.org

*YIAGA Africa's memo submitted to the Nigerian Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters on the Bill for an Act on The Protection from Internet Falsehood & Manipulations & for other related matters https://www.yiaga.org/social-media-bill-not-reasonably-justifiable--in-a-democratic-society/

*Polls in peril: West Africa's 2020 elections cddelibrary.org

*The task ahead for the newly re-elected INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu https://leadership.ng/as-inec-boss-braces-up-for-task-ahead/

*INEC releases 2019 election report, recommends electronic voting premiumtimesng.com/news/424921-inec-releases-2019-election-report.../

*Higher stakes with the re-appointment of INEC boss https://www.legit.ng/1381507-opinion-higher-stakes.../

*Nigeria spending more on elections, but voter turn out keeps decreasing premiumtimesng.com

*Politics, dialogue & the evolution of democracy goodmediapress.com

*Imaging shows how the brain drives political divides webmd.com

*There's a crack in everything, that's how light gets in - Leonard Cohen on Democracy & its redemption https://www.brainspickings.org/2016/11/10/leonard-cohen-democracy/

*How to save democracy from technology www-foreignaffairs-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states-2020-11-24/fukuyama.../

*Africa watches Ghana's 'boring' Presidential race with envy: Relative lack of violence, vote rigging, etc ft.com

*Nigeria's 2023 elections: In pursuit of electoral reforms that serve the common good - Samson Itodo https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/.../nigerias-2023-elections.../

*Ghana's opposition candidate, Mahama, rejects election results punchng.com

*'Policy, dialogue & the evolution of democracy' by Ken Cloke https;//www.goodmediapress.com/product-page/politics-dialogue-the-evolution-of-democracy

*Why democracy thrives in some countries and not in others economist.com

*When we take democracy for granted https://www.linhedin.com/pulse/when-we-take-democracy-granted-arne-sorenson/

*America's lessons for African dictators mg.co.za/africa/2021-01.../ via mail&guardian

Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa @ the event

Thursday, 23 May 2019

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CONFLICT IN NIGERIA

L-R: , &

The title of this post was at the heart of my submission at the on the 20th of May, 2019. I addressed a delegation of Policy Officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at . The delegation comprised diplomats working in diverse areas of the economy - agriculture, manufacturing, , small & medium scale enterprises, etc. They wanted to know how the many conflicts in Nigeria have affected each of these sectors.

The crux of my argument was that conflict hinders development in any clime, including Nigeria. In recent times, there has been a delicate and uncomfortable intersection between , , criminality, kidnapping, etc. Many of the explanations of violence in Nigeria, so far, have been descriptive. We need to move beyond this.

A number of unresolved issues are the root causes of these conflicts viz; group exclusion, elite domineering authority, state violence against the citizenry, lack of internal , etc. Sometimes, violence is the result of contention among dominant groups. Structuring Nigeria around bargains of rent distribution has also been problematic. Conflicts should not simply be reduced to 'fault lines'. Besides conflict could be cyclical, following election cycles.

I recommended a few remedies that could assuage the high level of tension in the country:

*Political Parties should develop internal mechanisms for ensuring that democratic ideals are adhered to.
*There should be equitable distribution of public goods.
*There should be safety nets for the poor, the unemployed, etc.
*There should be devolution of powers, which would make for more autonomy for the regions/states.
*Elite management/consensus should not be self-serving. The vulnerable in the society and other groups should be accommodated.
*Security Sector Reform (SSR) is of utmost importance in order to counter the more sophisticated forms of banditry and insurgency.
*Identified 'conflict merchants' (gun runners, hate speech vendors, etc) who profit by fueling crises should be named, shamed and punished. This would serve as a deterrent to others.
*A comprehensive plan, beyond SSR should be drawn up by government to address various types of conflict. The '' has its job cut out for it in this regard...

We had robust discussions on the Netherlands comparative advantage, which could form the basis for their entry point into the Nigerian economy at this time...

Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa with members of the delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs @ the Hague.