The bus driver, the shop keeper, as well as the farmer are all aware of the many ways the Nigerian government is depriving its citizens of the means of realizing their potential in terms of development, and self-actualization. Nigeria as an institution is not working in favor of the people within its apparent territory. The proletariat of the country is well aware of the government’s failings but do not always make the connection to the larger problem of neocolonial capitalism. The average person experiences these issues through inflation, and while that is a magical economic term for many including myself, . . .
Nigeria
The African Middle-Class is Either Sleeping or Disarmed
Capitalism and its fraying edges should be discarded, its presence grows dull and boring even though millions of Africans experience capitalism in its most vicious expressions, maybe this is why there is a kind of passiveness to its observation or critique. It becomes the most affected, the most harmed, and the most vulnerable that move to educate whoever will listen on the contradictions staring everyone in the face and how to resist and change the status-quo. With the Nigerian, and by extension, African middle-class in mind, it is vital to note the subtle complicity with neoliberalism within our societies. The . . .
A Guide To #ShutDownAFRICOM
On October 1st, the criminal and genocidal US military command, AFRICOM, will have been in existence for 14 years. In those 14 years, a sizable amount of awareness on the program has been raised by committed individuals and organizations who want to see our homeland released from the clutches of the US empire. But as that thirteenth year begins, the necessity of ending this initiative, once and for all, grows more and more dire. We are dedicating this entire newsletter to laying out the best resources for learning about AFRICOM that we can find. Read and share with your networks who can use this information. You can not fight a beast that we do not understand. . . .
The Earth Remembers What We Did, Let’s Move to Address the Wrongs
Higher rates of drought, deforestation, unpredictable rainfall and more dangerous storms are among the stark indicators of a strained ecosystem. In Nigeria, people are generally aware of the recent rain seasons being too ‘early’ or the cold harmattan winds unusually blowing long into the first three months of the year. When we consider the UN sustainable goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Accords, or the Kyoto Protocols, it is clear to see that there is more effort to cater to capitalist interests as opposed to holding environmentally destructive corporations responsible for their actions. Consider that the highest polluters like the multinational . . .
Dis Naija na banana republic
“Dis Naija na banana republic”, is what the cab driver said to me during our trip. While the banana industry may not be the main benefactor of widespread and deepening corruption in Nigeria (it’s the oil), there is a general lack of class analysis and revolutionary consciousness owing mostly to decades-long imperialist propaganda and baked-in capitalist ideals across much of Nigerian society. The driver, a worker like myself, can point out these stark problems through generalizations e.g., ‘dis politicians dey benefit from how tings don spoil’, or can bring up specifics related to long fuel queues or poor power supply. . . .
The African World is on Fire
When the people flood the streets of Lagos, Bamako, Dakar, or Pretoria to denounce Africom, SARS and Israeli trained police forces, it does not make the nightly news. Each day there are literally 10,000 meetings in churches, basements, classrooms, and open fields to discuss our fight to live free and defeat our enemies. We even stopped hearing about Black Lives Matter when the People in the street called for the dismantling of terrorist police forces. . . .
Nigeria, #EndSARS, Imperialism/Zionism, & Pan-African Unity
SARS, operational or not, should be seen as a result of this repressive strategy in Africa. People in the West, particularly the U.S., play a crucial role in developing consciousness around this tragedy because much of this repression is contributed to by U.S. tax dollars. . . .
#EndSars: Contextual Primer on the Youth-led Anti-Police Movement in Nigeria
For the past week, Nigerian youth have been hitting the street to demand #EndSARS. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad Policing Unit (SARS) was created in 1992 to “stop crime”, specifically armed robbery and kidnapping which was a growing concern in the 1990s and 2000s. Armed robbery and kidnapping mainly targeted rich and middle-class Nigerians who have seen massive increases in wealth in the last few decades. However, like many policing squads, SARS is a largely unchecked unit that has been targeted young people based on their appearance of tattoos, earrings, iPhones, and cars utilizing that as evidence of fraud, scamming and . . .