Nigeria Archive
Black Gold
Posted by jimheck in Economy, Environment, Global Relations, History, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda on September 25, 2012
As the U.S. and Europe teeter with their economies their investors are turning to Africa where energy companies are growing rich overnight. Fed up with the failures of austerity in Europe and the even greater failures of politics in the U.S., giant multinationals are directing investment out of their home turfs to Africa. Facilitated especially [...]
Delectably Invasive
Banned from the U.S. after a recently very expensive eradication program in Florida the Giant African Land Snail is on the return. From the bucolic gardens of Budapest to the Westwood dinnerware of the Upper East Side. The Giant African Land Snail (Archatina mariginata) is one of the most successful creatures in the animal kingdom. [...]
Does Your State Have Your Back?
Posted by jimheck in Nigeria, Politics, Uncategorized on May 31, 2012
By Conor Godfrey This poetic essay by Nigerian professor Pius Adesanmi helped me consider the nature of the citizenship I enjoy. I may rail against certain U.S. policies and politicians, but I know that Uncle Sam has my back abroad. If I get hurt, arrested, detained illegally, kidnapped, or otherwise physically or legally incapacitated, my [...]
All Global Jihadists Come From Somewhere
by Conor Godfrey Media producers and consumers alike tend to analyze current events using the framework provided by the most recent, similar set of events in the past. How often did you hear the Arab spring compared to the democratization of Eastern Europe last year? This is neither good nor bad, just somewhat confining. I [...]
Which Witch Wins Winston?
A Nigerian witch is coming to America to save us! Not sure she’ll make it in time for the conservative bigwig meeting this weekend in Texas, but that’s where she’s headed! Yesterday, 14 people were rounded up outside Durban, South Africa, and charged with cold blooded murder of a 60-year grandmother who the gang claimed [...]
Accept, or Die. Nigeria, today.
Nigeria is blowing up. There’s martial law in four of its 36 states, bombings and other violence is escalating, and religious war threatens to inflame shaky Chad, Niger and even Mali. Economic instability always, always produces political instability, and Nigeria as one of the leading world oil producers has economic graphs with low and high [...]
Suppressing Slimey Wars
Big business isn’t exactly winning a lot of awards today for social responsibility, but why has it taken us 20 years to figure this out? Yesterday we learned how a big oil company played war in Africa, killing tens of thousands. It’s one thing when you choose sides in a war to fight for an [...]
Brainwashing U.S. & Nigerian Kids
Posted by jimheck in Arts and Culture, Nigeria, Politics on May 12, 2011
The first job I got fired from was after I reported to my Yugoslavian boss (during the Cold War) that UNESCO’s proposal for funding Sesame Street for Cuban National Television could be used for political, not only educational purposes. Guess what? USAid is now funding it for Nigerian State television. And guess what else? Besides [...]
Mr. Jega
Posted by jimheck in Corruption, Nigeria, Politics on April 19, 2011
by Conor Godfrey on April 19, 2011 I had been waiting to write a blog about Attahiru Jega for quite some time, and over the last few days the international acclaim over Nigeria’s relatively free and relatively fair elections made it seem like I would have the chance! As I write this, however, violence is [...]