THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Mar

23

2023

LGBTQ+ rights: African Union watchdog goes back on its own word

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, LGBTQIA+

THE primary human rights watchdog in Africa recently made a decision that departed from its existing practice. The African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights, an independent expert body within the African Union (AU) framework, used sexual or gender identity as the reason it rejected applications for observer status from three non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Author FRANS VILJOEN, Director and Professor of International Human Rights Law, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria The commission said that “sexual orientation” was not an “expressly recognised right” in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. It also said that protecting and promoting…

Mar

21

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s police are violent, unaccountable and make most citizens feel less safe – should they be abolished?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

A world without the police is inconceivable to many people. The police are viewed as part of modern society’s foundation, ensuring democracy and keeping people safe. In practice, however, police around the world sometimes repress social movements, stifle democracy, and exacerbate social and racial injustice. Across the African continent, they often use force to prop up repressive regimes. And in Kenya in particular, extortion and extrajudicial killings by the police are rampant. Authors WANGUI KIMARI, Anthropologist, University of Cape Town ZOLTÁN GLÜCK, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, American University Kenya is unusual for its extensive attempts to reform the police. Reform…

Feb

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Peter Obi could be the force that topples Nigeria’s two main political parties

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

OBI-DIENT is the word in town for the Nigerians who support Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, south-east Nigeria. To them, Obi is the best candidate for the country’s presidency. A look at the development of Obi’s character reveals discipline, responsibility, prudent management of resources and a positive impact on society. Author KESTER ONOR, Lecturer, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Covenant University In secondary school, he was engaged in trading to make money. He is known for his “egg principle”: that even one egg for sale should be carefully guarded because losing it meant the loss…

Feb

23

2023

By The African Mirror

Bola Tinubu: Nigeria’s kingmaker who wants to be king

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BOLA Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Nigeria, holds two traditional titles: Asiwaju of Lagos and Jagaban of the Borgu kingdom in Niger State, north-central Nigeria. The titles have similar meanings: leader and leader of warriors. Though he has held these titles for some years, they now bear more significance in the life of Tinubu, a former two-term governor of Lagos State, as he runs for president. Author OLAYINKA OYEGBILE, Journalist and Communications scholar, Trinity University, Lagos Widely believed to be the political kingmaker responsible for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, Tinubu…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s corporate whistleblowers don’t get enough protection: what needs to change

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CORPORATE misconduct is difficult to detect and prove. This is because it is often hidden by a complicated web of transactions, misleading corporate records and convoluted company group structures. This is why corporate whistleblowers whose positions give them an inside track on misconduct are so important in exposing corporate crime and corruption. Author REHANA CASSIM, Professor in Company Law, University of South Africa But whistleblowers risk personal and financial risk by coming out. Whistleblower protection in South Africa lags behind international standards and inadequately protects whistleblowers in some respects. Given South Africa’s high levels of corporate corruption, whistleblowers deserve high…

Feb

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Paul Mashatile is set to become South Africa’s deputy president: what he brings to the table

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SOUTH Africa is set to have a new deputy president in Paul Shipokosa Mashatile, the deputy president of the governing African National Congress (ANC). He’ll replace the incumbent, David Mabuza, who announced he would step down. Who is Mashatile and what does he bring to the position? Author KEITH GOTTSCHALK, Political Scientist, University of the Western Cape Mashatile (61) is a veteran politician from the ANC, the party that has governed South Africa since democracy in 1994. He has occupied a dizzying array of posts and portfolios during his climb to the top. Mashatile has been continuously in party or…

Feb

20

2023

By ABBEY MAKOE

West must tone down their war cries, negotiate with Russia

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WAR-MONGERING, threats and gung-ho diplomacy dominated a gathering of Western leaders in Germany over the past weekend during which war - instead of peace – was given yet another chance to prevail. This year’s Munich Security Conference was, predictably, dominated by the war in Ukraine and how the West can continue to shore up Kyiv’s military to “acceptable NATO levels”. The conference was a global spectacle attended by delegates from more than 100 countries. Western heads of state, accompanied by diplomats and other officials, intelligence personnel and various strategic operatives intermingled with a single mission of revising and reviewing the…

Feb

18

2023

By The African Mirror

How to poll 93 million voters – the challenge of pulling off Nigeria’s presidential elections

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NIGERIA's registered voters, which the Independent National Electoral Commission has put at 93.5 million, are expected to come out in their numbers in what will be Africa’s biggest election this year. They will be electing the president and members of the National Assembly on 25 February and governors and members of the State Houses of Assembly on 11 March. Author EMMANUEL REMI AIYEDE, Professor of Political Institutions, Governance and Public Policy, University of Ibadan To vote in the elections, Nigerian citizens must be at least 18 years old and must have collected their permanent voter’s card by 5 February. The…

Mar

12

2023

By The African Mirror

Peter Hain: Neil Aggett died fighting apartheid – South Africa’s rulers have betrayed the struggle

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NEIL Aggett, the trade unionist and anti-apartheid activist who died in detention at the hands of police 41 years ago, was one of very few white South Africans who actively fought apartheid. He was only 29 when he died. He came from a community enjoying one of the most privileged existences on earth, with a black servant class attending to their every need. Yet he gave that all up because he believed every person – regardless of their “race”, religion, gender or sexuality – had the right to justice, the right to liberty, the right to equality of opportunity. He…

Feb

16

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerian elections: Eight issues young people want the new government to address

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AS Nigeria prepares for the 25 February presidential elections, it’s interesting to consider what young Nigerians are expecting. There are plenty of them: 52.2 million people aged 18-35. That’s about 28% of Nigeria’s total population and more than the entire populations of Ghana and the Benin Republic put together. In spite of the prospects that this number holds, young people in Nigeria are largely marginalised from governance. Author TOPE SHOLA AKINYETUN, Researcher, Lagos State University of Education This election holds immense significance for young Nigerians, particularly in light of the current economic difficulties, insecurity and their exclusion from the political…