Nigerians - The African Mirror

Feb

22

2023

Nigerian elections 2023: How the youth is being wooed

NEWS

MACDONALD DZIRUTWE and TEMILADE ADELAJA FIRST-time voter Amanda Iheme has made up her mind on her choice for Nigeria's next president - and it won't be a candidate from the two main political parties. Like many younger Nigerians, the 30-year-old clinical psychologist sat out previous elections because she thought the candidates were out of touch and assumed the vote would be rigged. She was tired of facing the same choice year after year, between two rich men who had been in politics for longer than she has been alive. On Saturday, that choice is on the table again. But this…

Feb

15

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria won’t use 240 new polling units due to insecurity – electoral commission

NEWS

CAMILLUS EBOH NIGERIA'S electoral commission head said that 240 polling centres will not be used in upcoming elections, as no one had chosen them due to insecurity in the surrounding areas. Separatist and gang violence is a major concern for Nigerians when they vote on February 25 for new members of parliament and for a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari. When new voters register in Nigeria, they are allowed to choose a polling centre. Most people choose the nearest to where they live because movement is restricted by security agencies on election day. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood…

Mar

09

2023

By The African Mirror

Lagos in focus as Nigerians elect new state governors

NEWS

MACDONALD DZIRUTWE NIGERIANS will return to the polls on Saturday to elect state governors across the country, two weeks after a disputed presidential election, with the main focus on the race to lead Lagos, the country's economic heartbeat and wealthiest state. The election is for 28 of the country's 36 governors, who are among the most influential politicians in Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and largest oil producer. Some states, such as Lagos, control budgets larger than those of small nations. The Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party's Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the presidential election with 39% of the vote.…

Jan

20

2023

By The African Mirror

JOLLOF RICE WAR: Senegal beats Ghana and Nigeria to the title

LIFESTYLE

THE authorship – and therefore origins – of jollof rice (called ceebu jën in Senegal according to the Wolof spelling) is the subject of a spicy debate between West African nations. In particular, Senegalese, Nigerians and Ghanaians claim ownership. And each believes their recipe surpasses all others. In a bid to settle the issue, we explored the subject in our book. In it, we point out the “Senegality” of this dish. The word jollof refers to an ancient kingdom that was a part of Senegal between the 12th and 13th centuries. Author FATIMA FALL NIANG, Directrice du Centre de recherche…

Nov

11

2022

By The African Mirror

Nigerians trade waste material for health insurance

NEWS

SEUN SANNI JEROME Ngutor had trouble with a persistent stomach ache but like many Nigerians, he did not have enough money to see a doctor. Then he heard about a novel idea to get health insurance - collect waste material and trade it for cover. He quickly signed up with Nigerian health-tech outfit Soso Care, and after delivering a used car battery and plastic waste, he received a health insurance card and qualified to see a doctor. On his first visit this month to Anchor Hospital in Port Harcourt, the capital of oil-producing Rivers state, Ngutor was treated for a…

Sep

16

2020

By The African Mirror

U.S. slaps more election-related visa restrictions on Nigerians

NEWS

THE United States has imposed additional visa restrictions on Nigerians over election-related activities in the African nation, the State Department said, accusing them of being responsible for undermining the democratic process. The restrictions were imposed on the individuals, who were not named, "for their actions surrounding the November 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa State elections and in the run up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo State elections," the State Department said in a statement. "These individuals have so far operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and have undermined democratic principles," State Department spokeswoman…

Nov

03

2020

By The African Mirror

Scorned by Trump, many Nigerians love him all the same

NEWS

ANGELA UKOMADU and LIBBY GEORGE HUNDREDS of men and women marched, clad in T-shirts supporting U.S. President Donald Trump or pink fabric dresses bearing the image of Jesus, as they waved American flags, Republican presidential campaign signs, and even a few Nigerian flags. The rally, after all, was in Onitsha, a city in eastern Nigeria. Trump has disparaged African nations, calling them "shithole countries" and saying Africans would never leave the United States if allowed in. This year, he added Nigeria and five other countries when he expanded visa curbs. But millions in Africa's most populous nation love the bombastic…

Sep

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigerians refer to violence as ‘intergroup conflict’: what’s actually at play is xenophobia

HUMAN RIGHTS

NIGERIA, a country of over 208 million people, is made up of more than 250 ethnic groups. Its history is littered with ethnic rivalry and competition. TOSIN OLONISAKIN, Social Psychologist, Ekiti State University Throughout history, preference and preservation of one’s kin or kind has been evident. The sense of ‘weness’ and ‘theyness’ has been behind devastating wars and conflicts. These conflicts have different names, including racism, xenophobia, nationalism or ethnocentrism. Nigeria has experienced such conflicts in the past and still does. But different terms are used to describe the violence. Sometimes it is called prejudice or discrimination or sometimes ethnocentrism…

Sep

21

2021

By The African Mirror

What Nigerians told us about their mental health under COVID-19 lockdown

HEALTH

IN Nigeria, mental illness is highly stigmatised and mental healthcare is not widely available. Resources, facilities and health staff are in short supply and disorders may not be well understood at the primary healthcare level. LEVI OSUAGWU, Research fellow, Western Sydney University KINGSLEY EMWINYORE AGHO, Associate Professor, Western Sydney University RICHARD OLORUNTOBA, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management & Supply Chain Management Lead, Curtin University It’s been estimated that 80% of individuals with serious mental health needs in Nigeria cannot access care. With fewer than 300 city-based psychiatrists for a population of over 200 million, caring for the mentally ill…

Feb

19

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Don’t be cowards,” minister tells Nigerians

NEWS

NIGERIA’S defence minister prompted criticism yesterday for urging Nigerians not to "be cowards" and to stand up to armed bandits, while security forces embarked on a mission to rescue 42 people kidnapped from a boarding school this week. The comments by Bashir Salihi Magashi, a retired army major, came on Wednesday, hours after gunmen abducted dozens of people, including 27 students, from the Government Science secondary school in the Kagara district of north-central Niger state. The Nigeria Police Force, in a statement on Thursday, said a massive search and rescue mission was being carried out alongside the military in which…