North East

Your guide to the essential stories shaping Nigeria's North East—Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.

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The ‘Electronic Imam’ Who Rewrote Nigerian Islam
Wardah Abbas24 May 2026

The ‘Electronic Imam’ Who Rewrote Nigerian Islam

In the 1970s, a Nigerian radio cleric built a pipeline between northern Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, sending young men in search of a purified Islam. The returnees would go on to transform how millions practised their faith and unsettle the society around them.

The Speculative Worlds of ‘Yan Crypto
Amatallah Saulawa22 March 2026

The Speculative Worlds of ‘Yan Crypto

You thought the Nigerian cryptocurrency ecosystem was confined to Lagos? Think again. Meet northern Nigeria’s ‘yan crypto and the digital worlds of volatile money they deftly navigate.

Eating With Helon Habila
Ozoz Sokoh22 March 2026

Eating With Helon Habila

While Helon Habila folds history into each page of Measuring Time, he preserves an essence of what it means to be Nigerian through food, and most vividly through àkàrà.

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Surviving Boko Haram
Surviving Boko Haram
Usman Bashir Abubakar22 March 2026

Aisha, Juliana and Hauwa escaped Boko Haram captivity, but their freedom has taken longer to arrive.

FESTAC ‘77 and the New Search for Cultural Renaissance in Kaduna
FESTAC ‘77 and the New Search for Cultural Renaissance in Kaduna
Aisha Kabiru Mohammed22 March 2026

In 1977, the Nigerian government invested $625 million into the arts to host the Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Lagos and Kaduna housed the historic occasion. While Lagos has grown its arts ecosystem, Kaduna is only now starting to find its feet.

What Endures in Borno Are the People
What Endures in Borno Are the People
Imrana Buba22 March 2026

Boko Haram terrorism fits into a longer pattern of insurgency in Borno. Civilians survive through collective resistance, negotiation and uneasy compliance, and ‘peace’ in wartime is often shaped by tragic trade-offs.

From Nigeria With Love
From Nigeria With Love
Anjola Olusola2 November 2025
‘I don’t recall the exact moment it dawned on me that almost everyone I called a friend had left Nigeria, but the realization was shattering. Having a friend leave you is heartbreaking, having them troop out one after the other, like soldiers off to battle, is decimating.

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Surviving Boko Haram
USMAN BASHIR ABUBAKARMARCH 22, 2026

Surviving Boko Haram

Aisha, Juliana and Hauwa escaped Boko Haram captivity, but their freedom has taken longer to arrive.

FESTAC ‘77 and the New Search for Cultural Renaissance in Kaduna
AISHA KABIRU MOHAMMEDMARCH 22, 2026

FESTAC ‘77 and the New Search for Cultural Renaissance in Kaduna

In 1977, the Nigerian government invested $625 million into the arts to host the Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Lagos and Kaduna housed the historic occasion. While Lagos has grown its arts ecosystem, Kaduna is only now starting to find its feet.

What Endures in Borno Are the People
IMRANA BUBA AND UNKNOWNMARCH 22, 2026

What Endures in Borno Are the People

Boko Haram terrorism fits into a longer pattern of insurgency in Borno. Civilians survive through collective resistance, negotiation and uneasy compliance, and ‘peace’ in wartime is often shaped by tragic trade-offs.

From Nigeria With Love
ANJOLA OLUSOLANOVEMBER 2, 2025

From Nigeria With Love

‘I don’t recall the exact moment it dawned on me that almost everyone I called a friend had left Nigeria, but the realization was shattering. Having a friend leave you is heartbreaking, having them troop out one after the other, like soldiers off to battle, is decimating.
The Afterlives of #EndSARS
OLOLADE FANIYIOCTOBER 19, 2025

The Afterlives of #EndSARS

Member of the Feminist Coalition and organizer of the #ArewaMeToo and #NorthNormal movements, Fakhrriyyah Hashim, reflects on #EndSARS five years after ‘Feminists against SARS’ redefined national consciousness on police violence.
The Betrayal of Mandela’s Apartheid Liberation Movement
ANDILE ZULUOCTOBER 5, 2025

The Betrayal of Mandela’s Apartheid Liberation Movement

Although Nelson Mandela’s presidency fostered hope for a permanent end to the woes of the apartheid era, South Africa’s non-white population have come to realize that they are still under an oppressive regime—but this time, at the mercy of the country’s ultra-rich and ownership class.

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The New Chapter in Nigeria’s Tax Story
Martins Eke21 September 2025

The New Chapter in Nigeria’s Tax Story

Nigeria will begin 2026 with its biggest tax overhaul in decades. But what exactly is changing and will the new tax regime worsen or improve Nigeria’s economic and fiscal future?
Liberia’s Complex Relationship with the United States
Dounard Bondo14 September 2025

Liberia’s Complex Relationship with the United States

Since its founding in 1847, the story of Africa’s oldest republic, Liberia, has been entwined with that of the United States. Centuries later, in 2025, is Liberia’s relationship with America one of neo-imperialism or fair partnership?
‘Who Do We Imagine AI Is Built By and Built For?’
Wale Lawal24 August 2025

‘Who Do We Imagine AI Is Built By and Built For?’

With AI proponents promising to ‘save’ Africa, Nanjala Nyabola asks an urgent question: what happens when a continent’s future is outsourced to someone else’s imagination?
How Technology Preserves the Legacy of Colonialism Across Africa
Elias Gbadamosi24 August 2025

How Technology Preserves the Legacy of Colonialism Across Africa

The parallels between colonialism and bias in modern technology offer an instructive analysis that reveals how contemporary digital infrastructures perpetuate colonial power even as they claim to connect the world and advance social justice issues.
Is Ibrahim Traoré the Pan-Africanist Africa Needs?
Nicholas Kimble24 August 2025

Is Ibrahim Traoré the Pan-Africanist Africa Needs?

In a period of dwindling pan-Africanism, Ibrahim Traoré has risen as one of Africa’s most favourite leaders, raising questions about whether he represents a new breed of pan-Africanism.
The Weight of Duty
Azubuike Obi17 August 2025

The Weight of Duty

Azubuike Obi writes about the passing of his father and the weight of trying to step into his shoes as expected by society.
August Reading 2025
Peace Yetunde Onafuye17 August 2025

August Reading 2025

Our 2025 August Reading list features the most important books so far this year based on recommendations from The Republic ’s editors and contributors.
‘My Characters Do What They Want’
Nikki May10 August 2025

‘My Characters Do What They Want’

Anglo-Nigerian writer and author of Wahala, Nikki May, drew inspiration for her latest novel, This Motherless Land, from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park: ‘The idea of a young girl being torn from everything familiar and thrust into an alien environment where she must constantly prove herself is genius.
The Myth, Language and Philosophy of Amos Tutuola
Fortune Amor3 August 2025

The Myth, Language and Philosophy of Amos Tutuola

For the late Nigerian writer, Amos Tutuola, death is not the end. His regeneration lives on in the surreal and fantastic landscapes of African literature. With overlapping influence across the arts, music and literature, Tutuola still journeys.
My Love Affair with the Beautiful Game of Football
Mojolaoluwa Alabi26 July 2025

My Love Affair with the Beautiful Game of Football

There is no denying the complicated relationship between football and women. Still, the game offers me a sense of home and a reminder that I belong to something bigger than myself.
What Burns in Bafut Is More Than a Place
Achille Tenkiang20 July 2025

What Burns in Bafut Is More Than a Place

To Cameroonians, the Bafut Palace is more than a historical landmark; it is the heart of a living culture, where rituals bind the present to the past. Yet today, the palace stands under siege, its legacy threatened by the Anglophone crisis that has engulfed parts of Cameroon.