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Freelancers

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December 25/January 26Nigeria
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Abuja National Mosque

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Vol. 3, No. 1

Race and Identity in the Modern World
IN THIS ISSUE
⎈ National Belonging and Social Integration: Race and Migration in Mozambique by Nafeesah Allen; ⎈ Uncovering Edinburgh: Rethinking Empire and Race in Scotland by Henry Dee; ⎈ The Power of Social Media: Nigeria's Changing Feminist Movement by Cynthia Igodo; ⎈ Racism or Classism? Africa's Hidden Race Problem by Moses Ochonu; and much more. Read the entire issue.  
Freelancers

Inside Nigerian Freelancers’ Currency Trap

December 25/January 26Nigeria
Little Republic

Introducing ‘Little Republic’

DispatchOctober/November 2025
Abuja National Mosque

Call for Submissions: On Nigeria

DispatchOctober/November 2025
Freelancers

Inside Nigerian Freelancers’ Currency Trap

Chibuzor Obi·
December 25/January 26Nigeria
·December 21, 2025
Little Republic

Introducing ‘Little Republic’

Tomi Olugbemi·
DispatchOctober/November 2025
·November 25, 2025
Abuja National Mosque

Call for Submissions: On Nigeria

The Republic·
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·November 17, 2025
Freelancers

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December 25/January 26Nigeria
Little Republic

Introducing ‘Little Republic’

DispatchOctober/November 2025
Abuja National Mosque

Call for Submissions: On Nigeria

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Naira

What Naira Decoupling Means for Nigeria’s Economy

NigeriaOctober/November 2025
Laffaya

How a Flowing Veil Shaped My Identity

NigeriaOctober/November 2025
Coups

Is the Spate of African Coups Affecting the French Economy?

October/November 2025
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Chibuzor Obi·
December 25/January 26Nigeria
·December 21, 2025
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Tomi Olugbemi·
DispatchOctober/November 2025
·November 25, 2025
Abuja National Mosque

Call for Submissions: On Nigeria

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·November 17, 2025

Economic Issues

‘We Move’ The Subversive Economy of the Lagos Danfo

Daniel Agbiboa·
April/May 2022Best of 2022Nigeria
·April 12, 2022
Electricity Line and Sunset at Dopemu, Lagos, Nigeria

Electrons Are Free but Not Electricity Finding the Right Price for Electricity in Nigeria

Tam Alex·
October/November 2020
·November 18, 2020
Oil

Nigeria Was Once the World’s Largest Palm Oil Producer—What Happened?

Oluwatobi Odeyinka·
June/July 2025Nigeria
·June 22, 2025
AfCFTA

The Economic Uncertainties of the AfCFTA Amidst Regional Conflict

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·May 22, 2025

Teetering on the Edge of a Cliff Safeguarding Nigeria's Future Workforce

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vol3-no3
·September 6, 2019

What Does Africapitalism Actually Mean? Power, Gender and the Promise of Africapitalism

Immaculata Abba·
December 21/January 22Nigeria
·January 20, 2022
Is the World Getting Smaller for Nigerians?

Is the World Getting Smaller for Nigerians? International Airlines Threaten to Halt Operations in Nigeria

Chukwudi Ukonne·
August/September 2022NewsNigeria
·August 30, 2022
This photos for our piece on the understated significance of Nigerian market women.

Women Like Olabisi The Understated Significance of Nigerian Market Women

Aderonke Adeola and Donna Etiebet·
October/November 2019
·October 30, 2019
Citizenship

Why Nigerians Buy Foreign Citizenship

Eunice Shaibu·
December 24/January 25Nigeria
·December 1, 2024
 

Global Issues

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Nigeria Has Evacuated More Than 1,300 Citizens From Ukraine Since the Russian Invasion

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February/March 2022NewsNigeria
·March 14, 2022
ierra Leone’s Alluvial Diamond Industry

Poor Institutions or Unfair Power Dynamics? Notes from Sierra Leone’s Alluvial Diamond Industry

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June/July 2020
·July 6, 2020
King Charles

King Charles’ Non-Apology to Kenyans

Mumbi Kanyogo·
February/March 2024KenyaVol8-no1
·February 27, 2024
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A New Doctrine? Understanding Russia and the New Scramble for Africa

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August/September 2020vol4-no3
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Digging for Gold: Personal Experiences from Zimbabwe

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·August 11, 2024

Globalization and Global Value Chains Prospects for Africa's Industrialization

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·September 6, 2019
China

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·February 9, 2025
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Algeria’s Indefinite Pause What Will COVID-19 Mean for Algeria’s Year-long Protests?

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·April 20, 2020

Another Military Takeover What We Know About the Coup in Gabon

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August/September 2023
·September 3, 2023
 

Historical Issues

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October/November 2019
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The Spiritual Dimensions of Exile South Sudanese Refugees in Arua Town, Uganda

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April/May 2018
·March 31, 2018
BRICS

Nigeria’s New BRICS Status Won’t Solve Its Economic Crisis—but It Signals a Foreign Policy Shift

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Of Borders and Economy Can Nigeria’s Next President Chart a New Africa Foreign Economic Policy?

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The UK’s Botched Deportation Plan to Rwanda The Ruling That Could Change How Refugees Seek Asylum

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Africa’s Misinformation Struggles The Impact of Misinformation on Africa and African Media

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Eritrean Identity and Migration Discourse as Shaped by Indefinite National Service and Education Reforms

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For the People, Without the People The Crisis of Representation in Nigerian Politics

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Social Issues

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Identity

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National Belonging and Social Integration Race and Migration in Mozambique

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The Weird Genius of William Onyeabor #OnSite ⚡⁠ ⁠ The Weird Genius of William Onyeabor #OnSite ⚡⁠
⁠
Emmanuel Esomnofu explores the enigmatic life and music of William Onyeabor, the reclusive Nigerian musician who died in 2017. Onyeabor’s music is described as ‘strange’—psychedelic, physical and pulsating, yet eerily subdued—blending funk with moralistic and fatalistic themes about death, heaven, hell and humanity.⁠ Despite commercial success, Onyeabor was profoundly reclusive, declining to speak in a 2014 documentary, ‘Fantastic Man’, about his music and legacy. He stopped making music by 1985, ran a flour mill, was named West African Industrialist of the Year in 1987, and later entered politics.⁠
⁠
Do you have a favourite William Onyeabor song? Let us know in the comments, and read the full story at the link in bio. ⁠
____________⁠
📝: Emmanuel Esomnofu⁠
📷: Photo Illustration by Ukandi Atsu (@ukandiatsu) / THE REPUBLIC.⁠ Design by Dami Mojid⁠
🔍: Hanna Desta, Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors
The Misunderstood Economics of Igba Ọsọ Ahịa #OnSi The Misunderstood Economics of Igba Ọsọ Ahịa #OnSite⚡⁠
⁠
Emmanuel Azubuike examines Igba Ọsọ Ahịa, an Igbo business practice in which traders without shops or goods direct customers to other vendors' shops in exchange for a share of the profits. Among those profiled in this story is Chiamaka Ukaegbulam, who adopted this system after the Abia State government demolished her salon on 8 September 2021 during efforts to remove uninhabitable structures. She now canvasses customers in Ariaria Market, established in 1976 and one of West Africa's largest daily markets, with over 37,000 shops. Azubuike writes that Igba Ọsọ Ahịa transcends intermediation, functioning as a social framework that embodies Igbo values of mutual support, trust and kinship. The practice operates through verbal agreements, allowing agents to temporarily assume a form of shop ownership. Despite criticisms around extortion and the sale of counterfeit goods, Azubuike proposes that formalising Igba Ọsọ Ahịa could help address poverty among Nigeria's eighty-eight million citizens living in extreme deprivation by generating employment through indigenous economic solutions.⁠
⁠
Read the full story via the link in bio.⁠
____________⁠
⁠📝: Emmanuel Azubuike (@emmanuelac_14)⁠
📷: Photo Illustration by Ukandi Atsu / THE REPUBLIC.⁠
Design by Dami Mojid⁠
🔍: Hanna Desta, Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors⁠.⁠
Today in 1931, Flora Nwapa was born. #RPUBLCHistor Today in 1931, Flora Nwapa was born. #RPUBLCHistory ⏳⁠
⁠
Ukamaka Olisakwe reflects on Flora Nwapa's legacy, examining how the pioneering Nigerian writer dedicated her life to the craft during a period when women writers were not accorded the same respect as their male counterparts. ⁠In analysing Nwapa's debut novel ‘Efuru’ (particularly the character of Ajanupu), Olisakwe shows how Nwapa’s resistance to marginalisation helped lay the groundwork for generations of African women writers who followed. ⁠When London publisher Heinemann failed to distribute her books, creating conditions for piracy, Nwapa founded Tana Press in 1976 (the first African press run by a woman) after securing a bank loan and reluctant support from her husband. ⁠
⁠
Olisakwe also reveals Nwapa's pragmatic approach to her marriage and her alignment with Alice Walker's womanism over Western feminism. Nwapa's community ultimately broke tradition by conferring upon her the title of Ogbuefi (reserved for men), recognizing this ‘woman of timber and calibre’ whose dedication continues to inspire writers like Olisakwe, who founded Isele Magazine.⁠
⁠
Read the full story via the link in bio.⁠
_________________⁠
📝: Ukamaka Olisakwe (@MsOlisakwe)⁠
🎨: Illustration by Charles Owen / THE REPUBLIC.⁠ Design by Dami Mojid ⁠
🔍: Chidinma Nebolisa (@nmanebolisa_), Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors.⁠
Is a US military base in Nigeria a good idea? #OnS Is a US military base in Nigeria a good idea? #OnSite ⚡⁠
⁠
Olakunle Mohammed argues that it isn’t. Drawing on an interview with retired US Major Adebayo Adeleke, Mohammed explains that while Nigeria is strategically important for counterterrorism, a permanent US military base could undermine sovereignty, reinforce neo-colonial dynamics, and create long-term dependence.⁠
⁠
The argument feels especially urgent now. Recent US airstrikes in Northern Nigeria have called Nigeria's military sovereignty into question, while Donald Trump’s threats of further intervention show how quickly 'counterterrorism' or 'religious protection' can slide into unilateral military action.⁠
⁠
Mohammed situates his argument within Africa’s mixed history with foreign military bases—from France’s 2013 intervention in Mali to its expulsion from Niger and Burkina Faso in 2023, where external security guarantees have repeatedly eroded local authority rather than strengthened it.⁠
⁠
What do you think? Is a US military base in Nigeria a good idea?⁠
⁠
Read the full story via the link in bio.⁠
____________ ⁠
⁠
📝: Olakunle Mohammed (@olakunile)⁠
📷: 1) Collage by Dami Mojid / THE REPUBLIC. Ref: HARANDANE DICKO / UN PHOTO.⁠
🔍: Peace Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks), Ada Nnadi (@horneddaughter), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors⁠
The Endless Life of Onyeka Onwenu. #OnSite⚡⁠ ⁠ Thi The Endless Life of Onyeka Onwenu. #OnSite⚡⁠
⁠
This story examines the life and legacy Nigerian pop icon Onyeka Onwenu, who died in July 2024 at 70. Kéchi Nne Nomu argues that Onwenu was instrumental in creating the distinct Nigerian sound of the 1970s-1990s, though her contributions are often overlooked in global conversations that simplify this history.⁠
⁠
The author traces Onwenu's career from her 1980 return from New York, through her groundbreaking 1984 documentary 'Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches,' to her multifaceted roles as singer, broadcaster, actress, and political figure. Onwenu embodied the 'pop icon' archetype with singular grace, moving fluidly between soul, folk, and pop. Her music sought to reimagine Nigeria during the dictatorship years, portraying the country as 'endlessly redeemable.'⁠
⁠
The story also unpacks her private life, an abusive marriage detailed in her 2020 memoir, a marriage proposal from Fela and her controversial 1998 performance at Abacha's rally. ⁠
⁠
Read the full story at the link in bio⁠
__________⁠
📝: Kéchi Nne Nomu (@nuanio)⁠
📷: Illustration by Ekundayo R. Baiyegunhi / THE REPUBLIC.⁠
Design by Dami Mojid ⁠
🔍: Peace Onafuye (@yetundeandbooks), Yusuf Omotayo (@yusufomotayo), Wale Lawal (@wallelawal); Editors⁠
On Christmas Day this year, America's president, D On Christmas Day this year, America's president, Donald Trump, announced that the US  had ordered airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Nigeria's North West region. Months earlier, in May, we published a story that examined Trump's (potentially transactional) relationship with Africa. Swipe to read five things to consider about US-Africa relations in the time of Trump. Learn much more by reading the full story at the link in bio.
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