Speaking frankly on education and youth development in sub-Saharan Africa
My reflections on the Boko Haram challenge originally published by The Nerve. --- Africa has since the 20th century been characterized as the theatre of the world’s most protracted violence, and this, sadly, continuous to frame the discourse on its youth. In the highly regarded book ‘Vanguard or Vandals: Youth, Politics and Conflict in Africa’ …
Continue reading Why do young men join Boko Haram?
I was invited during early October by the UN Population Fund to share my experiences at the General Assembly Meeting of the East and Southern African branch of the African Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Below is an excerpt from the reflections I shared during a leadership workshop session …
Continue reading What is the value of Youth participation in decision making processes?
Introduction Let me clarify from the outset what I mean by each of the two key concepts. By Christian youth, I mean any individual who is ‘born again’ in the sense that Jesus meant it in John 3 verse 3 and who is between the ages of 15 and 29. However, I also recognize that …
Continue reading Christian Youth and Political Participation
The next election cycle in Nigeria is now full-steam. Individuals across different party lines are positioning themselves to win their party’s nomination to present themselves as candidates for various political offices. The situation is similar across the country. One trend that is however emerging about this election cycle is the use of ethnicity and religion as …
Continue reading Elections 2015: Putting Youth at the centre of Governance in Rivers State, Nigeria
The Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals released its draft outcome document on July 19, 2014. I find it quite interesting that the conceptual framework of the proposals made in the document is grounded in poverty reduction. Given the amount of theoretical and methodological work that has been undertaken since the adoption of the …
