United Against Hate

Nigeria is a nation with a population of over 190 million that boasts multitudes of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but they all fall under two religions for the most part: Christianity and Islam. About half of Nigeria’s population classifies as Christian, mostly in the south of the country, and about half of Nigeria’s population classifies as Muslim, mostly in the north of the country. Despite the Christians mainly residing in the southern half of the country and the Muslims residing in the northern half, it is so absolutely common to see crossovers. Though there can be disagreements between the two groups, it is usually always economic or political, and almost never actually about the religious differences between the two. Nigeria is a sign to the entire world that Christians and Muslims can coexist peacefully right next to each other, obviously.

When ISIS affiliated terrorist group Boko Haram began rising up and killing civilians in the late 2000s and early 2010s, a guttural reaction that some would have expected, due to the history of public reactions to other waves of terrorism around the globe, would be an Islamophobic response. Instead, Nigerians recognized that you cannot paint an entire religion, of billions, with a single stroke due to one terrorist group. Nigerians united together, Christian and Muslim, demanding action from the government in response to the atrocities that Boko Haram was causing, murders, bombings, the infamous kidnapping of schoolgirls. Boko Haram didn’t discriminate between Christians and Muslims in their evil attacks, much like other terror groups around the world eg. ISIS, Al-Shabaab, yet many globally allow these terrorist attacks to drive us apart as a collective people, ending with us aiming for each other's necks. Nigerians unified together, and didn’t relent in urging the government to combat Boko Haram, which was what eventually happened. Today, in 2019, Boko Haram are so broken and scattered, that they do not pose any serious threat to Nigeria’s national security. I feel that the people of the world can look to Nigeria to see how much more capable when we are united rather than we segregate and hate off of our perceived differences.

United Against Hate

Nigeria is a nation with a population of over 190 million that boasts multitudes of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but they all fall under two religions for the most part: Christianity and Islam. About half of Nigeria’s population classifies as Christian, mostly in the south of the country, and about half of Nigeria’s population classifies as Muslim, mostly in the north of the country. Despite the Christians mainly residing in the southern half of the country and the Muslims residing in the northern half, it is so absolutley common to see crossovers. Though there can be disagreements between the two groups, it is usually always economic or political, and almost never actually about the religious differences between the two. Nigeria is a sign to the entire world that Christians and Muslims can coexist peacefully right next to each other, obviously.

When ISIS affiliated terrorist group Boko Haram began rising up and killing civilians in the late 2000s and early 2010s, a guttural reaction that some would have expected, due to the history of public reactions to other waves of terrorism around the globe, would be an islamaphobic response. Instead, Nigerians recognized that you cannot paint an entire religion, of billions, with a single stroke due to one terrorist group. Nigerians united together, Christian and Muslim, demanding action from the government in response to the attrocities that Boko Haram was causing, murders, bombings, the infamous kidnapping of schoolgirls. Boko Haram didn’t discriminate between Christians and Muslims in their evil attacks, much like other terror groups around the world eg. ISIS, Al-Shabaab, yet many globally allow these terrorist attacks to drive us apart as a collective people, ending with us aiming for each other's necks. Nigerians unified together, and didn’t relent in urging the government to combat Boko Haram, which was what eventually happened. Today, in 2019, Boko Haram are so broken and scattered, that they do not pose any serious threat to Nigeria’s national security. I feel that the people of the world can look to Nigeria to see how much more capable when we are united rather than we segregate and hate off of our perceived differences.

United Against Hate

Nigeria is a nation with a population of over 190 million that boasts multitudes of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but they all fall under two religions for the most part: Christianity and Islam. About half of Nigeria’s population classifies as Christian, mostly in the south of the country, and about half of Nigeria’s population classifies as Muslim, mostly in the north of the country. Despite the Christians mainly residing in the southern half of the country and the Muslims residing in the northern half, it is so absolutely common to see crossovers. Though there can be disagreements between the two groups, it is usually always economic or political, and almost never actually about the religious differences between the two. Nigeria is a sign to the entire world that Christians and Muslims can coexist peacefully right next to each other, obviously.

When ISIS affiliated terrorist group Boko Haram began rising up and killing civilians in the late 2000s and early 2010s, a guttural reaction that some would have expected, due to the history of public reactions to other waves of terrorism around the globe, would be an Islamophobic response. Instead, Nigerians recognized that you cannot paint an entire religion, of billions, with a single stroke due to one terrorist group. Nigerians united together, Christian and Muslim, demanding action from the government in response to the atrocities that Boko Haram was causing, murders, bombings, the infamous kidnapping of schoolgirls. Boko Haram didn’t discriminate between Christians and Muslims in their evil attacks, much like other terror groups around the world eg. ISIS, Al-Shabaab, yet many globally allow these terrorist attacks to drive us apart as a collective people, ending with us aiming for each other's necks. Nigerians unified together, and didn’t relent in urging the government to combat Boko Haram, which was what eventually happened. Today, in 2019, Boko Haram are so broken and scattered, that they do not pose any serious threat to Nigeria’s national security. I feel that the peoples of the world can look to Nigeria to see how much more capable when we are united rather than we segregate and hate off of our perceived differences.

The World's Game

The FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world, occurring every four years and pulling over 1.12 billion people tuning into the final, trophy deciding, match. The FIFA World Cup soccer tournament held its first rendition in 1930, being hosted by South American nation, Uruguay. Since that tournament, almost 90 years ago, tournaments have been hosted all over Asia, Europe, North and South America, but it had never been held in Africa till the 2010 edition which was hosted by South Africa. Till today, that was the only tournament which was hosted in Africa, however the 2026 version of the tournament saw Morocco come to the final vote before eventually losing out to a joint bid put out by the Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. The bid from Morocco would have resulted in them being only the second African nation to host the tournament, as well as being only the second Arab nation to host it, after Qatar in 2022.

Though Morocco ultimately did lose the bid, it would have been tough to win out in a bid against the U.S. since FIFA ultimately would be salivating at the revenue that another U.S. tournament would bring. Coming so close, one has to believe that another African hosted World Cup is around the corner. Largely due to how well the 2010 South African World Cup was run, in regards to preparations, safety, and fan atmosphere, the world surely sees many possible spots across the African continent which could host the event. Possible West African spots could include Ghana, Nigeria or Senegal. Maybe a North African joint bid that could see nations like Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia host the massive global sporting event, or possibly even a Rwanda hosted tournament, which could highlight its growth from conflict to the highly lauded and praised, progressive nation that it is today. Either way, thanks largely due to the success of South Africa’s hosting efforts, the FIFA World Cup will inevitably return to the continent, rehashing the fact that it is the World’s Game.

Goal For Bafana Bafana, Goal For South Africa, Goal For All of Africa

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was being hosted in the African continent for the first time. South Africa had the honor of being the hosts of the largest sporting event in the world, and as a result, the South African national team received an automatic qualifying spot. Bafana Bafana, the nickname for the South African national soccer team, were massive underdogs going into the tournament, surely not qualifying if not for the automatic spot that the team received. The South African team had the opening match against Mexico, who are a globally established soccer power. In their opening match, with the whole world watching, they did their nation and continent proud, drawing 1-1. Though they would not eventually qualify out of their preliminary group, the perfomance that they put in in their 1-1 opening match result as well as their historic 2-1 win against reigning champions France on the last matchday set the tone for what the nation and eventually the continent could accomplish.


Tsiphwe Tshabalala's goal v Mexico

Much like Bafana Bafana, many saw a South African hosted tournament as one that had the potential to disappoint. There were rumblings about the nations ability to host an event of this magnitude smoothly, rumblings to whether the stadiums will be completed in time, rumblings to whether the atmosphere will match up to past renditions. The tournament went without a hitch, which surprised many around the world, just like Bafana Bafana. Commentator Peter Drury covered the opening match, with his commentary on Tsiphwe Tshabalala's goal for South Africa, which is not only etched into the minds of soccer fans globally, but can also be used as descriptor of the tournament as a whole, "Goal for Bafana Bafana, goal for South Africa, goal for all of Africa.".

Fela Kuti: Original Rebel

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, known more commonly as Fela, is simply put an icon. Fela was a talented, multi-instrumentalist, musician who captivated Nigeria with his pioneering take on the Afrobeat music genre. Fela, born in 1938, didn't just achieve his status by music alone, it was that mixed in with his candid and raw political views. During his heyday, the 1970s and 80s, Nigeria was under military rule, that was rife with the suppression of freedoms and was punctuated by the brutal crackdowns on those who didn't conform. Fela didn't conform, he was, perhaps, the original rebel, and for that the authorities hated him. As Fela's fame grew, domestically and internationally, so did the messages in his songs, which often criticized the government and the police. One of his most popular songs, "Zombie", includes lyrics that translate to "...Zombie won't go until you tell it to go, Zombie won't stop until you tell it to stop..." the song alludes to the mindless police who so frequently resign themselves to mindlessly brutalizing and abusing the population, who are deemed to not obey the quo, all under the instruction of the powers that be. The military and police incessantly sent threats to Fela, ultimately culminating in the raid and burning of his compound and the murder of his mother at the hands of the military. Despite all the pressures that the authorities had put on Fela to submit, he persisted, and in result became a cult legend.

 Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti past away in the year 1997, and over one million people attended his funeral in Lagos. The homage that was paid to him during his resting ceremony has not wavered till today, with Kuti becoming the model revel for standing up to oppression and corruption for Nigerians globally, myself included.
 Musician Burna Boy (left) with a Fela Kuti necklace on

Today, globally, music savants will recognize Kuti as one of the great musical talents of the 20th century, but in Africa and Nigeria, he is a cult icon of legendary status, both in his music and in his persistence to stand for what he believes in.

The Revolution Starts With Us

 In December 2018, a revolution was started in Sudan that has not only impacted the nation, but could also end up impacting the whole world. The cause of the revolution: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. President Al-Bashir had been in power in Sudan for 30 years, and when the price of bread was tripled, the people had decided that his time was up. What ensued was a back and forth battle-the people demanding change vs the authorities fighting to maintain their power. The powers that be were desperate, banning social media to try to quell the protests, even resorting to murdering protesting citizens in hopes of dissuading the brewing revolution, see the Khartoum massacre. By the end, the will of the people persevered, and Omar Al-Bashir was deposed. A victory for that shows the world the power that a united people have.

 Image from Sudanese Revolution

As a Nigerian national, I see the current state of the nation, and recognize that for decades the government has totally failed the people. Nigeria hasn't always been in such a hapless state, infact during the 1970s, the Naira, the Nigerian currency, was more powerful than the British Pound and the U.S. Dollar, a sign of a strong economy. Today, the Naira is practically useless, corruption and over inflation contributing to that, however the personal impact is what concerns me. Corruption and mismanagement of funds have resulted in a state in which there is an overabundance of failed public systems. Long story short, I see the government as a total abject failure. I look to the revolution in Sudan and see a potential seed for change. The people in Sudan were fed up, their thirst, their hunger, their desire to see their future children see a better tomorrow was so deep that they were willing to die for that dream. United, they were unbeatable. Looking at Nigeria, recognizing how rich the nation actually is and seeing much has been stolen from the people via a greedy corrupt state system, I can only see one way out of this valley: a revolution. In order for it to be successful, the Nigerian people will need to be willing to sacrifice everything, their freedom, their lives, but if they are united, like the Sudanese people, then victory will be inevitable.

Chiyaka