Civil Society | Council on Foreign Relations

Nigeria

T.B. Joshua: A Preacher Who Held Outsized Influence in Nigeria and Africa

Prophet T.B. Joshua, who died aged fifty-seven in Lagos in June and was buried last Friday, is an example of an African religious leader who, within his own country, was probably more influential than any political figure.

Blog Post by John Campbell July 13, 2021 Africa in Transition
Nigeria

Nigeria’s Northern Elders Forum: Keeping the Igbo is Not Worth a Civil War

On June 9, following a closed-door meeting, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) issued a public statement that the Igbo-dominated southeast should be allowed to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeri…

Blog Post by John Campbell July 1, 2021 Africa in Transition
Human Rights

Marriage Equality: Global Comparisons

A growing number of countries are legalizing same-sex marriage amid a steady advance in rights for LGBTQ+ people, but opposition remains strong in many countries.

Backgrounder by CFR Staff June 28, 2021

Experts in this Topic

Jerome A. Cohen

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies

Ian Johnson

Stephen A. Schwarzman Senior Fellow for China Studies

Yascha Mounk

Senior Fellow

Southeast Asia

Of Questionable Connectivity: China’s BRI and Thai Civil Society

Benjamin Zawacki is a senior program specialist with the Asia Foundation’s office in Thailand, focused on regional security and cooperation, and the author of Thailand: Shifting Ground between the US…

Blog Post by Guest Blogger for Asia Unbound June 7, 2021 Asia Unbound
Nigeria

Nigeria: Anxiety Over Deteriorating Security Morphing Into Panic

Some Nigerian movers and shakers appear to be panicking over the continued deterioration of security nationwide. Longtime political heavyweight Bukola Saraki—former governor of Kwara State, former pr…

Blog Post by John Campbell May 6, 2021 Africa in Transition
Nigeria

Nigerian Government Minister's Jihadi Statements Cause Uproar

Isa Pantami is minister of communications and digital economy in President Muhammadu Buhari's government. Some years ago, in sermons and other statements, he used rhetoric about Christians and the We…

Blog Post by John Campbell April 27, 2021 Africa in Transition

Nigeria

Yoruba Debate "Restructuring" of Nigeria or "Autonomy"

Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland Gani Adams, in a speech at a book launch in Lagos on April 14 said that the Yoruba people have "graduated from restructuring to self-determination." He continued by say…

Blog Post by John Campbell April 16, 2021 Africa in Transition
Technology and Innovation

Technology and Youth Represent Nigeria’s Path Out of the Woods

The voice of Nigeria’s youth was heard at the EndSars protests and through the emergence of Paystack and Flutterwave, which were a breath of fresh air in an otherwise foul news climate around the country.

Blog Post by Guest Blogger for Net Politics April 12, 2021 Net Politics
Politics and Government

Home and Abroad Series Public Forum: The Future of Democracy

CFR’s inaugural Home and Abroad series public forum on the state of democracy globally discusses the role democracy should occupy in U.S. foreign policy, and actions policymakers, business leaders, civil society, and citizens should consider taking and supporting to promote democratic norms, values, and institutions here and around the world. This meeting is part of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy.

Virtual Event by Danielle Allen, Richard N. Haass and Yascha Mounk March 30, 2021 Home and Abroad Series
Religion

Nigeria's Catholic Bishops: "The Nation is Falling Apart"

Against an immediate backdrop of escalating mass kidnappings, jihadi resurgence, growing separatist sentiment in the old Biafra, and conflict over water and land that often assumes a religious and et…

Blog Post by John Campbell March 2, 2021 Africa in Transition
Human Rights

The Changing Landscape of Global LGBTQ+ Rights

Although LGBTQ+ people in every region of the world face marginalization and repression, their human rights have steadily advanced. The Biden administration has an opportunity to further promote LGBTQ+ rights by asserting them as a foreign policy priority.

Article by Paul J. Angelo and Dominic Bocci January 29, 2021
Nigeria

Nigerian Human Rights Activist Omoyele Sowore Released on Bail

In Nigeria, causation of arrests and release are murky, and the rumor mill operates overtime. Some Nigerians are suggesting that Omoyele Sowore was released because the authorities are aware of the s…

Blog Post by John Campbell January 27, 2021 Africa in Transition
Religion

Nigeria: “A Nation In Search Of Vindication”

Roman Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Matthew Kukah, in a Christmas message titled "A Nation In Search Of Vindication," delivered a blistering critique of Nigeria's governance and political economy. The me…

Blog Post by John Campbell January 26, 2021 Africa in Transition
Democracy

Dear America: The Rest of The World is Watching

Nkasi Wodu is a lawyer, peacebuilding practitioner, and development expert based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. On January 6, a large group of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt t…

Blog Post by Guest Blogger for John Campbell January 15, 2021 Africa in Transition
Nigeria

Nigerian Human Rights Activist Arrested—Again

Nolan Quinn contributed to this post. Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, was arrested New Year’s Eve following a peaceful prote…

Blog Post by John Campbell January 5, 2021 Africa in Transition