Swiss authorities have struck a deal with the Nigerian government on repatriating money stolen during former president Sani Abacha’s regime. The Nigerian government has said it will give the money to poor families in small cash disbursements over six years. But the payments will only go to poor people in some of Nigeria’s states, raising fears that the plan is simply a ruse to bribe voters ahead of the 2019 elections. Tolu Olarewaju argues that there are better uses for the money than making cash payments. Also from Nigeria, Dimeji Togunde looks at the high rates of child labour and
the huge challenges facing these children in urban areas.
Cameroon is on the brink of catastrophe following two years of a brutal conflict that was sparked by a peaceful protest by teachers and lawyers in the country’s English-speaking region. Julius A. Amin, who has just returned from the troubled region, explains why the country’s President Paul Biya should call off planned elections, announce a ceasefire and lead the search for political solutions.
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Top Stories
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Tolu Olarewaju, Staffordshire University
Millions of dollars have been repatriated to Nigeria by Swiss authorities, but there are better ways to spend it than what the government is proposing.
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Prof. 'Dimeji Togunde, Spelman College
About 15 million Nigerian children work - the highest rate in West Africa.
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Politics + Society
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Andrew Alan Johnson, Princeton University
In Theravada Buddhism, ordaining to be a monk and donating the merit thus gained is one of the greatest honors that a person can give to another - in this case to the Navy SEAL officer, who died.
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Julius A. Amin, University of Dayton
Cameroon is facing daunting challenges and the president and his team must mobilise the country to find solutions.
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Anugerah Rizki Akbari, Indonesia Jentera School of Law
Ex-offenders should be given a fair chance to redeem themselves after serving their time.
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Joel Samuels, University of South Carolina
Will 12 Russians indicted for hacking the 2016 US election ever come to trial? They may not, but the indictments themselves are an important step in the effort to determine the truth of what happened.
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Environment + Energy
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Stephen Garnett, Charles Darwin University; Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares, University of Helsinki; Catherine Robinson, CSIRO; Erle C. Ellis, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Hayley Geyle, Charles Darwin University; Ian Leiper, Charles Darwin University; James Watson, The University of Queensland; John E. Fa, Manchester Metropolitan University; Kerstin Zander, Charles Darwin University; Micha Victoria Jackson, The University of Queensland; Pernilla Malmer, Stockholm University; Tom Duncan, Charles Darwin University; Zsolt Molnár, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest
A new map shows that more than 25% of all land outside Antarctica is held and managed by Indigenous peoples. This makes these communities vital allies in the global conservation effort.
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Cecilia A. Green, Syracuse University; Farah Nibbs, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Many countries collect and store rainwater for use during drought or dry seasons. But this technique is rarely used in the Caribbean, where hurricanes can leave people without water for months.
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