The people of the Lake Chad Basin area have been suffering under long periods of violence and bad governance. On top of these problems the region has historically had a lower GDP per person than...Show moreThe people of the Lake Chad Basin area have been suffering under long periods of violence and bad governance. On top of these problems the region has historically had a lower GDP per person than the rest of Nigeria, which is linked to a vulnerability to civil war. These issues have received much attention over the years, but little progress has been made in developing the region. State presence is low, with local governments abandoning the basin because of the threat of Boko Haram. This thesis argues that how three institutions, the government, Boko Haram, and the traditional authorities interact with each other is at the core of the lack of progress in breaking the vicious cycle of underdevelopment in the Nigerian part of the Lake Chad Basin. For a while the Nigerian state made little effort to assert its hegemony over the Lake Chad Basin. However, neglect of this area gave space to other groups to assert themselves. Nigeria did not feel the need to assert its control over the region because they were not dependent on that area. The discovery of oil which coincided with Nigerian independence made the federal government less reliant on tax income from the northern state which meant there was little to gain for the federal government in the Lake Chad Basin.Show less
In my work, I will be discussing specifically the recent Chinese influence on transportation in Nigeria, mostly through investments in railways. I will present it in a frame of China-Africa...Show moreIn my work, I will be discussing specifically the recent Chinese influence on transportation in Nigeria, mostly through investments in railways. I will present it in a frame of China-Africa relations with the history and specifics of China-Nigeria relations included. To explain the partnership on railway development, it will be essential to present the condition of Nigerian transportation and its struggles. I will also discuss the significance of transportation infrastructure in general. For a better understanding of conclusions, I will also explain the relative and absolute gains theory. As I mentioned, there already are plenty of works discussing different aspects of China-Africa relations. Therefore, I will include the main points emerging from the existing analyses with my comment on it. It is significant for my framework to present the debate on China-Africa relations as it contains general arguments on the advantages and disadvantages of the partnership for Africa. I will address those in my analysis. The literature review will also contain phrases and language used in the public debate that was crucial in shaping the relationship. In the final chapters, the data and the discussion about it will be analysed from the perspective of relative and absolute gains.Show less
Questions why Nigeria's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency actions have not been overly successful, particularly in the case of Boko Haram. This is done by comparing their actions against a...Show moreQuestions why Nigeria's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency actions have not been overly successful, particularly in the case of Boko Haram. This is done by comparing their actions against a theoretical framework built on academic literature pertaining to successful counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies.Show less
The main aim of this thesis is to investigate how framing through prominent Nigerian newspapers has an effect on Boko Haram’s narrative. More specifically, it utilizes existing content and...Show moreThe main aim of this thesis is to investigate how framing through prominent Nigerian newspapers has an effect on Boko Haram’s narrative. More specifically, it utilizes existing content and discourse analyses to discover in which ways the two Nigerian newspapers ‘the Punch’ and the ‘Daily Trust’ use framing techniques to shape particular narratives surrounding Boko Haram. In addition, the purpose of this thesis is to offer alternative perspectives on dominant components within the ‘newspaper-narrative’ to allow for a more nuanced and diverse consideration of Boko Haram. Lastly, the results are contextualized by situating them in the broader debate regarding the framing of terrorism. This thesis concludes that the negative consequences of terrorism-framing in relation to Boko Haram are similar to the ones exposed by the global debate. Although the range of these issues is broad, this study concluded two particular consequences to be dominant. Firstly, it limits and negatively influences counter-terrorism options by presenting Boko Haram as a force that can only be dealt with in a violent matter. Secondly, unnuanced and disproportionate representations of Islam in relation to Boko Haram and other Islamic terrorist organizations has led to a significant rise of negative Muslim prejudice.Show less
“Human trafficking is an increasingly well-recognized human rights violation that is estimated to involve more than 2 million victims worldwide each year” (Ahn et al. 2018, 283). Nigeria in...Show more“Human trafficking is an increasingly well-recognized human rights violation that is estimated to involve more than 2 million victims worldwide each year” (Ahn et al. 2018, 283). Nigeria in particular has high numbers of human trafficking victims. After economic fraud and drug trade, human trafficking is known as the biggest crime in Nigeria, which includes both internal and transnational trafficking of human beings (Olagbegi 2006, 11).In order to combat this type of crime, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has set up special anti-trafficking programs which are mostly aimed at providing aid to the victims of human trafficking (VoT’s) by helping them to return home and to reintegrate in society, both socially and economically. However, while the IOM known to be very successful in helping VoT’s to return home, numerous sources show that for many Nigerian victims of trafficking (VoT’s) the suffering continues after they have returned to Nigeria. VoT’s face challenges reintegrating in society which sometimes causes them to become retrafficked. This thesis will examine the anti-trafficking and reintegration programs designed by the IOM and analyze reports and primary sources to investigate the following research question: How do the measures taken against human trafficking by the IOM affect Nigerian victims of trafficking (VoT’s) after they have returned to Nigeria? In order to answer this question, secondary sources such as the academic literature and reports have been analyzed as well as primary sources such as YouTube videos and short personal stories posted on various online platforms. In addition an interview with a member of the IOM’s national migration project management team in Abuja has been conducted to give specific insights. The final conclusion shows that that the measures taken against human trafficking by the IOM may positively but also negatively affect the lives of Nigerian VoT’s after they have returned home. The main problem behind these negative affects seems to be the IOM’s lack of funding which prevents the IOM from properly offering and executing various anti trafficking measures.Show less
In 1990, the first ECOMOG operation was launched with the mandate to return peace and stability to Liberia and more generally the West African region. This operation was largely funded and...Show moreIn 1990, the first ECOMOG operation was launched with the mandate to return peace and stability to Liberia and more generally the West African region. This operation was largely funded and initiated by Nigeria, the great power of the region. This thesis seeks to establish whether Nigeria’s intentions were hegemonic, meaning that it was seeking to be recognised as a ruler and assert itself as one. It therefore draws not only from secondary literature regarding the formation of ECOMOG itself, but also from the country’s foreign policy at the time. It finds that the operation not only contains elements showing Nigeria’s assertion of power in the region, but also others which suggest that it was searching for consent from the region as a whole. Consequently, it falls in the middle of a continuum with leadership at one end, empire at another, and hegemony in the middle. The thesis thus concludes that Nigeria did, in fact, have hegemonic ambitions in spearheading the formation of ECOMOG.Show less
The concept of Sustainable Development is increasingly used in development policies. Still, it remains questionable whether sustainable development is feasible in reality. Since a few years, China...Show moreThe concept of Sustainable Development is increasingly used in development policies. Still, it remains questionable whether sustainable development is feasible in reality. Since a few years, China aims to be leading in sustainable development. Their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) could secure that leading role at a global scale. Nonetheless, many scholars argue that this project is far from sustainable. Others refute this criticism and state that the BRI has the most potential for sustainable development. This thesis aims to investigate this debate by answering the following question: To what extent is ecologically sustainable development implemented within the Chinese BRI Railroad projects in Sub-Saharan African Countries? A qualitative data analysis (small-N) will answer this question. The conditions of sustainable development will be compared to practice by studying three railroad projects. This thesis will view sustainable development through an ecological lens with a focus on Strong Sustainability. This thesis analyses how the projects relate to the criteria of Strong Sustainability: protecting and promoting biodiversity, sustainable water management and carbon emission reductions. The results show that the SGR projects do attribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. Still, they could have done more to make the project genuinely sustainable; a lot of environmental concerns remain unaddressed within the projects. Therefore, these projects cannot be labelled as ecologically sustainable under the criteria of Strong Sustainability.Show less
One of the central points developed in this thesis is that the Nigerian-Biafran War, represented in Chinua Achebe's Girls at War and Other Stories (1972) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a...Show moreOne of the central points developed in this thesis is that the Nigerian-Biafran War, represented in Chinua Achebe's Girls at War and Other Stories (1972) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), exacerbates the deterioration of Biafra by revealing the inherited corruption adopted from colonisation. The lives and identities of both Achebe's and Adichie's central characters are dramatically altered when exposed to the trials and traumas of civil war; relationships break down, national pride falters and societal constructs are dismantled. By humanising stories of civil conflict, both narratives work towards shaping and legitimising the wartime experiences of the Igbo community, whose struggle for independence has often been blamed as the cause of a disastrous civil war.Show less
