Ojogbon Globalization

I engaged in #SomberTuesday , a long-term advocacy for #EndSARS youth protesters that enabled me to contribute a chapter to the book: Institutions and Popular Will in Africa’s Search for Democracy, Development and Peace: Essays in Honour of Professor Oyeleye Oyediran, edited by Babafemi Badejo, Adigun Agbaje and Cyril Obi, published by Bookbuilders Edition, 2023. This is a reading of the introduction to my Chapter: "Contextualizing Democracy, Nigerian Youth Protest and Activism." The book should be available for purchase online soon.

Read this story: End SARS protests: UK government admits it did train and supply equipment to Nigeria’s ‘brutal’ police unit https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/sars-nigeria-police-protests-uk-government-training-equipment-b1424447.html  Nigeria is independent. The UK's "help" in training SARS unit is destructive and dangerous. It should have done better. The onus however is on the government of Nigeria to ensure that it uses considerable Nigerian capacity to figure out what our national interest is, and use the most skilled and capable Nigerians in our technocratic institutions and diplomatic service, to project that national interest in a way that improves the quality of our democracy, respects human rights, protects and defends the constitution, for the benefit of all Nigerians, not just a select few. This is an urgent task.  This is why I say: #Neocolonialism thrives. With friends like the #UK #Nigeria definitely needs no enemies. #EndSARS #EndPoliceBrutali...

Read this story: End SARS protests: UK government admits it did train and supply equipment to Nigeria’s ‘brutal’ police unit https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/sars-nigeria-police-protests-uk-government-training-equipment-b1424447.html  Nigeria is independent. The UK's "help" in training SARS unit is destructive and dangerous. It should have done better. The onus however is on the government of Nigeria to ensure that it uses considerable Nigerian capacity to figure out what our national interest is, and use the most skilled and capable Nigerians in our technocratic institutions and diplomatic service, to project that national interest in a way that improves the quality of our democracy, respects human rights, protects and defends the constitution, for the benefit of all Nigerians, not just a select few. This is an urgent task.  This is why I say: #Neocolonialism thrives. With friends like the #UK #Nigeria definitely needs no enemies. #EndSARS #EndPoliceBrutali...

This is my response to President Muhammadu Buhari’s speech of October 22, 2020. I wholeheartedly support the  #EndSARS   #EndSWAT  protesters and object to the President’s attempt to trivialize the yearning of Nigerians for genuine good governance and democracy. Please join me. 

  The Howard Zinn Quote: “Civil disobedience, that’s not our problem. Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while, the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.” Let the kleptocrats give back our stolen wealth so that we can fix our infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and also offer worthwhile social protection to our people. Let the masses enjoy the full benefits of citizenship in Nigeria. Let the leaders and political class repent and build peace with justice. This is no time for politics as usual.

#EndSWAT SWAT? Why? I say rethink this. According to a colleague, with whom I agree, “Nigeria Police is an oppressive instrument of the ruling elite. In the sixty year history of the Nigerian Police it has never been reformed hence a demand is that it should be reformed from bottom up with the assistance of UNDP. The present context provides the opportunity to make this demand. By the way, along with its reform should be creation of state police.” Just so people know, I’m Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome Professor of Political Science, African & Women's Studies Leonard & Claire Tow Professor, 2015/2016 Brooklyn College, CUNY