What was behind the violence around the city of Jos in recent months and what impact has it had on the country? What are the prospects of the violence continuing and how effective is acting President Goodluck Jonathan likely to be in preventing it?
We will be discussing these questions and looking at the wider political instability since President Umaru Yar’Adua disappeared from the public eye due to illness, and looking ahead to Nigeria’s elections next year.
While the recent attacks put Nigeria in the media spotlight, we will also be examining how well the Western media has been able to make sense of the country’s difficulties. How much do we know about this oil-rich country where oil has permeated all aspects of life and exploitation, injustices and abuses of power are commonplace, and the role played by its largest customers, the US and the UK.
We will be joined by Dr Khataza Gondwe, CSW’s Sub Saharan Africa team leader; Michael Peel, legal correspondent and former West Africa correspondent for the Financial Times and author of A Swamp Full of Dollars, which examines the impact of our dependence on its oil on Nigeria; Dr Abdul Raufu Mustapha, University Lecturer in African Politics and Kirk-Greene Fellow at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford and Jamilah Tangaza, head of BBC Hausa Service for Africa.
Moderated by Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor for Channel 4 News.
For the latest developments from Nigeria see our blog post.
