Nigeria has played a major role in fostering democracy in Africa’s west but after 25 years its people are losing faithFor visitors to Lagos, the gentle plea begins with immigration officials at the airport and is echoed across the streets of Africa’s most populous city: “Show me love.”It is a familiar request for tips in a city of omnipresent hustle, but residents say the requests have intensified in the last year as people struggle under the crushing weight of Nigeria’s underperforming economy. Continue reading......
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Post-colonial anthem dropped in 1978 reinstituted with little debate amid escalating economic crisisNigeria has reverted to a national anthem it dropped nearly 50 years ago after lawmakers replaced the current one, prompting widespread criticism over the lack of public consultation on the change.The country’s president, Bola Tinubu, confirmed the law on Wednesday, a day after it was approved by both chambers of Nigeria’s national assembly, which is dominated by the governing party. The federal lawmakers introduced and passed the bill in less than a week – an unusually fast process for important bills that usually take weeks or months to...
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ANC majority in national election at risk for first time since 1990s as unemployment, corruption and power cuts erode supportWhat are the issues and will the ANC lose its majority?In the heart of Soweto, at the president’s home voting station, support for the African National Congress (ANC) was everywhere as South Africa went to the polls on Wednesday, with many voters wearing the party’s bright yellow and speaking of their families’ generational loyalty to the movement that fought to end apartheid.However, even here, there were voters who had turned against the ANC, as it risked losing its majority in national...
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South Africa’s national and provincial elections are being held to elect a new national assembly and legislatures in each of the nine provinces. Results will officially be announced on 2 June Continue reading......
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Country goes to polls on 29 May and unemployment, inequality and power cuts have dented ruling party’s supportSouth Africans go to the polls on 29 May in elections in which the ruling African National Congress party could lose its majority for the first time since it swept to power in 1994 after the end of apartheid. Chronic unemployment, inequality, power cuts and corruption have contributed to a haemorrhaging of support for the ANC, which won the 2019 election with 57.5% of the vote. Continue reading......
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With the country’s highest rates of unemployment, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in Eastern Cape province offers a snapshot of the state of South Africa’s housing, employment, poverty, crime, and public service delivery. As the country goes to the polls, many of those voting will be part of the ‘born free’ generation who were born after apartheid ended in 1994. On a visit to Nelson Mandela Bay in December, the photojournalist Ilvy Njiokiktjien spoke to many about their disillusionment with modern South Africa but also their hopes, ingenuity and resilience Continue reading......
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