Discussing Nigeria’s National Assembly at AU – (Healthy?) Intellectual Tensions

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American University, Arsenio Hall, Bridgewater State University, Carl Levan, Joseph Fashagba, Landmark University, Nigeria, Nigeria Legislature, Nigeria Politics, PDP, Shaheen Mozaffar, Tea Party, Yvonne Captain-Hidalgo

From L: Fashagba, Mozaffar, LeVan

My last event of a very busy Tuesday (other posts to follow) brought me to American University, where the energetic Carl LeVan had convened Dr. Joseph Fashagba of Landmark University, Nigeria to speak on ‘Politics and Parties in the Nigerian National Assembly’. Serving as discussant was Shaheen Mozaffar of Bridgewater State University, who bluntly noted that he did not find Fashagba’s analysis ‘very useful.’  All three are scheduled to speak at the National Endowment for Democracy tomorrow on ‘African State Legislatures & Democratic Development: Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia & South Africa.’  I wonder if Mozaffar will be so direct at a more high stakes venue (over half those in attendance were GWU students from a class of Yvonne Captain – Hidalgo).

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Lauren Sinclair at American University on the Role of US Academia in the Nigerian Civil War

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Africa Cold War, African Studies Association, American University, Biafra, Carl Levan, CIA, Congo, Conor Cruise O'Brien, international education, Lauren Sinclair, New York University, Nigeria, Nigeria Civil War

Cold War African history is one of my favorite topics to discuss, so I had to manufacture an excuse to get out of work yesterday and hear Lauren Sinclair, a PhD student at NYU speak at American University on ‘Situating the Nigerian Civil War in US-Africa Cold War Policy.’  My already high levels of excitement soared to even greater heights when I discovered that she is managing to tackle this topic while pursuing a degree in International Education – my ideal career field.

SAIS Tackles Urbanization in Abuja

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Abuja, Africa land tenure, Boko Haram, Carl Levan, FEDUP, Jos, Josiah Olubowale, Nigeria, SAIS, Trinidad

Sitting from L: Olubowale and LeVan

Yesterday I popped in for the first hour of a 90 minute discussion at SAIS titled “I Am Here Until Development Comes*: Displacement, Demolitions and Property Rights in Urbanizing Abuja” with Carl Levan of American University and Josiah Olubowale, a Nigerian and soon to be graduate of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad.

I have never been to Nigeria and know nothing about property rights, so I was very much out of my element here.  I do not believe that I was completely alone in this regard. 

‘You Can’t Have Capitalism Without Capital’: Kingsley Moghalu, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria on why Africa Matters

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Africa finance, Africa Rising, AllAfrica, BlackBerry Babes, Carl Levan, Kingsley Moghalu, Nigeria, Wilson Center

I heard one of the best public speakers that DC’s think tanks have hosted in a long time at the Wilson Center’s (AllAfrica co-sponsored) ‘Africa as the Last Frontier: Why it Matters in the Global Economy‘ yesterday.  Kingsley Moghalu, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is almost certainly destined for increasing prominence.  Moghalu was on hand to ‘talk about Africa’ and promote his new book, Emerging Africa: How the Global Economy’s ‘Last Frontier’ Can Prosper and Matter.  Despite the rather tame name of this book, Moghalu gave us two reasons to read it: