The Nigerian Scam
By The Nigerian Scam
The Nigerian ScamAug 23, 2023
33. #EndHunger Protests : From Economic Crisis to Political Crisis?
In light of the recent #EndHunger Protests around the country, we talked to one of the organisers and director of the #TakeItBack Movement ( @AyowoleSanyaolu ) to assess the politico-economic conditions leading up to the mass action, historic (in)actions of the Unions and its effects on the citizenry.
We also discussed possible actions that could reinvigorate mass consciousness and deepen on-the-ground political work towards a fundamental change.
Image Credit https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-protests-government-economy-inflation-2dcb6ec98716772b6630476e13880c82
32. A Nigerian Communist in Vietnam
In our latest episode, we examine the Vietnamese socialist project in a lighthearted conversation with Taofeek ( @afolxbi ), a young Nigerian communist who visited recently. Amongst the many things we looked to learn, we were curious to know if and/or how, decades after their protracted civil war, a 'unified' Vietnam is moving on. We also covered issues around attitudes towards (economic) development outside of the cities. The Vietnamese lesson (hammers & sickles), as you might find, is that an engaged citizenry is a vital component of nation building
31. Eco was, Ecowars, Ecoworse
Back from the January Hiatus, we discuss recent developments in the ongoing Ecowas crisis. Why is Ecowas in crisis? Were the junta run countries of the Sahel right to (ecow)exit the regional body? What is Ecowas actually good for? Should the body even exist?
Also, if you stay till the end of the show, you'll hear about our exciting new partnership (not with Wagner group, but...)
Photo credit: Africa Report
30. Was national liberation the scam?
As a year end bonus, we decided to release this slightly controversial, somewhat theoretical debate we had about the pitfalls of 'independence' and the possibility that the very notion of a post-colonial nation-state -- i.e. national liberation -- was the foundational scam.
Is there anything to be said about the argument that independence was, in some cases, premature? Was there every a chance that even a revolutionary (petty bourgeois) anti-colonial leadership would commit 'class suicide' and give way to a popular democracy? Or was the seizure of the nation-state from imperialists by anti-colonial radicals always a doomed for mission?
Maybe we are asking the wrong questions here. Feedback welcomed.
Scam Hall of Fame Ep 3: Agricultural marketing boards in colonial and 'independent' Nigeria
In our final recording of the year, we consider a little-remembered institution that laid the foundation for many state-led scams to come: the colonial and post-independence era agricultural produce marketing boards.
We discussed why they were founded by the colonial state, why they became indispensable to the post-independence regional governments, how they (sort of) ended, and whether they are inherently fraudulent or can be repurposed. Enjoy... And happy holidays!
**The cover poster is one of a series of more than 200, commissioned and published by the British government's Empire Marketing Board between 1926 and 1933. The EMB's main functions were to research the production, trade and use of goods throughout the British Empire and to promote the idea of 'Buying Empire'. It organised poster campaigns, exhibitions and shop window displays, 'Empire shopping weeks', lectures, radio talks, school tours, and advertisements in the national and local press.
This image, by designer Gerald Pryse, shows an exotic and romanticised view of palm oil production in Nigeria. International trade in palm oil began in the early 1800s and became the principal cargo for slave ships after the abolition of the slave trade. The development of industry in Britain had increased demand for palm oil as a machine lubricant, and trade increased rapidly. As people in Europe began to take sanitation and hygiene more seriously, demand for soap also increased, resulting in the production of oil for soap manufacture by companies such as Lever Brothers. In the early 1870s, exports of palm oil from the Niger Delta totalled about 30,000 tonnes per year. In 1897, competition for control of Nigeria's oil production resulted in the British raid on the Nigerian kingdom of Benin, and the notorious looting of the Benin bronzes. By 1911, British west African territories exported 87,000 tonnes, and Nigeria remained the world's largest exporter of palm oil until 1934.
The Empire Marketing Board was closed down in September 1933, partly as a result of government cuts, although colonial governments had also proved reluctant to join it. Manchester Art Gallery was given an almost full set of the posters in 1935. Produced by some of the best artists and designers of the day, they were collected by the gallery as an example of outstanding British design and many are visually stunning. However, seen from today's perspective, their promotion of an imperial world view and use of stereotypical images of people and places makes for often uncomfortable viewing.
This information was provided by curators from Manchester Art Gallery.***
29. Why we struck
We discuss the short-lived general strike -- possibly Nigeria's first in a decade -- to understand it's links to the ongoing economic crisis. What caused the strike and why did it end so quickly? What led to the assault on Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC president? Did the strike contribute to rebuilding Labour's waning public legitimacy, or to further undermining it?
28. Precolonial Capitalism to the First Republic ft. @iyi_bobby
You might already know: we've been running a reading group on Nigerian Political Economy. This episode reviews some highlights from our first three sessions which covered the development of capitalism in pre-colonial, colonial, and pre-civil war Nigeria.
Spanning over a millennia of West-African history, the discussion was, to say the least, ambitious. But we were greatly aided by Bobby (@iyi_bobby on X), one of the most insightful participants in our reading sessions.
Enjoy -- and also let us know if you're interested in joining future editions of the reading group.
27. Mohbad protests, celebrities and social (non-)movements
We discussed the protests that accompanied the passing of the Afrobeatz recording artist, Mohbad, as well as the dark side of the Nigerian music industry (and discovered how this intersects with the origin story of @OAG).
Was there ever a pseudo-anarchist character to Naira Marley, as some observers (see references) proposed? Amid the current economic crisis, could one argue that 'the youths' were protesting about the 'wrong' Naira?
References:
On the politics of Marlianism: https://www.africasacountry.com/2020/10/good-influence
A critique of the politics of Marlianism:
https://africasacountry.com/2020/08/naira-marley-is-no-revolutionary
On social non-movements:
https://endnotes.org.uk/posts/endnotes-onward-barbarians
26. 'Is Nigeria's fuel subsidy still worth fighting for?' ft. Camilla Houeland
We explore the origins of Nigeria's fuel subsidy and popular resistance to its removal, aided by sociologist Camilla Houeland (@CamillaHoueland) -- a researcher at the Fafo, Norway, and associate professor in Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo. Have Nigeria's Labour Unions given up on resisting the removal of the subsidy? What should we make of environmentalist criticisms of policies that seem to promote the use of fossil fuels? Why do petrol subsidies remain an important point of leverage for Nigerian working class and poor households? How might some of the flaws and fraudulent loopholes of the subsidy be reformed?
25. Subsidy removal and popular resistance pt. 1
We review the state of debate about the removal of Nigeria's fuel subsidy. Our own debate quickly turns to examining whether the Tinubu administration's sudden 'Subsidy ti lo' approach to announcing the subsidy removal on his inauguration day was either a 'gaffe' or an effective ploy to impose austerity and enrich the ruling-class while demobilizing popular forces -- i.e. 'shock therapy'.
This episode is the first of a two part series. The second part is an interview with a scholar of Nigerian labour unions who will talk us through the rise and fall of popular opposition towards subsidy removal.
Enjoy and stay tuned.
24. Niger coup, Ecowas idiocy, and Left military vanguardism
In this episode, we try to think through the unfolding regional crisis brought about by the (latest) coup in Niger. What do we know about the coup so far? Why is Ecowas beating the drums of war? Should these recent coups give us hope for the future of popular sovereignty and socialism in West Africa?
Some readings:
Alex Thurston on domestic dynamics of the coup in Niger: https://sahelblog.wordpress.com/2023/08/03/thoughts-on-nigers-coup-at-the-domestic-level-proximate-triggers-structural-causes-and-some-ramifications/
The Military as Revolutionary Vanguard: A Critique
Bjorn Beckman: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4005818
23. Afro-Marxism in Nollywood? - A review of Saworoide (1999)
"The parable of the drum as the voice of the people"
Another one for the film heads -- our review of Tunde Kelani's classic Saworoide (1999). Is this the first (and only) Nollywood film to advocate for popular resistance to capitalist environmental degredation? Is the 'traditional' aesthetic of the film distracting or inspiring? Does the film ultimately succeed as an effective form of leftist propoganda?
Full episode out for patrons only (w a shorter version to come for the teeming unwashed hordes).
22. Did the Left learn anything from the Obidient Wave? Part 1
This is the first of a two-part episode examining what the Nigerian Left learned from the Obidients. To tackle this, we review a series of articles about the Labour Party and Peter Obi that were written by Nigerian Left essayists and organization both before and after the elections.
Check out our Patreon page to listen to the extended conversation.
The "before" pieces:
https://socialistlabour.com.ng/2022/06/24/tpap-m-2023-labour-and-actually-existing-labour-party/
https://africasacountry.com/2022/09/nigeria-turn-a-case-for-a-labor-party-entryism
The "after" pieces:
https://socialistworkersleague.org/2023/03/03/swl-statement-on-the-presidential-election-in-nigeria/
21. "Buhari walked so that Tinubu could run": From right wing-statism to the Lagos Model
In this episode, we put @SaeeduH on the hot-seat to discuss his recent article for @Africaisacountry on the ideological and economic legacies of the Buhari administration (we also challenge @SLASHER_OAG on whether Buharism and the Lagos Model suggest that the ruling classes have adopted a more complex mode of legitimation than the classic you chop, I chop model).
Is there a perspective from which Buhari's economic policies actually succeeded? Has Tinubu come to abolish Buhari-ism or to fulfill it? Why did some commentators think that a self-described 'radical-conservative' member of the 'Kaduna mafia' was a socialist? And why do Nigerians know so little about the various intellectual traditions that have influenced their political class?
Enjoy.
Meanwhile, we also preview some of our exciting new announcements, including our upcoming reading group on Nigerian political economy...
References:
Buharism is dead, long live Buharism https://africasacountry.com/2023/04/buharism-is-dead-long-live-buharism
The Lagos Model and the politics of competing conceptions of good governance in Oyo State, Nigeria 2011-2015 http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3600/
Muslim politics and shari’a in Kano State, Northern Nigeria: https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/114/454/28/2195195?login=false
Scam Hall of Fame Ep 2: The time Nigeria imported White Zimbabwean Farmers
In the second volume of our 'scam hall of fame' mini-series, we explore a classic Nigerian haux that might not have been the most daring or expensive, but was certainly the weirdest: the time Kwara State came up with the ingenious idea of importing white Zimbabwean farmers (along with tons of cows and machinery) ostensibly to set up commercial farms in the state.
Now a decade after the farms were inaugurated -- with the forced displacement of thousands of indigenous Kwaran farmers -- and after millions of dollars of state investment, the majority of farms established by the white Zimbos have now, predictably, collapsed. What inspired this laughable and ultimately ill-fated scheme? Was it an 'honest' mistake or a pre-medidated racket? Were Nigerian elites the victims or beneficiaries of this scam?
(Special thanks to Michael Parenti for the guest appearance).
Further reading:
Zimbabwean farmers in Nigeria: Exceptional farmers or spectacular support?
20. Marxism vs Obi-ism pt.2: A Socialist Labour Party candidate in the National Assembly? ft. Ayo Ademiluyi
We are joined once again by Ayo Ademiluyi (@ComAdemiluyi), the disputed Labour Party House of Reps candidate for Eti-Osa, Lagos, to discuss the LPs victory in his constituency. Having won the LP primaries for the position ahead of party's election victory in Eti-Osa, Ayo is now engaged in a legal battle against the 'substitution candidate' (@_JtAttah) imposed after the primaries. What is the status of Ayo's efforts to reclaim his mandate? What are the chances that Ayo will be sworn in as the National Representative for Eti-Osa come June? What, more generally, is the state of left entryism in the LP? With the election receding in the rearview, how should the Nigerian left 'engage' with the LP?
(apologies for some of the phone vibrations which remain in the recording despite attempts to edit)
19. Election Post-mortem: class, ideology, and consciousness
In which we attempt to assess last weekend's governorship elections from the point of view of our regular thematic pre-occupations.
18. Was it rigged?
In which we discuss the (s)election of a new president - not of the NLC, that's for later - but of our glorious federal republic. In addition to offering various takes on the titular question, we also attempt to assess the reasons behind the historically low turnout of voters as well as how the Nigerian left should respond to plans by the main opposition parties to challenge the result in court.
17. 2023 -- Naira Scarcity, Elections, and Elite Roforofo
Coming back from our harmattan hiatus, we round out the presidential campaign banter with a discussion about the naira scarcity: whether it really is engineered by 'the cabal' (per El Rufai's claim); how it might affect the election; and how an organized left would have responded to this moment.
16. Taking a shower with Babangida - A review of "Badamasi (Portrait of a General)"
@dvmilola joined us for our second film review, this time about an authorized biopic centered on Nigeria's wannabe Pinochet and so called "evil genius", Ibrahim Badamisi Babangida. We disagree about whether the emerging sub-genre of historically-based Nollywood films should strive to be objective, but ultimately agree that IBB is one of the greatest scam artists in Nigerian history. We watched it so that you don't have to (spoilers herein contained, obviously). So enjoy.
And happy new year.
And and check out our Patreon for past and future exclusives.
Scam Hall of Fame Ep 1: The Cement Armada Scandal 1974 - ?
In this episode, we revisit the Cement Armada Scandal, which we consider one of the foundational scams of the Nigerian political economy. The scandal saw the newly oil-rich post-civil war Nigerian government bumble into ordering half of the world's concrete supply, by some estimates. The arrival of hundred of cement laden ships effectively shut down the ports in Lagos for over a year, forcing the Nigerian government to pay huge fines to real and fictitious shipping companies as a result of the delays. Involving corrupt Nigerian officials, wily shipping companies, devious British MPs, a Balkan princess, a Czech spy, a body in the Thames, and a host of other scalawags from across the globe, the scandal 'cemented' Nigeria's international reputation as an Eldorado of fraud, among its other significant legacies.
In the first of our special series on Nigeria's foundational scams, we go through the major turning points of the scandal, debating its origins and long term impacts.
Special thanks to @Tay007 who runs the Youtube channel "My fellow Nigerians" from which we cribbed the intro summary of the scandal. Check out his page.
And, also...
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Further Reading:
(Image courtesy of https://jojonaija.com/cement-armada-affair-how-the-gowon-regime-flooded-lagos-port-with-cements/)
15. Of Bandits, Warlords, and Terrorists: A Recap
This episode draws out the key debates that came out of James Barnett's (@jh_barnett) reflections in our previous episode, centered on the findings of his in-person interviews with bandits in Zamfara.
The full episode containing our earlier interview with James, which was free-to-listen for a limited time , is now accessible via our Patreon — which you should check out.
As usual, praise, reviews, feedback and (particularly) criticisms welcomed.
Recent in-depth reporting on Banditry:
Merchants Of Terror (2): Inside multi-million naira farming sustaining Nigeria’s terrorists14. From Ballot to Revolution: AAC and the 2023 elections ft. Kunle Wizeman Ajayi
This week, we spoke with Kunle Wizeman Ajayi (@AjayiWizeman), former Lagos chair of the African Action Congress (AAC), about the AAC's ideology, 'structures', and electoral prospects.
We also talked through some of the possible limitations of the AAC's strategy as well as the party's plans to respond not only to the 'obidient wave', but also to the more established obstacles: APC and PDP.
One annoying issue with the recording (at least the first 10 minutes or so) is that the the mic kept picking up the vibration from Kunle's phone, as messages from AAC activists rolled in -- our sincere apologies. And special thanks to one of our day-one comrades, Commander Matrix, who recorded the disclaimer you'll hear in the intro.
Enjoy. And, also...
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13. On ASUU strikes and boiling Indomie ft. Maberu Fagunwa
In this episode, we spoke to radical ASUU member Temitope 'Maberu' Fagunwa (@RealMaberu), who is also an afrobeat musician, a pan-africanist and a history Lecturer at the University of Osun State, UNIOSUN.
We discussed the NLC solidarity protest and student support for the ASUU strike, the conditions of life for lectureres amidst such strikes, the possible elitism of ASUU's demands, and whether or not ASUU can play a wider vanguard role for Nigeria's working class movement.
We also asked Maberu about his 'Aluta' band and where his politics and music intersect.
One for the books, this.
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12. Unlocked: Audience Appreciation Episode
(by popular demand, now liiberated for the masses)
Did Atiku shout us out?
We review some of the best (real) feedback we've received so far, and hint at future directions/collaborations.
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12. Teaser - Audience directed struggle session
This is a teaser for the full episode in which we review some of our favorite feedback on the show so far.
Listen to the full episode on our newly introduced patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/join/nigerianscam).
We hope to use the patreon to keep up audience engagement with tailored episodes and content -- as well as to raise funds!
Subscribe for access to all premium and bonus episodes.
11. Marxism vs Obi-ism: Leftist entryists and the struggle for the Nigerian Labour Party ft. Ayo Ademiluyi
We spoke with marxist public interest lawyer and #EndSARS activist Ayo Ademiluyi (@AYOADEMILUYI) about his campaign for House of Representatives under the Nigerian Labour Party.
How is the Nigerian left responding to the Peter Obi moment? Does the Labour Party now represent a genuine working class force? Does the left have any leverage in the LP now that Obi has been given the party's presidential ticket? Can the influx of Obi-ists be radicalized? Or should a Labour Party -- now dominated by a neoliberal billionaire and his movement -- be abandoned?
10. 100 million boys v.s people's industrialization
Our tenth episode (!) considers electoral and economic questions as APC delegates arrive in Abuja:
Are the ruling party primaries of significant to the Left?
Should we put much stock in the Gen X 'progressives' now that the baby-boomer generals are dying out?
Should a people's government pursue forms of industrialization in the face of climate change?
etc, etc. Enjoy responsibly.
09. A leftist case for secession? ft. Comrade Offiong Aqua
In this far-reaching and sometimes tense discussion, we interviewed Offiong Aqua, one of the leaders of the historic 1978 Ali-Must-Go student protests (which we will come back to, don't worry) about his background in radical student politics in the military era, his sojourn in the Soviet Union, his perspective on the Russia/Ukraine (/NATO) conflict, and his more recent advocacy for independence and self-determination for the people of Akwa Ibom. While we were not necessarily flying the flag for the Ibom People's Republic by the end, the Comrade responded with exemplary poise, particularly to Emeka provocations. Enjoy -- and, as usual, comments welcome.
08. Africrapitalism ft. Immaculata Abba
In this episode with Immaculate Abba (@thisNneoma on twitter), we interrogate the claim that Africapitalism is an attempt to develop a genuinely productive national bourgeoisie. But is it Elumelu's $100m gamble or gambit?
What Does Africapitalism Actually Mean? by Immaculate Abba
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07. Happy New Election Year 🎉
A year away from the general and presidential elections and the race is already heating up. Let’s speculate!
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06. Rethinking #EndSARS: A Revolution Postponed?
In this episode, we discuss the class and economic forces that shaped EndSARS, grapple with lingering questions hounding the movements future and investigate Emeka’s looting proclivities. And of course there was so much to talk about, we had to break the episode in two.
Check out our Patreon for a bonus episode on the generational divide plaguing #EndSARS.
04. (un)happy independence
OAG and Sa’eed spend the intro berating the ethnic/religious secessionist movements for being bad at history and geography and even worse at redistributive politics. Then Emeka joins in during the heart of the episode, where we offer some initial reflections on why the idea of the scam seemed an apt description for our show — and for our country (and the nation-state model more generally).
Who independence epp?
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05. Anti-Communist Coups and Military Wives: A Review of '76
Part 1 of The 70's Series
In this review of the Nollywood film "'76", we discover (to no ones surprise) that Rita Dominic is one of the greatest actresses of her generation, that geriatrics are infiltrating our ranks and, that Murtala Muhammed was not a communist. There's also some other stuff about the influence of military wives in national politics and the unheralded impact of radical ideas in 1970’s Nigeria (more on this soon..)
Watch the film. Subscribe to our Patreon for exclusive content.
References and Additional Reading:
Class Struggle in Africa by Kwame Nkrumah (Chapter 7)
Class Struggle in Africa by Kwame Nkrumah (Chapter 8)
Khaki in the Family: Gender Discourses and Militarism in Nigeria
Music:
Miriam Makeba - The Naughty Little Flea
Monomono - Tire Loma Nigbehin
03. Twitter Ban or Scam
In our much-anticipated comeback episode, we discuss the limitations of online politics, the (probably) now expanded surveillance capacities of our ruling elite, and why you shouldn't trust Jack Dorsey.
Additional Reading:
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02. Don't #DefendLagos
In this episode, recorded mid-week, we discuss #OccupyLekkiTollGate, #DefendLagos, the violent eviction of residents of Ashanti settlement, and the non-existence of class analysis in Nigeria. How should the nascent left respond to the redux of spontaneous protests? Are we jumping from hashtag to hashtag? What is our minimum program for engaging the toiling masses? Is class analysis Eurocentric? etc, etc.
Read about state sponsored violence against a community that witnessed the Oct 20 massacre
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01. Proletarian 'Herdsmen'
The scam has resumed at long last... In our first official episode (though still very much a working experiment), we briefly consider the so called 'Fulani herdsmen' crisis from a class perspective, before reflecting on the meaning of the 'Nigerian Scam' and its relevance to the history of the Nigerian left... Are yahoo boys fighting for reparations? Isn't the nation state, more fundamentally, a scam? What's left of the Nigerian Labour movement? etc, etc.
Intro and outro song is Recognize ft OGenius & LJ by our very own Slasher O.A.G.
Check out his mixtape on spotify: https://soundcloud.com/slasheroag
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0.5. Hijacked by 'hoodlums' feat. Dami Adebayo
In our second test recording, we spoke with Dami (@dvmilola) about his participation in Alausa #EndSARS, the role of capital and ideology in the protest, and about the possibility of increased and organised political engagement between the Left and the so called 'hoodlums'.
Music credits (in order of 'appearance'):
KyenKyen Bi Adi M'awu - K. Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas
#Letter to Corybyn - Craft D
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00. Claim no easy victories; On EndSARS
We attempted a first episode on the historical significance of the revolt, the absence of a general strike (unlike in #Occupy2012), the revolutionary duties of artists and celebrities, the pitfalls of leaderless organising, and on what the Nigerian Left can learn from #EndSARS.
(forgive the poor audio quality - we are yet to acquire professional production!)
Music credits (in order of 'appearance'):
KyenKyen Bi Adi M'awu - K. Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas
Ebo Taylor - My Love and Music
Dankasa - Uppers International
Some Left Perspectives on EndSars:
Understanding Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement - Jaye Gaskia
Study notes on Nigeria’s youth revolt - Edwin Madunagu
The Rise and Suppression of #EndSARS: A deep dive into the protests in Nigeria, and where the movement stands now - Krystal Strong
#EndSARS: Nigeria’s Mass Movement - ROAPE
Nigeria’s #EndSARS Protests Aren’t Just Opposing Police Brutality - They’re Opposing Neoliberalism - Jacobin interview of Sa'eed Husaini
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