The African Torch

21/08/2025

The Need for African Unification and Its Impediments

By Dr. O. M. Akinyemi – 20th August 2025

The dream of a unified Africa has long inspired leaders, thinkers, and citizens across the continent and beyond. In 2023, African Development Bank (AfDB) President Sidi Ould Tah reaffirmed this vision, stating, “Together, we will drive Africa’s transformation with unity, ambition, and purpose.” This aligns with Agenda 2063’s aspiration of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens.”

Dr. Akinyemi’s article explores both the promise of African unification and the challenges standing in its way. It highlights why unity is central to Africa’s growth and how the dream of Pan-Africanism continues to shape the future.

👉 Read the full article here:

A Pan-African symbol highlighting the continent’s unity.The vision of a unified Africa is a longstanding dream. As African Development Bank (AfDB) President Sidi Ould Tah declared in 2023, “Together, we will drive Africa’s transformation with unity, ambition, and purpose”. This reflects Agen...

18/08/2025

03/07/2025

Nigerian Diplomats Go Unpaid – What’s Happening and Why It Matters

July 2025

Nigerian diplomats and embassy workers in many countries face a serious problem – they haven’t been paid their salaries for several months. These are the people representing Nigeria abroad, helping with passports, visas, international relations, and protecting Nigerian citizens overseas. Yet, many struggle to survive in foreign countries because their wages have not been paid.

Why Is this a big deal?

When workers don’t get paid, several problems can happen:

* Diplomats are supposed to represent a strong and respected image of Nigeria. But it becomes a national shame when they cannot pay rent, school fees, or even buy food.
* It is hard to work correctly when worrying about how to feed their family members.
* If rent or bills are not paid, embassies might be kicked out of their buildings.
* Other countries may see Nigeria as unreliable or disorganised, which could affect foreign investments or partnerships.

What can be done to solve this?

Here are some practical steps the Nigerian government can take:

1. Release emergency funds immediately to pay all owed salaries and allowances.
2. Please set up a dedicated salary payment system for workers abroad so that funds can reach them directly and on time.
3. Audit and monitor embassy finances regularly to ensure transparency and prevent misuse.
4. Strengthen communication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian missions so that problems can be reported early and solved quickly.
5. Explore partnerships with Nigerian banks to provide temporary financial help to embassy staff during emergencies.

Final thoughts

Nigeria must take care of its workers, whether at home or abroad. Diplomats are the face of the country. If they are left unpaid, it affects not just their lives but also Nigeria's image and progress. The time to act is now.

Written by
Dr O M Akinyemi
Head of Affairs

The International Advocacy for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption is a global movement that campaigns to end abuses of human rights and corrupt practices.

09/06/2025

“Nigeria is dead; all that remains is to bury it.”

This statement is not merely a declaration of despair, it is a lamentation, a cry from the soul of a people who have witnessed the slow erosion of hope. The death of Nigeria here is not a literal demise of land or people, but the symbolic collapse of a dream, the dream of a nation that once carried the promise of unity, justice, and prosperity.

What has died is the collective faith in leadership, in equity, in security, and in the systems that should protect the most vulnerable. What remains is the carcass of a country weighed down by corruption, tribalism, insecurity, poverty, and a political elite indifferent to the plight of the masses.

To speak of burial is to acknowledge that the rot is no longer hidden,? it is exposed, foul, and festering. Yet even in burial, there is a ritual - a process of reflection, of reckoning. Perhaps in mourning this “death,” the seeds of a new rebirth can be planted. But only if we are honest about what has been lost and who is responsible.

In this metaphor, to bury Nigeria is not to give up, but to close the chapter on what has failed, so something new, just, and true might rise from the ashes.

Check out Money’s video.