It was a November 2021 event but the symbolism of the picture still resonates. It speaks to Nigeria mysteriously materialising itself in a manner that it is never absent in the world. At any one time, Nigeria is sure to entrench itself in terms of global presence in one global space or the other: Literature or broader academia; from the media to the global policy mill; from business to diplomacy and even to the domain of criminality.
In this picture, for example, is Amina Mohammed, a Deputy Secretary – General of the United Nations and, therefore, a player in global diplomacy. And on the left is Arunma Oteh, the Chair of the Royal African Society, a hub of ideas and the power that oozes from the articulation of such ideas in world politics.
They were at the Royal African Society 2021 Annual Lecture. While the UN chief delivered the lecture, the Chair looked on. Left or right, it was Nigeria all the way as the Royal African Society marked its 120th Anniversary by giving Amina Mohammed the opportunity to lead the conversation on ‘Africa in a Just Transition – Investing in a Sustainable Recovery”.
Back home, it is a rather chaotic Nigeria, both at the elite and the non-elite level. What a paradox!
