Al Jazeera English is first out of the gate with an analysis of the life of the Nigerian President who died yesterday, but has been bedridden and in hiding for months–first in Saudi Arabia from November last year till February this year and from then at his official residence–while his appropriately named deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, governs the country.

As a result, Yar’Adua’s passing comes as an anti-climax, except his aides and those who were lied about his condition so as to maintain their tenuous access to power and resources and 419 scammers to whom his dead represent new plot twists to their elaborate scams to lure prospective victims to part with their money.

Western media will probably run the usual cliches tomorrow and the day after, so for some real analysis, I’d suggest checking out Nigeria’s vibrant media instead.

Think Next, The Vanguard, The Punch and, of course, This Day. Same for its blogosphere, both inside Nigeria and its diaspora: Naijablog, Nigerianstalk, Loomnie, Akin and Suleiman’s Blog.

Further Reading

From Cape To Cairo

When two Africans—one from the south, the other from the north—set out to cross the continent, they raised the question: how easy is it for an African to move in their own land?

The road to Rafah

The ‘Sumud’ convoy from Tunis to Gaza is reviving the radical promise of pan-African solidarity and reclaiming an anticolonial tactic lost to history.

Sinners and ancestors

Ryan Coogler’s latest film is more than a vampire fable—it’s a bridge between Black American history and African audiences hungry for connection, investment, and storytelling rooted in shared struggle.