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Understanding African Rebellion: Fani Kayode Explores Root Causes
In a compelling post, Fani Kayode, a renowned Nigerian political commentator and writer, delved into the concerning surge of military coups unfolding across the African continent.
He disclosed this in a series of tweet titled “WHEN REBELLION IS A VIRTUE (PART 1)” via his X account on Sunday morning.
Fani Kayode expressed deep concern over the alarming trend of seven successful military coups in as many African nations within the past three years.
He highlighted the critical questions surrounding the legitimacy of these coups and the mandates of the leaders they unseated.
The post reads in part “Unfolding events in Africa continue to intrigue the world & the fact that no less than seven military coups have been successfully effected in no less than seven African countries in the last 3 years gives cause for concern.
“What is the cause of these violent acts of mutiny & rebellion and can there be any justification for such behaviour?
“How legitimate were the mandates of those that have been toppled & are the soldiers that have carried out these ostensibly illegal acts of insurrection, revolution & treason & taken power by the barrel of a gun criminals & rebels that should be shot at the stake or God-sent & divinely-inspired heroes, liberators & deliverers of their respective countries & people?
“Can their actions be justified in some cases or are they appropriate for all & can such a course of action ever be deemed appropriate for our country Nigeria? When is rebellion a virtue & when is it a curse? When is mutiny, revolution & a call to arms appropriate & when is it not?
“What does one do with civilian dictators & sit-tight Presidents who have sold and mortgaged the future & destiny of their nation to the Western imperialists & neo-colonial powers & who torment their people & refuse to leave office.
“These are just some of the questions that yours truly seeks to answer in this contribution. Enjoy the ride! On the 13th March 1962, in his address on the first anniversary of the Alliance For Progress, President John F. Kennedy of the United States of America, said the following:
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”.
“In the history of humanity few have enunciated such a profound yet obvious home truth as President Kennedy has done with these famous words.
“Sadly even fewer have learnt anything from them. Those that doubt this have much to learn. Consider the following.
“Pres. Paul Kagame of Rwanda & Pres. Paul Biya of Cameroon have ruled their African countries for 23 & 42 years respectively.
“Approximately 1 week ago they were both constrained to sack, retire, redeploy & replace much of their Military High Command, senior Army commanders & thousands of commissioned & non-commissioned officers in the light of the wave of military coups that have swept West & Central Africa & just one day after the one that took place in Gabon.
“This was clearly a panic measure on both their parts. They did it out of rabid fear & in a desperate attempt to thwart, pre-empt & prevent a military coup & stave off an anticipated mutiny in their respective Armed Forces.
“Unfortunately for them such peripheral & ineffectual remedies & desperate attempts to ward off all opposition & dissent in an attempt to hold on to power forever will not work because their so-called “mandates” lack legitimacy & they do not have the backing of the people.
“Worse still they are both oblivious of & totally blind to the rationale & ethos of mutiny & armed rebellion & are clearly ignorant of the essence & motivation for military coups.
“Simply put, no matter who your senior military commanders are, whether the old or the new & no matter how many times you sack, retire, redeploy or change them, when you are an illegitimate, depraved & evil leader who crushes, murders, persecutes & incarcerates members of the opposition & who rigs elections, refuses to leave power, torments the people & imposes a corrupt, bloodthirsty & blood-lusting dictatorship & dynasty of barbarism & tyranny on his nation, coups, mutiny, rebellion, revolution & insurrection become inevitable: it is only a question of time.”
“Is it any wonder that sit tight rulers and life-long dictators like Kagame, Biya and others are scared of their own shadow, are shivering under their beds and enjoy no peace?
“If you do not stand up, resist, fight back and “breed unnatural troubles” when confronted with wickedness, injustice and tyranny, you cannot expect to ever enjoy your God-given right of freedom and neither will you ever witness emancipation from subjugation and oppression.
How else would you remove and replace power-obsessed dictators like Ali ‘Make Some Noise’ Bongo of Gabon, Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, Papa Doc and his son Baby Doc Duvalier of Haiti and the mentally-ill Jean Bedie Bokassa of the Central African Republic (who declared himself the Black Napoleon and Emperor for life and who kept the freshly decapitated heads of his enemies in his fridge)?
“To move against such monsters and topple them by ANY means possible is surely a divine duty and obligation and one which every single one of the Holy Books not only encourages but also insists on. Can we be expected to do anything less?
“Is it not the injustice and tyranny that the French, the Russian, the American, the English, the Chinese and many others were subjected to hundreds of years ago that pushed them to the wall and inspired and provoked them to take up arms and unleash some of the most violent and bloodthirsty rebellions and revolutions in the history of humanity?
“Was this not the right and proper thing for them to do and had it not been for their resistance to such barbarous oppression and subjugation from their erstwhile oppressors and slave masters would they be the free, civilised, great and powerful nations that they are today?
“Had it not been for Flt. Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings’ revolution and coup d’etat in 1979 and 1983 respectively would Ghana be the great and stable nation and flourishing democracy that she is today?
Oil marketers have warned that Nigerians may soon pay as much as ₦1,500 per litre for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, as global oil prices surge following the escalating conflict involving Iran in the Middle East.
The National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, issued the warning on Tuesday while speaking on a television programme on the impact of the global crisis on fuel prices.
According to him, the current volatility in the international oil market has already pushed petrol prices above ₦1,000 per litre at the depot level, with the ex-depot price from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery now standing at about ₦1,175 per litre.
He explained that once logistics, transportation, and other operational costs are added, the final pump price could rise significantly, possibly reaching ₦1,500 per litre in the near future.
Despite concerns about the rising cost of fuel, Gillis-Harry noted that steady availability of petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery remains a major relief for Nigeria, stressing that consistent supply is better than a nationwide fuel scarcity.
He added that the refinery’s production capacity is helping to stabilize supply across the country at a time when global markets remain highly unstable.
The latest price adjustment by the Dangote Refinery marks the fourth review within two weeks. Petrol prices increased from ₦995 per litre to ₦1,175 per litre, while diesel rose from ₦1,430 to about ₦1,620 per litre.
The development comes amid a sharp spike in international crude oil prices triggered by fears of supply disruptions due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Brent crude recently climbed above $102 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose to around $101 per barrel.
Industry analysts say the rising oil prices are already having a ripple effect on Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, forcing depot operators and fuel marketers to adjust their prices in response to the global market trend.
Meanwhile, the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has stated that although Nigeria introduced a crude-for-naira arrangement to support local refineries, the facility still purchases crude oil at international market prices, leaving it exposed to global price fluctuations.
The United Nations has raised the alarm over a dramatic surge in attacks on schools worldwide, reporting a 166% increase between 2021 and 2024.
The rise highlights the escalating dangers faced by children in conflict zones.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, revealed the figures during the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on the rights of the child on Monday.
The session, themed “Mainstreaming the Rights of Children in Armed Conflict: Prevention and Protection,” focused on protecting children amid global conflicts.
Al-Nashif noted that the attacks were particularly concentrated in Sudan, Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Myanmar, and Ethiopia, where children remain among the most vulnerable victims.
“In 2024, armed conflict directly affected nearly one in six children globally—about 470 million children,” she said. “Years of lost education, trauma, and lasting mental scars shape societies for generations. Long after the fighting subsides, children continue to face deadly risks.”
She highlighted Gaza as having the world’s highest number of child amputees per capita, warning that the impact of war goes far beyond immediate violence.
In Lebanon, government figures show that more than 450,000 people were displaced in less than a week, with at least 394 fatalities, including 83 children, during the 2024 conflict with Israel.
Al-Nashif also stressed the disproportionate risks for displaced children, who are more likely to die from disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a 2025 cholera outbreak killed 340 children, underscoring the long-term consequences of conflict.
She called on states to uphold their international obligations to protect children, insisting that protecting children is “both a legal obligation and a humanitarian moral imperative.”
Also speaking at the council, Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that violence against children continued at extreme levels in 2025.
She urged mainstreaming child protection across peace, security, humanitarian, human rights, and development efforts, emphasizing that children should actively participate in shaping policies designed to safeguard them.
Frazier highlighted her office’s global campaign, “Prove It Matters,” aimed at amplifying children’s voices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
The UN report underscores the urgent need for coordinated international action to protect children and ensure their safety in conflict zones worldwide.
Portugal officially inaugurated its new president, Antonio Jose Seguro, on Monday, pledging to bring stability to a nation shaken by political uncertainty and natural disasters.
Seguro, the centre-left candidate, won last month’s presidential run-off against far-right rival Andre Ventura, following weeks of catastrophic storms that killed at least seven people and caused approximately €4 billion ($4.6 billion) in damage.
Speaking at his swearing-in ceremony in Lisbon’s parliament, Seguro emphasized cooperation with the minority right-wing government and vowed to end the country’s “electoral frenzy.”
SEE MORE: Spain, Portugal Plunge Into Darkness Amid Widespread Power Outage
“I will do everything I can to put an end to this electoral frenzy,” he said, pointing to the inability of previous governments to complete their terms.
Amid global crises, including conflicts in the Middle East and a more isolationist US approach under President Donald Trump, Seguro stressed the importance of multilateralism.
“The force of law has been replaced by the power of the strongest,” he remarked.
Seguro succeeds Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative who leaves office at 77 after serving two five-year terms.
While the Portuguese presidency is largely ceremonial, Seguro’s leadership signals a commitment to political stability and international engagement.
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