Title: Humanitarianism in Nigerian Civil War: The British Commonwealth and United States’ Financing of Biafra Relief, 1967-1960
PhD Supervisor: Aidan Russell
Expected completion date: September 2027
This PhD project brings to light a crucial component of the Nigerian Civil War by analyzing the financing of the humanitarian aid that went into rehabilitating the Biafran children. The research seeks to unearth how governments and aid organizations in the United States and a number of Commonwealth countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia funded the enormous relief operations and the role of transnationally acting agents in finding and providing financial support for the relief efforts, including transporting Biafran children to neighboring African countries. Hence, it focuses on the sources of funds in providing aid. Aside from revealing which country or relief agency bankrolled a particular project, and on what basis, the study brings to the fore the frequency, extent of global campaigns, and nature of global reactions to such solicitations. It explores public support and lobbying for the Biafra cause in those countries. In addition, it sheds light on significant numbers on the cost incurred, pattern and focuses on spending, and expenditures on medical, airlift operations, food, drugs, staff, and administrative services including at the NGO’s headquarters. Finally, it examines the challenges that confronted the funding efforts and the extent to which the various financial interventions helped in supporting the women and children.
Michael was educated in African History at the University of Ibadan where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in history. While at Ibadan, Michael developed an interest in Conflict Studies, Nation Building, and International Development. His master’s dissertation examined the colonial history of Nigeria and presented the impact amalgamation had on its post-1914 socio-economic and political developments. The research, seeking to explore how colonial actions and legacies fueled conflicts in post-colonial Africa, revealed that the post-1914 activities of the British and that of the Nigerian peoples conditioned the evolutionary nature of the Nigerian state. In 2021, Michael proceeded to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in the State of Israel where he completed an MA in African Sustainable Communities (ASC) in the African Studies Programme. His master’s research at BGU examined how a non-governmental organization–MAYEIN–contributes to solving the learning crisis in Nigeria. Michael is passionate about volunteering, teaching, and imparting knowledge. In 2014, he volunteered for public health awareness campaigns during the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria. By March 2015, he started a reading club for needy children in Ibadan. His internship with the NGO, MAYEIN, as part of the ASC MA degree programme, provided him with firsthand experience in supporting projects aimed at empowering marginalized communities, particularly women and youth.
Lagos Studies Association
Aug 2022–Oct 2022: Programme Support Intern at Mentoring Assistance for Youths and Entrepreneurs Initiative (MAYEIN)