The growing trends for skilled health worker (SHW) migration in Nigeria has led to increased concerns about achieving universal health coverage in the country. While a lot is known about drivers of SHW migration, including national/sub-national government’s inability to address them, not enough is known about its governance. Underpinning good governance systems is a commitment to human rights norms, that is, principles that enshrine non-discrimination, participation, accountability, and transparency. Hence, this study was aimed at deriving a conceptual framework that captures the scope of SHW migration governance in Nigeria and the extent to which it is human rights based. To describe the scope of SHW migration governance, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and mapped our findings to themes derived from a qualitative analysis. We also did a multivariate analysis, examining how governance items are related to migration intentions of SHWs. The scope of SHW migration governance in Nigeria can be described across three levels: Constitutional—where policies about the economy and the health workforce are made and often poorly implemented; Collective—which responds to the governance vacuum at the constitutional level by promoting SHW migration or trying to mitigate its impact; Operational—individual SHWs who navigate the tension between the right to health, their right to fair remuneration, living/working conditions, and free movement. Examining these levels revealed opportunities for collaboration through stronger commitment to human right norms. In recognising their role as rights holders and duty bearers at various levels, citizens, health advocates, health workers, community groups and policy makers can work collaboratively towards addressing factors related to SHW migration. Further evidence is needed on how human rights norms can play a visible role in Nigeria’s governance system for SHW migration.

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Africa–China relations are facilitating different flows and inducing mobilities that have produced Afro-Chinese families in Guangzhou, China. This article examines how Nigerian-Chinese couples construct and embrace contradictory notions of home, as well as how their child upbringing practices manifest this paradox. The article uses data from life history interviews, repeated visits and in social hangouts involving both Nigerian-Chinese couples and individual Nigerian men in interracial marriages. Whereas Nigerian men tend to feel less at home, owing to problems such as perceived Chinese identity exclusivity, the uncertainty of life, and their experiences of discrimination and racism, their Chinese spouses, as internal migrants themselves, also feel similarly unwelcome in Guangzhou. Furthermore, Nigerian-Chinese couples feel obligated to secure the futures of their Afro-Chinese children due to a suspicion that Chinese society may not accept them. The parenting styles, hopes and aspirations revealed by Nigerian-Chinese couples regarding their children show that they view home as an un-centred category.

Purpose – Fuel subsidy removal has become a recurring issue in Nigeria. Successive governments in the country have interfaced with this issue as they attempted to reform the economy and the petroleum downstream to reduce corruption and waste and make the sector more effective. Importantly however, fuel subsidy removals have always met opposition from the citizens and civil society organisations. The remit of this article is to bring original and current perspectives into the issue and trajectories of fuel subsidy, which has become a major problem in Nigeria's development struggles. Previous works were dated and did not capture most recent popular uprising. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Purely primary, empirica and normative with primary insight. Findings – A major mechanism that must be put in place is popular and unpoliticized anti-corruption mechanisms and networks especially to sanitize the oil sector in the minimum. Also, government must demonstrate transparency and accountability across sectors and spending including at the government house. Sufficient palliatives like public transport and dedicated social services for the really poor is important before subsidy is implemented. Until these are done, government's intention to successfully Remove Subsidy For Development (RS4D) may be a mirage! Research limitations/implications – This paper presents details of an international work with evolving issues. Originality/value – The paper argues that subsidy removal that will lead to high fuel prices appears unjustified given the wide income gap between workers in Nigeria and those in other oil-producing nations.

This case study explored the motivations and strategies of Nigerian medicine traders in responding to the health-care demands of co-migrants in China using observations and interview data from two Nigerian medicine traders in Guangzhou. The medicine traders initially responded to a ‘divine call’ but they shared similar economic motivations to survive, served predominantly African clientele and relied on ‘flyers’ and family networks to source for medicinal commodities between Nigeria and China. They were similar and different in certain respects and their undocumented statuses affected them in Guangzhou. The case study showed how survival pressures produced African health entrepreneurs in China.