On October 16, 2023 students in Professor William Miles’s International Relations class were treated to a surprise and distinguished guest speaker: General Abdulrahmane Dambazau, retired Army Chief of Staff and former Minister of the Interior of Nigeria. General Dambazau addressed the class on Nigeria’s role in leading the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to induce the rulers of neighboring Niger to restore constitutional democracy following their coup d’état in July 2023. Professor Miles was just wrapping up his summer research in Niger when the coup was launched.
General Dambazau was accompanied by his old schoolmate in Zaria, Nigeria, Alhaji Garba Suleiman, who currently serves as a Public Safety Officer for the Boston Housing Authority.
