When Journalists Become Political Courtiers and Interviews Become Political Theatre By Lawson Akhigbe

A democracy does not always die at the barrel of a gun. Sometimes, it dies beneath television studio lights, while journalists entrusted with holding power accountable sit silently as politicians explain why nobody can hold them accountable.

David Umahi’s Bridge to State Capture: Christian Prayers, Tinubu’s Portraits and the Privatisation of Public Power By Lawson Akhigbe

The First Niger Bridge belongs to Nigeria. It does not belong to David Umahi, Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress or any religious congregation.

Paul Kagame: Strongman, Technocrat, or Africa’s Most Successful Political Contradiction? By Lawson Akhigbe

There is a question about Paul Kagame that refuses to disappear, no matter how many roads Rwanda builds, how many conferences Kigali hosts, how many investors arrive at its airport, or how many elections Kagame wins with numbers that would make even the most enthusiastic electoral returning officer blush. Is Paul Kagame a strongman, a …

The Life and Times of Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia: The Governor Who Built Big and Dipped Bigger

Before the first Army Coup 1966; Major S. O. Ogbemudia poses with Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi at the end of training at Kacha in 1964 To understand the complex titan that was Brigadier General Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, you first have to understand the mess he inherited. Before his arrival, the old Mid-Western Region was essentially the forgotten …