You have to hand it to Nigeria—our politics always delivers a cinematic experience that even Hollywood would reject for being too unrealistic. Picture this: a president with enough rumoured drug-related backstory to make Pablo Escobar’s ghost raise an eyebrow suddenly turns into a benevolent father of the nation—by pardoning convicted drug dealers. It’s like a …
The Ghosts of 1966: Why Nigeria’s Politicians Are Doomed to Repeat a Bloody Past by Lawson Akhigbe
As we look to 2026, Nigeria's political class shows it has learned nothing from the catastrophic lessons of 1966. The risks are the same, and so is the terrifyingly simple solution. Read more on the unlearned history. It is a haunting feeling, watching the political theater unfold as we move deeper into the 2020s. The …
The Unfinished Reconciliation: From “No Victor, No Vanquished” to the Kanu Question by Lawson Akhigbe
Introduction The phrase “No victor, no vanquished” became one of the most enduring political statements in post-war Nigeria. Declared by General Yakubu Gowon in 1970 after the end of the Nigerian Civil War, it was meant to signal reconciliation, forgiveness, and reintegration of the defeated Biafran side into the Nigerian federation. Yet, half a century …
Character in Leadership: Trump and Tinubu as Case Studies in “Do As I Say, Not As I Am”
Moron and Ebola They say leadership is about vision, courage, and service. I say it’s mostly about character—because without character, a leader is just a conman with better suits. Sadly, in our modern world, character seems to be as scarce as fuel in Nigeria or common sense in Washington. Exhibit A and B? Donald J. …
Rejoinder: Beyond the “Great Man” Theory – The Structural Bane of Nigeria by Lawson Akhigbe
Tafawa Balawa Nigeria's first prime minister Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country is more than a memoir; it is a profound moral and historical testimony from one of Nigeria’s most revered intellectual consciences. His central thesis—that Nigeria’s foundational tragedy stems from a decline in the character of its leadership, from the exemplary "first generation" to …
Centre for Nigeria Progress 