Edo State’s International Day of the Disabled: A Reality Show Nobody Asked For by Lawson Akhigbe

Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani There are many ways to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Some countries showcase policy reforms. Others highlight accessibility innovations. But in Nigeria—ah, Nigeria—we always find the express lane to absurdity, overtake common sense on the bend, and park comfortably in Season 1, Episode 1 of “Government: The Reality …

VIP POLICING AMID NATIONAL SECURITY CRISES by This day Editorial 

The police should be restricted to their primary duty of enforcing laws, and preventing crime Despite the surging insecurity across the country, about one-third of the operational police strength is deployed to protect politicians and other Very Important Persons (VIP), according to a recent report by the European Union Agency for Asylum. This is an indicting …

Governor Ododo of Kogi: A Junction State with a Dead Battery by Lawson Akhigbe

Kogi State is the famous junction of Nigeria — the crossroads where the North shakes hands with the South, where goods, culture, ideas, and occasionally political confusion pass through. It is the only state in Nigeria where you can stand in one spot and practically wave at three geopolitical zones. A gold mine of geography, …

“Presidential Buyer’s Remorse: Can a Nigerian President Unpardon the Pardoned?” Lawson Akhigbe

Nigeria is a land where anything can happen — and usually does. So, it’s fair to ask: can a Nigerian president wake up one bright Lagos morning, look at a headline about a man he pardoned last week, and say, “Wait, why did I free that guy?” Let’s take a legal stroll through Aso Rock’s …

The Puppet Governors: How Political Godfatherism is Undermining Nigerian Democracy by Lawson Akhigbe

When a governor declares "I'm loyal to Yahaya Bello for life," we must ask: to whom is he primarily accountable - his political godfather or the citizens who elected him? In the complex tapestry of Nigerian politics, a troubling pattern has emerged across multiple states: governors installed by political godfathers who struggle to exercise genuine …