Reassessing the Edo State Anti-Cultism Law and Its Implementation By Lawson Akhigbe
1. Background: The Law With Too Many Muscles and Not Enough Brain Edo State’s anti-cultism law has long been presented as a decisive weapon in the fight against social violence — a show of force intended to reassure the public that the state is “doing something.” But like many Nigerian laws, it sometimes feels like …
APC’s Okpebholo, Obaseki’s Legacy, and the Dawn of Democratic Accountability in Edo State by Lawson Akhigbe
Godwin Obaseki The current investigations launched by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Monday Okpebholo into the financial agreements and project arrangements of the immediate past administration of Godwin Obaseki mark a significant moment in Edo State’s democratic evolution. Regardless of whatever political perfume the Okpebholo administration may be spraying over its intentions, the …
The Reform Party vs. The March of Time (and Melanin) By Lawson Akhigbe
There’s a peculiar kind of nostalgia brewing in certain Reform Party corners — a longing for the “good old days.” You know, when television looked like a snowstorm of beige, when sports were “proper,” and when diversity meant two kinds of pudding. Unfortunately for them, the 1950s called — and it’s not taking returns. It …
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The Forged Nation: How Document Falsification Became Nigeria’s Silent Epidemic by Lawson Akhigbe
Document forgery in Nigeria has become a widespread, normalized industry driven by systemic failures—collapsed meritocracy, a struggling education system, and corrupt, inefficient bureaucracies. Its consequences are severe: unqualified professionals in critical sectors, weakened investor confidence, devalued genuine achievements, and a national credibility crisis. The article argues that solving this epidemic requires digital verification systems, stronger institutions, cultural reorientation toward integrity, and expanded real opportunities for citizens.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 