Five Falsehoods From Trump’s Year-End Address by Newsweek

President Donald Trump opened his national address Wednesday night 12/17/25 with a familiar phrase, one he’ used since returning to office nearly a year ago: “I inherited a mess.”  In a speech that moved rapidly from economic claims to immigration, energy, housing, health care and crime, Trump painted a sweeping picture of national revival under …

Oshiomhole’s Unfortunate Legacy: The Monday Problem He Gifted Edo by Lawson Akhigbe

Adams Oshiomhole will be remembered in Edo politics for many things—his energy, his oratory, his red roof schools revolution—but perhaps his most enduring legacy may be the one he never intended: the rise of Monday "Akpakomiza" Okpebholo and the slow deconstruction of Edo State governance as we once knew it. In his days, Oshiomhole prided …

Beyond the “Government of the Bush”: Inside Nigeria’s Escalating Kidnapping Crisis by Lawson Akhigbe

From a single brazen phone call to a national emergency: In 2021, kidnapper Sani Jalingo's boastful call to a Hausa radio station, where he declared himself part of the "government of the forest," was a chilling preview. Today, that localized threat has exploded into one of Nigeria's most severe security crises, with recent months witnessing …

Oversight Without Looking: Nigeria’s Legislative Blindfold Championship by Lawson Akhigbe

Nyesom Wike The Nigerian Senate is, on paper, the oversight body for the Federal Capital Territory. In reality, it is more like a concerned neighbour who hears loud noises next door, peeps through the curtains once, shrugs, and goes back to watching Netflix. The minister of the FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, has therefore been left …

Trump’s Media Lawsuits: How American Outlets Fold While the BBC Stands Firm by Lawson Akhigbe

In recent months, former President Donald Trump has secured multi-million dollar settlements from major U.S. media companies like ABC and CBS in defamation lawsuits widely viewed by legal experts as weak and unlikely to succeed in court. This strategy reveals a pattern of using litigation not to win in court, but to force financially vulnerable …