Reporting News and opinions
On a presumably ordinary broadcast of Arise TV, with Charles Anyagolu conducting a typically pointed interview, Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, former minister, serial political actor, spoke as politicians do: expansively, provocatively, and with the confidence of a man who knows microphones are not lie detectors. Somewhere, one imagines, officials at the Independent Corrupt …
When we tell the story of colonial resistance, we speak of great leaders, fierce battles, and powerful kingdoms. We rarely speak of a tiny, buzzing insect. Yet, in the case of Nigeria, one of the most significant defenders of the land was not a warrior king or a diplomatic genius, but the lowly mosquito. This …
1. Systemic Attack and "Othering" · Tactics Used: Public disparagement of institutions ("deep state," courts, media), division into "red" vs. "blue" states, incendiary nicknames for opponents.· Constitutional Impact: Erodes public trust in co-equal branches of government, framing them as illegitimate enemies rather than essential checks. This weakens the system's ability to collectively restrain executive overreach. …
Continue reading "The Strategic Aims of Trump’s Rhetoric by Lawson Akhigbe"
You're writing your autobiography. What's your opening sentence? One is still to consider such a step and therefore an opening sentence is yet to be conjured.
Every time, when a prominent Nigerian dies, our newsfeeds and front pages fill with glowing tributes. “Great patriot… visionary… selfless leader…” the headlines proclaim. It has become ritualistic — so predictable that it almost feels scripted.But there’s a profound contradiction here: as we sing the praises of these leaders in death, the reality experienced by …
Continue reading "Obituaries and the Illusion of a Country That Never Was by Lawson Akhigbe"
Centre for Nigeria Progress 