Tag: politics

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The Shithole Doctrine and the Christmas Tomahawks by Lawson Akhigbe

Donald Trump has always treated geography the way a child treats a map drawn in crayon: everything outside the gilt-edged boundaries of Mar-a-Lago is, by definition, a shithole. Africa, in particular, occupies a special place in this cartography of contempt. It is not merely distant; it is disposable. In his second coming, the man who once governed by tweet now governs by decree, treating Congress as an optional accessory and the Constitution as a set of polite suggestions best ignored when they inconvenience the royal will.

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The MAGA-isation of Mike Rogers: From National Security Republican to Identity Politics Warrior By Lawson Akhigbe

There was a time when Mike Rogers occupied a particular place in my understanding of American politics. He appeared to belong to that category of Republican politicians who, whatever their ideological differences with Democrats, understood that national security was too serious a business to be reduced to partisan theatre. He was measured, disciplined, informed and, above all, appeared to be a man who understood the difference between intelligence work and political propaganda.

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The Insignia of Power: Tinubu, Trump and the Politics of Emptiness by Lawson Akhigbe

When a leader becomes more interested in the symbol of his authority than the substance of his government, politics begins to resemble a cult. The insignia becomes the message, the slogan becomes the policy, and the citizen is expected to admire the packaging while living with the consequences.

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When Your Voter Data Goes Viral and the Law Takes a Long, Expensive Nap by Lawson Akhigbe

In the grand theatre of Nigerian public life, where every scandal eventually finds its way into a press release, a tweet, and then a court that politely declines to be bothered, the saga of Emeka Ike’s voter details has reached its predictable third act. The curtain has fallen. The audience is still waiting for justice. The actors have already left for the after-party

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From NADECO Hero to Billboard Bully: Nigeria’s Illiberal Democracy Masterclass by Lawson Akhigbe

There’s a special kind of Nigerian magic that turns a man who once dodged military bullets for democracy into the man who now decides which opposition party is allowed to breathe near a billboard.

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