How political actors manipulate democratic competition while preserving the appearance of choice John Onyeukwu | There is a peculiar feature of Nigerian politics that existing political vocabulary does not adequately capture. It is not simply authoritarianism, electoral fraud, violence, vote…
Geoffrey Hinton’s warning about artificial intelligence should neither be dismissed as technological alarmism nor accepted as prophecy. The deeper question is whether human institutions can keep pace with a technology whose capabilities, incentives and consequences are advancing faster than the…
Nigeria has no shortage of laws, agencies or reform programmes. Its deeper problem is that political power can still determine when institutions become consequential. Until institutions can constrain power, even when doing so is politically inconvenient, reform will remain stronger…
As the 2027 presidential campaign opens, Ademola Adeleke’s pledge to support President Tinubu raises a larger question about Nigerian democracy: can a governor convert the political capital that re-elected him into votes for another candidate, or does the language of…
Beyond the controversy over foreign aid regulation lies a deeper statecraft question: can Nigeria build the institutional capacity, political trust, and governance architecture required to coordinate development in an increasingly complex world? By John Onyeukwu | The public debate surrounding…
Senator Ted Cruz’s criticism of Nigeria’s response to insecurity points to a deeper policy challenge. Nations do not build credibility through lobbying or messaging; they earn it through security, institutional effectiveness and the consistent delivery of the social contract. By…
By John Onyeukwu | The political economy of the 2026 NBA presidential election On Saturday, 18 July 2026, members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) elected Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, as the 33rd President of the Association, succeeding Mazi Afam…
“The Donation That Built a Doctrine” By John Onyeukwu | In the early 1980s, a construction company allegedly contributed approximately ₦2.8 million to one of Nigeria’s most influential political parties shortly after receiving a lucrative public contract. The controversy that…
By John Onyeukwu | Across Africa, there is a recurring governance contradiction. We talk about governance failures as though they are accidental. We speak about poor electricity supply, weak public institutions, failing infrastructure, corruption, policy inconsistency, regulatory confusion, and declining public…
