Power is often imagined as force. It is seen as something loud and visible. A president signs a bill. A governor deploys security agents. A judge pronounces a sentence. Yet power, as the French philosopher, Michel Foucault, taught us, is far more subtle and far more pervasive. It does not only command. It shapes, trains,…
On 13 February 1975, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was killed in Lagos. Fifty years later, the date still matters because his leadership belonged to a moment when Nigeria was moving in step with the wider world. The country was not operating on a private timetable. Decisions taken in Lagos were made at the same time…
Nigeria’s democracy is again at a familiar crossroads: the point where electoral reform is loudly promised, quietly diluted, and then defended as “procedure.” The new controversy around the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 is not just a disagreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives. It is a test of whether the country’s institutions…
Over the past week alone, more than 80 people were killed across Nigeria, with Zamfara, Borno, Kaduna, and Niger States emerging as the worst-affected flashpoints. The dominant threats remain banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping for ransom, with armed groups increasingly targeting civilians, markets, and security formations. #NigeriaKillingsTracker#SahelConflictMonitor#LakeChadInsurgency#NigeriaConflictWatch#AfricaCrisisBrief#ElectionSecurityNigeria#WeeklySecurityBrief In Borno State, insurgents linked to ISWAP and Boko…
Across Africa, a familiar argument is making a comeback. It says our problem is not corruption, weak institutions, or poor governance, but leadership turnover. According to this view, Africa needs leaders who stay longer in power—like Singapore’s founding generation or China’s political elite—to deliver development. It is an attractive argument. It sounds pragmatic. It promises…
Nigeria’s security situation remained volatile over the past week, with fresh developments across multiple fronts — mass kidnappings, deadly ambushes, cyber insecurity, and a deepening humanitarian crisis in the North-East. The most consequential incident remains the mass abduction in Kaduna State, where approximately 177 worshippers were kidnapped during Sunday services at three churches, including ECWA…
