By Shu’aibu Usman Leman As journalists, we are trained not merely to read words but to interrogate meaning, intent, and consequence. That skill becomes indispensable when examining government budgets, which often reveal truths official speeches carefully avoid. Budgets are political and moral documents. They show what leaders truly value when resources are scarce and choices…
By Shu’aibu Usman Leman Nigeria’s democratic journey is often measured through national politics, presidential elections, legislative contests, and elite power struggles. Yet democracy does not take root at the centre. It begins at the grassroots. It is within local councils, wards, and communities that citizens experience governance most directly. Unfortunately, grassroots governance has long been…
By Shu’aibu Usman Leman Nigeria proclaims itself a secular republic, yet religion continues to dominate the national imagination and shape political judgement. The recent calls for the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, are a troubling reminder that public institutions in Nigeria are often assessed less by…
By Shu’aibu Usman Leman In 2025, I wrote an article titled “Power, politics, and the north: Ganduje’s exit and the battle for 2027” published in this medium on July 7, 2025. The piece was about the resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In that piece, …
Did you know that in Mexico, an air conditioner is called a politician? When asked why, they said “because it makes a lot of noise but doesn’t work very well”. After three decades of military interventions and dominance, a convergence of anti military forces, pro democracy civil society organizations, determined Nigerian citizens and international pressure…
By Shu’aibu Usman Leman In 2025, I wrote an article titled “Power, politics, and the north: Ganduje’s exit and the battle for 2027” published in this medium on July 7, 2025. The piece was about the resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In that piece, …
