Public Affairs Analyst

  An online source said, “Guglielmo Marconi is generally credited with inventing the first practical radio system in the mid-1890s, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics and the title “father of radio”. However, the invention was a culmination of work by several inventors, with Nikola Tesla holding key patents and Heinrich Hertz discovering radio waves.” According to Lifeline Energy, in a world filled with mobile phones, tablets and computers, people often ask us, ‘Why radio’? The answer lies in its unparalleled reach extending to millions without internet access. Radio’s enduring power to educate and inform in everyday life and in emergencies is just as important today as it has always been for 100 years – and possibly even more so today.” According to UNESCO, “Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. Its unique ability to reach out to the widest audience means radio can shape a society’s exper...

  It’s season of politics in Nigeria and quite a lot is going on in the political ecosystem of the most populous black nation in the world right now. The gale of defections subsists while political parties are busy with registration of new members and revalidation of old ones. Several political parties are also holding their congresses and conventions. Over the weekend, two of the twenty-one registered political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the former governing party, Peoples Democratic Party both had their conventions in Abuja. While APC held its own at the Eagles Square from March 27 – 28, the PDP chose the Velodrome of the MKO Stadium for its own from March 29 – 30, 2026. APC had 8, 453 delegates in attendance while PDP had over 3,000. It's important to situate what just happened in the PDP and APC in the Nigerian Constitution. Section 223 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as altered says in subsection (1) that “The constitution ...

  Since Isreal and United States of America started launching missile attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, the world has not known peace. The ripple effects have sent shockwaves on every country of the world. Iran, a middle level world power has shown resilience despite suffering heavy losses in terms of men and infrastructure. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme National Security Council Head, Major General Ali Larijani, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, along with the IRGC Commander-in-Chief, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, are some of the Iranian leaders that have been killed by the Israeli Defence Force and US airstrikes. Many of the Iran’s nuclear and energy sites have also been bombed. According to an online source, as of Day 22 of the conflict, reported casualty estimates are: US military 60-84 (killed and wounded combined, per Pentagon briefings), Iranian military 1,840-2,576 (estimated killed, per US DoD...

  One issue that politicians have been using to campaign since the birth of Nigeria is the provision of electricity, otherwise known as power. An online source claimed that electricity in Nigeria began with a 60KW plant in Marina, Lagos, in 1898, making it one of Africa’s earliest electrified cities. The sector evolved from localised colonial generators to the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria in 1951, later merging in 1972 with the Niger Dams Authority to form the national grid monopoly, NEPA. Despite its 128-year history, there is an acute shortage of power in Nigeria. The sector has undergone several reforms without much to show for it. The country’s economy is still largely powered by private electricity generating set despite billions of dollars invested to improve public power supply. In the last couple of weeks, Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu (Pemkelemesi), has been in the eye of the storm as he’s been caricatured as Minister of Darkness. There is a trending sarcastic vi...

On Monday, March 9, 2026, there was a press release that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State have dumped the Peoples Democratic Party and has decided to pitch his political tent with the ruling party at the center, All Progressives Congress. The development was confirmed on Monday in a statement issued by the governor’s media aide, Nuhu Anka, who said the defection followed his principal’s engagements with party leaders, elders and supporters in the state. According to the governor’s aide, “This decision was reached after wide consultations with political stakeholders and supporters, particularly in view of the prolonged internal crisis, leadership disagreements, and unresolved structural challenges within the PDP at both the national and state levels.” Recall that PDP after 2023 General Elections had 12 governors under its umbrella but the lingering internal strife within its fold has robbed the party of 10 out of the dozen it had three years ago. Those who had previously defected...

  I have been fortunate to work in the field of Democracy and Good Governance, popularly called D&G, for over 25 years. I have been an accredited observer of elections in Nigeria since 1999. I have worked for both domestic and international organisations on elections and electoral reforms. I have built capacities of different actors and stakeholders in the electoral process, from election management bodies, namely the Independent National Electoral Commission and State Independent Electoral Commissions, political parties and contestants, civil society organisations, national and state legislative assemblies, media, and security agencies. I am a development consultant, author of three books on governance and a renowned public affairs analyst. I say without any fear of contradiction that Nigeria’s major challenge is our vicious, self-centred and desperate politicians who will stop at nothing to win elections. Nigeria has been having electoral reforms since 2001, yet the quality...