By OBIOMA TORI AfCFTA as Nigeria’s Economic Re-Orientation NIGERIA did not enter the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by accident or political impulse. Its accession followed a deliberate pause, stakeholder consultations, and a late-stage review of national interests. After initially suspending the process, Nigeria eventually ratified the pact on 4 November 2020 and deposited […]
By OBIOMA TORI Liquidity Surge Meets Regulatory Pressure An Economy Awash with Capital NIGERIA’S financial system is not suffering from a lack of liquidity. If anything, it has too much. Institutional investors, pension administrators, private equity players, and foreign portfolio funds are holding capital reserves seeking entry points into regulated, high-yield sectors. Recapitalisation has opened […]
By JULIET EKANEM Can Cross River Still Call Itself Nigeria’s Tourism Capital? By 2025, the claim rings hollow.FOR nearly a decade after Nigeria’s democratic return, Cross River State stood as a national case study for how tourism and sports could shape sub-national prosperity. Between 1999 and 2007, deliberate public financing, destination marketing, and […]
Institutional Accountability & Democratic Linkages Nigeria’s Decline in Global Rankings NIGERIA is closing 2025 with a grim reputation. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) now ranks the country 122 out of 180 in its latest Press Freedom Index — a fall from 115 in 2024. Beyond the numbers lies a worsening pattern of intimidation, detention, and legal […]
Custody, Conviction, and the Clock: A Deep Dive into Sentencing Law The Problem With Assumptions WHEN someone is remanded in custody pending trial, the assumption that this period will automatically count toward any potential sentence is widespread but legally flawed. The law protects personal liberty at every stage of the criminal process, but it also […]
The Legal Fine Print Nigerians Never Read CONSTITUTIONAL rights sound powerful when quoted, but incomplete when applied. Bail is one of those rights most Nigerians claim but few truly understand. The law does not ask: “Did you demand bail?” The law asks: “Can you be released safely without damaging the process?” This question is the […]
Understanding Police Suspicion vs. Legal Burden MANY Nigerians misunderstand the difference between suspicion and proof. The police are empowered to act on reasonable suspicion. The courts are empowered to act on proof beyond reasonable doubt. The citizen’s mistake begins when they assume the police are applying the court standard at the point of arrest. In […]
The Weapon Called “Statement” The Statement Myth Nigerians Keep Falling For ACROSS Nigeria, few phrases have done more quiet legal damage than: “Just write your statement.” It is delivered casually, often by investigators who sound reassuring, almost conversational. Yet beneath the calm tone is a machinery of criminal procedure that treats written words not as […]
Calabar Roots and the Making of a Multicultural Statesman JOSEPH Edet Akinwale Wey was born on 6 March 1918 in Calabar, a coastal town that shaped his identity long before it shaped his career. His heritage was emblematic of the Nigeria that would emerge decades later—interwoven, multilingual, and plural. With a Yoruba father from Ogbomosho […]
Birth of Privilege, Burden of Legacy BORN in Lagos in 1927, Abimbola da Rocha Afodu Omololu-Mulele entered a world of affluence but also expectation. Her lineage was not merely prestigious—it was historically catalytic. As the granddaughter of Candido João da Rocha, a colossus of Lagos commerce and philanthropy, Abimbola inherited more than a famous surname. […]