Author: Magnus Onyibe

On March 6, 2025, chaos erupted at the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Compa­ny (DisCo) in Lagos when a group of Nigerian Air Force personnel stormed the premises. Their reason? The power supply to their base had been disconnected. The attack, rem­iniscent of a military-style raid, left DisCo staff in panic and confusion. This incident occurred at a time when Nigeri­ans were still processing the news that the coun­try’s power generation had increased from an embarrassingly low 4,000 megawatts—woefully inadequate for a nation of over 200 million peo­ple—to 5,800 megawatts. Coincidentally, following the assault on Ikeja DisCo, the national electricity grid suffered…

In this nearly 20-year-old thesis, which I am now developing into a book titled ‘Dar­fur-Sudan: Why the Superpowers Failed to Help – Global Power Dynamics and Hu­manitarian Crises’, I argue that conflicts over resource control often stem from unfair trade practices. The failure to establish equitable trade relations has led to deep resentment, cul­minating in acts of terrorism, such as the Sep­tember 11, 2001 attacks, where extremists from regions long exploited by global powers targeted the U.S. in what they perceived as a response to economic and political oppression. Unfortunately, little has changed. The same economic disparities that have plagued…

President Donald J. Trump’s execu­tive order eliminating USAID has sent shockwaves across the globe, particularly in aid-dependent na­tions, most of which are in Africa. In line with the saying that “when America sneez­es, the world catches a cold,” many coun­tries are now facing severe consequences due to the proposed end of US aid. CNN’s Larry Madowo highlighted the crisis unfolding in Africa with a report on a Ugandan HIV/AIDS patient who lost access to life-saving medication following the with­drawal of USAID funding. This situation in Uganda mirrors what could happen across Africa, where the impact is expected to be devastating.…

What is life if not a series of experiments that drive innovation—the key to human progress? For centuries, most of the world’s estimated 8.1 billion people across 195 nations (including the Holy See-Vatican and Palestine) have operated under democratic governance, a system established by Cleisthenes in Athens around 508-507 BC. Despite widespread adoption, democracy has not significantly improved wealth distribution—while the poor remain disadvantaged, the rich continue to amass more wealth. A 2022 Oxfam report highlighted that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, “the world’s ten richest men more than doubled their fortunes from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion.” As the report…

By Magnus Onyibe What is life if not a series of experiments that drive innovation—the key to human progress? For centuries, most of the world’s estimated 8.1 billion people across 195 nations (including the Holy See-Vatican and Palestine) have operated un­der democratic governance, a system established by Cleisthenes in Athens around 508-507 BC. De­spite widespread adoption, democracy has not sig­nificantly improved wealth distribution—while the poor remain disadvantaged, the rich continue to amass more wealth. A 2022 Oxfam report highlighted that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, “the world’s ten richest men more than doubled their fortunes from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion.”…

Politics will not be the same again in the United States of America, particularly in Washington, DC, where old-school politicians are keenly watching with trepidation as President Donald J. Trump, on January 20, transitioned from the 45th to the 47th president. The palpable fear is driven by the impending rollout of his revolutionary policies, intention­ally designed to change the old world order to a new one, in line with his Make America Great Again (MAGA) mantra. As President Trump was inaugurated into office under very chilly weather, a majority of the inhabitants of the U.S. capital, Washington, DC—who form the…

In response to the Central Bank of Ni­geria’s (CBN) proposal for a 70% tax on the excessive profits banks made from naira devaluation in 2023 prof­its which increased by at least 51% due to President Bola Tinubu’s economic re­forms there has been a noticeable rise in banks’ philanthropic activities. The proposed excess profits tax, or windfall tax on foreign exchange gains, floated four months ago, appears to be part of the government’s strategy to address its declining revenue base. This is critical as the cost of governance continues to out­pace income. For instance, Nigeria’s 2025 budget, totaling ₦49.7 trillion, relies…

The popular saying, “The morning foretells the evening,” seems to defy logic in Nigeria’s case. The economy, which turned frosty af­ter President Bola Tinubu introduced rad­ical reforms 18 months ago, now appears to be thawing rather than worsening, con­trary to the predictions of critics. Rather than witnessing a continued de­cline in living standards, as many feared, Nigeria seems to be gradually recovering from decades of stagnation. The current glimmers of hope—despite the widespread discontent initially caused by Tinubu’s reforms, such as the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of multi­ple foreign exchange rates, which led to a sharp naira…

Lately, there has been much hoopla in the media about the new Tory Party leader in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Kemi Bad­enoch. From the media accounts I have read, this remarkable lady has pulled herself up by her bootstraps, rising from ground zero through diligent academic pursuits, building a successful professional career, and ultimately venturing into politics, where she has risen to astronomical heights in British politics. In my assessment, her accomplishments are phenomenal, and she embodies the classic exam­ple of hard work yielding great rewards. Unfortunately, commentaries about her com­ing from her ancestral country, Nigeria, have been largely…

Public enlightenment typically precedes the introduction of new policies to fa­cilitate understanding, acceptance, and implementation. This is why companies seeking to go public on the Nigerian Stock Ex­change (NSE) prepare an information memo­randum to educate stakeholders and the general public. Unfortunately, the current government has repeatedly overlooked this fundamental princi­ple, as seen in several instances. These include the abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, the unification of the dual foreign exchange regime, inadequate awareness of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), and the ongoing debate over tax reform bills cur­rently before the Senate. This lack of…