Five Reasons President Tinubu Deserves a Second Term in 2027

 

Tinubu

As Nigeria looks ahead to the 2027 general election, debates over leadership, performance and the future of the country are gaining momentum. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, though operating in a period of deep economic and social challenges, has pursued far-reaching reforms that are reshaping governance and the economy. Supporters argue that continuity is crucial to consolidating these changes. Here are five reasons many believe President Tinubu merits another mandate in 2027.

1. Bold Economic Reforms, Not Easy Politics

One of the defining features of Tinubu’s presidency has been his willingness to take politically risky decisions in the interest of long-term stability. The removal of fuel subsidy and the push to unify the foreign exchange market were tough choices that previous administrations avoided. While painful in the short term, these reforms aim to free up public funds, reduce corruption and place the economy on a more transparent footing. Backers say abandoning the process midway could reverse hard-won gains.

2. Focus on Fiscal Responsibility and Revenue Growth

Under Tinubu, the Federal Government has intensified efforts to broaden the tax base and improve revenue collection rather than relying heavily on borrowing. By strengthening institutions such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service and promoting efficiency in government spending, the administration is working to reduce fiscal leakages. Proponents argue that a second term would allow these policies to mature and translate into more sustainable public finances.

3. Renewed Push for Infrastructure Development

Infrastructure remains central to Tinubu’s development agenda. From road and rail projects to power sector reforms, the administration has signaled continuity with an emphasis on private sector participation and alternative financing models. Supporters believe that sustained leadership is essential to complete ongoing projects and unlock their full economic benefits, particularly in trade, transportation and energy.

4. Experience in Governance and Political Consensus-Building

Tinubu’s long career in public service, notably as former governor of Lagos State, is often cited as a strength. He is widely regarded as a strategic thinker with the ability to build alliances across Nigeria’s diverse political landscape. In a country where reforms often stall due to political resistance, advocates say his experience positions him to navigate complex negotiations and maintain policy direction.

5. A Case for Stability and Policy Continuity

In an era of global uncertainty and domestic transformation, stability is a powerful argument. Supporters contend that frequent changes in leadership often lead to abandoned policies and stalled reforms. Voting Tinubu in 2027, they argue, would provide continuity, allow current reforms to take root and give Nigerians a clearer basis to judge long-term outcomes rather than short-term disruptions.

As the election approaches, Nigerians will weigh competing visions for the country’s future. For those who prioritize continuity, structural reform and experienced leadership, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s record offers reasons to consider a second term in 2027.

Lagos Emerges as World’s Fastest-Growing Tech Ecosystem in Global Ranking

Lagos has been ranked the world’s fastest-growing emerging technology ecosystem, outpacing major innovation hubs across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, according to the Global Tech Ecosystem Index (GTEI) 2025 released by global data platform Dealroom.

The Nigerian commercial capital claimed the top spot on the World’s Top 20 Fastest-Growing Emerging Tech Ecosystems list, strengthening its reputation as Africa’s leading technology hub and an increasingly influential player on the global innovation stage.

Lagos finished ahead of Istanbul, Turkey, which ranked second, and Pune, India, in third place. Other cities in the top 10 include Belo Horizonte and Curitiba in Brazil, Mumbai and Chennai in India, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Johannesburg in South Africa, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

According to Dealroom, the ranking measures growth across key indicators such as startup formation, venture capital investment, talent concentration, and overall ecosystem maturity. The 2025 index places particular emphasis on cities outside traditional global tech capitals, highlighting how innovation is accelerating in new and previously underrepresented markets.

Lagos’ rise has been driven by a surge in fintech, e-commerce, logistics, health tech, and creative technology startups, alongside growing interest from local and international investors. The city is home to several of Africa’s most valuable startups and attracts a significant share of the continent’s venture capital funding.

Industry analysts say the ranking reflects Lagos’ ability to combine a large consumer market, entrepreneurial talent, and increasing digital adoption, despite ongoing challenges such as infrastructure gaps and regulatory pressures.

With its top placement in the GTEI 2025, Lagos continues to position itself not just as Africa’s tech capital, but as one of the most dynamic emerging innovation ecosystems in the world.

Source: Dealroom, Global Tech Ecosystem Index (GTEI) 2025

Fela Kuti: From Lagos Shrine to Grammy Glory: Fela's Historic Lifetime Achievement Award

 

FELA KUTI

Yemi Olakitan 

For nearly three decades since his death in 1997, Fela Anikulapo Kuti—affectionately called Abami Eda (the strange one) or the King of Afrobeat—has been celebrated by fans, activists, and musicians worldwide. Yet the global music establishment, embodied by the Grammys, long overlooked him. That changes in 2026: Fela will posthumously receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African, ever to earn this honor in the award's 63-year history.

This isn't just an award, it's a seismic shift. The Recording Academy's recognition places Fela alongside legends like Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon, and others in this year's class. More importantly, it validates the revolutionary power of Afrobeat, a genre he co-created with drummer Tony Allen, blending highlife, jazz, funk, Yoruba rhythms, extended jams, and unapologetic political commentary.

Fela's life was defiance incarnate. Born Olufela Ransome-Kuti, he rejected colonial vestiges (dropping "Ransome" from his name), championed pan-Africanism, and used music to lambast corruption and military rule in Nigeria. 

His 1976 track Zombie mocked soldiers as mindless puppets, provoking a savage 1977 raid on his Kalakuta Republic compound. His mother, activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, died from injuries sustained. Undeterred, Fela turned tragedy into protest with Coffin for Head of State.

His Afrika Shrine performances weren't mere concerts, they were rallies, spiritual gatherings, and communal resistance spaces. Bare-chested, saxophone blazing, leading ensembles like Africa '70 and Egypt '80, Fela created music as mission. As longtime manager Rikki Stein recalls, audiences didn't applaud; they participated.

This Grammy nod arrives amid Afrobeats' global explosion—think Burna Boy's nomination and the Grammys' 2024 Best African Music Performance category. It's "better late than never," as Stein says, and a "double victory" per Seun Kuti, who notes it balances Fela's narrative.

Fela didn't seek awards; he sought free minds. Yet this honor cements his immortality. As album cover artist Lemi Ghariokwu declares, "Fela has been an ancestor for 28 years. His legacy is growing by the day. This is immortality."

In a world still grappling with injustice, Fela's sound—rhythmic, rebellious, rooted—remains a call to action. The Grammys' belated embrace doesn't diminish his independence; it amplifies how one man's fearless groove can reshape global music forever.

Long live Fela. The Shrine echoes on.

Africa’s Digital Gold Rush: How Nigeria and Emerging Hubs Are Powering a New Tech Economy

By Yemi Olakitan

Across Africa, a quiet but determined tech surge is rewriting old economic stories. From Lagos to Nairobi, Kigali to Accra, digital innovation is no longer a side conversation, it’s fast becoming a core driver of growth, jobs, and global relevance. At the center of this momentum sits Nigeria, whose startup ecosystem now acts as both a bellwether and a launchpad for the continent’s wider tech ambitions.

Nigeria’s rise as a tech heavyweight

Nigeria’s digital economy has grown on the back of necessity, creativity, and scale. With one of the world’s youngest populations and deep mobile penetration, the country became fertile ground for fintech, e-commerce, edtech, and health tech solutions. Startups like Flutterwave, Paystack, Andela, and Moniepoint showed that African companies could build globally competitive products while solving local problems.

What makes Nigeria stand out is demand. Millions remain underserved by traditional banking, logistics, and public services. Startups stepped into those gaps with mobile-first tools, creating platforms that feel native rather than imported. The result is an ecosystem driven by real usage, not hype.

Startup ecosystems beyond Lagos

While Lagos remains the continent’s most visible tech hub, Africa’s digital growth is increasingly decentralized. Nairobi continues to lead in climate tech and agritech, supported by strong research institutions and donor-backed innovation. Rwanda has positioned itself as a testbed for smart governance and health innovation, pairing policy clarity with infrastructure. Ghana’s Accra is emerging as a fintech and creative-tech hotspot, benefiting from political stability and cross-border collaboration.

This spread matters. It reduces risk, encourages specialization, and proves that Africa’s tech story isn’t tied to one city or country.

Funding shifts and local resilience

Venture capital flows into Africa cooled slightly after the global tech slowdown, but the ecosystem didn’t stall. Instead, startups adjusted, focusing on revenue, efficiency, and regional expansion rather than rapid burn. There’s also growing interest in local capital, corporate venture arms, and public-private partnerships, especially in Nigeria and Kenya.

Another notable shift is the rise of infrastructure startups: data centers, cloud services, payments rails, and logistics platforms. These may not grab flashy headlines, but they form the backbone that future innovation depends on.

Policy, talent, and the road ahead

Governments now play a bigger role than ever. Nigeria’s digital economy policies, startup acts in countries like Tunisia and Senegal, and continent-wide frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area are slowly reducing friction for founders. Talent, too, is a major export. African developers are in global demand, and many are now choosing to build from home rather than relocate.

Challenges remain, power supply, broadband access, regulatory uncertainty, but the trajectory is clear. Africa is no longer just adopting technology; it’s shaping it to fit its realities.

Why this moment matters

The growth of regional tech economies in Africa signals something deeper than startup success stories. It points to a future where innovation is not imported, where solutions are built by those who understand the problems firsthand, and where digital tools become engines of inclusion.

For Nigeria and its peers, the next chapter isn’t about catching up. It’s about setting their own pace, and inviting the world to pay attention.

When the Ancestors Speak: Ooni, Oshoosi and the Moral Call of the 2026 World Obatala Festival

As dusk settled over Ile-Ife on Friday, the ancient city once again reminded the world why it is regarded as the spiritual heart of the Yoruba people. Beneath the soft glow of sacred lamps at the Obatala Holy Temple, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, stepped into his role not just as a monarch, but as a bridge between the living, the ancestors and the future of a nation.

The occasion was Oshoosi Day, one of the most spiritually charged moments of the ongoing 2026 World Obatala Festival. Clad in immaculate white regalia, a symbol of purity and moral authority, the Ooni led ancestral rites steeped in centuries-old Yoruba tradition. Prayers, libations and invocations rose into the night, calling on Olodumare, the Supreme Being, and the spirits of revered forebears to bless Nigeria with peace, renewal and moral clarity.

At the heart of the observance was Oshoosi, the Orisa of precision, focus and righteous victory. In Yoruba cosmology, Oshoosi never loses his way, never misses his target. By invoking his spirit, the Ooni was making a profound statement about Nigeria’s present struggles and future direction. This was not ritual for ritual’s sake. It was a deliberate spiritual appeal for clarity of purpose, justice in leadership and triumph over forces that threaten unity and stability.

Symbolic items associated with Oshoosi were presented at the altar, each representing discipline, provision and purposeful pursuit. Traditional chants and sacred incantations followed, rendered by chief priests to invite ancestral presence and intervention. In those moments, the Obatala Temple became more than a place of worship; it became a space of national introspection.

Through the rites, prayers were offered for farmers, hunters, artisans and all whose livelihoods depend on the land. There were also pointed supplications for Nigeria’s leaders, security institutions and young people. The message was clear: a society loses its way when it loses its moral compass. Reconnecting with ancestral values, the Ooni stressed, is a pathway to restoring balance.

Obatala, the spiritual centrepiece of the festival, embodies purity, fairness, wisdom and uprightness. As the Orisa of creation, believed to have moulded humanity on behalf of Olodumare, Obatala represents the ethical foundation upon which society should stand. The Ooni’s call for Nigerians of all backgrounds to embrace these values was both inclusive and urgent. It was an appeal that transcended religion, ethnicity and politics, pointing instead to shared human virtues.

The World Obatala Festival, running from January 14 to 27, has grown far beyond a local sacred observance. Today, it is a global gathering that attracts devotees, scholars, traditional custodians and members of the Yoruba diaspora from across continents. From the initiation rites of Osan to intellectual exchanges at the International Colloquium, from processions and exhibitions to communal worship, the festival functions as a living archive of Yoruba civilisation.

Throughout Ile-Ife, white garments dominate the streets, drums echo through ancient quarters, and chants weave together the past and the present. The city itself becomes a canvas of memory, identity and spiritual reflection. In this sense, the festival is not frozen in time. It speaks to contemporary concerns about leadership, ethics and communal responsibility in a rapidly changing world.

Beyond spirituality, the festival has also emerged as a tool of cultural diplomacy, reaffirming Ile-Ife’s place as a centre of tradition, scholarship and moral dialogue. It offers a space where ancient wisdom engages modern realities, where culture becomes a guide rather than a relic.

For the Yoruba people and their descendants worldwide, the World Obatala Festival is more than an annual gathering. It is a reaffirmation of who they are and what they stand for. And on Oshoosi Day, under the guidance of the Ooni of Ife, that reaffirmation took on a national tone, echoing a simple but powerful prayer: that Nigeria, like Oshoosi, may find the right path again, guided by conscience, justice and enduring wisdom.

The World Ọbàtálá Festival 2026: Ile-Ife as a Living Archive of Yoruba Purity and Justice

In 2026, Ile-Ife will once again stand at the spiritual centre of the Yoruba world as devotees, scholars, cultural enthusiasts, and visitors from across the globe gather for the World Ọbàtálá Festival. More than a ceremonial gathering, the festival is a profound cultural statement—one that positions Ile-Ife not as a relic of the past, but as a living archive where Yoruba identity is preserved, renewed, and actively lived.

Ọbàtálá, revered as the Oríṣà of creation, purity, wisdom, and justice, occupies a unique place in Yoruba cosmology. As the custodian of moral clarity and ethical balance, Ọbàtálá represents the ideal of a just society—one anchored in truth, restraint, and respect for human dignity. The annual celebration in Ile-Ife, regarded as the cradle of Yoruba civilization, reconnects the people to these foundational values in ways no written record ever could.

What makes the World Ọbàtálá Festival especially significant is its role as a living archive. Songs, chants, rituals, white garments, sacred processions, and ancient rites passed down through generations are not merely performed; they are remembered in motion. Elders transmit knowledge to younger devotees not through textbooks, but through participation. In this sense, history is not stored on shelves—it walks the streets of Ile-Ife, breathes through its shrines, and speaks through its priests and priestesses.

The festival also serves as a powerful re-affirmation of Yoruba identity in a rapidly globalising world. At a time when indigenous cultures face erosion and misrepresentation, the World Ọbàtálá Festival offers a counter-narrative. It asserts that Yoruba spirituality is not outdated folklore but a sophisticated moral and philosophical system with global relevance. The gathering of Yoruba descendants from the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and other parts of Africa underscores this truth, transforming Ile-Ife into a meeting point of memory, belonging, and reconnection.

Purity, a central attribute of Ọbàtálá, is symbolised throughout the festival by the dominant use of white, white clothing, white offerings, and rites emphasising inner cleansing. Yet this purity goes beyond aesthetics. It speaks to clarity of intention, ethical living, and accountability, reminding participants that spirituality is inseparable from daily conduct. In celebrating Ọbàtálá, devotees are called to live justly, speak truthfully, and act with compassion.

Justice, another defining principle of Ọbàtálá, resonates strongly in contemporary times. The festival subtly but firmly reinforces the idea that leadership, whether spiritual or political, must be rooted in fairness and humility. In a society grappling with inequality and moral uncertainty, the rituals and narratives surrounding Ọbàtálá offer a timeless moral compass.

The World Ọbàtálá Festival 2026 is therefore more than a cultural event, it is a living declaration. It declares that Ile-Ife remains the spiritual heartbeat of the Yoruba people. It declares that Yoruba identity is resilient, dynamic, and self-defined. And it declares that purity and justice, as embodied by Ọbàtálá, are not abstract ideals but living values meant to shape the world.

As drums sound and white-clad devotees move through the ancient city, the message is clear: the past is not gone. In Ile-Ife, it lives, and through the World Ọbàtálá Festival, it continues to guide the present and future of the Yoruba world.

Questions Trail Joshua’s Mental Readiness as $1bn Usyk Showdown Is Announced

Anthony Joshua’s reported agreement to face Oleksandr Usyk in a final, winner-takes-all heavyweight showdown has ignited global excitement, and concern, following the recent loss of two of the British boxer’s close friends.

According to reports circulating on Tuesday, Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has signed a contract to fight Joshua one last time in a blockbuster bout valued at an astonishing $1 billion. The winner is expected to walk away with $700 million, while the loser earns $300 million. The fight is scheduled to take place at the Banger Boys Arena, a venue yet to officially confirm the event.

Joshua, a former unified heavyweight champion, has also reportedly accepted the fight and dedicated it to the memory of his late friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Latz, who died in a recent accident. The dedication has drawn emotional reactions from fans and analysts, many of whom are now asking whether the boxer is in the right mental state to prepare for a contest of such magnitude.

The proposed bout would mark the third meeting between Joshua and Usyk. Usyk won the first two encounters, outclassing Joshua on points in 2021 before retaining his titles in a rematch the following year. A third fight, if confirmed, would offer Joshua a chance at redemption and a definitive end to one of the most compelling rivalries in modern heavyweight boxing.

However, beyond the sporting stakes, attention has shifted to Joshua’s emotional wellbeing. The loss of close friends so close to a potential career-defining fight has raised questions about how grief might affect his focus, preparation, and performance inside the ring.

Neither Joshua’s camp nor Usyk’s team has issued an official statement confirming the contract details, while boxing promoters and sanctioning bodies are yet to publicly endorse the figures being reported. Still, the news has sparked intense debate within the boxing community.

If the fight goes ahead as planned, it would not only be one of the most lucrative bouts in boxing history but also one of the most emotionally charged, with Joshua carrying personal loss into a high-pressure battle for legacy, pride, and supremacy in the heavyweight division.