Bryan Robinson

As we near 2025, some outdated leadership strategies are on their last breath. If you were to write a "leadership obituary" for 2024, you would bury outdated leadership strategies that once dominated the workplace but are now ineffective and harmful.

Employees don’t leave organizations; they leave bad leadership. A terrible leader can overshadow an otherwise positive work experience. Statistics show that nearly 20% of employees are on the receiving end of toxic work conditions. A few examples of toxic leadership are failure to act on employee feedback, ignoring work-life balance and inconsistent or unfair treatment of employees. DDI’s Frontline Leader Project data shows that 57% of employees have left at least one job because of poor leadership.

Identifying Outdated Leadership Strategies

When I spoke with Dr. Tacy Byham, CEO of DDI, she identified five questions leaders can askbefore they reach the status of “career villain”:

1. Do you fail to see your employees as whole people?
2. Do you give vague or damaging feedback or no feedback at all?
3. Are you solving too many of your team’s problems?
4. Do you micromanage because you don’t trust your team?
5. Do you waste your team’s time on unproductive meetings?

Many HR personnel find it difficult to identify or eradicate a toxic work culture or identify its origins. It’s difficult to recognize leadership toxicity, especially if managers display strong and praised leadership that camouflages toxicity under the surface. But Christie Smith, human-centered leadership expert, unearths the outdated leadership strategies that need to be laid to rest and what needs to replace them in 2025.

She cites Gallup Research, showing that 77% of employees don't trust their leaders' ability to navigate today's challenges. Smith, co-author of ESSENTIAL: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership, pinpoints three outdated leadership strategies that should be buried for good.

1. The Hierarchical, Command-And-Control Model. “This top-down, ego-driven approach assumes that employees must be micromanaged and are unwilling to work without constant supervision,” Smith asserts. “Amazon, Starbucks, Apple and Google, once considered worker paradises, are now facing growing unionization efforts—employees demand more autonomy and representation.” She cites research by Gallup, showing that when companies promote a strong sense of purpose and connection, they reduce turnover by 8.1% and increase profitability by 4.4%, highlighting the tangible value of human-centered leadership over rigid control.
2. What's Good For Employees Isn't Good For Business. Smith says that leaders who cling to the idea that prioritizing people undermines profitability are not only wrong—they're harmful. “Human-centered leadership that prioritizes employee growth and well-being is critical to sustaining both innovation and business growth,” she explains. “Johnson & Johnson’s wellness programs, for instance, yielded a six-to-one ROI and saved $250 million over a decade in healthcare costs, demonstrating that employee well-being investments can significantly strengthen a company’s bottom line .”
3. The Idea That Presence Equals Productivity. Today’s workforce isn’t seeking work-life balance, according to Smith; they’re after work-life integration. “Employers who offer flexibility and agency over how, when and where people get the job done will benefit from a more engaged (and productive) employee base,” she emphasizes.

Why These Legacy Models Are Failing

Smith told me by email that legacy leadership models, especially hierarchical command-and-control, are out of touch with the requirements of today’s business environment, which requires adaptability, collaboration and meaningful employee engagement. “These outdated practices assume constant oversight is necessary for productivity, but research consistently shows the opposite: Gallup found that purpose-driven cultures achieve an 8.1% reduction in turnover and a 4.4% increase in profitability,” she points out.

“Companies like Microsoft, under Satya Nadella’s leadership, exemplified this shift by fostering a ‘learn-it-all’ mindset, prioritizing curiosity and collaboration, which has led to significant growth and employee satisfaction,” she adds. “Today’s workforce expects flexibility, work-life integration and leaders who actively live their values—demands that legacy models can’t meet in today’s world.”

What Can Replace These Defunct Practices

Smith believes that human-powered leadership is rapidly replacing outdated models, prioritizing flexibility, agency, connection and well-being. “Rather than micromanaging, today’s most effective leaders act as facilitators and bridge builders— empowering their teams to take ownership of their work while supporting their growth and deepening their connection to the organization’s purpose,” she explains. “This approach builds the trust and accountability that control-driven models often erode. Take Atlassian: its ‘Team Anywhere’ policy re-imagines not only where work gets done but also aligns work with employees’ needs. The results are striking: 92% of Atlassian employees report that flexibility helps them perform at their best, and 91% cite it as a key reason for staying with the company.”

How Leaders Can Adapt To Human-Powered Leadership

Leaders must practice emotional maturity by suspending self-interest, Smith suggests and becoming curious about their people, and focusing relentlessly on culture. “These shifts cultivate trust, resilience and psychological safety—qualities essential for high employee engagement and productivity in a complex and rapidly changing landscape,” she points out. “The impact is measurable: Upwork’s 2023 Work Innovators Study found that companies with a human-centered approach saw a 33% increase in revenue growth over 12 months, with 55% of leaders fully confident in their organization’s future. Human-powered leadership isn’t just good for culture - it’s a strategy for lasting growth.”

A Final Takeaway

You have the power to write a “leadership obituary” and lay to rest the negative emotions that outdated leadership strategies might be spreading to you and your coworkers. It’s not worth sacrificing your mental health and toiling under outdated leadership strategies when other job openings are now prioritizing employee mental and physical well-being. You are not weak or selfish if you bury the old and turn to the new, refusing to subject yourself to ineffective and potentially harmful leadership. You’re a normal person responding to a toxic workplace leadership, and it’s important to make your self-care a top priority.

Forbes

Key Market Developments

Foreign Investment Flows

- Foreign inflow hit a 2024 low of ₦11.26 billion in September

- Foreign outflow increased to ₦30.15 billion (from ₦24.38 billion in August)

- YTD foreign inflow: ₦310.99 billion (substantially higher than ₦108.93 billion in 2023)

- Peak inflow was ₦54.87 billion in May 2024, followed by steady decline

Market Activity

- Total transactions increased 29.90% month-over-month to ₦493.01 billion

- Year-over-year increase of 66.67% compared to September 2023

- Domestic investors dominated with 84% of transactions

- Retail investors outperformed institutional investors by 28%

Economic Implications

Immediate Concerns

1. Capital Flight Risk

   - Net negative foreign investment flow (outflow exceeding inflow)

   - Suggests declining foreign investor confidence

   - Potential pressure on foreign exchange reserves

2. Currency Pressure

   - Naira trading at ₦1652.25/$ indicates continued weakness

   - Foreign investment decline may further pressure exchange rates

   - Risk of creating a negative feedback loop with foreign investment

3. Monetary Policy Challenges

   - High benchmark rate (27.25%) failing to attract foreign capital

   - Inflation at 33.88% suggesting potential further rate hikes

   - Balancing act between controlling inflation and attracting investment

Positive Indicators

1. Domestic Market Resilience

   - Strong growth in total market transactions

   - Robust domestic investor participation

   - Particularly strong retail investor engagement

2. Year-on-Year Improvement

   - Higher YTD foreign inflow compared to 2023

   - Significant increase in total transaction value

   - Suggests underlying market strength despite challenges

Strategic Considerations

Short-term Outlook

- Likely continued pressure on the Naira

- Potential for further monetary tightening

- Risk of continued foreign investment decline

Long-term Implications

- Need for structural reforms to attract stable foreign investment

- Opportunity to develop domestic investor base further

- Importance of addressing currency stability for long-term growth

Recommendations

1. Policy Measures

   - Consider additional measures beyond interest rates to attract foreign investment

   - Focus on structural reforms to improve market confidence

   - Develop strategies to maintain domestic investor momentum

2. Market Development

   - Further strengthen domestic investor participation

   - Enhance market infrastructure and transparency

   - Consider incentives for long-term institutional investment

3. Risk Management

   - Monitor foreign exchange exposure

   - Develop contingency plans for continued foreign outflows

   - Strengthen domestic market resilience

Current Market Situation

Import Statistics (Oct 1 - Nov 11, 2024)

- Total petrol imports: 1.5 million metric tonnes (~2 billion litres)

- Diesel imports: 414,018 metric tonnes

- Jet fuel imports: 13,500 metric tonnes

Port-wise Distribution (October)

- Lagos: 555,121 metric tonnes

- Warri: 281,100 metric tonnes

- Port Harcourt: 94,224 metric tonnes

- Calabar: 64,000 metric tonnes

Dangote Refinery Performance

- Current stock: 500 million litres of petrol

- Actual delivery (Sept 15 - Oct 5): 148 million litres

- Expected delivery by NNPCL: 575 million litres

- Capacity potential: 650,000 barrels per day

Market Dynamics Analysis

Price Competition Challenges

1. Market Inefficiencies

   - Higher Dangote Refinery prices creating market resistance

   - Marketers preferring cheaper imports despite domestic availability

   - Potential pricing strategy misalignment with market realities

2. Operational Issues

   - Significant gap between capacity and actual production

   - Logistical hurdles affecting distribution

   - Delivery shortfall against NNPCL expectations

Economic Implications

1. Currency Impact

   - Continued pressure on Naira (₦1,740/$ parallel, ₦1,652/$ official)

   - Foreign reserve depletion from sustained imports

   - Circular effect: currency weakness → higher import costs → more pressure

2. Market Inefficiencies

   - Double infrastructure burden (import + domestic)

   - Underutilization of domestic refining capacity

   - Higher end-user costs due to market fragmentation

Critical Challenges

1. Pricing Mechanism

   - Dangote Refinery's pricing strategy may need review

   - Market resistance to higher domestic prices

   - Need for competitive pricing against imports

2. Operational Efficiency

   - Production capacity utilization issues

   - Distribution network limitations

   - Supply chain optimization needs

3. Policy Framework

   - Lack of clear import substitution strategy

   - Regulatory environment not fully supporting domestic production

   - Need for balanced approach to market intervention

Strategic Recommendations

1. Short-term Actions

   - Review Dangote Refinery's pricing strategy

   - Optimize distribution networks

   - Enhance coordination between NNPCL and domestic refiners

2. Medium-term Solutions

   - Develop import substitution incentives

   - Strengthen domestic supply chain

   - Implement gradual import reduction strategy

3. Long-term Strategies

   - Invest in distribution infrastructure

   - Create policy framework favoring domestic production

   - Develop export capacity for regional markets

Market Outlook

Positive Factors

- Domestic refining capacity exists

- Potential for self-sufficiency

- Infrastructure development ongoing

Risk Factors

- Continued currency pressure

- Market preference for imports

- Operational inefficiencies

Critical Success Factors

1. Price competitiveness of domestic production

2. Distribution network efficiency

3. Policy support for domestic refiners

4. Currency stability

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the result of the governor election in Ondo state.

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared winner of the Ondo state governorship election held on Saturday.

Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of Ondo state, won the election in all 18 LGAs with 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 117,845 votes.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, said the poll “runs short of all expectations and requirements of a free, fair and credible election”.

“The Peoples Democratic Party and indeed all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and across the world have just witnessed the worst election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” the statement reads.

Ologunagba said the election “witnessed the height of electoral swindle, deceit and manipulation” allegedly perpetrated by the APC.

He said the poll “witnessed widespread election merchandising, monetisation and barefaced vote buying” and voter suppression.

Ologunagba said Nigerians and the international community should take “serious action” to stem all forms of election manipulation and preserve the nation’s democracy.

The PDP spokesman said the party will “take appropriate action” after reviewing the election outcome.

The Cable

Hezbollah media head killed in Israeli strike on Beirut, security sources say

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah confirmed its media relations chief Mohammad Afif was killed by an Israeli strike on a building in central Beirut on Sunday.

Israel has rarely hit senior Hezbollah personnel who do not have clear military roles, and its air strikes have mostly targeted Beirut's southern suburbs where the group has its heaviest presence.

Israel's military, which earlier declined to comment, issued a statement late on Sunday reporting it had "eliminated" Afif. The Lebanese health ministry said the strike had killed one and injured three.

A second, separate strike later on Sunday hit Mar Elias street, another central area rarely targeted by Israeli bombs, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported. The Lebanese health ministry said that strike killed at least two people and wounded 22.

Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire for more than a year, since the group began launching rockets at Israeli military targets on Oct. 8, 2023. That was a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, Israeli authorities say.

In late September, Israel expanded its military campaign in Lebanon, heavily bombing the south and east and the southern suburbs of Beirut alongside ground incursions on the border.

Israel's campaign in Lebanon has in the last year killed 3,841 people and wounded nearly 15,000 others, the Lebanese health ministry said on Sunday, a toll that did not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Hezbollah rockets fired across the border have killed dozens of Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, Israel says.

A separate assault on the Gaza Strip in Israel's war against Hamas has killed more than 43,000 people, most of them civilians, according to Palestinian health officials.

LEBANESE SOLDIERS KILLED

In addition to targeting Hezbollah, the escalation has killed several soldiers of the Lebanese military, including two who died on Sunday when Israel attacked an army post in the southern town of Al-Mari, the Lebanese army said on X.

Two other soldiers were wounded, it said.

The strike in Beirut targeting the Hezbollah official hit the Ras al-Nabaa neighbourhood, where many people displaced from the southern suburbs by Israeli bombardment have sought refuge.

The Lebanese security sources said a building housing offices of the Ba'ath Party had been hit, and the head of the party in Lebanon, Ali Hijazi, told the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed that Afif had been in the building.

Ambulances could be heard rushing to the scene, and guns were fired to prevent crowds approaching.

The Lebanese broadcaster showed video of a building whose upper floors had collapsed and civil defence workers at the scene.

Afif was a long-time media adviser to Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27.

He managed Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station for several years before taking over the group's media office.

Afif hosted several press conferences for journalists among rubble in Beirut's southern suburbs. In his most recent comments to reporters on Nov. 11, he said Israeli troops had been unable to hold any territory in Lebanon, and that Hezbollah had enough weapons and supplies to fight a long war.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

'Massive' Russian attack causes Ukraine blackouts

A “massive” Russian missile and drone attack has targeted power infrastructure across Ukraine, the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

At least 10 people were killed in the strikes, which hit the capital, Kyiv, as well as multiple targets in several regions including Donetsk, Lviv and Odesa.

Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said its thermal energy plants had suffered “significant damage”, resulting in blackouts.

The country's state-owned energy operator, Ukrenergo, says it will enforce "restriction measures" for the whole of Ukraine on Monday.

The co-ordinated assault overnight on Saturday was largest of its kind since early September, according to authorities and local media.

In total, around 120 missiles and 90 drones were launched, Zelensky said on Telegram.

"Peaceful cities, sleeping civilians" and "critical infrastructure" were targeted, Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.

The Russian defence ministry reported that it had hit all its targets, saying that its attack was on "essential energy infrastructure supporting the Ukrainian military-industrial complex".

“Russian terrorists once again want to scare us with cold and lack of light,” was how President Zelensky put it.

Of course, anything that seeks to deny power to factories producing weaponry inevitably harms civilians too - indirectly, through the loss of electricity and frequently water, and directly, as missiles or fragments of missiles rain down from the sky.

The governor of the Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said there had also been disruptions to heat and water supplies, although the latter was gradually being restored. Hospitals and other critical infrastructure were operating using generators.

Further east, the city of Mykolaiv was also hit. The region's leader, Vitaliy Kim, told the BBC that the people were resilient there, despite being attacked regularly.

"People are in a good shape and want to defend themselves. We do not want to lose our homes," he said.

In Kyiv, fragments from intercepted missiles and drones fell in several places, but there were no reports of injuries.

The attack was the eighth large-scale one targeting Ukraine's energy facilities this year, DTEK said in a statement, adding that its plants had been attacked more than 190 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian officials fear the most recent strike could signal another concerted Russian attempt to deplete the power grid as winter arrives.

Having already endured two-and-a-half bitter winters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainians are bracing themselves for another.

“Here we go again" were the words of an official at one of Ukraine’s private energy companies, summing up the mood across the country on Sunday.

Through ingenuity and sheer determination, Ukraine has managed to survive each winter assault so far. There is every chance it will again, although its generation capacity is now less than a half of what it was in February 2022.

Poland, Ukraine's neighbour to the west, scrambled fighter jets to patrol its own airspace as a security precaution.

"Due to a massive attack by Russia, which is carrying out strikes using cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones against sites located, among other places, in western Ukraine, operations by Polish and allied aircraft have begun," Poland's Operational Command said.

Hungary, which neighbours both Ukraine and Poland, was also on alert after drone attacks struck the westernmost Subcarpathian region - about 20km (12 miles) from the Hungarian border.

The country's defence minister said the "situation is being monitored continuously".

These latest attacks come as both Ukraine and Russia continue to try to anticipate how US President-elect Donald Trump will act once his administration takes power in January.

Trump has consistently said his priority is to end the war and what he describes as a drain on US resources in the form of military aid to Kyiv. He has not said how.

The US has been the greatest supplier of arms to Ukraine. Between the start of the war and the end of June 2024, it delivered or committed to send weapons and equipment worth $55.5bn (£41.5bn), according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research organisation.

There are fears in Kyiv that it may come under pressure to negotiate an end to the war that may favour Russia's advances - Moscow continues to control a large swathe of Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky has said he is certain the war with Russia will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have under the new Trump presidency.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently told Russian state media of "positive" signals from the incoming US administration. But Russia has denied that a phone call took place in which Donald Trump reportedly warned the Russian president against escalating the war.

However, for all the talk of the possible changes coming when Donald Trump enters the White House, Sunday's attacks seem to indicate that, for now at least, the war’s grim realities are not changing.

Meanwhile, the leader of Germany - another Ukrainian ally - has defended a phone call he had with Putin on Friday, something Kyiv criticised as an attempt at appeasement.

"It was important to tell him [Putin] that he should not count on the support of Germany, Europe and many others in the world for Ukraine waning, but that it is now also up to him to ensure that the war comes to an end," Olaf Scholz said on Sunday.

He added that the Russian president had given no indication of a shift in his thinking on the war.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Moscow comments on Biden’s reported approval of strikes deep inside Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already shared his thoughts on possible Western approval for Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes deep within Russian territory, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

According to a report from the New York Times on Sunday, which cited unnamed American officials, US President Joe Biden has given Kiev the green light to deploy long-range American missiles against targets within Russia’s internationally recognized borders.

“The president has expressed his opinion on this matter,” Zakharova told news outlet RBK on Sunday.

In September, Putin stated that Ukrainian forces lack the capability to carry out attacks with Western-supplied long-range missiles without external assistance. “It is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is about deciding whether NATO countries become directly involved in the military conflict or not,” he said.

Putin added that if a decision allowing the strikes were made, Moscow would make “appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”

BBC/RT

Phillip Adenekan Adekunle Ademola had everything it takes for an excellent career at the highest levels of a judicial career. He was the grand-son of a king, the son of a Chief Justice and a prince in his own right. In another era, he could easily have become the first second generation Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN. It was his destiny to make neither and many still believe that he could well have been the ablest Justice of the Supreme Court Nigeria never had.

Born 27 July 1926, Adenekan Ademola finished his high school at Kings College in Lagos in 1944 and attended Higher College Yaba before proceeding to the University of London from where he graduated with a degree in law. When he qualified as a lawyer in 1951, his dad was already a judge, only the third Nigerian to be so appointed. Ademola practiced law for the next 19 years and spent three of those years also working as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Egba Divisional Council in present day Ogun State.

When Yakubu Gowon gazetted his appointment as a judge of the High Court of the Western State of Nigeria on 18 June 1970, Ademola was just 45 years old. His dad, Adetokunbo Ademola, an Egba blue blood, had been in office as the CJN for 12 years. It was two years before Adetokunbo retired as CJN. Five years after his appointment as a judge, in 1977, another soldier, Olusegun Obasanjo, elevated Ademola into the pioneer cohort of justices of the Court.

A product of the mostly diffident judicial philosophy of the military era, he did not let the soldiers down. When some pesky Taiwanese litigants approached his bench in the Court of Appeal to hold the military to account for what looked like evident violations of human rights, Ademola elegantly counselled judges to “blow muted trumpets.” It was only a matter of time, many thought, before his diligent service was requited by setting him on his way to follow in the footsteps of his celebrated father to the Supreme Court. Many made it there who had but a fraction of his ability and preparation.

On more than two occasions, Ademola was actively considered for elevation to the Supreme Court. He had the intellect and pedigree for the role and no one could accuse him of judicial levitas. In the end, it was not to be. There was a persistent objection from another scion of an equally famous Egba dynasty who relentlessly levied serious complaints against Ademola which were never dispositively determined. But that was considered enough to ultimately park his judicial career in the cul-de-sac of the Court of Appeal. In 1991, Adenekan Ademola retired from the Court of Appeal. Reflecting his cultured intellectual outlook, he was appointed thereafter as the inaugural Director of Studies of the National Judicial Institute.

In those days, judicial integrity was taken seriously and even the slightest whiff of integrity deficit or exposure attracted career consequences. Olumuyiwa Jibowu was the first Nigerian Justice of the Supreme Court. His reputation as a judge appeared impeccable. In 1957, it emerged that Olumuyiwa had written a letter to an old friend, one Mr. Savage, which was said to have content that made references considered to be insalubrious about the leader of the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons (NCNC), Nnamdi Azikiwe. One year later, when his name came up for consideration to become the first indigenous CJN, the contents of the letter were enough to force Olumuyiwa’s withdrawal from contention. The beneficiary was Adenekan Ademola’s dad.

Today in Nigeria, closeness to politicians is widely perceived to be a boost to judicial ambitions, not a constraint. A judge of the Federal High Court has recently gone on record to say that to be appointed a federal judge today in Nigeria, “one must either have the backing of the presidency or a political party.”

A widely respected continental medium recently reported under the caption “Why Nigerian judges love Nyesom Wike”, that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is “lauded like a rock star in judicial circles.” Part of the reason for the judicial superstardom of the FCT Minister is his material “generosity” towards judges.

This was not always the standard judicial fare.

The 1983 elections in Nigeria were quite contentious. Those were the first to be supervised by civilians under the presidential system. Many of the disputes over election outcomes ended up in court. Emmanuel Obioma Ogwuegbu, whose death at 91 recently became public, was then a judge of the High Court of Imo State. He later joined Adenekan Ademola in the Court of Appeal. The year after Ademola’s retirement, Ogwuegbu proceeded to the Supreme Court where he served for 11 years before retiring in 2003.

One night shortly after the 1983 elections, Ogwuegbu received an unusual night-time visitor at his official residence in Aba. Onyeso Nwachukwu who died in 2022 was a pious man, an Elder in the church, and the state chairman of the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN). On this night, the party chairman arrived with his wife, who blagged her way into the house by dropping the fact that she was a high school contemporary of the judge’s wife at the Community Girls Secondary School, Elelenwo, Rivers State.

Under the guise of a social visit, the party chairman visited to plead the cause of the beaten NPN governorship candidate, Collins Obi. The election petition was yet to be heard and the panel to hear it was not even announced. But the party wanted to advance the judge onto the panel as its “person.”

Ogwuegbu firmly reprimanded him before ushering him out of the house.

On the grounds of the compound but unknown to the judge, the party chairman had parked a brand-new Range Rover car complete with cellophane frills. As Justice Ogwuegbu ushered him out of the house, he noticed the party chairman walking to slide into another well-appointed sedan. So, he asked who the owner of the new Range Rover was. In response, the party chairman sidled up to the judge to inform him that he was the proud recipient of the four-wheel gift for his end of year.

Ogwuegbu smiled and pleaded with the party chairman to spare him further hardship. He explained that he had enough problems maintaining his Mercedes Benz car on his judicial salary and could not afford the financial exposure of trying to maintain an exponentially more expensive car. He insisted that the party chairman had to go with the car in the same manner that he brought it onto his compound. Ogwuegbu later begged off election tribunal duty because of this.

With reluctance, Elder Onyeso Nwachukwu drove out in the Range Rover which was manifestly meant to bribe an honest judge. For the remainder of his life, however, he lived in awe of Ogwuegbu because, he said, the judge belonged to that rare breed who could not be bought.

Honorable Justice Emmanuel Obioma Ogwuegbu was part of a generation in which judging was a deservedly elevated calling. In return, society honoured people like him with the honorific “My Lord”, an acknowledgement that they were called to a job that is truly divine. Today, the senior-most lawyers publicly twerk to partisan orchestras conducted by people who were in professional diapers when they were already in the Inner Bar and judges are made to believe it is kosher to enjoy political joy-rides and be serenaded with four-wheel bribes by politically exposed persons.

There will be time to return to the matter of how judicial integrity descended into their current morass and to address what can be done about that. For the moment, it is time to honour the memories of a generation of men and women, epitomised by Emmanuel Obioma Ogwuegbu, who put the “honorable” into the appellation, “Honourable Justice.”

** Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a professor of law, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and can be reached through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Saturday’s Ondo State governorship election was marred by widespread reports of vote buying and other electoral irregularities, despite assurances of a free and fair process. Civil society organizations Yiaga Africa and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) highlighted troubling incidents across the state, with both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused of engaging in brazen electoral malpractices.

Yiaga Africa, in its preliminary report, revealed that both major parties were involved in vote buying at multiple polling units, offering cash inducements ranging from N5,000 to as much as N20,000 per voter in exchange for votes. The group noted incidents in wards such as Odulufe, Omoke, and Ogubgobe in Ile-Oluji LGA, where APC agents were observed handing out N20,000 to voters. At other polling stations in Ifedore and Akure South LGAs, Yiaga Africa also documented agents from both APC and PDP distributing smaller amounts in exchange for votes, with no intervention from security personnel.

Similarly, the CDD reported that party agents were seen distributing money to voters in several wards, including Ifon and Iba Akoko, where APC agents provided N10,000 per voter and PDP agents offered N5,000. The report also revealed disturbing incidents where voters openly displayed their ballots to party agents, in a practice referred to as “see and buy,” to prove their vote was cast in favor of a particular candidate before receiving payment.

Security forces were notably absent or complicit in these activities. In some instances, such as at St. Barnabas Primary School in Ifon, CDD observers saw police officers arguing over money allegedly shared by party operatives, with complaints that some officers received more money than others. Despite these public violations, the security personnel present often failed to take action, with observers noting a general lack of professionalism.

Yiaga Africa condemned the widespread vote buying, calling it a “corrupt practice” that undermines the integrity of the electoral process and contributes to political inequality. The organization called on security agencies to take stronger action to deter such activities and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

In addition to vote buying, there were other disruptions. Voters at the Leo Hospital polling unit in Akure South LGA were forced to delay voting due to the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), leading to frustration and a brief disruption. Security agents were eventually called in to restore order.

Despite these challenges, the election day process was relatively peaceful overall, with many citizens turning out early to vote. Yiaga Africa and CDD both acknowledged the professionalism of election officials, particularly in terms of the timely arrival of materials and the widespread use of BVAS across the state. However, both organizations urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to address the serious issues of electoral fraud and ensure that election results are accurately and fairly collated.

The reports from Yiaga Africa and CDD underscore the ongoing challenge of electoral integrity in Nigeria, with vote buying continuing to plague elections at all levels.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has condemned the current state of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu, describing the country as a “failing state” beset by widespread corruption, poor leadership, and insecurity. Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Obasanjo argued that Nigeria’s troubles are a direct result of the “immorality and corruption” permeating the nation, which he said is sinking deeper into chaos and underdevelopment.

In his keynote address, titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”, Obasanjo pointed to the leadership style of President Tinubu, who, during his campaign, popularized the slogan “Emilokan”, meaning “it’s my turn.” Obasanjo decried the “Baba-go-slow” and “Emilokan” era, referring to Tinubu’s governance as a continuation of failed leadership that has worsened the country’s descent into insecurity, division, and instability.

“The situation in Nigeria is bad and worsening,” Obasanjo declared, noting that the nation is gripped by violence, political discord, and rising youth unrest. He attributed these problems to the country’s corrupt political system, which he said is driven by a political elite engaged in “state capture.” State capture, as defined by Obasanjo, is a form of corruption where powerful elites manipulate national policies, legal environments, and resources for personal gain, often undermining the public good.

“State capture is one of the most pervasive forms of corruption,” Obasanjo stated, drawing from definitions provided by global organizations like the World Bank and Transparency International. “What is happening in Nigeria—right before our eyes—is state capture. The purchase of national assets by political elites, the allocation of resources to benefit specific groups, and the manipulation of public institutions are clear manifestations of this crisis.”

Obasanjo elaborated on how state capture occurs subtly, through the close alignment of business and political elites, often backed by family ties and mutual financial interests. He pointed to how key national assets, such as land and minerals, are being allocated to elites and their families at discounted prices, and how legislative, executive, and judicial bodies are now subject to manipulation by these powerful interest groups.

This, Obasanjo argued, has led to a situation where the public interest is no longer prioritized. Instead, policies, laws, and regulations are skewed to benefit select groups, often at the expense of the broader population. He warned that such practices have severely impacted Nigeria’s economic development, the provision of essential services like education and healthcare, and the overall quality of governance.

The former president’s comments reflect a growing disillusionment with the Tinubu administration, as his government has been accused of failing to address corruption, enhance security, and deliver on promises of national unity and development. Obasanjo called for stronger legal frameworks, both domestic and international, to combat state capture and its damaging effects on Nigeria’s democracy and development.

While acknowledging the legacy of late literary icon Chinua Achebe, Obasanjo emphasized that the writer’s values of integrity and leadership are sorely needed in today’s Nigeria. The country, he said, is in desperate need of leaders who prioritize the public good over personal gain.

Obasanjo’s remarks underscore the deepening crisis in Nigeria under the presidency of Bola Tinubu, with critics highlighting the lack of progress in tackling the root causes of the country’s instability. As insecurity, corruption, and economic hardship continue to plague the nation, the former president’s warnings serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for change.