During his recent visit to Washington, the Nigerian president failed to acknowledge human rights violations perpetrated by the country’s soldiers in the ongoing war against Boko Haram. And his defence of Nigeria's draconian law against homosexuality was disappointing.

Presidential elections are coming up in Nigeria next week on 14 February. The top contenders are the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and former head of state Mohammadu Buhari. In the opinion of this writer, electing Buhari represents a quiet revolution for Nigerians who have been longing for good governance for a long time, even as reactionary and retrogressive forces become more deeply entrenched in the country.

In Nigeria there is a dangerous perception among elements of the elite that elections are a form of warfare. Soldiers have recently been used in a few states by the incumbent political party to entrench the kleptocratic oligarchy by rigging elections

It is manifestly impossible to hold free and fair elections anywhere in Africa. And Nigerians should brace themselves for 2015. Progressive forces should vigorously demand fundamental electoral reforms

July marked the 15th anniversary of the death of Moshood Abiola in the presence of American diplomats and secret service agents. Lots of unanswered questions about his death remain

There is no question that Chief Obafemi Awolowo is one of the greatest Nigerian political figures ever. But nobody, no matter their ethnic affiliation, would in all honesty support the callousness Awolowo exhibited during and after the Biafra war

Simone, wife of President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d’Ivoire, is a political prisoner. The only reason why she’s in prison today is because her husband was overthrown in a military coup by the forces of the man under whose order she’s currently languishing in jail. Simone didn’t commit any crime. Indeed she won her parliamentary seat handily in the 2010 elections, and unlike the presidential election, that election result wasn’t contested by opposing parties. As women around the world celebrate International Women’s Day, and given that the month of March is dedicated to attracting attention to women’s issues, one needs to ask why there’s silence from all quarters about the ignoble treatment Simone Gbagbo is being subjected to.

Biafra secessionist leader Odumegwu Ochuku has left a legacy for a new generation of Nigerians who must now see personal sacrifice as a prerequisite for public service.