The conference, with the theme: ‘Local Content & Digitisation: Building Synergy Between Oil & Gas and Insurance Sectors for Inclusive Growth’ will be held at Oriental Hotel, 3, Lekki Road, Victoria Island, Lagos at 10.00 a.m. prompt.

The Commissioner for Insurance, National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, Mr. Olusegun Ayo Omosehin has confirmed his attendance at the conference which will bring together other regulators, key stakeholders in the oil and gas and insurance sectors, civil society organisations, media and students, among others.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Universal Insurance Plc, Dr. Jeff Duru, will chair the conference while the Group Managing Director/CEO, Royal Exchange Plc, Mrs. Idu Okeahialam, will deliver the keynote paper.

The Publisher, SUPERNEWS Nigeria, Ngozi Onyeakusi, said the choice of this year’s theme was borne out of the quest to provide insight on how the two sectors, insurance and oil and gas, can leverage cutting-edge technologies to boost collaboration and synergy towards surmounting challenges associated in implementing the Provisions of Sections 49 and 50 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD, Act.

For instance, provisions of Sections 49 and 50 of the NOGICD Act requires all operators engaged in any form of activity or project in the oil and gas industry to insure all insurable risks related to its oil and gas business with an insurance company, through an insurance broker registered in Nigeria.

The NOGICD Act also provides that where an operator seeks to place an insurable risk offshore, a written approval of the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, must first be sought and obtained and that NAICOM, prior to the issuance of the approval, must first determine that local capacity has been fully exhausted.

In a bid to smoothen the implementation and compliance to the Act, the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, and NAICOM in 2022 launched the relevant guidelines which was expected to address the loopholes that were identified in implementing the provisions of the Act, particularly, Sections 49 and 50.

However, research has shown that insurance firms before now still faced lots of challenges ranging from capital inadequacy and others.

With the birth of the Nigeria Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025, the insurance industry is now positioned for global competitiveness while the ongoing recapitalisation exercise is expected to pave way for big, strong and reliable insurance firms.

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The post Barth Nnaji to be Special Guest of Honour at Supernews conference appeared first on Frontpageng.

The highly anticipated discourse, scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 8pm, will bring together three distinguished voices in security, governance and public accountability to examine the theme: “Kidnapping Economy and National Insecurity: Are Nigeria’s Security Votes Working? What Must Change to Make Nigerians Safe Again?”

The session will feature renowned security strategist and retired military officer, General Ishola Williams (Rtd); respected security expert and retired military intelligence officer, Col. Yomi Dare (Rtd); and civic technology advocate, public finance transparency campaigner and Co-founder of BudgIT, Mr Seun Onigbinde.

Boiling Point Arena, hosted by a media professional and public relations strategist, Ayo Arowojolu, holds via Zoom and is to be broadcast live on multiple radio stations across Lagos, Ogun and Delta states as well as a cable television, NSTV on Gotv channel.

A frontline traditional ruler, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, is expected to bring an intellectual gravitas to herald the discourse in his capacity as chairman and Keynote Speaker during the session.

Over the years, Nigeria has committed trillions of naira to defence and security operations.

Yet, from highways to farmlands, schools to residential communities, incidents of kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes continue to generate fear among citizens and raise concerns over the effectiveness of security interventions.

The programme will critically examine whether kidnapping has evolved into a thriving criminal enterprise sustained by weak institutions, inadequate intelligence gathering, poor accountability and socio-economic vulnerabilities.

It will also explore whether the nation’s security votes and budgetary allocations are delivering measurable outcomes in protecting lives and property.

Participants are expected to interrogate the nexus between governance, public finance management and national security, while offering practical recommendations on intelligence-led policing, community participation, technology deployment, institutional reforms and accountability mechanisms necessary to reverse the tide of insecurity.

According to the organisers, the discussion is aimed at moving beyond routine lamentations to identifying actionable pathways that can restore public confidence and make Nigeria safer for citizens and investors alike.

With the calibre of guest speakers assembled for the conversation, the 44th edition of Boiling Point Arena promises to be a robust and thought-provoking engagement that will shed light on the economics of kidnapping, the effectiveness of security spending and the urgent reforms required to reclaim Nigeria from the grip of criminality.

Members of the public, policymakers, security practitioners, civil society actors, media professionals and concerned citizens are expected to join the conversation as the nation searches for answers to one of its most pressing challenges.

The programme which holds on a month-by-month basis every second Sunday of any month targeted at proffering solutions to the myriads of Nigeria’s problems, debuted since November 2022 and is now in its 44th edition.

The discourse will be accessible globally through Zoom, while millions of radio listeners are expected to tune in to the following radio stations; WASH 94.9FM, Sweet 107.1FM, Roots 97.1FM, Erimbe 94.7FM, Women Radio 91.7FM, Opera Tune 106.3FM and Kruzz 92.9FM, alongside a cable television station, NSTV, on GOtv Channel.

Over the years, Boiling Point Arena has hosted an impressive roll call of eminent Nigerians including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Pat Utomi, Presidential Adviser, Daniel Bwala, Prof. Toyin Falola, Prof. Wande Abimbola, Bishop Matthew Kukah, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, Mrs Funke Egbemode, Apostle Lawrence Achudume and Prof. Farooq Kperogi among others.

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The post Boiling Point: Speakers discuss Nigeria’s kidnapping economy June 14 appeared first on Frontpageng.

Today, the Nigerian media landscape celebrates one of its finest professionals, Mr. Sakibu Olokojobi, Publisher of Frontpage Newspaper, as he marks his 60th birthday — a remarkable milestone in a life dedicated to journalism, truth, and public service.

For decades, Sakibu Olokojobi has remained a respected voice in the Nigerian media industry, distinguished by his intellectual depth, editorial courage, and unwavering commitment to responsible journalism.

Through his leadership at FrontPage Newspaper of which he is also Editor-in-Chief and his active engagement within the nation’s evolving media ecosystem, he has contributed significantly to strengthening ethical journalism and deepening democratic discourse in Nigeria.

At a time when journalism faces growing pressures from misinformation, political manipulation, and the disruptive impact of digital transformation, Olokojobi has continued to uphold the timeless values of professionalism, integrity, balance, and public accountability.

His career trajectory reflects consistency, resilience, and a deep understanding of the watchdog role of the media in society.

As a respected member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE; Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, GOCOP, and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, he has consistently championed professional standards and responsible media practice, earning admiration from colleagues, public affairs analysts, and younger journalists alike.

Many within the profession see him not merely as a newspaper publisher, but as a mentor, bridge-builder, and defender of credible journalism.

Beyond the newsroom, Sakibu Olokojobi represents a generation of journalists whose lives have been shaped by sacrifice, discipline, and dedication to societal progress.

Those who have worked with him over the years describe him as calm, intellectually grounded, and deeply committed to the pursuit of truth. His editorial interventions on national issues have enriched public conversations and reinforced confidence in journalism as an essential pillar of democracy and nation-building.

Beyond the newsroom, Sakibu Olokojobi represents a generation of journalists whose lives have been shaped by sacrifice, discipline, and dedication to societal progress. His enduring relevance in the media industry is a testimony to his adaptability, wisdom, and passion for impactful communication.

As family members, friends, professional colleagues, associates, and admirers celebrate and eulogise this accomplished journalist and media administrator, tributes continue to pour in from across the country in recognition of his immense contributions to the profession.

Leading the goodwill messages, former President of the Nigeria and African Union of Journalists, Lanre Ogundipe, described Olokojobi as “a shining example of responsible journalism whose voice and experience continue to inspire confidence in credible media practice.”

According to Ogundipe, “At a time when the media industry continues to confront enormous challenges, the contributions of seasoned professionals like Sakibu Olokojobi deserve recognition and appreciation. His steady voice, editorial experience and dedication to truth have continued to enrich the journalism profession and strengthen public confidence in credible media practice.”

As he turns 60 today, many agree that Sakibu Olokojobi’s story is not merely about age, but about impact, legacy, and an enduring commitment to truth and humanity.

Also lending credence to the sagacity and journalistic prowess of Sakibu, the Founder and Promoter of Boiling Point Arena, a popular monthly interview discourse, Ayo Arowojolu, described him as “a distinguished journalist, exemplary editor, and respected media statesman.”

Arowojolu added: “May the years ahead bring you renewed strength, sound health, peace, greater accomplishments, and many more fruitful years of service to journalism, Nigeria, and humanity.”

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The post Sakibu Olokojobi: Celebrating journalist of courage, integrity at 60 appeared first on Frontpageng.

I heartily congratulate Mr. Sakibu Olokojobi, veteran journalist, publisher, and Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of FrontPage, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

Reaching this significant milestone is not only a celebration of age, but also a recognition of a life devoted to the service of journalism, public enlightenment, and the strengthening of democratic discourse in Nigeria.

Over the years, Mr. Olokojobi has distinguished himself as a disciplined media professional whose commitment to ethical journalism and credible online publishing has earned him respect within and outside the profession.

Through his editorial leadership and active engagement in the Nigerian media space, he has contributed meaningfully to the growth of responsible journalism in an era of rapid digital transformation.

As a respected member of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers and a consistent advocate of professionalism, he represents the enduring values of integrity, courage, and intellectual depth that remain essential to the survival of the media as the watchdog of society. His career stands as an inspiration to younger journalists seeking to combine professional excellence with public responsibility.

At a time when the media industry continues to confront enormous challenges, the contributions of seasoned professionals like Sakibu Olokojobi deserve recognition and appreciation.

His steady voice, editorial experience and dedication to truth have continued to enrich the journalism profession and strengthen public confidence in credible media practice.

As family, friends, colleagues, and associates celebrate him today, I join in wishing Mr. Sakibu Olokojobi good health, peace, renewed strength, and many more fruitful years of impactful service to journalism and humanity.

*Ogundipe is former president of Nigeria and African Union of Journalists

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The post Sakibu Olokojobi at 60: Celebrating a steadfast voice in journalism appeared first on Frontpageng.

It argued that no single African country had sufficient leverage and resources to address the critical challenges alone.

In a statement issued in Lagos to mark the 2026 Africa Day, MRA observed that the rapid global expansion of AI technologies presented Africa with both unprecedented opportunities and serious risks, warning that unless African countries work collectively to shape the governance, development and deployment of AI systems, the continent risked becoming merely a consumer of technologies designed elsewhere, without adequate regard for African realities, cultures, languages, or developmental priorities.

MRA’s Programme Officer, Ms Ayomide Eweje, pointed out that Africa Day commemorated the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 and reaffirmed the vision of a united, free, and prosperous Africa.

She added that the vision had extended to the digital domain.

Noting that AI was already transforming diverse sectors, including journalism, governance, education, elections, business, security, public communication, healthcare, and access to information across the world, with profound implications for democracy, freedom of expression, media freedom, civic participation, and socio-economic development in Africa.

She insisted that as the African Union (AU) advanced its continental AI strategy the principles of Pan-Africanism must guide how Africa developed, governed, and benefitted from AI.

According to her, while AI technologies can support innovation, expand access to knowledge, strengthen public service delivery, improve the conduct of elections, and help combat misinformation and disinformation, they can also be used to facilitate mass surveillance, manipulate public opinion, spread deepfakes and synthetic disinformation, undermine democratic processes, reinforce discrimination, and suppress civic space.

Eweje therefore, urged African governments, regional bodies and institutions, civil society organisations, media professionals, academic institutions, technology experts, and citizens to work collaboratively to develop a distinctly African, rights-respecting, people-centred, and development-oriented AI governance architecture for the continent.

She suggested that such a Pan-African AI framework should be anchored on key principles, including respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly the protection of freedom of expression and media independence, as well as the protection of privacy and personal data; transparency and accountability in algorithmic systems, public oversight of AI deployment by governments and corporations, and the inclusion of African languages, cultures and knowledge systems.

Eweje also proposed that due regard should be given to the prevention of algorithmic discrimination and bias, open access to public-interest data, ethical innovation and responsible AI development, digital inclusion and equitable access to AI technologies, the strengthening of media and information literacy, the protection of electoral integrity and democratic participation, as well as regional cooperation and African digital sovereignty.

She stressed that Africa must avoid reproducing patterns of digital dependency and “data colonialism” in which African populations merely supplied data to global technology corporations without meaningful control, ownership, accountability, or economic benefit and called on the AU to initiate an inclusive continental process towards the adoption of an African Charter or Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Rights that reflects Africa’s democratic aspirations and developmental needs.

It also urged African governments to ensure that AI strategies, policies and regulations were developed transparently and through broad multi-stakeholder consultations that involve civil society organizations and human rights advocates, youth groups, women’s organizations, persons with disabilities, journalists and media organizations, academic institutions, and technology communities.

According to her, media and information literacy must become a central pillar of Africa’s AI future as citizens across the continent need to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to identify misinformation, understand algorithmic systems, recognize synthetic media and deepfakes, and participate meaningfully in digital governance processes.

Eweje noted that Africa Day offered an important opportunity not only to celebrate African unity and shared aspirations but also to reimagine the continent’s digital future in ways that promote democratic resilience, human dignity, social inclusion, and technological self-determination.

She reaffirmed MRA’s  readiness and commitment to working with partners and other stakeholders across Africa and globally to promote digital rights, freedom of expression, access to information, media freedom, democratic accountability, and ethical approaches to emerging technologies.

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The post MRA calls for pan-African framework on AI rooted in human rights appeared first on Frontpageng.

While advocating an increased subscription to insurance and pension products, experts at the event in Lagos, urged Nigerians to initiate retirement planning early in their career paths to ensure a comfortable life after active service.

The chairman of STI Leasing Limited Mr. Tom Ogboi, applauded the organisers of the summit, calling for heightened sensitisation on how workers could enjoy life post-retirement.

Sharing his personal experience, Ogboi disclosed that he retired as far back as 2002 and had been able to enjoy his retirement doing what he loved due to strategic planning.

He emphasized that preparing for that phase of life must be intentional for every worker.

In the same vein, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) Dr. Muda Yusuf, lamented the current plight of retirees in Nigeria.

He noted that many ex-workers who dedicated their active years to service were now suffering due to systemic collapse and low retirement awareness.

To mitigate that, Yusuf advocated for the creation of a specialized government agency saddled with the responsibility of increasing public awareness and advocacy; driving enlightenment and education on retirement matters and ensuring workers actively structure their retirement plans while still in active service.

Addressing the gathering, the Media, Branding, and Communications Lead at the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), Olajumoke Akinwunmi, stated that the pension industry had evolved significantly to ensure retirees received their benefits as and when due.

She added that pension fund assets had grown consistently, yielding strong investment returns to deliver value to contributors.

Akinwunmi highlighted the Personal Pension Plan, PPP, as a tool designed to bring flexibility to pension onboarding, particularly for players in the informal sector.

She disclosed that individuals from the age of 18 are eligible to onboard, noting that the plan offers numerous benefits aimed at supporting businesses and livelihoods both during working years and in retirement.

The publisher of Inspenonline and convener of the summit, Mr. Chuks Udo Okonta, explained that the initiative was established three years ago to bridge the critical knowledge gap clouding retirement matters in Nigeria.

“When you search online for localized information on retirement matters, you hardly find comprehensive data. There is a lack of serious advocacy locally, and as a media platform, we felt this is one of the ways we can deepen retirement education. We will continue this drive until every worker is fully enlightened,” Okonta said.

Also speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Olusegun Omosehin, who was represented, urged workers to utilise the instrumentality of insurance products to secure a stable retirement.

Concurrently, the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Ms. Omolola Oloworaran—represented by the Head of Corporate Communications at PenCom, Mr. Ibrahim Buwai, noted that the commission had enhanced and revolutionised pension administration in Nigeria through its Pension Revolution 2.0 initiative.

He disclosed that the recently rebranded Micro Pension Plan, MPP, had been strategically repositioned to offer more robust, accessible, and secure long-term financial safety nets for self-employed Nigerians and informal sector workers.

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Oluyede spoke on Tuesday through Major Gen Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information, DDI, at the press week lecture and awards ceremony organised by the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.

The Defence Chief said responsible journalism could deprive terrorists and bandits of the oxygen they thrived on.

He said the theme for the press week, ‘2027 Election: Defending Democracy in the Era of Misinformation’, was significant considering the nation’s complex security and information environment.

“The media remains a critical pillar of our democracy and a vital instrument for national cohesion, public enlightenment, and accountability,” Oluyede said.

“Let me reiterate that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain committed to safeguarding the lives and property of all citizens in line with our constitutional mandate.

“In pursuit of this duty across various theatres of operation, we have come to recognise more than ever that the press is a partner to the military in the collective effort to build a safe, stable, and prosperous nation. This partnership is not one of convenience but of necessity.

“While the military secures the physical space, the media shapes the information space. The narratives you project influence public perception, prove morale, and even the strategic outcomes of military operations.

“When reporting is factual, balanced, and conflict-sensitive, it denies oxygen to terrorism, banditry, and disinformation.

“It builds trust between the armed forces and the people we serve. Therefore, as we celebrate your contributions, I must also emphasise that responsible journalism is essential to national security.

“In this digital age where a single tweet can travel faster than a battalion, the ethical responsibility of the press has never been greater.

“I urge you to continue to verify before you publish, to prioritise national interests without sacrificing truth, and to give voice to the sacrifices of our troops who stand in harm’s way so that others may live in peace.

“On behalf of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, I congratulate the chairlady, executives, and all members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ Federal Capital Territory chapter on this press week.

“I commend your resilience, courage, and patriotism, often displayed under very difficult conditions.

“May your pains continue to defend the truth, and may your work strengthen the unity of our great nation.”

Grace Ike, chairperson of the NUJ FCT council, said the press week offered journalists the opportunity to reflect on the state of the profession and renew their commitment to ethical journalism.

“As we move closer to the 2027 general elections, the media must remain vigilant, responsible, and courageous in the face of misinformation, fake news, propaganda, and deliberate attempts to distort public opinion,” she said.

Ike said the media had a sacred duty to protect truth, defend accountability and preserve the integrity of the nation’s democratic process.

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The post Why media must embrace conflict-sensitive reporting -CDS appeared first on Frontpageng.

The summit, which is the third edition in the series, is scheduled to hold on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, House, Plot A2, Hakeem Balogun Street, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, starting at 9:00 a.m. prompt.

According to the promoter of the summit, who is also the publisher of Inspenonline, Chuks Udo Okonta, the event addresses a critical gap in Nigeria’s financial ecosystem: the vulnerability of the informal sector.

With over 90 per cent of the workforce operating outside formal structures, Okonta noted that the summit served as a strategic roadmap to ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of their employment status, can retire with dignity and financial security.

He said the summit aimed to bridge the financial inclusion gap by exploring how the Personal Pension Plan, PPP, and various Life Insurance products can be tailored to the irregular income streams of informal workers to ensure they save towards a comfortable life in retirement.

Dignitaries already lined up to brainstorm at the event include the Chairman of STI Leasing Limited, Tom Ogboi, who will preside as the chairman of the event.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Omosehin, and the Director General of the National Pension Commission, PenCom, Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, are expected as the Special Guests of Honour.

The keynote address will be delivered by the Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, who will provide economic perspectives on integrating the informal sector into the national financial safety net.

Other prominent industry captains confirmed for the summit are: the Director-General, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), Mrs. Bola Odukale; Chief Executive Officer, Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), Anthonia Ifeanyi-Okoro; President, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, Mrs. Ekeoma Ezeibe; and the National President, Association of Registered Insurance Agents, ARIA, Mayowa Olatubosun.

A robust panel session has also been curated to dissect the practicalities of pension and insurance adoption for informal workers.

The paper discussants include: the National President, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria, ASBON, Dr. Femi Egbesola; Managing Director, Coronation Life Assurance Limited, Adebowale Adesona; Managing Director, Leadway Pensure Limited, Olusakin Labeodan; and the Chairperson, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Lagos State Chapter, Comrade Funmi Sessi.

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I found myself listening to one of those radio stations where everybody is committed to sounding like they schooled at Eton. I was driving, which was my first mistake. The second was leaving the radio on.

The programme was a phone-in which, in modern broadcasting, is roughly equivalent to opening the gates of a psychiatric ward and asking patients to formulate public policy. The presenter, a woman whose relationship with factual accuracy was purely casual and perhaps occasionally adulterous, announced that Amaju Pinnick, Nigeria  Football Federation President at the time, had spoken to Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger about becoming coach of the Super Eagles.

She then invited listeners to react.

There followed a stampede of callers so hysterical you feared one of them might have a stroke live on air. Had it been a physical gathering rather than a radio queue, the intervention of the National Emergency Management Agency would have been needed. Caller after caller screamed about Nigeria lacking seriousness, about delusion, about foolishness and how Mourinho and Wenger were “far above our level,” as though the country had applied to borrow Buckingham Palace for Oro festival.

But that was not what happened. I had read the original story the previous day. Pinnick had merely spoken to the two men and asked them to recommend suitable candidates. That was all. A fairly ordinary football administration thing. But accuracy, sadly, is no longer sexy enough for modern broadcasting. The presenter improved the story the way roadside mechanics improve your car by damaging it beyond recognition.

As public frustration with the Super Eagles at the time was bubbling like hot water, she knew exactly what she was doing. She offered the audience a communal kicking target and stood back while they enthusiastically performed the execution.

I remember sitting there in disbelief, wondering why exactly I had chosen to poison my own morning.

It reminded me why I stopped listening to radio years ago and why I avoid television too. These days, I mostly consume news through reading because, although newspapers and websites have their own pathologies, they remain relatively civilised compared to the sewage treatment plants masquerading as morning current affairs television.

It was not always this way.

There was a time when flagship current affairs programmes actually attempted journalism. Presenters asked questions because they wanted answers, not because they wanted clips for Twitter accompanied by fire emojis and declarations that somebody had been “finished.”

Most importantly, it needs to remember that journalism exists not to emotionally gratify the public but to inform it truthfully, even when truth is unpopular and insufficiently exciting.

Back then, interviewers approached facts with the care of a gold miner separating the ore from mud. They challenged power, interrogated assumptions and prepared well. Today’s current affairs broadcasting is often nothing more than emotional pornography for the perpetually outraged. Its primary function is not to discover truth but to flatter public prejudice.

The question is no longer: “Is this accurate?” It is: “Will this trend?”

Truth has become the side chick, while virality is now the lawfully wedded wife.

The decline arrived gradually, like mould spreading across forgotten bread. One producer noticed outrage clips travel further online than nuanced discussion. One anchor realises social media applause produces a pleasant narcotic sensation. Another discovers that ignorance delivered confidently sounds remarkably like expertise to an audience equally under-read. Before long, entire editorial cultures are built around emotional extraction from the mob.

Modern broadcasting increasingly resembles organised hysteria with advertising breaks.

What makes this especially depressing is that many practitioners genuinely believe they are heroic truth tellers. They wear the costume of public service while engaging in intellectual oloshoism, confusing applause with credibility and online noise with democratic wisdom.

If the public is angry, they become angrier.

If the public is irrational, they become clinically insane.

The role of journalism, however unfashionable this may sound, is not to amplify public emotion but to interrogate it. A serious interviewer should challenge assumptions, not merely echo them with a face like a warthog’s.

Instead, many anchors now behave like emotional support animals for public resentment. Their interviews are not conversations, but theatrical ambushes. Questions are asked not to obtain clarity but to produce viral moments. The guest is not there to explain anything. He is there to be ritually sacrificed before an audience demanding blood.

“The interviewer finished him!” people say afterwards.

Finished him how, exactly? As how? By shouting louder?

By interrupting every sentence? By replacing evidence with sarcasm and snark? There is one television anchor in particular who, without his glasses, is the identikit of a serial killer with the mouth of a raptor. Every discussion involving him is soaked in theatrical indignation so exaggerated you half expect background thunder effects.

Underneath all this noise lies something far uglier than bias. It is catastrophic incompetence. Many modern broadcasters are astonishingly under-read. They possess strong opinions on economics while barely understanding compound interest. They moderate constitutional debates without having read the constitution. They discuss diplomacy, security, judicial procedure and energy policy armed with little more than a few tweets.

Still, they strut around studios with the swagger of war correspondents returning from Ukraine via Gaza and a brief stopover in Mogadishu. I once watched an interview with Finidi George after he became coach of the Super Eagles. The presenter informed him that he had heard performance clauses were included in his contract.

Finidi nodded.

The interviewer looked stunned. “A whole Finidi?” he asked, apparently unable to comprehend why an employer might include performance conditions in the contract of an employee whose literal job is producing performance.

At that point, my soul briefly attempted to leave my body. Older generations of journalists certainly had flaws. Plenty. But many at least feared public embarrassment enough to prepare properly. They read books, researched subjects and understood that ignorance on live television was not charming. Today, confidence has replaced competence. A nice suit, imported accent and aggressive tone now suffice.

The fraud goes undetected because audiences themselves increasingly confuse loudness with intelligence.  Producers, tragically, are sometimes just as dim. This intellectual poverty feeds directly into the rise of client journalism, where entire programmes function as short let apartments for elite political warfare. One faction sponsors outrage against another. Suddenly, broadcasters discover investigative courage. Then alliances shift, money changes direction and moral urgency mysteriously evaporates overnight.

The audience is never told who exactly is funding the orchestra while the anchor conducts with righteous fury.

This explains why the same behaviour condemned as authoritarianism on Monday becomes “strategic leadership” by Thursday once committed by the correct politician. Principles become elastic, while outrage becomes selective.

Alongside these is ego, perhaps the terminal disease of modern broadcasting. Many presenters no longer see themselves as journalists but as celebrities, activists, moral redeemers or national therapists. The programme ceases to exist for public understanding and instead becomes a daily exhibition of the anchor’s own magnificence.

Guests are invited not for enlightenment but for humiliation rituals. Complex problems are flattened into childish binaries because nuance does not go viral and subtlety rarely trends. I once watched a clip where an opposition politician was barely midway into his first answer before the anchor snapped: “All of you in the opposition are jokers.” I have been unable to live it down.

Television, which once aspired to public enlightenment, increasingly resembles sponsored gladiatorial combat moderated by people who think shouting is a substitute for thought. Worse still, audiences are now being conditioned to prefer it this way. Nuance appears weak to viewers addicted to outrage. Careful analysis is dismissed as boring. Measured discussion becomes “soft.” Many people no longer consume news to learn anything. They consume it to experience emotional validation. They tune in wanting their prejudices massaged, their enemies insulted and their existing beliefs returned to them.

Producers comply happily because hysteria rates well.

The result is a vicious feedback loop. The more irrational the public mood becomes, the more broadcasting amplifies and intensifies it. Journalism, which ought to cool societal temperature, now often functions as an accelerant.

Emotional arsonists pretending to be firefighters.

The consequences are serious. When journalism abandons truth for sentiment, public discourse collapses into tribal theatre. Facts lose authority, while expertise becomes irrelevant. Intelligent people withdraw from debate because they know they will simply be shouted down by over-excited performers.

Charlatans flourish because television increasingly rewards certainty over accuracy.

Democracy itself suffers because citizens cannot make rational decisions inside an atmosphere polluted by emotional propaganda disguised as journalism.

Equally depressing is the industry’s near-total resistance to introspection. Any criticism is immediately framed as hostility to press freedom. But freedom without standards is merely branded chaos. Journalism is not noble simply because it calls itself journalism. A butcher carrying a stethoscope remains a butcher.

What the industry desperately requires are humility, intellectual discipline, curiosity, moral honesty and presenters secure enough not to treat every interview as a WWE promo. It also needs editors with cojones to prioritise accuracy over applause; journalists willing to disappoint audiences with uncomfortable truths instead of seducing them with comforting lies.

Most importantly, it needs to remember that journalism exists not to emotionally gratify the public but to inform it truthfully, even when truth is unpopular and insufficiently exciting.

Until then, many flagship current affairs programmes will remain outrage manufacturing plants staffed by performers who mistake noise for substance and applause for integrity.

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There are moments when an idea moves beyond commentary and begins entering systems.

The week that just ended was one of those moments.

Within the span of days, The Insecurity Triad experienced three separate but interconnected breakthroughs.

First came the Brussels intervention, last Sunday via an Op-ed piece in BusinessDay by hugely respected Collins Nweke, where the framework was interpreted within a European geopolitical context as an explanatory model for Sahel instability and its implications for Europe’s own strategic future.

Second came its consolidation into the global scholarly archive through repositories including Academia.edu, Harvard Dataverse, Zenodo, SSRN, OSF, and SocArXiv — six distinct platforms representing the full architecture of contemporary open-access scholarship.

Then came a third development whose symbolism may ultimately prove just as significant: my integration into the ResearchGate ecosystem.

At first glance, this may appear procedural. Another profile. Another platform. Another account.

But within the architecture of global scholarship, ResearchGate represents something much larger than social networking.

It is one of the world’s largest academic visibility platforms — a digital meeting ground where researchers, scholars, institutions, laboratories, journals, policy specialists, and interdisciplinary thinkers interact within a continuously evolving scholarly network.

To understand why this matters, one must first understand what ResearchGate actually represents in contemporary academic life.

What ResearchGate Really Is

Founded in 2008 by physicians Ijad Madisch and Sören Hofmayer alongside computer scientist Horst Fischbach, ResearchGate emerged as part of a broader transformation in global scholarship: the migration of academic visibility from closed institutional corridors into digital knowledge ecosystems.

Traditionally, scholarly recognition depended heavily on university affiliation, conference access, institutional journals, and physical academic networks.

ResearchGate altered part of that equation.

With over 25 million researchers from 193 countries, it created a platform where research outputs, citations, working papers, datasets, methodological discussions, and scholarly engagement could circulate beyond the limits of geography and institutional hierarchy.

Today, researchers from universities, think-tanks, laboratories, policy institutes, and independent research environments use the platform to upload publications, track citations, share datasets, engage with disciplinary debates, connect with other scholars, and increase discoverability across fields.

In effect, ResearchGate functions as part archive, part visibility engine, and part intellectual networking infrastructure.

And visibility matters in scholarship.

Because ideas do not influence debates merely by existing. They influence debates by becoming discoverable.

The Platforms and What They Represent

The repositories into which The Insecurity Triad has now been archived are not equivalent. Each represents a distinct layer of global scholarly infrastructure.

Academia.edu, with over 250 million registered users, is the world’s largest platform for academic sharing — the first point of entry into the global research conversation for many independent scholars.

Harvard Dataverse is an open-source repository operated by Harvard University, one of the most trusted and widely indexed academic archives in existence. A deposit there is not a symbolic gesture. It is a permanent record.

Zenodo, developed under the European OpenAIRE programme and operated by the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN), assigns each deposit a Digital Object Identifier — a DOI — making it permanently citable in academic literature worldwide regardless of what happens to any journal or institution that might otherwise have hosted it.

OSF — the Open Science Framework — developed by the US Centre for Open Science, supports the full research lifecycle from planning through archiving and dissemination. It has become a standard for researchers committed to transparency and reproducibility.

SocArXiv is a premier open-access repository designed to ensure that social science research is shared rapidly and transparently.

It serves as a vital bridge between rigorous academic inquiry and the public interest.

It was founded in 2016 by Philip N. Cohen, a distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park with a vision to create a “knowledge commons” that returns power to the scholars themselves.

And SSRN — the US-based Social Science Research Network, owned by Elsevier — is where social science scholarship enters the citation economy. With over one million papers and three million registered users, it is the platform through which working papers reach the global research community before and alongside formal peer review. It is also, notably, where Nobel Economics laureates Joseph Stiglitz, Esther Duflo, and Paul Krugman circulate their working papers — not because they are required to, but because that is where the serious readership is.

Together, these six platforms represent discovery, archiving, citation, networking, and dissemination. A coordinated presence across all six creates an unusually broad discoverability footprint for an independent scholar. For a scholar-journalist working from a newsroom in Abuja, it is extraordinary.

The Scholarly Series

Embedded within the developments of the week just ended is a commitment that deserves to be named directly.

Over the next twelve months, The Insecurity Triad will be developed into a ten-part scholarly series — engaging the framework, the Trinity of State Decay theory, and Sahel security dynamics in full academic register. Not as journalism. Not as commentary. As scholarship.

Part One — The Insecurity Triad (Part 1): Foundations of Convergence and Rival Sovereignty — An Analysis of Money, Land, and Mind (MLM) — has already been published and archived across Academia.edu, Harvard Dataverse, Zenodo, OSF, and SocArXiv, with SSRN forthcoming.

That is the opening instalment of a structured, year-long intellectual undertaking. Nine parts remain.

Why Admission Matters for an Independent Scholar

This is where the significance of these developments becomes clear.

Admission into these global scholarly platforms from outside formal academia carries symbolic and structural weight because it challenges one of the oldest assumptions within global intellectual culture: that legitimate scholarship must originate exclusively from institutional spaces.

For generations, the architecture of scholarship has largely been built around universities as gatekeepers of credibility.

The university conferred identity. The institution supplied legitimacy. The department validated intellectual existence.

But digital scholarly ecosystems are increasingly disrupting that monopoly.

An independent scholar operating from Abuja can now enter the same searchable research environment inhabited by professors in London, policy researchers in Brussels, doctoral candidates in Toronto, and analysts in Pretoria.

That does not erase institutional inequalities. But it narrows intellectual distance.

And that narrowing matters enormously for African thinkers working outside formal academic systems.

The African Reality of Intellectual Production

Across Africa, some of the continent’s most original analytical work often emerges under structurally difficult conditions.

Many researchers operate without university grants, funded research assistants, subscription journal access, institutional methodological support, conference travel funding, or formal research laboratories.

Yet despite these constraints, important ideas continue to emerge.

This is partly because African intellectual production has historically developed through hybrid spaces: journalism, activism, policy observation, civil society, strategic commentary, and independent inquiry.

In many cases, African thinkers are forced to become researchers, archivists, editors, publishers, and distributors simultaneously.

That reality makes entry into global scholarly ecosystems especially important.

Because platforms like Harvard Dataverse, SSRN, ResearchGate and others do more than host publications. They insert researchers into discoverability networks where their work can be found, cited, discussed, questioned, and expanded upon.

For an independent scholar, that visibility is not cosmetic. It is infrastructural.

The Insecurity Triad’s Expanding Scholarly Geography

Taken together, this sequence reveals the expanding geography of the framework’s circulation

The Insecurity Triad is no longer confined to one medium, one geography, or one intellectual ecosystem.

It now exists simultaneously across media discourse, policy interpretation, repository preservation, and scholarly networking systems.

From Abuja’s grounded observation of insecurity dynamics, to Brussels’ geopolitical interpretation of Sahel instability, to integration within global repository and research infrastructures, the framework is beginning to circulate through multiple layers of international knowledge production.

That circulation matters because frameworks gain strength through repeated engagement across different environments.

Some will critique it. Others will refine it. Some may reject aspects of it. Others may adapt it to new contexts.

But circulation itself is the beginning of intellectual life.

Beyond Personal Achievement

It is tempting to read these developments purely as personal achievement.

That would be too narrow.

What makes this moment significant is what it signals for African media institutions, independent scholars, and emerging researchers across the continent who operate outside traditional academic pathways.

It suggests that the global knowledge system — while still unequal — is becoming more permeable.

An idea no longer needs to begin at Oxford, Harvard, or Sciences Po before it can enter international circulation.

It can begin in Abuja.

It can emerge from a newsroom. From a scholar-journalist’s research desk. From a media-backed analytical unit. From a self-funded intellectual project.

And if sufficiently coherent, persistent, and discoverable, it can travel.

The Deeper Meaning of This Convergence

Perhaps the most important lesson of this moment is not institutional.

It is psychological.

For many African thinkers, the greatest barrier has often not been intelligence or originality, but proximity to recognised systems of validation.

The old model suggested: first secure institutional acceptance, then produce ideas.

The emerging reality increasingly suggests the reverse: produce durable ideas, and institutions may eventually begin to engage them.

That is the quiet significance of last week.

From Brussels to ResearchGate, from repositories to scholarly circulation, The Insecurity Triad is beginning to move through systems that were historically difficult for independent African frameworks to enter.

Not as charity. Not as symbolic inclusion. But through interpretive engagement.

And in the evolving geography of global scholarship, that distinction changes everything.

Interlude

In the last eight or nine weeks, this column has birthed The Insecurity Triad, defined its architecture, examined its dynamics, and from there developed the Trinity of State Decay theory. There is still much more to explore.

But next week, we step briefly away from the Triad and the Trinity to pay tribute to one of the outstanding intellectual giants of twentieth-century Africa.

Thirty years after his passing, Claude Ake remains profoundly missed.

Trust Is Sacred. Stay seasoned.

•Dr. Amuchie is the CEO of Sundiata Post and architect of The Insecurity Triad Analytical Framework, and the Trinity of State Decay theory. He writes The Sunday Stew, a weekly syndicated column on faith, character, and the forces that shape society, with a focus on Nigeria and Africa in a global context. X — @MaxAmuchie | Email: max.a@sundiatapost.com | Tel: +234(0)8053069436

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The post From Abuja to the world: The insecurity triad and rise of the independent African scholar appeared first on Frontpageng.