By Lanre Olagunju

Nigeria has a peculiar relationship with election security. We ask the police to keep politicians from fighting, then spend the election complaining about which side the police are fighting for.

That contradiction will be tested again on Saturday in Osun.

The question is not whether the Nigeria Police Force can deploy enough men and women to the state. It is whether, after the votes are counted, both sides can honestly say the police behaved like a referee rather than a participant.

That is a much harder test.

IGP Olatunji Disu appears to understand that the real work began long before election day. On 3 July, he went to Osun against the backdrop of escalating political violence, meeting Governor Ademola Adeleke and subsequently engaging political parties, traditional rulers, leadership from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) – whose influence extends to a constituency often at the centre of political mobilisation – and other stakeholders. He warned that the state was preparing for an election, not a war.

There is something important about that approach. Election policing should not begin when voters start queuing. By then, intelligence should already have identified flashpoints, political actors should have been warned, and the police should know who is likely to test the limits.

Disu’s engagement with young people is particularly significant in a state where political violence often recruits the young as foot soldiers. Listening to those who live closest to the problem is not weakness. It is intelligence gathering of a different kind.

But the IGP’s visit also produced an uncomfortable moment.

Disu told the governor that he had been briefed about wanted criminal suspects allegedly being shielded by influential people and spoke of criminals allegedly hiding in the Government House.

Some found the statement awkward. Perhaps it was. But there is a bigger question worth asking: what does speaking truth to power look like if the police chief cannot say what his intelligence is telling him, simply because the alleged hideout happens to be politically inconvenient?

The answer, however, must also include evidence, due process and accountability. Intelligence is not conviction.

Perhaps more revealing was what happened to the state’s election command structure.

With some political actors questioning the neutrality of the existing Commissioner of Police, the Force introduced an Electoral Commissioner of Police ahead of the poll. That decision can be interpreted in two ways. Critics may see it as an admission that confidence had already collapsed. Another interpretation is that the police leadership recognised that perception of neutrality is itself a security issue and acted long before election day.

That distinction matters.

The Force has also moved senior officers into the operation, including DIG, AIG and DCP-level coordination. The value of such deployment should not be measured by the number of stars on shoulders but by whether decisions can be made quickly, consistently and without political interference.


There is another test.

When Senator Francis Fadahunsi, an APC member, made remarks interpreted as a threat to “kill” Accord Party members, the Police invited him for questioning within 24 hours. He later said he meant “killing votes”, not people.

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The bigger point is this: political affiliation did not shield him from scrutiny. That is how police neutrality should work: the same standard for everyone, regardless of party, position or personality.

That is where credibility is earned.


For neutrality to mean anything, it must be consistent. The same standard must apply to the opposition, the ruling party, the powerful and the politically connected. Where the facts demand scrutiny, no political affiliation should confer immunity.

Osun will therefore be a test not just of security, but of institutional character.


Were voters protected regardless of who they supported? Were parties treated equally? Were violent actors pursued regardless of political affiliation? Did police officers themselves remain restrained and professional? And when the result is announced, can the losing side say, even grudgingly, that the police seem to have carried out their job fairly?

Those questions will matter more than any promise of neutrality.

Disu has spent the weeks before the election putting structures, personnel and principles in place. The harder task now is to ensure that those principles survive the pressure of election day.

The Police do not need to determine who wins Osun. Its responsibility is simpler, and perhaps more difficult: to create the conditions in which whoever wins can credibly be said to have won the voters, not the Police.

That is what neutrality looks like when it matters.

Lanre Olagunju wrote in from Abuja.

By Dr. Kodilichukwu Okelekwe

History will remember October 23, 2024 as the day Nigerian education changed course. On that day, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reassigned Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa — a globally renowned Nephrologist, clinician, administrator and pro-democracy patriot — as the 31st Honourable Minister of Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. What has followed is not reform as usual. It is a clinical, methodical, and compassionate revolution.

Guided by resolve, method, and a clinician’s respect for diagnosis before cure, Dr. Alausa unveiled the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) — a six-pillar masterplan to overhaul a struggling system. In less than two years, the results have been unprecedented.

1. Abolition of the 18-Year Admission Age Limit – Restoring Hope and Justice

One of his first and most humane acts was to reverse the draconian 18-year minimum admission age policy. With a single stroke of compassionate leadership, Dr. Alausa abolished a policy that threatened to destroy the dreams of millions of brilliant Nigerian youths. He declared that merit, ability, and readiness — not an arbitrary calendar — should determine a child’s future. That decision was celebrated in every home, every JAMB centre, and every secondary school as a victory for common sense, equity, and the Nigerian child.

2. Expansion of Tertiary Capacity:

For decades, Nigeria’s tertiary admission ceiling was a national bottleneck — barely 750,000 placements for over 2 million qualified candidates. Under Dr. Alausa, that ceiling was shattered. Through aggressive expansion of carrying capacity, strategic resource optimization, establishment of new programmes, distance learning expansion, and the reconstitution and empowerment of Governing Councils of federal tertiary institutions, annual admission has crossed the historic 1 million mark for the first time in the history of Nigeria. No Minister has ever achieved this scale of access.

3. Student Loan and Welfare Support – NELFUND: The Great Equalizer

The minister described the new student loan scheme as one of the administration’s most significant achievements. Under his stewardship, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has become a living reality — providing interest-free loans to students in public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

What was once a manifesto promise is now food on a student’s table, rent paid, books bought, and dropout rates crashing. Coupled with the expanded National School Feeding Programme and student welfare interventions, Dr. Alausa has restored dignity to the Nigerian student.

4. TVET and Vocational Overhaul – From Certificates to Skills

Dr. Alausa understood that Nigeria does not just need more graduates; it needs skilled creators. His TVET revolution is unrivalled. He dismantled the old, theory-heavy vocational system and replaced it with a competency-based, industry-aligned, and globally competitive Technical and Vocational Education and Training framework. Workshops are being retooled, instructors retrained, and a new generation of welders, coders, fashion designers, renewable energy technicians and agro-processors are emerging — ready to build Nigeria’s industrial future.

5. Curriculum and Subject Rationalisation – Preparing for Tomorrow, Not Yesterday

Nigeria cannot continue using outdated learning frameworks while preparing children for a digital global economy. Dr. Alausa took that truth head-on. He launched a new basic education curriculum and a comprehensive subject rationalisation that reduced overload, eliminated redundancies, and infused critical thinking, entrepreneurship, coding, and values. This is curriculum with clarity, purpose, and future-relevance.

6. Digitalisation and Teacher Empowerment – The Twin Engine

The rollout of the Tertiary Institution Information Management System (TIIMS) has streamlined administration, while hundreds of smart schools and digital teaching platforms are already being deployed.

But Dr. Alausa’s greatest insight is this: “No education reform can succeed without placing teachers at its core”. He launched Nigeria’s first Artificial Intelligence in Education Task Force, alongside a nationwide training programme for 6,000 secondary school teachers to integrate AI in classrooms. He is revitalising the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, improving recruitment, training and motivation, and unveiled a far-reaching ICT Blueprint supported by the French Government and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) — described as one of the most ambitious efforts yet to transform tertiary education through technology.

7. Data and Repository Systems – Ending Governance by Guesswork

For years, education planning was blind. Dr. Alausa ended that era with the launch of the National Education Data System and the National Education Data Initiative (NEDI) — a platform designed to consolidate fragmented education statistics and support evidence-based planning. The Ministry is now using NEDI to track performance and cut learning poverty. This data-driven governance is unprecedented and has become the backbone of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

8. Global and National Recognition – Honour Well Deserved

Nigerians from all walks of life have hailed this transformation. In 2025, Dr. Alausa was conferred with the prestigious national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by President Tinubu as part of Democracy Day celebrations — the only serving minister among 102 honourees, recognised for his contributions to Nigeria’s democratic journey and transformative education reforms.

In the same year, he emerged as Most Innovative Cabinet Minister of the Year 2025 at the Independent Newspapers Silver Jubilee Awards. These are not just awards; they are national testaments.

9. Transparency, Accountability and Unimpeachable Integrity – The Alausa Standard

In an era when public trust is scarce, Dr. Alausa has discharged his duties with unimpeachable integrity. Every loan under NELFUND is traceable. Every data point under NEDI is verifiable. Every council appointment, every smart school deployment, every kobo released is accounted for. He brought the ethics of a physician — do no harm, put the patient first, keep accurate records — into public service.

Conclusion: A Legacy Being Written in Gold

Dr. Tunji Alausa did not come to manage the Ministry of Education; he came to heal it. Like the brilliant kidney specialist he is, he diagnosed a chronically ill system, applied evidence-based treatment, and the patient — Nigeria’s education sector — is now standing, walking, and running.

The abolition of the 18-year limit gave back hope. The expansion to over 1 million admissions gave back access. NELFUND gave back opportunity. TVET gave back skills. Digitalisation gave back relevance. Data gave back truth. And integrity gave back trust.

This is unprecedented. This is unrivalled. This is record-breaking. This is the Alausa Era.

Dr. Kodilichukwu Okelekwe
2023 APC Senatorial Candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial District
Abuja
August 1, 2026

By Lanre Olagunju

When news broke that the children abducted from the Oriire Community had been rescued, it brought a collective sigh of relief across the country. For their families, the nightmare had finally ended. For the security personnel involved, it was the successful conclusion of what must have been days of painstaking intelligence gathering, operational planning and immense personal risk.

But as the celebrations subside, perhaps the more important question is not simply how the children were rescued, but what the operation tells us about the future of security in Nigeria.

For years, insecurity was viewed through institutional silos, with successful operations judged by which agency deserved the credit. Yet criminals do not distinguish between the police, the military or intelligence services; they exploit gaps between agencies, making the growing culture of inter-agency collaboration one of the most encouraging developments in Nigeria’s security architecture.

The Oriire operation is another reminder that collaboration is no longer optional. Intelligence-led policing is strongest when backed by military capabilities, inter-agency coordination and community support. As recent joint operations have shown, insecurity has become too complex for any single agency to tackle alone.

Equally commendable was what happened after the operation. Both the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force honoured officers who distinguished themselves while paying tribute to colleagues who made the ultimate sacrifice. Such moments remind us that behind every successful operation are men and women who risk everything in service to the nation. A country that expects such sacrifice must never fail to honour it.

It was therefore disappointing, though perhaps not surprising, that almost immediately after the rescue, some voices chose to dismiss the entire incident as staged. Healthy scepticism has an important place in every democracy. Public institutions should never be immune from scrutiny. But there is a moral line that should not be crossed.

To casually dismiss the trauma endured by abducted children, the agony experienced by their parents, and the sacrifice of officers who lost their lives is to trivialise human suffering for the sake of political commentary. Not every national tragedy should become fodder for conspiracy theories. Some moments demand empathy before opinion. Regardless of political persuasion, Nigerians should be able to agree that the lives lost in the line of duty and the pain endured by victims deserve far greater respect than careless speculation.

Yet even as the country celebrates this successful rescue, we should resist the temptation to mistake recovery for victory. Every successful rescue is commendable, but it is also evidence that criminals were able to strike in the first place. The true measure of an effective security system is not how efficiently it responds after an attack but how consistently it prevents attacks from occurring.

That is where Nigeria’s security conversation must now evolve. Preventive policing, supported by technology and intelligence, offers the most sustainable pathway forward. Around the world, law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, geospatial intelligence, drones, digital forensics and integrated surveillance systems to detect threats before they materialise. Criminal networks have embraced technology with remarkable speed. Security institutions cannot afford to fight twenty-first-century crime with nineteenth-century methods.

This thinking is beginning to find expression within the Nigeria Police Force. Speaking at the Fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit in New York earlier this month, Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, observed that while technology presents enormous opportunities through artificial intelligence, digital forensics and geospatial intelligence, it can never replace public trust. He also noted that criminals now exploit AI, encrypted communications and cyber-enabled platforms, making innovation an operational necessity.

That perspective is significant because it recognises two realities at once. First, technology is no longer an accessory to policing; it is becoming its backbone. Second, technology without trust, accountability and collaboration cannot produce lasting security. Public confidence remains the currency upon which effective policing depends.

The implication is clear. Nigeria does not simply need more security personnel; it needs smarter security systems. It needs deeper intelligence sharing among agencies, stronger partnerships with local communities, greater investment in surveillance and forensic capabilities, and the political will to sustain collaboration long after the headlines disappear. The success of joint operations should become the rule rather than the exception.

The children from Oriire are home. That is a victory worth celebrating. But the greater national success will come when our investments in collaboration, intelligence and technology make such rescues increasingly unnecessary. In security, the highest achievement is not responding brilliantly after tragedy. It is preventing tragedy from happening at all.

Lanre Olagunju wrote in from Abuja.