A civilian president with a certificate of return can still govern like a tyrant. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana made this stark observation while criticizing the Nigerian Bar Association for inviting former Liberian President George Weah to its 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt. Falana’s comments weren’t just theoretical. He handled two cases involving ECOWAS Court judgments lthat Weah’s administration simply disregarded.
During Weah’s presidency, radio stations were shuttered and journalists faced relentless harassment. A BBC journalist was even forced to flee the country. The pattern was clear: democratic trappings without democratic substance. Citizens lost so much confidence in their own judiciary that they rushed to regional courts for justice.
That same crisis of governance plays out differently in Nigeria’s healthcare system. On September 1st, 2025, Dr. Femi Rotifa d while on call duty at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, reportedly from exhaustion after extended shifts. He wasn’t the first, and he won’t be the last.
The World Health Organization warns of a 10 million health worker shortfall globally by 2030. Nigeria is already there. Sed professionals cluster in Lagos and Abuja while rural areas and northern regions remain desperately underserved. When leaders ignore the rule of law or the welfare of those keeping society alive, what exactly are they governing?
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