Nduka Obaigbena’s Lekeelekee and Tuggar’s Strategic Autonomy:  Sustaining the Umbilical Cords

Bola A. Akinterinwa

There are three different Nigerian institutions currently showing special concern about the future of Nigeria, in particular, and Africa, in general. They are Achievers University, Owo (AUO) in Ondo State; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Abuja; and ThisDay Media Group in Lagos. The AUO recently established an Institute of Diplomatic Practice, Culture, and Language Development (IDPCLD), of which I have also been appointed the Director. Besides, the AUO is also playing host to a newly established French Digital Resource Centre where the teaching and learning of applied French Language to diplomacy will be digitised.

One main objective of the IDPCLD is to underscore the understanding of negotiating skills, acquisition of know-how in food diplomacy, cultural and dress diplomacy, protocol and etiquette, rapporteuring and speech writing, especially ministerial and presidential speeches, and general diplomatic practice. The ultimate objective is to equip students of international relations, diplomatic correspondents, public relations officers, senior public and civil servants, and all those having official dealings with the international community, with the relevant knowledge in the management of international problems. It is all about building capacity for self-reliance.

In this regard, at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IDPCLD has extended invitation to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, OON, to give its Inauguration Lecture on March 30, 2026 at the University’s Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed Auditorium. One purpose and essence of the lecture is to explain Nigeria’s new foreign policy direction, which is the quest for strategic autonomy, to the general public. The pursuit of strategic autonomy is not only in reaction to global developments of politico-economic insecurity, unhealthy leadership struggles, and undermining of African interests in international politics, but particularly to also put Nigeria on the path of self-reliance.

And perhaps more importantly, ThisDay Media Group (TMG) is also showing a new direction for Africa in how not to be too dependent on the United States and China in the business of media communications. The TMG has introduced LekeeLekee social media channel, and has also been leading the new campaigns for a strengthened democracy, political stability, and a stronger Nigeria. This is quite interesting.

Lekee Lekee Media Channel and Strategic Autonomy

There is no conscious formal relationship between and among the IDPCLD, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ThisDay Media Group but there are umbilical cords tying together the three in the area of their long-term objectives. The leaders and founder of the TMG, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, naturally has a blood in which leadership styles, quality services, and efficiency flow in the veins. The Achievers University, Owo (AUO) not only wants to be the best in Africa but also wants to provide constructive leadership for Africa in the business of intellection.

In the same vein, Foreign Minister Tuggar wants a self-confident, self-reliant Nigeria, a greater Nigeria that will be completely free from dependency on foreign countries at the external level and a Nigeria that will be completely free from political chicanery, toga of irrationalities, and remissness at the domestic level. This commonality of interest in a better Nigeria cannot but be a source of sweet inspirations. But how do we explain and understand the dynamics of the commonality of the interest? How do we explain the coincidence of the pursuit of the same objectives at this material time? What is the objective of the LekeeLekee media platform as distinct from the objective of strategic autonomy?

Beginning with strategic autonomy, it is a new foreign policy objective being pursued under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) administration. Until now, academic observers, diplomatists and policy makers are guided in their methodological analyses by the existing foreign policy doctrines and principles: non-alignment, peaceful coexistence or good neighbourly policies, non-intervention, foreign policy concentricism, constructive and beneficial concentricism, citizen diplomacy, economic diplomacy, non-use of force, no territorial expansion, indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria, etc.

Without discountenancing these doctrines and principles, Nigeria’s foreign policy direction is being re-defined under PBAT governmentally and non-governmentally. Governmentally, Ambassador Tuggar is talking about the Doctrine of 4-Ds (Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora) as definienda for Nigeria’s foreign policy grand strategy, which is about the quest for a greater Nigeria. A greater Nigeria is about a freer and self-reliant people. A self-reliant people is about being free, truly sovereign, and having the capacity to enter into international relations without let or hindrance. People cannot be truly sovereign if they are not self-governing and having the power to govern with the necessary freedom and authority to act without foreign interference.

And true enough, great countries owe their greatness and pride to leaders that have eyes that can see, leaders that have ears that can hear, and leaders that have minds that can discern. It is against this background that Nduka Obaigbena’s Lekee Lekee social media platform and Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar’s quest for strategic autonomy in international relations should be explained and understood, not only for the good of the public but also within the framework of the agenda of the Achievers University long term strategy.

First, ears that hear and eyes that see are generally a divine gift. They are not commodities that are marketed on the business shelves. They are not like chieftaincy or honorary titles or gifts that can be negotiated for. In the context of Prince Obaigbena and Ambassador Tuggar, family background, educational exposure, as well as environmental conditionings largely explain their capacity of hearing and seeing clearly.

Johnny Nash, a musician, once told the world that ‘I (Johnny Nash) can see clearly now, the rain is gone.’ In other words, he could not see clearly when there was rain. The cases of Obaigbena and Tuggar have nothing to do with any falling rain. Naturally, they are visionaries in their own right. They have bias for self-reliance. And without any jot of gainsaying, Prince Nduka Obaigbena and Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar are Nigerians by ius sanguinis. They are two far-sighted professionals operating in different fields.

While Prince Obaigbena was born a Prince on 14 July, 1959, in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, Ambassador Tuggar was born on March 12, 1967 in Udubo, Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State in the North-eastern part of Nigeria. Prince Obaigbena, even though he does not want to be addressed as a prince, was truly born into the royal family of Owa Kingdom in Delta State. It should not be surprising therefore that he often behaves royally, underscoring fashion and aesthetic look. He does not do anything ordinarily. Whatever he engages in is generally done at the highest level of possible quality. In fact, failure does not exist in his own dictionary. Failure is a new challenge for him. He is particularly not only interested in original and critical thinking, but also setting precedence for others to follow.

It is interesting to note that Prince Obaigbena has turned his business into a school of thought, an ideological school that now has the luxury of an Alumni currently headed by Dr Tony Onyima. From my very little knowledge, no media organisation has an alumni of former employees. ThisDay alumni are not students, speaking stricto sensu, but there is no disputing the fact that ThisDay Newspapers are another terra cognita for learning where there is zero tolerance for remissness, incompetence, revolt against delayed payment of entitlements, and activities incompatible with business growth. ThisDay is a place for opportunities for self-thriving people. Editors have larger operational freedom considering my own little experience.

For instance, I was on sabbatical leave to ThisDay in early 1996 and I served as Editorial Page Editor and Managing Editor in my eighteen months there. Sabbatical leave was meant to be for only one year, but Prince Obaigbena passionately pleaded with my then Director General, Professor George Obiozor, to allow me to stay for additional six months to assist him. Professor Obiozor, very easy going and understanding patriot, accepted. During my sabbatical stay, I took note of Prince Obaigbena’s emphasis on quality of whoever is to be recruited into ThisDay. For the editors, writers, reporters to have been recruited into the services of ThisDay, it was because they were worth their salt. The likes of Eniola Bello, Ibe Eguabor, Aduba Okagbue, Kayode Komolafe, Victor Ifijeh, Tony Onyima, Segun Adeniyi, Simon Kolawole, Emmanuel Efeni and Amanze Obi , who were part of the foundational pillars of ThisDay newspapers, clearly illustrate my point of observation.

Without shadow of doubt, the experience I acquired as Editorial Page Editor and Managing Editor prompted my writing a non-partisan weekly column in ThisDay since March 1996 to date. My column has been missed four time since 1966 for reasons of force majeure. As such, I can affirm authoritatively that Prince Obaigbena is a quiet strategist and a relentless master planner who allows every writer freedom of though. His three operational words are leadership, quality, and freedom. His company, which publishes the ThisDay newspapers, was and still is the Leaders and Company Ltd. He makes himself always distinct: the dimensions of his newspaper are larger than others. Colour print began with ThisDay newspaper in 1997. The same is true of colourful fashion news magazine that is always inserted in ThisDay on Sunday. Even though MKO Abiola’s National Concord started awards for excellence in journalism, it was Obaigbena that internationalised the recognition of excellence in journalism. Like anything American always has American specification, Obaigbena does not use a small man’s car. Living big without arrogance. Serving the nation patriotically. This is partly because he trained in University of Benin, University of Cape Town, and in Wits Business School.

Sustaining the Umbilical Cords: Self-Reliant Leaders

The personality of Ambassador Tuggar is equally interesting. Ambassador Tuggar is both a diplomatist and politician. He has trained in the United States International University, University of Cambridge, and University of Bath in the United Kingdom. He has served as Nigeria’s Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Nigeria to Germany. He has demonstrated commitment to leadership, quality, and freedom in various diplomatic undertakings. His adoption of the doctrine of 4-Ds as a tactical guide to Nigeria’s foreign policy calculations is innovative and complementary to Chief Ojo Maduekwe’s citizen diplomacy, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari’s foreign policy concentricism, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji’s constructive and beneficial concentricism, as well as Professor Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi’s Concert of Medium Powers and Technical Aid Corps.

The adoption of a 4-Ds doctrine is a resultant from his professionalism, commitment to leadership and self-reliance. Without whiff of doubt, Prince Nduka Obaigbena and Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar are two Nigerians by ius sanguinis. They are two professionals operating in different fields and freely moving in Nigeria the way they want, more so that Obaigbena is an Ibadan citizen by ius soli, and a Niger Deltan by parental descendants. It is thanks to this factor that Obaigbena can joyfully talk about the need to project freedom in his LekeeLekee platform. He loves democracy and freedom, especially press freedom.

As explained by the Managing Editor of ThisDay Media Group, Mr. Eniola Bello, the cardinal objective of the LekeeLekee social media channel is ‘to deliver news, analyses and market intelligence through all media – print, electronic, telephony, promoting the African perspective in the global market place, using the synergy of skilled manpower and superior technology for optimum returns.’ This objective is professional in design. It is designed to enable the under-served communities, to enable them upload and underload, engage in conversations and enhance the engagement of Africans in global communications.

What is perhaps more important is the political dynamic: the need for building capacity for self-reliance, the need to throw away colonial mentality in political governance, the need to provide African solutions to African problems, and the need to provide an alternative to the U.S. Google, X, Facebook Instagram, etc., and Chinese Tik Tok. LekeeLekee social platform is Nigerian in origin and it is the first of its type in Africa. LekeeLekee want to respond to AI’s current changing of the format of Google and the format of the search engine, as well as to how the business of journalism should be run

In the eyes of Prince Obaigbena, Africans should not only begin to sustain their existing traditional knowledge and culture but also begin to create new contents. They should not allow non-Africans to be propagating the interests of Africa for them. Africans should assume the full responsibility for the protection and advancement of African interests. This is one rationale for the launching of the LekeeLekee news digital platform.

Obaigbena has it in 2025 that ‘as Africans, we are confronted by a world where one or two countries control distribution, that is, distribution of content through the social media, is controlled principally by the U.S. and controlled to an extent by China. So that is future of the information age we are bathing into. What are we doing about it? How are we responding to it? At the ThisDay and Arise Media Group, we have launched our own channel, our own social media channel, to be released in January (2026), is called ‘LekeeLekee,’ and that will shape the future and challenge the dominance of the U.S. and China. But, all of us have a responsibility to watch the AI-dominated future and build technology and algorithms that will affect how media is distributed and how content is earned. So as we gather here today, I think, we should celebrate democracy and we should celebrate Nigeria and we should work together for the sake of Nigeria. So, as we celebrate free speech, and Nigeria, I want all of us to give a round of applause to Nigeria, Nigeria, Nigeria.’

This statement is pan-Africanist in philosophical design, methodological in explication, and very challenging in the conduct and management of international affairs. In terms of pan-Africanism, it identifies the challenge to be addressed: control of media content and distribution by the U.S. and China. Should this be allowed to remain permanently so? Prince Obaigbena believes that accepting the situation will be unnecessary sub-servience. But how do we respond to it, he asked? Methodologically, he not only asked questions on the way forward, but also offered some solutions: watching or monitoring how the AI may dominate the future, and building technology and algorithms on how media will be distributed, as well as how content will be earned.

On the thought-provoking challenges, Prince Obaigbena wants to compete with the U.S. and China in the control of distribution of content. The U.S., in particular, most surely not China, will militate against LekeeLekee. Business professionals generally do whatever is possible to undermine their competitors. Even though the primary areas of concern may be limited to the African domain, LekeeLekee must be strongly prepared for cyberattacks. Additionally, Africa might have been reported to have come of age, no big power has shown any keen interest in relating with an Africa that has come of age.

Prince Obaigbena could not have been more correct when he also said that ‘we have to engage, we have to discuss, and we have to understand ourselves. We are at the crossroads of reforms, which has been hard and hard fought and now we stand on the gates of stability we must protect that economic stability with everything we have, because if we lose the current stability we lose the sacrifices of the last two years. It therefore means that, collectively, we cannot allow a U.S. sanction because U.S. sanction will destabilise the economy and bring us all back to the time before the reforms… We must engage, we must build a coalition of the willing to defeat terrorism, and insecurity, and defeat poverty.’ We cannot agree more as this brings in the linkage of LekeeLekee social media channels to the quest for Strategic autonomy.

LekeeLekee social media channel is an instrument for the promotion of Africa’s digital sovereignty. It serves as an alternative to foreign-owned social media networks. With the foreign policy quest for strategic autonomy, it means that the LekeeLekee social media channels can actually enable the Government of Nigeria to control the digital space where there are public discourses. Home-grown narratives can be fostered by Nigerians and Africans. Misinformation about Africa can be drastically checkmated. In fact, the alignment between LekeeLekee social media channel and strategic autonomy as an objective has the potential to strengthen the PBAT’s administration in truly pursuing a foreign policy grand strategy amid global power rivalries. Government does not currently have the required wherewithal to vigorously pursue a policy of strategic autonomy. Consequently, all hands have to be on deck. Nigeria’s quest for strategic autonomy necessarily requires that all Nigerian professionals must partake in it. The media must educate all Nigerians on the new foreign policy direction. This requires a public and private partnership which can begin with a Government-LekeeLekee Joint Venture. In this regard, Nigeria’s quest for strategic autonomy, which is synonymous with self-reliance and building technological capacity to defend national sovereignty in all ramifications without interferences by foreign powers, is the policy. Government is making efforts tooth and nail to be truly and sovereignly independent. Good policy! Prince Nduka Obaigbena, consciously or otherwise, has directly lent a very supportive electronic media, with his LekeeLekee, making it the implementation instrument of the policy. The ideal thing therefore for the PBAT government is to give maximum support to the LekeeLekee social channel as an instrument for the projection of the quest for strategic autonomy. In the same vein, efforts should be specially made to evolve and actualise a tripartite agreement between and among the Foreign Ministry and the ThisDay Media Group, on the one hand, to make policies relevant to the actualisation of strategic autonomy as an objective, and agreement with Achievers University, on the other hand, for the provision of the background intellection processes. We hereby congratulate Prince Obaigbena and Ambassador Tuggar for their visionary initiatives and sagacious minds.