Writer Ehi Braimah has called on Rotary clubs across West Africa to prioritise lasting partnerships over short-term projects as the region prepares for the 2026 West Africa Project Fair.

The Fair, hosted by Rotary International Districts 9111 and 9112, is scheduled to hold from November 10 to 17 at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

It will be flagged off by Rotary International President Olayinka Babalola and is expected to draw clubs, Rotarians, Rotaractors and international partners from nine districts across the region.

Braimah noted that the theme, “Partnerships for Lasting Impact,” reflects a shift from simply launching projects to ensuring that interventions continue to serve communities long after commissioning.

He argued that many development challenges in West Africa — including healthcare, education, water, sanitation, food security and environmental issues — transcend national borders and require collaborative solutions.

According to him, a common weakness in development work is the “project mentality,” where attention focuses on starting and completing initiatives rather than guaranteeing their long-term usefulness.

Braimah stressed that true partnerships go beyond sponsorship. They involve shared responsibility, technical expertise, institutional support, monitoring and local ownership.

He said the Project Fair offers a marketplace for clubs seeking funding or technical help to connect with partners who can provide resources, knowledge or institutional backing.

The column concluded that lasting impact is achieved when Rotary’s community presence is combined with the strengths of governments, businesses and development organisations, creating solutions that communities can sustain.

Columnist Ikeddy Isiguzo has raised fresh questions about the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project and President Bola Tinubu’s second-term campaign strategy.

In his latest piece, Isiguzo criticised what he described as inconsistencies in explanations offered by Works Minister David Umahi regarding changes to the multi-billion-dollar highway.

He argued that the project, originally presented as a flagship infrastructure plan, has faced technical and financial challenges that were not adequately addressed at the outset.

Isiguzo recalled earlier concerns he raised in 2024 about the absence of detailed technical designs, environmental assessments and competitive bidding processes.

He also commented on the political dimensions of the project, noting recent statements by the minister linking adjustments to the route with presidential directives.

Turning to the 2027 elections, the columnist suggested that President Tinubu appears reluctant to campaign extensively across the country, preferring to rely on party structures and selected regional appearances.

Isiguzo listed proposed campaign locations and questioned the exclusion of certain states, interpreting the itinerary as a sign of limited political confidence.

He further criticised the ruling party’s internal dynamics, including competition among senior figures for future positions.

The column concluded with a brief reference to recent comments by the Edo State APC chairman on Peter Obi, describing them as extreme.

Isiguzo’s article continues his pattern of sharp commentary on governance and infrastructure under the current administration.

In the latest instalment of his Decoupling Sovereignty Index series, Max Amuchie examines the ethical obligations that arise when researchers adopt temporary identities to study decoupled zones.

Writing in The Sunday Stew, the Sundiata Post CEO and theorist argues that any methodology requiring a researcher to live under a borrowed role creates three unavoidable duties: the role must be disciplined, the researcher must be able to leave, and the deception must be ethically justified.

Amuchie treats the persona as a contract rather than a costume. He advises keeping the cover story thin, performing the assumed job properly, and setting clear boundaries before entering the field. These boundaries include never participating in illegal activity, never passing information to armed groups, never manipulating relationships solely to extract information, and never assuming the identity of a real person.

He stresses that the exit must be designed before entry. At the Sundiata Post Knowledge Lab, no researcher enters a zone until the exit plan is written down. This includes external check-ins, pre-agreed triggers for withdrawal, an ordinary departure story, and separating data from the person so that the community is not exposed after the researcher leaves.

On the ethics of “going dark,” Amuchie applies four tests: necessity, proportionality, protection and accountability. Immersion is justified only when remote or rapid methods cannot answer the research question.

The knowledge gained must outweigh the deception, and no observed person should face foreseeable harm. An independent panel must review and can veto any covert plan.

He addresses three hard cases: what to do if the researcher witnesses a crime, what happens if the persona is exposed, and how to disclose the method without endangering people. Life outranks the cover. Where imminent danger exists, the researcher must warn or withdraw even if it ends the assignment.

Amuchie insists that the duty runs both ways. The people observed must not pay a price for the findings, and the researcher must be trained, fairly paid and free to refuse or withdraw without penalty.

The column concludes that a lie in the field is defensible only when the later account is fully honest about the method. The people may be protected; the method may not.

Part 4 of the series will examine how field evidence is translated into scores on the Decoupling Sovereignty Index.