GovernMend Nigeria to host Timi Olagunju, Ayomiposi Akinade on Nigeria’s rising debt, governance

GovernMend Nigeria is set to host technology policy expert and lawyer, Timi Olagunju, and political science scholar, Ayomiposi Akinade, for a discussion on Nigeria’s rising debt burden, governance and the country’s development challenges.

The discussion, titled “State of the Nation: Why Does the Debt Keep Growing Under Him? Is Nigeria Governing Its People or Just Managing Them?”, will take place on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 7:00pm via X Space.

The programme will examine Nigeria’s growing debt, public policy, governance and the government’s management of the country’s resources, while also questioning whether current governance structures are adequately responding to the needs of citizens.

Olagunju, a Partner at The Timeless Practice, is a technology policy expert and lawyer with experience spanning public policy, government relations, technology, digital rights and public affairs.

He previously served as Africa’s representative on the Advisory Board of the International Republican Institute’s Generation Democracy and was named the 2020 Most Influential Young Nigerian in Policy Influencing by YNaija.

He is also the founder of Youths in Motion, an organisation focused on youth engagement and leadership.

Olagunju has received several recognitions for his contributions to policy influencing and youth leadership, including an award from the Ooni of Ife in 2022 and recognition from former United States President Barack Obama in 2015.

He previously worked as a Policy and Research Fellow at Global Integrity at the Open Gov Hub in Washington, DC, and has spoken at several local and international platforms on technology policy, digital rights, open governance, open policy and open elections.

His engagements have included programmes and forums associated with the United States Department of State’s Educational Affairs Division, the National Democratic Institute in Washington and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

Olagunju currently serves on the boards of Feed To Grow Africa and Slum and Rural Health Initiative. He is also a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and the International Association of Information Technology Lawyers, a Fellow of the Presidential Precinct and a founding member of the Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs, West Africa.

He is a 2024 Internet Society Fellow and has contributed to policy discussions on emerging technology, innovation, digital rights, data protection, privacy, blockchain, artificial intelligence ethics, digital governance and regulation.

He has authored two books and was selected in March 2021 as a researcher for the Research Sprint of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, where he worked on self-determination and autonomous systems.

Olagunju studied Law at the University of Ibadan and holds a master’s degree in Policy focused on emerging technology from Harvard University. He is currently a MacArthur-Oped Fellow for Technology in the Public Interest.

Akinade, the second speaker, is a political science scholar whose areas of interest include governance, public policy, gender, political participation and inclusive development.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Ekiti State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Gender and Development at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

His research and writing focus on social and institutional issues affecting governance and development, with particular attention to women’s political participation and inclusion.

Akinade has published research on women’s participation in politics in Osun State and contributed to research examining gender dynamics and entrepreneurship.

The discussion is expected to bring together perspectives on Nigeria’s debt accumulation and the wider implications for governance, public spending and national development.

At the heart of the conversation is the question of whether Nigeria’s current system of governance is producing meaningful development for citizens or merely managing persistent problems without confronting their underlying causes.

The GovernMend Nigeria State of the Nation discussion will hold on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 7:00pm via X Space.