Legal historian and author Richard Akinnola has cautioned against drawing direct comparisons between Nigeria and Burkina Faso, particularly in the context of leadership styles and governance.
Speaking during an interview on the Edmund Obilo Podcast from 2:50, Akinnola noted that while many admire the bold leadership of Burkina Faso’s current military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, and the late revolutionary Thomas Sankara, Nigeria’s scale and complexity make such comparisons unrealistic.
“The population of Burkina Faso is less than Lagos, so you cannot compare Burkina Faso to Nigeria irrespective of what,” Akinnola said. “Yes, we know what Traoré is doing, what Sankara did in the 80s, but there are two different things.”
Akinnola’s remarks come amid growing fascination, especially among African youths, with the wave of military takeovers and revolutionary rhetoric in parts of West Africa. Burkina Faso, under Traoré, has positioned itself as a strong anti-colonial voice, drawing parallels to Sankara’s era in the 1980s.
However, Akinnola warned that Nigeria’s scale, diversity, and population, over 200 million compared to Burkina Faso’s 20 million demand a different kind of leadership and governance model. He emphasized that while the ideals of justice, reform and sovereignty are important, they must be approached with a realistic understanding of Nigeria’s complex political landscape.
The comments have added nuance to ongoing debates around leadership in Africa, where some call for radical change inspired by figures like Sankara, while others argue for strengthening democratic institutions. Akinnola urged Nigerians to avoid romanticizing revolutionary figures without critically assessing the challenges and context unique to their own country.
