Punocracy is a republic of sharp wit, bold minds, and biting truths, where satire reigns supreme. We are a collective of writers, thinkers, and rebels who believe that laughter is not just the best medicine, but also a powerful weapon against injustice, hypocrisy, and everyday absurdity. At Punocracy, we wield humour with purpose, using it to poke holes in the facades of power, culture, and human folly.
Born out of the desire to carve a safe space for satire in Nigeria (and beyond) and to promote political consciousness, Punocracy is more than just a platform — it’s a movement. One that celebrates critical thinking, fearless expression, and the subtle art of saying serious things in unserious ways. We have so far published hundreds and hundreds of amazing articles and we plan to publish hundreds and hundreds more.
Our name is derived from the words pun (humorous use of or play on words) and kratos (Greek for rule, government or power). As a word, it means the rule of wordplay. You could also interpret it as the rule of punocrats, a rising group of courageous and witty writers who are not afraid to call a spade a spade (or something in the ballpark).
The word may sound effortlessly like pornography, but don’t be fooled. We titillate your senses in an entirely different way.
At Punocracy, we are fond of saying what we do not mean and meaning what we do not exactly say. So, even though this means we are often misinterpreted, it also means we are not writing for just anyone. Hopefully, the world’s satirical literacy will soon catch up.
Our stories range from the laugh-out-loud ridiculous to the quietly disturbing. Whether it’s a parody of politics, a mockery of social trends, or an ironic take on everyday life, our goal is simple: to make you think while you smirk. Haha, hmmm — you know, in that order.
What we believe:
- No topic is too sacred to question.
- Free speech must include the freedom to laugh and to ridicule.
- Protest does not have to be depressing; there’s always room for some humour.
- Powerful people, whether they are federal lawmakers or tailors, must never have too much comfort.
- The writer must punch up and not down.
HISTORY
In April 2017, a young man at the University of Ibadan started an “independent satirical column” called The T.A. Report and published it under the pseudonym, Tubosun Ajanaku.
“Now that I am finally graduating, I will no longer be reporting news from the University of Ibadan. I want to upgrade to the national scene. President Donald Trump has described us [as] a shithole country, and with my big glasses, I want to observe how deep exactly this hole is. I hope to open a blog for this soon, so watch out,” Tubosun wrote in his seventeenth and final publication as an undergraduate in February 2018.
That blog turned out to be Punocracy.
Tubosun registered the domain on March 8, 2018. Three days later, he created a WhatsApp group, named it ‘The Punocrats’, and added a bunch of friends and friends of friends. All of them wrote on the website under different columns (and pseudonyms), and the community grew gradually. Even though none of them earned a dime, they accomplished some remarkable things together, including organising and judging writing competitions, hosting physical and virtual events, facilitating a masterclass, producing a mockumentary, and ideating and executing witty satirical campaigns — such as the Covidiot and Person of the Year Awards series.
The legacy columns include:
- A Play of Two Cities by Tubosun Ajanaku.
- Aja, The Whirlwind by Ajatontiriajabale.
- Anjy’s Satirical Animals by Poison.
- Eye of the Earth by Launko Ajalenkoko.
- Holy Mountain by Elder Aurelius.
- I Cum in Peace by Dosunmu Damilare.
- Lamentations of an Egbere by Godswill Gwanzwang Elisha.
- Penkelemesi by Peculiar Mess.
- Satire 0-1 News by The Punocrat.
- The Book of Ajanaku by Tubosun Ajanaku.
- The Inspector by Bannkole Wright.
- The Rogue Lawyer by Atunda Ajagunmolu.
- The T.A. Report by Tubosun Ajanaku.
- The Village People’s Dictionary by Tubosun Ajanaku.
- Truthful Jokes by Balogun Onigedu.
- Unseriously Serious by Tubosun Ajanaku.
- Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Bayode Otitokoro.
PRIZE FOR SATIRE
The Prize for Satire is intended as an annual writing contest.
The maiden edition was held in 2019 with three winners going home with cash prizes totalling 100,000 Naira, book prizes, and certificates at the award ceremony held in November. Over 170 entries were received for the competition addressing an array of issues, including political corruption, gender violence, religious hypocrisy, educational decay, internet fraud, lack of transparency and accountability in governance, and so on. Both a long list of 38 entries, all of which were published, and a shortlist of 20 were released. The judges included James Yékú, a PhD in English and Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA; and Oladeinde Olawoyin, an award-winning investigative journalist at Premium Times newspaper and author of the weekly column, Saturday Satire. The winners were Jesuferanmi Igbinigie, Winlade Israel, and Funmilayo Obasa.
For the second edition, supported by the Goethe Institut’s Support and Connect programme, we received a total of 150 entries, including two for the newly introduced visual art category. The issues addressed by the entries ranged from gender equality to sexual and reproductive rights, parenting, COVID-19 pandemic, political accountability, democratic ideals, religious hypocrisy, youth productivity, and so on. After the preliminary assessment, 50 entries were selected for the long list, which was announced on September 1, 2020. Afterwards, the shortlist of 20 entries was announced on October 2, 2020. The grand prize winners, announced on October 11, 2020, were Oluwatimilehin Odueso, Favour Olajide, and Solomon Nzere. They got both cash and book prizes.
The third edition of the Prize of Satire contest in 2022 received 145 entries. The articles examined topics ranging from gender equality to politics and governance, survival, education, arts, religion, and feminism. The long list featuring 22 entrants was shared with the final judges, Elnathan John and Chuma Nwokolo. Thereafter, Toheeb Aremu Jamiu, Aaliyah Rahman, and Som Adedayor emerged as winners.
Click here to read all our longlisted articles.
ROLL OF HONOUR
Punocracy has survived all these years thanks to the service, sacrifice, and support of the following people. Many of them have retired now, but these are their names and the roles they held.
- ‘Kunle Adebajo: Founder and Editor.
- Adedimeji Quayyim: Associate Editor.
- Anthony Asemota: Volunteer video editor.
- Dosunmu Damilare: Columnist and volunteer.
- Godswill Gwanzwang Elisha: Columnist and volunteer.
- Kanyinsola Olorunnisola: Columnist and volunteer.
- Kareem Shamsudeen: Columnist and volunteer.
- Ibrahim Oredola: Columnist and volunteer.
- Mustapha Maryam Boluwatife: Columnist and volunteer.
- Oguniyi Usman Abiodun: Columnist and volunteer.
- Oluwafemi Ojosu: Columnist and volunteer.
- Pelumi Francis Salako: Columnist and volunteer.
- Temitayo Akinyemi: Columnist and volunteer.
- Yusuf Akinpelu: Columnist and volunteer.
MEDIA & INTERNET MENTIONS
- International Days: World Satire Day
- Premium Times (2019): Group holds award ceremony for satire writing
- UCJ UI (2019): “We don’t need the permission of history to make history,” says founder of Punocracy
- MHPO UI (2019): “Satire in nigeria is like looking for trouble,” says Dr. ‘Yinka Egbokhare
- Medium (2019): Why we declared November 9 World Satire Day
- TheCable (2020): Group seeks national relevance for satire writing
- Premium Times (2020): World Satire Day: Group holds second award ceremony for satire writing
- PM News (2020): World Satire Day: Punocracy holds 2nd award ceremony for satire writing
- Tribune (2020): World Satire Day: Punocracy holds second award ceremony for satire writing
- Winnipeg Free Press (2020): Satirical website creator to appear on panel discussion
- IJNet (2023): This Nigerian media outlet uses satire to hold the government accountable