GREEDY LEADERS, DESPERATE & AGITATED CITIZENS By Olaseni O Egbeyemi 21st October 2024
Nigeria has long struggled with a leadership crisis, plagued by a cadre of leaders more known for their greed and insensitivity than for any meaningful service to the people.
Since gaining independence, and even before, both politicians and military rulers have demonstrated a profound level of irresponsibility toward the plight and needs of the Nigerian masses.
Greed and selfish interests have deeply entrenched themselves in the hearts of many Nigerians who, at one time or another, found themselves in positions of power.
Public office, for them, has become a pathway to personal enrichment rather than a platform to improve the nation’s fortunes.
The systemic corruption that festers within the Nigerian leadership structure has siphoned off the country’s wealth into private hands, leaving the citizens in a state of despair.
There is hardly a former president or head of state of Nigeria who is not a billionaire today, with perhaps the exception of men like Shehu Shagari and General Yakubu Gowon, known for their modest and humble lifestyles. The late President Musa Yar’Adua could also be included in this rare category of leaders who showed restraint and focus during their time in office.
Unfortunately, these examples are few and far between.
The majority of those who have led Nigeria whether as military rulers or civilian governors have emerged from office with staggering personal wealth.
They often cannot point to any credible business ventures or legitimate means of acquiring such riches, yet they live in unimaginable luxury. This blatant show of opulence is insulting to the millions of Nigerians who struggle daily to make ends meet.
Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, the situation has only worsened. Many of the leaders who have risen to power during this period have been little more than thieves, using their positions to loot public coffers and enrich themselves, their families, and their cronies.
Across all states in the federation, including Abuja, massive palatial estates and luxury properties stand as glaring symbols of this theft and greed. Meanwhile, fraud and shameless displays of wealth have become normalized.
Today, the consequences of this insatiable greed are clear. Nigeria, a nation blessed with abundant natural and human resources, is now wallowing in abject poverty.
Citizens cannot afford basic necessities like food, healthcare, education, clean water, electricity, and decent roads. Public institutions have crumbled under the weight of neglect, while the elite live in gilded bubbles, far removed from the everyday realities of the common Nigerian.
It is clear that the greed of our leaders, coupled with their reckless embezzlement of public funds, has brought the nation to its knees.
The ticking clock is not in their favour. The Nigerian people, long-suffering but growing more agitated by the day, are reaching a boiling point. If the funds stolen from the public treasury are not returned, if the leaders responsible for this national disgrace do not act to make amends, the consequences could be dire.
The citizens are angry and frustrated. If nothing is done to address this growing discontent, the people may eventually take matters into their own hands.
When that day comes, no amount of military or police might may be able to stop the tide. It is in the best interest of these leaders to start making reparations now, for when the day of reckoning arrives, there will be no escape.
I am deeply concerned about the future. The hardship in the country has reached unprecedented levels, and if it continues unchecked, the resulting chaos may be impossible to contain
