A CHIEFTAIN of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has declared that Nigeria is “in deep trouble” because it has lost the essence of true leadership.
Sowunmi accused Nigerian politicians of “faking development,” while deceiving the public into believing that progress is being made, adding that even more troubling is that fact that those widely criticised as failures are paradoxically the most prepared for leadership, while genuine mentorship and political grooming are virtually absent.
The former spokesman for the Atiku Presidential Campaign in the 2023 general elections noted that the country’s woes are not caused by the absence of people in positions of power, but by the bankruptcy of values, vision and responsibility among those who occupy them.
Speaking at the inaugural African Institute for Statecraft International (AISI) lecture in Abuja, themed, ‘Reinventing Political Leadership and Democratic Governance,’ Sowunmi stated that Nigeria is not short of presidents, governors and lawmakers, but short of leaders.
According to him: “Our nation is in trouble not because we don’t have people sitting in positions of authority; we are in trouble because we have lost the essence of what leadership really means.”
Sowunmi lamented obvious disilussionment among Nigerians, noting that despite 93 million registered voters, only about 25 million participated in the last election, querying: “Why are people not coming out to vote? Could it be that we have messed up the process so badly that they refuse to endure it?”
He decried violence and intimidation during elections, asking: “Why should any decent person subject himself to that horrible, gory representation we call Election Day? Why do I want to be macheted because I want to vote?”
He regretted that the legitimacy of democracy itself is at stake if voter apathy deepens further, insisting that leadership irresponsibility has divided Nigeria into “tribal silos,” thereby undermining the very idea of nationhood.
Speaking on institutional decay, Sowunmi cautioned that a judiciary without credibility would destroy the rule of law, adding: “If Judges are perceived to be procured or perverse, then everything is gone.”
He stated that the framers of national policies that foster unity in the country, such as Federal Character and Unity Schools, understood that inclusive consensus was key to holding Nigeria together, bemoaning that today’s leaders ignore that wisdom.
He criticised the federal government’s refusal to allow state and local policing, noting that a nation of over 200 million cannot be policed with all policies and instructions coming from the centre only.
Sowunmi stated that Nigeria’s rapidly growing population is another ticking time bomb, saying with the current population nearing 250 million, the figure could rise to 300 million within a decade and eventually one billion.
“Yet, the state has no credible plans for water, housing or jobs for its growing youth bulge. You don’t even have enough water to drink for your people today. Where will you find water to give a billion people?”
He said the migration crisis was already evident, with Ghana, Canada and other countries beginning to push back against Nigerians moving abroad.
In a scathing remark, he described Nigeria as a “nation of prebendalism,” where public officials shamelessly loot resources and citizens sell votes for cash.
Citing troubling practices at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) as evidence of deepening corruption, adding: “Our leaders have become a gang of thieves. Public officials boast on national television as if they constitute the law, the execution and the strong power.”
Recalling how successive generations had hoped for change, but watched Nigeria sink deeper, he said: “Nothing will make you sadder than remembering that in your youth, when you were young, some men thought they would get it right.
“Then you became a majority leader, and you are still looking at the same country, nothing significant has changed.”
He warned that unless Nigeria reinvents political leadership and rebuilds its institutions, the future will be more chaotic than the present.
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