Nwaokobia: Leaders Have Abandoned Nigerians To Poverty, Youths Should Reject Ethnic Politics Ahead Of Elections
Chris Nwaokobia Jr, Human Rights Activist and Covener of the Country First movement, has accused Nigeria’s political class of abandoning citizens to worsening poverty while urging young voters to reject ethnic and religious politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Nwaokobia said Nigeria’s democracy has been reduced to personal ambition and failed leadership, warning that the country is drifting further away from the ideals that inspired the June 12 struggle.
“The statistics are there that Nigerians are hungrier now than they were three years ago. And that’s the truth. And like I said, when I put Edward to Scott, we must be true to what we say on paper, I speak to you and to Nigerians today, largely what bothers me is about the well-being and the welfare of our countrymen and women.”
“Every morning I wake up with tears in my eyes people are asking for $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 some will say that their children haven’t eaten in two days. That’s how bad it is.”
He explained that the country’s political system has been dominated by ego-driven leaders rather than national interest. “The political class, including the leadership and those in the opposition, apparently are more ensconced in the politics of me, myself, and I.”
He recalled the optimism surrounding the 1993 democratic struggle, contrasting it with what he described as today’s decline in political values.
“I was 22 years old in 1993. I was involved with the youth movement for the actualisation of a pro and a pan-Nigerian mandate, spearheaded by Chief MK Abiola, blessed memory.”
According to him, the vision behind that era has been replaced by division and identity politics.
“All we talk about now is our ethnocentric ecosystems. All we talk about now is religious biases and prejudices.”
Nwaokobia warned that competence and capacity have been sidelined in favour of ethnicity and zoning arrangements. “What we’re bequeathing to posterity is a very questionable practise. I want to see a Nigeria that is led by those who truly love our country, your question cuts deeper into that sense of nostalgia. The ideological practises of our political engagement have been largely narrowed down, stifled into a very tiny page.”
All we talk about now is our ethnocentric ecosystems. All we talk about now is religious biases and prejudices. All we talk about now is less about competency and capacity, we talk more about where the candidate is from or where he’s not from.”
He said Nigeria’s democracy is failing to deliver because leaders are more focused on personal gain than public service. “But that’s not the challenge of the American nation. The challenge is about competency and capacity. When will they start thinking about our country? When will they start thinking about the masses of our nation? And when will competency and capacity become the summum bonum?”
Turning his attention to young Nigerians, Nwaokobia urged them to take a more active and critical role in shaping the country’s political future.
“What I would say to the young is what has become the product of my deep research and my introspection.”
He said young people must demand accountability and interrogate all political actors regardless of party affiliation. “The future is always ready to favour the willing. The future is always ready to side with those who are proactive, not reactive, you know. And I think that what these young people must do is interrogate the entire political class, interrogate the opposition as well as the leadership.”
Nwaokobia said leadership should be judged by competence rather than identity politics as the country moves towards the next election cycle. “Show me your capacity and competency. Show me your willingness to sacrifice your id and ego to the benefit of the larger people.”
He warned that poverty and insecurity continue to worsen across the country due to failed governance and neglect of citizens’ welfare. “Some will say that their children haven’t eaten any protein in any of their meals for five days. And that’s how bad it is. I once said on this platform that overseeing my streets in the judges’ quarters where I stayed is my CCTV. And I see it from my room. The waste bin by the junction is almost always carved. People, Nigerians come to pick leftovers, not plastic cans.”
Nwaokobia added that Nigeria’s political system must shift from promises and palliatives to productive governance focused on jobs and national development. “We must think about job creation. We must think about production. We must think about nationhood rather than politics and rather than about the next election.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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