It is astonishing how much energy Nigerian leaders expend on political power games—focused obsessively on who becomes president, their ethnicity, or region—while barely paying attention to the immense national resources under their control or the basic welfare of citizens. According to NIVONEWS, what truly matters to many in leadership seems to be capturing the state for personal or group benefit, while actual national development is perpetually deferred.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The media is awash with reports of political scheming, often laced with ethnic and religious undertones, aimed at undermining the president and top government officials. The goal appears singular: to dismantle current power structures—regardless of the damage done to individuals or the nation. According to NIVONEWS, many of the actors behind this are politicians from the PDP’s 16-year rule or ex-officials from the Buhari era, who, despite being only recently out of power, are already desperate to regain control, driven by an insatiable thirst for wealth and influence.

These individuals often act as though Nigeria is their personal property, forgetting that the country belongs to all its citizens—not just to a regional or religious elite and their loyalists. A number of them also served in past military regimes and helped engineer the so-called democratic transition from 1999, which in reality retained a militarized structure. Sadly, they show little concern for Nigeria’s future—especially the urgent need for an economic vision beyond oil and gas. Either they lack the foresight or the moral compass to act responsibly—or they simply don’t care, so long as they can hold onto power and plunder what remains of the national treasury.

Whatever criticisms one might level against Nigeria’s past military governments, they did at least plan for the future. Prior to the 1966 military takeover, Nigeria had coherent development and manpower plans built around each region’s comparative advantage—cocoa and timber in the West, palm oil in the East, groundnuts and hides in the North. Oil was still marginal then. There were also industries like coal in Enugu, cement in Nkalagu, and tin in Jos. Marketing boards helped stabilize prices and supported planned regional development.

Even during the civil war, military regimes preserved these economic structures. From the 1970s, with oil wealth booming, the military launched major industrial ventures: auto plants with global partners in Lagos, Kaduna, and Enugu; steel and aluminium complexes in Ajaokuta and Ikot Abasi; and defense manufacturing in Bauchi and Kaduna. They invested in infrastructure—universities, barracks, roads, and training academies. While corruption thrived, at least they left physical landmarks across Nigeria.

Today, President Bola Tinubu appears determined to leave similar legacies—particularly with transformative road projects like the Lagos-Calabar and Badagry-Sokoto expressways. If he completes these, history will remember his administration favourably. His re-election in 2027, if based on concrete achievements rather than empty rhetoric, would be justified. However, the ongoing 2027 political noise is premature; Tinubu’s government still has crucial time left to deliver real impact.

The recent creation of regional commissions may be a step toward decentralisation—a necessary shift from the current over-centralised governance model, where states remain financially and structurally dependent on Abuja. No individual should wield such disproportionate power. We must work constitutionally towards a system that decentralises governance and reduces the toxicity of national politics by localising disputes.

Nigeria also urgently needs an economy driven by competent technocrats—not just career politicians obsessed with who’s “in” or “out.” This must be a transparent system led by honest, forward-thinking individuals prioritising national interest over personal gain. Our economic model cannot be socialist or state capitalist—we’ve tried both and failed. Nor do we have a robust enough private sector to adopt pure capitalism. Perhaps a South Korea-style model—where government nurtures national industrial champions—could work. But whatever path we choose, it must be openly debated and nationally owned.

That is the serious conversation Nigeria needs now—not the endless politicking that keeps pushing real development into a never-arriving future.

”NIVONEWS REPORTS”

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