I had a conversation today with a colleague whose daughter is only 23 years old. She explained how her daughter had already saved nearly 10% of the deposit needed for a mortgage. Having just graduated from university and secured a well-paying job, this means she was able to save a significant amount while still studying. She achieved this partly because she wanted to be responsible, but largely because her government has a functional system in place that makes such opportunities possible.
As I listened, I could see how proud her mother was, not because of the system itself, since that system has always been there to help citizens thrive, but because her daughter chose to take advantage of the opportunities available to her.
Reflecting on this, especially as it relates to Nigeria and Africa at large, I cannot help but ask myself: Why? And how can we free ourselves from this illusion and delusion called leadership?
What is the average 23-year-old African doing today? In fact, let me narrow it down: What are we doing in Nigeria?
Many of the leaders we have today enjoyed free education and attended prestigious institutions, yet they seem to lack the vision and commitment required to build a nation. The opportunities they enjoyed in their youth are often denied to the very citizens they claim to serve.
Go online and observe the conversations. Everyone seems to be dancing, discussing celebrity news and marital affairs, while the real issues facing the nation receive little attention without being filtered through religion or ethnicity. Leaders write books explaining why they failed and who is to blame, while others raise billions to celebrate those excuses.
Musicians, on the other hand, often produce lyrics that do little to create awareness, challenge poor policies, or inspire hope. Many songs revolve around money, fraud, and women. One is left wondering: What happened to songs about education, skills, patriotism, peace, unity, values, and morality? What happened to music that united people and inspired positive change? Musicians are now called entertainers, not prophets, as they were often regarded in the past.
It pains me that many people see money as something to accumulate rather than a tool that can be used to improve society. People seek power only to become servants of wealth and political godfathers, neglecting those they promised to lead. They compare our challenges with the mistakes of other nations while ignoring the developments those same nations have achieved.
How can someone who becomes wealthy only after assuming public office be treated like a demigod instead of being held accountable? Citizens sing and dance for bags of rice and salt in a country where the healthcare system barely functions.
There is so much happening in Nigeria today, enough to demand a national awakening. We need to stand together, not against one another, but against the systems and attitudes that continue to hold us back. The continuous impoverishment of the people, reckless borrowing without corresponding development, and the mentality that anything foreign is automatically superior must all be questioned.
Can someone truly love you more than you love yourself? What would make someone who once held you in chains suddenly care more about your future than you care about your own?
This is not a call to hate anyone. It is simply a call to awareness, responsibility, and accountability. We deserve to live safely in our own country and enjoy the benefits of our natural resources.
The solution is not outside us—it is within us and among us. Until we stop majoring in minor things and start focusing on the issues that determine our survival and progress, we risk wasting the sacrifices and efforts of those who came before us.
The war is still on; only the methods have changed. If the bird learns to fly without perching, the hunter must learn to aim without stopping. He who has not reached his destination cannot afford to grow weary.
Nigerians and Africans must rise, not against one another, but against our common enemies: sickness, poverty of mind and body, corruption, poor leadership, and the absence of character.
I will leave you with the words of Harriet Tubman:
“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
Who is your master? Is it money, ignorance, greed, or grandiosity?
I remain your friend and brother,
Maazi Onuora Obodoechi
Pen it down. 