By Babafemi Ojudu
We have truly degenerated in Nigeria. Can you imagine a Shehu Shagari as minister in the First Republic behaving this way? Or a Richard Akinjide in the Second? Or Chief Bola Ige in the Third?
Public life in Nigeria has lost its dignity. The solemnity once associated with leadership has been replaced by swagger, arrogance, and the theatre of absurdity. Once, public office demanded learning, restraint, and a sense of history. Today, it attracts jesters, hustlers, and entertainers whose only creed is self-display.
We now have ministers trading insults, governors behaving like warlords, and senators turning their private lives into public spectacles. Just the other day, a sitting senator of the Federal Republic, Ned Nwoko, was on social media exchanging inanities with his young wife — a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. That embarrassing exchange, watched by millions, perfectly captures the moral and intellectual emptiness of the present political class.
Where are the days when men of gravitas occupied public space? Think of Chief J.A.O. Odebiyi, the Senator representing Egbado District of Ogun State in the Second Republic, or Chief Abraham Adesanya. Stand them beside Ned Nwoko, and you will understand how far down the slope we have rolled. While those hunted ideas this one is hunting virgins. Or compare Okoi Arikpo, Joe Garba, and Bolaji Akinyemi — all distinguished Foreign Ministers at different times — with the current one, Yusuf Tuggar. I was scandalized to see him recently, fumbling to defend Nigeria before an international audience after a controversial statement by Donald Trump. He kept fidgeting, asking for a document from an aide, and waving it meaninglessly. It was a tragic metaphor for a nation adrift.
The truth is that we no longer have elites — only wealthy men. The Emir of Kano was right when he observed that if you were to pick 109 people randomly from the streets to replace the current Senators, their performance would not be any worse. That was not a compliment to the masses but an indictment of the so-called elite who have lost all sense of distinction, excellence, and service.
Our politics has become the refuge of mediocrities. The gatekeepers of quality — our universities, professional bodies, media, and civil society — have gone to sleep, leaving the public space to charlatans. The collapse of intellectual and moral standards in leadership is now so complete that bad manners have become strength, and ignorance, a strategy.
At this rate, it won’t be long before the bosses of road transport unions become ministers and cabinet meetings degenerate into street fights — slaps, kicks, and flying chairs! One day, the President himself may even receive a kick in the loin during a heated session.
Watch out — Wike might just be the one to deliver it before his cup finally runs over.
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