By Bola Babarinde, South Africa
For decades, the conversation around Nigeria’s underdevelopment has centered almost entirely on leadership failure. It is true that successive governments have failed us, that our leaders have looted the nation’s wealth, abandoned critical infrastructure, and lived in shameless opulence while the majority of citizens wallow in penury. But at some point, we must stop the endless circle of complaints and ask ourselves, do we, the followers, truly deserve better leaders? Are we, as citizens, nurturing the right values that can birth the leaders we crave?
Nigeria is blessed with both human and natural resources. Our doctors, nurses, and other professionals are in such high demand abroad that the UK, USA, and Canada thrive on the skills of Nigerians, especially in their health sectors. Yet, back home, our healthcare system is broken, with hospitals lacking both staff and facilities. This paradox reflects the dysfunction in our society, a system where our greatest talents flee while we are left behind with the bare minimum.
But here is the real tragedy, Nigerians often celebrate corruption rather than condemn it. A man of average means becomes a councilor, local government chairman, or commissioner. Within a few years, he transforms into a billionaire, building mansions, buying cars, and throwing outrageous parties. Instead of asking hard questions about the source of his sudden wealth, people sing his praises just to get a free plate of food, and even pray for “their own turn” to steal. In reality, the number of Nigerians waiting for their opportunity to loot far outnumbers those currently looting.
We have indeed been unlucky with leaders, but the bigger truth is that when followers are given the chance to lead, they often perform even worse. During the #EndSARS protest, young Nigerians poured into the streets demanding change. Their cry was valid: an end to police brutality, corruption, and poor governance. Yet, instead of channeling that energy into constructive nation-building, the protest ended in massive destruction with businesses ruined, infrastructure vandalized, and ethnic divisions deepened. Once again, we destroyed what was ours in the name of fighting the system.
Even in politics, when youths and so-called “new voices” gained positions through the Labour Party wave, many quickly abandoned their ideals. Unknown faces turned politicians have since decamped to ruling parties or joined in the same corruption they once condemned. The hypocrisy is glaring: those who cursed the system now profit from it.
Take the case of Bosun Tijani, the young Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. He once lambasted Nigeria’s leaders, especially President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing them as architects of the nation’s decay. Yet, in an extraordinary gesture of forgiveness, Tinubu appointed him into his cabinet. During his Senate screening, Tijani wept, begging for forgiveness for his youthful insults. Expectations were high: here was a chance for a young, outspoken critic to prove that a new generation could lead differently.
But what have we seen since then? A failing telecommunications sector, with companies like 9mobile nearly moribund, and MTN, Glo, and Airtel offering some of the worst services Nigerians have ever experienced. Innovation and supervision under his watch have been painfully absent. Today, Bosun Tijani mirrors the very mediocrity he once condemned.
This leads us to a sobering truth: the leaders of today were the followers of yesterday. If our pool of followers is corrupt, greedy, and devoid of values, why do we expect angels to suddenly emerge as leaders? Leadership is not imported; it is a reflection of society. Until we build followers of integrity, we cannot produce leaders of integrity.
The solution lies in going back to the basics which is the family and community as the foundation of values. Once upon a time, families taught honesty, respect, dignity, and responsibility. Today, many parents outsource that duty to schools, religious institutions, or worse, to the internet. Our languages, traditions, and cultural values are being abandoned for foreign lifestyles. In many homes, children are forbidden from speaking their mother tongue. How then can they respect themselves, their culture, or their people?
Institutions like the National Orientation Agency should be leading campaigns to reshape our values, but they have become mere information outlets instead of drivers of national rebirth. If we are to change Nigeria, we must rebuild our moral compass as a people. Parents must resume their roles as the first teachers of values, and communities must once again raise children who see integrity as wealth.
The saying is true: people deserve the leaders they get. If Nigerians continue to prioritize wealth over character, mediocrity over excellence, and ethnicity over unity, we will keep recycling the same failed system. But if we rebuild ourselves as followers with strong values, our leaders will naturally reflect that strength.
The question is not only whether Nigeria will ever get good leaders, but whether Nigerians are ready to become the kind of followers that can produce such leaders.
Enough of the blame game, it is time for self-examination.
