The national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Ralph Okey-Nwosu, has cautioned that self-entitlement leadership in politics constitutes a serious danger to the country.

In a piece titled: When will Nigeria and Africa time come, he made available to the Nigerian Tribune at the Weekend, Chief Okey Nwosu, said the propensity of power brokers seeking high-profile elective offices to whip up undue emotions and primordial issues will not get Nigeria anywhere.

He noted that while many countries in Asia and the Middle East have succeeded in breaking the yoke of underdevelopment, Nigeria is still enmeshed in the politics of mundane issues with the attendant serious repercussions.

“The entitlement mentality of politics and leadership put Nigeria on a dangerous cliff. The brinkmanship is unhealthy, and the ‘John Wayne’ approach is cavalier; the myth of the invincible cowboy and the ‘wild-wild west’ movies of the 1970s are nothing short of illusions and in this age of internet of things and Artificial Intelligence (AI), ridiculous.

“If we continue on that trajectory, with its morbid palliatives regime, borrowing diplomatic shuttles, and bizarre monetary policies, budget padding and tax overdrive, and the ugly hard-tackle politics, the destination is more troubling,” he warned.

He also criticised the lack of interest of those he called good individuals to venture into party politics based on the perception that it is dirty, saying such attitude is not proper if the country hopes to attain the economic advancements of other countries in Asia and the Middle East.

Okey Nwosu noted that those countries would have remained down economically if their elites had failed to partake in governance capable of bringing about transformation that cut across many spheres of life today.

“Politics is often labelled a dirty game in Nigeria. Many good and decent individuals are discouraged from participating, arguing that the arena does not align with their character.

“This counterproductive mindset has kept many quality minds out of politics, depriving Nigeria of the public-spirited and transformative leadership it desperately needs.

“If perceived “good” individuals had shied away from leadership in nations like the UAE and Singapore, these countries would not have achieved their current success.

“Staying in our comfort zones is equivalent to endorsing the status quo. Patriotic engagement is essential if we want things to change,” Chief Nwosu said.

Describing as a lame excuse, the tendency to blame Nigeria’s challenges on colonialism, post-colonial struggles, and the years of military interregnum, the ADC chairman said the country could have overcome those encumbrances if it had been able to enthrone purposeful and visionary leaderships since 1999.

He emphasised: “Twenty-five years of uninterrupted democracy is long enough for our leaders to have laid a foundation and set the strategic compass for progress.

“Instead, successive administrations seem to have led the country deeper into decline. Nigeria, once touted as the giant of Africa, today bears the shameful titles of the world’s poverty capital and one of the most insecure places to live or conduct business world-over.”

He noted that though Nigeria currently seems to be on life support, struggling to survive, all is not lost because “We can restore pride to the green-white-white flag, noting that, “Nations like China, India, Singapore, and the UAE made the resolution at a time to break with the past for a new path.

“Today, they have emerged strong on the global stage. Nigeria and Nigerians must make a similar resolve and envision their own future,” he urged.

He called on all Nigerians of good conscience to rise to the occasion in 2025 as he noted that “a united Nigeria can achieve remarkable feats, and is indeed the only way to begin the recovery of the ‘years eaten by the locust.”

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