Former Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, has decried what he describes as Nigeria’s misplaced value system, stating that the country often rewards transactional politics rather than visionary leadership.
Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, aired on Channels TV on Sunday, the former minister also spoke candidly about the deep-rooted challenges in Nigeria’s democratic culture, especially in relation to the voting population. He argued that despite over two decades of democratic governance, many Nigerians remain politically disengaged from the ideals of good governance.
“Over the years, even the Nigerian population has not helped matters,” he noted. “You will recall that for the past 25 years or thereabouts, we have had an experiment with democracy. From my personal experience, when you go to the ordinary man who bears the brunt of the misgovernance of this country—no matter your quality, no matter what you propose to do in terms of qualitative governance—if you go to seek their assistance or support, instead of asking ‘What will you do if we vote you in?’, they are more concerned about ‘What did you bring for us?’”
Shittu expressed concern that this culture of political transactionalism has become deeply entrenched, making it difficult for principled and visionary leaders to emerge through the ballot.
“It’s become a tradition over the years,” he lamented. “Of course, poverty has contributed to the perspective that the ordinary Nigerian has today. Over the years, they’ve not really enjoyed good governance. They don’t even know what good governance implies.”
According to him, if Awolowo had succeeded at the national level, the trajectory of Nigeria’s development would have been entirely different.
“Nigeria missed it when late Chief Obafemi Awolowo lost his attempt to become president,” Shittu said. “Because, if you know how he governed the Western Region, his philosophy was ‘life more abundant’. In the process of getting that done, he made education free and compulsory. He made healthcare readily available and free. If you can sustain all of these at the national level, for a period of 5 to 10 years, people will be able to reason correctly.”
He added that Awolowo’s approach to governance was rooted in human capital development, with clear policies aimed at liberating the minds of the people through education and improving quality of life through accessible healthcare. Shittu believes that such a model, if replicated across the country, would have established a firm foundation for inclusive national progress.
The former minister called for a collective reawakening among the electorate and political actors, urging Nigerians to demand more from those who seek to govern them. He said that true development can only occur when the electorate prioritizes long-term policy solutions over short-term gains
