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Nigeria Failed to Make the Transition From Country to Nation, Says Oby Ezekwesili
Former Education Minister and founder of the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s political and institutional decline, arguing that the country has struggled to make the necessary transition from simply being a country to becoming a truly functioning nation.
Ezekwesili said Nigeria is currently facing serious challenges across several areas that ordinarily define a stable and functional country. According to her, the situation has become particularly depressing because the country continues to struggle with some of the basic parameters used internationally to measure the strength and development of nations.
“Now, we don’t even have the full set of parameters that define a country, and it is depressing,” she said, while stressing the urgent need for genuine nation-building, stronger institutions and responsible leadership.
The former minister also spoke about poverty and the controversial practice of vote buying, particularly the tendency of some members of the middle class to condemn poor Nigerians for accepting money from politicians during elections.
According to Ezekwesili, such criticism can sometimes reflect elite privilege because many poor Nigerians have little confidence that their circumstances will improve after elections.
“There is nothing that tells the poor that tomorrow will be okay,” she said, arguing that the political class continues to take advantage of the country’s weaknesses because the existing system serves their interests.
She maintained that Nigeria’s political problems cannot be separated from the economic hardship and insecurity confronting ordinary citizens. In her view, when people are struggling to meet their basic needs, promises of a better tomorrow may mean very little compared with the immediate financial inducements offered during elections.
Ezekwesili’s comments come as political conversations around the 2027 general elections intensify, with concerns over leadership, governance, poverty and the future direction of the country dominating public debate.
She has also reaffirmed her support for former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential hopeful Peter Obi, urging Nigerians not to become so accustomed to the country’s difficulties that they simply accept the situation as normal.
For Ezekwesili, the challenge before Nigerians goes beyond choosing political leaders at the ballot box. She believes the country needs a fundamental change in its political culture, institutions and approach to governance if it is to build a nation where citizens can genuinely have confidence in the future.
Her remarks have further fuelled the debate over Nigeria’s political direction ahead of 2027, particularly around the questions of leadership, poverty, democratic accountability and whether the country can break away from a system that continues to benefit a narrow political elite.
