At the risk of sounding pessimistic, one could argue profoundly that Nigeria’s contemporary political atmosphere carries a systemic, tragic potential. This vulnerability is directly attributable to a faction of the populace seemingly committed to plunging the nation into a disastrous morass. The contrast between the present day and the Abacha era, in terms of political progress and governance, is stark. During the Abacha regime, Nigerians were collectively disillusioned by the catastrophic realities of a military dictatorship. Even though a vocal minority vehemently insisted that Abacha was Nigeria’s best option, approximately 95% of the populace remained convinced that the country desperately needed a new beginning.
Today, however, under the crushing, dreadful weight of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, some Nigerians inexplicably clamour for his continued grip on power. These individuals actively distort prevailing narratives to uphold their apocryphal convictions regarding the continuation of Tinubu’s sweltering tenure. Ironically, while the Abacha era offered arguably better economic prospects and quality of life than the current macabre dance of languor, some are willing to sacrifice their firstborns to ensure the existing malady persists. This stubborn resistance to reality underscores the tragic potential of our present political condition.
While propaganda is a recognized, albeit manipulative, political tool in any society, certain actors in Nigeria have elevated it to absurdly inane heights. They do this shamelessly, discarding their famed enlightenment and education, to serve a single purpose – diminishing the chances of anyone upstaging Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election. Meanwhile, the country continues to wallow in a crucible of economic hardship, insecurity, clannishness, and existential dread. For these partisan actors, the collective misery matters little. Yet, there must be ethical limits to propaganda, especially when its machinery actively promotes mass evisceration.
A clear example of this occurred recently. During a town hall meeting in the United Kingdom, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), bemoaned the overwhelming reliance of home-based Nigerians on their relatives abroad for basic economic survival. He argued that depending on the diaspora to cover school fees, rent, medical bills, and feeding costs is a damning testament to Nigeria’s current economic malaise. He stated that if the economy were managed by responsible leaders, such transactional dependence would be unnecessary. He could not be more accurate. However, political detractors swiftly twisted the narrative, claiming Obi had advised the diaspora to abandon their families back home – a deliberate distortion that is as intellectually lazy as it is malicious.
In fact, social media posts emerged claiming Obi instructed the diaspora never to send money home, even if their relatives were on their deathbeds. It is laughable that Obi, a renowned philanthropist who has spent decades using his personal wealth to empower institutions and individuals, would advocate for the abandonment of families. But the architects of this propaganda do not care about facts. They are ready to elevate deceit to despicable dimensions to justify maintaining the economic necropolis that Nigeria has become.
The reality on the ground supports Obi’s critique. More than 70% of Nigerians rely heavily on friends and relatives abroad to survive Tinubu’s economic hailstorms. According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), diaspora remittances have exceeded $90 billion cumulatively over the last five years, with monthly official channels recording $947 million as of July 2026. While there is no shame in seeking financial assistance from loved ones abroad, it becomes a structural tragedy when citizens must rely on foreign remittances for basic, daily survival.
Furthermore, the relentless financial pressure from home sometimes pushes desperate diaspora relatives into illicit activities to meet mounting domestic demands. If Nigeria’s economy were functional – managed by a prudent leadership literate in economic mathematics – citizens at home would enjoy organic prosperity, pay their bills, and live comfortably. In fact, many in the diaspora would happily return home. Rather than preaching abandonment, Obi explicitly advised the diaspora to encourage their families back home to vote for responsible leadership that guarantees economic stability.
Nigeria’s descent into this economic quagmire is entirely predictable. President Bola Tinubu has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he lacks the viable prognosis required to redeem the nation from its cataclysmic state. Of course, discerning Nigerians expected little else, given his lack of a transparent history in economic prudence or formal economic education. Having largely operated as a beneficiary of Nigeria’s political industry as a Senator and Governor, his credentials remain up for debate. Those who parrot the offensive mantra that he built Lagos eternally desecrate the legacy of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the true architect of modern Lagos. One must ask – did Tinubu truly build Lagos, or did he merely impoverish its collective future?
It is deeply insulting to Nigerians of good conscience that the personal history of their president remains shrouded in mystery. Essential details – from his education to his exact date of birth and origin – remain subjects of intense public skepticism. Logically, a leadership built on opacity cannot effectively preside over 200 million people and reverse their economic fortunes. You cannot give what you do not have. Having dragged Nigeria into an economic abyss, the administration has forced the citizenry to look abroad for survival – the exact systemic failure Peter Obi condemned. Nigeria possesses the resources necessary for an economic revival. Under viable leadership, the flow of support could easily go both ways.
This governance deficit extends to Vice President Kashim Shettima. According to the World Bank Poverty Assessment Report, the poverty rate in Borno State during Shettima’s tenure as governor reached a staggering 73%. In simple terms, nearly three-quarters of the population lived below the poverty line under his watch. Furthermore, public scrutiny remains fixed on Shettima’s past political associations, including his alleged association with Kabiru Sokoto, the notorious terrorist convicted of the tragic Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla in 2011, which left 40 dead and 57 wounded. These are the characters currently officiating the political and economic destiny of over 200 million Nigerians. Nothing could be more violating.
Therefore, Peter Obi’s call for Nigerians to vote out bad leadership in 2027 is entirely justified. Nigeria does not suffer from a lack of resources, but from a crisis of leadership. It matters little to the ruling class that millions of Nigerians are rolling in agonizing shapes to eke out a living, or that families can barely feed themselves while the government deludes itself with pyrrhic reforms. Nigeria has effectively been reduced to a nation of economic mendicants under this blistering atmosphere. However, malicious propaganda can only thrive for a season. It can deceive a few temporarily, but it will ultimately collapse when juxtaposed with superior arguments and lived realities. The Nigerian diaspora community understands this truth clearly, and like the millions back home, they continue to yearn for a nation worthy of return.
The bitter irony is that many members of the diaspora are exhausted by the gruelling realities of living abroad. Yet, acutely aware of the prevailing economic inertia back home, they would rather wash toilets, sweep streets, and endure the indignities of menial labour, so long as they remain insulated from Nigeria’s structural collapse. This desperation has triggered an unprecedented shift in migration patterns. Many Nigerians now prefer to relocate to neighbouring African nations like Mali, Benin Republic, Chad, Sudan, and Zimbabwe. The overriding sentiment has become an urgent, indiscriminate cry – just anywhere, as long as it is out of Nigeria.
This mass flight is a tragedy of timing, because Nigeria’s economy possesses an innate resilience – the latent potential to recover faster than Japan did in the wake of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragedies. However, unlocking this potential demands more than just hope. It requires deeply responsible leadership. It demands an executive helmsman who understands the complex mathematics of modern economics and who has successfully created tangible wealth outside the corridors of political patronage.
Ultimately, the catalyst for this transformation rests with the citizenry. Nigerians must become collectively disenchanted enough to break the spell of propaganda and deliberately install a leadership capable of rebuilding the ruinous structures inflicted upon the country over the past eleven years. If Nigeria heals, the relentless cycle of dependency on foreign hand-outs will finally break. Our relatives abroad will heave a well-deserved sigh of relief, the desperate begging will stop, and the diaspora will finally be able to look toward home not as a financial burden to sustain, but as a prosperous sanctuary worthy of embracing.
