Dr Oby Ezekwesili
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has criticised Nigeria’s political and economic system, arguing that the country has created an environment where questionable wealth is celebrated while integrity and productive enterprise are often overlooked.
Speaking during an interview on News Central’s 60 Minutes with Mr. Kay, the former minister said many of Nigeria’s wealthy individuals could not link their fortunes to genuine productive activities.
“Look at just bring line up all the people who are wealthy in our country today and try to trace their wealth to any productive activity. None. Maybe a few,” she said.
Ezekwesili argued that Nigeria’s leadership recruitment process has been shaped by those already in power, making it difficult for people with integrity to emerge as leaders.
According to her, “the processes for leadership recruitment have in many ways been designed in the image of those who have held the levers of power.”
She maintained that when political systems discourage people of character from participating, they create an environment where misconduct is rewarded.
“When you have that kind of a distortion where bad behavior is what your political system rewards, there will be a market for bad behavior. And then good behavior is punished,” she said.
The former minister also questioned the widespread belief that public office has become one of the fastest routes to wealth, saying many individuals leave government far richer than when they entered, despite persistent concerns about the sources of their fortunes.
She lamented that rather than demanding accountability, society often celebrates such individuals.
“This is what grounded the Nigerian society,” she said, adding that the challenge is “almost the same thing” across many African countries.
Ezekwesili urged Nigerians and other Africans to reject apathy and become more intentional about demanding accountable leadership.
“Nothing happens that is not made to happen,” she said. “To get good governance is a design. You have to design for you to then end up with good governance. If you don’t design for good governance, you will have the kind of governance that we have.”
She stressed that achieving good governance requires deliberate effort and strong institutions rather than hoping for change to occur on its own.
