Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has criticised Nigerian politicians for prioritising future elections over finding lasting solutions to the challenges confronting citizens.
Ezekwesili made the remarks during an interview with News Central Television while discussing insecurity, governance and the 2027 general elections.
She argued that politicians who remain focused on their immediate political interests lack the long-term vision required to provide effective leadership and address the country’s problems.
“They’re all interested in the next election. They say that statesmen think of the next generation, but lousy politicians only think about the next election,” she said.
The former minister also questioned the significant financial resources reportedly committed to tackling terrorism, insisting that Nigerians deserve greater accountability over how the funds have been utilised.
“Fighting terrorism is now an industry from which people who have the levers of power, starting from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to the military establishment, are benefiting.
“They need to be telling Nigerians what the performance is from the kind of trillions of naira that has been allegedly used to fight insecurity in the country. The results point to the fact of poor governance,” she said.
Ezekwesili further accused the government of failing to treat citizens’ security with the seriousness it deserves, warning that such conduct could embolden those threatening the country.
“Joking with the life of your citizens is the way that you send a signal to the enemies that you cannot be bothered,” she said.
On the proposed establishment of state police, Ezekwesili expressed support for the idea but stressed that clearly defined responsibilities would be essential among the various security agencies.
“Yes, but if we had good governance, the clarity of the mandates would be observed,” she said.
She cited the Department of State Services (DSS), recalling a period when she said the agency had lost some of its professionalism before efforts were made to restore it.
“There was a time the DSS was degraded. A certain Adeola became the DG of the DSS and they began the reprofessionalization,” she said.
Ezekwesili also said the Nigeria Police Force had struggled to effectively fulfil its responsibilities, resulting in greater involvement of the military in internal security operations.
“The police is not able to be that institution. This has gone beyond their pay grade. That’s why the military has become involved in internal matters of this kind,” she said.
Addressing the 2027 elections, the former minister suggested that a significant political shift could occur without being immediately apparent.
“Sometimes turning points don’t announce themselves,” she said.
She also criticised the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of failing to adequately represent the interests of Nigerians.
“Look at the National Assembly, we consider them to be a bunch of people who don’t really care about the citizens,” she said.
Ezekwesili further expressed concern over what she described as the failure of the political system to fulfil the constitutional responsibility of protecting citizens and promoting their welfare.
“So, here they are, things are completely aground in terms of the functionality of the system of ensuring that what our Constitution places as a mandate of the government, that is, security and the welfare of the people is the primary responsibility of government, they don’t care to read that page,” she said.