Nigeria’s development has been very slow because the ruling political elites are not committed to the progress of Nigeria. Northern leaders use political Islam as an effective tool to oppress their own people, especially the majority almaijiri, and effectively lord it over other zones of the country, by using tyranny of the majority as a means to hold on to power perpetually.

The champions of Northern hegemony use the argument of a purported larger population and bigger land mass, to justify ownership of federal power in Nigeria. And they find willing collaborators in the treacherous Yoruba and Igbo elites, who would accept crumbs to sell-out their own brethren when power is in contention.

Yet, like it or not, we are stronger being together as one Nigeria. Though many would not like to hear this, because of the trauma of living in a nation where equity, justice and fairness do not govern our political culture. The balkanization of the country would not solve our problems either, because the same greedy, dishonest, corrupt and incompetent political elite would still be running Biafra, Oduduwa Republic and the Middle Belt nations.

The political class must be blamed for the present slide of our nation toward disintegration. We are more divided than ever. Things have never been this bad.

But our politicians are more interested in 2023 and who wins what, than how to end the economic mismanagement and disequilibrium that created terrorism, banditry and other street crimes.

What has compounded our problem is the failure of civil society advocacy groups. The generation of great civil right activists like Tai Solarin, Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome – Kuti, Bala Usman, Clement Nwankwo, Olisa Agbakoba, etc is dead and buried. Today, many of the activists make noise to be noticed, some just want to get foreign grants to keep body and soul together; while a few target government jobs.

Most of our civil society groups are businessmen and women, who seek prominence to climb the social ladder, not to fight for the masses like the activists of old. No wonder, irresponsible power-seekers, touts and area boys/girls now occupy some seats of power. A former police AIG, Nuhu Aliyu, who became a senator, once lamented that some of the crooks he arrested and detained, sat side by side with him in the Senate chamber. If you have a polity that’s control by felons, crime would reign unfettered. That’s what is happening in Nigeria.

Many of our leaders should actually be spending their days behind bars, if our justice system is not dysfunctional and corrupt. How can you have peace in a country where some of your security agents would be selling weapons to terrorists and giving information to those who levy war against the state? Yet, no single traitor has been executed in Nigeria since the terror war began about ten years ago. No Governor, except the then Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has ordered the execution of a single armed robber, or convicted murderer since the days of Gen. Sanni Abacha’s dictatorship.

https://www.sunnewsonline.com/the-elite-nigerias-biggest-problem/

People like Bola Tinubu, Aregbasola etc