The late sage, prophet and legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti in his album ‘beast of no nation’, famously described Nigeria’s leaders as ‘animals in human skin’. In the early 80’s when the album hit the airwaves, we used to dance and jibe to the undulating beat and rhythm of the song without really understanding the exact meaning of Anikulapo Kuti’s diagnosis of the character and psychology of Nigeria’s leaders. It wasn’t until  later years when the veil was pulled from my eyes  that I came to understand the import of Fela’ Kuti’s characterisation of Nigerian leaders as unconscionable animals and a set of sadists and psychopaths  who in many ways are even worse than the animals he  had  graciously associated them with.

The characterisation of Nigerian leaders as heartless animals by Fela Kuti is self evident across the landscape, not in the least in the way the leaders treat the poor. The disdain, disregard and disrespect that Nigerian leaders have for the poor, and the oppression/ brutality to which they are subjected as a consequence is legendary.  Across Nigeria a subtle war has been declared on the poor by the leadership who are ever so desirous to see all of them dead. There is nothing more revealing of the mindset of Nigeria’s unconscionable leadership and their death wish for the poor than the recent saga in Benin city where the Edo state Governor; Adams Oshiomole ordered the confiscation of the wares of a poor street trader and on being told by the trader that she is a widow, asked her ‘to go and die’. The fact that the street trader was a widow whose husband was late did not move the governor. It took strident public opprobrium by those who were shocked at the governor’s irresponsibility and according to Oshiomole himself, rebuke by his own children for him to offer an apology and appoint the widow to his cabinet together with some cash gifts. 

But yet in spite of the apology and cash gifts, his true intent was already exposed. Oshiomole’s shameful treatment of the widow revealed the animalistic mindset of Nigeria’s leadership Fela Kuti famously referred to. The apology was only offered because of the stinging rebuke which was unleashed when the recording of the incident was published in the media.  Had Oshiomole not been caught on tape and thus the outcry, he would never have apologised, nor compensated the widow.  When in 2013, Governor Fashola deported some poor destitute from Lagos, career bigots like Femi Fani- Kayode and his depraved co, travellers tried to turn what was essentially another example of the disdain of Nigerian leaders for the poor into a tribal issue. But the facts and evidence of the case is clear, the only reason Fashola deported those persons was because they were poor and destitute. Had they owned properties in Victoria Island and driven around in flashy cars, they would never have been deported.

Nelson Mandela once said that “poverty like slavery and apartheid is man-made and can be eradicated by purposeful leadership”.  He further opined that overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity,  but rather an act of justice and the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life’.  Chapter 2 section 14-b of the Nigerian constitution emphatically declares that “the security and welfare of the people/citizenry shall be the primary purpose of government”.  In the same vein section 16-b of the constitution declares that the state shall ‘control the national economy in such a manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity’.  Articles 9 and 11 of the 1966 United Nations covenant on economic, social and cultural rights states that every signatory state must recognise the right of every citizen to ‘social security, including social insurance’. Each state must recognise the ‘right of everyone, to an adequate standard of living, for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions’.

Thus, Whether  from a personality like Nelson Mandela with an overwhelming moral authority, or from the Nigerian constitution itself  or indeed from international organisations such as the United Nations to which Nigeria  is signatory, it is sufficiently established that the primary purpose of government  is the welfare of the citizenry. Mankind evolved from the ‘Hobbesian’ jungle and surrendered their freedoms to a state/government in exchange for the ‘social contract’ for which the state was to provide for the security and welfare of their subjects.  The leaders at a minimum are supposed to invest massively in providing social amenities, opportunities and other such infrastructure and initiatives that can eradicate poverty and provide the citizenry with a decent and dignified life. Nigerian leaders cannot claim ignorance of the responsibility of leaders anywhere for the welfare of the citizenry particularly the poor and disabled. Not only is such responsibility clearly stated in the constitution from whence they derive their powers, they are most often globe trotters who have firsthand experience of social security systems comprising unemployment benefits, social housing, healthcare benefits, jobs, skills and vocational training, social welfare payments, enterprise grants and other social initiatives in the countries they frequently visit.

The problem of Nigeria’s bad leadership and their disregard for the poor is located in their psychology. A mindset that is constructed to believe that leadership/public service is not for the common good but for self serving purposes. To that end, the fundamental character and psychology of the collectivity of the Nigerian leadership is premised on massive looting, protection of elite interests and oppression of the poor. The sadism and evil psychology of these leaders is so bad that they actually consider their frequent trips abroad for medical treatment while a great percentage of the impoverished citizenry cannot avail of good medical care in Nigeria as part of the perks of their status. In the same vein, they believe the avalanche of police officers who guard them and the prison walls they live behind as a result of the insecurity the poverty and inequality they fostered in the nation has unleashed is part of their instruments of oppression and status. They hardly see the irony in jetting abroad for medical treatment while their own citizens lack functional hospitals, neither do they see the irony of being barricaded by police officers from their own citizens and living behind prison walls when adequate social investments that reduces poverty and creates opportunities for the citizenry would have give them the freedom to move around without a cordon of police officers as it obtains in other climes.

The ongoing war on the poor across Nigeria is driven by a psychology that locates power specifically in depriving and oppressing the poor. A negation of the fundamental principles for which government exists.  This explains why governors Adams Oshiomole felt it would be better for the widow to die and Fashola felt it was better for the poor to be deported. Like Fela Anikulapo declared, Nigerian leaders are animals in human skin, but even that description is too gracious for animals in spite of their limited scope still quite naturally provide for the welfare/security of their progenies and other such dependants within their social groups. Most animals also don’t kill at all or don’t kill their own kind. Animals are thus, more elevated than the reckless, lawless, murderous and irresponsible psychopaths that constitute Nigeria’s leadership who actually derive sadistic pleasure in seeing so many poor people and more pleasure still in oppressing or killing them. 


Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu
Email: lawrencenwobu@gmail.com