Prominent journalist and former presidential aspirant Dele Momodu has boldly given an insight into Nigeria’s political system, describing the country as a “mafia nation” where elections are often predetermined by an elite group he refers to as the “owners of Nigeria.”
“I know for a fact that Nigeria is a mafia nation, and that is why this impunity can occur regularly and repeatedly,” Momodu declared, emphasising that challenging this profoundly entrenched system is often an exercise in futility.
Speaking on Newscentral’s Breakfast Central on Monday, Momodu traced his insights back to the 1999 elections when General Olusegun Obasanjo was positioned to become Nigeria’s president. He recalled an interaction with Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, who was then at OPEC in Vienna, where he was told that the decision had already been made at the highest levels of power.
“Dr. Rilwan Lukman told me that the owners of Nigeria have decided that Obasanjo is the next president of Nigeria. And I said, are we not going to have an election? And he said, of course we have an election, but it’s all pre-considered and predetermined.”
According to Momodu, this pattern has remained unchanged for decades, making true democratic choice elusive. “It is virtually impossible today, the way Nigeria is configured,” he said, pointing out how even former activists and critics of the system eventually get absorbed.
Reflecting on past struggles against military rule, Momodu noted how even once-fierce critics of the establishment mellow after gaining power.
“You can see even president Bola Tinubu, who fought Babangida, who fought Abacha, we were together in exile for three years in London. He couldn’t spit fire the way we used to spit fire in those days,” he observed, illustrating how the system neutralises opposition.
Momodu’s words paint a picture of a Nigeria where real power is controlled by a select few, leaving little room for actual democratic governance. His claims raise important questions: Can Nigeria ever break free from this cycle? Is genuine political change possible, or will the so-called “owners of Nigeria” continue to dictate its future?
While many Nigerians hope for a break from this entrenched power structure, Momodu’s insights suggest that without a fundamental shift in the nation’s political culture, the system will continue to reproduce itself—ensuring that elections remain little more than formalities in a game controlled by a hidden elite.
