Human rights advocate Peter Akah has slammed Nigeria’s current state of governance, decrying the failure of leadership and the deepening despair among the Nigerian populace.
In a conversation on Jasiri, Akah articulated the country’s widespread frustration and challenged citizens to channel their pain into meaningful action.
Akah painted a dire picture of the nation’s socio-political landscape, describing Nigerians as being in a state of “despair and despondency,” with worsening living standards and declining faith in institutions. He stressed that although frustration is widespread, the urgent question remains: “What do we do with our frustration?”
He urged Nigerians to move beyond passive lamentation. “Pain must be converted into passion to take reasonable action to getting results,” he emphasised.
Drawing a historical reference, Akah recalled the late Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti’s satirical lament that Nigeria would get water from the United Nations by 1990.
“In 2025, Nigeria still has more than 40 million people who do not have access to water,” he added, highlighting the continued neglect of basic human needs.
While criticising the political class, Akah pointed out that even during the 30-day accountability challenge to the president, he left Nigeria to a foreign country to meditate about his reforms for his country, amplifying the perspective of Nigerian politicians about governance.
Reflecting on the #EndSARS protests, Akah said the agitation lacked strategic foresight, stressing that changing governance must go beyond slogans.
“You end bad governance by electing good governance. How do you elect good governance? It has to be through INEC. INEC is the weapon that is fashioned against Nigerians.”
