A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, has delivered a blistering critique of Nigeria’s governance and societal values, declaring that Nigerians themselves are the architects of the nation’s deepening hardship and suffering.
In a strongly worded post on his X account, Okutepa argued that the country’s economic and political woes are self-inflicted, rooted in years of collective tolerance for wrongdoing and systemic decay.
“I do not know why Nigerians, including myself, should be complaining of hardships and suffering in the land,” he said. “No nation that embraced wrongs as a way of life as we do in Nigeria will escape hardship. We started and laid the foundations for these sufferings and hardships when, as Nigerians, we accepted and tolerated wrongs in all institutions of governance as a way of governance.”
He stressed that the nation’s current predicament is the inevitable outcome of seeds sown over time.
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“Any nation that lays its foundations on faulty grounds must suffer from the fruits of bad behaviour planted by its citizens. That is the calamities befalling us today,” Okutepa added. “As Nigerians, we have individually and collectively created and watered the seeds of suffering and hardships we have today.”
The senior lawyer pointed out that those holding power are products of the same compromised system, shaped by Nigeria’s culture of cutting corners and overlooking corruption. He cited the legal profession as an example of how institutions have strayed from their core values.
“All over the world, the legal profession is a profession of light. Its members try very hard to ensure and maintain the sanctity and integrity of the profession by ensuring that the streams of justice are not polluted,” he explained.
“But in Nigeria, many things are condoned and accepted as correct even when they are obviously very wrong. Political leaders in Nigeria do whatever they like with court orders and proceedings, and nothing happens to those who have allowed themselves to be used by these politicians.”
Okutepa lamented the way Nigerians have enabled electoral malpractice, accusing both politicians and voters of complicity.
“During electoral contests, it is we Nigerians who accept the manner politicians impose themselves on us,” he said. “Politicians now know that the best means of voting in Nigeria is by stuffing ballot papers and writing the results of the elections. Nigerian voters are helpless, and they too have decided to join in collecting peanuts at the polls because they know their votes will not count.”
He further stated that the hardship plaguing the nation cannot end unless Nigerians collectively confront wrongdoing and embrace accountability.
“We are all guilty of the hardships and sufferings we face today. The only way these hardships and sufferings will stop is when we all, as Nigerians, decide to do what is right,” he declared. “Until Nigerians stop promoting and embracing what is wrong and then punish those who have decided to do bad, suffering and hardships will continue. We have not seen anything yet.”
Okutepa underscored the crucial role of the legal profession in restoring national values and governance standards.
“Nigerians deserve good governance rooted in the rule of law. In a rule of law regime, members of the legal profession play critical roles,” he emphasized. “The challenge of Nigeria lies in the determination of the members of the legal profession to do what is right and give direction to the manner politics is played and governance is run.”
The senior advocate concluded with a damning assessment of greed and corruption in the country’s institutions.
“There is national greed in most of those heading our institutions in every department of government in Nigeria. There is greed in the various professional callings in Nigeria. Greed and avarice are responsible for the collapse of national ethos and standards,” Okutepa said. “This greed has eaten so deeply into so many bodies and institutions of governance, including the legal profession.”
His remarks add to the growing chorus of voices warning that without a collective national reckoning, Nigeria’s governance and social fabric will continue to deteriorate.