Nigeria’s Woes Demand Systemic Change, Not a Swap of Leaders, Says Activist, Farotimi

In a scathing critique of Nigeria’s political landscape, human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi has declared that swapping President Bola Tinubu for former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2027 elections would be a futile gesture unless the nation’s deeply flawed governance system is overhauled.

Speaking with Channels Television, Farotimi dismissed the notion that a new face, even one as familiar as Jonathan’s, could single-handedly rescue Nigeria from its entrenched challenges.

“If we do not address our structural problems and if we are incapable of telling ourselves the basic truth that we hold to ourselves, then nothing is going to change. They can recycle all these people as many times as they want,” he asserted.

Farotimi pointed to the cyclical nature of Nigeria’s political disappointments, recalling how Jonathan was once demonized by the media, religious leaders, and public sentiment as the source of the nation’s troubles.

“The pulpits and the mosques said Jonathan’s removal would solve the problems of Nigeria, but here we are – we’re going back into the past to dig up the past,” he said, referencing the fleeting optimism that followed past leadership changes.

He argued that Nigeria’s issues transcend individual leaders. “I don’t believe that our problems are going to be resolved because we changed personnel,” Farotimi stated.

“The problems we have in Nigeria go beyond people. If you remove Bola Ahmed Tinubu from office today, if you do not touch that evil system that produces the kind of people who have ruined this country, all this talk about Jonathan is just more distraction from the political winning crafts.”

Farotimi urged Nigerians to shift their focus from seeking messianic figures to building robust systems. “We’re not looking for saviours; it’s about building systems, building a country,” he emphasized.

Reflecting on the irony of reimagining Jonathan as a potential savior a decade after his vilification, he questioned, “How do you rebrand the failure of 2015 into a saint and a saviour in 2025?”