Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, CEO of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, has sharply criticized Nigeria’s leadership, calling it out for its lack of empathy and increasing disconnect from the people it is meant to serve. In a searing article for Premium Times, Oyebode argues that the country’s leadership is failing to address the basic human needs of its citizens, exacerbating a crisis of governance.
Empathy and Accountability in Crisis
Oyebode points to the everyday struggles of Nigerians, from insecurity to inflation and the decline of public institutions, as evidence of a leadership failure. “When leaders cannot feel the pain of the mother in Chibok or the hunger of the child in Lagos, they cease to be leaders and become merely rulers,” she writes. She asserts that this loss of empathy marks the central failure of Nigerian governance.
For Oyebode, the root issue lies in the political class’s inability to center the human experience in policy decisions, prioritizing power retention over social improvement. She also critiques the prevailing culture of impunity, where the consequences of failed policies are rarely felt by the elite, while the poor continue to bear the brunt of governmental shortcomings.
Reclaiming Leadership and the Future
Despite her criticism, Oyebode presents a hopeful call to action, urging civil society and young Nigerians to “reclaim” the meaning of leadership. She stresses the need for a new social contract in which governance is defined by integrity, service, and tangible results rather than power struggles and selfish interests. Her message calls for a leadership grounded in empathy and real change.
Oyebode’s words also resonate beyond Nigeria. In Kenya, where political leaders are similarly seen as out of touch with the realities of their people, her critique serves as a mirror to the discontent felt across many African nations. The essay forces readers to confront a difficult question: Do we recognize the leaders in power, or have they become strangers to the lands they govern?
