Nigeria’s Politics and the Dungeon of Recycled Hands

By Baron Mike

Times are changing across the globe, driven by innovation, new ideas, and evolving standards of governance. Nations are adjusting their systems to meet contemporary realities, crafting leadership models that reflect the energy and potential of their people. Sadly, the same cannot be said of our own political landscape.

In Nigeria, leadership appears stuck in a cycle—a dungeon—of recycling the same old hands, whose ideas (or lack thereof) plunged us into the socioeconomic crises we now face. These are individuals who, even in their prime, failed to leave meaningful legacies. The question then is: what suddenly qualifies them now in their twilight years?

It is deeply bewildering.

The true danger lies not just in this stagnation, but in the passivity of the youth. We seem unaware, or unconcerned, about the consequences of not stepping up in time. It’s almost as if we’ve accepted our place below the belt—conveniently tucked away until it’s time to serve as foot soldiers for outdated agendas.

A closer look at our electoral patterns shows a sinister irony: the old political class understands the power and potential of the youth far more than the youth themselves. That’s why, come elections, we’re hailed as “the strength of the nation.” But once governance begins, we are nowhere to be found. Instead, we hear the same tired titles—former this, former that—paraded like badges of honour in a system allergic to progress.

If we are truly serious about national transformation, we must pivot away from experimenting with failed leadership. We must stop rewarding incompetence with second and third chances. The time for trial and error is over.

What Nigeria needs now is a deliberate mining of young minds—people with zeal, clarity, and courage to write their names in the sands of time. The names of the unproductive should fade quietly into history, not rise again at every election cycle.

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