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Rich In Naira, Poor In Hope: The Burden On Nigeria’s Super-Rich

Published

5 months ago

May 21, 2025

Editor

By Israel Adebiyi

If there was ever a time Nigeria needed her rich and powerful to rise beyond boardrooms, political godfatherism, gated estates, and opulent lifestyles, it is now. We are not merely at the edge of a cliff — we are slipping over it. The Nigerian state is grappling with a crisis so deep that even government interventions seem like feeble whispers in a roaring storm. And yet, those with the power, wealth, and influence to ignite transformative change — the elite class — watch from afar, perhaps insulated by privilege but not immune to the consequences that are fast approaching.

Nigeria’s economy is shrinking under the weight of inflation, insecurity, and structural decay. With over 130 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty and millions of young people unemployed or unemployable, it is no exaggeration to say the nation teeters on the brink. But unlike in other moments in history when a determined elite class chose to intervene and redirect the tide, our own seems largely absent — powerful in assets, yet passive in action.

Let’s be honest: many of Nigeria’s billionaires and high-net-worth individuals are not short of capacity. From Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man whose industrial might influences economies across West Africa, to Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Mike Adenuga, and Tony Elumelu, these men sit atop enormous financial and institutional power. To their credit, several of them have initiated impactful interventions — through foundations, industry expansions, scholarships, and grants. They are doing their part, no doubt. But when a nation sinks this deep into despair, we can’t help but ask for more.

More investments in the core areas of the economy — especially in sectors like education, healthcare, agriculture, housing, and technological infrastructure — are desperately needed. Not just to tick the boxes of corporate social responsibility, but to initiate a lasting and scalable impact that can lift millions out of abject poverty. The call is not to do everything, but to do the hard things — the things that matter most when a nation is on the brink.

There’s also the class of “uncaptured wealth” — powerful politicians, contractors, ex-military officers, and civil servants turned millionaires who acquired affluence through state access and systemic loopholes. These individuals may not feature on Forbes’ list, but their impact on local economies — and their potential to lead recovery initiatives — is undeniable.

And yet, where are their efforts when the education system crumbles? Where is their outrage when children in public schools sit on bare floors or when pregnant women die for lack of 5,000 naira at understaffed primary health centres?

History has shown that when the state falters, salvation often emerges from the elite — but only when that class embraces a sense of nationhood over narrow self-interest. In post-apartheid South Africa, wealthy industrialists worked with political leaders to forestall economic collapse. In the U.S., during the Great Depression and post-WWII recovery, elite families and businesses pumped resources into national revival. In Meiji-era Japan, aristocrats and merchants helped build a modern state to avert colonization.

The difference between those countries and Nigeria today is not just leadership — it is responsibility. The Nigerian elite must ask themselves a hard question: when the history of this nation is written, will their role be described as that of watchmen who slumbered or as visionaries who arose zwhen it mattered most?

Nigeria’s rich must now do more than philanthropy. This is not a call for donations or token CSR projects that offer temporary relief. This is a call to reimagine the national enterprise — investing in public infrastructure, rebuilding education, fostering innovation hubs, supporting local agriculture, championing heathcare delivery, building more infrastructure, refineries and independent power grids, standing up for policies that benefit the majority.

It is a call for those who benefit from Nigeria’s markets, resources, and people to see nation-building not as charity but as enlightened self-interest. Because when the poor have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich — if not in violence, then in the slow erosion of the systems that protect all of us.

We cannot afford an elite class that simply outflies Nigeria’s problems in private jets or outsources their children’s future to foreign universities. The time to act is now. Not with silence, not with excuses, but with courage.

Let the rich rise. For if they don’t, Nigeria may fall beyond redemption — and their fortresses, no matter how tall, will not be enough to hold back the tide.

News

Two Schoolchildren Electrocuted In Anambra During Rainfall

Published

3 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

Tragedy struck in Nnewichi, Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday when two schoolchildren were electrocuted while taking shelter from the rain at a roadside shop.

The incident, which occurred at St. Peter’s Claver Junction, threw the community into mourning.

Eyewitnesses and CCTV footage revealed that several pupils had gathered at the shop to escape the downpour when the tragedy happened.

A resident near the scene, who pleaded anonymity, recounted, “Several pupils were taking shelter at the roadside shop during the heavy rainfall. But tragedy struck when the wet bodies of two of the schoolchildren came in contact with a live metal, and they were instantly electrocuted.”

According to witnesses, panic spread as the children collapsed instantly, while others narrowly escaped.

The shop owner was said to have not yet opened for business when the incident occurred.

“It took the intervention of some security officers and passers-by, who used protective gloves to evacuate the bodies,” another eyewitness said.

The incident came just days after a similar tragedy in the same Nnewi area, where a woman was swept away by floodwaters in the Uruagu community.

When contacted, the Anambra State Police Command spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident, noting that an investigation was underway.

“The facts are not clear yet, but the divisional police officer has been directed to find out the details for a comprehensive report,” Ikenga stated.

The latest tragedy adds to recent cases of electrocution in the state.

In May, a three-year-old girl was killed in Awka after stepping on a live cable belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.

Residents had reportedly alerted officials about the fallen high-tension wire, but it was not repaired until after the fatal incident.

A resident, identified as Uche, said, “The cable fell on Friday and wasn’t fixed until Sunday, after it had electrocuted the girl. The officials even requested ₦30,000 to fix it but didn’t show up until it was too late.”

The repeated incidents have reignited public concern over poor electricity infrastructure and safety negligence in Anambra communities.

News

Oyo Orders Traders To Vacate Airport Road In Two Weeks

Published

3 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

The Oyo State Government has issued a two-week ultimatum to traders operating along Airport Road, Old Ife Road, and Onipepeye areas of Ibadan to vacate the roadside or face enforcement action.

The directive was detailed in a Tuesday statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr. Suleimon Olanrewaju.

He warned that the state would no longer tolerate roadside trading or the placement of container shops on drainage.

According to the statement, “the government has provided markets and other designated spaces for trading across the city, making it unnecessary and unsafe for traders to occupy roadsides.”

The government said the action was necessary to safeguard lives, prevent environmental hazards, and protect public infrastructure.

It also warned that trading on walkways and blocking drainage channels increases the risk of flooding and undermines the state’s efforts to promote tourism.

“The government has a duty to protect citizens from all manner of danger,” the statement said, noting that roadside trading exposes people to serious risks.

The ultimatum expires on October 27, after which enforcement will begin.

The government said “non-compliance could lead to the confiscation of goods and prosecution of offenders.”

It appealed for cooperation from residents to ensure a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable environment in the state.

News

Admissions: Mathematics No Longer Compulsory For Arts Students, Says FG

Published

3 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

Nigerian senior secondary school students in arts and humanities will no longer be required to present a credit in mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination, organised by the West African Examination Council and National Examination Council, as a condition for admission to universities and polytechnics, the Federal Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

For years, admission seekers in arts and humanities, like their contemporaries in sciences and social sciences, have been mandated to have five credits, including mathematics and English language, to secure admission into higher institutions.

“The revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions are designed to remove barriers while maintaining academic standards.

“The new framework applies to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Academies across the country as follows:

“Universities: Minimum of five (5) credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language, obtained in not more than two sittings. Mathematics is mandatory for Science, Technology, and Social Science courses.

“Polytechnics (ND Level): Minimum of four (4) credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language for non-science courses and Mathematics for science-related programs.

“Polytechnics (HND Level): Minimum of five (5) credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

“Colleges of Education (NCE Level): Minimum of four (4) credit passes in relevant subjects, with English Language mandatory for Arts and Social Science courses, and Mathematics required for Science, Vocational, and Technical programs,” a statement by the FME’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, said.

An education analyst, Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, who spoke to our correspondent in Abuja, hailed the reform.

“This is a brilliant reform, which we hope will open the doors and improve the ease of admissions into tertiary institutions for more seekers.”

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described the reform as a deliberate effort to expand access to tertiary education.

The ministry also approved a comprehensive reform of admission entry requirements into all tertiary institutions across the country, increasing the average annual intake from about 700,000 to one million students.

According to the government, the new policy aims to expand access to higher education and create opportunities for an additional 250,000 to 300,000 admissions each year.

The minister explained that the reform became necessary after years of limited access, which left many qualified candidates unable to secure admission despite meeting the required standards.

“Every year, over two million candidates sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), yet only about 700,000 gain admission. This imbalance is not due to lack of ability but outdated and overly stringent entry requirements that must give way to fairness and opportunity.

“The reform is a deliberate effort to expand access to tertiary education, creating opportunities for an additional 250,000 to 300,000 students each year. It reflects our commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian youth has a fair chance to learn, grow, and succeed—putting the Renewed Hope Agenda into action,’’ he said.

The revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions are designed to remove barriers while maintaining academic standards.