The Nigerian Project – Between Yesterday And Today’s Men
By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice
Nigeria is not a theatre for theatrics, nor should it be a stage where political actors engage in rehearsed performances, displaying their crammed dexterities for personal validation rather than national progress. The nation has been toyed with for far too long, its potential suffocated by a cycle of leadership that refuses to evolve. This moment in history demands a break from the past—a clear distinction between those who had their time and those whose time has come.
For decades, we have witnessed the recycling of leadership—figures who, having once held power, refuse to step aside, convinced that their experience makes them indispensable. But no one was born with the exclusive DNA of nation-building. Governance is not an inheritance passed down like a monarch’s crown; it is a duty that evolves with time, demanding fresh minds, new energy, and innovative approaches. The old actors, having danced to their tune, must now vacate the stage. Life itself is like the Ijele dance—grand, complex, and time-bound. No dancer remains forever at the center of the performance, lest the spectacle loses its rhythm and meaning.
Former president Muhammadu Buhari ‘s kind of existence should be studied, unlike others, he is never found in the parlour of his former abode- having played his part, he has since transitioned to a life of ‘siddon look’, watching things happen with the news guys just like it happened during his reign. He understood the place of time and the reason he continues to gyrate in the rains of respect and reverence.
The refusal of yesterday’s leaders to fully step aside has created an atmosphere of political stagnation. Instead of allowing the next generation of leaders to chart a new course, they remain as overbearing shadows—either as active participants or as kingmakers, controlling the levers of power from behind the curtain. This is not mentorship; it is an unhealthy stranglehold on the nation’s future. When you give a man goat, release the rope also- for you can’t continue to have a grip of the rope. Those who exited the seat of power just yesterday should take a back seat, they should allow the new actors act. It will cost the nation more when instead of being allowed to provide the needed expectations of governance, we spend time responding to political gimmick. Opposition in whatever form should be relaxed until the next circle of elections.
The consequences of this political redundancy are dire. It stifles innovation, discourages young, competent minds from engaging in politics, and breeds a culture where loyalty to past regimes is more valuable than competence. Leadership should be about service, not a lifelong career sustained by manipulating political structures. The argument that experience is a currency in governance is valid, but experience should guide from a place of wisdom, not dictate from a place of entitlement.
The distractions of yesterday’s men are too early and too costly. If these distractions persist, the country will suffer a fall. Leadership should not be a struggle between the past and the present but a continuum that allows fresh ideas to take root. Nigeria cannot afford to be trapped in an unending cycle of the same faces, the same ideas, and the same failed approaches. We need a conscious effort to break this cycle—to allow today’s leaders to lead, without interference from yesterday’s men who had their chance. When president Muhammadu Buhari came onboard, he never discontinued president Goodluck Jonathan ‘s policy roadmap,he sustained the template, the reason he was able to steer the national development of Nigeria.
And to the today men, have it very well that the men of yesterday are not your problems, your headache should be squarely the burden that comes with your mandate. The people are groaning from the effects of your policy reforms – particularly the hasty removal of petroleum subsidy. There is hunger in the land and your preoccupation should be how to address this impasse. Devoting your time to square up with yesterday men will amount to total distraction and waste of time.
The Nigerian project is one of renewal, one of progress. But it cannot be achieved if those who once held the reins of power refuse to let go and the new political actors are belligerent in their hold of power. It is time for a level playing ground kind of leadership, one that is not shackled by the weight of past failures but inspired by the possibilities of the future. The dance must go on, but with new dancers, new rhythm, and new energy.
Nigeria stands at a crossroads. Will we continue to relive the past, or will we embrace the future? The answer lies in our collective will to demand change, not as a performance, but as a commitment to true governance.
Critically Musing
