By Paul Joseph
Gesiye Angaye, a former Commissioner for Planning and Budget in Bayelsa State, has urged Nigeria’s political leaders to prioritize the safety and welfare of citizens over personal ambitions, cautioning that the nation is grappling with a severe moral and governance crisis.
Angaye, who is also a professor of economics, voiced his worries about the escalating issues of insecurity, hunger, unemployment, and poverty throughout the country.
He pointed out that while ordinary Nigerians struggle to survive, many politicians seem detached from the harsh realities faced by the populace.
Speaking in Yenagoa late Monday, the elder statesman from Okoloba in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area criticized what he sees as a troubling contradiction in Nigeria’s political environment.
He noted that while citizens mourn those lost to violence and endure economic hardships, politicians are preoccupied with celebrations and early campaigning for the 2027 general elections.
In a presentation titled “Dancing on the Graves of Moral Collapse, Elite Indifference, and the Crisis of State Responsibility in Nigeria,” the nonagenarian scholar expressed his dismay over the rampant kidnapping, banditry, and violent attacks that have left many Nigerians living in fear.
He emphasized that the government’s primary duty is to safeguard lives and property.
“When citizens cannot travel safely, farm without fear, or send their children to school securely, then the government has failed in its fundamental responsibility,” he stated.
Angaye contended that hunger in Nigeria is not an unavoidable disaster but a consequence of poor policies. Despite the country’s wealth in oil and gas resources, fertile land, and a large workforce, millions of Nigerians still struggle to afford basic meals.
He also warned that fear and intimidation are increasingly silencing citizens, many of whom are now reluctant to speak out about the nation’s challenges. “Democracy loses its meaning when citizens cannot freely express their views. Silence should never be mistaken for consent,” he asserted.
The former commissioner lamented that politics in Nigeria has devolved into a competition for power, privilege, and personal gain rather than a commitment to service and compassion.
He accused some political elites of viewing human lives as expendable, politicizing insecurity, exploiting poverty, and reducing deaths to mere statistics.
He described the early focus on the 2027 elections amidst widespread suffering as a disturbing moral inversion, where the quest for power overshadows the value of preserving life.
“This paper is written not out of hatred for Nigeria, but out of love and responsibility,” Angaye remarked. “Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. Speaking calmly, truthfully, and courageously is both a civic and moral duty.”
He called on governments at all levels to restore empathy in leadership and to prioritize the sanctity of human life as the highest value.
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