OPEN LETTER TO THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AND ALL CITIZENS
October 1, 2025
Fellow Nigerians, Esteemed Leaders of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Today, as we mark the 65th anniversary of our independence from colonial bondage, a bitter irony hangs heavy in the air. Sixty-five years ago, we cast off the chains of foreign taskmasters, dreaming of a nation where justice, equity, and prosperity would flourish for all.
Yet here we stand—not as a beacon of African pride, but as a tragic paradox: a land of unimaginable wealth squandered by the greed of those sworn to serve it. Our story is not one of progress, but of plunder—a nation blessed with abundance, yet its people perish in penury.
I write this letter not as a whisper of despair, but as a thunderous challenge: Why do you, our so-called leaders, treat citizens as modern-day slaves, worse than the colonial overlords whose yokes we shattered? Your betrayal is deeper than 1960’s bondage, for it comes from within, dressed in the garb of democracy.
THE OIL CURSE OF GREED
Nigeria ranks among the world’s top oil exporters, pumping over 1.5 million barrels daily. Yet our people queue endlessly for fuel, crushed by outrageous prices. Why? Because our refineries rot while we export crude and import refined products at staggering cost.
Billions vanish into private pockets, while Transparency International ranks Nigeria near the bottom for corruption. Our leaders swim in yachts and mansions abroad, while mothers boil stones to deceive hungry children.
HUNGER IN A LAND OF PLENTY
We sit atop treasures—oil, bitumen, gold, diamonds, fertile farmlands—yet 84 million Nigerians languish in poverty, and over 33 million face hunger in 2025. Food inflation cripples families, leaving parents to choose between bread and medicine.
Our agriculture, which could feed Africa, is abandoned. Farmers flee bandit-ravaged lands while we import rice and wheat. This is the curse of the 1%: rulers who feast while the majority starve.
A NATION HELD HOSTAGE BY BANDITS
Terrorists and bandits roam like conquerors, abducting children, burning churches, and butchering villagers. In Zamfara alone, over 50 were abducted in one sweep. Across Nigeria, thousands are kidnapped yearly, ransoms bleeding families dry.
Christians are massacred in their thousands; churches razed to ashes. Instead of eliminating these criminals, government hosts “peace talks” with warlords, granting them tribute, while true patriots rot in DSS cells without trial. This is not governance—it is gangsterism.
THE SILENCE OF THE OPPRESSED
When Americans were kidnapped in 2019, their government rescued them within 96 hours. But when Nigerians are kidnapped daily, their leaders shrug and silence activists who protest.
Citizens calling for reform are jailed, while bandits are rehabilitated and rewarded.
Closed mouths beget closed destinies. Silence is no longer an option.
MY CHALLENGE TO THE LEADERS
-
Repair our refineries and stop the hemorrhage.
-
Harness our wealth for the people, not private pockets.
-
Crush banditry with decisive force.
-
Prosecute looters and return stolen billions to rebuild hospitals, schools, and roads.
If you cannot, step aside.
For as Proverbs 29:1-2 declares:
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”
MY CALL TO CITIZENS
Arise, Nigerians! Do not sell your votes for 5,000 naira. Do not trade your children’s destiny for a bag of rice. Resist manipulation. Stand united against tyranny.
We are not cattle to be herded; we are the sovereign. If leaders refuse reform, summon the conscience of the world. Let human rights defenders, the United Nations, and international voices hear our cry.
Nigeria shall not remain a slaughterhouse. Righteousness will yet exalt this land.
A PROPHETIC CHARGE
I write not as a rebel, but as a reformer.
Not as a hater of Nigeria, but as one who bleeds for her soul.
Let this be recorded in Heaven: I have spoken truth to power.
Agbofinro Olodumare
MD, Truth Star Broadcasting Corporation
Cofounder, Africa Rights Defender (ARD)