Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has pointed to Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s failed presidential ambition as a turning point in Nigeria’s history, asserting that the nation missed its best chance at transformational leadership.

According to him, the democratic experiment has failed the masses largely because the electorate themselves have undermined the ideals of good governance.

Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, aired on Channels TV on Sunday, Shittu described Awolowo as “one of the most visionary leaders Nigeria has ever produced,” lamenting that the country’s development would have taken a radically different path if Awolowo had become president.

“Nigeria missed it when late Chief Obafemi Awolowo lost his attempt to become president,” Shittu stated. “Because, if you know how he governed the Western Region, his philosophy was ‘life more abundant’.

“In the process of getting that done, he made education free and compulsory. He made healthcare readily available and free. If you can sustain all of these at the national level, for a period of 5 to 10 years, people will be able to reason correctly.”

He emphasised that Awolowo’s approach to governance, focused on human capital development through free education and accessible healthcare, would have laid the groundwork for inclusive national growth had it been replicated across the country.

But Shittu turned the spotlight on the people, saying Nigeria’s democratic setbacks stem from a population that often enables misgovernance.

“Over the years, even the Nigerian population has not helped matters,” he said. “You will recall that for the past 25 years or thereabouts, we have had an experiment with democracy.

“From my personal experience, when you go to the ordinary man who bears the brunt of the misgovernance of this country, no matter your quality, no matter what you propose to do in terms of qualitative governance, if you go to seek their assistance or support, instead of asking ‘What will you do if we vote you in?’, they are more concerned about ‘What did you bring for us?’”

He decried the deep entrenchment of transactional politics among the electorate, adding that poverty has skewed the people’s understanding of governance. “It’s become a tradition over the years,” he lamented.

“Of course, poverty has contributed to the perspective that the ordinary Nigerian has today. Over the years, they’ve not really enjoyed good governance. They don’t even know what good governance implies.”

Shittu concluded with a call for reawakening among Nigerians, urging both the electorate and political actors to prioritise long-term policy-driven leadership over immediate personal gain. Only then, he said, can the promise of democracy be truly realised.