International Multimedia Journalist and Former BBC Correspondent, Donu Kogbara has faulted Nigerians for what she described as a culture of under-reacting to major injustices and atrocities, arguing that widespread apathy has weakened collective resistance to wrongdoing.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, she said that the failure of citizens to consistently challenge or mobilise against governance issues has contributed to their persistence, insisting that greater civic responsibility and public pushback are necessary to drive change.
“I blame Nigerians—the masses, the majority, the followers—because it’s true that our heads of state, our governors, tend to behave like rulers rather than democratic partners or serious governance merchants. I’m sorry to say this, because there are Nigerians who are not stupid, who are not lazy, who are not cowardly, who are not whatever it is that keeps people silent in the face of oppression and injustice. But there’s a shortage of outrage. Nigerians under-react to outstanding atrocities. So I can tell you a thousand things that are wrong with President Tinubu, that were wrong with President Buhari, even as far back as Goodluck Jonathan, my own brother, but I’ve now realized that it’s our fault for not fighting back,” she noted.
Kogbara said Nigeria has experienced a steady decline since the era of former President Goodluck Jonathan, arguing that the situation has worsened significantly over time.
“I did mention Goodluck Jonathan, and I want to make it very clear that I think there’s been a steady downward trajectory since then. I’m not putting him on the same level; things are getting worse—much, much worse,” she lamented.
She criticised the current administration’s “Renewed Hope” slogan, describing it as misleading in light of worsening insecurity, including cases of child soldiers and widespread abductions. Kogbara stressed that the growing insecurity reflects a deepening national crisis affecting all levels of society.
“And this ‘Renewed Hope’? You people had better stop trying to deceive everybody. It’s ‘Renewed Shame.’ Renewed nonsense. We have child soldiers. We have children being abducted. There’s no form of insecurity that is not commonplace,” she said.
Kogbara further raised alarm over the state of security in Bromley State, North-east Nigeria, saying a security consultant claims Boko Haram controls parts of the state’s airspace, and urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider hiring mercenaries to bolster security.
“A security consultant friend of mine has just come back from the Northeast, and he says that Boko Haram control the airspace over Borno. That is really frightening. His belief is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not be too ashamed to hire mercenaries,” she revealed.
The former BBC Correspondent clarified that she is not a member of any political party, describing herself as a journalist and activist who aligns with the opposition.
“I’ve never joined. I’m just a journalist. I’m just an activist. I reserve the right to turn against the ADC if they annoy me. Indeed, I’m like Buhari, I belong to everybody and nobody. So at the moment, I’m with the opposition,” she stated.
She urged opposition forces, including the ADC to become more organised and united if they hope to challenge the current administration, criticising ongoing internal divisions and lack of coordination among political actors and activists.
“What I would say is that the Nigerian opposition really, really needs to get its act together if it wants to unseat this hydra-headed gentleman who is running this country and literally sucking the oxygen out of the democratic space. If the opposition in this country actually—if we want to make an impact, people have got to get serious,” she stressed.
Addressing opposition parties in Nigeria, Kogbara urged the opposition, including the ADC, to adopt greater discipline and unity, drawing comparisons to the merger process that led to the formation of the APC in 2013.
“What I’m trying to say is that I do think on the whole that the opposition people are better, but they are not angels and they need to get their act together. They need to also take a leaf out of President Tinubu’s book. In 2013, the discipline displayed by the ACN people and the CPC people as they came together to form one entity. We have a lot to learn from that. Now, of course, it’s different when you have several different individuals trying to form a new political party as opposed to two political parties that already have structures coming together; this is a much more complicated process,” she noted.
Adding, Kogbara said opposition groups must put aside personal differences and learn from past successful political coalitions if they hope to effectively challenge the current administration.
“I’m just begging the opposition: please don’t disgrace me. You know, some of us have a reputation. Some of us genuinely want change. So not just me, but quite a few of us. Put your egos to one side and copy the discipline that Tinubu and co. displayed in 2013. Do you think Tinubu didn’t want to be president that time? He did. I know, I was there with Amaechi in those days. I watched the process at close quarters. Do you think that Tinubu or Buhari liked everybody who was in their camp? I’m sure they didn’t. In fact, a lot of them had nothing in common, but they still managed to blend in a very effective way. And that’s what I would like the ADC to do,” she urged.
Responding to speculations that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is aligning with Peter Obi as a running mate, Donu Kogbara said such a move would be significant, noting reports of a mobilisation effort supporting the pairing.
“I think it would be very significant. And I can tell you, funnily enough, today I was approached by a lady—a doctor in Lagos—who is running something called the OK Movement, O for Obi, K for Kwankwaso, OK Movement. And she wanted to solicit my support and she indicated that there was some such formal agreement that is imminent. So I believe that that may happen. I can’t say for sure. And I think it’ll be a good thing,” she said.
She added that despite tensions between their respective supporters, the alliance could be politically effective if well managed, given their strong regional followings.
“A lot of Obidients don’t like Kwankwaso, and a lot of Kwankwaso people don’t like Obidients, but they just have to manage themselves because just like any alliance, they have to manage themselves, right? So Kwankwaso has a great following in the North, at least in Kano; we know Peter Obi’s antecedents, so yes, I think it could work,” Kogbara reiterated.
Kogbara said she believes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could play a unifying role in the opposition but urged him to step aside from frontline presidential ambition and support younger candidates instead.
“I think I’ve met all the leading lights, and I actually like Atiku as a person, and I supported him in 2019. But I would like to plead with him. I would like to beg Atiku to step aside and let the younger ones run this show with his support, his statesmanlike support. Let him be the person who makes this happen. Let that be his swan song. Because the way he’s carrying on now—I don’t doubt that he could get the ADC nomination, I’m not sure, but it’s very possible—he’s basically a very handy tool for the APC. You know, I’m begging Atiku, honestly, and I say this with respect and without malice: step down, please. Your Excellency, step down,” she pleaded.
Reacting to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Kogbara said she is disappointed with its performance, arguing that it has fallen short of expectations despite his perceived intellectual and organisational capacity.
“I think that for a man who definitely has intellectual capacity and organizational skills, Tinubu’s performance is shockingly bad. It’s an absolute disgrace,” she stated.
She criticised the focus on macroeconomic indicators, insisting that ordinary Nigerians are more concerned with the impact of policies on their daily lives.
“I keep on hearing about all these World Bank, IMF, ‘oh, they’re doing so well macroeconomics.’ The average person in this country doesn’t care about that kind of rhetoric. That’s true. We are not interested in trickle-up economics; we want trickle-down.”
Kogbara also accused the administration of lacking empathy and raised concerns over governance and contract processes, expressing shock at what she described as underwhelming leadership outcomes.
“So what I would say is that I’m actually shocked that Tinubu doesn’t have more empathy, more interest in the ordinary people in this country. He’s got so many dubious sidekicks and cronies doing contracts without due process, and I’m just really disappointed in him, actually, because even though I didn’t support him in 2023, I thought that he would do better than this,” she concluded.
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