DANGOTE: NIGERIA’S CRISIS IS NOT WEALTH, BUT PERSISTENT FAILURE OF GOVERNANCE

 3 January 2026  /  friday Blues 1-029

 

DANGOTE: NIGERIA’S CRISIS IS NOT WEALTH, BUT PERSISTENT FAILURE OF GOVERNANCE

 

by

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje

Global Health and Development Projects Consultant | Conferences Organizer | Trainer| Facilitator |

Researcher | SDGs Champion | M&E Expert | Civil Society Leader | Policy Advocate

+234 80 34 72 59 05   /   druzoadirieje2015@gmail.com

Facebook link <https://web.facebook.com/ahaejiejemba.amaruru> to receive more posts

 

 

Nigeria’s Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s recent public frustration over the growing number of private jets owned by wealthy Nigerians, set against the backdrop of mass youth unemployment and deepening poverty, has understandably resonated with many citizens. The imagery is powerful: congested airports filled with luxury aircraft, while congested streets tell stories of despair, hunger, and hopelessness. Yet, as emotionally compelling as this narrative is, it risks oversimplifying Nigeria’s crisis. The real problem confronting Nigeria is not the existence of wealthy individuals or their display of affluence; it is the persistent failure of governance.

 

It is important to state this clearly: private wealth, in itself, is not Nigeria’s enemy. In every successful economy, there are individuals of immense wealth who own private jets, luxury cars, and expansive assets. What differentiates those societies from Nigeria is not the absence of luxury, but the presence of effective, accountable, and development-oriented governance. In countries where institutions function, private wealth coexists with public prosperity. In Nigeria, private wealth flourishes alongside public deprivation because governance has failed to translate resources into shared wellbeing.

 

Nigeria is not a poor country. It is a resource-rich nation with abundant human capital, vast natural endowments, and one of Africa’s largest markets. What Nigeria lacks is not money, but competent patriotic caring leadership, policy coherence, and institutional discipline. When governance systems are weak, economic outcomes become distorted. Wealth concentrates in a few hands, not necessarily because those individuals are immoral, but because the rules of the game reward rent-seeking rather than productive investment.

 

The focus on elite consumption—private jets, Rolls-Royces, luxury lifestyles—can be emotionally satisfying, but it distracts from the structural roots of poverty. Youth unemployment in Nigeria is not primarily the result of rich people buying jets; it is the consequence of decades of policy failure, weak industrial strategy, nepotic leadership, poor education planning, collapsing infrastructure, and a business environment hostile to genuine enterprise. Without reliable power, efficient transport, fair regulation, security of lives and properties, and access to finance; while job-creating industries struggle to survive, let alone thrive.

 

Governance determines whether wealth creation becomes inclusive or extractive. Where governments invest in education, health systems, infrastructure, justice without delays, fair governance, and innovation, private capital naturally flows into productive sectors. Where governments fail, capital seeks safety, prestige, and quick returns—often abroad or in non-productive assets. In this sense, elite extravagance is not the cause of Nigeria’s underdevelopment; it is a symptom of a broken governance ecosystem.

 

Moreover, it is unrealistic to expect private individuals, no matter how wealthy, to substitute for the Government or State. Philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are valuable, but they cannot replace sound public policy. Dangote himself is a notable example of private investment creating jobs and building industrial capacity, yet even such efforts operate within the constraints of Nigeria’s governance environment. When ports are inefficient, regulations unpredictable, and security fragile, even the most patriotic investors face limits.

 

True wealth, as Dangote rightly suggests, is wealth that changes lives. But the primary mechanism for changing lives at scale is governance, not individual benevolence. Roads that work, schools that educate, hospitals that heal, electricity that works for the people, and institutions that enforce fairness are the foundations of shared prosperity. These are public goods, and their provision is the responsibility of the State.

 

The uncomfortable truth is that Nigeria’s poverty persists not because elites are too rich, but because governance has been too weak, too captured, and too disconnected from the needs of the majority. Until Nigeria fixes how it is governed—how decisions are made, how resources are allocated, and how leaders are held accountable—airports will continue to expand while opportunities shrink.

 

The challenge before Nigeria, therefore, is not to shame wealth, but to reform governance. When governance works, wealth becomes productive, inclusive, and transformative. When it fails, luxury jets multiply in the skies while poverty deepens on the ground. The choice, ultimately, is not about private jets versus public suffering; it is about whether the Nigerian leadership - President, Governors, Parliamentarians, Civil Service - is ready to build a governance system that works for all.

 

 

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is a highly experienced Global Health and Development Projects Consultant with over a decade of providing retainership, advisory services, and technical leadership to governments, donors, NGOs, and civil society platforms across Africa and beyond. A health economist, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) expert, researcher, trainer, and facilitator, he possesses strong expertise in programme design, policy analysis, and results-based management, and has very successfully delivered several health and development projects/programmes. His work spans climate change, energy transition, environmental and biodiversity sustainability, universal health coverage (UHC), and health and community systems strengthening, promoting evidence-based and scalable development solutions. Dr. Adirieje was a Technical Adviser to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s National Steering Committee for Nigeria’s Alternate School Programme. He is CEO and Programmes Director of Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), Chair of the Global Civil Society Consortium on Climate Change (GCSCCC), President of African Network of Civil Society Organizations (ANCSO), and holds multiple leadership roles in national and global civil society platforms. A prolific writer and conference organizer, he is a respected policy advocate and development leader, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s M&E and SDG implementation frameworks.