From Global Prestige to Local Shame: What Happened to Nigeria’s Dignity on the World Stage?

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

In March 1981, President Shehu Shagari of Nigeria arrived at Victoria Train Station in London for a four-day state visit to the United Kingdom. The reception was nothing short of royal splendour; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, his soon-to-be bride Lady Diana Spencer, Baroness Phillips and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were all present to welcome him. That singular moment was not just ceremonial pomp; it was a reflection of Nigeria’s prestige, power and promise in the international community.

Fast forward to today and one is forced to ask: What happened to Nigeria? How did we fall from the ranks of globally respected nations to a country whose citizens are routinely profiled, rejected and sometimes outright banned from entering foreign territories? How did we move from RESPECT to RIDICULE, from GRACE to DISGRACE?

A Nation Once Revered. NIGERIA was once the pride of Africa, not just because of our population or natural resources, but because we had LEADERS, SYSTEMS and a GROWING ECONOMY that INSPIRED GLOBAL ADMIRATION. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Nigeria was one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The NAIRA was STRONGER than the DOLLAR. Our UNIVERSITIES attracted INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. Our PASSPORTS opened doors. Our LEADERS spoke and the WORLD LISTENED.

President Shehu Shagari’s state visit in 1981 was not an isolated event. It was preceded by international respect for leaders like General Yakubu Gowon, who negotiated Nigeria’s foreign debt with honour; Murtala Mohammed, whose revolutionary speech at the OAU in 1976 shook the Western world and changed Africa’s posture on colonialism; and Olusegun Obasanjo, whose handover to a civilian government in 1979 won international accolades. These were the days when Nigeria led PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS, MEDIATED AFRICAN CONFLICTS and SPOKE BOLDLY on the GLOBAL STAGE.

The Downward Spiral, but all that changed; FIRST SLOWLY, then ALL AT-ONCE. A toxic COCKTAIL of MILITARY COUPS, ENDEMIC CORRUPTION, TRIBALISM, POOR LEADERSHIP and INSTITUTIONAL DECAY dragged Nigeria into the abyss. By the mid-1990s, under the repressive dictatorship of General Sani Abacha, Nigeria had become a PARIAH STATE. Political assassinations, looted billions and human rights violations earned us international sanctions. From being a beacon of African potential, NIGERIA became the very cautionary tale foreign diplomats used in LECTURES on BAD GOVERNANCE.

Today, the average Nigerian passport ranks among the weakest in the world, the naira has lost over 95% of its value since 1981. Unemployment, insecurity, and inflation have skyrocketed. Our universities are underfunded, our hospitals understaffed and our roads resemble scenes from post-apocalyptic films.

What Exactly Changed?

Leadership Quality: The calibre of our leaders has significantly declined. While past leaders were not saints, they were often visionary and patriotic. Today, leadership is often reduced to ethnic calculations, vote-buying, godfatherism and sheer incompetence. As Prof. P.L.O. Lumumba puts it, “Africa is not poor, it is poorly led.” Nigeria is the poster child of that tragic truth.

Corruption as Culture: What used to be isolated cases of greed is now a systemised structure of plunder. From budget padding to contract inflation, stolen funds are hidden in foreign bank accounts while citizens die of preventable diseases. According to Transparency International, Nigeria ranks among the most corrupt countries in the world, hovering around 145 out of 180 countries.

Loss of Institutional Integrity: In the past, the Nigerian Civil Service, judiciary and military were strong institutions. Today, they have been politicised and compromised. Elections are rigged with impunity. Judges are bought. Legislators are puppets of their party leaders. As Chinua Achebe once noted, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.”

Ethnic and Religious Division: Unlike the unified front we presented in the 70s and 80s, today Nigeria is a fragmented nation. Every issue is filtered through a tribal or religious lens. Meritocracy has been sacrificed on the altar of federal character and political zoning. The result? Mediocrity in governance and national disunity.

Brain Drain: The best Nigerian doctors, engineers, academics and entrepreneurs now live and work abroad. In 2023 alone, over 1,200 Nigerian-trained doctors relocated to the UK. Why? Because Nigeria has become hostile to excellence. A nation that does not reward its brightest minds is digging its own grave.

Echoes from the Past
Consider this: during President Shagari’s 1981 visit, Nigeria had one of the largest foreign reserves in Africa. We were building the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, developing the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja and had the Nigerian Airways as one of Africa’s largest airlines. Today, we can barely generate stable electricity or process a national budget without drama.

What would past leaders like Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, or even Aminu Kano say if they saw the Nigeria of today? A nation rich in oil, but poor in power supply. A country with over 200 million citizens, but led by a recycled elite class, many of whom have never stood in a queue or used a public hospital.

The Way Forward. The good news is this: Nigeria is not a hopeless country. It requires radical reforms, starting with:

RESTORING ELECTORAL INTEGRITY: Until votes truly count, leaders will never be accountable. Electoral reforms, including the full implementation of electronic voting and independent electoral tribunals, are non-negotiable.

MERIT-BASED LEADERSHIP: We must stop voting based on tribe or religion. Nigeria needs competent, visionary and honest leaders regardless of ethnicity.

PATRIOTIC RE ORIENTATION: Citizens must stop glorifying wealth without origin. Corrupt officials should be shamed not celebrated.

INVEST in EDUCATION and INNOVATION: No nation develops by ignoring its brains. We must fund our universities, support local research and stop brain drain.

INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING: From the police to the judiciary, institutions must be empowered and depoliticised. Justice must be blind not biased.

REBUILD NATIONAL IMAGE: Nigeria needs a strategic global rebranding effort. Just like Rwanda rose from genocide to global admiration, Nigeria can reclaim her lost glory with deliberate diplomacy and economic reforms.

Powerful Voices Speak
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, former World Bank VP, once stated: “The greatest tragedy in Nigeria is that we have normalised failure. We are not angry enough.” That anger, that righteous indignation, must now fuel a national rebirth. Renowned Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka puts it bluntly: “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.” Nigerians must stop keeping quiet. From the diaspora to the local village council, we must all rise to demand better.

Final Analysis: Can We Rise Again? Yes, we can, but only if we stop romanticising the past and start reinventing the future. Nostalgia alone won’t save us. We need structural change, leadership overhaul and a citizenry that refuses to be docile. The memory of Shehu Shagari’s glorious visit in 1981 should inspire us, not depress us. It is proof that Nigeria once commanded global respect. And that respect can return, but only if we change course today.

Until then, the world will continue to ask, “WHAT HAPPENED to NIGERIA?” And we, the people, must find the courage to answer truthfully and act decisively.

Written by George Omagbemi Sylvester
Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

KEMI OOMOALE BADENOUGH: A LIAR BY NO OTHER NAME by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

“I attended a Federal Government College in a place called Sagamu in Nigeria. It was a like a prison. It was like ‘Lord of the Flies’ where the students were in control of everything and we operated a socialist system. There were thirty of us in one room. They made us cut grass with cutlasses because nobody else would do it. We also washed toilets without any water. I won’t say much about that aspect but it was grotty”- Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the British Conservative Party, 1st August 2025.

Barely two weeks after peddling the specious lie and reckless falsehood that her children were denied Nigerian citizenship because, according to her, our nation does not grant citizenship to the children of Nigerian mothers and foreign fathers, Kemi Oomoale Badenough has once again dropped a foul and mendacious clanger about Nigeria.

This time she spoke about her supposed experiences at a Nigerian school and thereby confirmed the fact that she is an affliction and a plague.

Honestly if this creature were to tell me that it was day outside I would have to assume that it was night. She is simply incapable of telling the truth.

Lying, character assasination and slander comes naturally to her: it is deeply embedded in her genes, her pysche, her spirit and her soul.

Like her father satan she was a liar and a murderer from the start and she knows nothing but lies.

This strange woman is indeed the proverbial liar from the pit of hell.

She is the darkness that seeks the darkness: the serpent that is devoid of truth and that seeks to do nothing but spread its poisonous and deadly venom and to steal, kill and destroy.

In addition to her perfidious disposition, she has publicly stated that she no longer ‘identifies with Nigeria’ and consequently she should have her Nigerian passport revoked, she should formally be declared ‘persona non grata’ and she should be banned from ever setting her foot in our shores again.

Her obsession with not just demarketing but actually destroying Nigeria and decimating the image of the Nigerian people borders on the pathological and at this point I am constrained to question her sanity.

She is indeed the proverbial lunatic and the village idiot all rolled into one.

She has done much damage to our nation and it is time for us to stop treating her with kid gloves, fight back, expose her for the lying, mendacious, villanous and vile creature that she is and put her in her place.

It is most inappropriate to continue to take her lightly and ignore her constant attacks and misrepresentation of our people because, by her actions and words, she has wilfully and systematically held herself out as the primary and principal enemy of Nigeria and will take every opportunity to destroy our aspirations and fortunes.

We cannot continue to fold our arms and watch her denigrate and destroy us.

It is time to bring out the big guns, vigorously and aggressively challenge her malevolent fabrications and malicious mendacities and expose her for what she is: a sick and racially conflicted young lady who hates the color of her own skin, who suffers from low self-esteem, who despises her ancestors and her parents heritage and who is in great need of psychiatric evaluation and medical attention.

As Paul the Apostle said of Alexander the Coppersmith in 2 Timothy 4:14, she “has done us much harm, may the Lord repay her according to her works” and as he said of another in 1 Corinthians 5 we hereby “hand her body over to satan that her soul may be preserved”.

(Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Sadaukin Shinkafi)

Gbolahan Adetayo Pens Explosive Open Letter to Ministry of Education Over Kindergarten ‘Graduations’

In an emotionally charged and eye-opening appeal, renowned Nigerian journalist, actor, and filmmaker, Gbolahan Adetayo, has issued a public call to the Federal Ministry of Education and State Ministries of Education across Nigeria, urging them to urgently review and regulate the now-commercialized culture of graduation ceremonies in schools, particularly in nursery and primary institutions.

Reflecting on the good old days of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, Adetayo lamented the rapid shift from meaningful school send-offs to what he described as exploitative and unnecessary class-to-class graduations. According to him, graduation ceremonies were once reserved for Primary 6 pupils, SS3 students, and university graduates, a tradition that carried deep meaning and pride for both students and parents.

“In those days, graduations were about legacy, celebration of hard work, and a mark of academic progress. Parents were proud, schools organized modest but memorable ceremonies, and children were truly moving to another academic phase,” he wrote.

However, the current trend, Adetayo said, has turned graduations into an annual fundraising scheme by many private—and now even public—schools. He decried the disturbing development where children in Kindergarten 1 are being made to ‘graduate’ to Kindergarten 2 with ceremonies that demand heavy levies for gowns, decoration, food, entertainment, photo sessions, and more.

“This culture is not just ridiculous, it’s wicked. Parents are forced to pay for graduation parties every year, from crèche to the university. This cycle has driven many into debts, unnecessary stress, and in some tragic cases, pushed struggling single mothers into prostitution just to meet up with societal pressure,” he wrote.

Adetayo noted that what was once a beautiful celebration of achievement has now become a burden, with parents expected to throw parties, buy expensive outfits, and contribute to flamboyant events, only to resume in two weeks to pay for the next school term.

He emphasized that the current economic realities in Nigeria do not support such luxuries, especially when millions of families are struggling to survive.

“The Ministry of Education must rise to the occasion. This trend must stop. Let’s return to when graduation was a big deal, not a financial trap. I am calling on relevant authorities to make it mandatory that only Primary 6, SS3, and final-year University students should hold graduation ceremonies. Of course, I won’t go into the spiritual implications of this act for now, as it is a deep topic on its own, one that requires ample time to properly explain to many parents.”

He added that allowing every class to “graduate” diminishes the significance of true academic progress and sends the wrong message to children about the value of hard work and milestones.

Gbolahan Adetayo’s heartfelt message serves as a wake-up call to policymakers, education stakeholders, and school owners to stop commercializing education at the expense of innocent families.

He concluded with a final word to the Ministry:

“This is no longer just a school issue, it is a national concern. Our education system should uplift, not drain. I urge you to act now before this cultural cancer spreads beyond repair.”