Former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, has lamented the decline in Nigeria’s political culture, saying the country has drifted from the modesty and service-oriented spirit of its founding fathers to an era defined by ostentatious wealth and arrogance of power.
Speaking on The Exchange podcast hosted by Femi Soneye, the 69-year-old lawyer and politician said Nigeria’s leadership ethos has changed fundamentally, citing the stark contrast between the mud house of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and the lavish lifestyles of present-day public officers.
“The defining environment for governance has been lost,” he said, adding that the political class now thrives more on display of affluence than service to the people.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s post-independence journey, Sen. Ndoma-Egba said he had witnessed the nation’s evolution from the “hopeful dawn of independence” through the civil war and years of military rule.
According to him, there was a time when Nigeria’s economy was among the fastest-growing in the world and the problem “was not money, but how to spend it.”
He attributed the country’s institutional weakness to a deep-seated cultural problem of “excessive deference to authority,” saying Nigerians have become too timid to hold leaders accountable.
“We put authority on a pedestal. Citizens hardly question those in power, and that timidity has weakened our institutions,” he lamented.
Sen. Ndoma-Egba, who became a commissioner at 26, recalled serving in a state cabinet of fewer than 10 members.
He argued that while the cost of governance remains a concern, extreme austerity can undermine efficiency.
“In my time, I handled responsibilities equivalent to more than a dozen ministries today. You can’t run a system efficiently by cutting it to the bone,” he said.
The former chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) also described the agency as a victim of political interference and bureaucratic rot.
According to him, a comprehensive master plan for the region—drawn up by experts and stakeholders—was abandoned shortly after it was launched due to “convenience and political pressure.”
He revealed that under the NDDC’s complex bureaucracy, a single payment required 62 steps, a situation he said “breeds inefficiency and corruption.”
“Corruption is opportunistic—it thrives where systems don’t work,” he said.
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Defending the National Assembly against long-standing public criticism, Sen. Ndoma-Egba revisited the “furniture allowance saga,” explaining that lawmakers had actually rejected a proposed N12 million allowance and opted for N3 million, contrary to public perception.
“The legislature has always been misunderstood. The public often sees it as an irritant rather than a necessary institution,” he noted.
Looking ahead, the senior advocate said his wish is to see a secure and prosperous Nigeria where his grandchildren can live freely.
He recalled the days when Nigerians could travel safely at night and Kano thrived with over 50 textile factories.
On the state of his home state, Cross River, Sen. Ndoma-Egba offered a candid assessment, describing the post-Donald Duke years as an “era of experimentation” that “hasn’t worked.”
He urged the current administration to “return to traditional forms of governance.”
