By Dr. Michael Omoruyi | iNewsAfrica
In an age when nations are racing to harness artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital innovation, Nigeria remains trapped in a pitiful paradox — a country rich in potential but led by small-minded politics. Across states and local governments, politicians are staging grotesque “empowerment” ceremonies, where the measure of progress is not technology, innovation, or opportunity, but the distribution of wheelbarrows, and grinding machines to citizens in the 21st century.
This is not empowerment. It is humiliation packaged as charity.
The Politics of Poverty and the Theater of Deception
For decades, Nigerian politicians have mastered the art of manipulating poverty to maintain control. They distribute tokens — wheelbarrows, motorbikes, and cooking stoves — not to uplift the people, but to remind them of their dependence. These acts of “benevolence” are often accompanied by photo ops, inflated budgets, and political slogans that mock the intelligence of citizens.
In a country where youth unemployment hovers above 40%, where millions of graduates roam the streets without meaningful jobs, it is insulting that elected officials still equate economic empowerment with the distribution of hand tools. These politicians are not solving poverty; they are institutionalizing it.
The World Is Building the Future — Nigeria Is Building Wheelbarrows
While Rwanda invests in drone technology and Kenya advances in fintech innovation, Nigeria’s leadership class is content to perpetuate medieval politics. The world is discussing quantum computing, space exploration, and blockchain governance, yet Nigerian communities are celebrating the donation of tricycles and barrows as though they were national achievements.
This backward political culture has become a stain on our collective dignity. Instead of investing in digital literacy, innovation hubs, AI training, and industrial skill programs, public funds are wasted on symbolic “empowerment” schemes that yield no measurable impact. It is no wonder that the brightest Nigerian youths now seek greener pastures abroad — not because they lack patriotism, but because their country refuses to grow up.
It’s Time to Call Them Out
We must name and shame this primitive politics. Nigerians must reject leaders who think wheelbarrows are the key to prosperity. We must expose the hypocrisy of those who ride in bulletproof SUVs while handing out barrows to people who can’t afford food.
True empowerment in the 21st century means technology training, innovation incubation, venture funding, and education reform. It means connecting rural children to the internet, teaching coding instead of cutting ribbons, and building platforms that prepare citizens for the digital economy — not pushing them deeper into menial survival.
A Call for a New Empowerment Vision
Nigeria’s leaders must shift from “tools of poverty” to “tools of progress.” Empowerment should not be about optics; it should be about opportunity. Every state government should adopt digital upskilling policies, establish innovation centers, and collaborate with the private sector to create employment pipelines in technology, agriculture, and renewable energy.
The future will not wait for Nigeria. The fourth industrial revolution is already here — powered by data, artificial intelligence, and digital inclusion. Any leader still distributing wheelbarrows in this century is a relic of failure and an enemy of national progress.
About the Author:
Dr. Michael Omoruyi is a technologist, author of “From Grit to Grace,” and founder of iNewsAfrica. He advocates for digital literacy, ethical governance, and African innovation as catalysts for continental transformation.
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