Nigeria’s governance crisis requires bold judicial, political reforms –Okechukwu
Businessman-turned-politician, Mr. Kelvin Chinedu Okechukwu, has said Nigeria’s judicial and political systems require far-reaching reforms to address the deepening governance challenges and strengthen democratic institutions across the country.
However, he attributed the problems to indiscipline among the leaders and citizens across all sectors, adding that the country needs reforms to function properly.
Okechukwu, a businessman with interests in maritime logistics and hospitality, who spoke with Daily Sun, said Nigeria requires reforms anchored on fairness, firmness and proportionality rather than political power struggles, saying that Nigeria can go on autopilot if things are properly aligned.
He said the nation needs a new political movement driven by fresh ideas, discipline and broad-based reforms to rescue Nigeria from decades of poor governance, as he revealed plans to float a new political movement in 2031
He noted that the current political leaders lack the right ideologies required to run the affairs of the country, saying that there is an urgent need to reform the nation’s institutions to address the inconsistencies in the judiciary system.
“Nigeria as a country is not disciplined. Some people say it is corruption but it is just a little part of it. When you talk of corruption, people look at the politicians, people in government and civil servants. But when I talk of indiscipline, it encompasses every Nigerian, both the leaders and the citizens,” he added.
Meanwhile, he criticised the nation’s political class for lacking clear ideological direction, saying that most parties make identical campaign promises without offering concrete reform agendas.
“In Nigeria, our politicians don’t have ideology. They all say the same thing. I will build roads, I will fight corruption.’ What they should focus on is reform. They don’t know the problem of Nigeria. All of them just want to be in power. None of them has any idea on how to fix Nigeria,” he said.
He said due to inconsistencies in the nation’s justice system, punishments are not meted out to government officials or ordinary citizens who commit crimes, insisting it is the starting point for national transformation.
“People commit crime, no punishment. Government workers can do anything and go free. What we cannot try in other countries, we do here in Nigeria and go free. And how will things work well? People who are in prison are people that cannot afford bail. Out of 80,000, only 30,000 people are trial convicts. The other 50,000 are awaiting trial and are assumed innocent.
“So, I want to tell Nigerians that I’m coming to overhaul the judicial system. Make sure we have free and fair trials. Quick dispensation of justice. Once we get the justice system right, I believe we can get other things right. Nigeria’s challenges will not be solved by zoning the presidency; comprehensive reforms are more important to national development,” he explained.
He argued that while zoning promotes inclusiveness in a diverse country like Nigeria, it is not the root cause of the nation’s problems.
He said: “Zoning is not the problem of Nigeria. Whether they zone or not; that is not the problem. We are talking about zoning because things are not working well.”
He noted that countries where institutions function effectively do not make leadership rotation a major issue, stressing that Nigerians are more concerned about access to power because governance has failed to deliver equitable development.
However, he distanced himself from personal political ambition, saying his primary objective is to promote an ideology of reform rather than seek elective office.
“I’m not power hungry. What I want for Nigeria is my ideology to sell. It’s not a must that I must be there for this idea to work,” he added.
He disclosed that he had begun mobilising like-minded Nigerians to build a movement around his reform agenda, expressing confidence that the ideology would gain wider acceptance in the coming years.
