It all began with an afternoon of catching up. My old university friend and I started with light banter, sharing laughs over our campus memories, late-night study sessions, and the endless inside jokes. But, as conversations often do, ours shifted, taking us back even further—to our secondary school literature classes. We found ourselves talking about the impact of those books, the lessons hidden in pages we once read just to pass exams. Little did we know then how much they’d come to mean.
One book we discussed, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah, struck a chord. Though written years ago, its message still speaks to the realities we see around us today. The novel explores life in post-colonial Ghana, where the dream of freedom from colonial rule clashes with the harshness of everyday struggles, a place where corruption is the norm, and honest people feel isolated. Ghana’s story back then feels all too familiar for us in Nigeria today.
Nigeria, like Armah’s Ghana, is waiting for its own “beautiful ones”—leaders who can bring about real change. Each election, we’re offered new promises, fresh faces, and hopeful visions. Yet somehow, the story remains the same. The leadership we hoped would lift the country up often ends up repeating old patterns. Our faith is tested when those who seemed different turn out to be no different at all. The cycles continue, and the same issues persist.
In Armah’s book, the main character—a regular man just trying to make an honest living—finds himself alone in a society that seems to reward deceit. He struggles to stay true to himself in a world that often punishes integrity. In many ways, Nigerians today feel like that character. We want to believe in a brighter future, but it’s hard when we see the same struggles with corruption, lack of security, and slow progress.
But here’s the thing: while it’s easy to feel discouraged, waiting for “beautiful” leaders to appear, the solution might not lie in waiting at all. Real change doesn’t come from one leader or one election. It’s built over time, by everyone who refuses to settle for less. If we want a Nigeria that’s fairer, safer, and more prosperous, each of us has a part to play in holding leaders accountable, pushing for a system where honesty is rewarded, and ensuring we build a space where integrity can thrive.
The 'beautiful ones' may not yet be in office, but their absence should spur us into action, not despair. It is a call to nurture a new generation of leaders who hold transparency, honesty, and a genuine commitment to the public good as their guiding principles.
Our journey toward a brighter Nigeria does not rest solely in the hands of future leaders; it rests in the collective strength of a nation determined to demand better, to expect more, and to shape a reality where the 'beautiful ones' are not just characters in a novel, but leaders on the stage of our country’s future.
In this shared resolve lies Nigeria's best hope for the journey ahead, for the path toward the promised land.
*Contributed by Dolapo Otegbayi, who is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Lagos-based DKO Consulting. Connect with her on LinkedIn or reach out at dolapo@dkoconsulting.com.
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