Henry Olofin is a United States–based entrepreneur and consultant who has never lost his passion for Nigeria. Despite living overseas, he remains deeply concerned about the direction of his native country. In this interview with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, Olofin warns that until Nigerians change their mindset and rediscover patriotism, no reform or leader can move the nation forward.
Looking at Nigeria’s situation today, what exactly worries you most about the country?
What worries me most is our attitude, both leaders and followers. A shift in mindset is necessary for Nigeria to advance. Otherwise, we’ll keep going in circles.
People often blame our leaders for everything, but the truth is that the followers are not any better. The same attitudes we condemn in our leaders exist in our homes, offices, churches, and communities.
Whenever I visit Nigeria, I hear people say, “Our leaders are corrupt.” But who are these leaders? They came from among us. They were once followers before they became leaders. They learned their behaviour from the same society we all live in.
If you put many of the people complaining in positions of power today, most would probably do worse. That’s the painful truth.
We all have to look in the mirror. The country will not change until we change — how we think, how we act, how we treat one another, and how we see public service.
Are you saying that both the leaders and the people have the wrong attitude toward politics and governance?
Exactly. For most politicians, politics has become a business; a route to power and wealth, rather than a call to serve.
The moment someone wins an election or gets an appointment, the expectation from family and friends is that money will start flowing through inflated contracts, handouts, or patronage.
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And for the average citizen, the mindset isn’t much better. During elections, people demand money before they vote, saying, “At least let’s collect something now, because once they win, we won’t see them again.”
That’s a transactional view of politics. No nation can progress with such thinking. Politics must be about accountability and service, not money and connections.
Service to the nation isn’t a favour; it’s a responsibility. If you take a public job, do it well and take pride in it. If you think your salary is too small, look for another job — don’t use public office as a place to extort people.
How does this attitude affect ordinary services and the economy?
You can see it everywhere: at airports, in ministries, in police stations, even in small businesses. People act like they are doing you a favour by simply doing their job. That’s not service; that’s arrogance.
In many countries, business thrives because people understand that service creates trust, and trust brings profit. Here, it’s the opposite. Nigerians want to make all their profit in one day.
During festive seasons, instead of prices going down, they go up. In developed economies, they reduce prices to drive sales and increase turnover. That’s how wealth is built — through consistency and integrity, not greed.
Until we change that mindset, Nigeria will remain “potentially great” but never truly open for business or tourism, despite all our natural advantages.
You’ve also spoken about the lack of national unity. What exactly do you mean?
We don’t think of ourselves as Nigerians first. It’s always, “I’m Yoruba,” “I’m Igbo,” “I’m Hausa.” Even in politics, we talk about zoning — “It’s the turn of this region or that tribe.”
Leadership should never be about where someone comes from, but what they can offer. This obsession with ethnicity has destroyed our sense of nationhood.
We must build a Nigeria where competence matters more than tribe or religion. That’s the only way forward.
What particular mental shifts do you want Nigerians to adopt as we approach another election cycle?
We need to institutionalise our political system. Former President Goodluck Jonathan once said we must build institutions, not individuals — and he was right.
Today, everything revolves around personalities. Once a leader leaves, all their projects and ideas die with them. We must build systems that survive leadership changes.
Second, we must end money politics. Elections have become investments for the rich. People buy votes and see political office as a way to recover their “investment.” That’s why honest, capable Nigerians stay away from politics.
Until we separate money from politics, nothing will change.
Third — and this is very important — we must choose service over materialism. Nigerians equate success with possessions. A man thinks he’s made it because he owns cars or builds a mansion.
There’s nothing wrong with ambition or comfort, but when that’s all a person aspires to, it distorts our values. True success is when your community benefits from your work — when you contribute to education, build a clinic, support agriculture, or create jobs.
We must start redefining success and celebrate the teachers, innovators, and quiet reformers who make life better for others. Those are the heroes we should honour.
Nigerians must also renew patriotism and cultural pride. Many of us no longer believe in Nigeria. We glorify foreign goods, send our children abroad, and boast about not using local hospitals.
We must start believing in ourselves again — buy Nigerian, use Nigerian services, and invest in Nigerian institutions. A country that despises itself cannot grow.
You’ve often spoken about restructuring. Why do you think it’s so essential?
Without restructuring, Nigeria will never reach its full potential. The moment we abandoned the regional system that worked so well in the 1960s, we lost our balance.
Back then, each region developed at its own pace, driven by agriculture and local resources. We can’t return to the exact system of the past, but we can reorganise around the current six geopolitical zones.
Each zone should manage its resources, develop its industries, and contribute to the centre. That’s how federalism should work.
Today, many states depend on Abuja for survival. That dependency kills initiative. Restructuring would compel every region to innovate, produce, and engage in healthy competition.
When the military entered politics, Nigeria’s democratic journey was derailed. Successive coups dismantled regional autonomy and replaced a system built on competition and productivity with one built on control and dependency.
Even when General Ibrahim Babangida attempted to create a homegrown democratic model in the late 1980s and early 1990s, his efforts collapsed under political manipulation.
The annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election — widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest — destroyed public confidence and set the nation back decades.
Nigeria must now learn from those missteps and develop a democratic model that reflects its own culture, values, and realities, rather than copying the West wholesale.
Insecurity remains a huge concern — banditry, kidnapping, terrorism. How do we address this?
The current centralised policing system is outdated and ineffective. We need community and state policing that fits within a restructured regional framework.
Local people understand their terrain; they know who belongs and who doesn’t. During the First Republic, regional governments handled internal security more effectively.
People collaborate with law enforcement when they feel responsible for their own safety. That’s how to restore peace — by making security everyone’s business, not just a federal command from Abuja.
A restructured system with empowered regional governments and local police would drastically reduce insecurity and help rebuild trust in governance.
You seem passionate about cultural renewal. What exactly are you advocating?
I want Nigerians to be proud of who they are and what they produce. Today, we crave foreign things — clothes, food, accents, even validation. We look down on local products as inferior. That mentality has to die.
We need a cultural revival — to celebrate Nigerian creativity, values, and resilience. If we don’t value our own culture, no one else will.
Every Nigerian should be an ambassador of the country wherever they go — dignified, hardworking, and proud. That’s the kind of attitude that attracts respect globally.
You’ve also suggested new laws for public officials. Could you explain that?
Yes. I believe there should be a law that makes it compulsory for public officers to use Nigerian hospitals when they’re sick, and to educate their children in Nigerian schools.
Once those at the top are forced to experience the same systems the rest of us use, they will fix them.
Why should a minister of health fly abroad for treatment? Or a commissioner of education send his children overseas? If they must use what they govern, the system will change overnight.
You once mentioned the problem of how political parties are funded. Could you elaborate?
During the First Republic, political parties were funded by members who paid dues regularly. That gave them a sense of ownership.
Party leaders were accountable to the people because they provided the funds for running those platforms.
Today, parties depend on moneybags — wealthy individuals or those already in government. These sponsors often use public funds to bankroll their parties.
That’s why there’s no internal democracy. Candidates are handpicked, primaries are manipulated, and loyalty is bought.
Until we return to member-based funding and transparency, no party will truly serve the people. Our democracy will remain an illusion controlled by a few.
What’s your assessment of the current leadership in Nigeria?
Leadership is one of the few things you cannot fake. You can study it, but greatness in leadership is a gift. You either have it in your bones or you don’t.
A great leader inspires without trying. Even as a cleaner or market woman, you can see leadership in how they carry themselves.
President Tinubu, for instance, is a good leader in many respects. But I want to see greatness — leadership that dares to make hard decisions, that restructures the country even if it’s politically risky. That’s what true leaders do.
If you could design the Nigeria of your dreams, what would it look like?
A Nigeria where every citizen takes pride in being Nigerian. A nation where people work hard, respect one another, and believe that service to the country is the highest honour.
I dream of a day when foreigners will pay huge sums to become Nigerian citizens — not because of oil or money, but because of the opportunities, culture, and stability we’ve created.
It’s possible. But it starts with us changing our attitude: from entitlement to responsibility, from greed to service, from division to unity.
Until we fix our mindset, no system, policy, or leader can save Nigeria. The real change begins with the Nigerian in the mirror.
