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Dr. Allen Manasseh is the founder and Executive Director of lmpacttrust International, a community centered organization promoting Climate Resilience and Livelihood, including governance and youth mentorship. He is equally a strategic team member of the #BringBackOurGirls movement and an active voice of the Chibok Community and MD/CEO of Fortune All en Consult, a firm supporting organizations in ESG compliance policies, climate smart enterprise developments and business development consultancy services. ln this interview, he speaks on of Nigeria’s political development and sundry issues. Excerpt:

What are your observations on political developments in Nigeria today?

 There are perspectives to what can be termed “political development”. While some may look at the current status of political leadership in Nigeria, others can look at the schemes of things around politicking, electoral umpire activities and the much needed electoral and judicial reforms being canvased. They are not impressive and promising for Nigeria. The political class, starting from the president, is delivering mediocre leadership that is not inspiring to the citizens. If you see anyone praising the current national leadership under APC, they are either an appendage of power that is gaining from the national treasury or hirelings that are hailing mediocrity for crumbs. I am not impressed with the government, and I haven’t seen performance that is worthy of a 65-year-old nation that experienced oil boom and is endowered with high human capital, blessed with a youthful age group that should be the strength of productivity, innovation, and disruptive governance that takes inclusivity and engagement of the young people seriously. Most of the political parties canvassing for 2027 takeover are not even keen on correcting the mistakes of 2023, where the electoral law was fraudulently designed with escape routes and zero consequences for those who subverted the will of the people. As such, the major focus of those who want a functional Nigeria, where democracy is truly citizen-driven and governance is citizen-centred, must ensure we have solid and water tight electoral laws that will protect the will of the people, where electoral integrity is top notch and acceptable by all. That should be our focus. This ongoing constitutional review must be done so transparently that we have the people’s concerns addressed.

So, what is your advice to the Federal Government on the economy?

Capacity is on the global platform for sale. If you want to travel to the moon today, you do not have to start studying space science afresh, some people have done that. How did Singapore get it, how are China and India getting it, what magic has Brazil done, what is Rwanda doing differently after the war? How can the giant of Africa, endowed with oil, solid mineral, human resources, be allowed to crawl like a toddler after 65 years of independence? It’s a shame. Therefore, let the President assemble people of character, competence, and capacity, men and women of courage, boldness, and selflessness that will work on evidence-based policies that are directed at solid nation building. Not appointment as “food for the boys” kind of leadership. He should be transparent with the subsidy savings and let’s tag every dime going out to the looting state governors and the heads of MDAs to practical performances that are verifiable, productive, beneficial to citizens and can end the hand-out kind of leadership we presently have. This government is too opaque and allergic to credibility, accountability and transparency. He should change. Any government that abdicates its constitutional responsibility of ensuring the security and welfare of its citizens is a failed government. Right now, we have terrorists controlling ungoverned spaces in Nigeria. The federal road to my LGA is still under lock and key by terrorists after 14 years. We daily have our citizens being killed by different groups of terrorists – Boko Haram, bandits, Fulani herdsmen, unknown gunmen, Lakurawa, Ansaru, and now we have a brand-new group in Kwara State and Nasarawa State. This is a sign of failure of leadership. Where are the security agencies? See what is happening in Katsina state? The same unknown gunmen are calling for meetings with LG chairmen, on their terms, coming with fanfare and pride. To fix the economy, the President should fix security, ensure every state is productive with the excess allocation they are receiving, end opaque governance and operate open and transparent leadership that will inspire citizens towards productivity. The country should earn the confidence of foreign investors and ensure ease of doing business. He simplify the tax system, reduce cost of governance, divulge powers to LGA, terminate state electoral system, remove impunity, and strengthen the judicial system to prosecute corruption in record time. What we see now is rewarding bad behaviours and corruption. Right now, every non performing governor is rushing to APC.

What are your views on inflation and subsidies?

They are critical to the economy. Yes, they said as at September 2025, the inflation rate had reduced to 18.02% but is that having any significant difference in the life of any Nigerian? The answer is no. The unplanned and abrupt removal of subsidy threw many middle-class businesses to the floor, resulting in supply chain disruptions, high cost of movement of goods and services, poor fiscal and monetary policies that are not evidence-based, increased government spending with unmatched productivity, high foreign borrowing without commensurate investment output from the proceeds, all have combined to cripple the nation. Productivity, with agriculture as top, in many states have dropped due to insecurity that has made millions avoid the farms to stay alive from terrorists. This has worsened the cost of food and transportation. Systematic reinvestment of the subsidy saving is seriously needed rather than sharing to the tiers of government and be looted. There is need to focus on agriculture and solid mineral development with value addition. The ease of doing business should be strengthened and a favourable atmosphere needs to be created for our youths to access business finance with ease and power their innovations in different fields. All these cannot be done with wasteful spending on security which has still not made improvement.

There is a claim that the federal government is secretly subsidizing petroleum products. What do you make of that?

The more reason Nigerians need to demand complete overhaul of the oil industry and removal of government’s control from it to promote transparency and end this opacity around the oil industry. We need to refit the NNPC and end the corruption there. How can turn-around maintenance cost be more than what Dangote spent to build new, higher capacity supper functional refinery? Yet, no one is ever punished for spending.

How do you see the rate of unemployment in Nigeria? Don’t you think it is posing a major challenge to the existence of Nigeria as a nation?

There is no doubting the connection between unemployment and insecurity. This has long been established. It is a shame that we are now a country where our youths prefer death in the desert while crossing to Europe through Libya and the death on the seas to staying at home. We have seen the japa syndrome has done to our institutions. How can we have over 70% of the youthful population out of our over 230 million citizens, with over 36.9 million hectares of arable land, rice and wheat belt, fresh water lake and more and still be hungry and unemployed? Sadly, those who dare to do something differently are attacked through insecurity, frustrated by government regulations, and multiple taxations and complete absence of support base for young people. How can we be productive while public leaders steal billions meant for creating functional systems through power, infrastructure such as roads, transport systems and healthcare? Unless unemployment is addressed, millions of out of school children will become cannon fodder for terrorist guns, while drug abuse, robbery, and all forms of criminality will continue.

How do we go about working towards a prosperous, just, and equitable society?

We must ensure we stop the worst of us from governing the best of us through the establishment of transparent, credible and citizen-driven leadership selection process that inspire competent men and women of character to venture into politics and provide credible leadership. We must produce value-driven leaders who will focus on the good of the nation, who would see their positions as call to service and perform with responsibility, respect, tolerance, social justice, and inclusivity. If the citizens are included, engaged in the way they are led, with the rule of law and honesty, productivity will be easy, hard work will be rewarded, and there will be consequences for bad behaviour. Then we will be prosperous in just a very short time. Our institutions must not be places where we tell stories but research and development centres through partnership, leveraging on the strength of one another. Those with the intention of entering governance must enter with the mindset of adding values. When many people are dependent on the decision that you will take, you cannot take it without them – inclusivity is key to social justice. You lose your right to complain when you allow fools to rule you, as such the youths of Nigeria must wake up to save their future by electing leaders that can inspire and fire their dreams in technology, agriculture, innovation, healthcare, telecommunication, art, music and others in order to create a prosperous nation.