The Real Revolution Nigeria Needs

Dismantling the Cabals, Not Burning the Streets

By Idowu Ephraim Faleye

In Nigeria today, when people talk about a revolution, what often comes to mind is a sudden violent uprising like the one that took place in Nepal. But before anyone jumps into the street with that idea, it is important to pause and look carefully at what the real problem in Nigeria is, and who the real enemies of the masses are. 

Many people believe it is only the politicians who are guilty, but the truth is more complicated. Corruption in Nigeria is not just about politicians in office, it is a wide and tangled web of networks, cabals and institutions that spread across every sector of society. If any revolution is to be meaningful, it must focus on those hidden cabals and networks rather than just the obvious faces in government.

Take for example PENGASSAN and NUPENG, the oil and gas unions that claim to represent the workers in the sector. Over the years, these unions have held the country hostage with strikes and threats, forcing governments to bend to their will. On the surface, it looks like they are fighting for the rights of workers, but in reality, their leaders often use these strikes to pursue personal interests and to extort benefits for themselves. They behave like a cartel that feeds fat on the suffering of the people. 

Many Nigerians may not know that these unions contributed directly to the collapse of Nigeria’s refineries. By constantly demanding benefits, inflating costs, and resisting reforms, they made sure the system remained broken so that the importation of fuel could continue and certain people would keep making billions.

This is why when we talk about a revolution, it is dangerous to think only of politicians as the targets. The unions are part of the problem. They are a hidden cabal pretending to fight for the masses while in reality feeding off the masses. Even now, we see them threaten the Dangote refinery, a private initiative that has the potential to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel. Instead of supporting such progress, they oppose it because it undermines the stranglehold they have enjoyed for decades. These kinds of groups are not saviours of the people; they are cabals that need to be dismantled if Nigeria will ever breathe freely.

But it does not stop with the unions. Contractors who inflate the costs of projects and deliver substandard work are also part of this web of corruption. How many Nigerian roads collapse just a few months after being commissioned? How many schools, hospitals and government buildings are falling apart because someone collected billions but spent only a fraction to execute the project? These contractors work hand in hand with politicians and civil servants to loot public funds. The roads that kill people, the hospitals that cannot save lives, and the schools that fail to produce quality education are not accidents; they are the results of deliberate theft and collaboration between business people and government officials.

And then there are the business elites who import fake drugs, adulterated wines, poor-quality building materials and dangerous spare parts. They work with foreign companies to dump substandard products in Nigeria, knowing full well that it will destroy lives. They have no conscience, and they rely on corrupt regulators(Customs) who take bribes to allow these deadly goods into the market. When people die from fake drugs or buildings collapse because of weak iron rods, it is not just bad luck. It is murder driven by greed. These importers, foreign collaborators, and compromised regulators are also part of the hidden cabal that a true revolution must target.

We must not forget the civil service. For too long, Nigerians have blamed only politicians, forgetting that politicians come and go, but the civil service remains. Many senior civil servants are the real architects of corruption. They design the inflated budgets, they manipulate the procurement processes, they collect the bribes and kickbacks, and they frustrate reforms that threaten their interests. They are the ones who keep the corrupt system running even when governments change. Without touching the corruption in the civil service, no revolution in Nigeria will ever succeed.

The same is true of the security sector. Many ordinary policemen and soldiers struggle to survive on poor pay, but their commanders live like kings. They provide protection for corrupt politicians, business people and criminals. They ensure that the corrupt can continue without fear of arrest.

 They also suppress ordinary people who protest. A revolution that fails to deal with these top commanders will only end up replacing one set of oppressors with another.

And what about the judiciary? Many Nigerians believe the courts are the last hope of the common man, but how true is that? Every day, powerful politicians and business elites escape justice because of lawyers and judges who use technicalities and loopholes to shield them. 

These legal actors are not defenders of justice; they are part of the corruption machinery. They ensure that stolen billions remain protected, and that corrupt officials walk free while petty criminals rot in jail. A serious revolution cannot ignore the role of these lawyers and judges who betray justice for money. They too are part of the cabal.

Some may argue that the problem is only with those in office today, but that is not correct. Nigeria’s corruption is not the work of current leaders alone; many past officeholders are equally guilty. They built the foundation of corruption and still benefit from it today. They live in luxury on stolen wealth while Nigerians suffer. If any revolution focuses only on today’s leaders while ignoring the past looters, it will be a half-blind revolution. Both past and present must be held accountable if the system is to change.

Now, here lies the biggest danger of a violent revolution. Because corruption is everywhere, even in the youth with internet fraud, there is a high chance that such a revolution will be hijacked by the very people it is supposed to fight. Those with money—many of them corrupt—will finance it and turn it into a weapon against their enemies. We saw a taste of this during the EndSARS protests, where genuine anger of the youth was hijacked by groups like Nnamdi Kanu’s followers, who used it to destroy properties of their enemies. If Nigerians attempt a violent revolution without a clear framework, it will become another opportunity for corrupt people to settle scores with each other while the masses suffer even more.

So what is the alternative? The real revolution Nigeria needs is systemic targeting. Instead of chasing faces, it should chase the networks. Instead of focusing on individuals alone, it should focus on institutions, money flows and systems that allow corruption to survive. That means targeting the financial lifelines of corruption. Freeze suspicious bank accounts. Expose shell companies. Go after money launderers. Cut off the cash supply that feeds corruption.

It also means focusing on property. Nigerians in the diaspora have a key role to play here. They can crowdsource information about corrupt people’s properties abroad and push foreign governments to investigate them for money laundering. Since most of Nigeria’s looted funds are invested in foreign real estate, this is one of the most powerful ways to fight corruption. If foreign countries start seizing these properties, it will hit the corrupt where it hurts most.

At home, land ownership must be digitalized. Right now, land records in Nigeria are weak, scattered and easily manipulated. This makes it easy for corrupt people to hide stolen wealth in land and property. To stop this, government must create a secure and centralized digital land registry. Every property in the capital cities and major towns should be mapped with modern technology like GIS. The names of owners should be linked with biometric data such as the National Identity Number. Blockchain technology can also be used to make the records tamper-proof. This way, government can easily identify who owns what property, trace suspicious acquisitions, and investigate how they were funded. If the owner cannot explain the source of funds, the property should be probed and possibly seized.

But here is the truth many do not want to hear. This kind of systemic targeting cannot be achieved by mobs on the street. It requires legal authority, resources, and strong institutions. In other words, it can only be done by government. That is why Nigerians must pressure government to reform rather than imagine that a Nepal-type violent revolution will fix the country. Because if the masses rise violently, it will be hijacked, financed by corrupt people themselves, and turned into a vendetta against rivals. But if government undertakes reforms with the backing of the people, then systemic corruption can truly be dismantled.

Of course, the government is often reluctant because many in power benefit from corruption. But pressure from the people, combined with evidence from the diaspora and digital tools, can make it impossible to ignore. Nigerians must understand that the enemy is not only the politician in power today, but the entire cabal made up of unions, contractors, importers, civil servants, security commanders, lawyers, judges, past leaders, and their foreign collaborators. Only by exposing and dismantling this entire web can Nigeria ever be free.

So when next you hear someone shouting for a violent revolution, ask them: who exactly will you target? If they say only the politicians in power, know that they do not understand the problem. The true enemy is the hidden cabal and the corrupt networks that have trapped Nigeria for decades. The revolution we need is not mobs burning buildings, but systemic targeting that chokes the flow of stolen wealth, dismantles the institutions of impunity, and reforms the systems that allow corruption to thrive. That is the only revolution that can save Nigeria.

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