The recent remarks attributed to Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi calling for the relocation of villagers near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja because he dislikes the sight of their “old houses”are deeply appalling. Such a statement reflects not just insensitivity but a dangerously elitist mindset that has no place in a democracy built on dignity, inclusion, and justice.
For a public official to suggest that the homes of everyday Nigerians are an “eyesore” that should be cleared for cosmetic reasons is an outright insult to the people he was elected to serve. In a country still struggling with homelessness, internal displacement, and housing deficits, Senator Nwebonyi’s comments amount to a public endorsement of forced eviction in the service of elite vanity.
But this is not an isolated lapse in judgment. Only recently, the same senator made headlines for disparaging one of Nigeria’s most respected public figures, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili. In a widely criticized statement, Senator Nwebonyi said Dr. Ezekwesili is “not fit to be in the Senate.” That remark, directed at a woman whose global reputation as a former Minister of Education, World Bank Vice President, and anti-corruption crusader stands tall, reveals a disturbing pattern: a growing culture of impunity, disrespect, and intolerance within our highest legislative chambers.
The irony is glaring. If there is a question of “fitness,” the Nigerian public may rightly begin to wonder whether it is Dr. Ezekwesili who is unfit or the kind of lawmakers who use their positions to mock the poor and attack voices of conscience.
Nigerians are not blind to the shifting moral compass in public service. We see a legislature increasingly distanced from the realities of those they represent. The idea that the solution to poverty is to hide the poor from sight is not only wrong it is dangerous. It suggests a vision of governance built on optics rather than substance, on erasure rather than empowerment.
This elitist approach to leadership is part of why Nigeria struggles to build inclusive cities, sustainable policies, and responsive institutions. Villages near the Abuja airport are not the problem. The real problem is the failure of successive governments to invest in urban upgrading, social housing, and inclusive development. These citizens deserve infrastructure, not eviction; support, not scorn.
Senator Nwebonyi’s utterances, past and present, have done real damage to public trust. They paint a picture of leadership concerned not with service but self-importance. It is imperative that the Senate distances itself from such unguarded comments and recommits to upholding the dignity of all Nigerians regardless of where they live or how much they earn.
We must remember that history is not kind to leaders who ridicule the people. Nigeria’s image is not defined by the rooftops seen from an airplane it is defined by the moral quality of those in office and how they treat the most vulnerable.
The question, then, is no longer whether Dr. Ezekwesili is fit for the Senate. It is whether our current senators are fit for the Nigeria we are trying to build.
