Note: The following is a copied story circulating nationally among concerned Nigerians that captures our reality. I did not spot the car myself, but the message it carries is too important to ignore. I have verified the picture — NURTW NEW ERA 001 GLE 350 — and it is real on Lagos roads._
A concerned citizen spotted the Chairman of Lagos Agberos’ car on one of Lagos’ roads, and was amazed by the wealth and power he wields.
According to the shared account: Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle, popularly called “Sego,” rides in a brand-new GLE 350 4Matic with an escort. His plate number carries his name, his picture, and “official” title — NURTW NEW ERA 001. If you hadn’t seen his plate number, given how they cleared the traffic for him, you would have thought he was a senior government official.
How he navigated into different lanes with dangerous speed and zoomed off arrogantly when the traffic cleared proved the power he wields. No one dared overtake his convoy.
And as he disappeared into the far distance, a painful thought settled — these are the people who decide our future.
I have to ask, can a Professor in Nigeria today, who has dedicated over 20 years of his life contributing immensely to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, afford Mr Sego’s car? Can a teacher in any Nigerian school ever afford a quarter of the amount the car was bought for, even if they teach for 30 years?
Then the painful reality hits — Nigeria is a broken, dysfunctional society that rewards “antigens.” How can Nigeria thrive when it generously rewards Agberos (thugs) over its most creative, saving brains in critical sectors such as medical, academic, law, security, etc?
This is a painful but honest reflection on Nigeria’s misplaced priorities. A society that rewards political thuggery and impunity more generously than knowledge, hard work, and service is undermining its own future. The real tragedy is not the wealth of the Agbero, but a system that undervalues the professor, the teacher, the doctor, and the soldier who build, heal, educate, and defend the nation. Nigeria must urgently reorder its values if it hopes to prosper.
My earlier article, Executive Impunity: A Threat To Democracy, warned that when well-connected public officials avoid accountability, impunity cascades. Rivers State emergency in March 2025 proved it in Government House — President suspending elected Governor, Senate failing two-thirds, Supreme Court calling it procedurally defective. The Sego GLE 350 on Lagos road proves it on the street. Same disease, two symptoms. The copied story circulating nationally illustrates it perfectly.
Rascality rules and rewards the rascal, the illegal, the impune, the thug. The very opposite is what hard-working creative minds in our critical sectors get.
Consider the ledger shared in the reflection:
MC Oluomo can employ tens of Nigerian Professors and feed them, easily. Tompolo earns more money than some states make from Internally Generated Revenue and more money than can pay thousands of Nigerian military officers dedicating their lives to protecting Nigeria and defending her territorial integrity. Asari Dokubo is stupendously rich for doing nothing other than constituting a nuisance on camera now and then. Tony Kabaka (born Tony Adun) is among the richest men in Edo State, far more than the celebrated Professor Ambrose Folorunsho Alli can ever imagine, even in his next life.
Take it further; repentant Boko Haram members get more allocation from the Borno State government than some of the state’s critical sectors. Nigeria’s “officeless” First Lady gets more federal allocation than key ministries like Health. And the list of rascality goes on!
When one sincerely reflects, these men have one thing in common — zero productive value! Their jobs add little or zero value to the country. Without them, the society will function even better! What this proves is that we run a ruinous dysfunctional system that can ONLY lead us to destruction.
Why does this happen? Because Sego and his ilk are not an aberration — they are machinery. Political elite use them to sustain the status quo. This is reality across Nigeria. They win elections through them, they collect illegal tolls through them, they enforce silence through them. Then they reward them with official status — 001 plate with picture — escort that clears traffic like Governor — impunity to drive dangerously.
This is what I call Vagabonds In Power vs Citizens. Vagabonds are not just in ruling — they are on the road with 001 plate. Citizens are professors, teachers, doctors, soldiers who actually build nation but have no escort.
We have inverted the value chain. In a functional society, value creation determines reward. Professor creates knowledge — high reward. Doctor saves life — high reward. Teacher builds next generation — high reward. Soldier risks life — high reward. Agbero extracts toll — low or no reward.
In Nigeria, we reversed it. Agbero extracts — high reward. Professor creates — low reward, strike, unpaid salaries, japa. That inversion is why we cannot thrive. When antigen earns more than antibody, body dies.
This inversion is also tribalism in action. We celebrate thieves because they come from our tribe. We justify Sego because he is our party’s enforcer. We say “our Agbero better than their Agbero.” That is why I say TRIBALISM IS EVIL — From God Amalgamated To Man Divided.
Ending this requires 5Cs — model I propose in WITNESS 2026/2036 for 2027 elections.
Conscience: To know professor should earn more than Agbero.
Competence: To build economy where productive work pays — IGR from industry, not Agbero tolls.
Character: To refuse to make thuggery official — not put picture on plate and call it 001.
Courage: To have traffic officer who can stop GLE 350 convoy driving dangerously — police commissioner who says no escort for Agbero.
Capacity: To build institutions that work — so state does not need Agbero to win election or collect revenue.
Without 5Cs, 2027 will be Sego election — who has more Agberos wins. With 5Cs, 2027 can be professor election — who has more ideas wins.
While I congratulate Mr Sego on the large lifestyle the gods of impunity have blessed him with, I only wish that these gods can reward our productive, creative brains as much as they do for Mr Sego and his like, if not much more. [As originally shared in the copied story circulating nationally].
But truly, it is not about Sego. Sego is product of system. Fix system, Sego either becomes productive or fades. Keep system, even if Sego disappears, ten Segos will replace him with GLE 400 next year.
Nigeria must urgently reorder its values. Until productive value pays more than rascality, prosperity is impossible. Until professor is honored more than Agbero, development is a joke. Until teacher, doctor, soldier earn more dignity than thug, Japa will continue.
Ki Olorun tun ilu wa se. *Nigeria Needs New National Model.* Ready to witness.
WITNESS 2026/2036.
Richard Olanrewaju Odusanya is Ijebu born Enugu with Idoma mother, married to Igbo mother, father of three — two British/Nigeria and Bethel Olayinka Chissom American/Nigeria who turned 22 on 11/10/25. He is Convener of Africa Covenant Rescue Initiative (ACRI) / WITNESS 2026/2036 and author of NIGERIA NEEDS NEW NATIONAL MODEL and THE PEOPLE’S CURSE — odusanyagold@gmail.com*
