By Rt. Hon. Linus Okorie, FCA
Context and audience are the defining ingredients of every public discourse or communication. To understand its meaning and consequence, one must situate a discourse within both. This is why the recent encounter between Senator Engineer David Nweze Umahi, Minister of Works, and journalist Rufai Oseni on Arise News has not only generate social media heat; but mirrors the widening gap between public officeholders and the people they supposedly serve.
While a few commentators have sought to reduce the conversation to journalistic ethics or media decorum, the real issue runs much deeper. The revelation from the position of the vast majority of commentators is that Nigerians are not preoccupied with tone but with truth. They care less about the style of questioning and more about the substance of the answers. The mood of the nation today is one of an increasing demand for transparency, accountability, and respect for the people’s right to know how their collective wealth is being managed. This increasing consciousness was can be rightfully attributable to the impactful influence of Mr. Peter Obi, who continues to inspire ordinary Nigerians to believe that one can lead with humility, integrity and empathy.
The interview presented Umahi a golden opportunity to model statesmanship and win the hearts of Nigerians. Faced with a probing journalist, he could have turned a seeming aggressive line of questioning into an educative moment; clarifying technicalities, explaining project costs, and reassuring Nigerians that the Ministry of Works and the federal government has nothing to hide. Rather, he chose a combative and defensive posture and unrestrained tone, which conveyed the impression of an unwillingness to share information and undermined the dignity expected of a public officer. What could have been a shining moment of enlightenment for him became, regrettably, an avoidable public spat.
Even if Oseni’s reference to “cost per kilometer” was technically imprecise, the Minister, a self professed “Professor of Engineering in Practice”, had both the professional and moral duty to enlighten, not inflame. A confident and comported leader welcomes scrutiny and understands that accountability is not a threat but a tool of trust-building. After all, transparency is not a privilege to be granted the public but an obligation to be honored.
The larger takeaway from the totality of the reactions to the Umahi–Oseni exchange is that Nigerians are evolving. They are increasingly demanding substance over form, sincerity over showmanship, and humility over hubris. The public is progressively intolerant of arrogance and evasiveness in leadership. People are no longer impressed by titles or theatrics, they want results, honesty, humility and respect. It also revealed that, at the end of the day, the character, comportment, integrity and empathy quotient of a person defines his or her performance in public office. Ultimately, titles cannot replace or hide the true nature of a Leader.
It is expected that this growing civic consciousness will define our politics, going forward. As the 2027 elections draw closer, Nigerians must become more alert, more interrogative, and more determined to defend the sanctity of their votes. This same hunger for accountability that drives journalist Oseni and his likes to challenge public officers on live television should be imbibed to challenge politicians at the ballot box. The coming elections must not just be a political contest, they must be a moral reckoning.
Those in power must start to listen and understand the message that a new Nigeria is awakening; one that will not be easily deceived or silenced. The masses are fast realizing that democracy thrives not on propaganda but on performance; not on power play but on public trust.
The Umahi–Oseni episode, therefore, is more than a media moment; it is a metaphor for the future. It reminds every public servant that leadership in a democracy is not exercised from the high horse, but is anchored on humility and accountability. The true measure of power lies not in silencing questions or intimidating the questioner, but in answering them with truth, patience, and grace. Again, that character, integrity and empathy are as, if not more, important as capacity for public office.
The emerging #NewNigeria demands nothing less. The more reason #PeterObi and the #obidientmovement remain a beacon of hope for the emergent era of #POssibility
Rt. Hon. Linus Okorie, FCA, is former Member, House of Representatives and Governance & Development Advocate
