In a fiery reaction to Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio’s song “Things Are Getting Better,” which praises President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, J.S. Okutepa, SAN, has accused Nigerian leaders of being disconnected from the masses and engaging in sycophantic praise-singing.
Okutepa’s scathing remarks today highlight a deep frustration with the stark contrast between Akpabio’s claims and the lived realities of ordinary Nigerians. Okutepa expressed his dismay, stating, “I came across a video of the Senate President Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio singing praises of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Nigerian president.
“In the video, Senator Akpabio was singing as a choirmaster at an occasion. He sang a song that things are getting better since Asiwaju came on the throne and as Asiwaju is on the throne things are getting better for Nigeria. He was so unashamedly singing the song as someone who does not know the plights of Nigerians. I wept that the Senate President can do this sort of things. For what I asked. To mislead the president or to taunt Nigerians.”
He went on to challenge the Senate President’s claims, questioning the basis of such assertions amid widespread hardship. “If things are getting better since Asiwaju became president and now he is on the throne it must exist only in the fantasy of the president of the Senate and those who are being fed from the resources of Nigeria.
“The Senate President did not point out which things are getting better. Is the security of Nigerians getting better since the government before this and even this government? I do not think so. Are staple foods available at cheaper rates for the poor masses? I do not think so. Are security agencies stopped extorting money from Nigerians on the roads? I do not think so. How motorable are our roads? I see few. What about healthcare facilities? They are still in most cases mere consulting clinics. How have we fared in terms of respect for the rule of law and due process? I think we are getting bad and no improvement,” Okutepa stated.
Describing Akpabio’s song as “the worst insult to the poor and the suffering masses of Nigeria,” Okutepa criticized the Senate President for failing in his oversight role.
He remarked, “This is the head of an arm of government that should hold the executive accountable engaging in sycophantic praise singing of the president to the irritation and annoyance of the truth on the ground. No wonder no serious oversight functions in defence of probity and accountability are seen being seriously undertaking by the legislative arm of Nigerian government.”
Okutepa further highlighted the dire state of the nation, asserting, “Where are the things that are getting better? Only the president of the Senate can tell. Things must be getting better for only him and a few others around him. But for the poor masses and ordinary Nigerians who patronize Nigerian markets, things are getting worse. Nigerians are not finding things better. Rather Nigerians are seeing worse things in their lives.
“Roads in the villages and even rural parts of Abuja are in a worse state. Electricity supply have not improved. Industries are not being opened up. Employments are still not available for graduates.”
He issued a direct challenge to Akpabio, saying, “Things are not getting better Mr Senate President. For Mr. Senate President to know that things are not getting better I challenge him to drive on roads from Abuja to Lagos without escorts and see how things are not getting better. He can also do the same from Abuja to Makurdi then to Gboko all through Ogaja to Uggep to Calabar to Uyo and see how good the roads Nigerians travelled through are in terrible states and terrorist infested.”
Okutepa concluded with a broader critique of Nigerian leadership, questioning, “Why do Nigerian public office holders in most cases live in denial of the realities of our situations? Is it because they are far more removed from the people or because Nigerians are just being taken for granted?
“Let the Senate President kindly stop adding pepper to the already wounds Nigerians are suffering in many areas of the Nigerian economy and social life. Enough of insults to the sensibility of Nigerians and our feelings.”
His remarks call for a reckoning with the harsh realities facing Nigerians, urging leaders to prioritize the people over political sycophancy.
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