Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has launched a blistering critique of Nigeria’s governance, declaring that the country is “worse than a zoo” due to corruption, mismanagement, and the neglect of its citizens.
In a video posted on his X account, Farotimi argued that while a zoo is structured and orderly, Nigeria lacks any sense of planning or responsibility towards its people.
“A zoo has structures, has order. Google it, see for yourself — it’s properly laid out. Is Nigeria properly laid out? Is this place planned? Does it resemble a place that somebody has given any thought to?” he asked.
He contrasted the duty of a zookeeper to care for animals with the government’s neglect of millions of Nigerians, particularly children.
“In the zoo, you feed the animal. There is an obligation on the zookeeper to feed the animal, care for the animal, and ensure that it is properly kept. But here, you have almost 20 million children out of school, largely homeless on the streets. And you call this a zoo? How many goats have you seen in a zoo going hungry?”
Farotimi described the situation as one where citizens are “literally starving to death” while government officials announce staggering sums for projects he believes are mismanaged or inflated.
Citing recent budgetary claims, he said:
“It cannot be that the cost for repairing the Third Mainland Bridge, as announced by Umahi, is probably enough to build a brand new one with some change left over. And then all of you will just keep quiet, move on, and wait for 2027. That is not the action of conscious people — and certainly animals will not allow that in the jungle.”
The activist also condemned what he described as the government’s endless cycle of costly repairs and questionable projects.
“How many times have they repaired Third Mainland, for heaven’s sake? And then Keyamo is telling you it requires ₦702 billion to renovate Murtala Muhammed. How much would it take to build a brand new one?”
Farotimi concluded with a call for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s electoral system, warning against leaving power in the hands of corrupt politicians and compromised institutions.
“Get involved by demanding that the electoral process be taken away from thieves and crooks, so that the likes of Yakubu will not come in the middle of the night in 2027 to tell you to go to court. Because the court they are asking you to go to is already an accomplice in the evil that has overtaken the land.”
