Pastor Sam Adeyemi has criticized the disconnect between Nigerian leaders and the everyday struggles of citizens, highlighting a growing lack of empathy among those in positions of power.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, the Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre expressed concern that many leaders appear more focused on retaining political power than improving people’s lives.
“Some of our leaders, it is even obvious from the way they speak, that they have lost touch with the reality of the poor, they have no empathy, no compassion,” Adeyemi said during the interview.
He emphasized that this detachment makes it difficult for such leaders to make sound decisions that truly serve the public.
According to him, fear of losing political power fuels rampant defections between parties as politicians prioritize self-preservation over service.
“Some of them are being threatened that they would lose their next election, that is what they are defecting. So their own survival is being threatened,” he noted.
Pastor Adeyemi also pointed to the undue influence of political godfathers as a major factor eroding democratic values in Nigeria.
He lamented that instead of citizens choosing their leaders, powerful political figures often dictate who rises to power.
“I wish we had the perfect scenario that it is the citizens that actually elected people but we have seen over the years the power of the godfathers in our politics. They have built their influence over many years,” he said.
Though many of these political actors are highly intelligent and well-educated, Adeyemi observed that the pressures of navigating Nigeria’s political landscape often lead them to compromise their integrity.
“These are educated people, these are highly intelligent people, some of our best, it is just that in the process of wanting to succeed in this Nigeria, they bent here and bent there and by the time they arrive at the top that they wanted to go, they have become crooked,” he added.
