In a compelling foreword to the book *The Existential Questions* by Oluseun Onigbinde, former Nigerian Education Minister Obiageli Ezekwesili highlights a pathway for Nigeria to overcome its persistent challenges by drawing inspiration from global success stories. Ezekwesili points to nations like Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia—known for their export-driven economic miracles—and China, celebrated for its dramatic poverty reduction, as models of transformation grounded in what she describes as “deliberate leadership.”
She argues that these countries succeeded by confronting their issues head-on, with leaders who rejected sectionalism, religious extremism, cultural divisions, and selfish interests to steer their nations toward progress. “Across the world, examples abound of countries that have successfully broken the chains of national failure,” Ezekwesili writes, emphasizing that Nigeria’s struggles, while severe, are not exceptional in the broader context of nation-building. “Our challenges are not unique in the course of the life of a nation. We are only facing the consequences of our choices,” she asserts.
Ezekwesili’s remarks underscore a call for intentional, unifying leadership in Nigeria—a nation grappling with economic stagnation, insecurity, and governance crises. Her contribution to Onigbinde’s book frames Nigeria’s predicament as a matter of choice, urging the country to adopt proven strategies from others while tailoring them to its own context. The foreword serves as both a critique of past failures and a hopeful blueprint for a deliberate shift in direction, rooted in accountability and collective purpose.
