Chief Alani Bankole, the Apena of Egbaland and Oluwo of Iporo-Ake, has declared that only lazy people are hungry in Nigeria, insisting the country is still rich in legitimate opportunities for anyone prepared to work.
Speaking during a media interaction on Wednesday, the 85-year-old traditional ruler blamed both parents and the broader system for fostering a culture of laziness among young people. He argued that many youths have abandoned the values of hard work that once defined earlier generations.
“There are too many opportunities in Nigeria for us not to be hungry. Most people who are hungry today are lazy people,” Bankole stated. Citing biblical teaching, he emphasised that those who refuse to work have no right to eat, adding that Nigeria continues to offer pathways out of poverty for the industrious.
The Egba chief recalled that young people of his generation routinely combined formal education with practical labour. He urged parents to expose children early to productive activities and instil the dignity of labour rather than pampering them or expecting government to provide everything.
“Teach people how to make money, don’t give them money. Salary jobs are only meant to eat. When you learn how to create wealth, you become rich,” he said.
While criticising parental failure, Bankole also placed significant responsibility on Nigeria’s inherited system of governance. He described it as fundamentally flawed, noting that the British left behind a structure that successive Nigerian leaders have used to oppress and suppress others.
“The system has encouraged a lot of nonsense. The system is responsible for our everyday calamity. Is it Tinubu that will go and farm for you?” he queried.
He linked poor governance outcomes to a system that forces presidents and governors to appoint aides from every state or constituency regardless of merit, making it difficult to assemble competent teams. Bankole, father of former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole and a former National Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), called for deeper national conversation on institutional structures rather than mere changes of political administration.
“You can only give what you have,” he remarked, stressing the need to prioritise institutional development and human capacity alongside leadership.
Asked for advice to politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections, the octogenarian declined. He said he had retired from the style of politics practised today.
“No, I can’t advise them because I’m not used to this type of politics. When we were in politics, you couldn’t find me in any township at this time. I would take my campaign to rural and border areas. But today, you don’t see politicians go to anybody. I don’t know how they do it. They are practising a type of politics which I’m not used to… So that’s why I cannot, because when I was growing up, I didn’t go through this nonsense,” he stated.
