By The9JaTREND
A public analyst cum business guru, Mashido Eghaghe has call on Nigerians as a nation and individuals to reevaluate their thoughts towards politics in Nigeria.
Mashido made this call during the swearing in of 34 years old Zoran Mamdani as New York Mayor in the United States of America.
In a statement, he said, “Happy New Year and many happy returns. I hope this message finds you in good health and sound mind.
“Today, January 1, 2026, 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the 112th Mayor of New York City. Born in 1991, he lives in a rented one-bedroom apartment with his wife, owns no car, and rides a bicycle. Despite this, he won the mayorship of the world’s wealthiest city and the most populous city in the United States.
“If we are to succeed as a people in Nigeria, we must first purge ourselves of the mindset that prioritizes personal interest over our collective good. In our quest for self-satisfaction, we have unconsciously created ‘political investors’ who have hijacked our entire political system – from Local Government Areas to the State and Federal levels. These are individuals who fund their own path to public office only to loot the public treasury to recoup their ‘investments’ and ‘return on investment’.
“We, the people, must take responsibility for the failure of leadership in Nigeria. Our potential leaders spend huge sums of money starting at the consultation stage: lobbying party executives, purchasing expression of interest and nomination forms, and paying off delegates to secure party tickets. During campaigns, spend vest of money in meeting with stakeholders, they buy votes on Election Day, pay for private security, law enforcement, and even INEC officials.
“While this money is spent on us, we fail to ask a key question: “Why should someone pay us for the privilege of serving us?” It makes no sense, yet we continue to demand financial incentives from our potential public servants. Our greed is what birthed these political investors and they are here to stay until we change our strategy.
“To secure better leaders, we must replicate what worked in New York City, where a young man with less than $5,000 in savings contested and won a mayoral election. Refusing to change means we have yet to realize that traveling the wrong route will never lead to the right destination. We must choose the right path if we truly wish to arrive at a better future”, he emphasized.
He used the privilege to wish every Nigerian a “Warm Festive Regards”.