Oworu Says Politics Should Be Service, Not a Career in Nigeria

Actor and former Lagos State House of Assembly candidate Olumide Oworu said Nigerian politics has drifted from public service into a career path for people seeking personal gain.

Speaking on The Clarity Zone podcast, Oworu said corruption persists because many office seekers treat political power as their only path to status and income. He said politics should be rooted in systems and service, not in personal survival.

“Politics is two things – systems and service. I think the type of politics and the idea of who a politician is, is why a lot of young people shy from away from it. Because they think it is dirty and for the unexposed,” he said.

Oworu said the current image of politics is one reason many young Nigerians avoid participation, even when they are educated and capable. According to him, public office should attract people with professional options outside politics, because that reduces desperation and pressure to win at all costs.

“But on the contrary, it is for the people that are learned and well-travelled; the people that have a means. Politics is not supposed to be a career. But it is for a lot of people in Nigeria and that is the issue,” he said.

He argued that dependence on political office drives the spread of patronage and godfather arrangements. In his view, candidates without alternatives are more likely to compromise standards before and after elections.

“We have career politicians and that is the problem. Because you are going to do whatever it takes to get into office, because you have no plan B,” he said.

Oworu added that political sponsorship should not determine who emerges in leadership positions, saying capacity should remain the central test.

“I don’t think that godfatherism should be in politics but sadly, a lot of politicians have godfathers because of the style of politics we practice. We need to change that. What should matter should be capacity,” he said.

Oworu ran in the 2023 Lagos State House of Assembly election for Surulere 1 under the Labour Party and lost to Desmond Elliott of the All Progressives Congress.