|By Queen Banigo
Italian-Nigerian singer and songwriter Charles Onyekachi Onyeabor has delivered a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s condition, using the recent road accident involving world boxing champion Anthony Joshua as a sobering reference point.
Joshua was recently involved in a fatal accident along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, an incident that claimed the lives of two of his friends. The boxer survived the crash, narrowly escaping death.
Reacting to the development, Onyeabor took to Instagram to express relief over Joshua’s survival while mourning the victims. He described the incident as another painful reminder of Nigeria’s deep-seated problems.
“This Anthony Joshua situation got me thinking out loud once again. Thank God he is alive, and sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives,” he wrote.
Beyond the tragedy, Onyeabor used the moment to question long-standing narratives about national progress. Drawing from over two decades of living abroad, he argued that conditions in Nigeria have deteriorated rather than improved.
“Whenever I say that Nigeria may never get better, people think I’m trying to downgrade the country. But this is not about hate — it’s about reality,” he stated, adding that he often struggles to find concrete evidence to support claims that the country is on a path to recovery.
He lamented what he described as Nigerians’ resistance to honest self-examination, noting that criticism—especially from outsiders—is often met with hostility instead of reflection.
“The most painful part is that anytime you state the obvious about Nigeria’s problems, people attack and troll you. We are very good at comparing ourselves against each other, but very bad at comparing our country with other countries,” Onyeabor said.
The singer also criticized the culture of celebrating individual success while ignoring systemic failure. According to him, endless comparisons between celebrities and wealthy individuals distract from broader national issues.
“We compare Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid every day, forgetting they are all successful Nigerians. We argue over Grammys and wealth, but we refuse to compare Nigeria itself with other nations,” he wrote.
Onyeabor pointed to failing infrastructure as a major symbol of the country’s decline, citing unstable electricity, poor road networks, inadequate hospitals, weak emergency services and lack of clean water.
“Why don’t we compare a country with no constant electricity and bad roads with countries where these things are basic, not luxury?” he asked.
He further blamed tribalism, religious division, online abuse and internal rivalries for weakening collective demand for accountability.
According to Onyeabor, meaningful change will remain elusive until Nigerians embrace uncomfortable truths and focus on fixing institutions rather than idolizing individuals.
“This is not hate. This is not bitterness. This is an observation,” he concluded, adding that under current conditions, it is difficult to see Nigeria genuinely getting better.
