The Nigerian paradox

The struggle in Nigeria seems to be a struggle between revolutionaries who do not understand what they are revolting against and conservatives who do not know what to conserve. A battle of ideas by people who do not understand the ideas that divide them. A people enslaved by beliefs who do not understand reason.
In medicine we are told, above the interest of the patient and interest of the doctor stands the interest of medicine. But in Nigeria, it would seem that above the interest of the people and interest of Nigeria, stands the interest of the politicians. Any wonder why the politicians destroyed education, Health and aspiration and created a country where excellence and merit do not count, but only who one is and who one knows.
This is the problem, that those who are elected to serve the people and the nation, have made it a virtue to serve themselves and themselves alone. They have normalised the unjust, the tragic and the absurd. The essence of power and governance being subverted to serve the whim and caprice of those who hold power. Making power the prize of politics, which winners are at liberty to abuse in whatever way they may wish.
It is not only the politicians that damaged Nigeria. There are the sycophants, who call evil good and good evil. Those who must acquiesce with corruption to survive.
Nigeria is indeed a lost dream. Moreover, many Nigerians over value primitive identities like ethnic group and religion over and above everything else. It is no wonder that these Identities become the fulcrum on which Nigerian politics rotate.
The vehicle for power are the political parties and there are Nigerians of all ethnic groups and religions in every party. These are the people who fight within their parties for the positions the people vote. Political parties select candidates and if an ethnic group or religion is marginalised within a political party, that ethnic group or religion should look at the people representing them in that party. It is the parties that select candidates and at different times, candidates from ethnic group and religion has emerged.
Yes, politics and ethnic group play significant role in Nigeria politics, but it is because the politicians choose to play this cards for their own selfish interests.
I believe Nigeria should be reformed to devolve more powers to regions configured into four to six regions so that politics can become local and relevant to the people.
However, I do not for once think that the current Nigerian politicians would behave any different in regions. They would carry with them their prejudices, incompetences and base values to their regions. There would always be minorities who would be treated unjustly because of prejudice against them.
However, I believe that a restructured Nigeria with power devolved to the regions would be better than the status quo.
The fault is not in Nigeria, the fault is with those who have been in charge of Nigeria. Germany was a different country under Hitler, Russia is what it is today because of Putin and leaders with different mindset and values built China.