The publisher of Ovation magazine and staunch member of the major opposition political party in Nigeria, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dele Momodu has shared the trials and triumphs that shaped his journey.
Momodu, a veteran journalist who had worked in many national newspapers and magazines, while speaking on KK Show, revealed that as a child born into a humble background could not afford a building property until he was 57 years.
Recalling arriving in Lagos in 1988 as a 28-year-old without a home, he had to squat with many friends for many years leading to his girlfriend jilting him.
According to him, a romantic relationship ended due to his financial struggles, as his girlfriend dismissed him as someone with “no future.”
Despite a life marked by hardship, he found solace in his intellectual pursuits, devouring radical works by authors such as Karl Marx, Wole Soyinka, and Frantz Fanon.
His years at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) during the politically charged “Ali Must Go” protests in 1978 instilled in him a spirit of activism and a commitment to social change.
Speaking on his transition from journalism to politics, he admitted that running for public office was never part of his original plan.
Pointing out that he was tired of lamenting like the biblical Jeremiah, he said, attributed his decision to venture into politics to Barack Obama’s emergence as U.S. President, which inspired him to believe in the possibility of change in Nigeria.
At 50, he ran for the presidency under the National Conscience Party (NCP), in 2011 but lost. A second attempt in 2019 with the PDP also failed, largely due to the monetisation of Nigerian politics.
He explained that his major challenge to be successful in politics is funding, comparing Nigeria’s cash-driven political system to the more structured fundraising efforts seen in places like the United States.
He recounted instances where candidates paid delegates that would pick presidential candidate at the PDP Convention as much as $30,000 each, a stark reminder of the barriers faced by candidates without substantial financial backing.
He ruled out contesting for the presidency saying, “No, I cannot contest for the president in Nigeria again. I don’t have the cash to pick up the nomination form. How could I have a vote when I did not have money to give delegates? I cannot compete with politicians who can afford it. Now if another election is to be held, the nomination form will cost about N100 million. Where will I get that?”
“Unless a major political party adopts me, I won’t contest again,” he said, citing the prohibitive costs of nomination forms and campaigning.
Reflecting on the state of the nation, he lamented the entrenched control of “principalities” over the political system and the pervasive ignorance that allows manipulation by the elites.
As for Nigeria’s future, his outlook was grim. “You can’t build something on nothing,” he said, criticising the country’s foundational flaws and the self-serving nature of its leaders.
He suggested that only a revolution could bring about meaningful change but doubted whether it would happen within his lifetime.
At 65, he views his political journey as a chapter in a broader struggle for better governance. “If Nigerians want a good leader, they know where to find one,” he concluded. “But right now, I don’t think we’re ready.”
