Slapping MP shows generational change may not end abuse of power in Nigeria

Nigerian politician Alex Ikwechegh has caused outrage after he was caught on video slapping and verbally abusing a taxi driver delivering food to his house.

“Do you know who I am?… I can make you disappear in this whole country, and nothing will happen,” Ikwechegh was heard saying in the video that went viral.

The altercation apparently started after the driver asked Ikwechegh to go outside to collect the food, rather than him taking it inside.

Shocked Nigerians shared the clip widely, forcing Ikwechegh, a member of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) party who represents the south-eastern town of Aba in the House of Representatives, to issue a formal apology – a stark contrast to his arrogant and intimidating tone in the video.

Unfortunately, it is common in Nigeria for officials and other “big men” to use their power to intimidate ordinary citizens with the familiar phrase: “Do you know who I am?” – a reminder of the untouchable status they believe they hold.

Politicians, including many MPs, often also intimidate the public by travelling in large convoys, with police escorts and blaring sirens.

Their convoys are given priority over regular traffic, with security officers sometimes reacting aggressively towards anyone who fails to make way for them.

But this latest case is especially disappointing because Ikwechegh, at 42, is part of a younger generation of politicians.

The “Not Too Young to Run” campaign was started a few years ago by civil society organisations to encourage more young people to become involved in Nigerian politics.

With 70% of the country’s population under 35, the initiative aimed to lower the age limits for running for office, allowing younger Nigerians to bring new ideas and a fresh approach to leadership.

It succeeded in 2018, reducing the minimum age requirements for various offices and raising the number of young candidates from 6% to 27% in just one year.

The age of running for the House of Representatives – the lower chamber of parliament – was reduced from 30 to 25, the Senate and governorship from 35 to 30, and president from 40 to 30.

Since Nigeria’s median age is only 18, many hoped younger leaders would break the old patterns of oppression and entitlement.

But Ikwechegh’s actions exhibit some of the same old behaviours that many young Nigerians had hoped would be left behind.

Sadly, his case isn’t unique. Two years ago, Nigeria’s then-youngest senator, Elisha Abbo, who was 41 at the time, was filmed slapping a shop assistant after accusing her of “insulting” him.

He threatened her with arrest, and even called over a police officer to carry it out.

The incident was caught on CCTV and eventually led to Abbo, who is no longer a senator after losing elections last year, apologising. But it exposed just how deeply rooted this culture of abuse of power is.

All this has left many Nigerians wondering if younger leaders are falling into the same traps as the older generation.

The situation takes me back to my boarding school days, where senior students regularly bullied juniors.

As juniors, my classmates and I would eagerly talk about what we’d do once it was our turn to be seniors, picturing the punishments we’d hand down to those younger than us.

It felt like a right, something to look forward to – a small comfort amid the hardships of being a junior – that someday, we would be the ones with the power, not the ones on the receiving end.

But by the time we made it to senior year, the school introduced new rules against bullying, and we felt robbed.

We had waited our turn, and now that right was being taken from us. The school stuck with its new rules although many seniors still found ways to circumvent them.

It feels like this same cycle is playing out on a national level.

When a 42-year-old politician, active on social media, can slap a taxi driver – three times – on camera without a second thought, it forces us to wonder if the younger generation of politicians are simply waiting to inherit, rather than break, the cycle of privilege, whether they truly want a fresh start or are just waiting for their turn to wield power without any restraint.

Nigeria’s House of Representatives has referred Ikwechegh to its Ethics and Privileges Committee after he was accused of bringing it into disrepute.

He has also been arraigned in court on charges of “threats, assaults, and abuse of public office”.

His behaviour is a sobering reminder that entitlement and impunity may be more deeply embedded in Nigerian culture than generational change alone can address.

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is a Nigerian journalist and novelist based in Abuja and London.