Wanted: A Moses for Nigeria in 2027 -By Isaac Asabor

Moses, no doubt, remains a timeless figure in Christendom, a man raised by God to stand between an oppressed people and a hardened, self-serving ruler. His four-word message to Pharaoh, “Let my people go,” was not a request, it was a demand for justice, freedom, and dignity. He did not stand aloof while his people suffered. He intervened. He carried their burden, shared in their pain, and led them, despite their fears, towards deliverance.

Today, Nigeria is Egypt. And Nigerians are the Israelites. What we lack is a Moses.

The country is drifting. The signs are clear. Hunger is now the common denominator in both rural and urban households. The economy is in shambles. Insecurity has become the soundtrack of everyday life. The cost of living is criminally high. Public education and healthcare are near collapse. Corruption has grown wings. Government has become an exclusive club for the elite while the masses are left to groan under a system that sees them as expendable.

From Sokoto to Bayelsa, from Lagos to Maiduguri, the Nigerian story is now one of betrayal, broken promises, and slow death. It is not an exaggeration to say that most Nigerians today feel exiled in their own country, strangers in the land of their birth.

The urgent question now is: Who will be the Moses for Nigeria in 2027?

Who will speak truth to power, not in empty press statements but with righteous indignation and focused leadership? Who will lead the people out of this wilderness of bad governance, economic enslavement, and hopelessness?

We must remember the words of Proverbs 3:27–28 which says, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it, when you already have it with you.”

For too long, those in leadership have withheld good from Nigerians. For too long, we have been told to “come back tomorrow”, whether it is on electricity reform, fuel price stability, security, or food affordability. But tomorrow never comes.

The problem is not that solutions do not exist. It is that those in power lack the moral courage to act. And when a nation has power without conscience, policies without compassion, and leaders without empathy, the people suffer.

This is where the metaphor of Moses becomes more than a biblical tale. We need a leader in 2027 who sees every Nigerian’s problem as his or her own problem, not someone who governs from Aso Rock with air-conditioned detachment, nor someone who relies on media propaganda to paint a picture that is far removed from the bitter realities on ground.

Personally, I cannot imagine waking up one day and being told I am no longer Nigerian. Yet, that is exactly how it feels to many Nigerians now, like we have lost our national identity, our pride, our sense of belonging. The system treats us like stateless people, alienated from our rights, excluded from the table of progress.

Psalm 137:4 captures it perfectly: “How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?”

How do you pledge allegiance to a country that constantly betrays you? How do you hope in a nation that only brings you hunger, fear, and frustration? Make no mistake, Nigeria is the new Babylon, and we are the exiles.

Millions of young people are fleeing the country in droves under the “Japa” syndrome. Those who remain are overwhelmed by unemployment, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of despair. Farmers are afraid to go to their farms. Students are learning in dilapidated classrooms. Pensioners are dying in queues. Mothers are choosing between food and medicine. Fathers are losing sleep over school fees.

This is not how a country should treat its citizens. And so, as 2027 approaches, Nigerians must reject the recycled failures that have brought us here. We must resist being divided by ethnicity, religion, or region. Nigeria’s pain is national. It knows no tribe. It respects no faith.

We must rise and begin to ask real questions: Who among the political aspirants has the courage of Moses? Who will carry the rod of justice and not just wave party flags? Who will look Nigerians in the face and say: “The suffering you see today, you will see no more”?  Who will break the cycle of lies, looting, and legacy-wasting leadership?

We need a Moses who would not be a slave to political godfathers. A Moses who would not protect cabals and cartels at the expense of the people. A Moses who understands that governance is not showmanship, but stewardship. A Moses who believes that leadership is service, not privilege.

In 2027, we must not vote out of fear. We must not vote for stomach infrastructure. We must not be seduced by last-minute rice or handouts. We must vote with clear eyes and a burning desire to be free.

Psalm 126:1–3 says: “When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”

That is the dream we must fight for. Not just to survive Nigeria, but to reclaim her. Not just to endure this Babylon, but to come back home. To become whole again as a nation.

We need a Moses who will not just speak, but act. Who will gather past leaders, stakeholders, and thinkers in a roundtable, not to recycle failure, but to forge a new way forward. A Moses who will carry Nigerians, not on his head, but in his heart.

Let no one be deceived, 2027 is not just another election. It is a national referendum on whether Nigeria lives or dies.

The time is now to seek out that Moses. To pray, organize, mobilize, and strategize. Because if we miss it again, we may remain in this wilderness far longer than we can endure.