Sowore Criticizes Culture of Praising Public Officials, Recalls Confronting Fashola in London
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticized what he described as the culture of excessive praise for public officials, saying political leaders should be judged by clear and measurable standards rather than public admiration.
Sowore made the remarks during an interaction with journalists in a video shared by TV Platinum on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
During the discussion, he recalled an encounter with former Babatunde Fashola, a former governor of Lagos State, at an event in the United Kingdom.
According to Sowore, the meeting took place at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where Fashola was receiving praise from participants at the event.
Sowore said he questioned the claims that portrayed the former governor as the “best governor in the world,” arguing that governance should be evaluated based on how it improves the lives of all residents, not just achievements in selected areas.
“I remember when I went to the UK to the London School of Economics to confront Fashola when they were praising him as the best governor in the world,” Sowore said.
He explained that he used the opportunity to highlight what he described as uneven development across Lagos.
According to him, while some parts of the state had seen visible improvements, many other communities still faced serious infrastructure and social challenges.
“I told him parts of Lagos are deodorized while other parts are ghettoized,” Sowore said, adding that many people at the event disagreed with his comments and continued to defend the former governor’s record.
Sowore also said Fashola reacted strongly to the criticism during the exchange. According to him, the former governor expressed displeasure at the remarks and stated that he did not read the online news platform SaharaReporters, which Sowore founded.
Using the incident as an example, Sowore said Nigerians should stop praising political leaders for carrying out what he described as basic responsibilities of government.
He noted that actions such as paying workers’ salaries, building schools, and settling pension obligations are normal duties of government and should not be treated as extraordinary achievements.
Sowore added that Nigerians must adopt consistent standards when evaluating the performance of public officials. According to him, leaders who fail to meet these standards should not be celebrated as exceptional.
He stressed that stronger accountability and objective assessment of leadership are necessary to improve governance and strengthen democratic institutions in the country.
