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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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
The altercation apparently started after the driver asked Ikwechegh to go outside to collect the food, rather than him taking it inside.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Politicians, including many MPs, often also intimidate the public by travelling in large convoys, with police escorts and blaring sirens.<\/p>\n
Their convoys are given priority over regular traffic, with security officers sometimes reacting aggressively towards anyone who fails to make way for them.<\/p>\n
But this latest case is especially disappointing because Ikwechegh, at 42, is part of a younger generation of politicians.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Since Nigeria’s median age is only 18, many hoped younger leaders would break the old patterns of oppression and entitlement.<\/p>\n
But Ikwechegh’s actions exhibit some of the same old behaviours that many young Nigerians had hoped would be left behind.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He threatened her with arrest, and even called over a police officer to carry it out.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
All this has left many Nigerians wondering if younger leaders are falling into the same traps as the older generation.<\/p>\n
The situation takes me back to my boarding school days, where senior students regularly bullied juniors.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But by the time we made it to senior year, the school introduced new rules against bullying, and we felt robbed.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It feels like this same cycle is playing out on a national level.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has referred Ikwechegh to its Ethics and Privileges Committee after he was accused of bringing it into disrepute.<\/p>\n
He has also been arraigned in court on charges of “threats, assaults, and abuse of public office”.<\/p>\n
His behaviour is a sobering reminder that entitlement and impunity may be more deeply embedded in Nigerian culture than generational change alone can address.<\/p>\n
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is a Nigerian journalist and novelist based in Abuja and London.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n