By Simon Shango
Professor Daniel Iyorkegh Saror’s interview with Daily Trust of September 19, 2026, has provoked deep reflection. The interview was brought to my attention and read to me by my cousin, Teryila Ade. Professor Saror has been my friend and contemporary for many years. He is 85 and I am 81. At our age, we have both experienced the difficulties that accompany old age. But his account raises a much wider question: what happened to the Nigeria where education and hard work could open doors for people who knew nobody?
Saror’s journey tells the story. From Ukum in Benue State, he attended Gindiri Boys’ Secondary School, obtained his Higher School Certificate and later studied veterinary medicine in the United States through an opportunity supported by USAID. He returned to Nigeria and joined Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he rose from lecturer to head of department, dean and eventually vice-chancellor. His rise provides a powerful example of professional advancement through education and competence.
He also served outside academia. He recalled his appointment as chairman of International Merchant Bank under Alhaji Shehu Shagari and later spent eight years in the Senate. He said he never asked for or accepted a bribe. He also invested in agriculture. Whatever one’s view of the Nigeria of that period, his account reflects a time when public responsibility, professional achievement and personal enterprise could provide meaningful pathways for advancement.
But Saror’s greatest regret appears to be politics. He said he used his resources on politics and lost much of his investment during his political years. After leaving the Senate, he returned to teaching and worked until 2023. Today, he says his financial situation is difficult and that his children assist him. His experience raises questions about public service, political financing and the economic security of people who dedicate their productive years to national service.
His concerns about Nigeria are equally significant. He questioned the lack of industries in Northern Nigeria and the failure to transform the region’s population and agricultural potential into productive economic activity. He warned that when government becomes a major source of employment, young people can begin to view politics as a route to survival. Unemployment, weak industrialisation and inadequate opportunities then become not only economic problems but social and political problems.
We should not pretend that Nigeria’s earlier decades were perfect. They were not. But Saror’s life demonstrates that a young man from Ukum could obtain an education, travel abroad, return home, become a professor, rise to vice-chancellor, chair a major bank and serve in the Senate. Today, many young Nigerians possess qualifications but struggle to find productive opportunities. Something has clearly changed, and that change deserves honest examination.
Saror’s prescription is straightforward: invest in people, education, healthcare, agriculture and industries. Wealth should also be invested in productive enterprises that create employment. Population is not automatically an economic advantage; it becomes one when people are educated, healthy, skilled and employed.
Professor Saror’s story is therefore not simply about one elderly Nigerian looking back. It is a mirror held before the country. At 81, I have lived through much of the same journey. The challenge before Nigeria is to rebuild a society in which a child who knows nobody can become somebody because education, competence, character and hard work are given a genuine opportunity to succeed.
SIMON SHANGO, MFR writes from Abuja
