Isaac AsaborThere is no denying the fact that when the curtain of life falls that Nigeria’s political elite must stand before the ultimate Judge where only one question will ring loud and clear. The question, no doubt, will be: “What did you do with the talents I gave you?” This is not a rhetorical question. It is a spiritual reality drawn straight from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, and it is a question that every failed Nigerian leader will be compelled to answer, whether they like it or not.
In the biblical parable, a master entrusts his servants with talents (a significant sum of money): five to one, two to another, and one to the last, “each according to his ability.” When he returns, the first two servants present double what they were given. But the third, who received one talent, buried it in the ground out of fear and laziness. The master was furious and called him “wicked and slothful,” stripping him of the little he had and casting him into outer darkness.
This story is not just a Sunday School tale. It is a divine warning, especially for those whom God has placed in positions of leadership in a country like Nigeria, one of the most naturally blessed yet mismanaged nations on earth. Nigeria has no business being poor. Her leaders, over the decades, have been entrusted with resources, opportunities, power, and above all, the people’s trust. What have they done with these talents?
In fact, many Nigerian leaders rose from nothing. Some were former teachers, unionists, military officers, technocrats, and even activists. They had the education, the exposure, and most importantly, the opportunity to lead. But what did they do with it?
They looted the treasury. They personalized public assets. They turned leadership into a family business. They lied, manipulated, and oppressed the same people who voted them in. Like the unprofitable servant in Matthew 25:18, they buried their opportunity and failed to make any spiritual, social, or economic profit from it.
Romans 14:12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” This accountability will not be before a judicial panel or a Senate committee. It will be before the throne of Heaven, where no immunity clause, legal technicality, or senior advocate can help.
Just like in Genesis 4:10, where God asked Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground,” the cries of Nigerians, children dying in ill-equipped hospitals, youths wasting away in unemployment, pregnant women dying on pothole-riddled roads, students losing years to ASUU strikes, are all rising up to God.
Though some failed leaders may have built churches, sponsor crusades from the proceeds of corruption while in office, or even boast of their religious affiliations, but Proverbs 21:27 warns: “The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind?”
God is not fooled by outward religiosity. He sees the intent of the heart. He sees the manipulation of budgets, the diversion of palliatives, the inflated contracts, and the ghost workers on the payroll.
How can leaders claim to have used their talents well when the masses are languishing in multidimensional poverty? Proverbs 22:16 says, “He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich, both come to poverty.”
Nigeria is bleeding not because God did not give us enough but because leaders failed to multiply what they were given. The natural resources, foreign aid, oil wealth, and intellectual capacity God deposited in this nation were not for personal aggrandizement. They were meant to lift the nation.
What will they say when God asks: “You were governor for eight years, what did you build?” Or “You were a senator with access to constituency funds, how many lives did you touch?” “You were president of the most populous Black nation, what legacy did you leave?” Will they say: “I bought bulletproof SUVs and flew around in private jets while the people drank dirty water”?
Ecclesiastes 12:14 declares, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
Unlike earthly panels and tribunals, God’s judgment does not rely on witnesses or media coverage. He sees all. Nothing is hidden. Those that faked figures, inflated contracts, looted disaster relief, or diverted pension funds will all face divine scrutiny.
Luke 16:2 tells of a rich man’s steward who was asked, “Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.” That day will come for every Nigerian leader.
They may escape the EFCC. They may silence critics. But no one can silence the voice of conscience, and certainly not the voice of God.
But there is still a window for redemption. Like King David in Psalm 51, a leader who repents and turns back to God with genuine contrition can still leave a lasting legacy, even if it is in their final years.
Ezekiel 18:30-31 says, “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” There is no shame in repentance. The shame lies in dying with blood on one’s hands and talents buried in the sands of greed and negligence.
Current and aspiring leaders must take this to heart. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Leadership is not a right. It is a sacred responsibility. Every act done in office is a seed, some to life, others to destruction.
The parable ends with the Master returning and settling accounts. To the two faithful servants, He says: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But to the unfaithful one, He says: “Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:30)
That judgment is real. It is coming. So, to every Nigerian leader, past or present, the question remains: What will you tell God you did with your talents? If your answer is a list of excuses, self-enrichment, and abandoned responsibilities, then know this: God is not mocked. And the day of reckoning is nearer than you think.
