The Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Pastor Sam Adeyemi, has called on Nigerians to look beyond the forthcoming 2027 general elections and begin a deliberate process of building a new nation anchored on a clear national vision, effective leadership and functional systems.
Adeyemi made the call in his latest video message, titled “Seeing a New Nation,” posted by Daystar Christian Centre following its Independence Service on September 27.
The cleric and leadership consultant, who has consistently spoken on the need for a fundamental change in Nigeria’s leadership culture, stressed that the country’s transformation could not be achieved merely by changing political office holders at election time.
According to him, elections are important to democracy, but they would not automatically produce national development without a clearly defined destination for the country.
Adeyemi had similarly warned earlier in the year that elections without a shared national vision could reproduce the same outcomes, regardless of leadership changes. He argued that Nigeria needed a collective agreement on the kind of nation citizens wanted to build and the systems required to achieve it.
He identified goals and systems as critical to sustainable change, explaining that while goals provide direction, systems are responsible for producing results.
For Nigeria, he said, the national conversation should therefore move beyond who wins elections to questions about where the country is headed, what its long-term economic and social goals should be, and what institutional structures are required to achieve them.
Adeyemi also called for a national discussion involving citizens, political leaders, the business community, professionals and Nigerians in the diaspora to establish a common direction for the country.
He maintained that Nigerians living abroad, particularly those exposed to functional systems in other countries, had an important role to play by contributing ideas and practical experiences that could help shape Nigeria’s development.
The pastor also linked some of the country’s challenges to weaknesses in its social and institutional systems, arguing that insecurity, poor governance and other national problems should not be treated merely as isolated incidents.
He called for reforms that would address the structures responsible for producing the outcomes Nigerians currently experience, including a review of the country’s constitutional framework.
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Adeyemi further urged Nigerians to take responsibility for demanding accountability from those seeking political power, saying citizens should continue to demand clarity of direction before, during and after elections.
He also challenged the political and elite class to focus on supplying national development rather than merely seeking or retaining power.
His message comes as Nigeria moves deeper into preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the electoral cycle already generating increased political activity across the country.
Rather than presenting the 2027 polls as an end in themselves, Adeyemi’s message places emphasis on what should follow the elections: the creation of institutions, policies and leadership systems capable of translating a national vision into measurable development.
He added that the emergence of a new Nigeria would require more than a change of political personalities; it would require a change in the way citizens, leaders and institutions understand and pursue national development.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to participate actively in shaping the country’s future, insisting that national development should be regarded as a shared responsibility between citizens and those entrusted with leadership.