Nigerian politician Alex Ikwechegh has sparked outrage after he was filmed slapping and verbally abusing a taxi driver delivering food to his home.

“Do you know who I am?…I can make you disappear all over this country, and nothing will happen,” Ikwechegh is heard saying in the video that went viral.

The altercation apparently began after the driver asked Ikwechegh to go outside to get the food, rather than bring it inside.

Shocked Nigerians widely shared the video, forcing Ikwechegh, a member of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) party which represents the southeastern city of Aba in the House of Representatives, to present official apology – a stark contrast to his arrogant attitude. and intimidating tone in the video.

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.

Politicians, including many MPs, also often intimidate the public by traveling in large convoys, accompanied by police escorts and blaring sirens.

Their convoys have priority over regular traffic, with security officers sometimes reacting aggressively to anyone who does not clear the way for them.

But the latter case is particularly disappointing because Ikwechegh, 42, is part of a younger generation of politicians.

The “Not Too Young to Run” campaign was launched a few years ago by civil society organizations to encourage more young people to get involved in Nigerian politics.

With 70% of the country’s population being under the age of 35, the initiative aimed to lower the age limit for running for office, thereby allowing young Nigerians to bring new ideas and a new approach to leadership.

He achieved this in 2018, reducing the minimum age requirements for various positions and increasing the number of young applicants from 6% to 27% in just one year.

The age for running for the House of Representatives – the lower house of Parliament – ​​was reduced from 30 to 25, for the Senate and governorship from 35 to 30, and for president from 40 to 30.

As the median age in Nigeria is only 18, many hoped that the young leaders would break old patterns of oppression and entitlement.

But Ikwechegh’s actions reflect some of the same old behaviors that many young Nigerians hoped would disappear.

Unfortunately, his case is not unique. Two years ago, Elisha Abbo, then Nigeria’s youngest senator, aged 41, was filmed slapping a shop assistant after accusing her of “insulting” him.

He threatened her with arrest and even called a police officer to execute her.

The incident was caught on CCTV and eventually led Abbo, who is no longer a senator after losing elections last year, to issue an apology. But it revealed how deeply rooted this culture of abuse of power is.

All this leaves many Nigerians wondering if young leaders are falling into the same traps as the older generation.

The situation takes me back to my boarding school days, where high school students routinely bullied juniors.

As juniors, my classmates and I talked excitedly about what we would do once it was our turn to become a senior, imagining the punishments we would inflict on those younger than us.

It felt like a right, something to look forward to – a small comfort amid the difficulties of being a junior – that one day we would be the ones with the power, not the ones on the receiving end of it.

But by the time we got to final year, the school introduced new rules against bullying, and we felt robbed.

We had waited our turn, and now that right was being taken away from us. The school stuck to its new rules, even though many seniors still found ways to get around them.

We have the impression that this same cycle is playing out at the national level.

When a 42-year-old politician, active on social media, can slap a taxi driver – three times – on camera without hesitation, 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 simply waiting for their turn to exercise power without restraint.

Nigeria’s House of Representatives referred Ikwechegh to its Ethics and Privileges Committee after he was accused of bringing the House into disrepute.

He was also brought to justice for “threats, assaults and abuse of public office”.

His behavior reminds us that entitlement and impunity are perhaps more deeply ingrained in Nigerian culture than generational change alone can fix.

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is a Nigerian journalist and novelist based in Abuja and London.