The Godfathers who own Nigeria, by Stephanie Shaakaa 

Since 1999, Nigeria has called itself a democracy. Every four years, Africa’s astir populous federation lines up to vote, and the rituals of elections are performed with fanfare. But beneath the ceremonies lies different truth. Nigeria wears the apparel of ideology but lives nether the regularisation of godfathers.

Ballots are cast, results are announced, but powerfulness is not decided successful polling stations. It is negotiated successful surviving rooms, brokered astatine midnight, and auctioned to the highest patron. Nigeria is not a democracy, it is simply a marketplace, and the currency is loyalty to godfathers.

We unreal to elite leaders, but what we truly bash is ratify the decisions of men who propulsion strings successful the shadows. In Nigeria, ballots don’t choose, godfathers do.

This is the Godfather Economy. Politics present is not astir ideas, competence, oregon vision. It is astir who owes who, who kneels to who, and who dares not wound the manus that feeds.

Every politician has a godfather. Every legislator bows to one. Even presidents are not exempt. They are sponsored, installed, and reminded astatine each crook who paved their mode to power. In exchange, contracts flow, appointments are sold, and authorities budgets go repayment plans for governmental debts.

This system doesn’t nutrient roads. It doesn’t physique schools. It doesn’t make jobs. What it produces are stooge leaders who cannot deliberation beyond their master’s script. It manufactures politicians who emergence not by competence but by servitude. It traps Nigerians successful a rhythm of recycled mediocrity, due to the fact that the strategy rewards obedience, loyalty not excellence.

The godfather is not conscionable 1 man. He is simply a culture. He is each kingmaker who installs a puppet. He is each elder who says, Wait for your turn. He is each cabal that decides who should devour and who indispensable starve. The godfather is the shadiness authorities that survives each election, each coup, each transition. Leaders travel and go, but the godfathers remain, fattened by powerfulness and untouchable by law.

And mean Nigerians? We are the collateral. We unrecorded successful a state wherever ambition is suffocated unless you belong. Where merit is useless without a sponsor. Where the champion brains are silenced portion puppets rise. It is not that Nigeria lacks leaders. It is that Nigeria is chained to godfathers who volition ne'er fto existent enactment breathe.

This is wherefore corruption thrives. Why poorness persists. Why insecurity festers. Decisions are not made for the people, they are made to delight the godfather. Roads are abandoned due to the fact that the contractor belongs to the incorrect camp. Hospitals decay due to the fact that healthcare doesn’t enrich the patron. Universities adjacent portion billions are stashed distant each to support governmental debts paid.

And possibly the cruellest irony is this, Nigerians cognize their godfathers. We susurration their names. We spot them astatine weddings and funerals, spraying wealth that should person built schools. We ticker them sponsor politicians and dictate policies. Yet we clap. We hail. We normalize our chains.

Because successful Nigeria, leaders don’t lead, they kneel. Our elections are not contests of ideas but auctions, and the highest bidder is ever the godfather. Democracy began to wither the time loyalty to patrons outweighed loyalty to the people.

In 2023, Nigeria ranked 150th of 180 connected Transparency International’s Corruption Index.

We archer ourselves we are changing governments, but what we are truly doing is swapping 1 puppet for another. The existent rulers of Nigeria are ne'er connected the ballot; they unrecorded successful the shadows, pulling strings, deciding who volition deterioration the crown and who volition beryllium formed aside. When the godfather holds some the yam and the knife, the radical are near with thing but the peel.

This is wherefore our leaders govern similar tenants, not rulers. They wage rent successful contracts, appointments, and budgets, portion citizens are near with abandoned roads, breached schools, and hospitals that ne'er heal. The ballot whitethorn prime the dancer, but the drumbeat ever belongs to the godfather. And a puppet tin ne'er creation otherwise from the manus that moves it.

In specified a system, merit cannot breathe. You...