THE FALLACY OF A BLAMELESS GOVERNMENT: A TREATISE ON THE MISDIAGNOSIS OF NIGERIA’S PROBLEM
There is a growing movement in Nigeria, one that argues that “the problem of Nigeria is Nigerians.” They say, “Let’s forget government. Let’s focus on ourselves.” They point to the carpenter who cheats, the doctor who defrauds, the mechanic who lies, the teacher who neglects. Their conclusion? “The failure of the nation lies not in the state, but in the citizen.”
At first, this sounds noble. Indeed, citizens must take responsibility for their conduct. But when examined closely, this argument is both shallow and dangerous, for it exonerates government and erases the moral and structural accountability of leadership.
If those who govern us are not imported, if they are Nigerians, products of our culture, schools, and communities, then how do we separate “the people” from “the government”? When analysts say “Nigerians are Nigeria’s problem” yet conveniently remove government from their diagnosis, they reveal a deeper intellectual dishonesty: they seek to absolve power while condemning the powerless.
If we follow this logic, then let us take it to its conclusion:
If government is not part of Nigeria’s problem, then government is unnecessary.
Let us abolish the state, dismantle its institutions, and return to a state of nature where everyone governs himself, a condition we already seem dangerously close to in our present national reality.
But no sane society does that.
Government exists precisely because human weakness demands structure, accountability, and justice. To say “government can’t do everything” is true, but it is not a message for Nigeria, where the question is not what government cannot do, but what it has done in accordance with its constitutional duty to ensure the welfare and security of the people.
To now say “government is not responsible for anything” is not realism; it is tyranny wrapped in populist language and emboldening lawlessness.
THE VANISHING IDEA OF ACCOUNTABILITY
In mature democracies, opposition is the conscience of governance. In the United Kingdom, the opposition is not a passive critic, it is a government-in-waiting, armed with its own social, political, and economic programs. It presents viable alternatives to the ruling party, woos the people with ideas, and dissects every major policy, addressing the nation after each significant government statement.
In the United States, the pattern is similar. After every State of the Union Address, the opposition delivers its own formal response, line by line, policy by policy, offering citizens an ideologically grounded alternative vision of governance. Opposition is not rebellion; it is a pillar of democracy.
In Nigeria, there is no such balance. The President delivers an Independence Day address, and no opposition party steps forward to critique its economic assumptions, social content, or policy soundness. Instead, the duty of dissent has fallen to ordinary citizens.
Today, it is the people, writers, journalists, social commentators, activists—who constitute the only meaningful opposition left. And when private citizens dare to speak truth to power, they are branded “bitter,” “unpatriotic,” or “the problem of Nigeria.”
THE COLLAPSE OF TRUE DEMOCRACY
Our democracy has been emptied of opposition, accountability, and courage.
The ruling elite governs without scrutiny; the opposition sleeps without shame; and the people are told to be silent in the name of patriotism.
We are witnessing a democracy that functions like an autocracy, where citizens are blamed for corruption while the corrupt are celebrated. The public good has been replaced with private greed, and moral responsibility has been outsourced to the powerless.
THE TRUE DIAGNOSIS
Yes, Nigerians must fix Nigeria but that includes those in power: ministers, governors, lawmakers, civil servants, and local officials who shape policy, control budgets, and enforce the law. Leadership is not a separate species; it is drawn from the citizenry.
When you remove government from the analysis, you commit a grave intellectual error—you amputate the very organ that drives the body.
Reform must therefore begin from both ends:
A responsible citizenry, committed to integrity and civic duty.
A responsive government, bound by law, transparency, and justice.
You cannot cure a nation by blaming its patients while excusing its doctors.
THE PATH FORWARD
Let us rebuild a participatory democracy where government is not a deity but a servant; where opposition is not treason but patriotism; and where truth is not punished as disloyalty.
Let us teach our children that governance is not an escape from accountability, but its highest test.
A country that silences criticism in the name of peace is not seeking peace, it is postponing explosion.
Nigeria must now choose: either to confront its leadership failures or to keep blaming its victims.
Taiwo Akiniami
THE FALLACY OF A BLAMELESS GOVERNMENT: A TREATISE ON THE MISDIAGNOSIS OF NIGERIA’S PROBLEM
There is a growing movement in Nigeria, one that argues that “the problem of Nigeria is Nigerians.” They say, “Let’s forget government. Let’s focus on ourselves.” They point to the carpenter who cheats, the doctor who defrauds, the mechanic who lies, the teacher who neglects. Their conclusion? “The failure of the nation lies not in the state, but in the citizen.”
At first, this sounds noble. Indeed, citizens must take responsibility for their conduct. But when examined closely, this argument is both shallow and dangerous, for it exonerates government and erases the moral and structural accountability of leadership.
If those who govern us are not imported, if they are Nigerians, products of our culture, schools, and communities, then how do we separate “the people” from “the government”? When analysts say “Nigerians are Nigeria’s problem” yet conveniently remove government from their diagnosis, they reveal a deeper intellectual dishonesty: they seek to absolve power while condemning the powerless.
If we follow this logic, then let us take it to its conclusion:
If government is not part of Nigeria’s problem, then government is unnecessary.
Let us abolish the state, dismantle its institutions, and return to a state of nature where everyone governs himself, a condition we already seem dangerously close to in our present national reality.
But no sane society does that.
Government exists precisely because human weakness demands structure, accountability, and justice. To say “government can’t do everything” is true, but it is not a message for Nigeria, where the question is not what government cannot do, but what it has done in accordance with its constitutional duty to ensure the welfare and security of the people.
To now say “government is not responsible for anything” is not realism; it is tyranny wrapped in populist language and emboldening lawlessness.
THE VANISHING IDEA OF ACCOUNTABILITY
In mature democracies, opposition is the conscience of governance. In the United Kingdom, the opposition is not a passive critic, it is a government-in-waiting, armed with its own social, political, and economic programs. It presents viable alternatives to the ruling party, woos the people with ideas, and dissects every major policy, addressing the nation after each significant government statement.
In the United States, the pattern is similar. After every State of the Union Address, the opposition delivers its own formal response, line by line, policy by policy, offering citizens an ideologically grounded alternative vision of governance. Opposition is not rebellion; it is a pillar of democracy.
In Nigeria, there is no such balance. The President delivers an Independence Day address, and no opposition party steps forward to critique its economic assumptions, social content, or policy soundness. Instead, the duty of dissent has fallen to ordinary citizens.
Today, it is the people, writers, journalists, social commentators, activists—who constitute the only meaningful opposition left. And when private citizens dare to speak truth to power, they are branded “bitter,” “unpatriotic,” or “the problem of Nigeria.”
THE COLLAPSE OF TRUE DEMOCRACY
Our democracy has been emptied of opposition, accountability, and courage.
The ruling elite governs without scrutiny; the opposition sleeps without shame; and the people are told to be silent in the name of patriotism.
We are witnessing a democracy that functions like an autocracy, where citizens are blamed for corruption while the corrupt are celebrated. The public good has been replaced with private greed, and moral responsibility has been outsourced to the powerless.
THE TRUE DIAGNOSIS
Yes, Nigerians must fix Nigeria but that includes those in power: ministers, governors, lawmakers, civil servants, and local officials who shape policy, control budgets, and enforce the law. Leadership is not a separate species; it is drawn from the citizenry.
When you remove government from the analysis, you commit a grave intellectual error—you amputate the very organ that drives the body.
Reform must therefore begin from both ends:
A responsible citizenry, committed to integrity and civic duty.
A responsive government, bound by law, transparency, and justice.
You cannot cure a nation by blaming its patients while excusing its doctors.
THE PATH FORWARD
Let us rebuild a participatory democracy where government is not a deity but a servant; where opposition is not treason but patriotism; and where truth is not punished as disloyalty.
Let us teach our children that governance is not an escape from accountability, but its highest test.
A country that silences criticism in the name of peace is not seeking peace, it is postponing explosion.
Nigeria must now choose: either to confront its leadership failures or to keep blaming its victims.
Taiwo Akiniami
English