iPostThisWeek

Introduction Ivan Karamazov’s haunting provocation: “If God does not exist, everything is permitted” was never meant as a simple denial of faith. It was a moral warning: without divine accountability, human beings may act without restraint. In Nigeria, this paradox has taken on a peculiar parody. Politicians loudly profess faith, whether Christian or Muslim, invoking God at rallies, quoting scripture in speeches, and embarking on pilgrimages. Yet their governance betrays a worldview where God’s existence has no binding consequence. Power itself becomes god, and accountability evaporates. The irony is stark. A few days ago, the president ordered that police escorts protecting elites be withdrawn so officers could be redeployed to fight insecurity. Suddenly, politicians scrambled, fearful for their lives, lamenting exposure to danger. Yet ordinary Nigerians have lived exposed for decades: kidnapped on highways, massacred in villages, displaced from homes, and abandoned in camps. Cit...