iPostThisWeek

The Rhythm of Futility In the canon of Igbo literature, Goddy Onyekaonwu’s Nwata rie Awọ Ọjụ Anụ serves as more than a story; it is a mirror. When the character Awọrọ cries out, “Ma ụtụtụ – waa waa waa; ehihie – waa waa waa a, ike ya agwụla m,” he is not merely complaining about a bad day at the hunt. He is describing a soul-crushing cycle of expectation followed by emptiness. Awọrọ’s traps were set in the hope of sustenance, yet they yielded nothing at dawn and nothing at noon. This "waa waa waa", this consistent, rhythmic "nothingness" has transitioned from the pages of fiction into the very fabric of the Nigerian political experience. As we look toward the horizon of 2027, we must ask the question that haunts every dining table and bus stop from Kaura Namoda to Yenagoa: Has the Nigerian political system become irredeemable? The Parable of the Empty Trap The Nigerian electorate is like a hunter who meticulously sets his traps every four years. We wa...

Introduction As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, national conversations are already dominated by familiar patterns of political strategy. Within Nigeria’s evolving democratic framework, promises are frequently made and political affiliations shift, reflecting the dynamic nature of party politics. To fully comprehend this environment, it is valuable to move beyond standard political analysis and consider alternative frameworks for understanding Nigeria's situation. Drawing an analogy with the classic film The Thief of Bagdad , one can observe themes of contested power, challenges to legitimate authority, and widespread uncertainty among citizens. As another electoral cycle approaches, it is important to critically evaluate whether current events reflect a genuine democratic process or echo past instances of political manoeuvrings. The Grand Viziers: Sorcery and State Capture In the film, the Grand Vizier Jaffar is not merely a minister; he is a usurper who uses...

The dust of Rome’s collapse had barely settled when St. Augustine of Hippo penned his monumental work, The City of God. His aim was to explain that humanity is divided not by borders, but by the ultimate object of its love: God or self. Fast forward over 1,500 years, and one might find an unexpected echo of Augustine’s profound dichotomy in the vibrant, sometimes clashing, social currents of Nigeria: the "City Boys" and the "Village Boys" movements. While Augustine’s cities are spiritual allegories, they offer a powerful framework to understand the contrasting philosophies, aspirations, and values at play in these contemporary Nigerian phenomena. The "City Boys": Echoes of the Civitas Terrena (City of Man) The "City Boys" movement, often characterized by its association with urban sophistication, modern trends, and often a visible display of success, resonates uncannily with Augustine's Civitas Terrena, the City of Man. Love of Self a...

Introduction Nigeria’s democracy has always been narrated through acronyms. From Electoral Commission of Nigeria (ECN) to Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) to National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), each era has carried its own vocabulary of reform, promise, and disappointment. The language changes, the technology evolves, the institutions rebrand, but the people’s core demand remains painfully constant: a credible election. As 2027 approaches, the country once again finds itself rehearsing familiar anxieties, familiar hopes, and familiar battles over the tools meant to safeguard the vote. The Long History of Electoral Jargon Without Justice Since 1959, Nigeria has cycled through electoral commissions and their accompanying innovations. Every transition has been sold as the long‑awaited fix. Yet none of these reforms: whether structural, legal, or technological has delivered the free and fair elections Nigerians dese...

Introduction Nigeria has never lacked for conversations about corruption. What we often lack, however, is honesty about its full spectrum. We condemn the petty thief with righteous fury, yet we whisper, sometimes even applaud, when the “smart thief” in high office plunders the nation with a fountain pen. Both forms of theft drain the lifeblood of the country. Both undermine the well‑being of the state. Yet only one group is routinely demonized, while the other is shielded by power, influence, and a justice system that bends like wet cardboard. This article argues that Nigeria’s crisis is not merely about petty criminality on the streets. It is about a culture that normalizes grand theft at the top while pretending to be shocked by the survival crimes at the bottom. Until we confront this hypocrisy, Nigeria will remain “every year, a child,” stunted while other nations grow with responsibility and dignity. Petty Thieves: The Condemned Faces of Survival Crime A few weeks ago, soc...

Nigeria’s poorest citizens are locked in a silent contest of survival against two very different but equally destructive forces. On one side stand the unregulated pastoralists whose cattle roam freely into farmlands. On the other side stand the political elites: governors, commissioners, and agencies, who bulldoze homes and seize ancestral lands in the name of industrialization, road expansion, and “development.” One group carries sticks and machetes: the other carries constitutions, bulldozers, and state power. Yet the outcome for the poor is strikingly similar: dispossession, hunger, and despair. The Pastoralist Problem: When Cattle Become Weapons Across many rural communities, herders release their cattle into farmlands as though the crops were planted for the animals. Maize, cassava, rice, yam leaves, legumes, everything becomes fodder. These are not just crops; they are the lifeline of families who depend on them for food, school fees, and survival. Humans eat crops. Human...

Introduction History is humanity’s compass. It points to the present, warns of danger, and protects the future. Every society that has risen from chaos to stability has done so by remembering, by holding its past close enough to learn from it, yet far enough to transcend it. But what happens when a nation forgets? When memory is not merely lost but buried? When the past is not a teacher but a corpse? The present becomes hollow, and the future becomes a casualty. Nigeria today is a living example of what it means for a people to exist without memory. It is a nation where remembrance has been wiped out, where collective experience has been cleansed, where lessons once learned are now discarded like waste. Nigeria’s absurdity is not accidental; it is the predictable outcome of a society that refuses to be informed by its own history. The Paradox of a People Who Kill the Past and Bury the Future The title of this essay carries a deliberate paradox: Nigeria’s present buries the past...