Nigeria is a nation running on the fumes of its citizens` resilience. For decades, the defining characteristic of the Nigerian populace has been an uncanny ability to "suffer and smile"—to find joy, humor, and hope in the cracks of systemic failure. But as global media veteran Akintayo Asamu Kowinrin recently pointed out in a scathing indictment of our political class, this resilience is being weaponized against us. Kowinrin’s raw, unfiltered critique forces us to confront a painful reality. Our leaders do not see citizens as stakeholders in a democratic project. Instead, they treat us like "mumu," morons, and clay dolls—mere political placeholders to be manipulated during election cycles and discarded immediately after. The Machinery of Deceit The tragedy of the Nigerian condition lies in the predictability of its leadership. We are fed a daily diet of thousands of elaborate promises, yet not a single one is backed by the political will to execute. This is not governance; it is theater. While millions of citizens weep daily under the crushing weight of economic hardship, the political elite maintain a complicit, golden silence. They look away from the hunger in our streets. They pretend nothing is wrong because their own tables are overflowing. This level of selfishness borders on the sadistic, treating the masses less like human beings and more like livestock being fattened up for the next political festival. A Deadly Double Standard Nowhere is this elite indifference more apparent than in the sector of national security. The average Nigerian steps out of their home every morning unsure if they will return alive, vulnerable to the rampant insecurity that has overtaken our highways and communities. Yet, the very politicians who shrug off this bloodshed move around in bulletproof convoys, surrounded by state-funded security apparatuses. They spare no expense to protect their own families and relatives while leaving the rest of the country to the wolves. As Kowinrin rightly asked: Why treat your own blood like royalty and the rest of the nation like expendable slaves? The Illusion of Immortality Perhaps the most baffling aspect of our political class is the sheer arrogance of our aging politicians. Watching leaders whose twilight years are clearly upon them hoard wealth and power with reckless abandon is both tragic and comical. They behave as though earth is their permanent estate and death is a myth. History is littered with the forgotten names of past rulers who thought they were gods, only to be swallowed by time. Our current leaders would do well to learn from them. Power is fleeting, youth is gone, and as Kowinrin solemnly reminded them, there is a reckoning that awaits everyone after death. A Call for Radical Change We cannot continue like this. The "suffering and smiling" dynamic is not a badge of honor; it is a symptom of a battered collective psychology. Our leaders must change and turn over a new leaf. They must fear God, respect the sanctity of human life, and begin the hard work of giving us a country we can be proud of. The pen has been dropped, the truth has been spoken, and the ball is now entirely in their court.
