I used to think that Nigeria was the only country where the leaders didn’t listen to the cries and needs of their people. Our leaders simply do whatever they want, without caring about how it will affect us. They steal from us and leave us to our own devices, while growing fat on our sweat and blood. Atrocities will be done, people will be killed, but none of that will move our leaders. They’ll simply ignore it all and focus on the next election.
This is something that many of us have gotten used to, which is why we’re no longer shocked when things happen, and the government fails to acknowledge it. They simply ignore and move on, hoping that if they pretend they don’t see it, then the problem will go away. But it never goes away, because the people are the ones who suffer from it.
In Nigeria, we’re suffering a security crisis, people are being killed in their homes, and does the government care? No! As a matter of fact, while the people responsible for the killing are given peace deals and pardons, defending yourself against them could get you in trouble. People have complained, cried, and wept, but did it change anything? Not really!
Now, take it outside Nigeria, and you realize that even in developed countries, the leaders still don’t give a crap about what their people want. Regardless of how advanced the countries are, the way their leaders think is no different from the way ours think. I remember when Russia first went to war with Ukraine, many Russians were against it, they protested the war in their own country. Did that stop Putin? No! The war went on for years until it became a part of daily life.
The same thing happened when Israel went after Gaza; many Israelites were against it. I don’t have the numbers, but I can say that the majority of the Israelis were against the war. But that didn’t stop them either. And now, we have the US. US citizens have complained bitterly about the war, the same way they complained about ICE and deportations, to the point that even two American citizens were killed in the process. It’s clear as day that the majority of the people don’t want this war, because if it escalates, the people who will be most at risk will not be the shot callers of the war, it will be the people themselves. The masses!
And there it is. Nigeria, Africa, America, not much difference. Leaders simply do whatever they want, and if the system doesn’t support what they want to do, they change it and make it support them. They decide what the rules are, and it’s up to the people to accept it, whether they like it or not. So, people will complain and wail, but that won’t change jack. Because in the end, it’s only what’s on their mind that they will do.
We’re seeing it with our dear President, we’re seeing it with Trump, and other leaders taking their stand. No one really cares about how all these affect the people and the human cost. All they care about is what they stand to gain. Power and more power!
And the only thing these men have in common is old age. They’re all from the same generation and think alike, which is why they portray similar characteristics regardless of their geography. Maybe in future, when people of a different generation finally seize power, they will lead the world in a direction that will be more humane than the one we’re currently headed toward.
God help us all.
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