In the village square of Nigeria, the loudest drummers often carry no rhythm. They bang the gongs of ambition, raising dust, only to discover that their calabash is empty when the music stops. Our politicians pour all their treasure into winning elections. They will sell conspiracies as paradise, promise to build bridges where there are no rivers, and recite the scriptures like merchants of hope. But once sworn in, they run out of steam and vision.
Governance becomes an afterthought. They climb the mountain to sit on the throne, then spend the rest of their days plotting how not to be dethroned. Their re-election ambition will supersede their reflection; propaganda abruptly substitutes performance. This is why the market woman often says: “Politics is a dirty game.” But come to think of it, is it the game or the players? The Holy Book reminds us: “When the righteous reign, the people rejoice.” The scarcity of ethical rulers makes us mistake power itself for filth.
The “self-righteous” individuals on the other hand often hide in the churches and mosques, declaring that politics is beneath them. Yet they forget that Joseph ruled Egypt, Daniel guided Babylon, and David sat on Israel’s throne. When the qualified people abandon the square, then the masquerade is left to the tricksters. Who then are the righteous? They are not angels descending from heaven. They are men and women with conscience still intact, morality unbought, and courage unbowed. They may stumble sometimes, but they will continually refuse to feed fat while the people starve.
Empty barrels, however, parade themselves as loaded. Their noise drowns out reason and their convoys silence the cries of the hungry man. They legislate allowances for themselves but forget to enact laws to safeguard the ordinary man from a system that hacks him daily. The Nigerian worker is taxed without mercy, billed unjustly, and governed without empathy. Yet the rulers smile endlessly, their bellies round and their speeches hollow. Is this democracy, or a comedy orchestrated at our expense?
Nigerians have mastered the art of survival where others would collapse. Still, the people endure. We positively make jokes of hardship, sing songs out of pain, and dance barefoot on hazardous ground. But perseverance is not adaptation. A nation cannot live forever like this. To break the circle, we must insist on less noise and more triumphs, pointless explanations and more accomplishments. Prowess must replace charisma and service must outrun slogan.
Our lawmakers should implement beneficial policies and increase earnings; not just for government officials, but also for citizens. We must demand that leadership is not a ticket to wealth, but a covenant of sacrifice. Otherwise, the cask will remain empty and its noise will keep on echoing.
“A barrel filled with grain feeds the hungry. But an empty one feeds only the ego of its bearer. Nigeria must decide what music it wishes to dance to.”
Nigerians, the hour has come when we can decide whether the next season will be another carnival of empty barrels or the dawn of governance that sings in harmony with justice, truth, and hope. God bless Nigerians.
✍🏽 William Z. Bozimo
Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper.
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