For Crying Out Loud, Nigerians Are Tired Of Hearing How Well Leaders Are Doing, They Want To Feel It -By Isaac Asabor

By every indication, Nigerian leaders seem to have mastered the art of “telling” rather than “showing”. Exactly two years after the current administration took off, both at the federal and state levels on May 29, 2023, we are being bombarded with performance reports, media briefings, and well-scripted PR campaigns celebrating “giant strides” in governance. But here is the raw truth: Nigerians are tired of hearing how well leaders are doing, they want to feel it.

Writing this piece became necessary because the drumbeat of self-praise from politicians has reached a deafening pitch. From the president to state governors, and even down to local government chairmen, the song is the same, “We’re doing well.” Government officials are everywhere reeling out data, sharing infographics, showcasing “achievements,” and pushing hashtags. But these glossy scorecards only provoke frustration, because the lived reality of the average Nigerian contradicts every line in those reports.

This is not about being ungrateful or cynical. It is about common sense. When people are hungry, unemployed, insecure, and disillusioned, the last thing they want to hear is a politician boasting that everything is fine. If the economy is thriving, let the people feel it. If jobs are being created, let the unemployed find work. If inflation is under control, let prices in the market reflect it. You do not need to hold a press conference to say you are doing well. If you are truly working, Nigerians will know.

In fact, our leaders who hold sway in various officers across the country should stop the noise, start the work.  This is as there is something tragically unserious about a government that treats governance like a continuous campaign. After elections come leadership, and after leadership should come delivery. Yet, it seems many of our politicians are stuck in campaign mode, constantly trying to convince us that they are performing, even when all indicators say otherwise. This obsession with self-praise reflects an unfortunate culture of governance by perception, where leaders care more about what the media says than what the masses feel.

But governance is not theatre. It is not a stage where politicians endlessly reel out monologues of success. It is a sacred responsibility with real-time consequences for real people. You do not need to tell people that power supply has improved, they will know it when they no longer need to fuel their generators daily. You do not need to announce that transportation is cheaper, they will see it when bus fares drop, not rise. You do not need to say agriculture is booming, they will confirm it when the price of garri, yam, and rice starts making sense again.

Aptly put, the people do not live in data sheets.Nigerians do not need technical jargon or budget breakdowns to gauge your performance. They live their evaluation in real time. They feel the pinch when the price of fuel climbs beyond affordability. They hear the cry of their children when there is no food at home. They see the decay in their communities when public schools lack teachers, clinics lack medicine, and roads become death traps.

The eyes see, the ears hear, and the belly aches when it is empty. You cannot argue with that. It does not matter what your report says; if the people are not experiencing improvement, your so-called achievements are nothing but paper propaganda.

Let us be blunt: you can manipulate numbers, but you cannot manipulate pain. The average Nigerian does not need to understand inflation trends or fiscal policy to know that things are bad. They know because they can no longer afford food items that were once basic. They know because their salaries cannot stretch past the second week of the month. They know because the hope they voted for is nowhere in sight.

Given the backdrop of the foregoing view, it is expedient our leaders let the markets, not the microphones, speak.  If you want to assess your performance, do not organize a summit. Go to the markets. Sit with traders. Visit hospitals without a media crew. Enter a classroom in a rural school unannounced. Buy fuel like an average citizen. Walk into a bank and try to get a loan as a small-scale entrepreneur. Take public transport at night. Do these things, and you will find out quickly whether you are truly doing well or just doing press-ups in public.

There is a dangerous disconnect between what politicians think is happening and what is actually happening. That disconnect is widened when leaders surround themselves with sycophants who only feed them good news and carefully filtered media coverage. But the people are not blind. The people are not deaf. They may not protest, but they are watching. They may not speak out loudly, but they are taking notes. One day, at the ballot box, or in the form of a general loss of trust, they will speak clearly.

In fact, our leaders should stop campaigning and start governing. We are already tired of slogans: “Renewed Hope,” “Fresh Mandate,” “Consolidation Agenda,” “Forward Ever”, enough already. Governance is not about catchphrases; it is about character, competence, and compassion. Nigerians are not asking for too much. They are not even asking for miracles. They are simply asking for basic decency in leadership.

They want to send their children to school without fearing they will sit on broken benches or learn under trees. They want to be able to walk the streets without fear of being kidnapped or robbed. They want to buy bread without wondering if it is a luxury item. They want water to flow from their taps. They want affordable healthcare and public service that respects their dignity. That is all.

So if you are a leader and you claim to be performing, let the people say it, not you. Stop spending billions of naira on media image-building. Stop hiring PR consultants to polish your incompetence. If your works are truly impactful, the people will carry the message for you. They will sing your praise, not because you begged or paid them, but because you earned it.

In fact, governance should not be a PR Project.  Let us take a lesson from history. Leaders like Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Aminu Kano, and Michael Okpara did not need to advertise their works, they lived their vision. They were known by the roads they built, the education they provided, and the empowerment they gave. Their legacies live on decades later, not because of well-designed booklets, but because their governance touched the lives of ordinary people in meaningful ways.

Our current crop of leaders should borrow a leaf from that book. Your best billboard is a grateful citizen. Your best campaign is a community that has seen transformation. Your best press statement is the experience of a teacher who has been paid on time. That is the kind of performance report that Nigerians want. Not the ones full of graphs and charts while they go to bed hungry.

For crying out loud, Nigerians are fed up with politicians singing their own praises. We do not want to hear how well you are doing, we want to feel it. Let the results show in our daily lives. Let the economy reflect it. Let the healthcare system reflect it. Let the transport fares reflect it. Let the prices in the market reflect it.

In fact, governance is not a talent show. It is a call to serve. So serve, quietly, humbly, and effectively. Do not ask for applause. If you do it well, the people will clap. If you do not, no amount of noise can drown out the hunger in their bellies, the frustration in their hearts, or the disappointment in their eyes.