From “Go To Court” To “Fool’s Errand”, Nigeria’s politicians Are Building A Lexicon Of Contempt -By Isaac Asabor

In Nigeria, politicians have a way of turning insults into official responses. For years, the political establishment armed itself with one infamous phrase whenever citizens cried foul: “Go to court.” It was never meant as an invitation to justice but a slap in the face of accountability, a smug reminder that Nigeria’s judicial system is slow, compromised, and often tilted in favor of the powerful.

Now, a new addition has been made to this lexicon of arrogance. Former sole administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, in response to the state lawmakers’ plan to probe his six-month tenure, has dismissed the move as a “fool’s errand.” With those words, Ibas did not just reject scrutiny; he spat in the face of the legislature, mocked the intelligence of Rivers people, and sneered at democracy itself.

Without a doubt, his response is aptly fits in into the situation when Insults replace accountability. Let us be clear: Ibas’ remark was not a slip of the tongue. It was a statement of intent, a declaration of war against accountability. By branding the lawmakers’ probe as a “fool’s errand,” he sent a message that public scrutiny is beneath him, that citizens questioning his stewardship are wasting their time.

This is the same disdain behind “go to court.” Both phrases belong to the same family of contempt, designed to dismiss legitimate questions, shut down debate, and remind ordinary Nigerians that power answers to no one. It is an insult not just to the lawmakers in Rivers State but to every Nigerian who has a stake in how public resources are used.

In fact, if urgent steps are not taken to curb it, a culture of mockery will be entrenched through the contemptuous and arrogant use of dismissive phrases against accountability.

There is something profoundly sick about a political culture where leaders mock oversight instead of respecting it. Probes are not optional add-ons in a democracy; they are the lifeblood of accountability. They ensure that public office is not a blank cheque. To dismiss them as “foolish” is to trivialize democracy itself.

But this is Nigeria, where contempt has been elevated into political strategy. Instead of sober explanations or transparent cooperation, we get swagger, insults, and mockery. Instead of defending themselves with facts, our leaders rely on derision. In their warped logic, the more dismissive they sound, the stronger they appear.

At this juncture, it is expedient to throw insight into why probes must not be mocked. For the avoidance of doubt, a probe is not about settling political scores, as politicians often claim. It is about answering the people’s questions: How were their resources managed? Were laws obeyed? Did the leader act in good faith?

By describing the probe as a “fool’s errand,” Ibas is essentially saying the people have no right to ask such questions. That is arrogance of the highest order. It is also dangerous. If public officials can casually wave off scrutiny as stupidity, then what is left of democracy? What we have then is not governance but a fiefdom where leaders operate as feudal lords untouchable by law or conscience.

Nigeria’s political class thrives on contempt. Yesterday it was “go to court.” Today it is “fool’s errand.” Tomorrow, who knows what new insult they will coin? The pattern is clear: as institutions grow weaker, politicians grow bolder in mocking them. They know probes often end in white papers that gather dust. They know the courts are slow and compromised. So they feel emboldened to taunt, ridicule, and dismiss.

And each time they do, they chip away at the little faith citizens still have in democracy. Nigerians already doubt that their votes count, that their voices matter, that their institutions can deliver justice. Add a political class that openly mocks accountability, and you have the perfect recipe for apathy, cynicism, and eventual collapse of democratic norms.

Some may argue that Ibas’ words are just a Rivers problem. They are wrong. This is not just about one man or one state; it is about a national disease. Across Nigeria, probes are routinely dismissed, resisted, or undermined. Leaders treat oversight bodies as irritants, not partners in governance. What is new here is the shamelessness of it, the open contempt, the bold declaration that accountability is for fools.

If Rivers lawmakers back down in the face of such insults, it will set a terrible precedent. It will embolden other leaders to mock oversight, knowing they can get away with it. If, on the other hand, they press on, they will be sending a powerful message that democracy cannot be mocked into silence.

This is not the time for docility. Citizens must reject the normalization of contempt in our political discourse. Civil society must insist that probes are not “errands” but constitutional obligations. The media must refuse to let such dismissive rhetoric slide without scrutiny. And lawmakers must recognize that every insult hurled at them is also hurled at the people they represent.

Ibas’ arrogance must not go unchallenged. If he believes a probe is a fool’s errand, then the lawmakers must prove him wrong by making the process thorough, transparent, and unrelenting. They must ensure that every question is asked and every answer demanded. That is the only way to restore dignity to their role and confidence in democracy.

From “go to court” to “fool’s errand,” Nigeria’s politicians are building a lexicon of contempt. These phrases are more than insults; they are weapons used to delegitimize institutions, ridicule accountability, and silence citizens.

But Nigerians must understand this: the real fool’s errand is tolerating such arrogance. Probes are not stupidity; they are democracy at work. And if we allow our leaders to mock them into irrelevance, then we are not just losing accountability, we are losing democracy itself.

So let it be said clearly: Nigerians are tired of being insulted by those they elected. Accountability is not optional, and dismissive arrogance will not wash away the people’s right to ask questions. If “go to court” was bad enough, “fool’s errand” is worse. It is high time we told our leaders that the real fools are those who think democracy can survive without accountability.