A fi ẹ̀tẹ̀ sílẹ̀, a ń pa lápalàpà.

We have left leprosy untreated, yet we are busy curing ringworm.

“If the foundations are faulty, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

I don’t think any commentator in the world can fully capture the sheer drama of absurdity that has engulfed Nigeria, the so-called pride of the African continent, the Giant of Africa.

One thing that stands out to me is that, as a nation, we repeatedly fail the test of deductive reasoning. I recall my 200-level days at Lagos State University, where we were taught syllogism in logic class. A simple example:

✅ All people from Ondo town are brave.

✅ Taiwo is from Ondo town.

✅ Therefore, Taiwo is brave.

That is deductive reasoning. But in Nigeria, our reasoning is often faulty because we build on shaky foundations. As Lord Denning, the legendary jurist known for judicial activism, once said: “You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.”

Majoring in the Minor, Ignoring the Major

Our national discourse often focuses on trivial issues while ignoring the real crises. We fight ringworm while allowing leprosy to fester. This misplaced priority is a major distraction from the fundamental problems of governance and justice.

Take, for example, the recent controversy in the Nigerian Senate, the altercation between the Senate President and a female senator. We amplify the drama, yet we ignore the structural problem: a system that enables impunity. Why do we overlook the fact that the Senate functions as both judge and jury over its own members, suspending and disciplining senators at will? These incidents are symptoms of a deeper disease, a failing nation with a leadership structure that lacks credibility and commitment to the people.

The Absurdity of Our Priorities

We exert all our energy discussing how parents can strategize to pay school fees, but we refuse to engage in the larger conversation: What is the role of government in education?

These conversations are not mutually exclusive. Yes, parents must plan, but should we not also question whether it is solely their responsibility to fund a child’s education? We often emphasize the role of primary parents in raising their children right but overlook the fact that it takes a village, the family, the community, the state (represented by the government), and even the international community, to raise our precious children and guarantee their present and future well-being in their best interest.

What rights does the average Nigerian child have simply by virtue of being a citizen? Sadly, the answer is nothing. A child of the rich is effectively a citizen of their family, as their parents take full responsibility for their welfare and security. Meanwhile, a child of the poor is stateless in this regard, left vulnerable because their parents cannot provide for their welfare and security. These children are powerless and invisible to the system.

We tell young people to build wealth, buy land, and invest in Nigeria, yet we ignore the volatility of the Nigerian state. Policies can wipe out a lifetime of investment with the stroke of a pen. Governments worldwide are meant to provide economic stability, but in Nigeria, policies are unpredictable, investments can vanish overnight, and businesses collapse due to inconsistent regulations. Yet, we continue to encourage blind investment without discussing the structural instability that renders those investments vulnerable.

We say family comes first, and I agree, but not in all things. When it comes to instilling a positive family value, yes, family is first. But we fail to discuss the role of the state and the community in supporting families, creating a society where they can thrive. A strong family system cannot exist in isolation; it needs a government that prioritizes human dignity and well-being.

Child Safeguarding: A National Blind Spot

We fight for child protection in isolated cases, but we fail to ask the bigger question:

✅What is Nigeria’s national policy on child safeguarding?

✅What systematic protection exists for children in Nigeria?

✅What rights do children have beyond the goodwill of individual families and NGOs?

Instead, our approach is reactionary. We protest individual cases of child abuse, but we do not demand a comprehensive safeguarding system that ensures protection for all children, regardless of social class.

Emotional Intelligence and the Fanon Paradox

We talk a lot about emotional intelligence, yet we refuse to confront the deeper psychosocial issues that plague the nation.

Franz Fanon, in his analysis of the oppressed people of Algeria under colonial rule, noted that when the oppressed cannot fight the system that crushes them, they turn their aggression inward, towards fellow citizens, family, and even themselves.

This is exactly what we see today. Nigerians transfer their frustrations onto each other because the true oppressor, the system is out of reach.

✅A young man who cannot fight corrupt politicians fights his fellow man in a road rage incident.

✅A worker frustrated by the failure of the economy takes out his anger on his spouse or child.

✅A struggling businessman, unable to deal with bad policies, lashes out at his employees.

This is why we must situate our conversations within the awareness of the Nigerian state.

The Spirituality of Gospel Music and the Salt of the Earth

We criticize gospel musicians for charging fees for performances, but we ignore the bigger issue, there is no national structure for rewarding creativity. It is telling that two of Nigeria’s oldest and most renowned musicians are still performing and accepting gigs at the same rate they did in their youth, even after over 50 years on stage. While their continued performances may be driven by passion, have we genuinely considered that it could also be due to the lack of a sustainability system that allows artists to retire with dignity?

Or is performing on stage in their late 70s and early 80s truly the only way to express their passion? Could they not have been running the biggest record labels in Africa, mentoring and signing younger artists, if the system had been as rewarding as it should be?

Beyond that, we obsess over the spirituality or “worldliness” of gospel music, but we do not discuss the larger role of Christians in society. Jesus came to change people, and people are supposed to change the world.

If we claim that individuals are being transformed, yet society remains the same, then that so-called transformation is suspect.

The Real Ritual Killings

We denounce youth involvement in Yahoo Yahoo and ritual killings, but we ignore the biggest ritualists, the government.

While physical killings for money rituals are despicable, do we acknowledge the institutional killings happening daily?

✅How many lives are lost due to a collapsed healthcare system?

✅How many people die on treacherous roads?

✅How many are kidnapped because the state has failed to provide security?

Just recently, images surfaced of the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan running on privately supplied generators because the power grid had failed. Patients suffer, doctors struggle, and lives are lost, yet, we refuse to call this what it is: systemic murder.

Conclusion: Misdirected Conversations and the Strengthening of Oppressors

Scattered and misdirected conversations make heroes of the faint-hearted, improve the lot of the conversationalist, while the people they claim to speak for or service continue to suffer.

Above all, these distractions strengthen both private and public oppressors, allowing them to continue their ignoble enterprise of holding the people down.

The real national conversation should be about foundational change, because:

“If the foundations are faulty, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)

It is time to stop chasing distractions and start asking the real questions.