Deeper Than Corrupt Leaders: Why Most Nigerians Don’t Rise Against Bad Governance

       In Nigeria, bad governance has become so normalized that citizens have developed a culture of endurance rather than resistance. It has been repackaged as a normal way of life. It’s not just the corruption, police brutality, power outages, or failing infrastructure—it’s how Nigerians have been conditioned to endure it all with a smile, a sigh, or a meme.

Phrases like “we go manage am,” “na so e be,” or “God go help us” reflect a deep-rooted acceptance of hardship, corruption, and incompetence in leadership. There’s a deep cultural issue: we’ve turned suffering into survival content.

 But why? Why do Nigerians choose to cope instead of confront? And even worse, why do efforts to “fight” for change like protests often become chaotic, self-destructive, or completely hijacked? Hurting fellow Nigerians instead of challenging the system? We’ve narrowed it down to a few reasons:

1. Tiredness from Past Pain(Psychological fatigue)

       Nigerians have been through continuous economic hardship—wars, harsh leaders, and broken promises. This pain gets passed down from parents to families and communities, and after years of trying and failing, people just feel too tired from decades of dashed hopes and unfulfilled promises to fight bad leaders and may accept bad governance because they lack the emotional energy to resist or imagine change.

 The constant struggle for survival reduces the will to challenge authority, so They give up, hoping things will get better.

Example: In January 2025, protests started in Lagos over food prices going up following the removal of fuel subsidies in 2023. But the protests stopped fast because many residents citing exhaustion from previous demonstrations—like the 2020 #EndSARS movement—that yielded little lasting change. 

A Lagos trader interviewed by local media said, “We’ve been shouting since I was a child; nothing changes. I’m tired of hoping.” Showing how psychological fatigue stemming from decades of disappointment leads to passive acceptance of failures in the government.

2. Poverty Keeps People Quiet

       When over 40% live below the poverty line, Many Nigerians are so poor they can’t say no to bad leaders. Politicians exploit this by giving small gifts—like money or food—to control them either during elections, securing loyalty from desperate citizens. 

People take it to survive, even if it means sticking with lousy government.

Example: In February 2025, during elections in Kano, politicians gave out bags of rice and ₦5,000 to voters in poor neighborhoods. A resident told a news outlet, “I know they won’t fix the roads or schools, but this rice will feed my family for a week.” They voted for the same old leaders because they needed the help right then.

3. Fighting Over Tribe and Religion

Nigeria’s has 374 ethnic groups and sharp religious divide (Muslim North, Christian South). Both Leaders and the people argue over these differences, putting ethnicity and religion over national unity.

 They neglect the real problem: bad government, which can come from any tribe and religion. Then People stick with leaders from their group, even if they’re terrible.

Example:In December 2023, more than 140 people were killed in coordinated attacks across Plateau State, which were widely attributed to Fulani militias targeting Christian farming communities.

Earlier incidents in 2018 and 2021 also saw dozens killed in similar clashes over land and cattle grazing routes.

 Instead of blaming the government for not stopping it, the groups blamed each other. This let the leaders off the hook.

4. Attacking Each Other, Not the Problem

    When people get mad about bad government, their Frustration often turns inward, with citizens attacking each other—neighbors, businesses , rival ethnic groups, or the vulnerable—rather than the system itself.

Leaders escape accountability as public rage ends in internal conflicts, preserving the real problem.

Example: The 1966 anti-Igbo riots reflect a pattern where Nigerians have sometimes directed their anger and frustration at each other—especially along ethnic lines—rather than addressing the root causes of their issues, like bad governance. And has been repeated in various forms throughout history.

     In essence it shows how the real enemy—the government or the system causing the problem—is ignored, and people turn against each other instead.

5. Fear of Sacrifice

Fighting bad leaders takes a lot—time, money, safety, or even your life. Many Nigerians are scared to lose what little they have or put their families at risk.

      So, they stay quiet and let bad governance roll on while cheering or judging at the sidelines for those who are willing to sacrifice for change. Because they’re too afraid to ACT, or standing up feels too dangerous or costly.

Example: In February 2025, a group in Abuja planned a big march against power cuts that left homes dark for weeks. But most people didn’t show up. A shopkeeper said, “If I go, police might beat me or I lose my shop. Who feeds my kids then?” Fear of losing what they’ve got kept them home, and the leaders faced no pressure.

       Over time, Nigerians have learned to adapt to dysfunction instead of challenging it. They dig boreholes but don't demand water. They buy generators but don't protest poor electricity. They relocate or “japa” instead of fixing what’s broken. And when they fight, they fight each other—never the system.

But until we shift from managing hardship to demanding accountability and being able to sacrifice or see it through till the end, the cycle of bad governance will continue. True change requires unity, sacrifice, long-term thinking, and the courage to face power head-on—not looting your neighbor’s shop during protests.

These five factors intertwine to create a self-reinforcing system where bad governance persists in Nigeria, locking Nigeria into a cycle of acceptance that only bold, unified action could break.

 Yet, we do understand that breaking it requires overcoming personal conflicts and the very barriers these factors erect.

 We first have to fix ourselves because we are the same people that make up the government, a daunting but not impossible task.

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