I was sitting quietly in my room minding my business when a loud noise of paper trumpets nearly blew off my roof. At first, I thought it was just small kids making their usual street noise, until the headache became unbearable and I stepped out to see what was happening. Lo and behold, it was an All Progressives Congress campaign train for President Tinubu, packed mostly with middle-aged people blowing vuvuzelas and paper trumpets like people who just won a jackpot.
Honest to God, the first thing that entered my head was, “How much dem collect?” Because for some people here, campaign season is Christmas come early; election money no be small thing, who no go chop small? Just yesterday I saw some elderly men rushing toward a well-known politician’s compound, and right there parked like a mobile shrine was the City Boys movement bus. Classic APC people doing their thing again, reminding us that four more years of seeing Tinubu wonders is supposedly right around the corner.
Entitlement Mentality and Four-Year Promises
What is the whole game plan with Tinubu coming back for another round? Once a politician enters power in this country, they start acting as if the seat belongs to their father’s estate. You spend four years telling citizens to tighten their belts, endure hardship, and “be patient,” and the moment another cycle approaches, you show up asking for four more years like you are doing the masses a favour.
Even funnier is the helplessness of ordinary Nigerians. Between election cycles, we complain, we rant on social media, we adjust our budgets when prices jump overnight, and we act as if we have zero power until INEC opens the ballot box once every four years. We wait for election season like people waiting for rain in the Sahara, only to watch the same thing: big promises, loud rallies, branded buses, and sudden generosity from people who were invisible a few months ago (have you collected your federal government 50k?). And all the while, the slogan being sold is four more years of see Tinubu wonders, as if the last stretch was just a warm-up rehearsal.
So Where Were the Wonders in the First Term?
Seriously, somebody explain this to me because my brain is buffering. Why should Tinubu come back when people are already asking what has changed since he took office? Every time election fever rises, the magic word becomes “wonders” vote again, and you will see wonders! Abeg, daddy sir, why we no see the wonders during the first term?
Politicians know that many citizens are tired, broke, and stretched thin, so they weaponize campaign cash, branded rallies, and big slogans whenever their time is almost up. Asking for another term without answering hard questions about what actually improved in the first term is the height of political arrogance. Even worse is how easily our system lets leaders operate with zero fear of consequences until the next election cycle rolls around.
Real change in Nigeria will never come from louder paper trumpets or bigger campaign buses. It only starts when citizens stop treating election season like a cash-out festival, stop falling for recycled magic promises, and demand real results every single day, not just whenever politicians want another four years.
