Last year, on this very same date, I pointed out that there was nothing happy or authentic about Naija style democracy; and I’m still searching for evidence that we are enjoying government of the people, for the people and by the people…on some important levels at least.

Sadly, such evidence continues to elude me and Nigerians continue to suffer endless indignities and deprivations and risks to life, limb and property; and I don’t understand why an essentially totalitarian country that is only democratic on paper should have a Democracy Day.

Public holidays always impact negatively on the economy; and the question I keep asking myself is this: Why take time off work to celebrate something that barely exists?!

Let me share something I wrote on this page exactly 12 months ago:

CRY ME A RIVERS!

 Another unhappy aspect of Democracy Day is the president’s failure to restore democracy in Rivers, my home state. We have been unfairly subjected to a state of emergency since March when our governor, Sim Fubara, was suspended and replaced by a military administrator who is not an indigene and is spending our money anyhow. Fubara is not my favourite person right now, for reasons you will understand if you check out recent “Nigeria Unfiltered” podcasts on my YouTube channel (titled Donu’s World).

In a nutshell, I regard him as too timid, too weak and too reluctant to thank those who have stood by him since he was tossed onto the political scrapheap. And if he stands for election today, I will definitely not vote for him. Bluntly put, I prefer his deputy, Dr Ngozi Odu.

But as much as Sim annoys me, I still think he should be reinstated! Tinubu was a pro-democracy NADECO activist in his younger days. Democracy Day would have been a perfect opportunity for him to backtrack, re-embrace the liberal side of his personality and show Rivers people that he has not become an irredeemable dictator in old age.

Fubara was eventually reinstated in September last year, but his hands were tied and his days are numbered because Tinubu and Wike, his local enforcer in Rivers, have decreed that he cannot seek re-election. Wike is now imposing a Tinubu-backed APC governorship candidate who is from his Ikwerre ethnic group (even though it is not their “turn”) and totally unwanted by most Riverians. So much for democracy!!!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ELDERS TWEAK THE TRUTH FOR USURY

Someone sent me this. Author unknown but very wise. Let me share it with you:

A SOCIETY does not collapse in one loud day. It collapses quietly, when those entrusted with wisdom begin to auction truth to the highest bidder. The tragedy is not merely that young people lie. Youth has always struggled with temptation. *The real tragedy begins when ELDERS — the CUSTODIANS of values, the GUARDIANS of INSTITUTIONAL memory, the supposed REFEREES of morality — begin to edit truth for profit.*

When ELDERS start twisting facts for personal gain, something dangerous happens: *The moral compass of an entire generation begins to malfunction.* Because whether we admit it or not, younger people do not learn primarily from sermons *They learn from observation*. They watch. They observe who gets rewarded. They observe who gets protected. They observe who gets celebrated despite obvious compromise.

*And when they repeatedly see respected Elders manipulating narratives, DEFENDING NONSENSE, rewriting history, justifying corruption AND IMPUNITY, and selling integrity for access, influence, contracts, APPOINTMENTS, or applause*

They quietly conclude: “Perhaps truth itself is negotiable.” That is how civilizations decay. Not first through poverty. Not first through war. *But through the COMMERCIALIZATION of CONSCIENCE.* A young man who watches Elders manipulate truth for financial or political gain soon stops believing in honor. A young woman who sees respected figures defend evil because of tribe, friendship, religion, or benefit begins to distrust integrity itself.

 Soon, everyone becomes a trader. Truth becomes merchandise. Wisdom becomes propaganda. Leadership becomes performance. And morality becomes seasonal. The frightening part is this: *When Elders corrupt truth, they do not merely damage the present — they contaminate the future.* Because the next generation inherits not only wealth and infrastructure, they inherit behavioral patterns. And once dishonesty becomes institutionalized among Elders, younger people stop aspiring to character and start aspiring to SUCCESSFUL MANIPULATION. *That is when Society begins producing INTELLIGENT OPPORTUNISTS instead of PRINCIPLED LEADERS.*

 A community can survive economic hardship. It can survive political instability. It can even survive external enemies. But once its Elders begin monetizing truth, the foundation itself starts cracking from beneath. The ancient role of an Elder was sacred. An Elder was supposed to be: a stabilizer during confusion, a voice of fairness during conflict, a protector of truth during chaos, and a moral compass during uncertainty. *But when Elders become MERCHANTS of DISTORTION, they transform from CUSTODIANS into CORRUPTORS.* And sadly, the damage multiplies because people naturally trust experienced voices. One dishonest youth can mislead a few people. *But one compromised Elder can mislead an entire generation.* This is why Societies must never normalize intellectual dishonesty from respected figures.

 Not because Elders must be perfect, nobody is.*But because when maturity loses integrity, younger people lose direction.* And a generation without direction becomes easy prey for manipulation, division, and destruction. *The painful irony is that many Elders who tweak truth for temporary gain eventually leave behind weakened institutions, confused youths, divided communities, and broken trust.* And history is merciless with such legacies. Because influence is not measured merely by titles held or speeches delivered. True influence is measured by whether your presence strengthened truth, or weakened it. At the end of life, the most dangerous poverty is not lack of money. It is the *poverty of credibility*. May we never become Elders whose mouths are respected while their consciences are bankrupt.

DONU’S WORLD

I have a YouTube channel. It’s called DONU’S WORLD.

https://youtube.com/@donukogbara?si=bBm_IPdFZ_wUyKYq

NIGERIA UNFILTERED – spicy commentaries on Naija issues – appears every Wednesday, while DONU’S WEEK appears on Fridays and is international as well as local and covers a mish-mash of soft and tough issues around my personal life, my work and my worldview.

Two days ago, in this week’s Nigeria Unfiltered video, I urged President Tinubu to ignore fantasists who think that most religiously motivated terrorists can be deradicalized and rehabilitated.

Please check out my Donu’s World library (dating back to early 2024) on YouTube, plus the new videos I produce every week. I would love to hear your opinions and any constructive criticisms you may have to offer. And I will be very grateful if you “like”, subscribe and share!

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