Tinubu not Nigeria’s problem—he reflects a rotten system

Amid Nigeria’s deepening crises—soaring inflation, widespread insecurity, and plummeting public trust—President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has become the lightning rod for national frustration.

Yet, as public anger grows, a more nuanced truth is being buried beneath the outrage: Tinubu is not the architect of Nigeria’s decline; he is merely its latest occupant.

The real enemy is not the man in Aso Rock, but the deeply flawed system that put him there.

The Symptom, Not the Cause

Let’s be clear—Tinubu’s administration should be held accountable, just like any government in a democracy.

But isolating him as the root cause of Nigeria’s dysfunction is both intellectually dishonest and politically shortsighted. Our national collapse is not a recent phenomenon—it is the result of over six decades of corruption, policy missteps, and elite impunity.

A History of Decay

Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has wrestled with colonial-era divisions, ethnic distrust, and governance that consistently prioritized self-interest over national progress.

Military coups, short-lived democratic experiments, and oil-fueled kleptocracy all contributed to the structural collapse we see today. Despite periods of economic windfalls, poverty soared, and public institutions withered. Successive administrations—from Obasanjo to Buhari—had the opportunity to reverse this trend. Instead, many sustained or deepened it.

When Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, it did so with a warped foundation. Elections became commercial ventures, justice was commodified, and state institutions were repurposed for patronage.

Tinubu has inherited this broken legacy, and while he can be critiqued for his choices, he is navigating a system long designed to frustrate reform and reward inertia.

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Institutional Failure, Not Individual Folly

Nigeria’s federal system functions like a centralized autocracy. State governors operate as mini-monarchs, while the security and judicial systems groan under inefficiency and politicization.

Electoral processes lack integrity, and policy reforms are often dead on arrival, strangled by vested interests.

Tinubu did not invent fuel subsidy scams or inflate the cost of governance. He didn’t pioneer the neglect of education, healthcare, or infrastructure. These are the long-term consequences of a governance culture that rewards mediocrity and suppresses accountability.

A Complicit Citizenry

Perhaps most troubling is the role of everyday Nigerians. Years of hardship and suppression have conditioned many to accept bad leadership as normal.

Ethnic loyalty often trumps competence, and apathy rules where civic engagement should thrive. This cultural complicity gives room for leaders across all levels to operate with impunity.

Beyond Tinubu: A Call for Structural Reform

Removing Tinubu won’t solve Nigeria’s core issues. Nor will electing a so-called messiah if the existing political machinery is left untouched. What Nigeria needs is a comprehensive reboot: constitutional restructuring, institutional reform, civic education, and a shift in political culture from personality worship to process-oriented governance.

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We must learn to focus less on who holds power and more on how that power is structured and exercised. Without systemic change, no leader—however well-meaning—can succeed.

The Final Domino

Blaming Tinubu alone is like blaming the last domino in a chain reaction that began decades ago. He is not the genesis of Nigeria’s problems—he is the result. If Nigerians are truly determined to build a better future, we must stop hacking at branches and start digging at the roots.

This is not just Tinubu’s mess. It is ours too. And until we confront the system that perpetuates dysfunction, we will continue to recycle failure—one administration at a time.