“My people perish for lack of knowledge.” — Hosea 4:6
I hate to pull this scripture out of its original context, but allow me this once, because nothing describes Nigeria’s situation more clearly. Our problem isn’t just leadership, it’s that we are living in a nation where the people do not know, do not ask, do not question, and do not study how their nation works.
You cannot save a country you don’t understand. You cannot fix a system you never learned. You cannot fight a battle you never studied. You cannot claim a right you do not even know exists.
HOW WE GOT HERE — A BRIEF HISTORY
Nigeria did not just fall into chaos overnight. Our dysfunction has roots, deep roots and until we understand them, we will keep repeating history. We inherited a system we never fully examined. After independence in 1960, we replaced colonial rulers with local leaders but never rebuilt the colonial structure that was designed to extract, not empower. Our constitution was copied, not created. Policies were imposed, not understood. Institutions were inherited, not reinvented.
Then came coups. Civil war. Oil boom. Oil dependence. Military regimes. Democracy on paper. Corruption becoming culture. And somehow, the people grew weary, tired, overwhelmed and slowly stopped learning how their own country works. And when citizens stop learning, leaders stop being accountable.
WHERE WE ARE NOW — A PEOPLE WITHOUT INFORMATION
Yes, Nigeria is hard.
Yes, we have insecurity, poor infrastructure, unstable electricity, fake promises, bad governance.
Yes, policies sometimes look like punishment instead of progress.
But the greater tragedy is this: We have citizens who treat the destiny of their nation like cruise.
We obsess over tribe and fight endless battles about iPhones and wigs, forgetting that none of these things matter if the country itself is falling apart. Everything is “cruise.” Every serious issue becomes a meme. Policies come out and instead of reading, we’re laughing. Laws change and instead of asking questions, we’re trending skits. Bills pass and instead of understanding them, we’re waiting for someone on TikTok to simplify it incorrectly. READ FOR YOURSELF NA! This things are out there for you to read guy!
We can’t keep turning everything into entertainment and still expect national transformation.
Ignorance cannot build a nation. Ignorance only builds frustration. And na that frustration dey make body dey pepper everybody. Pepper Body no go solve national problem, omo!
We complain loudly, very passionately about a system we never studied, never engaged, never fought through knowledge.
WE CAN’T KEEP COMPLAINING ABOUT WHAT WE REFUSE TO LEARN
Let’s be honest with ourselves:
How many Nigerians know what our Constitution actually says? How many have read any of the national policies we fight about online? How many understand taxation, federal structure, or how state governments are funded? How many Nigerians even know what their governor is supposed to do by law? What about your local government chairman?
We are trying to win a war without ammunition. Trying to achieve change without understanding power. Trying to build a nation with vibes and outrage alone. E no fit work!
There is no nation on earth that progressed on emotions. Only knowledge turns frustration into transformation. Go and learn.
WE MUST LEARN NIGERIA — WHAT IT WAS, WHAT IT IS, AND WHAT IT CAN BECOME
Nigeria is not beyond repair. Our biggest enemy is not even our leaders; it is our collective ignorance.
When citizens know what their country requires, leaders are forced to rise. When citizens understand the system, the government cannot manipulate them. When citizens know the law, they stop begging and start demanding. Because knowledge turns a citizen into a force.
WHAT WE MUST DO — A NEW BREED OF NIGERIANS
If Nigeria will ever rise, it will not be because of one president, one policy, or one election. It will rise because the people rose.
1. Learn Where We Came From
Study Nigeria’s history (not the watered-down version we learned in school), the real story behind our systems, our divisions, our struggles, and our patterns.
History reveals the enemy.
History exposes the strategies.
History gives direction.
2. Understand Where We Are
Read policies. Study laws. Watch what happens in the National Assembly. Follow how budgets work. Understand taxation. Know your rights.
A citizen who knows becomes a threat to bad governance.
3. Decide Where We Want Nigeria to Go
Change is not accidental; it is intentional.
We must shape the future consciously through collective intelligence, civic participation, community action, and informed pressure.
4. Stop Treating Everything as Cruise
Nigeria is not a comedy show. Our lives, our future, our economy, our destiny are not entertainment. We can’t “laugh” our way to development.
You cannot mock the nation all week and expect it to become great on Sunday.
5. Build a Culture of Responsibility
We must move from “the government will do it” to “we will do it together.” Nations are built by citizens, not saviors.
A WAKE-UP CALL TO EVERY NIGERIAN
We complain about the government but the truth is, the government behaves this way because they know the people will not read. They know we will give up. They know we will turn it into banter. They know our anger has a 48-hour expiration date. They know we will move on. They know we will never hold them accountable because we don’t even know what accountability looks like.
But Nigeria will never change until the citizens rise in knowledge. We must stop existing in Nigeria and start building Nigeria.
With information. With awareness. With collective intelligence. With the understanding that we are not helpless; we are just uninformed.
AND THIS IS THE TRUTH…
My people perish for lack of knowledge.
Not lack of passion.
Not lack of prayer.
Not lack of desire for a better country.
Knowledge.
Because when a people understand their nation they can transform it.
And Nigeria is waiting… Desperately… For citizens who refuse to “cruise” their destiny away. Omo, I don’t know about you oh, I don tire for all these ones. Let’s work together!
