Nigeria: Our Leaders are the Monsters we Made.

Nigeria is a country where the typical citizen feels no sense of civil responsibility. Yet we expect our leaders to be responsible as if our leaders aren’t part of us.

Every tribe, gender and age group of this country is filled with so called citizens who put personal interest above public interest (if public interest exists in their hearts at all) yet we expect something good to come out of this country.

In a typical Nigerian workplace, the kind of resistance, hate and blackmail you'll get for speaking or acting against bribery and corruption is beyond description. If you persist, your life may go for it. That's how bad this country is.

Our market places are characterized by dubiousness. From automobiles to gadgets, electronics, real estate and the even petty traders. You can never be sure that what you saw is what you got until you use the product for some time. Don't even talk of our freelancers; mechanics, tailors, plumbers and carpenters etc. They practically teach lying to their apprentices as a core aspect of their work.

The problem of this country is we the people. Our leaders are only a reflection of who we are. We celebrate religious and tribal affiliations above competence and honesty. Many people will call you a bastard for even speaking against your kinsman even when he's clearly wrong.

Our leaders are the monsters we made.