On this Democracy Day, I had intended to rest my pen. I wanted to leave the fate written on the walls of history to speak for itself. I thought perhaps the sacrifices of those who fought for democracy were enough testimony. Yet, in the final hour, a thought stirred within me, compelling me to write a message to all of us who have come together to form this sovereign nation called Nigeria. My message is particularly for those who believe that the business of Nigeria lies in the hands of a powerful few. Perhaps they are influenced by what the German sociologist Robert Michels described as the "Iron Law of Oligarchy" ,the tendency for power to concentrate in the hands of a small elite. Looking at our politics, our institutions, and our economy, one may be tempted to believe that the destiny of Nigeria is determined only by those who occupy powerful offices and influential positions. But history tells a different story. Nigeria does not belong to any president, governor, politi...
...If you design a house for a king, do not be surprised when he refuses to leave
In Africa, the streets have tasted the footprints of the young.
They have marched against corruption, screamed against police brutality, and wept against the monsters in suits who mistook public office for personal inheritance.
They have broken curfews, broken silence, broken fear…
Yet somehow, the one thing they have not broken
is the very book that keeps them broken.
The Constitution, that sacred scripture written by a few,
protected by many,
and unquestioned by the majority.
It sits there like an ancient chief at the village square,
watching generations rotate around its throne,
while it refuses to rotate with them.
Africa’s youth protest symptoms;
the root remains untouched, unshaken, undisturbed,
a quiet tyrant in hardcover.
We say we want power rotation, but our laws breed permanence.
We say we want new leaders, but our system recycles old wine in older bottles.
We say we want democracy, but our budgets worship extravagance.
We say we want inclusion, but the political gatefee costs more than a small house in the suburbs.
Our leaders smile, wave, dance,
and promise the moon during campaigns,
only to hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign
on their conscience once elected.
And the youths?
They sit outside the banquet hall,
dressed in ambition,
but denied entry because they can’t afford the cost of the invitation.
Politics in Africa is not expensive by accident;
it is expensive by design.
A velvet rope meant to keep the competent out
and the connected in.
We call some of them “elder statesmen”
a polite way of saying career presidents.
We call their methods “strong leadership”
a soft name for iron fists.
We call their rule “stability”
a gentle disguise for stagnation.
We call their presence “experience” but the calendar calls it overstaying.
Our constitutions are the polite jailers of our future,
locking possibility behind clauses, amendments, and immunity that even angels cannot access.
Throughout Africa, over a dozen leaders have attempted constitutional extensions.
Some succeeded.
Some failed.
Some changed the lines.
Others changed the entire book.
In many nations, political offices have no spending caps.
Nomination forms amount to ransom fees.
Campaigns are treated like royal ceremonies.
Opposition parties operate with fear.
Power rotates only when the powerful are tired,
which is almost never.
These are not random coincidences;
they are architectural decisions.
If you design a house for a king,
do not be surprised when he refuses to leave.
So, What Haven’t the Youth Done?
They have marched.
They have tweeted.
They have protested.
They have spoken in unison.
But they have not yet:
* Challenged the legal frameworks of power
* Fought for unalterable term limits
* Created legal reform movements
* Built political structures beyond hashtags
* Attacked the system where tyranny truly hides
Until they do,
the same script will be acted,
with different actors wearing the same costume.
Africa does not lack leaders.
Africa lacks rules that can discipline the wrong ones.
And until the youth redirect their fire from the streets
to the foundations of the state,
the future will continue to arrive late,
tired, and limping.
Because the truth is simple:
The youth have fought everything
except the real enemy,
Abioye Tosin Lawrence is the publisher of Oriontimes Online Newspaper and author of Voices From The Fire: My Journey Through a Hollow Empire
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