Democracy For Pants: Odolaye Aremu’s Proverb And The Tragedy Of Political Foolishness In Nigeria
Yoruba proverbs are not mere ornaments of speech; they are deep reservoirs of wisdom, social criticism, and political philosophy. One of such profound expressions comes from Odolaye Aremu’s Olowe Mowe:
“Ẹni tí ọgbọ́n má ẹni tó gbọ́n, àwọn tó gò ni wọ́n ò mọ́rán wọn; ṣùgbọ́n tó bá sọ fún ẹni tó gò, yóò dijà.”
Its deeper meaning may be rendered in English as:
“The foolish do not recognize their own foolishness, but if you tell them they are foolish, it becomes a fight.”
This proverb is a timeless reflection of human behavior, but in Nigeria’s political environment, it becomes an accurate diagnosis of democratic failure. It speaks to the dangerous reality where people who are repeatedly deceived by politicians often refuse correction, defend their exploitation, and even fight those who attempt to enlighten them. A recent political incident in which pants were distributed to citizens as electoral inducement should not be treated as comedy, entertainment, or normal campaign practice. It represents a national disgrace and exposes the tragic condition of a democracy where dignity is exchanged for crumbs.
When a politician offers a pair of pants in exchange for loyalty, he is not showing kindness he is displaying contempt. He is announcing that he believes the people can be bought cheaply, that poverty has weakened resistance, and that civic responsibility can be replaced with petty gifts. Yet the most disturbing part is not always the politician’s action, but the citizen’s acceptance. Worse still, when anyone criticizes such behavior, many defend it aggressively. This is exactly what Odolaye Aremu warned against: the foolish person may not know he is being used, but once confronted with that truth, he becomes angry rather than reflective. This is not merely ignorance; it is political self-destruction.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo once stated:
“The people’s welfare and security shall be the primary purpose of government.”
But when elections become transactions of rice, cash, wrappers, recharge cards, and even underwear, governance loses its moral foundation. Leaders who buy votes do not govern with service in mind; they govern with recovery of investment in mind. Public office becomes business, not responsibility. This explains why many communities that celebrate these election gifts later suffer from abandoned roads, broken hospitals, poor schools, insecurity, unemployment, and hunger. The pants given during elections cannot repair collapsed bridges. The rice shared during campaigns cannot replace stable electricity. The money collected at polling units cannot fund quality education for the next generation.
As Nelson Mandela
famously said:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nigeria urgently needs political education. Citizens must understand that democracy is not about immediate personal gain but about long-term collective survival. A vote is not a gift to be sold; it is a weapon of accountability.
Chinua Achebe wrote in The Trouble with Nigeria:
“The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.”
However, leadership failure survives because followership failure protects it. Corrupt politicians flourish where citizens normalize corruption. Bad governance thrives where people defend the same system that oppresses them. This political incident should provoke national reflection. It is not just about pants; it is about the dangerous normalization of humiliation. It is about how poverty has been weaponized against the people and how some citizens have become defenders of the chains that bind them.
Across Africa, the same pattern repeats itself. Colonialism may have officially ended, but internal exploitation continues through corrupt elites who manipulate hunger and ignorance. Neocolonialism survives because domestic political betrayal sustains it. True liberation will not come until citizens reject inducement and embrace responsibility. People must stop asking, “What did he give me today?” and start asking, “What future is he building for tomorrow?”
Democracy demands maturity.
It demands sacrifice. It demands the courage to reject temporary comfort for lasting progress. Odolaye Aremu’s proverb therefore remains a national warning: the greatest tragedy is not foolishness itself, but the refusal to recognize it. A nation cannot progress when its people defend the very forces destroying them.
Nigeria must learn. Democracy is too sacred to be exchanged for pants, and dignity is too valuable to be traded for political crumbs.
Dr. Gidado Abdulkarim Salimon writes from No 1b Halal Street Daudu Islamic Village, Ilorin kwara state.
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