Leadership, Accountability, and the Power of the Ballot: Lessons from the U.S. for Nigeria

Joe Biden came into the white house and faced a fractured economy. Amid that, America got embroiled in two ongoing wars, which led to a slowdown of the world and the American economy. That led to inflation, which impacted the costs of gasoline, food, and household items, just as we have in Nigeria. However, for the typical American, government is not about excuses; it is about performance, and performance is about seeing it in people’s pockets and bank accounts.

Besides, America is one of the most liberal countries regarding immigration. The typical American believes that people of color have taken over their country, and making their country less secure. So, they want to take their country back the way the UK did.

Unlike the US, we rationalize and make excuses for the government’s inefficiency. We have seen governors and Presidents who owed workers arrears of salaries win elections in Nigeria. That can not happen in the US. It doesn’t matter whether the entire world’s economy is in terrible shape and, therefore, impacted on others. Americans want to see the dividends of democracy positively impact them and their welfare. As I watched the news of the American election, I saw where voters used their voter cards and voting rights to punish a government they felt didn’t do well or serve their interests.

Throughout his campaigns, Trump focused on the language of the typical American who believes that their country has been taken over by immigrants. They want to see many people of color deported. They also want to see a tighter immigration law that would restrict entry into the US from underdeveloped nations in place. Apart from wanting their country back like the United Kingdom did, the economy, immigration, and security were uppermost in their minds before the 2024 election, and they thought Biden didn’t do well in those areas.

To meet their aspirations and remove the government from power, those bitter towards the government went to the polling stations to vote to remove the party in power. They went to the polls with their voter’s cards to vote for what they wanted. Can we replicate that in Nigeria? I doubt this because of selfish, tribal, and religious interests.

Until we stop rationalizing why a government is inefficient, we will continue to drown in the ocean of “Give them more time” and sink deeper into the valley of underdevelopment.

Grace and peace!!!