There is something deeply wrong with the world. And it’s not subtle. It’s not hidden. It’s not even coded in diplomatic language. It is loud, proud, badly behaved, and somehow winning elections. Across continents, democracies that once prided themselves on seriousness now appear to have collectively misplaced their common sense. It’s as if the planet inhaled something strange, held its breath for a decade, and decided that the worst amongst them deserve the highest offices.
Let us take a short global tour of the ongoing democratic calamity.
America: When the World’s Oldest Democracy Outsources Leadership to Reality TV
By any human metric—temperament, honesty, attention span, relationship with the truth—Donald J. Trump would not pass the interview to manage a corner shop. Yet he became president of the United States and remains the spiritual landlord of American conservatism. Entire institutions have reorganised themselves around his moods, his grievances, and whatever policy he retweets at 3 a.m.
The country is visibly suffering from this affliction. Congress is paralysed, governance feels like theatre, and half the population is waiting for their democracy to be rescued by one indictment or another. But does this cause a rethink among his followers? Absolutely not. Chaos has become a political perfume. If your leader isn’t under investigation, are you even a real patriot?
Eastern Nigeria: Leadership by Agitation Instead of Responsibility
In Eastern Nigeria, the story is no less bewildering. Nnamdi Kanu—fiery, absolutist, and a character far removed from the refined cultural traditions of his region—has, for years, held emotional custody of a generation. Not because he represents their best, but because the actual leaders vacated the space. They surrendered the microphone, left the stage door open, and Kanu walked in wearing rhetorical fireworks.
Now, even the legal theatrics surrounding him haven’t caused a reset. Instead, every courtroom antic is treated like a divine sign. Leadership by volume has replaced leadership by vision.
Britain: When the Empire That Once Conquered Oceans Cannot Conquer Its Own Impulse for Bad Decisions
Across the pond, the United Kingdom—home of Shakespeare, Magna Carta, and centuries of polished governance—decided that its future should be shepherded by Boris Johnson. The man’s approach to leadership resembled a combination of improvisation, charm, and mild dishonesty wrapped in a crumpled suit.
But Britain wasn’t finished. A sizeable minority now looks to Nigel Farage, a man who has weaponised pub-level indignation into an entire political ideology. Boris was the warm-up act; Farage is the headliner. His fans speak about him as if he’s Churchill reborn, ignoring the reality that Churchill at least read books.
Nigeria: Turning a Complex Nation Into a Political Experiment
And then there is Nigeria—where democracy is treated like a compulsory group project nobody reads until the night before the exam. Allegations, controversies, and unanswered legal questions follow Bola Ahmed Tinubu like unpaid rent, yet the political machinery pushed him into Aso Rock with remarkable efficiency.
The result? A near-collapse of governance, a gasping economy, and citizens who now require emotional support before checking the exchange rate each morning. But instead of learning, the political class doubles down, insisting that suffering is patriotism and blind loyalty is a civic duty.
Why Are Societies Behaving This Way?
It’s tempting to say societies have lost their minds. But the reality is more tragic—and more interesting.
1. People vote identity, not competence.
Leaders are no longer selected for excellence. They are chosen for symbolism, grievance, or tribe. Trump is a weapon, not a leader. Kanu is a grievance megaphone. Farage is patriotic nostalgia in human form. Tinubu is political continuity packaged as inevitability.
2. Outrage is now a political asset.
Serious leaders make boring headlines. Clowns make unforgettable ones. Modern voters are overstimulated and emotionally exhausted, and charisma now beats competence 9 times out of 10.
3. Institutions are weak, tired, or complicit.
When judicial systems, parties, parliaments, and civil society stop filtering out unserious men, those men march straight into high office.
4. Technology has given everyone a megaphone—especially the wrong people.
You no longer need a career to lead. A smartphone is enough. Leadership has been democratised to the level of social-media performance art.
5. Societies don’t learn until the collapse is complete.
America hasn’t had its political rock-bottom yet. Nigeria thinks every bottom is a trampoline. The UK is still pretending Brexit will eventually age like fine wine. People rarely change direction until the wreckage becomes unavoidable.
The Result: A World Led by its Noisiest Men
We now live in a global era where leadership is loud, governance is optional, and elections are emotional therapy sessions. The worst men rise because the best men are too polite, too quiet, or too bound by rules. It is not that societies have lost their minds—they have lost their immune systems. The political viruses keep mutating, and voters keep accepting them out of fatigue, nostalgia, tribal loyalty, or sheer entertainment.
But every fever breaks eventually.
The question is whether countries will recover gently…
or wake up only after the full political house collapses on their heads.
Until then, we shall continue to observe, analyse, and—because this is a political blog—laugh so we don’t cry.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 