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It’s Sad When Nigerian Politicians Praise Themselves
By Joel Popoola
Real leaders know that self praise is no praise, but why has no-one told our politicians?
Imagine you heard that someone you knew was paying people to go around saying nice things about them. You’d think they were pretty pathetic, right?
Sadly, this kind of behaviour is becoming all-too-common in Nigerian politics.
Abubakar Malami, this week, became the latest political figure to be accused of hiring paid social media influencers to publish countless posts praising the Justice Minister for reforming the Nigerian judicial system and promoting accountability in government.
The hastag #achievementsofMalami even trended on Twitter.
I have no proof at all that these allegations are true – indeed given Nigeria’s problem with fake news being spread on social media, we all need to be savvy enough to consider that they are utterly untrue, and I welcome any effort to increase transparency and accountability amongst our political class.
But as a leading Nigerian tech entrepreneur I can certainly confirm that such behaviour is becoming endemic in Nigerian politics.
Regrettably, building an army of online mercenaries to relentlessly sing your praises online whilst simultaneously belittling and mocking your opponents has become an established electioneering tactic in Nigeria.
And it is bad for our democracy. It erodes trust and corrodes people’s willingness to engage in a political process where it appears that every politician either too good to be true, or too bad to be believed.
For politicians, the ability to pay people to broadcast your good works is a dangerous disincentive to actually having to do any good works in the first place. Real leaders know that self-praise is no praise at all especially when it is coming from rented mouths.
For voters, a well-functioning democracy depends upon a knowledgeable electorate. If voters cannot distinguish easily between fact and fiction, and are unable to trust what they read about candidates they are unable to make informed choices at the ballot box.
And the fact that so many young Nigerians are so jaded about our democracy, which in many cases, is younger than they are – that their political support, online at least, can be bought for a handful of Naira shames our nation.
At the digital democracy campaign I lead, we have a solution.
We have developed a free app called Rate Your Leader, which lets confirmed voters speak directly to their local leaders straight from their smartphone.
The app lets people ask direct questions to local decision makers as well as letting politicians know what matters most to the people who elected them.
And if the voters don’t think that the information they receive is believable or is excessively partisan, they can leave their leader a rating, letting their neighbours know how reliable their peers believe this source of information to be – a permanent visual mark of credibility.
The app also keeps communication courteous by blocking any offensive messages from being sent. Our goal is a new era of political engagement and accountability.
Distinguishing between fact and fiction online has never been more difficult. Just this week one of Nigeria’s major newspapers – traditionally and correctly seen as information source with the most credibility and integrity – was forced to take action to distance itself from a Facebook group trying to pass itself of as the paper’s official page and posting fake news as if it had come from the newspaper itself.
Then there is the case of Nigerian football hero, Victor Oshimen, who following his record move to Napoli in Italy was quoted online as saying:
“I am proud to join a club, who have seen great players like Maradona… I also want to go into the club’s history”.
It’s not controversial to say that Oshimen must aspire to follow in the footsteps as such a Napoli icon – one of the football greats, a World Cup winner who led the club to two league championships.
But Oshimen this week tweeted “I never said such a thing”.
When we cannot even trust a statement as uncontroversial as a footballer wanting to be as successful at his new club as one of their greatest ever players, what can we trust on the internet?
That is why a platform for verified voters to get information direct from verified politicians – and publically highlight to their neighbours the value of that information – is so vital.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur and digital democracy campaigner and is creator of the free Rate Your Leader app. Joel can be reached on Twitter @JOpopoola or joel@rateyourleader.com
United States Representative Riley Moors has said further military strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria could follow recent operations ordered by President Donald Trump, describing the actions as aimed at improving security and protecting Christian communities facing violence.
Moore made the remarks during a televised interview in which he addressed U.S. military strikes carried out on Christmas Day against militant targets in North-west Nigeria.
The strikes were conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government, according to U.S. and Nigerian officials.
“President Trump is not trying to bring war to Nigeria, he’s bringing peace and security to Nigeria and to the thousands of Christians who face horrific violence and death,” Moore said.
He said the Christmas Day strikes against Islamic State affiliates had provided hope to Christians in Nigeria, particularly in areas affected by repeated attacks during past festive periods.
According to U.S. authorities, the strikes targeted camps used by Islamic State-linked groups operating in parts of north-west Nigeria.
Nigerian officials confirmed that the operation was carried out with intelligence support from Nigerian security agencies as part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between both countries.
The United States Africa Command said the operation was intended to degrade the operational capacity of extremist groups responsible for attacks on civilians and security forces.
Nigerian authorities have described the targeted groups as a threat to national security, noting their involvement in killings, kidnappings and raids on rural communities.
Moore said the strikes marked a shift from previous years in which attacks were carried out against civilians during the Christmas period. He said the U.S. administration was focused on preventing further violence by targeting militant groups before they could launch attacks.
U.S. officials have said the military action was carried out with the consent of the Nigerian government and formed part of broader security cooperation between the two countries. Nigeria has received intelligence, training and logistical support from international partners as it seeks to contain militant activity.
Moore had previously called for stronger international attention to attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria and has urged continued U.S. engagement in addressing extremist violence. He said further action would depend on developments on the ground and continued coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigerian officials have maintained that counter-terrorism operations are directed at armed groups threatening civilians, regardless of religion, and have reiterated their commitment to restoring security across affected regions.
World-renowned boxer Anthony Joshua on Monday survived a ghastly road accident in Makun, Ogun State.
Eyewitnesses report that the incident occurred along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The vehicle carrying Joshua, a Lexus Jeep with the number plate, KRD 850 HN, reportedly collided with a stationary truck under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Joshua reportedly sustained minor injuries, while two persons were said to have died on the spot.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that any attempt to hurriedly re‑gazette Nigeria’s new tax laws could undermine parliamentary oversight and set a dangerous constitutional precedent.
Atiku’s warning follows public scrutiny over reports that the Tax Reform Acts signed by President Bola Tinubu differ from the versions passed by the National Assembly. Lawmakers, including Abdussamad Dasuki, raised concerns that the alterations could pose serious legal and constitutional risks, noting that they were not backed by any constitutional framework.
In a statement on X, Atiku said the directive to re-gazette the Acts effectively confirms “that the gazetted version of the Tinubu Tax Act does not reflect what was duly passed by the National Assembly,” calling it “a grave constitutional issue.”
He emphasized that under Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, a bill only becomes law after passage by both chambers, presidential assent, and gazetting.
“Gazetting is merely an administrative act of publication. It does not create, amend, or validate a law,” Atiku said, adding that any post-passage insertion, deletion, or modification without legislative approval constitutes forgery rather than a clerical error.
Atiku further warned that rushing a re-gazetting while legislative investigations are ongoing “undermines parliamentary oversight and sets a dangerous precedent,” stressing that the only lawful approach is “fresh legislative consideration, re-passage by both chambers, fresh presidential assent, and proper gazetting.”
The former vice president clarified that his position is not opposition to tax reform but a defence of constitutional order.
“This is a defence of the integrity of the legislative process and a rejection of any attempt to normalise constitutional breaches through procedural shortcuts,” he said.
The Federal government has denied wrongdoing, insisting the laws will take effect as scheduled on January 1, 2026, while the National Assembly has directed the issuance of Certified True Copies of the Acts to ensure clarity and accuracy.
