Content Warning
This story contains themes of political corruption, electoral fraud, poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, drug addiction, violence (bar fight), strong political opinions, and criticism of voter behavior. It also includes depictions of a drunk parent, family disappointment, economic hardship, and despair about systemic failure. Reader discretion is advised.
This story contains strong political opinions and criticism of voter behavior.
Intro
Alex was a final year student with a bright future. A wealthy military contractor named Mr. Oghene saw his honesty and offered him a job waiting after graduation — a dream come true for any young Nigerian. But then came the election. The people chose an illiterate over a PhD holder. They chose cash over education. They chose propaganda over progress. And within months, companies fled, jobs vanished, and Alex's promised future disappeared like smoke. Eight years later, his soft hands are now calloused from years of carpentry, welding, masonry, painting, and electrical work. Another election is coming. The same illiterate is running again. And the same people are making the same mistake — trading their future for half a bag of rice. This is a story about Africa's greatest challenge: not poverty, not corruption, but the human behavior that keeps choosing the wrong thing even when everyone knows it is wrong. Alex survived. But his hope did not.
The Election That Changed Everything
The Year 2023
It was the time of election in the year 2023. Everyone had been frustrated by the poor performance of the previous government. It was a time many people lost their jobs, and companies had to relocate out of the country due to poor policy and unfavorable environment.
Alex and Garry
Alex was a final year student in college. He lived in a private residence in the town near the school. He is a good guy with a compassionate heart, tall and godly. He is one of those who take Christianity to heart. He does his prayer now and then, and he helps those in the neighborhood who truly need help.
He became friends with a kid named Garry. He always encouraged Garry and taught him maths and physics so he could do well when he wrote his entrance examination.
Garry's Father, Mr. Oghene
Garry's father is known as a noise maker. He is loud, abrasive, and a drunk, but what you can't take away from him is his wealth. He is known as one of the most wealthy men in the town as a military contractor. You will see him walking along the road and you will never know he is wealthy. He is in his mid-fifties, lean with grey hair. He is tall and staggers a lot whenever he walks due to his constant drunkenness.
He started noticing how Alex was helping his son and the improvement of his son in his school work. It was a joy to him seeing that his son was doing well, so one day he called Alex.
The Meeting
Alex came to see Garry's father. He was sitting in the living room. It had about three big chairs, a center table made of glass, and a dinner section too with a huge dining table. The walls of his house were covered with picture frames from when he was young and other members of his family. There was his daughter who lived in the United States. She was smiling in the picture with a book in front of her.
Garry's father's name is Mr. Oghene. He was sitting in one of those huge chairs and he looked like a kid in it. He had a glass of whisky in his right hand and the bottle just resting beside his chair for easy reach. When he saw Alex, he beamed, "That is my boy, come in please and have a seat, make yourself at home."
Alex wasn't comfortable in front of Mr. Oghene. He has a temper when he is drinking that everyone likes to stay away from, so getting invited when he was drinking was doing something extraordinary to Alex. His mind was telling him to run, that he had entered trouble with Mr. Oghene.
But he knew he had done nothing, and so he took his seat, facing Mr. Oghene. Mr. Oghene took a long pull on his drink, smirked his lips, and then raised his head up and gulped the drink down his throat with a satisfying smile. He reached for the bottle and refilled his glass. He looked at Alex and offered him a glass too, but Alex declined.
"Come on, have a sip and you will feel alright," he said.
"I'm fine, sir," Alex said, shaking his head.
"Are you sure? Because you are missing something great. Just a taste and you will understand what it means to drink whisky — the fire that runs down your blood, and the warmness. Ha," he exclaimed, "this is the stuff of legend."
"I'm fine, sir, but if you insist, I will take water."
"Ha, young men these days are something else," Mr. Oghene said, frowning. "Water can make you be peeing anyhow, but this drink will warm your blood and give you the stamina you need."
"Thank you, sir, but water will do," Alex said.
"Well, if that is what you want, no problem. Look over there," he said, pointing at his water dispenser sitting at a corner in his dining room. "Help yourself."
Alex got up and went to the dispenser to get his water. He wondered why Mr. Oghene wanted to see him. He had done nothing and he is not close to the man. He had only greeted him now and then, but they had never interacted before. He filled his cup and retook his seat. He took a sip and felt the cold water hit his throat. He swallowed, and there was an audible gulping sound which brought a laugh from Mr. Oghene.
"See, I was right. This stuff could have solved that problem in your throat."
Alex could only smile and shake his head. They were both silent for a while, each enjoying his drink as a movie played on the TV screen.
The Proposal
After a while, Mr. Oghene said, "Alex, I have been observing you since you came into this neighborhood."
Alex looked up, not sure what to say, so he just shrugged his shoulder and waited.
"You have a good heart. You're honest and you behave well with respect."
"Thank you, sir," Alex said.
"I can see the improvement you have made in my boy. He has stopped playing around and now focuses on his school work. That is great, and I'm grateful."
"It is nothing, sir. I'm glad I could help."
"That is good to know. When will you graduate?"
"In six months' time," Alex said.
"That is not far. I have a proposal for you."
"What sort of proposal, sir?"
"You know, I'm a military contractor and I have other businesses. One is with LG Electronics."
"Wow!"
"Yes. I want you to work with me. I like honest and loyal people. I want to give you a place in my company so you can be keeping an eye on it when I travel."
Alex couldn't believe his ears. This is what many people will want in their life — a ready-made job waiting after graduation. He swallowed hard, eyes shining. He tightened his hand on his cup and felt the water slosh down his hand. He looked at his hand. It was trembling.
"But sir, you have a son. He is older than me. Why not ask him to look after your business?"
At this, Mr. Oghene cursed. His eyes that had gone red from his drinking were now bloodshot. His hands and lips were trembling, but he took a big gulp of his whisky and then inhaled and exhaled. He smacked his lips to stop their trembling.
"My son is a fool," he said. "I can never allow him to even look after my shoe."
"But why? He is your elder son, sir."
"That boy is just a waste of space. He is a son I regret having. No, I can never let him near my business."
"But he is your son, sir. If there is anything wrong, you can sit and have a chat with him."
Mr. Oghene closed his eyes. He was cursing silently, and Alex couldn't hear the full curse, and for that he was grateful.
"My son is a drug addict," he finally said, looking at Alex.
"I'm sorry, sir. You can take him to a rehab."
"I have been doing that, and that fool of a son has been running away. I'm tired."
"That is bad, sir," Alex said.
"Of course I hate it. I have tried, but that boy will not let me have peace."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It is not your fault. So, will you work with me?"
"Yes, sir," Alex said.
"That is great. Let us toast to it then." Mr. Oghene raised his glass and clinked it with Alex's cup. "To a fruitful partnership," he said as he drained his glass.
The Election Campaign
Three months before Alex's graduation, he heard that there would be a general election. It was normal at that time, and everyone was preparing for the election. You know there were debates and arguments about which candidate is best. One of the candidates had a PhD degree while the other was an illiterate.
At that time, the one with the PhD was the present president and he was seeking re-election, while the illiterate was gunning to unseat the president. He claimed the PhD holder was doing nothing. He claimed he was a waste of space in the presidential villa. The illiterate, with the help of other elites in society who were angry that the PhD holder was distributing the wealth to the poor and making life better, ganged up with the illiterate and created propaganda.
It was an easy one as the country is full of so many illiterates, and they easily bought the propaganda. Soon they were all clamoring for the PhD holder to go. They claimed he was ruining the economy, while the PhD holder told them he was reforming the economy and in six months' time, they would see the result and they would be glad.
But the illiterate shouted it was a lie. He claimed he could do better. He claimed people could live a prosperous life under him.
The African Election Reality
This is the situation in Africa. They lack conviction when it comes to choosing their leaders. They can be played and lied to, and they will believe. It's easier to fool an African when it comes to election because if you give them a few cash, they will worship the ground you walk on. This illiterate capitalized on it. Where the PhD holder wanted to give them education, the illiterate opted to give them cash and promised them there was more where that came from if they voted him in — he would be giving them.
Alex watched all this going on. He didn't care about politics, but he always performed his duty as an electorate. He knew about the lies and propaganda. As an educated young man, he could see how the game was playing, and he wondered why the sitting president would let them lie against him and just keep quiet.
Alex focused more on his exam, because it was his final examination and he didn't want to fail any course. Election wasn't in his mind until he graduated. It was a difficult exam, but he did his best and he aced all his courses, and at the same time he became a graduate. And during that time, that was when the election took place.
The Election and Its Aftermath
Everyone did their duty. There were widespread allegations of cheating, manipulation, intimidation, and electoral fraud. The sitting president just kept quiet and did nothing until he was rigged out of power.
All this was going on, but Alex didn't care. He knew what it is like in Africa when it comes to election — there is no fair play. The one who rigs the most always carries the day, and when every agency is bought, what do you expect?
The second month after the election, the illiterate was sworn in, and things started going bad.
The Job Disappears
One day, Alex was called by Mr. Oghene, and he hurried to his house. He saw him drinking his whisky straight from the bottle. You could see his eyes — they were red — and Alex wondered if it was tears he was seeing. He coughed to get Mr. Oghene's attention.
Mr. Oghene was startled, and as he saw Alex, he sighed. "Come in, my boy," he said.
Alex entered and sat down, waiting for Mr. Oghene to have his say. There was silence, and the only thing you could hear was Mr. Oghene's throat gulping down his drink noisily. He would shake his head and shout, "E done happened oh!"
Alex kept quiet. He didn't want to disturb him. He had never heard Mr. Oghene speak pidgin English, so this got him alert. And very soon, Mr. Oghene said:
"Alex, matter way strong done happen oh." (Alex, a serious matter has happened.)
"Wetin happen, Oga?" Alex asked. (What happened, sir?)
"Oboy, this country na die. I just tire for the mumu way full." (Oh boy, this country is dead. I am tired of the fools everywhere.)
Alex kept silent, waiting. He hadn't been told anything new.
"Imagine people go choose illiterate over a PhD holder." (Imagine people choosing an illiterate over a PhD holder.)
"Na wetin dey scatter my head oh, Oga." (That is what is confusing me, sir.)
"Where we go wrong na? I just no understand." (Where did we go wrong? I just don't understand.)
"Na politics," Alex said. (It's politics.)
"I know such eh. We too stupid for this country." (I know. We are too stupid in this country.)
"Wetin we go do na?" (What can we do?)
"See eh, that job way I promise you, e no dey again oh." (See, that job that I promised you, it is no longer available.)
"Wetin happened na?" Alex asked, sitting at the edge of his seat now. (What happened?)
"The company done run. Say the policy of that illiterate dey kill business." (The company has run away. They say the policy of that illiterate is killing business.)
"I done hear rumors say company dey run, even oil company sef oh." (I have heard rumors that companies are running away, even oil companies too.)
"That no be rumors oh. Na real thing be that." (That is not a rumor. That is the real thing.)
"Why e be say Africa always get ham wrong na?" Alex asked. (Why is it that Africa always gets it wrong?)
"Son, Africa is just primitive. Anything Africa dey weak my system." (Son, Africa is just primitive. Anything Africa weakens my system.)
"I done enter oh," Alex exclaimed. (I am in trouble.)
"No be small. I dey feel for you oh. Job dey scarce and company dey run. How you go do na?" (Not small. I feel for you. Jobs are scarce and companies are running away. What will you do?)
"I never know oh." (I don't know yet.)
"Even business sef nothing come out, and I hear say insecurity na like mosquito — e dey everywhere." (Even business, nothing is coming out, and I hear that insecurity is like a mosquito — it is everywhere.)
Alex was silent. He couldn't breathe. It was like his whole world was crashing down. He had put his hope in the job that had been waiting for him from Mr. Oghene. He had even told his friends and family that he already had a job waiting for him. And now, he shook his head. How can this be? How can a country of about two hundred million people choose an illiterate to govern them? How can they be this stupid?
He couldn't help the tears that spilled on his cheeks. It is so sad. It is so annoying. And he could do nothing. A glass appeared in front of him, and he took it and drained it. The warm liquid sharpened his senses a little and made him look up at Mr. Oghene.
"I dey sorry, son. Nothing I fit do." (I am sorry, son. There is nothing I can do.)
"No be your fault, sir. I go survive." (It is not your fault, sir. I will survive.)
Eight Years Later
That was eight years ago, and Alex looks at his calloused hands. His hands that used to be soft are now full of blisters that have broken and made his hands strong like iron. He sighs. He can remember his earlier struggle. It wasn't easy, but with time he had been a jack of all trades. He had done the work of a carpenter, welder, mason, painter, and an electrician.
He looks at his broken nails. He remembers when he was starting as a carpenter and how he had mistakenly hammered his own hand. He shudders when he remembers the pain and how he had screamed with tears flowing down his eyes. Or what about that electrical job where he nearly got electrocuted until he was hit with a long pole that disconnected him from the live wire?
All this plays in his mind, and yet what pains him most is that another election is around the corner, and people are still making the same mistake they made eight years ago. There is someone who knows the job of governance, someone who has a proven track record of excellence, prudence, and foresight, someone who knows how to save and bring in development. But the same people are still clamoring for another illiterate.
Alex nearly cried when he reasoned his suffering and how the people who are supposed to be wise are the same set of people making mistakes again.
The Woman with Half a Bag of Rice
He had asked a woman why she wanted to vote for the illiterate, and she had replied, "He gave me half bag of rice."
Alex had been shocked. He couldn't believe his ears, and he asked again to be sure. "You mean as in a half bag of rice?"
She had answered in the affirmative with a big smile.
"The last president suffer us oh, and this one done be worst. Why you no fit chose a better man?" he had asked her. (The last president made us suffer, and this one has been worse. Why can't you choose a better man?)
"I no care who rule. Abeg, leave me make I enjoy my rice." (I don't care who rules. Please, leave me so I can enjoy my rice.)
"I hope say e go last for four years," he said. (I hope it lasts for four years.)
"E no concern you," was the woman's reply. (It doesn't concern you.)
Alex had shaken his head. This is what he is talking about. Africa is the hub of primitive people. They don't care about development. All they care about is what they will eat that moment and the free money the politicians shared. How do you educate such people? He wonders, because it is like they are all bewitched. A government that has been suffering you for years starts giving you half a bag of rice, and you smile and accept without question. You suddenly forget your years of suffering for that moment of collecting half a bag of rice.
Another election is here, and he knows deep down that the cycle will still play out as it had eight years ago.
At the Bar
Alex went to a bar to cool his temper. He has been getting angry a lot due to the struggle he had been facing and the way the people don't care about who rules or not.
The bar was crowded, and he chose a seat near the door. When a bar is crowded like this, fights tend to happen frequently, and he didn't want to be part of it, so the seat by the door so he could bail anytime.
He watched the people, and he could see angry muttering about suffering and the way politicians don't care because they stole billions and live in luxury while the people scrape and toil the ground. A few men sitting at a table near him were shouting in a rowdy voice. Those were the laborers — he could smell their sweat and the tattered nature of their clothes. Some hadn't even gone home to bathe. You could see crusts of mud and dust all over them.
Then, a few tables to the right of the door, there were those who dressed in corporate attires. They sat together, heads bent together, whispering — only God knows what.
The President's Speech
Suddenly, the football that was showing on the big screen in the far corner of the bar went blank, and then a moment later a new program came on air. It was the president. He was giving a speech, and a few journalists were asking questions.
The bar went quiet as everyone listened. Even the corporate guys raised their heads to listen too.
The first journalist asked him, "Mr. President, there are a lot of people complaining of your poor performance in office. Tax is high, insecurity is the order of the day, there is no job for graduates, and poor power supply. What do you have to say?"
The president was silent for a moment, and everyone could see how he was working his mouth, but nothing was coming out. A few people started grumbling about their missed soccer match, but others hushed them.
"Mr. President?" the journalist prompted.
The president's eyes were darting around, and the cameras followed his eye movement. He was looking at a man who was giving him a hand signal. Everyone knew the man as his chief press secretary.
The president finally said, "I no understand your question oh. Talk in pidgin English." (I don't understand your question. Speak in pidgin English.)
At this, there was a general groan from the corporate guys, and one of them muttered, "This is embarrassing. How can people look at this man and still want to vote for him?"
A few assented to his words, but those laborers were angry at the way the corporate guy had talked.
"Make you mind your word oh," one of them said. "Na my baba be that." (Watch your words. He is my father.)
"Your baba wey no Sabi anything." (Your father who knows nothing.)
"Mind your mouth oh," the laborer said, and he turned to others and said, "I done warn ham oh." (I have warned him.)
The journalist finally put the question in pidgin English, and the president said, "Na only blind people way no dey see my work oh. My work dey everywhere." (It is only blind people who don't see my work. My work is everywhere.)
"What of security?" the journalist asked.
"Wetin happen to security? Make nobody blame me oh." (What happened to security? Nobody should blame me.)
"But you be the commander in chief of all security forces na." (But you are the commander in chief of all security forces.)
"And so? Na make them go worry me?" the president asked. (And so? Should they come and disturb me?)
The Fight
At this, there was a general shouting in the bar. Alex wisely stood up and went to the door. He knew something was coming, and sure enough, one of the corporate guys picked up his bottle and threw it at the TV. The screen went blank, and all eyes turned to him.
"I'm sorry," he said, "but that man made me angry. I couldn't hold it anymore."
He was jumped on by the laborers, and the brawling started.
Alex wondered how this could be happening in a country that boasts of many PhD holders, a country with so much wealth. He took a step back when the fighting reached his side, and not wanting to be dragged in, he took his leave.
The Heart of the Problem
Africa is a continent with many challenges, but the overall challenge is human behavior. An African man will choose the wrong thing even though he knows it is wrong. Why he does that is because of what he will gain at that moment. Sometimes he knows he is doing the wrong thing, but he doesn't care. All he wants is what that moment will offer, and any consequences that will come, he will face them like a man — even if it kills him.
People like Alex are few, while people like the laborers are plenty. So how can a few people overpower those who have the numbers? How can they educate the uneducated about doing the right thing? These are the questions Alex asked as he walked home, knowing that till he grows old, nothing will ever change.
What This Story Teaches Us
The Election That Changed Everything is not just Alex's story — it is the story of an entire continent that keeps choosing suffering over progress, and the individuals who pay the price for a decision they never made.
1. Your Vote Is Not Just Your Business
When that woman traded her future for half a bag of rice, she did not just hurt herself. She hurt Alex. She hurt Mr. Oghene's business. She hurt every graduate who had a job waiting. One vote multiplied by millions of careless choices destroys futures that had nothing to do with the ballot box.
2. Propaganda Beats Education in a Society That Does Not Read
The illiterate did not win because he was better. He won because his sponsors understood the crowd. Where the PhD holder offered reform, the illiterate offered cash and noise. In a society where critical thinking is not taught, the loudest voice wins — not the wisest one.
3. Politicians Buy the Poor With the Poor's Own Money
That half bag of rice did not come from the politician's pocket. It came from stolen public funds. The people celebrated receiving what was already theirs, in a fraction of what they were owed. That is the cruelest trick in African politics.
4. The Educated Suffer the Consequences of the Uneducated's Choices
Alex did everything right. He studied. He was honest. He earned the trust of a wealthy man. He graduated with good grades. None of it mattered because people who never met him chose who would govern his future. Democracy without civic education punishes the prepared and rewards the compliant.
5. Hardship Can Rebuild a Man, But It Cannot Restore Lost Time
Alex survived. Eight years of carpentry, welding, masonry, painting, and electrical work turned soft hands into iron. But those are eight years he will never get back. Survival is not the same as thriving. Endurance is not the same as justice.
6. The Cycle Repeats Because No One Is Held Accountable
Eight years later, the same mistake is happening again. The same propaganda. The same rice. The same crowd. The real danger in Alex's story is not the first bad election — it is the second one. When there are no consequences for a bad choice, the choice gets made again and again.
7. Anger Without Action Changes Nothing
Alex went to a bar to cool his temper. The laborers muttered. The corporate men whispered. Everyone was angry. But anger that stays inside a bar and never reaches the streets, the polling booth, or the community changes absolutely nothing. Africa's problem is not the absence of people who know better — it is the silence of people who know better.
Nigerian Pidgin English Glossary
New to Nigerian Pidgin? Here's a quick guide to the expressions used in this story.
E done happened oh — "It has happened." An expression of resignation, used when something bad has already occurred and cannot be undone.
Matter way strong done happen oh — "A serious matter has happened." Used to signal that something significant and troubling has taken place.
Wetin happen, Oga? — "What happened, sir?" A respectful way of asking what is wrong. "Oga" is a term of respect for an older or superior person.
Na die — Literally "it is death," used to mean a situation is terrible or hopeless. "This country na die" means "this country is finished."
Mumu — A fool or a senseless person. Used here to describe people who vote against their own interests.
Na wetin dey scatter my head — "That is what is confusing me" or "that is what is breaking my mind." An expression of frustration and disbelief.
Na politics — "It's politics." A resigned way of explaining that something corrupt or unfair happened simply because that is how the political game works.
E no dey again — "It no longer exists" or "it is gone." Used when something that was available or promised has disappeared.
Done run — "Has run away" or "has left." Used to describe companies or people who have fled due to bad conditions.
I done enter oh — "I am in trouble." An expression of despair when someone realizes their situation has become very difficult.
E dey everywhere — "It is everywhere." Used to emphasize how widespread a problem has become.
I no care who rule — "I don't care who governs." Reflects the dangerous political apathy that allows bad leaders to thrive.
Abeg — "Please" or "I beg you." A common Pidgin word used to make a request or dismiss someone.
E no concern you — "It is none of your business." Used to shut down a conversation or deflect concern.
Suffer us oh — "Made us suffer." A collective expression of pain caused by poor governance.
Half bag of rice — Literally half a bag of rice, used as a symbol throughout the story for the cheap price at which some Nigerians sell their votes and their futures.
Outro
And so Alex walks home from the bar, the sound of breaking bottles and shouting laborers still ringing in his ears. The president could not answer a simple question without switching to pidgin English. The corporate guy threw a bottle at the TV. The laborers defended their "baba" like he was family. And somewhere in the background, another election is gathering speed like a train headed for a broken bridge. Alex has survived eight years of struggle. He has hammered his own hand. He has nearly been electrocuted. He has watched his soft hands turn to iron. But what pains him most is not his suffering — it is watching a nation repeat the same mistake over and over again. A woman chose half a bag of rice over a better future. A laborer chose loyalty to a failing leader over common sense. And Alex knows the truth: until the people change, nothing will ever change. The election will come. The illiterate will win. The companies will flee. And another generation of graduates will watch their dreams turn into calloused hands. This story is not over. It plays out every four years, on loop, like a nightmare no one bothers to wake up from. The question is not whether Africa will change. The question is whether Africans will ever want it badly enough to choose differently.
The Socio-Economic Mirror
Subject: Systemic Hurdles, Institutional Failures, & Public Realities
An urgent, modern analysis. Dive into the critical examination of institutional design and the self-inflicted challenges facing the nation today.
A vital public health perspective. Unmask the economic and systemic factors making daily nutrition a dangerous gamble for families.
A broader continental critique. Analyze the intersection of deep-seated religious dogma, socio-economic progress, and modern African governance.
Revisit the foundational patterns. Trace the structural cracks within the financial landscape that laid the groundwork for today's realities.
0 Comments
"share your thoughts below"