Forgive my language—but hear me out.

Over the years, I’ve observed a strange paradox: the smartest, most educated, most principled people I know are often the most disengaged from politics. They follow it passively, complain passionately, and escape it deliberately.

Meanwhile, the least competent, least visionary, and often most self-serving individuals occupy positions of power. They make decisions that affect your taxes, children’s education, safety, electricity, passport, rights, opportunities, and future.

And yet, the “smart” ones stay away.
Why?

Because politics is “dirty.”
Because it’s for “thugs.”
Because “I don’t have time for that nonsense.”

So here’s my blunt take:
If you are smart and you’re not involved in politics—one way or another—you’re being stupid.
Yes, I said it. And no, I don’t mean stupid in intelligence. I mean it in awareness and action.

 

My Wake-Up Call

I realised how naïve and stupid I had been when I once sat across from a state governor who couldn’t even explain the manifesto he ran on. Not vaguely. Not poorly. He didn’t know it.

In another meeting, I listened to a politician who didn’t understand the basics of budgeting or community development, but he controlled over ₦3 billion annually. That’s more than many startups hope to raise in a year.

Governors in Nigeria manage budgets between ₦100 billion and over ₦700 billion per year, depending on the state.  These individuals decide:

  • What roads get built (or don’t)?
  • How much is spent on education or healthcare?
  • Whether there’s access to clean water or power.
  • How your taxes are spent or stolen.

Now ask yourself: What happens when someone without vision, competence, or ethics is put in charge of that much money and power?

It can wipe out an entire generation’s future.

It can also wipe out your business.
One lousy policy can ruin an industry. One arbitrary tax, ban, or “executive order” can crush your startup, disrupt your supply chain, or dry up your market.

Meanwhile, in the private sector, we hustle. We celebrate raising $2 million in VC funding, getting featured in Forbes, and feeling accomplished.
But somewhere in government, someone with less experience, no KPIs, and zero accountability is siphoning that same amount monthly, just for being close to power.

 

You Can’t Outsource Your Future

You can’t build a life of excellence in a system of failure.
You can’t raise a brilliant child in a country that glorifies mediocrity.
You can’t keep your head down and hope that your gated community, your international degrees, or your business acumen will forever protect you from the consequences of bad governance.

Because eventually, the potholes find you.
The inflation hits your wallet.
The corruption steals your taxes.
The insecurity knocks on your door.
The failed school system affects the people you hire.
The broken health system becomes your only option when someone you love is sick.

Politics is not a distant drama. It is the control room of society. If you vacate that space, others will occupy it, and they often do so for themselves, not for you.

 

Why You’re Being Stupid

If you’re still on the sidelines, let me tell you what you’re doing, without sugarcoating it:

  • You’re working hard in a broken system and expecting different results. That’s foolish.
  • You’re building wealth and reputation in an environment where one policy can destroy it overnight. That’s naive.
  • You’re letting less capable people determine your future while you sit on the sidelines. That’s cowardice dressed up as sophistication.
  • You say you’re “too busy” or “not interested” in politics. But the people who are interested are making billion-naira decisions that shape your life.

You may be smart in business, tech, medicine, or law, but you leave your intelligence at the door if you ignore politics.

It’s Time to Join Politics, Organise, and Run for Office

Yes, you!

It’s not enough to vote and rant on social media.
It’s not enough to analyse the system from a distance.

If smart, principled, competent, and visionary people do not actively participate in politics, then we leave the future in the hands of those who are none of those things.

It’s time to stop outsourcing the leadership of our countries to the least prepared.

We need more people to step into the arena, not just as supporters and commentators but also as candidates, organisers, and power-builders.

Here’s what you can do, starting now:

  • Run for office. Even at the local level. Start somewhere.
  • Join a political party. Don’t wait for the perfect one, get in, build influence, shape ideology from within.
  • Join a movement. Lend your voice, energy, and platform.
  • Volunteer your skills. Design, tech, policy, strategy, use what you know to help build what’s needed.
  • Build civic and governance tech tools. Politics and public service need innovation. Build the tools that make the system more transparent and efficient.
  • Mobilise around values-based leaders. Support those with character, capacity, and competence. Help them win and govern well.
  • Start paying attention. Read the budget. Track legislation. Influence policy. Show up. Speak up.
  • Do something. Anything. But don’t do anything.

We cannot keep complaining about the quality of our leaders if we are unwilling to lead.
And if you’re not ready to run, support those who are. Help them win. Help them stay accountable.

The system will not change by itself.
We must disrupt it from the inside.
Because ultimately, politics is not about the game of power but the distribution of consequences.

And if we’re not at the table, we will always be on the menu.

 

Need a Starting Point? Join the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG)

Maybe you’re fired up but thinking, “Where do I start?”
You’ve never run for anything. You don’t know the rules of the game. You want to make a difference, but you don’t want to be another well-meaning amateur.

That’s precisely why the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) exists.

SPPG is not your typical leadership school. It’s a bold response to Africa’s broken political culture, a school built to equip a new generation of leaders with the competence, character, and capacity to fix politics and deliver governance that works for the people.

Through SPPG’s 10-month programme, you’ll gain:

  • A deep understanding of political systems, governance, and policy design.
  • Exposure to practical strategies for reform, leadership, and public service.
  • A community of fellow changemakers from across Nigeria and Africa.
  • Mentorship, case studies, and tools to help you lead with purpose and results.

This is not just about theory. It’s about preparing you to contest, win, govern, and transform.

SPPG is a powerful place to begin if you’re serious about getting involved.

Whether you want to run for office, advise on policy, support campaigns, or lead civic change, build your foundation here.
Don’t just react to politics. Prepare to shape it.
Start here: https://sppg.org

 

Let’s Be Clear

This is a call to stop watching and start building.
It is a call to get uncomfortable, because the comfort zone is exactly what’s killing progress.

Staying out of politics doesn’t make you pure.
It makes you vulnerable.
And in these times, silence is not neutrality, it’s complicity.

So yes, if you’re smart and you’ve been sitting this one out, it’s time to get in the ring.

Forgive my language. Not my conviction.

Nigeria & Africa won’t fix Itself.
We must fix it. Together.