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By Audu Oseni
One of the biggest mistakes some Southern Nigerian politicians are making is assuming that political tolerance is the same across Nigeria.
It is not.
Nigeria may be one country, but it is not a uniform political culture. Different regions have developed different relationships with power, different expectations of leadership, and different thresholds for what citizens are willing to tolerate from those who govern them.
What some Southern politicians appear not to understand is that the people they govern have historically demonstrated a lower tolerance for elite irresponsibility, particularly when it concerns the security of lives and property.
Citizens may endure economic hardship. They may complain about poor infrastructure. They may even tolerate periods of ineffective governance. But there comes a point where public frustration transforms into public resistance—especially when governments appear indifferent to kidnappings, killings, and growing insecurity.
The recent protests in Oyo State and other parts of Southern Nigeria following incidents of kidnapping and violent attacks are not merely reactions to isolated events. They are expressions of a deeper political culture that demands accountability from leaders and expects government to fulfil its most fundamental responsibility: the protection of human life.
Politicians who fail to appreciate this reality risk misreading the mood of their people.
Leadership is not judged solely by projects commissioned or political alliances built. At critical moments, it is judged by whether citizens feel protected, valued, and heard. When people begin to believe that their safety is no longer a priority, public trust erodes rapidly.
The lesson for Southern politicians is simple: do not mistake patience for acceptance, and do not mistake silence for approval.
A society can tolerate many things, but when insecurity becomes normalised and leaders appear detached from the suffering of ordinary people, resistance becomes inevitable.
The politics of accountability remains alive, and any politician who ignores it does so at considerable risk.
• Oseni is of Centre for Development Communicat≠ion
