Gov Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau
By Prof. Elias Lamle
By all accounts, the Nigerian political class has become a theatre of shame—an endless display of mockery, pretence, and deception wrapped in flamboyant agbadas and loud proclamations of “the people’s mandate.” The latest display of such political absurdity has been unfolding right before our eyes in Plateau State, where certain politicians, intoxicated by dubious courtroom victories, have found the audacity to dance in the streets, celebrating a mandate that, in truth and conscience, they know is neither earned nor just. This is not only shameful—it is morally reprehensible.
These are the same politicians who, without blinking, point fingers at Governor Caleb Mutfwang, a man whose performance in office already towers high above the mediocre legacies of their cronies. The irony is staggering. Here is a governor who is rolling up his sleeves to work—repairing roads, paying salaries, ensuring peace and security in a fragile region—and yet, he is being insulted by people whose political stock-in-trade is noise without value, shadows without substance.
One must wonder: do our politicians possess even a droplet of decorum? Is there any shame left in their moral compass? How do people who know the truth so effortlessly live and act a lie? How does one stand before cameras, jubilating over an electoral victory that reeks of judicial gerrymandering, and still muster the courage to speak against a sitting governor whose mandate was earned and is being upheld by verifiable progress?
This mockery is not just about politics; it strikes at the very heart of our societal values. As a university don, one who has taught many of these characters now polluting the airwaves and occupying public offices, I find myself overwhelmed by disillusionment. Could it be that what we now see on the political stage is a reflection of what has silently festered in our lecture halls? Have our institutions of learning become complicit in breeding this brand of political chicanery?
It is a heartbreaking thought. But it is also one that cannot be dismissed lightly.
Many of these shameless actors were once students, seated in lecture halls, writing exams, and nodding at ethical theories and democratic ideals. What happened? Were the lessons in integrity mere academic exercises to them? Did they watch lecturers cut corners, manipulate scores, trade grades for favours, and conclude that dishonesty was the norm? If so, then shame belongs to all of us—the teachers, the parents, and the silent society that allowed these values to decay.
But let us not be distracted by academic abstractions. Let’s return to the reality of today: a political class so steeped in deception that truth has become the enemy. In Plateau State, it is glaring that the manipulations and judicial gymnastics that awarded victories to some individuals were not rooted in electoral justice but in political mischief. And yet, these individuals dance as if they achieved something noble.
Even more astonishing is their daring posture against Governor Mutfwang. These are people who did not win the hearts of the people through the ballot, yet they open their mouths to criticize a man who is visibly delivering. It is the kind of boldness that only shamelessness can fuel. If Governor Mutfwang is not allowed to work because of the political scheming of desperate men, then who will? Who among them has shown a capacity or willingness to lift the state forward?
Their audacity forces one to ask deeper, more painful questions. What kind of example are we setting for the younger generation? What lesson is being passed down to children and students when adults—fathers, mothers, even grandparents—can lie so openly and celebrate injustice with fanfare?
It makes me want to bury my head in the sand.
The sad truth is that when dishonesty becomes the tool of success, the future is not just uncertain—it is doomed. Lies have short legs, but in our country, they seem to wear long boots and sprint without resistance. What does this tell a young girl who wants to go into politics? That she must abandon truth and integrity to climb the ladder? What does it say to a boy in school, watching the news, hearing politicians utter blatant falsehoods and still be rewarded with office?
We are raising a generation on a toxic diet of lies. And the poison is already taking effect.
No society can thrive on this foundation. Dishonesty is not just a character flaw; it is a nation-killer. It erodes trust, destroys institutions, and cultivates chaos. If Nigeria continues to allow its political class to get away with fraud, deception, and reckless propaganda, then we are not only failing—we are digging our own grave.
And so I lament—not because I have no hope, but because the danger is real and the consequences dire. We are standing at a moral crossroads, and the choices we make today will shape generations. If we continue to reward lies and punish truth, then we are not victims—we are accomplices in the destruction of our own nation.
Who will deliver us from this tragedy?
The answer cannot come from the same set of politicians who are feeding off the rot. It must come from a collective awakening. It must come from the people—students, lecturers, professionals, parents, religious leaders—who must begin to demand not just competence but character. It must come from institutions that return to ethical foundations and from a media that refuses to amplify lies.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang is not perfect. No leader is. But he is working. And that work speaks for itself. He deserves support, not sabotage. Plateau State, and indeed Nigeria, deserves a politics of performance, not a performance of politics. Enough of the circus. Enough of the false prophets of democracy.
To those politicians dancing on the grave of electoral justice, your time may seem sweet now, but history will remember. To those who lie to gain power, remember that truth always outlives deception. And to us—the silent majority—if we do not rise to defend integrity, then we will one day wake up in a land where truth has been completely exiled.
That is a nightmare we cannot afford.
Write an editorial indicating how Nigerian politicians are shameless in their manifestation of political gerrymandering. Use the case of some politicians in Plateau State who were dancing over a mandate that they knew was not fair justice and that these politicians dare even to say anything about a sitting governor, Caleb Mutfwang, who is performing far above their cronies’ measure, to marvel if our political class has any form of decorum at all. That they are still able to have the guts to criticise Gov. Caleb Mufwang leaves much to be desired. The question is, if parents and grandparents alike are lying with alacrity amid glaring success, just to get political relevance, it makes me feel like burying my head in the sand in shame. That is a university Don who taught these people, which makes me feel very much ashamed. Could it be that they saw this in some of the shabby deals going on in the universities? And I’m not to be blamed as a lecturer? Are parents not taking part in this blame? I find myself lamenting because this lying political class is delivering doses of lies and pretense to the future generation. I lament that the future looks bleak because dishonesty is the greatest destroyer of society. And I’m afraid that Nigeria, through its political class, is heading towards that. Who can deliver to us?
Prof Laml is of the Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos
