Time to Hit the Reset Button in Nigeria

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” , Lao Tzu

“You are under arrest for urinating in public,” shouted the police officer.

“What do you mean? Am I not urinating in the drain?”

“Sir, respect yourself! The drain is for rainwater, not your urine.”

“Is urine not made of water? What kind of harassment is this?”

“Sir, you have broken the fifth rule of the War Against Indiscipline (WAI). You will have to follow me to the mobile court down the street…”

That was how a well-known landlord and socialite ended up in a mobile court and got fined N500 for ‘pissing.’

WAI

This happened in 1985. Back then, we explained to those who thought WAI was too strict that we had very active sanitary inspectors called wolewole during the First Republic. They checked everything, from pit latrines in backyards to pots of soup in kitchens.

WAI continued the good work that the various environmental departments started before we fell back into our unruly ways. Now, we are known for disorderliness, lateness, corruption, and lack of patriotism. That landlord could urinate and defecate on the Third Mainland Bridge today, and nobody would care!

It is now August 2026. We are about to enter election campaigns and the battle of the alphabets. All the politicians, regardless of their parties, will sell a product called hope from state to state. AAA, APC, ADC, PDP, NDC, LP, SDP, and YPP will ‘toast’ the people like competing lovers. Then come the elections, declaration of results, disputes, lawsuits, and swearing-in. And the cycle continues.

I love Nigeria. It is one of the places with the greatest potential on earth. But it is also filled with people who easily fall into chaos unless guided by a mix of laws and measures. If we don’t hit the reset button and go back to the basics, the deep-rooted issues in our system will block progress. We will keep stumbling from one regime to another, no matter who wins the elections.

Six-Year Presidency

If I had my way, I would change the constitution to allow the Nigerian president to serve a single six-year term, as suggested by President Jonathan about 12 years ago. The current 4+4 system is a trick. Most elected leaders spend the first year learning the ropes, the next two years actually governing, and the last year campaigning for re-election. So, they spend only four years, or even less, on real governance in their two terms!

A single six-year term would make the president focus on governance right from Day One, knowing he has only one chance to make a difference.

Nigerians are so worked up now that any talk about presidential terms will be met with mockery from both sides. Those who see every serious conversation as about money will likely claim they witnessed when the suggester was offered billions to push for extending the president’s term.

Whatever we decide to do, we are running out of time to create and enforce a workable system. In Nigeria, changing common behaviors across civic life, institutions, and communities is crucial for lasting national growth and trust.

The Basics

Let’s start with the basics. We need to hit the reset button to bring Nigeria back to the ‘innocent’ days when laws applied to everyone. If we fix the small issues, the big ones will take care of themselves. First, we have to tackle micro-corruption and the “settle me” mentality that destroys trust in public institutions.

A first-time visitor to Nigeria learns about our lawlessness when they see cars driving against traffic to escape jams. We have built a culture of ignoring basic rules in public spaces.

We, the people, must take responsibility for treating drains, streets, and empty lots as dumping grounds, which leads to flooding and sanitation problems.

We need to rebuild respect for slow, value-driven businesses that are important for steady economic growth. The glamorization of quick wealth without effort, often shown through cybercrime, money rituals, or cheating, weakens the value of honest work, trade, and skill learning.

When merit takes a backseat, institutions suffer because talent is often overlooked for familiarity.

Nigerians have become so disconnected from their duty to care for public infrastructure like streetlights, rail lines, electrical transformers, and public restrooms. Cable theft, destruction of facilities, and lack of maintenance drain resources meant for development.

Trading electoral choices for quick cash or food gifts hurts long-term accountability. If we ignore local politics, community meetings, and voter registration, we leave decision-making to a few while expecting big changes.

Using identity, regional, tribal, or religious, as a weapon in politics and daily life tears apart the country’s social fabric. National debates are often judged by who is speaking rather than the ideas being shared. Most Nigerians don’t care about their candidate’s manifesto because campaigns focus on tribal, religious, or geopolitical issues instead of real matters.

We must support civic education with strict enforcement of basic laws so that following the rules becomes easier and more rewarding than breaking them.

The government I dream of will work to reduce cash handling and human discretion through automation. In modern societies, the main reason for public compliance is the certainty, not just the severity, of being caught. The government should expand Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, speed traps, and red-light sensors linked to vehicle registration.

Fines should be paid through digital civic platforms like Remita. Traffic management authorities, environmental task forces, or local officials should not have revenue targets. Their performance must be judged on metrics like fewer accidents, smooth traffic flow, and less illegal dumping, not on how much money they make from fines.

We need to standardize mobile courts with strong legal oversight. Field personnel like police and road safety officers should wear body cameras. Incidents that involve force, property impounding, or arrests must have body-cam footage uploaded for the case to be valid in court.

Reset

As we hit the reset button, we must limit police escorts and sirens to real emergency vehicles and top leaders like the President, Governors, ambulances, and fire services. VIP vehicles that break the law should be taken away.

And we must heed the wisdom of the streets: very high fines often lead citizens to pay smaller bribes to officers to escape penalties. The landlord fined N500 in 1985 would probably get away with a N100 bribe today!

What do the letters stand for in your party? Are you asking for my vote? Show me what you will do to reset Nigeria.