Man did not sign a consent form before arriving on earth. He did not negotiate the climate of his birth, the economy of his century, the religion of his parents, or the fragility of his bones. He simply appeared . As Jean-Paul Sartre would say, he finds himself “thrown” into existence—condemned to be free, yet not consulted about being. This is the primordial confusion: existence precedes permission. On the surface of the earth, life appears ordinary. Some find it sweet; others taste only bitterness; many sip from a strange cocktail of sweet-bitter paradox. But beneath this ordinary surface lurks a metaphysical tension: Can any human creature truly choose the state he desires – peaceful, eudemonic, triumphant – without interference from forces beyond his control? Is man truly sovereign over his condition? Or is he but a fragile reed bent by invisible winds? The Illusion of Measure Long before existentialism, Protagoras declared, “Man is the measure of all things: of the thing...
The Absurd Paradox There is something disturbingly absurd about the Nigerian story. How does a country blessed with millions of educated citizens, thousands of professors, and countless men and women of God find itself perpetually ruled by mediocre leaders – individuals whose credentials and moral capacities often fall far short of the demands of modern governance? It is a paradox that mocks the very notion of enlightenment, a tragedy that blurs the line between divine punishment and historical misfortune. The Colonial Blueprint and the Culture of Mediocracy Since 1914, when the British yoked together diverse nations into one fragile colonial creation, Nigeria has been caught in a web of deliberate underdevelopment and leadership inversion. The most unprepared often ascend the throne, while the best minds retreat into silence, prayer, or cynical detachment. We have become a land where mediocracy is celebrated and excellence exiled – a country where those who can govern refuse to ...