THE HEROD SYNDROME: WHEN POWER DEVELOPS ANXIETY – By Terver Akase
……King Herod did not fear rebellion
……He feared diapers
Imagine being so seated on power, yet so unsettled, that the cry of a newborn sends you into paranoia. The wise men merely asked for directions: Where is he who is born King of the Jews?, and Herod heard a coup announcement. No soldiers. No protests. No placards. Just a prophecy. Yet the palace shook.
That, in a sentence, is what insecurity in power looks like.
Herod was king, yes, but on paper. His authority was outsourced, his legitimacy rented, and his conscience mortgaged. So when destiny cleared its throat, royal anxiety grabbed the microphone. He smiled for the visitors, plotted in private, and then issued the most brùtal executive order imaginable: kìll every male child in Bethlehem. If you cannot identify the thréat, elìminate everything that breathes.
THE PRICE OF ARROGANCE — Terver Akase
Does that sound familiar?
In our political climate, some leaders govern the same way Herod ruled: every rising voice is an enemy agent, every critic is sponsored, every potential successor is a saboteur-in-waiting. Youthful popularity is “dangerous ambition.” Public applause is “a security concern.” Opinion polls are treated like wéapons of mass déstruction.
These Herodian leaders confuse opposition with insurrection. They mistake competition for conspiracy. Rather than earn loyalty, they enforce silence. They intìmidate opposition. Power becomes a seat belt, worn not for safety, but for fear of being thrown out.
King Herod even kìlled members of his own household. That was not a footnote; it was a warning. When power is afraid, it éats its own. Allies become suspects. Friends become liabilities. Loyalty is demanded, never trusted.
And yet, the punchline of history remains cruelly consistent: Herod still lost. The child Jesus lived! The prophecy stood. The throne emptied. Today, Herod’s legacy is not palaces or policies, but a permanent association with panic and blòòd.
This is the part our modern Herods never read. Fear is not a governing strategy. Aggression is not strength. And repression is not longevity. You cannot shòòt your way into relevance, nor intimidate your way into legitimacy. Destiny does not require your permission.
Power should be worn with confidence, not clenched with fear. Because the moment a leader starts fightìng shadows, the exit door is already open.
Mr. Terver Akase is former CPS, Special Adviser on Media to former Benue State Governor
