GOVERNANCE IS NOT A CONTEST OF EXCUSES: The people voted for better, not for “the did it too.”
There is a term in Tiv language called ‘ikyeleve’ translated as excuse. Its meaning is not exactly as an alibi, though it is close to an alibi. Ikyeleve usually accepts that something went wrong but tries to shift blame or responsibility.
When a government responds to criticism by pointing at its predecessor, it exposes more than it intends to. It reveals a lack of direction. Governance is not a game of comparisons; it is a test of responsibility. And every time leaders fall back on the line “they did it too,” they are only abandoning the very promise that brought them into office.
This pattern has become all too familiar in some states in Nigeria. Raise questions about policy, priorities, or unpopular decisions, and the response comes quickly: “the last government did the same thing; things were worse before; our predecessors failed us”. But this defence misses the point entirely. People did not vote for a new administration so they could hear excuses dressed in agbada. The people voted for change, real change in attitude, conduct, and results.
Elections are not just about replacing faces; they are about resetting standards. When people vote a new set of leaders into power, they are expressing hope. Campaign promises are not mere rhetoric. They are commitments. And the moment a leader says, “We will do better,” that leader accepts a heavier burden than the one before them.
Once in office, a government owns both the problems it inherited and the choices it makes. History can explain challenges, but it cannot justify poor decisions in the present. Leadership begins where blame ends.
The “they did it too” argument may sound reasonable, but it is unjustifiable. E hau ishangen er we u nyor gesa vea gomneti u tse ga (you were not elécted to go into a contest of what is right or wrong with your predecessor).
If every administration measures itself only against the actions and policies of the past, progress will stall. Reform will fade. Development will remain a promise forever postponed.
Real change is not proclaimed; it is proven. It shows in how leaders respond to criticism, how they wield authority, and how they explain their choices. A government confident in its vision does not need the past as a shield. It answers questions with action, not deflection.
Democracy gives leaders power, but it also demands accountability. And accountability means being judged by your own promises, not by the perceived shortcomings of those who came before you.
