Nigerian Politics · March 2026

Why Politicians Talk About Elections More Than Insecurity

Last night in Jos, gunmen on motorcycles rode into a neighbourhood at 7:50pm and started shooting at people who were just outside living their lives. Over 20 Nigerians are dead today. And I keep asking myself the same question — does anybody in Abuja actually care?

My younger sister called me this morning. She lives in Jos. She said she could hear the gunshots from her bedroom last night. She did not sleep. Her children did not sleep. When I asked her if she was okay she said yes but her voice was doing that thing it does when she is not telling me the full truth.

That phone call is the reason I am writing this today. Not statistics. Not political analysis. Just my sister's voice at 7am trying to sound calm.

On the night of Palm Sunday, March 29, 2026, heavily armed gunmen stormed the Gari Ya Waye community in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North, and opened fire on people who were simply outside in their neighbourhood. They came on motorcycles. They were dressed in NDLEA uniforms — fake ones. They shot indiscriminately. They killed people and then they disappeared into the night.

The University of Jos suspended all exams. A 48 hour curfew was imposed across Jos North. Governor Mutfwang visited the community, described the attack as barbaric and unprovoked, and promised justice. Former Vice President Atiku called it a sign of the near total collapse of security in Nigeria.

And somewhere in Abuja, I promise you, a politician was still drafting his 2027 strategy document.

This Is Not a New Story. That Is the Problem.

Here is what makes this so exhausting. This is not the first time. It is not even the tenth time. Plateau State has been bleeding for years. The same communities. The same promises after. The same curfews. The same condemnations. And then a few weeks later the same silence until the next attack.

Across Nigeria in recent years, there have been an average of 8 violent attacks every single day. Eight per day. While you are buying bread, somewhere someone is running. While you are dropping your child at school, somewhere a family is burying somebody. This has been the reality for so long that we have almost started to accept it as normal weather.

And Then There Is the Matter of Your Pocket

Because insecurity is not the only war Nigerians are fighting right now. The other one happens every morning at the market.

Fuel was around N890 per litre in January this year. By the weekend of March 20, it had jumped to N1,330 per litre. That is not a small thing. That is not a number on a screen somewhere. That is transport fares going up overnight. That is the cost of moving food from farms to your market going up. That is your tomato seller adjusting her prices before you even finish saying good morning.

Food inflation jumped back to 12.12 percent in February 2026 after it had just started to ease. Economists are already warning that 2026 could bring one of Nigeria's worst food crises in recent memory. Farmers are saying they may not even plant this season because the cost of doing so makes no sense anymore.

So Why Do Politicians Keep Talking About Elections?

Okay. This is the part I really want to explain. Not to excuse anyone. Just to help us understand what is actually happening so we are not confused about it anymore.

The honest answer is simple. Elections are the only thing that can remove them from power or keep them there. Everything else — your safety, your food, your light, your roads — those things affect your life. But they do not directly affect a politician's career unless you decide they should.

That is the real game. A politician who fixes insecurity but loses the 2027 election is gone. A politician who does absolutely nothing about insecurity but wins 2027 stays. So from where they are sitting, behind tinted windows and security details, the calculation is straightforward. Spend time and money on the thing that determines whether you keep your seat. Everything else can wait.

This is not me being dramatic. This is the structure of the incentive. Until the people of Nigeria consistently punish bad governance with their votes — not just talk about it on Twitter but actually do it at the polling unit — the calculation does not change. They will keep talking about elections because elections are what they actually fear. Not your hunger. Not Jos. Not your sister not sleeping at night.

What Do We Actually Do With This Anger?

I do not want to just leave you angry with nowhere to put it. Anger without direction just becomes exhaustion. So let me say something practical.

Remember what happened last night. Write it down if you have to. Remember the name of the community. Angwan Rukuba. Gari Ya Waye. Remember that the army arrived almost an hour after the attack started. Remember the children who did not sleep. Remember your own feelings reading this right now.

And carry it with you to 2027. Not as hatred. As a standard. As a thing you measure every candidate against. Did you protect us? Did you show up? Did you treat our lives as more important than your campaign? Use that standard and use it without apology.

My sister is fine. Her children are fine. But the families in Angwan Rukuba this morning are not fine. And the least we can do for them right now is refuse to forget.