Kleptocracy is now normal in Nigeria and we are all just accepting it

The article by Oyinkan Teriba this week just confirmed what we all been feeling. Nigeria's economy now rewards capital more than production. So while GDP is growing and stock market is smiling, ordinary people are suffocating under inflation and rising costs. The system is designed to channel value upward to financial actors while shifting costs downward to households.

And Isedehi Aigbogun's piece on illegal gold mining and banditry in the North shows how criminal actors have built a parallel governance system. They tax miners, control extraction sites, use proceeds to buy weapons. The state is so weak that these criminals now regulate movement and trade in those areas.

Even Dr Richard Ikiebe using the Epstein files to talk about elite complicity hit hard. He said elite networks prioritize access and reputation over ethical responsibility. That is exactly what we see here. Politicians and businessmen protect each other while the rest of us suffer. Be honest, when last did you see any big person face real consequences for anything in this country?