By Enyinnaya Appolos
From the pulpits to political offices, down to street protests—what you’re experiencing is not compassion or representation; it’s manipulation, pure and simple. Unfortunately, you are just pawns and commodities in their grand game. This is the bitter truth many Nigerians don’t want to confront: nobody is genuinely seeking your welfare. Not the politician. Not the religious leader. And certainly not the so-called activist who parades as a voice for the oppressed.
The ordinary and uninformed Nigerian is constantly a pawn in a grand game of interest, control, and profit. While most are manipulated through religion and politics, others are exploited by self-acclaimed activists who appear to be fighting for justice. But look closer: they’re not standing for you—they’re standing for themselves, using your struggle as a cash cow to milk international donor funds.
They call you to the streets, urging you to protest, resist, and speak out. You think it’s about your rights and freedom. But what you don’t realize is that those protests are often nothing more than budget lines on a donor’s report. Every placard you carry, every chant you echo, every step you march—has already been monetized. They may call themselves non-profits, but far from it—they are funded operatives. Their resistance is powered by bank alerts, not by genuine moral outrage.
Financially, there’s little difference between activists and the political or religious manipulators. The religious and political manipulators profit from your emotions and loyalty within Nigeria. The activist, however, profits both locally and globally—pushing foreign interests while disguising them as noble missions. The truth? They are all in the business of using you.
And yet, ironically, I pity the political manipulators the most. Many of them go broke trying to secure power. They sell land, pledge family assets, and even betray long-held values—just to win office. Why? Because they spend heavily on the same masses who will insult and abandon them tomorrow—the uninformed, emotional, and easily manipulated crowd.
If you’re reading this and still think someone out there is fighting solely for you, wake up. No one is coming to save you. You are the product. You are the foot soldier. You are the crowd needed to make it all look real. If you must choose a side, fine—but never think you’re any better than those on the other side. You’re just playing your own role in the game.
So, the next time you’re being rallied—whether to vote, to pray, or to protest—ask yourself:
Who really benefits from this?
Whose pockets are getting fatter while yours stay empty?
Who’s counting donor dollars while you sweat under the sun, carrying their slogans?
Until the ordinary Nigerian wakes up from this cycle of manipulation—until you stop being a willing pawn in someone else’s game—nothing will change. Because nobody is truly seeking your welfare. They’re just manipulating you.