WHEN PEOPLE FORGET THAT POWER IS A RESPONSIBILITY

I noticed something about power.... Sometimes, you don't really know the kind of person someone is until they get a little authority over you..

Give someone a title, a position, money, or even the smallest opportunity to control another person and you might discover a completely different side of them... The funny thing is that some people don't even need to become governors or presidents before they start behaving as if the whole world belongs to them.. Sometimes, all they need is a little office, a uniform, or the ability to approve something you desperately need.... And if you have lived in Nigeria for a while, you probably understand what I mean.

Imagine someone going to a government office to get a document processed... Everything they need is there, their paperwork is complete, and they have followed the instructions given to them but somehow, the process keeps dragging.

Come back tomorrow.
Meet another person.
Bring another document.
Wait a little longer... Then somebody quietly suggests that if they can settle the matter with something extra, everything might suddenly move faster... The person is frustrated because they may have travelled a long distance, spent money on transportation and taken time away from work.. They might even need the document urgently.... So what do they do?... Sometimes, they pay because they feel they have no other choice and the person demanding that extra payment may see nothing wrong with it... After all, they have the position, the other person needs the service, and who is going to challenge them?

To me, that is one of the ugliest things about abusing power... It happens when someone realises that another person's need can become an opportunity for personal gain.... Power becomes dangerous when people start using it to make others feel helpless and this doesn't happen only in government offices.... Think about a workplace where a supervisor treats employees like they should be grateful just to have a job. They insult people, deny them reasonable breaks, or expect them to accept unfair treatment because there are hundreds of other people looking for employment.... The moment an employee complains, the response is something like, "If you don't like it here, you can leave."

In a country where finding a decent job can be difficult, those words carry weight. The employee might have rent to pay, children to feed, or family members depending on their salary... They know the treatment is wrong, but speaking up could cost them their livelihood.

Then there is the landlord who believes collecting rent gives them permission to treat tenants anyhow. Or the wealthy person who thinks money automatically makes their opinion more important than everyone else's... Even within families, religious organisations, schools, and friendships, people sometimes use their position to silence others... A person can be wrong and still win an argument simply because they are older, richer, more influential, or more powerful than everyone else in the room and the people around them may know the truth but remain silent... Sometimes, it is fear. Sometimes, it is financial dependence. Other times, people simply don't want trouble.

I understand that feeling. Not every battle is easy to fight, especially when the person standing against you has the ability to make your life more difficult but I also think this is how some abuses of power survive for years. Everyone sees what is happening, yet everybody is waiting for somebody else to speak first... So, how do we hold people accountable?

I don't think the answer is simply to tell everyone to be brave.. Bravery is important, but people also need protection.

If an employee can lose their job for reporting misconduct, there should be a safe and credible way to report it. If someone experiences abuse in a public office, there should be a transparent complaint process that doesn't depend entirely on the goodwill of the person being accused.

Rules should apply to everyone, regardless of their position.

We also need to stop confusing respect with blind obedience... You can respect an older person without agreeing with everything they say, You can respect your boss without accepting humiliation, You can respect a public official without pretending that their position makes them superior to other citizens and when we witness someone being mistreated, we should be willing to speak up when it is safe to do so also support the person affected, document what happened where appropriate and use legitimate reporting channels... Sometimes, accountability begins with something as simple as refusing to laugh when someone humiliates another person just because they have the power to do so.

We also have to examine ourselves... It is easy to condemn a politician for abusing power while treating a cleaner, security guard, junior colleague, or service worker badly because we believe they cannot challenge us but the principle should remain the same.

If I have authority over someone, that authority should make me more responsible, not give me permission to do whatever I like... I believe the real test of character is not how we behave around people who can benefit us. It is how we treat people who have little or nothing to offer us.

Nigeria doesn't need people who simply want to occupy powerful positions. We need people who understand that every position comes with responsibilities and that nobody should be above accountability... Because today, you might be the person giving instructions. Tomorrow, you might be the person waiting for someone else to make a decision that affects your life and when that day comes, I hope you meet someone who understands that having power over you doesn't mean owning you..

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