Odita Sunday 
By Ewere Okonta
08037383019
eobnewsmedia@gmail.com
eob.org.ng
Every Sunday, pastors preach about heaven. Motivational speakers preach about success. Parents preach about morals. Teachers preach about discipline. But when it is time to enter politics, everybody suddenly disappears like witches at daybreak.
The good men become spectators.
And then, after elections, they start complaining in beer parlours, on Facebook, inside buses, at viewing centres and in church parking lots.
“My brother, Nigeria is finished.”
“Those politicians are wicked.”
“The country is hard.”
But who left the country in their hands?
Who abandoned the political space for touts, thugs, manipulators, ethnic merchants and professional liars?
The truth is bitter: bad people did not just hijack politics overnight. Good people surrendered it willingly.
Yes, surrendered it.
Because many decent people see politics as dirty, sinful, dangerous and demonic. Some even behave as if joining politics automatically qualifies someone for hellfire. Yet, these same people wake up every morning suffering from bad governance created by the same politics they rejected.
Fuel prices?
Politics.
School fees?
Politics.
Insecurity?
Politics.
Electricity?
Politics.
Bad roads?
Politics.
Food inflation?
Politics.
Employment?
Politics.
Everything you complain about daily is tied to political decisions.
So, if righteous men refuse to participate, who then should govern society? Armed robbers?
The Bible was not joking when it declared:
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
That scripture is not poetry. It is reality.
Nigeria today is mourning because too many good men chose comfort over leadership.
Too many intelligent people decided to remain “neutral.”
Too many honest people became afraid of insults, blackmail and political attacks.
Too many competent men stayed inside churches, offices and business centres while unserious people occupied government houses.
Nature hates vacuum. When responsible people withdraw, irresponsible people take over.
And that is exactly what happened to our politics.
Sadly, many of the people shouting “all politicians are thieves” are indirectly helping bad politicians remain in power. Because once you demonise every politician, you discourage decent people from joining the process.
Not every politician is evil.
Let us stop that dangerous generalisation.
There are still good men in politics. Men and women with conscience. People who genuinely want to serve. People who still fear God and respect humanity. But because the environment is toxic, many of them are frustrated, isolated or financially overpowered by political vultures.
That is why society must deliberately encourage good people to participate in governance.
Not tomorrow.
Now.
We need pastors in politics.
We need professors in politics.
We need honest businessmen in politics.
We need responsible mothers in politics.
We need principled youths in politics.
We need intellectuals in politics.
We need people with compassion, vision and emotional intelligence in politics.
Because politics is too important to be left for shameless people alone.
One of the biggest lies in Africa is this idea that “good people and politics do not mix.”
Who told us that?
Joseph was in government in Egypt.
Daniel was in government in Babylon.
David was a political leader.
Solomon was a king.
Even Jesus addressed governance issues repeatedly.
So where did we get this mentality that righteous people should avoid governance completely?
If good men refuse to sit at the table, bad men will continue eating the national cake alone.
And then the masses will continue suffering.
But how do we identify good men already in politics?
Simple.
Look beyond noise and propaganda.
Good men are not always the loudest.
Sometimes they are not the richest.
Sometimes they are not the most dramatic.
But you will see certain signs:
They keep their word.
They show empathy.
They are accessible.
They do not worship money openly.
They empower people quietly.
They respect institutions.
They are not intoxicated by power.
They can explain their vision clearly.
They have capacity beyond slogans.
They have integrity even when nobody is watching.
And most importantly, they understand that leadership is service, not oppression.
A good politician may not be perfect, but you will see evidence of humanity in him.
Now, here is another problem.
When good people enter politics, society often abandons them.
We expect them to fight monsters alone.
We refuse to fund decent candidates.
We refuse to defend honest leaders.
We refuse to volunteer.
We refuse to vote.
Then we suddenly expect miracles.
Politics is expensive. Brutal. Dirty. Emotional.
Good people also need support systems.
If we truly want better governance, we must stop celebrating criminals because they share rice during elections.
We must stop worshipping moneybags without character.
We must stop electing entertainers over thinkers.
We must stop voting based on tribe, religion and stomach infrastructure alone.
A wicked man does not become righteous because he speaks your language.
An incompetent leader does not become intelligent because he attends your church.
Nigeria must mature politically.
And parents have a major role to play too.
Many parents discourage their children from public service.
“You want to join politics? Politics is dirty!”
But the same parents cry later when bad leadership destroys the economy.
If all responsible families keep their children away from governance, who then are we leaving the country for?
Street emperors?
Political vampires?
Professional manipulators?
We cannot continue like this.
We must make politics attractive to decent people again.
How?
By protecting credible leaders instead of mocking them.
By rewarding competence.
By reducing political violence.
By encouraging issue-based campaigns.
By supporting transparency.
By voting intelligently.
By raising children who see leadership as responsibility, not an opportunity to steal.
By teaching ethics alongside ambition.
And above all, by understanding that politics is not warfare; it is service.
A nation rises or falls on the quality of people it entrusts with power.
That is why silence is dangerous.
Neutrality is expensive.
And political apathy is killing Africa slowly.
The bad guys are not stronger than the good guys.
They are simply more organised, more aggressive and more available.
Good men must stop watching from the sidelines while opportunists mortgage the future of innocent citizens.
Because at the end of the day, when good men run away from politics, bad men run the country.
And the people suffer for it.
This is the Sunday sermon from my holy pulpit!
Ewere Okonta is the CEO of EOB Media. He is a family values advocate. He writes from the Department of Business Administration, University of Delta, Agbor.
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