Roving Reporters
In Nigeria’s vast lexicon of street slang and coded expressions, few words capture the soul-sinking despair of a betrayed populace like “Jegúdújerá.”
It’s Yoruba, blunt and brilliant: “Eat and run.” A perfect metaphor for a style of leadership that gorges on public trust and resources, then bolts — leaving behind ruins, regrets, and recycled lies.
But Jegúdújerá is more than a word. It is a theory of power in Nigeria — practiced by presidents and ministers, governors and lawmakers, DGs and local chairmen, even clergy and union leaders.
And like termites in a wooden house, the practitioners are many. The consequences? Terminal.
Elected to Eat, Empowered to Evade
Every election season, Nigeria is bathed in syrupy promises. Free education. 24/7 electricity. Jobs for all. Security restored. Corruption tackled.
Yet, soon after they take office, our “servants” morph into supreme predators:
They loot with pens, not guns.
Award contracts at ten times market value — often to their companies.
Buy up mansions from Dubai to London.
Abandon hospitals at home for private jets to Europe.
Disappear or deny when the country burns.
This is the Jegúdújerá model of governance: devour the nation and disappear into opulence or irrelevance.
Institutionalized Eating: The Cost of Jegúdújerá
The price tag of this rot is measured not just in missing billions, but in broken lives:
130+ million Nigerians live in multi-dimensional poverty, while politicians fund “constituency projects” that exist only on paper.
Our schools are glorified poultry sheds. Our hospitals lack paracetamol, but VIPs fly out for flu treatment.
Youth unemployment remains a time bomb, as graduates roam streets and ride okadas, while public officials create “empowerment” schemes of N10,000 handouts.
Security? Nigeria is a minefield of fear — from Boko Haram to bandits, unknown gunmen to ritual killings — while elites move in convoys, protected by hundreds of security operatives.
The EFCC chases Yahoo Boys, while billion-naira thieves get plea deals or political appointments.
Jegúdújerá Is Not Just Political — It’s Cultural
The tragedy? It’s no longer just political. Jegúdújerá has become cultural DNA. Civil servants “eat” files. Police officers “eat” bail. Contractors “eat” the job. Even religious leaders “eat” offerings and exploit their flocks.
This is not just corruption — it is a philosophy of selfish survival. A deeply entrenched “Me-First” system where institutions are shells and public good is nobody’s business.
How Did We Get Here?
Since independence, Nigeria has moved from one eating regime to another:
Military rulers looted under decrees.
Democratic leaders steal under the cover of due process.
Political parties are not ideologically different — they’re buffet lines for different diners.
The only constant? No consequences. No shame. No systemic reform.
Breaking the Jegúdújerá Cycle
To defeat Jegúdújerá, Nigeria must dismantle its architecture of impunity. Here’s how:
1. Radical Electoral Reform
Full electronic voting. Transparent campaign financing. Lifetime bans for corrupt candidates.
2. Enforce Wealth Transparency
Public asset declarations. Open budgets. Real-time expenditure tracking. If you can’t explain it, you lose it.
3. Empower an Uncompromised Judiciary
Give teeth to the EFCC, ICPC, and courts. Strip immunity for criminal officeholders. Jail the big thieves — not just petty ones.
4. Reset National Orientation
Re-educate Nigerians that leadership is a responsibility — not a jackpot. This message must enter schools, mosques, churches, Nollywood, and the internet.
5. Support Youth-Led Accountability Movements
Back movements like #EndSARS 2.0 (nonviolent, issue-based, organized). Young Nigerians must stop waiting for crumbs and seize the table.
Final Word: Eat-and-Run or Serve-and-Build?
Nigeria will not survive another generation of Jegúdújerá leadership. The state is fragile. The people are tired. The youth are restless.
This is not the time for “business as usual.” It is the time to choose between the greed of the few and the future of the many.
The theory of Jegúdújerá must be confronted with a new theory: Serve, Sacrifice, and Stay Accountable. Until then, the looting continues, and the people keep bleeding.
