₦airaland Forum

helinues:
No accuracy with your epistle.

Me as one of the defenders of the government on this forum, my ideology about politics is no opposition. There is nothing to oppose except if you don't want the progress of your own country.

I don't defend the person who is in power, but Nigeria itself. I supported GEJ government but not his reelection. Infact, my first attack on this forum was for defending GEJ's government

Mind you, that you are defending government or supporting someone shouldn't stop you from calling them out when they are wrong . I have been playing both the position of the defender of the government and also the opposition criticizing constructively.

I don't need to get paid to do that for my own country. Infact I don't need to belong the rulling party or their associates to contribute my own quota towards the development of Nigeria

blustone:
Here’s the honest, psychology-backed answer — why some people defend a government even when the suffering is obvious and widespread, and what they gain (or believe they gain).

1. Psychological Reasons:
a. Identity Loyalty / Partisan Attachment
Some people tie their identity to a political party or leader.
If the government fails, they feel personally embarrassed.
So they defend the government to protect their ego, not the country.

Think:
“If I admit the government is bad, it means I was wrong for supporting them.”
Admitting that is very hard psychologically.

b. Cognitive Dissonance
Human beings hate feeling foolish or wrong.
Defending the government helps them reduce the internal discomfort.

So they search for any positive news — even minor — and amplify it.

c. Selective Exposure
They intentionally follow pages, influencers, and media that favour the government.
That echo chamber convinces them they are right.

d. Tribal/Ethnic Bias
In Nigeria, ethnic loyalty often overrides performance.
Some defend government simply because the president or ruling elite is from their group.
It becomes emotional, not logical.

2. Social/Gain-Based Reasons:
a. Social Belonging / In-Group Validation
Being part of a political camp gives people a sense of belonging, relevance, and connection.
They feel like they’re part of a movement.

b. They want proximity to power

Some people defend government because they hope it will open doors later:
- appointments
- contracts
- grants
- political opportunities
- recognition

Even without being promised anything.
They believe “If I stay loyal, they may notice me later.”

c. Financial Incentives
This one is real, especially on social media.
Some online defenders are:
- paid influencers
- troll accounts
- coordinated communication teams
- contracted PR agents

They earn money to push pro-government narratives.
This is common in every administration — APC, PDP, everywhere.

Some get:
- monthly stipends
- data allowances
- one-off payments
- campaign season contracts

d. Access to political/economic networks
Even a little closeness to politicians can bring:
- easier access to government programmes
- small appointments
- business openings
- favours
- being “recognized”

People defend government hoping to stay within that circle.

3. Personal Benefits (real or imagined)
Some believe defending government protects:
- their business interests
- their tribe’s interests
- their religious interests
- their class privilege
- their job
- their government contract
- their political ambitions

Even if they’re not getting anything now, they defend to preserve future possibilities.

4. Habitual Optimism & Denial
Some Nigerians genuinely convince themselves:

> “Things are bad, but maybe the government is trying.”
“Let me stay positive.”
“It will get better soon.”

It’s a coping mechanism — hope as survival.

5. Fear of the Alternative
Some defend the current administration because they fear:
- the opposition
- instability
- chaos
- “what if another group comes in and is worse?”
So they rationalize the current hardship as “for the greater good.”

6. Propaganda & Misinformation:
Governments spend a lot on narrative control.

People get exposed to:
- biased reports
- cherry-picked statistics
- sponsored content
- manipulated economic graphs
- emotional messaging

After a while, they genuinely start believing the narrative.

7. Social Media Clout & Visibility:
Some love the attention and engagement they get by posting pro-government takes.
- They become “known faces” online.
- Even arguments drive traffic.
- For some, clout is the reward.

8. Some People Just Hate Admitting Suffering:
There are people who will NEVER admit they are suffering, because it feels humiliating.

So they defend the government to mask their own pain.

REALITY CHECK
Most people defending a government performing poorly fall into one or more of these:

Group A — Emotional Defenders
Identity, tribe, denial.

Group B — Opportunistic Defenders
Contracts, appointments, closeness to power.

Group C — Paid Defenders
Influencers, propaganda networks.

Group D — Misled Citizens
Exposed to the wrong information.

Group E — Beneficiaries
Some people genuinely benefit while the masses suffer.



Sources /References:
1. Identity loyalty and partisan attachment
2. Cognitive dissonance
3. Selective exposure and echo chambers
4. Tribal / ethnic bias
5. Social belonging and in-group validation
6. Desire for proximity to power
7. Financial incentives (paid PR, stipends, contracts)
8. Access to political/economic networks
9. Protection of personal interests (business, tribe, religion, class)
10. Future political or economic ambitions
11. Habitual optimism and denial (hope as coping)
12. Fear of the alternative (opposition, instability, change)
13. Propaganda and government-driven narratives
14. Social media clout and visibility
15. Shame and refusal to admit suffering
16. Misguided or misinformed citizens
17. Direct beneficiaries who gain while the masses suffer

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Whois:
The oil is good. I used it for good 6months b4 doing oil chg to a cheaper oil duh. Thanks to tinubu's economy

Asazwalingwa:
BEWARE! FAKE HOLLANDIA YOGHURT DEY TOWN.
Please, be careful what you give to your children these days. The picture you see is that of two sachets of our popular Hollandia yoghurt. The one on the left is fake, while the one on the on the right is original.
My country has degenerated. People don't care anymore...

How to spot the original one.

1. The yoghurt splash at the back, is smaller than the fake one.
2. The yoghurt spread at the back, is consistent with the blue background design and did not spread into the white vertical line.
3. The original also has the UFLEX logo and it's also written on the vertical line, from the house of UFLEX.
4. At the back is also the black, yellow, cyan and magenta colours representing a full colour design in some of the original.
5. The print of the original is clearer than the fake.
6. The fonts of the original are smaller than the fake.
7. The content of the fake is rough while the content of the original is smooth.

I discovered this when I also wanted to do sweet mouth and took one from my children's yogurt. Upon the first sip, I complained to my wife that the content of this new Hollandia yoghurt isn't smooth and we'll not be buying it again.
That this morning, returning from church, we stopped at a shop to get bread and there I complained to the lady that the new Hollandia yoghurt isn't smooth. The lady vehemently opposed my assertions saying amongst other things that the one she's drinking presently is smooth and urged us to just try one. Reluctantly, I took one and tasted it, it was different from BALABLUE. Note: my BALABLUE here means, Smooth, nice and good. Unfortunately, my children already finished one carton of the Fake one.

Please folks, look out for your family.
There's wickedness, people don't care anymore, they're lovers of themselves.

aariwa:
that’s not the issue Atiku is going for. Atiku has gotten evidence that the bola Tinubu that graduated from Chicago state is a female, so he wants to get the admission records including pictures to foward to courts to disqualify tinubu on one hand and also foward same certificates to mobil oil US where Tinubu worked with same certificates for possible prosecution, that’s why Tinubu took the desperate steps of paying a US lawyer to quash it

Hoelujohn:
They only want to find out if it's male Tinubu or female Tinubu

CartelKenneth:
Pls don't try it
STICK to MTN for the sake of your mental health

Antoeni:
Breaking News: CNN “Brianna Keilar” newscaster named her son Peter Obi.

According to her, never has such a great man emerged from Africa, and since she has seen one “peter Obi” her son needs to bear the name Peter ObiThe

Antoeni:
Breaking News: CNN “Brianna Keilar” newscaster named her son Peter Obi.

According to her, never has such a great man emerged from Africa, and since she has seen one “peter Obi” her son needs to bear the name Peter ObiThe