In a just and functional society, employment opportunities and career progression should be based on merit, qualifications, and professional competence. Citizens should expect that their years of study, dedication, and skill-building will translate into jobs that allow them to contribute meaningfully to national development. Unfortunately, in Nigeria—as in several other African nations—this ideal has been systemically undermined by a parasitic culture: godfatherism. In its most pervasive form, it is simply referred to as “Whom You Know.”
This phrase is not a harmless cultural quip. It is a dagger in the heart of an entire generation’s aspirations. “Whom You Know” has become the unspoken criterion that often outweighs “what you know.” It determines who gets hired, promoted, admitted into elite institutions, or appointed into public office. It is a normalized form of nepotism, a quiet betrayal of meritocracy, and a major contributor to the underdevelopment of Nigeria’s human capital and institutions.
The Merit Trap: When Excellence Means Nothing
Take the story of young graduates who walk out of Nigerian universities with first-class degrees in highly specialized fields—Food Science and Technology, Nutrition and Dietetics, Biochemistry, or Microbiology. They emerge from years of rigorous academic training full of hope, only to be confronted by a job market skewed in favor of mediocrity. While they scour job portals and attend interviews with detailed CVs and sharp minds, a third-class graduate with a powerful uncle or a well-connected godfather walks into a high-paying position—often in a government agency or a multinational company.
The injustice is not just anecdotal—it’s systematic. There are countless cases of qualified applicants being overlooked for job offers or government schemes because their files never make it past the gatekeeper’s desk. Their applications, no matter how impressive, are quietly discarded in favor of those who come with letters from a senator, a commissioner, or a director in Abuja. Many never even receive a rejection letter.
The Absurdity of Interviews
Interviews, in many cases, have become performative rituals. Imagine a scenario where an applicant with a Master’s degree in Public Health is told they are not “qualified enough” for an entry-level position—only to discover later that the position has been filled by someone whose only qualification is political proximity. Even worse, many who sit on interview panels possess questionable credentials themselves. The gatekeepers of employment sometimes hold outdated diplomas or even secondary school certificates, placed in such positions decades ago by the same system of favoritism. They now act as judges over candidates who far exceed them in knowledge and skill.
This contradiction breeds frustration, despair, and cynicism. When young people begin to see education as a gamble rather than an investment, it erodes the foundational trust in national institutions. The message becomes painfully clear: “Excellence is optional; connection is everything.”
Political Reflections of the Same Disease
The workplace is not the only arena where godfatherism thrives—it mirrors the political landscape. A significant number of political appointments and elections are determined not by the electorate’s will or a candidate’s expertise, but by loyalty to a power broker. Sons and daughters of political elites are fast-tracked into roles of national importance, often without adequate preparation. Meanwhile, graduates of Political Science or Public Administration remain jobless, forced to survive through menial jobs or small-scale trade, despite their deep understanding of governance and public policy.
This trickle-down injustice corrodes the legitimacy of leadership and policy-making. When unqualified individuals are tasked with steering public institutions, inefficiency and corruption become inevitable. Public trust diminishes. Youth disillusionment deepens. Talent is wasted.
Institutionalized Mediocrity: A National Crisis
This culture promotes mediocrity as a national standard. In ministries, hospitals, and universities, positions of leadership are sometimes held by individuals who neither understand their responsibilities nor have the intellectual bandwidth to innovate. Decisions affecting millions are made through guesswork or blindly signed memos. Projects collapse, funds vanish, and the poor remain poorer.
One of the cruelest ironies is the way this system silences dissent. Those who dare to question the status quo are often blacklisted or branded as troublemakers. As a result, many young professionals, no matter how brilliant, begin to adopt a survivalist attitude: play along or be shut out. This has caused an alarming number of capable Nigerians to either resign themselves to the margins or migrate in search of greener pastures.
The Global Implications: Brain Drain and Lost Potential
A growing number of Nigerian professionals are emigrating to countries where their skills are valued. Nurses, doctors, engineers, and academics leave not merely for better pay, but for environments where merit is recognized. What this means is that the country’s best minds are building other nations while Nigeria continues to recycle inefficiency. This brain drain is one of the costliest outcomes of godfatherism.
A society cannot develop sustainably if its best minds are ignored, sidelined, or exported. And yet, we continue to operate a system where who you know opens more doors than what you’ve done or what you can offer.
A Continental Crisis
This crisis is not uniquely Nigerian. Across Africa, similar trends persist. In some countries, you find medical doctors working as bank executives, or lawyers heading oil corporations—not because of interdisciplinary brilliance, but because of familial or political ties. Meanwhile, unemployed engineers, economists, and scientists lament the lack of opportunity.
This structural failure reflects a deeper colonial legacy where power was hoarded, not earned. Post-independence, rather than dismantling those exclusionary systems, many African states simply repainted them. The result is a postcolonial elite class that mimics the exclusivity and patronage of their former rulers.
What Must Be Done
Reforming this system requires more than policy changes—it demands a cultural shift. Nigeria must deliberately rebuild its institutions to reflect meritocracy at every level. Some practical steps include:
1. Transparent Recruitment Processes: All public job openings should be advertised widely, with clear selection criteria and audit mechanisms to ensure compliance. Third-party observers (e.g., civil society groups) should be involved in monitoring recruitment processes.
2. Merit-Based Appointments: Key leadership positions—especially in education, health, and finance—must be filled through competitive processes rather than political recommendations.
3. Whistleblower Protection: Laws must be enforced to protect those who expose nepotism and favoritism, encouraging transparency in hiring and promotions.
4. Education Reform: Schools and universities should incorporate civic education that emphasizes ethics, justice, and responsibility over “connections.”
5. Youth Empowerment: Invest in scalable programs that support entrepreneurship, innovation, and skills training—rather than initiatives that encourage dependence on handouts or political endorsements.
6. Judicial Oversight: Cases of nepotism, especially in public institutions, should be prosecutable under anti-corruption laws. Employment fraud should be taken as seriously as financial theft.
A Call to Conscience
If Nigeria is to rise above its current economic and social challenges, it must begin to value its citizens not for whom they know, but for what they bring to the table. The country is teeming with untapped brilliance—young researchers, innovators, artists, and thinkers who are simply looking for a chance. A fair chance.
Until this change happens, we will remain a country where trucks of talent rot at the border of opportunity, while mediocrity drives the nation toward a cliff.
It is time to dismantle the altar of godfatherism. Let us build a country where hard work, not handshakes, determines success. Let us create a Nigeria where the child of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody.
