By Ufuoma Steven Atare
Across continents and centuries, arrogant rulers have fallen not by the might of their enemies but by the weight of their pride. Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should heed the lessons of history before arrogance writes his downfall.
History Never Forgets
History is the world’s most patient teacher — but also its harshest judge. Across eras and empires, nations have watched once-celebrated leaders rise in glory and fall in disgrace. The pattern is unmistakable: arrogance replaces humility, power replaces purpose, and the people’s cries are drowned out by self-praise.
From Europe to Africa, Asia to the Americas, arrogant presidents and dictators have met the same fate. They ruled as though invincible, dismissed criticism, and clung to power until the very people they oppressed became the instruments of their downfall.
When Power Turns to Poison
Adolf Hitler believed he was destined to rule the world. His pride and brutality led to genocide, world war, and his suicide in a bunker as his empire collapsed.
Benito Mussolini strutted through Italy as a demigod until his people revolted. He was captured, executed, and hung in public — a grim reminder that fear is never loyalty.
Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines charmed and coerced his nation into silence while looting billions. When the people finally rose, even his generals abandoned him. He died in exile, far from the country he once ruled.
Nicolae Ceaușescu of Romania demanded worship as a living god. His arrogance ended in a swift revolution and execution alongside his wife.
Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya built empires of fear, mistaking obedience for devotion. Both died violently — one dragged from a hole, the other from a drainpipe — destroyed by the rage of their own people.
Robert Mugabe, once a liberation hero, became a tragic emblem of power clung to for too long. His refusal to step aside turned triumph into tyranny.
Even in democracy, arrogance is fatal. Richard Nixon, consumed by paranoia and pride, tried to hide his crimes. The Watergate scandal forced his resignation — proof that even in free societies, power without humility collapses.
A Mirror for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Mr. President, Nigeria is at a breaking point. You inherited a struggling economy and a divided nation. Yet under your watch, life for ordinary Nigerians grows harder. The cost of food, fuel, and transport has crushed households, while corruption thrives and trust erodes.
Across history, arrogance begins when leaders convince themselves that the people’s pain is a price worth paying. They surround themselves with praise singers, punish truth-tellers, and mistake silence for loyalty. But a hungry people do not stay silent forever.
Leadership is not measured by power, but by empathy. The people of Nigeria are crying — not for grand speeches or celebrations, but for relief, fairness, and a government that listens.
Mr. President, arrogance is not leadership. Indifference is not strength. Propaganda is not progress.
The Choice Before You
Every ruler faces two courts: the court of men and the court of time. The first may be manipulated; the second cannot.
President Tinubu still has a choice. He can humble himself before history humbles him. He can govern with compassion, curb excesses, and restore confidence in leadership.
Otherwise, history — relentless and unsentimental *— will place him beside* those who mistook fear for respect and power for destiny.
Power is fleeting. Legacy is eternal.
The choice, Mr. President, is yours.
Ufuoma Steven Atare is the Convener – Delta Democrats Forum and public affairs commentator
