When Power Exposes the Truth Behind Criticism

When Power Exposes the Truth Behind Criticism

By Edet Abia

It is interesting how some of the loudest critics of leaders suddenly become the very thing they once condemned. Many of my friends who used to mock appointed and elected officials for being stingy or ungenerous now find themselves in similar positions and, surprisingly, have become even worse. They hardly give, they complain endlessly, and they cannot seem to change the very narrative they once attacked with confidence. The question naturally arises, what went wrong?

The truth is that the view from outside power is very different from the reality inside it. Before one enters public office, everything looks simple. People believe leaders have money lying around, that generosity should be easy, and that the refusal to give is a sign of wickedness or selfishness. But the moment they step into the same roles, they discover a landscape shaped by heavy expectations, overwhelming pressures, and responsibilities they never imagined. Suddenly, they are confronted by demands from constituents, political structures, family networks, party obligations, and endless community pressures. They realise that what they assumed was “free money” is often already swallowed by obligations they cannot escape.

They find themselves struggling to survive under the same weight they once mocked others for carrying. Their generosity dries up not always out of selfishness, but out of fear, confusion, or the simple need to stay afloat. Others enter office with the mindset that they should “stabilise first” before helping anyone, but that stabilisation becomes an endless journey because new demands keep arriving faster than resources can appear. Some withdraw completely, choosing to complain instead of giving, because the constant pressure feels like drowning.

For many, the shock is humbling to discover that positions do not automatically create wealth. Once in office, friends, relatives, constituents, party people, community groups, church groups, and even neighbours expect something. Everyone suddenly has a “problem.” Everyone believes the office-holder is “now big.” Nigeria’s political culture often operates like a system that demands conformity. Even those who enter with good intentions find themselves trapped by political realities.

But beyond the pressures of office, there is also the undeniable truth that power reveals character more than it changes it. Some people were never generous; they simply hid behind criticism when they were powerless. Standing outside government allowed them to sound virtuous, to speak boldly about what others should do. Yet, the moment the same responsibility was placed on their shoulders, their true nature surfaced. Leadership does not automatically transform anyone, it exposes who they already are.

In the end, nothing mysterious went amiss. What changed was not the system alone, but the individuals themselves. They stepped into power and found that leadership is not a stage for loud opinions but a test of character, empathy, and discipline. The same positions they once used to judge others have now exposed their own limitations. Power simply exposed the truth.
Leadership separated talkers from doers.
The positions our friends occupy today have revealed their real nature, their unpreparedness, and perhaps their lack of genuine compassion.

Many critics fail not because the job is impossible, but because they never understood it in the first place. Power simply stripped away the illusions and left only the truth and in that truth, we see that some of today’s leaders were never different from the ones they criticised. They only lacked the opportunity to prove it.

I am only making common sense!

Call me Digital Dr of the Most High