Post by Samuel Joshua (@sammie)

THE NATION AND HER POLITICAL LEADERS

From the hilltop palace, the President could see thousands of lights stretching across the horizon. New monuments carried his name. Giant billboards displayed his smiling face. Every speech praised his achievements, every television station repeated his promises, and every election campaign focused on one thing: keeping him in power.
Far from the capital, another country existed.
In the northern villages, mothers boiled stones in pots so their children would believe food was coming. Farmers abandoned fertile fields because armed terrorists roamed the countryside. Schools stood empty after kidnappers turned classrooms into hunting grounds. Roads became silent after sunset because travelers who entered them often disappeared.
One evening, a teacher named Musa walked ten kilometers to find food for his family. His salary had not been paid for months. The school where he taught had only seven students left. The others had fled with their families.
When he returned home, he found his wife crying.
Their youngest daughter had asked a simple question:
"Daddy, why are we always hungry?"
Musa had no answer.
That same night, in the capital, the President hosted a lavish political gathering. Hundreds of guests enjoyed endless food and music. Advisors discussed polling numbers, campaign strategies, and ways to weaken political opponents.
No one mentioned Musa's daughter.
No one mentioned the villages emptied by fear.
No one mentioned the farmers who slept in forests to escape kidnappers.
Months turned into years.
The President grew more obsessed with power. He replaced experienced officials with loyal supporters. Security warnings were ignored if they threatened his political image. Public funds disappeared into projects designed to win votes rather than solve problems.
Meanwhile, the people buried loved ones, paid ransoms they could not afford, and watched hope slowly leave their communities.
One rainy season, terrorists attacked Musa's village.
Families fled in every direction. Houses burned. Crops were destroyed. Musa carried his daughter through the night as gunfire echoed behind them.
When dawn arrived, hundreds of displaced families gathered under a bridge near a crowded city.
Hungry.
Homeless.
Forgotten.
Years later, the President finally left office.
The monuments still stood.
The billboards had faded.
The speeches were forgotten.
But the scars remained.
Children who had missed years of education became adults without opportunities. Farmers who lost their lands never fully recovered. Families separated by kidnappings continued searching for loved ones who never returned.
History remembered the President as a man who spent his strength fighting to keep power.
The people remembered something else.
They remembered empty plates.
They remembered sleepless nights.
They remembered the sound of mothers crying for their children.
And they remembered that a leader's greatest legacy is not how long he holds power, but how well he protects the people entrusted to his care.

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