Sycophancy: The Poison That Weakens Leadership And Stalls Progress

*What Exactly is Sycophancy?*

Sycophancy is excessive flattery, blind loyalty, and uncritical praises given to a leader, not out of conviction but for personal gain (or so call party loyalty). It is when people defend incompetence, justify failure, and attack those who demand better leadership, all in the hope of favours, contracts, political appointments, or mere peanuts (ie internet data 5k allowance).

A sycophant is like a man who sees his king walking naked in public but instead of telling him the truth, he kneels and says, “_Your highness sir, your baban riga is breathtaking!_”

In a clearer context, sycophancy is when a governor who has failed to build a single school in four years is praised as the *”Father of Education.”* Or when a local government chairman is unable to complete a single infrastructural project is called *Mr Project.* It is when a politician who has looted public funds is celebrated as *”the great philanthropist”* simply because he distributed bags of rice during elections. It is when young people, instead of questioning power, become full time social media warriors, defending leaders who will not even recognize them in public.

*How Sycophancy Destroys Leadership*

1. *It Shields Leaders from the Truth*

   A sycophant’s job is to tell a leader what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear. Instead of pointing out failures, they surround politicians with praise, lies, and half truths. The result? A leader who believes he is doing well, even when he is failing will never strive to do better.

2. *It Creates a Culture of Mediocrity*

   When sycophants dominate a political space, competence takes a back seat. Leaders are no longer judged by their performance but by how well their paid supporters (media team) can sing praises to manipulate public perception. Instead of delivering real governance, politicians focus on hiring bloggers, influencers, and PR teams (media teams) to manage their image rather than solve real problems.

3. *It Silences Critics and Stifles Progress*

   A progressive society thrives on criticism and accountability. But sycophants swing into defence, personal attacks and discredit anyone who challenges the status quo. They label critics as enemies, opposition agents, or ungrateful citizens. This toxic environment prevents honest conversations about governance and slows down development.

4. *It Breeds Corruption and Impunity*

   When leaders know that no matter what they do, there will always be people to praise them, they stop caring about the people. They loot without fear, fail without consequence, and rule without accountability. Sycophants embolden bad governance by normalizing failure and rewarding incompetence.

*Examples of Sycophancy in Action*

– A state governor fails to pay salaries for six months, yet his media team calls him *“The best governor in Nigeria.”*

– A chairman is unable to complete a single project and not able to pay the salaries of his political appointees but they call him *Mr Project*

– A minister’s only achievement is attending international conferences, yet sycophants trend *#OurWorkingMinister* on Twitter.

– A senator who has never sponsored a single bill is called *”The voice of the people”* simply because he distributed motorbikes to party loyalists.

– A member house of representative who is constructing road in the middle of nowhere which might only serve his personal interest is been cheered *”tear leather”* simply because he bought 5GB data and pay 5k allowance to his media team.

*Can Sycophancy Affect the Performance of Leaders?*

Yes, and in *a very dangerous way.*

Imagine a football coach whose team is losing every match. Instead of telling him the truth, the fans and his assistant coaches keep praising him, blaming referees, the weather, and even the league organizers for the losses. *Will that team ever improve?* No. Because the coach is operating under an illusion of success.

This is exactly what sycophancy does to political leaders. It makes them believe they are winning when they are actually failing. A leader who surrounds himself with praise singers will never know when his policies are failing, when the people are suffering, or when the nation is heading toward disaster.

*The Way Forward: A Call to the Youth*

If we must progress, sycophancy must die. We the youth, in particular, must stop selling our voices for peanuts. Instead of being praise singers, we must be watchdogs of democracy, voices of accountability, and advocates for real change. Else our graduates of Architecture, Engineering, Economics, management and etc will continue to be used as mere praise singers (Media Team)

A true leader does not need blind praise; he needs honest feedback. The best way to support a leader is not to lie to him, but to push him to do better. A leader who fears accountability does not deserve power.

*So, the choice is ours:*

Do we continue worshipping politicians who see us as mere tools for elections, or do we stand firm and demand leaders who will work for the people? The future of our nation depends on this decision.

*Nigeria needs builders, not bootlickers. Patriots, not puppets. The time to rise is now.*