By Dr. Olufemi Franklin Folahan
History is not moral. It is consequential. The graveyards of history are filled with good men who became bad rulers and bad rulers who believed themselves good. But when historians examine their downfall, one pattern appears with frightening consistency: Long before the leader failed, the people around him stopped telling him the truth. That is the danger of a cult of personality.
A cult of personality does not begin with tyranny. It begins with admiration. It begins with gratitude. It begins with genuine accomplishments. A man rises. People believe in him. They defend him. They celebrate him. They rally around him. And then something subtle happens. Support becomes devotion. Devotion becomes protection. Protection becomes silence. And silence becomes corruption.
Not necessarily financial corruption. Not even legal corruption. A more dangerous corruption: the corruption of information. The leader no longer receives reality. Every decision is justified. Every mistake is explained away. Every criticism is treated as betrayal. Every concern is dismissed as disloyalty. The result is that the leader begins to govern not according to truth, but according to the distorted reflection created by his own supporters.
History has seen this movie before. The names change. The flags change. The slogans change. The ending rarely does.
The greatest danger facing any leader is not his enemies. His enemies will always tell him what is wrong. The greatest danger is loyal supporters who become incapable of saying, “Sir, this is a mistake.” Because power does not destroy judgement. Isolation destroys judgement.
A leader who hears only praise eventually mistakes popularity for wisdom. A leader who hears only agreement eventually mistakes authority for correctness. And a leader who is never challenged eventually begins to believe he cannot be wrong. That is the moment decline begins. This is why genuine loyalty is so rare.
Most people think loyalty means defending a man no matter what. It does not. Loyalty means defending his future even when it requires challenging his present. A friend who watches you walk towards a cliff and says nothing is not your friend. He is your accomplice in self sabotage. And so this is not criticism. It is concern. Not opposition. But advice.
Because if we truly want great leadership in Oyo State, then we must create an environment where truth can travel upward without fear. Where supporters can disagree without becoming enemies. Where mistakes can be corrected before they become disasters. Where loyalty is measured not by applause, but by honesty.
Every government eventually becomes the reflection of the information it receives. And every leader eventually pays the price for the truths he never hears.
History has seen this before. The only question is whether we have and what our part will be in it.
