By: Prince Dan Olaitan Dada, President 36 PEG & Founder SMEF | Hon. Chief Sanmi Isola Olulelye, Director General 36 PEG
“Nigerians will soon turn against their leaders.” The lawmaker’s alarm has gone viral. As organizations working on political education and public safety across the 36 States and FCT, 36 Political Elevation Group, 36 PEG, and Safety Media & Emergency Foundation, SMEF, receive this warning as both diagnosis and duty.
36 PEG + SMEF: WHO WE ARE
36 PEG exists to elevate credible leadership and strengthen democratic institutions through political education. SMEF exists for “Sanity in Public Affairs” – promoting good governance, accountability, and responsible citizenship. Both organizations are non-partisan, searchable online, and committed to Nigeria first, party second.
JOINT STATEMENT FROM LEADERSHIP
Prince Dan Olaitan Dada, President 36 PEG & Founder SMEF says:
“An alarm is a mercy. When a lawmaker says citizens will ‘turn,’ he is holding up a mirror. Leaders must not break the mirror. They must fix what the mirror shows. 36 PEG and SMEF are not in the business of attacking government or defending failure. We are in the business of defending institutions and preparing citizens. When primaries are rigged, when welfare is ignored, when impunity thrives, trust dies slowly. Our role is to sound the bell before the house burns.”
Hon. Chief Sanmi Isola Olulelye, DG 36 PEG adds:
“This is not about APC, PDP, NDC, NNPP, or Labour Party. It is about Nigeria. Every party has won elections and every party has faced anger. The pattern is clear: when leaders forget that sovereignty belongs to the people, Section 14(2)a, the people will remind them. 36 PEG’s job is to train leaders who listen early, and citizens who engage peacefully. DG’s office across all 36 States will step up town-hall education on this.”
1. BROADENED ANALYSIS: WHY THE “TURN” IS PREDICTABLE
History teaches us. The 2012 fuel subsidy protests, the 2020 #EndSARS movement, post-election riots in 2011 – all started as whispers before they became roars. Citizens “turn” through 4 stages:
1. Institutional Decay: Broken primaries, “rescue politics,” and imposition teach members that votes don’t count. Section 84 of Electoral Act 2022 is clear on direct/indirect primaries, yet INEC monitoring remains weak.
2. Economic Stress: When purchasing power collapses and welfare is not prioritized per Section 14(2)b, patience thins. People can endure hardship if they trust the process. They cannot endure hardship + silence.
3. Communication Gap: Government that does not explain policy breeds suspicion. Town halls, constituency briefings, and open data are not luxuries. They are fire extinguishers.
4. Impunity Perception: One rule for the powerful, another for the poor. When citizens see it, they conclude the social contract is broken. Apathy becomes anger.
The lawmaker did not create the anger. He named it.
2. LOADED PRESCRIPTION: 5 ACTIONS TO PREVENT THE “TURN”
36 PEG + SMEF propose 5 non-partisan actions for leaders and citizens:
A. Secure Party Democracy Now
INEC must publish annual reports on party primaries monitored. Parties must upload primary results within 24 hours. “Consensus” must be documented, not whispered. Credible primaries produce credible leaders. No shortcuts.
B. Restore Responsive Governance
Every MDAs and elected office should hold quarterly town halls. Budgets should be simplified and published. Citizens should know what is planned, what is spent, what is delivered. Listening is cheaper than crisis management.
C. End Impunity, Enforce Law Equally
The law must be blind to title. When a citizen is arrested for an offense, the process must be the same for a public officer. Justice seen to be done rebuilds trust faster than any speech.
D. Scale Civic Education Massively
36 PEG will deploy “Democracy Starts With Primaries” modules in all 36 States this year. SMEF will run “Sanity in Public Affairs” radio campaigns. Schools, markets, and social media must carry the message: Rights without responsibility = chaos. Responsibility without rights = slavery.
E. Reject Violence, Embrace Democratic Tools
To citizens: “Turn against” must mean turn to PVC, turn to FOI requests, turn to peaceful protest, turn to courts. Ballots, not stones. Petitions, not arson. Nigeria loses when the poor burn the little they have.
3. MESSAGE TO MANAGEMENT & MEMBERS OF 36 PEG + SMEF
This piece is cleared for circulation among all State Coordinators, LGA Officers, and Volunteers of 36 PEG and SMEF. Use it for community dialogues, radio phone-ins, and school debates. Our existence is public and searchable. Let our message also be public: We stand for institutions, not individuals. We stand for process, not personalities. Every officer should share the 5 actions above in their clusters this week.
CONCLUSION: FROM ALARM TO ACTION
The lawmaker’s alarm is not a death sentence. It is a window. Leaders still have time to restore trust through delivery and dialogue. Citizens still have power to change direction through votes and vigilance.
36 PEG and SMEF will not cheer chaos. We will coach correction. We will not fund anger. We will fund education.
So when Nigerians “turn,” let them turn toward the ballot box in 2027. Let them turn toward community meetings today. Let them turn toward building, not burning.
Because Nigeria will not be saved by threats. Nigeria will be saved by institutions that work, leaders who listen, and citizens who care.
Signed:
Prince Dan Olaitan Dada.
President, 36 Political Elevation Group | Founder/Convener, SMEF.
Phone: 08022299952 | Email: danielolaitandada@gmail.com
Hon. Chief Sanmi Isola Olulelye.
Director General, 36 Political Elevation Group.
Phone: 08068655469| Email: 36politicalgroup@gmail.com
36 PEG: “Elevating Leadership, Strengthening Democracy Across Nigeria”
SMEF: “Sanity in Public Affairs & Good Governance”
Both organizations and leadership are searchable online for verification.
