New Month Greetings, But Where's the Accountability?

At exactly 12:01 a.m. on the first day of every month, something happens.

Phones buzz all over Nigeria.

"Happy New Month, dear constituents. May this month bring you prosperity, divine favour, uncommon breakthroughs, and limitless opportunities."

This message comes every month without fail. It arrives in January, February, March, April, and continues like clockwork. No network issues can stop it. No budget limits can hold it back. No meeting can delay it.

The politician has your number.

But what is unclear is if the politician remembers your community.

While “Happy New Month” messages fly through the air, reports of government successes crawl like a tortoise with a broken clock.

Every month, people get prayers.

Every quarter, they get silence.

You’d think that elected officials, who handle public money and trust, would share updates once in a while:

"Good afternoon, constituents. Here is what I promised, here is what I achieved, here is what remains undone, and here is why."

But such messages are rare.

Instead, the public gets a stream of motivational speeches, festive greetings, birthday wishes, holiday messages, and fancy posters showing a smiling politician confidently looking toward a future that never seems to arrive.

The irony is shocking.

A representative who cannot give a simple quarterly report still finds time to send twelve cheerful “Happy New Month” graphics each year.

A senator who cannot explain constituency projects can explain every public holiday.

A governor who struggles with budget reports can tell why citizens should stay hopeful.

A lawmaker who cannot show completed projects can still post a sunrise photo with the caption: “This month shall favour us all.”

Indeed, favour seems to be the only government program that works.

In many areas, roads are still incomplete, schools are neglected, hospitals lack equipment, and unemployment is still high. Yet, the monthly greetings arrive without concern for these issues.

Maybe some politicians think representation is like marketing.

They act like democracy runs on greetings: send enough and people will forget to ask questions.

But democracy needs more than greetings.

It needs accountability.

Citizens should not just collect monthly wishes like cards. They should check performance.

What laws were proposed?

What projects were finished?

What promises were kept?

How was public money used?

What improvements happened during that time?

These questions are not threats. They are what people expect from democracy.

Accountability is not a luxury in democracy; it is its base. Elections are not about who writes the best greetings. They are performance reviews by the public.

This is why things get funny during election time.

The same politician who spent four years mostly sending festive messages suddenly gets very interested in talking to the public.

Billboards pop up.

Ads increase.

Convoys get bigger.

Promises come back to life.

Citizens are reminded of a bright future, even though details about the past four years are hard to find.

It makes you wonder if some politicians think accountability ends when votes are counted and comes back only when they need votes again.

A real democratic culture would change this.

The politician running for reelection should be the first to share quarterly reports, performance metrics, spending reports, legislative records, and project assessments. This openness would help citizens judge facts instead of slogans.

After all, trust should be earned, not asked for.

And reelection shouldn’t depend on forgetting but on real results.

So, yes, send those Happy New Month messages.

Wish citizens well.

Pray for their success.

Share the colourful graphics.

But maybe, along with the monthly blessings, add something even better:

A quarterly report.

A list of promises kept.

Proof of service.

Evidence that public office has been used for the public good.

Because while greetings are nice, good governance is better.

And in a real democracy, the most important message a representative can send is not “Happy New Month.”

It is: “Here is what I have done with the trust you gave me.”