New Month Wishes from Politicians Should Include Accountability

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

Phones across Nigeria buzz with messages.

“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 so on, just like the sunrise. No network issues can stop it. No budget problems can delay it. No committee meeting can push it back.

The politician remembers your phone number.

What remains unclear is whether the politician remembers your community.

Interestingly, while “Happy New Month” messages travel fast, reports about government actions move as slow as a tortoise with a broken clock.

Every month, people receive prayers.

Every quarter, they hear silence.

One would think that elected leaders, who handle public funds and earn public trust, would at least take a moment to share updates:

“Good afternoon, constituents. Here is what I promised, here is what I achieved, here is what is still pending, and here is why.”

But such messages seem to be rare.

Instead, the public gets a long list of motivational speeches, festive greetings, birthday wishes, holiday messages, and nicely designed posters with a smiling politician pointing towards a future that never quite arrives.

The irony is shocking.

A representative who cannot share a three-page quarterly report finds time to send twelve colourful “Happy New Month” messages every year.

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

A governor who struggles to share budget details can urge citizens to stay hopeful.

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

Indeed, favour seems to be the most common government programme.

In many places, roads are still unfinished, schools are still ignored, hospitals are poorly equipped, and unemployment is still high. Yet, the monthly greetings keep coming, unaffected by these issues.

Maybe some politicians have confused representation with marketing.

They act like democracy works like a subscription service: send enough greetings and people will forget to ask questions.

But democracy does not thrive on greetings.

It thrives on accountability.

The role of citizens is not to collect monthly wishes like greeting cards. Citizens should check performance.

What laws were supported?

What projects were finished?

What promises were kept?

How was public money used?

What measurable improvements happened during this time?

These questions are not meant to attack. They are normal expectations of democratic governance.

In fact, accountability is not a luxury for democracy; it is its base. Elections are not just popularity contests where the best greeting-card writer wins another term. They are performance reviews conducted by the people.

This is why the behaviour is funny during reelection time.

The same politician who spent four years mostly sending festive messages suddenly finds a strong desire for public interaction.

Billboards pop up.

Ads increase.

Convoys grow.

Promises come back from hiding.

Citizens hear about a bright future, but details about the last four years stay secret.

One starts to wonder if some politicians think accountability disappears when votes are counted and comes back only when votes are needed again.

A true democratic culture would change this.

The politician running for reelection should be the most eager to share quarterly reports, performance scores, spending details, legislative records, and project assessments. Such openness would help citizens judge facts instead of slogans.

After all, trust should not be demanded; it should be earned.

And reelection should not be driven by forgetfulness but by real results.

So go ahead, send the Happy New Month messages.

Wish citizens prosperity.

Pray for their success.

Share the colourful graphics.

But maybe, along with the monthly blessings, add something much more important:

A quarterly report.

A list of promises kept.

Proof of service provided.

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

Because while greetings are nice, good governance is better.

And in a true 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.”