Happy new month, Honourable Accountability, By Jude Dike

…accountability is not an optional accessory to democracy; it is its foundation. Elections are not popularity contests in which the most inspirational greeting-card writer wins another term. They are performance reviews conducted by the public.

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

Phones vibrate across the nation.

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

The message arrives faithfully. It arrives in January, February, March, April, and every month thereafter with the consistency of sunrise. No network failure can stop it. No budget constraint can delay it. No committee meeting can postpone it.

The politician remembers your phone number.

What remains a mystery, however, is whether the politician remembers your community.

Curiously, while “Happy New Month” messages travel at the speed of light, reports of governmental achievements move at the speed of a sleeping tortoise carrying a broken clock.

Every month, citizens receive prayers.

Every quarter, they receive silence.

One would think that elected representatives, entrusted with public resources and public confidence, would occasionally interrupt their monthly blessings with a small update:

“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 apparently endangered species.

Instead, the public is treated to an endless cycle of motivational speeches, festive greetings, birthday wishes, holiday messages, and professionally designed posters featuring a smiling politician pointing confidently toward a future that never quite arrives.

The irony is breathtaking.

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

A senator who cannot account for constituency projects can account for every public holiday.

A governor who struggles to explain budget performance can explain why citizens should remain hopeful.

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

Indeed, favour appears to be the most abundant government programme.

In many places, roads remain unfinished, schools remain neglected, hospitals remain under-equipped, and unemployment remains stubbornly high. Yet the monthly greetings arrive untouched by these earthly inconveniences.

Perhaps some politicians have mistaken representation for relationship marketing.

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

But democracy is not sustained by greetings.

It is sustained by accountability.

The citizen’s role is not to collect monthly wishes like greeting cards. The citizen’s role is to evaluate performance.

What laws were sponsored?

What projects were completed?

What promises were fulfilled?

How was public money spent?

What measurable improvements occurred during the period under review?

These questions are not acts of hostility. They are the ordinary expectations of democratic governance.

In fact, accountability is not an optional accessory to democracy; it is its foundation. Elections are not popularity contests in which the most inspirational greeting-card writer wins another term. They are performance reviews conducted by the public.

This is why the behaviour becomes particularly amusing during reelection season.

The same politician who spent four years communicating primarily through festive messages suddenly develops a remarkable passion for public engagement.

Billboards appear.

Advertisements multiply.

Convoys expand.

Promises return from hibernation.

Citizens are reminded of a bright future, though details regarding the previous four years remain classified information.

One begins to wonder whether some politicians believe accountability expires once votes are counted and reappears only when votes are needed again.

A truly democratic culture would reverse this pattern.

The politician seeking reelection should be the most eager to publish quarterly scorecards, performance metrics, expenditure reports, legislative records, and project evaluations. Such transparency would allow citizens to judge facts rather than slogans.

After all, confidence should not be requested; it should be earned.

And reelection should not be powered by memory loss but by demonstrable results.

So by all means, send the Happy New Month messages.

Wish citizens prosperity.

Pray for their success.

Share the colourful graphics.

But perhaps, alongside the monthly blessings, include something even more valuable:

A quarterly report.

A record of promises kept.

Evidence of service rendered.

Proof that public office has been used for public good.

Because while greetings are pleasant, 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.”

Jude Dike hails from Onuaboh, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, the most underdeveloped community in the Niger Delta.