Bias land: Where facts don’t matter and sides are sacred

In Nigeria, picking a side isn’t just a choice—it’s a sacred tradition. The unwritten rule is simple: find a camp, pledge your loyalty, and never waver. Facts? They are optional. Logic? That’s for the weak. And admitting you’re wrong? That’s treasonous.

We see this everywhere—from politics to social issues, from football debates to Nollywood controversies. Our country runs on deeply entrenched biases, where opinions are not formed through critical thinking but rather inherited from political godfathers, social media influencers, and the loudest voices in the room. If you ever find yourself disagreeing with your chosen camp, you’ll soon discover that in Nigeria, rational thought is a punishable offense.

The Political Cult of Bias

Elections in Nigeria do not operate on the principles of informed decision-making. Instead, they function as grand festivals of emotional loyalty. Every election cycle, Nigerians divide themselves into factions, each swearing allegiance to their preferred messiah. On one side, you have Chief Empty Promises, who recycles the same tired lies every four years, and on the other, Alhaji Tribal Sentiment, who convinces his followers that leadership isn’t about competence but about where one’s ancestors hailed from.

The conversation rarely centers on policies, track records, or constitutional obligations. Instead, it’s about personal loyalty, ethnic pride, and gut feelings. When a leader fails, his supporters don’t hold him accountable; instead, they blame the opposing side for “not supporting enough.” And when a politician is caught looting public funds, his people defend him with the infamous phrase, “At least he’s our thief.”

Nigerians do not engage with politics as citizens demanding good governance. We engage with it as football fans supporting our teams—unwavering, emotional, and often irrational. The only difference is that in football, when your team loses, you move on. In Nigerian politics, even when your side fails the country, you continue to defend them as if your survival depends on it.

Social Issues and the Echo Chamber of Bias

This culture of picking sides without reason isn’t limited to politics. It extends into every aspect of public discourse. Social issues that require careful analysis and legal understanding are instead reduced to noisy arguments fueled by emotion.

Take, for instance, the conversation around gender equality. If a woman speaks up about workplace discrimination, some men will immediately dismiss her claims, not because they have examined the data or the law, but simply because they have already chosen a side: “Feminism is an attack on men.” Likewise, some self-proclaimed gender advocates refuse to acknowledge that certain issues require nuance because they believe admitting any counterpoint weakens their movement.

When a controversial topic trends on social media, many Nigerians don’t take the time to fact-check or seek the legal perspective. Instead, they align with their favorite political or social commentators and blindly parrot their takes. It doesn’t matter if those takes contradict the constitution, economic realities, or even basic common sense. Once an influencer has spoken, their followers repeat their words as gospel truth.

The result? An echo chamber where misinformation thrives, critical thinking is discouraged, and people hold onto beliefs that are not just wrong but dangerous to national progress.

Entertainment, Sports, and the Spectacle of Bias

If you think politics and social issues are the only places where Nigerians pick sides without logic, you haven’t seen a football argument in this country. A simple discussion about whether a player performed well can spiral into tribal warfare. If a Nigerian footballer has a bad game, the analysis isn’t about his performance; it’s about whether he comes from the right part of the country.

And then there’s Nollywood, where fans of different actors or filmmakers engage in fierce battles over who is the superior talent. Again, this is rarely based on an objective review of acting skill, storytelling, or cinematography. It often boils down to “This is my favorite, so they must be the best.”

Even when it comes to reality TV shows, Nigerians are known to mobilize aggressively to ensure their favorite contestant wins—not because they are the most talented, but because they belong to a certain tribe, represent a certain demographic, or simply have the most devoted online fans.

The Cost of Our Unquestioned Loyalties

Our refusal to think critically before picking sides is not just a harmless cultural quirk—it has real consequences.

It affects governance when we continue to vote for politicians based on sentiment rather than competence. It affects justice when we refuse to examine cases objectively and instead support or condemn people based on affiliation rather than evidence. It affects social progress when we dismiss important conversations simply because they challenge our preexisting beliefs.

Bias has kept Nigeria trapped in a cycle of mediocrity. We repeat the same mistakes every election season, defend leaders who fail us, and reject opportunities for meaningful change—all because we are too invested in “our side” winning.

Breaking Free from Biasland

What will it take to break free from this mindset?

For starters, Nigerians must prioritize knowledge over blind loyalty. Before supporting a politician, we should ask: What is his record? Does he understand the constitution? Has he delivered on past promises? Instead of choosing leaders based on emotional attachment, we should demand competence and accountability.

On social issues, we must move away from surface-level reactions and engage with facts. What does the law say? What does the data show? What are the long-term implications of a policy? By embracing logic rather than mob mentality, we can have conversations that lead to real solutions.

Perhaps most importantly, we need the humility to admit when we are wrong. The strength of any progressive society is not in the ability to defend outdated positions but in the willingness to evolve based on new information.

Until we make these changes, Biasland remains undefeated. But if we ever hope to build a Nigeria that truly works, we must learn to pick sides based on knowledge—not just loyalty.

For the love of country.

Kunle Lawal is the executive director of Electoral College Nigeria