Nigeria: When Houseflies Are the Appointed Cook and Chef in the Restaurant
Introduction: A Nation as a Restaurant
Nigeria, to many—both at home and abroad—is imagined as a vast, bustling restaurant where people of all kinds arrive to choose from an abundant menu, at any time and according to their preference.
Yet beneath this appealing imagery lies a troubling reality: those elected or appointed to oversee the establishment often end up filling its kitchen not with skilled cooks and disciplined chefs, but with houseflies.
When those meant to preserve a nation become agents of contamination, decline is no longer accidental—it becomes inevitable.
Understanding the Housefly: A Metaphor of Contamination
For clarity, houseflies are small, grey insects marked by distinctive thoracic stripes, equipped with large compound eyes and sponging mouthparts, and known for their restless, agile flight. They thrive in close proximity to human activity—especially in unclean environments.
The housefly is among the most widely distributed insects in the world, closely tied to human existence. But beyond being a nuisance, it is a carrier of disease—transmitting typhoid, diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, and other infections.
Though it does not bite, its danger lies in its habits:
It breeds, feeds, vomits, and defecates indiscriminately—moving from filth to food, from waste to nourishment—contaminating everything it touches.
A system that tolerates flies in its kitchen should not expect clean food on its table.
When such creatures are metaphorically placed in charge of a nation’s “kitchen,” the outcome is predictable:
• Disorder displaces order
• What should sustain the people becomes a source of harm
A nation does not collapse in a day—it decays gradually, like food left uncovered where flies have been given authority.
• Designs menus and systems
• Creates and innovates
A cook, by contrast, executes instructions—preparing meals according to established plans.
• Chefs lead and innovate
• Cooks execute and support
And leadership demands more than skill—it requires character, discipline, resilience, and the ability to inspire others.
When leadership loses its competence, authority becomes noise and governance becomes guesswork.
A Disturbing Reality: When Flies Take Over
In Nigeria’s troubling scenario—where a cook presumes to supervise the chef, and both function like houseflies—the result is inevitable.
• Short-lived policies
• Weak institutions
• Recycled dysfunction
Like pupa and maggots, such outputs do not endure. They exist only to multiply further decay.
What should nourish a nation becomes a breeding ground for deterioration—fit not for human development, but for opportunistic survival.
The Root Problem: Misplaced Priorities
• Ethnicity over competence
• Religious identity over righteousness
• Personal loyalty over national interest
Square pegs are forced into round holes—not because they fit, but because they are familiar.
A nation that rewards loyalty above competence will eventually suffer the consequences of both.
A Biblical Contrast: The Joseph Model
Scripture provides a clear alternative.
In a time of national crisis, Pharaoh made a decision that defied tradition. He bypassed princes, magicians, and generals to appoint Joseph—a foreigner, a former slave, a prisoner, and a young man—as prime minister.
Why?
Because Joseph was competent, discerning, and spiritually grounded.
“Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (Genesis 41:38)
• Clarity in confusion
• Structure in crisis
• Preservation in famine
Merit—not familiarity—saved a nation.
When competence is enthroned, nations are preserved. When mediocrity is rewarded, decay is accelerated.
A Prophetic Diagnosis: An Error from Rulers
“I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.” (Ecclesiastes 10:7).
This is not merely administrative failure—it is a spiritual disorder.
• Systems break down
• Institutions weaken
• Outcomes become corrupted
The Spirit of Housefly in Governance:
It does not create—it contaminates.
It does not discipline itself—it multiplies in filth.
So it is when the wrong people are elevated:
• They benefit from decay, not development
• They multiply problems, not solutions
“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour…” (Ecclesiastes 10:1).
One wrong appointment can corrupt what years of effort were meant to build.
Nigeria’s crisis is not merely political or economic—it is deeply moral.
• Competence is sacrificed
• Integrity is sidelined
• Excellence is resisted
And gradually… the kitchen begins to smell.
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2)
The mourning across the land is not accidental—it is symptomatic.
Prophetic Warning: A Menu of Decay
Hear this clearly:
Any nation that enthrones “houseflies” in its kitchen will inevitably eat the food of decay.
• Systems will collapse under corruption
• Future generations will inherit dysfunction.
This is not a curse—it is a consequence.
Restoration is possible—but it requires deliberate change.
Every role must be occupied by those prepared and equipped for it.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:N400.
Competence must outweigh convenience.
No system thrives without consequences for failure.
Until excellence is celebrated above loyalty, mediocrity will persist.
Nations are not transformed by slogans, but by systems—and systems are only as strong as the people who run them.
Nigeria is not without hope—but it stands at a critical threshold.
The question is not whether the restaurant will stand…
• What kind of food will it continue to serve?
• Who will be trusted with the kitchen?
Will the nation raise Josephs…
Or continue to multiply flies?
The Decision before Us
Every generation faces a choice:
• To normalize dysfunction—or confront it
• To reward loyalty without capacity—or enthrone competence with integrity
The future of the nation is already being prepared.
“The only question is: Who is in the kitchen?”
Jesus is Lord!
Kunle Adebambo
A writing voice committed to confronting deception and calling nations back to righteousness.
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