Reformers are those who understand human society deeply, having thoroughly studied and grasped how humanity thinks and operates. Generally, many people are adverse to sudden, drastic, and radical change because of fear of the unknown. They worry that a shift in the status quo might result in losing money, power, privilege, or status. Therefore, some prefer reformists rather than revolutionaries who advocate for profound and immediate changes.
Reformists are gradualists: measured, calculating, and patient. They take their time, allowing those affected by their reforms to become immersed, absorbed, and acclimated to the changes being introduced. Yet human society is dynamic—always evolving, always changing—and reforms are imperative to ensure progress and prevent stagnation. Anything that fails to innovate will atrophy, eventually lose its shine, and wither away. For this reason, I prefer reformists to revolutionaries, who are often obsessed with sudden and drastic changes that can backfire and turn everything upside down. Humanity rarely aligns with such abrupt and fundamental shifts, and resistance to these impulses often leads to revolt.
Nigeria, a mosaic of many cultures, traditions, and people of diverse passions, temperaments, perspectives, and attitudes, does not need a revolutionary who seeks to uproot what these myriad groups hold dear and would not easily surrender. Take, for example, the regulation of the national currency for over fifty years, rather than allowing market forces to influence and shape its trajectory. Or consider the subsidy of petroleum products, where the government was spending more than $2 billion every month to provide temporary relief, to the detriment of long-term investment in sectors that could truly transform the economy.
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came into office, he decided that the regulation of the national currency must end. He also stopped the subsidy, and chaos erupted. Yet this is the hallmark of reformers: calculating, patient, and resilient in the face of pressure and negativity, because they seek to change entrenched ways of doing things. History shows that reformers such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Martin Luther, Boris Yeltsin, and Margaret Thatcher did not have it easy. They were insulted, persecuted, prosecuted, maligned, and despised. But their persistence in pursuing gradual, measured reforms ultimately reshaped their societies.
Conclusion
Reformers, though often misunderstood and resisted, are essential to the progress of humanity. They embody patience and foresight, guiding societies through necessary change without tearing apart the fabric of what people hold dear. In Nigeria and beyond, the path of reform—though difficult—is the surest way to lasting transformation.
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