By Joshua Obasanya
One of the biggest risks we face is what psychologists call the illusion of comprehension. This tendency makes us think we understand issues far better than we really do. As Nigeria heads toward the 2027 elections, public discussion is growing louder, more divided, and more emotional. Social media is filled with posts showing tribalism, division, and strong party loyalty. Yet many conversations have shifted away from the high cost of living, insecurity, unemployment, inflation, and economic hardship into personal attacks, ethnic arguments, and political showmanship.
Too often, people attack each other instead of discussing ideas. Political discussions that should help us learn have become loyalty tests. Friendships suffer, families are split, and communities are divided over politics. The result is often more anger than understanding. Yet certainty is not the same as understanding. Many of us form opinions from short clips, viral videos, social media posts, and party-driven stories. We take in fragments of complex issues and wrongly believe we fully understand them. That is the illusion of comprehension.
Topics like government, economics, public finance, monetary policy, national security, constitutional change, and development are deeply complex. The more you study them, the more clearly you see how much remains unknown. This is where productive doubt is necessary. Productive doubt does not mean you are weak or unsure. It means you are humble enough to recognise the limits of what you know. It means you are willing to ask, “What am I missing?” and brave enough to say, “I may be wrong.”
Indeed, the wisest person is not the one who claims to know everything. The wisest person recognises how little he knows. The more we read, the more we discover how vast our ignorance is. Authentic learning produces humility; superficial knowledge often produces overconfidence. That is why productive doubt matters.
As citizens in a democracy, we have a civic responsibility not only to vote but also to choose responsibly. That means thinking critically, staying self-aware, and seeking truth rather than merely defending political camps. Citizens should resist the temptation to amplify political propaganda until it creates emotional and physical tension among siblings, friends, colleagues, and community members. No politician is worth destroying relationships built over years.
As Dele Farotimi wisely cautioned: “Don’t die in their war.” Political actors will come and go. Parties will rise and fall. Elections will be won and lost. Yet the social bonds that hold families, friendships, and communities together are too precious to sacrifice to partisan passion.
At the same time, the opposition has an important role. Beyond calling out the failures of those in power, it should offer constructive criticism, articulate credible alternatives, and present clear policy proposals that can move the nation forward. Democracy flourishes when the electorate sees competing ideas and solutions, not only competing accusations. As we approach 2027, Nigerians must demand more from both government and opposition. We must move beyond personality cults, ethnic considerations, religious sentiments, and political propaganda. We should assess leaders and parties by competence, character, vision, integrity, and capacity to improve citizens’ lives.
Before engaging in political debates online, perhaps we should ask ourselves:
Have I studied this issue deeply enough?
Am I evaluating evidence or merely defending a political tribe? Have I listened fairly to opposing views?
What facts would make me reconsider my position? Could I be mistaken?
A healthy democracy requires informed citizens, not merely loud ones.
Improving our self-awareness and critically assessing political and economic realities will help voters make wise choices in 2027. Nigeria’s future depends not on how fiercely we defend politicians, but on how thoughtfully we evaluate their ideas, policies, and performance.
As Socrates is famously credited with saying, “The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing.”
As Nigeria moves toward another electoral season, let us choose productive doubt over false certainty, comprehension over noise, and wisdom over partisanship. Let us ask harder questions, resist easy answers, and demand better judgment from ourselves and others. Let us debate policies rather than personalities, ideas rather than identities, and solutions rather than sentiments. Let us choose facts over propaganda, reason over emotion, and national progress over political fanaticism. In 2027, let our judgment shape Nigeria’s future—not the loudest voices on social media.
*Dr Joshua Obasanya is a health security consultant and public policy expert. He lives in Abuja