Niccolò Machiavelli's stark observation in The Prince, "Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions", captures a foundational cynicism about human nature that remains strikingly relevant centuries later. This statement, from Chapter XVIII, underscores Machiavelli's view that people prioritize short-term desires and survival over long-term prudence or skepticism. In a world of competing interests, the cunning leader or opportunist finds endless opportunities to exploit this tendency. The second statement, "A necessitous [man] is not a free man," echoes a related but distinct insight into freedom and coercion. Attributed originally to an 18th-century English judge (Lord Henley in *Vernon v Bethell*, 1762) and popularized by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1936 acceptance speech and 1944 State of the Union address, it asserts that dire need strips away genuine choice, turning individuals into subjects of whoever can alleviate their desperation.
Together, these ideas form a powerful lens for examining power, vulnerability, and autonomy in contemporary Nigeria. Machiavelli highlights psychological simplicity and impulsiveness as openings for deception, while the "necessitous" principle points to material deprivation as a form of bondage that invites manipulation. Both suggest that true freedom, whether political, personal, or moral, requires a degree of independence from urgent pressures, whether those pressures are internal desires or external hardships.
Nigeria's political arena often mirrors Machiavelli's description of human nature exploited by cunning actors. Politicians and elites frequently deploy deception, false promises, and short-term inducements to secure power, knowing that many citizens, driven by immediate survival needs, prove receptive. This dynamic is evident in recurring patterns of electoral malpractice, where leaders promise rapid transformation, "rebuild Nigeria in one term", only to prioritize personal gain once in office. Nigerian politics is frequently described as a classic case of Machiavellianism: the pursuit of power through any means, including bribery, thuggery, violence, and outright fraud, with morality subordinated to expediency. The glorification of cunning and deceit has contributed to a culture where corruption thrives, insecurity festers, and ethical leadership remains elusive. Deceivers, whether in politics, governance or religion, rarely lack "victims" because immediate pressures like hunger, joblessness, or insecurity override long-term scrutiny.
This susceptibility ties directly to the "necessitous" condition. With poverty projected to affect around 62% of the population, approximately 141 million people, in 2026, millions live in dire straits. Inflation, though moderating from peaks above 30% in prior years to around 14% by late 2025, has left lasting damage to purchasing power, especially through persistent high food costs. Unemployment and underemployment remain rampant, particularly among youth, while weak real income growth fails to offset these burdens. In such circumstances, as FDR warned, necessity erodes freedom: people become compelled to accept exploitative bargains rather than exercising true choice.
A prime manifestation is vote buying, a widespread practice in Nigerian elections. Desperate voters often trade their ballots for small sums, sometimes as little as a few thousand naira, far exceeding daily, earnings for many, providing immediate relief but perpetuating poor governance. Poverty acts as the underlying driver: when survival hinges on today's meal rather than tomorrow's accountability, politicians weaponize hardship to secure loyalty. This clientelism traps citizens in cycles of dependency, where short-term handouts substitute for structural reforms like job creation, education, or infrastructure. The result? Elections become auctions swayed by desperation, not policy vision, reinforcing the very leaders who benefit from the status quo.
These intertwined forces explain persistent challenges: economic reforms may stabilize macro indicators (e.g., naira stability, modest GDP growth projected around 4%+ in coming years), yet they often impose short-term pain without adequate social buffers, deepening necessitous conditions. Populist appeals flourish in this environment, as leaders exploit immediate fears and needs, security promises amid insecurity, quick riches amid scarcity, while evading scrutiny. The deceived remain plentiful because, as Machiavelli noted, simplicity and urgency prevail when basic needs go unmet.
Breaking this cycle requires addressing both dimensions. Reducing necessitousness through targeted poverty alleviation, job programmes, social safety nets, and equitable growth could shrink the pool of the easily manipulated. Meanwhile, fostering civic education, stronger institutions, and accountability mechanisms might counter psychological vulnerabilities to deception. Until then, Nigeria exemplifies how Machiavelli's cynicism and the "necessitous" principle converge: in a society where immediate needs dominate daily life for so many, freedom remains illusory, and deceivers thrive.
The path to genuine autonomy lies in mitigating desperation and building discernment, otherwise, the warnings of centuries past continue to describe the present reality in Lagos, Abuja, and villages across the country. Only by confronting both the simplicity that invites deception and the necessity that compels submission can Nigerians hope to reclaim the freedom that has so far remained out of reach.
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