A #VeryDarkMan: A Creation of Failing Public Institutions. 

By Michael Felix Nyeche.

My friend had long dreamed of owning a piece of land in his hometown Port Harcourt in Nigeria – a place he could call his own, invest in, and perhaps build something lasting. Years ago, he found what seemed like the perfect opportunity with PWAN Royale, a well-known property company in Nigeria. He paid the full amount, waited for the paperwork and got it and anticipated the day he would finally be allocated his plots. 

He waited. He hoped.

But hope, in Nigeria, is like a cowry shell tossed into the river – it may shine, but no one knows if you will ever find it again! 

The days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, months to years. Each time he reached out, they gave him answers that were as empty as the promises they once sold him. Sometimes they acknowledged him, sometimes they didn’t bother to respond at all. It was as if, in giving them his money, he had become invisible. Frustrated, he turned to the Consumer Protection Council, the body that is supposed to stand for people like him, those who had been cheated by companies. The Council acknowledged his complaint and filed it neatly away in case number FCCPC/DSI/C/66828896, Mar 13, 2024 but nothing more came of it. No land. No justice. Only silence.

Then, a friend whispered a name to him. VeryDarkMan. “Send him a message,” the friend said. “You’ll have your land by tomorrow.” And that was how my friend found himself appealing not to a government office, but to a public town crier on the internet. 

Many Nigerians have seen their hopes crumble, not because of fate, but because the institutions established to serve them have failed and continue to fail daily. These institutions exist in corruption. They exist but really do not exist. Into this void stepped Martins Otse Vincent, a VeryDarkMan, a young man with a dark visage and a voice that carries the strength of the frustrated masses. Like that one no-nonsense and always drunk village elder who speaks his mind even at his his own peril, VeryDarkMan whether you are among those who hate him or love him has made a name for himself by confronting issues that hitherto would have gone unnoticed or where injustices would have been comfortably justified because of the decay in Nigerian institutions. In fact, when Fela melodiously explained ‘basket mouth wan start to leak again o’, he may have been referring to this VeryDarkMan! 

Although he prefers not to call himself an activist, I think him an accidental activist. A creation of the failures of the Nigerian state institutions. He began with cases against skincare brands that were accused of selling unregulated products that harmed customers. When regulatory bodies like NAFDAC did little to address these issues, VeryDarkMan stepped in, leveraging his social media influence to demand accountability. His work brought significant attention to the unregulated products market, and NAFDAC, like a ‘push and start’ wagon on Lagos Ibadan expressway whose engine is both old and rusty began to crank. Like a Nigerian bred Mongrel dog on the streets of Warri affected by deadly malnutrition so much that at every bark one can see its remaining 8 bones began to whof. One cannot help but wonder where they’d been all these while! I bet even a VeryDarkMan could not believe his influence at the start! So much that now, people will rather go to him or his kind to report issues instead of public institutions because they will see more results from him than any of the Nigerian institutions combined. I imagine if PWAN Royale was in the country I live in, in days after signing agreement with my friend, the company would have near crumbling from fines from consumer protection bodies! But in Nigeria, everything goes. 

What we’re witnessing is a growing referendum on failed Nigerian institutions. Like the Nigerian judiciary that only crooked politicians have faith in! Politicians who win elections in court even when they did not contest the elections. Like the Nigerian prisons who have been alleged to run an airbnb services for those sentenced to prison by the crooked Nigerian judiciary. It will be interesting to realise that some of those alleged homes rented out to prisoners are likely owned by prison officials! Lest I digress, like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who are still looking for a white lion at night! And oh I recently read about 15 States in Nigeria have made a request to ban EFCC! Like INEC! Like the Nigerian Police! And of course, like the Nigerian consumer protection agency whom my friend gave up on!

If anything, the recent Rivers State Local Government elections should send even the most thoughtless mind to reason. For the benefit of those who were unaware, a few moons ago, the people of Rivers State held a Local Government  election. The Nigerian police, the keepers of peace, were nowhere to be found. They ‘obeyed’ a court order that barred them from participating in the election because they were alleged not to be neutral. In their place stood the people themselves, orderly and calm, casting their votes without the shadow of a uniform. It was a scene both beautiful and tragic—a testament to the strength of the people and an indictment of the institutions meant to serve them. When the people must organize themselves to ensure a fair election, it is a silent cry against the state of things, a reminder that the government has grown distant from those it claims to represent. This act was not just a rejection of the police—it was a message. The people were saying that they have lost faith in the very institutions that are supposed to protect them. Albeit, I dare state that this may have left a wrong precedence as other states may follow suit and requesting for Police absence in elections could spell doom for the people and embolden unscrupulous politicians. Giving them the space to carry out their nefarious activities. Even a bad clock tells the right time twice a day! 

The rise of VeryDarkMan is a symptom of a society where the walls of service and justice are crumbling, and the people have been left to build makeshift shelters with their bare hands. His popularity is not just a result of his work; it’s a referendum and a damning verdict on government institutions that have consistently failed the citizens. The adjudication of their why is mirrored in the popularity of VeryDarkMan. When the government fails to deliver, Nigerians turn to figures they believe will act and indeed, they act. At some point it was #DaddyFreeze! Then a #VeryDarkMan. Maybe tomorrow it will be #VeryWhiteWoman. 

Furthermore, that people willingly go to a VeryDarkMan to submit some forms of civil complaints, seeking his amplification before authorities act, should serve as a warning to Nigerian institutions: Nigerians are slowly replacing them! Though he has been effective and figures like him often offer solutions, they are not—and should never be—a substitute for robust, accountable institutions. Remember, the child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. Only a matter of time, if Nigerians continue to feel that they cannot get service from their institutions, they will seek those service from other places. During the protest earlier this year, some youths in the North raised Russian flag. I will say no more!

Again, this is more than just a call to action—it is a reminder that when institutions do not uphold their responsibilities, they risk losing the very trust that allows them to operate. If we want a future where Nigerians can turn confidently to institutions like the Consumer Protection Council, NAFDAC, the judiciary, the Nigerian Prisons Service and even the Nigeria police, then these institutions must be rebuilt with integrity and commitment to service. The role of government is not just to exist but to serve honestly, and to stand as pillars of stability, so citizens need not rely on the voices of lone warriors to secure their rights.

Institutional reform should not be a luxury; it is the foundation upon which a stable society is built. We need institutions that are responsive, dedicated and responsible. We do not need a system that promotes lone warriors. It can spell doom for our society. 

Let a VeryDarkMan be a wake-up call to Nigerian institutions: take your responsibilities seriously. Engage honestly with the people you are meant to serve. Rebuild trust so that citizens no longer need to rely on a VeryDarkMan, or anyone else, to stand in your place.

Otherwise, VeryDarkMan might soon need to set up a call Center where Nigerians will call in to seek help for matters that Nigerian institutions would have handled. And when we get to that point, ‘we will learn and we will learn the hard way’.

Michael Felix Nyeche is a Public and Social Policy Analyst. He writes from Melbourne, Australia.