There is something wonderfully Nigerian about this simple saying:

“Dog wey hold bone for mouth no go fit bark.”

Funny, yes. But beneath the humour is an uncomfortable truth.

Imagine the watchdog. A thief enters the compound. The dog sees him. The thief sees the dog. Ordinarily, alarm bells should be ringing.

But unfortunately, someone has given the dog a very juicy bone.

So the dog looks at the thief, adjusts the bone in its mouth and decides that perhaps this is not the best time for barking.

Welcome to society.

Sometimes you don’t need to silence a critic. Just give him something to chew.

Yesterday’s fire-breathing activist receives an appointment and suddenly discovers that “governance is complex.”

The politician who said everything was wrong gets a board position and begins asking us to “be patient.”

The troublesome critic gets a contract and develops a new appreciation for “the challenges of leadership.”

Even the social-media warrior takes one photograph with an important person and starts writing: “After extensive consultations, I now have a better understanding…”

The bone has entered the mouth.

But we shouldn’t only laugh at politicians. Every man has his bone.

For some, it is money. For others, a contract, appointment, title, access, recognition or even the privilege of sitting at the high table.

The problem is not receiving the bone. There is nothing wrong with legitimate opportunity.

The problem begins when the bone changes our definition of right and wrong.

If something was corruption when your opponent did it, it remains corruption when your friend does it. If a bad road was unacceptable under the previous government, it cannot suddenly become acceptable because your party is now in power.

A society is in danger when all its watchdogs are chewing.

So perhaps the true test of integrity is simple:

Can you put down your bone long enough to bark when something is wrong?

Enjoy your bone if you must.

But please keep your eyes on the compound.

Because one day you may finish chewing, look up…

…and discover that while you were busy, they carried away the entire house.