By Abidemi Adebamiwa
People have become too used to pretending, trying hard to look like what they are not, just to impress others and win contracts they could easily deliver on with honesty. It happens every day in both government offices and private businesses. Many now believe that to be taken seriously, they must act rich, dress loudly, or project an image that has little to do with their real ability.
Meetings that should focus on ideas and competence now feel like fashion shows. Some people rent flashy cars, borrow offices, or exaggerate their achievements just to look important. The energy that should go into real preparation is wasted on creating a false impression. In this kind of setting, sincerity becomes a weakness and pretense becomes the shortcut to success.
A business partner once went to Nigeria with a group of investors to present an investment opportunity. They were calm and capable people who valued results over noise. One of them, though very wealthy, drove an old but tidy car. The civil servants who received them seemed unimpressed and perhaps judged the group by that one thing. Their interest faded before the discussion even began. Perhaps if those investors had arrived in luxury cars and designer suits, they would have been treated differently.
Some time later, a foreign trained public official told me their office had once dismissed another person who came looking too flashy. They thought he was pretending because of how he arrived with expensive cars, loud suits, and a crowd of aides. They said it all felt staged. That conversation stayed with me. Some people are ignored for being too modest while others are rejected for appearing fake. Perhaps when people see too much flash, they fail to perform due diligence, but when someone comes simple, it attracts closer scrutiny. Either way, our obsession with appearance blinds us to real value.
When looks become the standard for judging competence, good people are ignored and wrong choices are made. Those who can truly deliver are pushed aside simply because they do not fit the image of wealth or power. Meanwhile, those who focus on image often win the deals but fail to deliver. The evidence is everywhere in abandoned projects, wasted funds, and broken trust.
Real progress comes when we respect capacity over display and honesty over packaging. A person who can do the job should not have to fake success to be respected. Pretending may open a few doors, but it never sustains credibility. What lasts is ability, not appearance.
Perhaps the moment we begin to see beyond the surface, business and governance will finally start to move in the right direction.
Abidemi is a Policy Analyst and Managing Editor @ Newspot Nigeria.
