Everywhere you turn today, people are arguing about what is right, what is wrong, and who should be blamed. Everyone claims to be standing for the truth, but somehow, everyone’s truth seems to wear the color of their tribe, religion, or interest. The question then arises, “what tribe is the truth?”
We live in a time when the truth has become negotiable. It bends easily in the direction of emotion, loyalty, or gain. When it supports us, we call it “justice.” When it exposes us, we call it “attack.” This selective morality has become a global disease, and its most dangerous symptom is hypocrisy.
Take politics for example. When a public officer from our preferred party is caught in corruption, we rush to defend him. We say, “they’re only witch-hunting him,” or “others have done worse.” But when someone from the opposing side is exposed, we suddenly become moral crusaders, quoting laws and calling for accountability. The truth hasn’t changed, only the side we stand on has.
Religion offers no exemption. Within the same scriptures that preach honesty and righteousness, many choose verses that justify their personal actions while ignoring those that confront them. Some believers turn a blind eye when their leaders err but scream “blasphemy” when another faith does the same. In the end, truth is no longer sacred, it becomes a tool for convenience.
The same behavior plays out in families and communities. A parent defends a child caught stealing because “he is my son.” A community justifies the wrongdoing of its own because “we must protect our people.” But the truth doesn’t care whose child, friend, or kinsman is involved. Truth is not loyal to bloodlines; it is loyal only to principle.
At workplaces, the story is no different. Employees demand fairness when they are passed over for promotion but keep silent when favoritism benefits them. Managers insist on discipline for others but justify their own lapses as “pressure from the top.” It’s as though everyone wants justice but only when it doesn’t cost them comfort or control.
We often pretend that truth is complicated, but it is not. What complicates truth is the human heart full of bias, pride, and fear. The truth is a mirror, and most people can’t stand their own reflection. They would rather distort it than confront it. This is why many people support a cause not because it is right, but because it belongs to their side.
Yet, history has shown that societies built on selective truth eventually crumble. When we support truth only when it favors us, we create a culture of convenience, not conscience. Laws lose meaning, morality loses respect, and leadership loses credibility. Even worse, the next generation learns to lie politely while pretending to stand for justice.
We must return to a place where truth is not judged by who speaks it, but by what it is. Truth has no accent, no color, no party card, and no tribal mark. It stands alone often inconvenient, sometimes painful, but always liberating. It doesn’t need our endorsement to exist; it only requires our courage to uphold it.
The measure of integrity is not how loudly we defend the truth when it benefits us, but how humbly we accept it when it convicts us. Integrity is tested not in moments of convenience, but in moments of conflict when standing by the truth means standing alone.
Imagine a nation where citizens uphold truth even when it goes against their tribe or party. Imagine religious leaders who defend integrity above institutional reputation. Imagine families that teach their children that honesty matters more than pride. Such a nation would not need endless reforms or anti-corruption campaigns; truth itself would be the reform.
So, what tribe is the truth? It belongs to none. Truth is borderless, timeless, and impartial. It speaks the same language everywhere: consistency. It bows to no ethnicity, no denomination, and no political camp. Those who stand with it form its only tribe, the tribe of conscience.
In the end, truth will always outlive propaganda. It may be delayed, buried, or denied, but it never dies. The question is not whether truth has a tribe, but whether we belong to its tribe. Because when we finally strip away all our affiliations and excuses, the only flag worth raising is that of truth itself steady, lonely, and eternal.
Samuel Jekeli, a Human Resource Professional Writes from FCT, Abuja
