SHAME ON YOU, MR. NICHOLAS PHIRI: Zambians Deserve Leaders Who Keep Their Word

SHAME ON YOU, MR. NICHOLAS PHIRI: Zambians Deserve Leaders Who Keep Their Word

By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma

I watched with growing anger and disbelief as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Nicholas Phiri, stood before the nation and shamelessly backtracked on a promise he made boldly, publicly, and voluntarily to the people of Zambia.

Not long ago, Mr. Phiri assured the nation that if the 156 ambulances his ministry had “procured” were not delivered by May 2025, he would resign. His words were not vague. They were firm, categorical, and delivered with full confidence in front of the press and the public. Nobody pressured him into making that commitment. He made it of his own accord.

Now here we are. It is the end of May. The ambulances have not arrived. When confronted with this undeniable fact, Mr. Phiri had the audacity to respond, “I won’t resign because I have a job to deliver the 156 ambulances.”

Mr. Phiri, that has always been your job. Delivering those ambulances was never a new assignment. It was your core responsibility from the moment you made that commitment. To now twist your failure into a justification for clinging to office is not only shameless, it is an insult to every Zambian.

What you are really saying is this: “I failed, but I will not take responsibility. I broke my word, but I expect you to forget it.” To that we say no. We will not forget. We will not forgive this level of dishonesty.

Even more troubling is your shifting narrative. You previously told the nation that the ambulances had already been procured and that delays were merely due to logistical challenges. Now you claim procurement has just been finalized. So which version is true? Were you lying then, or are you lying now? This is not a minor detail. This is deliberate deception.

What exactly do you take Zambians for? Fools? People with no memory? Citizens with no dignity and no right to expect honesty from public officials?

This is no longer just about ambulances. This is about integrity, accountability, and basic respect for the people. You made a public promise to deliver life-saving emergency vehicles. You failed. Now, instead of resigning as you vowed, you move the goalposts and act as though nothing happened. This is not the conduct of an honorable public servant. It is the behavior of someone who lacks integrity.

Your refusal to resign, even after such a blatant betrayal, reflects a much deeper crisis in our leadership. It reveals a culture of impunity where promises are meaningless, truth is optional, and failure is rewarded with excuses.

Let us be honest. You are not operating in isolation. Your arrogance mirrors that of the very administration you serve. President Hakainde Hichilema and his government came to power on a wave of promises: transparency, job creation, reduced cost of living, and good governance. But what have the Zambian people received in return? Lies, spin, broken promises, and elitist arrogance.

This administration seems to believe it can govern through manipulation, rule through deception, and silence a frustrated nation with smooth talk and staged press briefings. But Zambians are not asleep. We are awake. We are watching. And we are angry.

Mr. Phiri, you made a promise. You failed to keep it. Rather than doing the honorable thing and stepping aside, you have chosen to distort the truth and insult the intelligence of millions.

If you had any sense of dignity, you would have already cleared your desk.

But since you will not, we say it plainly. You are not fit to serve. You are part of the problem, not the solution. You have no place in a government that claims to uphold integrity.

Zambia deserves leaders who are accountable, honest, and humble—not spineless officials who treat national commitments as campaign slogans meant to be forgotten.

Enough is enough.

The people of Zambia will not be taken for fools any longer.

We remember. And come election time, we will respond.