Nigeria, Jan. 6 -- A curious slogan has emerged in public discourse, one now casually deployed to brand certain nonconforming individuals as morally suspect: "pro-establishment activist." It is often hurled at those who refuse to bow to popular narratives, groupthink, or the emotional comfort of prevailing sentiment.

Once branded, their motives are questioned, their integrity doubted, and their arguments dismissed, not because those arguments lack substance, but because they are presumed compromised. Any attempt to acknowledge merit in government policies, to introduce alternative explanations, or to shield authorities from simplistic accusations is quickly framed as ignoble. The strategy is familiar: ignore the message, discredit the me...