**What was Doge? Elon Musk's Experiment in Gamifying Government** In 2025, Elon Musk, one of the world's most influential entrepreneurs, took a bold step by joining the government as the de facto head of the "Department of Government Efficiency". He famously described governments as "big dumb machines" that needed a digital overhaul. Musk's mission was to revolutionize the way governments work by using technology to streamline processes, eliminate waste, and boost productivity. Musk's approach was unorthodox, to say the least. He assembled a team of young coders and mid-level managers from his various companies to help him overhaul the government's technology infrastructure. The goal was to create a single, interoperable system that would modernize the way the government operates. But Musk's methods were more akin to those of a private equity firm or a startup, infused with the sensibilities of gaming and right-wing culture war. Musk's team was obsessed with the idea of achieving "God mode", a term borrowed from gaming, which would give them a bird's eye view of the entire system. However, beneath the surface, Musk's initiative, dubbed "Doge", was not just about modernizing government technology. It was also about strengthening the state's surveillance capacities. As Musk dug deeper into the government's code, he became increasingly convinced that the biggest bugs were the people, particularly non-white immigrants whom he saw as pawns in a liberal plot to corrupt democracy. He viewed empathy as a "software vulnerability" that needed to be hardened against. Musk's office was a symbol of this approach, featuring a gaming rig and a leaderboard on the Doge website that tracked cuts in real-time. But beneath the jokes and cosplay, Musk was driven by a serious conviction that the state needed to be hardened against perceived threats. In Nigeria, where corruption and inefficiency are major challenges, the idea of using technology to streamline government processes might seem appealing. However, the Doge experiment raises important questions about the role of technology in governance and the potential risks of relying on a single, powerful individual to drive change. As the world watches, we can't help but wonder what lessons can be learned from this bold, if imperfect, experiment in gamifying government.