Sustaining political awareness among Nigerians
Every electoral cycle in Nigeria, politicking takes over almost every medium of information dissemination, from print to electronic media, social media to places of worship. This is a ritual that must be performed without fail. At that point, the masses that have been oppressed over the previous three years, all of a sudden become the darlings of every politician. The people that would even refuse to appear in your dreams will swiftly become available in your locality, conducting town hall meetings where they pretend to listen and understand the yearnings of the common man on the street. It is during this period that we realize everybody is aware of the failings of government, and almost everybody supposedly has the magic wand to turn things around. It is also at this time that we see politicians obtaining sainthood, particularly those that move from the opposition to the ruling party.
This usually lasts for about twelve to fifteen months, and disappears as swiftly as it appeared once the votes have been cast, winners declared and portfolios shared. The louder the noise you make, the better the chances of being given a ‘juicy’ portfolio. The politicians resume their job of plundering the common wealth of the nation, unimpeded, while the electorate celebrate their oppressors and go back to sleep, only to wake up when bags of rice are being shared in another three years. This has been the trend since Nigeria returned to democratic dispensation in 1999, and it shows no sign of changing. This is also when we realize the people that actually vote, as the messages from the politicians are targeted at them. So, when you hear a spokesman crooning that his boss just walked 800 meters to show his fitness to rule, please, don’t get offended, as the message is not for you. Most of those that realize the stupidity of these types of messages, and get offended by them are those that do not actually vote.
Do I blame the electorate for electing the types of leaders that emerge? No. You can only vote for people that are on the ballot. The people that do not vote have also automatically abdicated their right to complain about the types of leaders we keep recycling. Most of the people that vote actually have poverty to contend with, and the leaders have also gifted them religion and ethnicity to bicker about. The recently released report by the World Bank shows that 92.1% of Nigerians live on less than $5.5 a day, while less than 8% earn above $165 a month. In the midst of trying to earn enough for the next meal, chances are that you will easily be bought by the person that provides stomach infrastructure rather than the one speaking grammar to you on an empty stomach. It is actually instructive that Esau sold his birthright for a pot of porridge, and so deliberately keeping the electorate poor, misinformed and divided is the easiest strategy in the arsenal of the leaders.
If you are bothered about the current state of affairs in Nigeria, then it is time to get involved. We need our best brains steering the ship of this nation. The secondary school certificate holders do not have what it takes to comprehend the challenges faced by Nigeria in the 21st century, and they will not enact laws that will bar them from seeking political office with a certificate of attendance from a secondary school. There is a political awareness torch that gets lit every electoral cycle, and it is the best time to gain some easy traction and momentum. Unlike the career politicians, however, the work will need to be a continuous process. One can start by targeting a specific demographic, like students and the youth in general. Now is the time for the youths to have a say in the policies that will affect their future, but they need the reorientation from those ahead of them with that consciousness. We need to keep improving on the quality of leaders we elect till we get it right. We all need to get involved.
Olugbenga A. Olufeagba