To put it point blank, it is a crying shame that in 21st-century Nigeria and ahead of the 2023 general elections swirls of ethnoreligious and political sentiments, tension, apprehension and campaigns of calumny still rule the land. But why, you may ask? The reason is simple: It is all about money-poll-y-tricks! It all has to do with poaching for political power to serve the self rather than the state.
Unfortunately, this recurring ugly decimal in our body polity is openly supported by the huge sums of money paid to obtain nomination forms by political aspirants, which excludes citizens with the vision and passion to serve our fatherland but lack the slush funds. Another pertinent reason responsible for this increasingly saddening political quagmire is the humongous pay package of political appointees.
Painfully, the class of consciences and cruel perpetrators of this economic and political anomaly keeps succeeding from election cycle to another, all because of the aberrant form of democracy that we practise here in Nigeria. Firstly, the people who are supposed to be the main beneficiaries of democracy have been so pauperized- mentally and physically- that they worship their unrelenting oppressors.
It is a weird, king-slave mentality that has the people erroneously believing that their president, governors, lawmakers and local government chairmen are the lords to be feared and kowtowed to, instead of putting them on the spot to account for every kobo of the public money that has found its way through their filthy hands.
Perhaps, that will better explain why they would troop to venues of the commissioning of roads, bridges, school buildings, hospitals and all what not by their all-conquering lords and clap for them, as if those politicians used their own personal fund to carry out such projects.
Quote:
“In 2023, you must not make the mistake to vote killers. Those who carry knives, guns, and all kinds of gadgets to go and kill people because of politics, are the enemies of society.
“If you kill to become a leader, you will continue to kill to remain a leader and the people will continue to suffer.”
-Dr. Goodluck Jonathan (former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria)
Worse still, is the recent onslaught of mind-bending experiences of innocent Nigerians. They queue for hours to buy fuel at exorbitant prices in an oil-producing country, or go to banks and spend some eight odd hours waiting to collect their own money all to no avail! With the Naira swap saga, millions of unprepared Nigerians have been harangued by harrowing hunger. For instance, recently a middle-aged woman trekked all the way from Ikeja-Along to Oja-Oba market in Abule-Egba area of Lagos state, a distance of over 14 kilometres. She cried out, before she fainted that she had not eaten for two days, due to the rejection of the old naira notes on her! Some good Samaritans had to come to her rescue, offering First-Aid treatment in addition to providing food and water.
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Yet, some cruel and callous politicians and their mentally mesmerised supporters want us to continue in this season of sorrows, tears and blood! That brings to mind the recent piece of counsel offered by former President Goodluck Jonathan. “Don’t vote for ‘killers’ in 2023 elections – he urged Nigerian youths. “If you kill to become a leader, you will continue to kill to remain a leader and the people will continue to suffer.” He made this statement during a recentthanksgiving Sunday Service held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State to mark the 35th anniversary of the state.
That also brings to mind his words of caution, freely offered to Nigerians way back in January 2015 during his campaign for Second Term. “I have said it before and I will continue to say and live by the fact that my ambition, and indeed the ambition of anybody, is not worth the blood of any Nigerian,” he said. Therefore, I urge all Nigerians to look forward in hope as we fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers to ‘build a nation where peace and Justice reign.’ But does the current crop of overtly desperate politicians care a hoot about the protection of the sanctity of human life? Not at all!
They kill- both in the open, deploying armed political thugs and covertly, using various ritual murders- all with the intention to getting into political offices as if there will be no day of reckoning or God’s judgment.
How I wished thatmost Nigerian voters had listened to the same, peace-loving and patriotic Jonathan back in 2015.Recall that his statement: “The choice before Nigerians in the coming election is simple: A choice between going forward or going backwards; between new ways and old ways; between freedom and repression; between records of visible achievements and beneficial reforms – desperate power seekers with empty promises.” How apt and how prophetic!
Eight years on and the empirical evidences are there for all to see. From the blood-letting insecurity across the country, brazen attempts to muzzle press freedom, bamboozling citizens with loads of lies, to high inflation rate that has affected the costs of sundry food items such as rice, bread, beans, vegetable oil and even pure water are here with us till this day.
Lest we forget, what was the exchange rate of the naira when Jonathan was peacefully handing over political power to the APC-led government back in 2015 and how much is it now? How much was the pump price of fuelback then? We all know the answers.
Interestingly, those who trooped out en mass to Gani Fawenhimi Park to protest against the hike in fuel price during the era of Jonathan have all turned suddenly silent, even when worse things have taken place. That is Nigeria for you!
So, as we prepare for another round of elections will the Nigerian voters heed the words of caution from Goodluck Jonathan? Or, will they choose to continue with all the anti-people policies of killings, hunger, joblessness and the breakdown of virtually all the sectors that used to hold us together under the previous administration?
I have my fears, with the huge number of Nigerians who go on stampede to welcome the same set of people that have led us into this murky economic mess! It seems that few Nigerians are really concerned about those who would provide lasting solutions to our myriad of socio-economic and political challenges, than their masters who treat them as dogs and offer them the crumbs for only a day or two!
Ordinarily, slaves want their freedom. That is a natural principle. But when some keep enjoying being oppressed and selling off their children’s future, there is a lot to worry about. For, asMartin Luther King Jnr, the unforgettable Human Rights activist stated: “Freedom is never willingly given by the oppressor.The oppressed must struggle for it.”
But are Nigerian voters ready for it? Only time will tell, as their votes will determine where the pendulum eventually swings to.
