Majority of my life apart from the occasional holiday has been spent in the UK, for the last couple of months I have been in Nigeria and have had the privilege of experiencing first hand some of the intricacies of Nigerian politics. Whilst the experience has been somewhat exciting, educative and quite frankly liberating I was forced to ask myself a question, Are Nigerian Citizens really ready for the change they desire?
Travel around the country or even just one state alone and you will witness high levels of unemployment, poverty, pollution, disorganisation, cultural segregation and corruption. The life expectancy for the average Nigerian stands at 46.9, a staggering 30% percent below the world average (CIA world factbook) and yet these neglected citizens continue to distribute their votes to politicians and political parties for bags of rice, beverages, live stock, alcohol, motorbikes and rickshaws. In most cases to address electorates who are part of professional bodies, social clubs and cultural orientated organisations costs the candidate a minimum of half a million naira per address. A practice which is darn right undignified and unheard of in any developed civilised country.
Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. How can the electorate hope for a better Nigeria and still continue to engage in such practices. Nigerians need to understand that voting is a civic duty, a means by which one establishes the present, shapes the future and rectifies mistakes of the past.
In order to achieve the end result we all hope for , Nigerians must realise that their votes are worth more than rickshaws, more than bags of rice and beverages, their vote will determine the roads they drive on, the standard of education they can obtain, and what they will and can become. The electorate must cease selling votes to the highest bidder and examine the policies and track record of not only candidate but of the political parties candidates are associated to.
