Nigeria; Little or Nothing Changed
Two governorship elections draw nearer and every enclaves are enraged by dusts. The atmosphere from the bank of River Oluwa to the other side of River Siloko is rented by dusts ranging elephants.The quakes has risen above the Hill Zuma and the Rock of the Aso has been sitted upon to severely discuss a ripple caused by something not far from this political immersions.
As far as I know, a political party should be ideology based and members are unapologetic about it as they will strive to defend it. But in my country, a political party is a forum,they are padi-padi because like the French, Portuguese and British on mission in Africa in the days of old; the mission is alike. So it is easy to jump ship and be absorbed because the political mission has no difference.
I may not be able to give a good painting of our political circumstances until I take us aback as far as the era of the British emergence on the patches around the Niger river. The Europeans came to Africa for business and strictly business. The slave trade was replaced by the trading of tropical produces, palm oil specifically in the 19th century and the Royal Niger Company came to play. The narrative is familiar to many sons and daughters of the Nigeria history. The salient message is that Nigeria started as a business deal, it was never a font for a civic responsibilities or services.
We clamoured and got what we term indigenous government but nothing has really changed, the modus only changed. In the days of the British, the treasure of our land were gathered to build the street of London, Liverpool and the likes. Today we still build the cities if the Westerns and leave our villages to ruins.
Our politicians chart out to the white men’s enclave our shared patrimony to secure a future they never know. Or do you think they ever know there could be a pandemic that will be a leveller? Do you think they ever have a glimpse of it that a sick politician will not find it easy to take treatment abroad? If they know they would have build health system not edifice and stomach infrastructures.
Before I go too far, you and I still labour to build Europe like our forefathers. Our political class like their predecessors still steal from us to build there. We patronise the English Premier League for example, but do we have a good choice as what we have here is a joke. Average Nigerian will prefer send his or her wards abroad to study because the glorified secondary schools dotting our land has lost her glory.
The point of call is, how long will we run this cycle, when will the capitalist and political class think about civic responsibilities beyond lip singing projects we have all around. This country has failed to deliver the basics to her citizenry because it is always business as usual.
The business mindset has grown too strong and overtaken all sphere. Oga police is asking for a 'roger' and Mr lecturer expect you to pay if not in substance with a spread legs. Voters want substance for their thumbprints.
We are all here throwing tantrums but elections will be decided by bulks of the inputs of guys drinking shots under the canopy of motor parks and roadsides. They otherwise sees it as a business and nothing less.
Are they to blame? How will they know if there be no teachers?
On the other hand, why blame the poor voters? That dude contesting expressed his intention to contest with the cost price to resurrect St. Fibans primary school in our farmstead. The price of electoral form will fix the economy of a local government.
How will I explain to this Okada-man that 5000 naira collected at the poll is not a dividends of democracy. What will I use as my reference, I mentioned a flyover and bridges newly build at my Father’s yard, but he told me how inflated the cost is. "Na wetin you buy you go sell my man! Make them pay us because if we no collect am they go still carry our money go jolly outside", he(Okada-man) emphasised. How do I explain to my kins that electricity will be the reward if they will not sell their vote when the result is the same when they sold it and when they didn’t.
Nigeria started as business, but we can’t continue as a business. Government should be social, all intentions of the government should be people driven. Can we start with ourselves, since we are the government. Let us start the change we want.