Significant day for me, significant day for many. I turned in an important application, while people were being told to go and register to vote in Nigeria. Now this whole voting of a thing, across the social media, you see it. On twitter there is a hashtag #ifnaijavotes where people were just tweeting jokes..indeed, the whole thing is truly funny. There is also the R.S.V.P (Register, Select, Vote, Protect Vote) thing. One that really got me started, even pissed for a bit was a tweet I saw. I can't even remember the origin but it was retweeted by someone I follow. The tweet mentioned something about it being our moral right to hold candidates accountable if we vote. What does that mean? Moral right?? This is the problem today in Nigeria, leaving things to chance, 'eh let's vote sha, then we can complain after' One of my uncles said that the philosophy in Nigeria today is 'If there is an issue, leave it alone, it will solve itself' sadly, No issue solves itself. Countries are not run on Morals, they are run on Laws which people (candidates) have to be made accountable to. If the average Nigerian does not know what the laws of even his Local Govt. are, what is he voting about??.
Looking at the elections and campaigns encouraging people to go and vote, I can't help but shake my head, at the foolishness which plagues almost 90% of the Nigerian populace. How is the voting going to change anything I honestly ask? Does anyone understand the implication of what we are doing, the waste and the abuse of the system we are allowing. We want people to vote based on what? Morals? Sentiments? The political parties, you can hardly tell them apart.What does PDP stand for? ANPP? Zero.
I wrote on my facebook status, 'Voting in a lawless land = Waste of time' and ofcourse many came out to drop their opinions. Some argued that we need to vote the 'right' people, before there can be a change, right. But you see, the problem with that, is we are putting the 'cart before the horse' The process we need to participate in, now, is not voting. I ask again, what are you voting against or for?
The Number one problem in Nigeria, people are not educated. This is the first process we need to go through, EDUCATION. How do people even miss this. Without this, If there is a 'good' candidate, the 'bad' ones would give people money, now tell me how a hungry man is going to resist that. RSVP, they shout, oh so vague! Ofcourse I'm going to protect the vote someone paid me for. People need to know the Laws! Another issue with this is, we all have become comfortable in the lawlessness of Nigeria, we have become 'Used to it' This would indeed be a tough process but we need to go through it.
Number two, if we want real change, a proper revolution in Nigeria, everyone, atleast the majority have to back one leader they feel, according to laid down laws, will be the best for the country. Also, the candidate has to be an equal and opposite force to the 'hooligans' in the country. Its like we can't see how desperately the 'bad' people want the power, why can't a 'good' person want it that desperately, want to actually change things that badly with the means and influence to. All those screaming RSVP and what not are so lost it makes me hang my head in shame. If you can't back a candidate, don't throw people out to the wolves, Register and Vote, for whom??? Those who claim to be 'Knowledgeable' and educated, are JUST NOT doing it right, sad.
Nigeria is upside down, and this election process proves it. I would have expected the opposite if at all. A revolution where people are told NOT to vote until there's transparency in the government and the average man knows and understands the law of the land, or at-least have representatives who do. If I judge the situation from the way things have been going, I don't know if it will ever get right. I don't have much hope left but Nigerian I still am, Nigerian I will always be.
