The Nigerian Electorate and 2023: Maintaining the Status Quo or Seeking Good Governance?

 

With the 2023 elections barely one year away, this is a very busy time for politicians with different declarations, consultations and alignment all over the country. Like the biblical maxim which states that a day is like a thousand years before God and a thousand years like a day, every politician knows one year to election day is not a long time at all, and at the same time, nothing is certain till it's all over.

The Nigerian electorate is not left in the euphoria of the current climate. All over social media and in different places, Nigerians are eagerly analyzing the chances of different political parties and politicians who have declared, and even those suspected of nursing different ambitions.

As usual, the presidential elections take center stage. Everyone is eager to know who may steer the ship of the country in the next four years, moreso with the different challenges facing the country.

The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has seen peculiar times, and based on who you listen to, he has either performed wonderfully or failed abysmally. Still, whatever one may think, some facts are as clear as they can be. 

The issue of insecurity which plagued the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is still a hot topic, and while Boko Haram attacks have been seriously reduced, critics of the president point to new and evolving security concerns.

While true that this administration have spent heavily on military hardware, resulting to the reduction of Boko Haram/ISWAP attacks in the North East, the North West have witnessed the birth of an equally catastrophic evil in the cloak of armed banditry with some people arguing that the government did not do enough to nip it in the bud.

Economically, the government claims it has invested more in infrastructure than any other government, thus providing more jobs, but the figures don't seem to agree with unemployment rate jumping from 6.4% in Q4 2014 to 33.3% in Q4 of 2020.

Also the galloping inflation of consumer goods also presents a sour point in the achievements of this administration. As of March 2022, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 15.92%, a far cry from 8.5% in 2014. For this the government reminds everyone of the recession occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it had done it's best with what is available.

In any case, these amongst others are issues that require novel solutions especially with revenue shortfalls in financing the national budget. Thus, it is only expected that the Nigerian electorate will be on the look out for candidates with ingenious solutions to this myriad of problems. 

Alas, this seems not to be the case. A cursory glance at the public perception of different candidates who have shown interest for the presidency shows ethnicity, religion, political structure and what not are still the top metrics for assessing candidates.

While it is understandable that politicians will like to whip up ethnic sentiment as can be seen in the issue of zoning plaguing the two major political parties, should ordinary Nigerians be concerned with the tribe of the man vying to lead or with his ability to lead?

Should we be more concerned with how he conducts his religious affairs in a multi-religious society, or should we be concerned with the commonwealth reaching everyone?

Over the years many electorates have come to believe that their votes don't count, that it is only a charade and that winners are already known before elections even take place. Yet, it is still amusing to see many people who make this statement swayed by old guard politicians and religious/ethnic sentiments

Do they realize that their insisting on not considering any of the newcomers or asking where he is from only serve to reinforce the status quo that has given us the title of sleeping giant?

The 2023 elections are too important to go on like the rest. The world is rapidly changing. The old world of trade is quickly giving way to the digital economy where human resources are priced above everything else. At this critical time, we should be on the lookout for individuals who can recognise the genius of our human resources and adequately invest in them. We must seek leaders who understand and know how to open our burgeoning youth population to a truly global world without becoming a dumping ground or suffering brain drain while promoting national unity.

The work to be done is enormous, we cannot afford to waste any more time and talent. We cannot continue with the old ways of doing things, in any case it has not made us better. This is the time for Nigerians, especially young people, to chart their destiny, and the first step is electing leaders who can identify with our dreams and aspirations.

The dream of the man in Sokoto is not different from that of the woman in Afikpo or Gbaramatu. They all simply want a space where they can achieve their full potential without fearing for the safety of their lives or that which they  have achieved.