As we march into 2023 for another yet historic moment to elect the new leadership that will shape the fate of our dear country Nigeria, the youth as well as the elderly are keeping their fingers crossed. As usual, politicians have started selling themselves to the electorate and carpet crossing and other political activities have rent the air. Fate now awaits our country. Amid all of this, the question should be: who should succeed President Muhammad Buhari? I am concerned that our politicians have started with their fake promises to lure citizens into believing in them for the next eight years of servitude. I must say that this piece is only meant to draw our attention to what needs to be done as 2023 approaches. We have a pressing duty to vigilant as this period remains one of the most crucial in our match to progress and development. Despite the claim of a buoyant economy, it’s disturbing that many Nigerians are living in perpetual poverty. The general atmosphere is worrying and this should be the focus of any serious-minded public office seeker. We are in a national mess, one that should make us bend our hands in shame and that reality that we can make this country work. Our national life stinks. And this is not unconnected to the egregious embezzlement, corruption, terrorism and ineptitude evident in our political system, social life and even in the general religiosity that we profess.
This soul-shattering situation reminds me of Atiku Abubakar’s presidential manifesto, published by Business Day on 23rd March, 2022. In paragraph five of the piece, Atiku hints of a focus on five key areas including education, economy, unity of Nigeria, security and a step towards a true, genuine federalism. The paragraph reads: “Since the civil war, the unity of Nigeria has never been threatened as it is today. Nigerians are losing hope in the oneness of this country. My fellow Nigerians, I am the unifier that is coming to bond the broken union. We will open doors for dialogue to hear the grieving voices of all Nigerians. Under my presidency, there will be a new Nigeria, where everybody has an equal voice and is heard. Throughout my life, I have never looked at Nigerians as divided people. In my eyes, all Nigerians are the same. When I see you, I don’t see Yoruba or Hausa or Igbo or Fulani or a northerner or southerner; when I see you, I only see a Nigerian, and I expect the best from you. All Nigerians are equal and should be seen and treated equally. There is no unity without justice and fairness. That is why I will deliver leadership of justice and fairness.” From the above, it is glaring that Atiku has not visibly explained how he will carry out the task. This is very typical of our politicians; they talk so much without explaining how they intend to achieve what they have said. This is how our politicians weave their manifestos around heavy promises on which they will renege. Buhari, for instance, came into power on the promise of changing the narrative given his performance when he was a military head of state. He has spent more than seven years in office, and the story hasn’t changed. We are so pained that we trusted the present administration to deliver on what it promised; sadly, this has not happened. Nigeria is plagued by a leadership that is inept and without a conscience.
Again, like at other times, the generation election is barely a year from now. That’s why Nigerians need to be wary and vote wisely. The country, as it is now, is deserving of a leader whose credentials transcend what is presented in Atiku’s manifesto. We need a leader passionate about the country and who identifies with the situation of the masses, not a leader who delights in the woes that betide the country. The mismanagement of Nigeria’s “non-negotiable” unity that has resulted in more problems than one is enough for us to know that the country deserves a leader better than Buhari. The staggering level of the country’s debts, deplorable education system, worsening insecurity in several states in the country, resurrection of primordial sentiments emanating from poor handling of national cohesion by the government and a lot more speak volumes about why Nigerians must not be fooled a second time. We have a lot to learn from the saying that once bitten, twice shy. It is equally important that we rework our voting philosophy: the way of leadership must change. Changing the way of leadership, of course, demands intentional, cosmopolitan overhaul of our party system which cripples initiatives that can propel the prosperity of our country. In other words, we need to strike a balance between our constitution and party system in the hope of working out a formidable way for the country to thrive. I’m saying that a two-term opportunity for a government that fails to deliver should stop. Pity shouldn’t determine who to vote for.
On a final note, I urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be objective in its handling of the electoral process. It is not out of place to argue that any sincere move to have a country that works begins with a credible electoral commission. Only this can save the country forever!
Qodir writes in from Ilorin, Kwara State, via Babatundelaitan@gmail.com
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