No doubt the Nigerian Political terrain is filled and characterized with various elements and counter culture which we believe are against the normative and ideal cum traditional understanding of what our political identity used to be as showed by the first generation of our political system upon in the earliest course of our national and shared history.
The features of respect not just for the electorate but also for the political class, accountability and transparency as well as honor and chivalry were part of the codes that formed the foundation and bases of our political structure which enabled us create a strong political base upon our independence which enabled the nation made strong policies and resolve which helped it charter the course of its development and growth as well as that of the other African countries in the light of its identity as the giants of Africa.
However over six decades of national independence, a lot has happened within the course of the nation’s history and development which has see several diverse changes in the political situation of the nation to one which is completely the exact opposite of what a progressive Politics should be.
While we have in times past considered and criticized our political class and elites for their mismanagement and misrepresentation of our national values, the sway away from the ideal way which was laid down by the men that first walked the way whom we all regard to as our nationalist. This article will against the usual which criticizes the political class choose to criticize the masses who have over the years made themselves a pawn in the hands of the political class.
It’s a common saying of our people that,’ if the wall is not broken, the lizard will find no entrance” this is the case of majority of Nigerian populace who have seen less of themselves and attached less importance and significance to themselves which has created a loopholes for the political class to explore and take undue advantage of by manipulation them anytime they so choose.
Every four years, the political class will always come with their usual songs with sugar coated tongues making sweet promises, promises that they discard as soon as they lay their hands on power.
However the question is, who elected these set of people into the nation’s power grid, even if we come up with the excuse that they were not elected by the majority as they choose to manipulate themselves into power by Electoral rigging or through the influences of godfathers in the country, we must again ask ourselves who were the people that made up groups that filled their rallies campaigning for them.
I have been opportune to visit various political rallies in Nigeria where I get to see the political behaviors of the masses as they fight over crumbs thrown at them by the political class while they shout back praising the men who were meant to serve them and do their bidding.
The Nigerian masses that form the major block of the electorate has lost their values and their importance, they have sold their birth right and their voice over a plate of porridge. How do we explain to the coming generation that all you need to judge the success of a government is by the degree of noise that they are able to generate during their election campaign or the amount of money they share during the campaign period.
It’s sad and pathetic to see and realize that the standard for judging the performance and credibility of the political class has fallen to the very lowest ebb. We live in a society where people now celebrate stomach Infrastructure more than anything, if it were just to be the celebrating of stomach Infrastructure was the main problem, maybe it would have been better; but then they have over the years exalted this more than the real factors that can show and reveal how well a government has performed.
The outbreak of covid-19 realities has seen many politicians now use the avenue of sharing Palliatives to cushion the effects of the novel virus, Covid-19 to influencing votes during elections. They come to the electorates bearing their palliatives to the Masses telling them that their action was bore out of their desire to help the people whereas in the real sense of it, the opposite is the intention.
Palliatives, stomachs Infrastructure are temporary items which cannot stand the test of time. Politicians who has given you a sum of money or share you Palliatives during Election is no commonwealth cake, it is another attempt to buy votes
The Electorates must as a matter of urgency look beyond the caprices of stomach Infrastructure and Palliatives to demanding real and sustainable projects from their political class. They need to start to ensure that each Government leaves legacies that can stand the test of time in Nigeria.
Once we start to put ourselves so low in the presence of the political class, we begin to lose our voice and our right to say something.
True governance in Nigeria must not be defined by stomach infrastructure and palliatives; we need to look forward beyond this.
The masses needs to restore their self pride and must not ridicule themselves by throwing themselves over little gains offered by the political class. The money shares during Election will never and can never bring you community development or growth, this is because have commercialized your thumb.
People must leave to judge a government based on the numbers and degrees of impact they made while in government. We need to embrace the right mentality and change our orientation from stomach infrastructure to good governance chasing people. There’s nothing wrong in demanding for good governance, all we need do is walk worthy of our roles with the Nigerian democratic System.
We must learn to be good students of history, let us learn from the mistakes of the last to weeding out anti-masses politicians entirely from the Nation. Their antecedents are for all to see, our judgement of good governance should be defined by us and not by how well we defined and gauge the level of impact done by our political class.
By Marcus Amudipe