Nigeria is in the throes of change. All over the country, the wind of change is whipping up expectations that come next year, Nigerians will make the correct choices when they file out to vote for those who will steer the ship of the country in the next four years.
Expectedly, the contenders and pretenders are all over the place, putting themselves out and about in a bid to convince Nigerians that they have the magic wand.But who does the cap really fit?
In a country ripped apart by bad governance, who does the cap really fit in what would surely prove to be crucial elections which may just catch the Giant of Africa drinking in the last chance saloon.
A cast of shady characters
Recent statistics show that Nigeria’s population is now about 216 million with many of that considerable number young people.
Nigeria is also a country of vast human and natural resources which has however struggled to get going since independence in 1960.A lot of Nigeria’s struggle to put it’s house in order is down to the shocking manner in which those tasked with leading the country at different points of its existence have treated the country.
In the face of successive administrations lacking in vision, vitality and virility, Nigerians have watched as cancerous corruption has chewed up vital sectors of the national life. If today Nigeria suffers from a near collapse of the country, then it is many years in the making.
The dire situation of the country is the reason why during every election season, many people peddling dubious credentials mount the dais of electioneering to harp on Nigeria’s many challenges and convince Nigerians that they are the right fit to fix the country’s problems
However, the experience of Nigerians with such people is that they are almost always cut from the same cloth and bleached with emptiness and empty promises.
In their free time, Nigerians amuse themselves with tall tales about how the country has many competent people that can fix the country, but who would simply not be given the chance because the system is too corrupt, and too structured against those who value prudence and probity.
There are also many Nigerians who tell themselves that Nigeria is irredeemable as it is, and can only be saved by division and separation.
Some of those who are now falling over each other to become president of Nigeria carry the message that they have solutions to the country’s problems in their hearts and on their lips. They mouth the same message and desperately struggle to convince even themselves to believe the message.
Yet, many of them come with backgrounds boiling with many grave unanswered questions. For many of them, even those in their closest circles who stand to benefit the most if they make it to the country’s highest office hardly trust them.
It is why Nigerians must be especially circumspect with the choices they make during the next elections. The country has suffered so much in the hands of bad leaders and their terrible decision making in the last few years to make it eminently doubtful that the country can afford any more such wild rides any time soon.
Whatever happens, Nigerians must remember that whoever is given the reins of the country next year will have a big say in determining the direction the country would travel.
Kene Obiezu,
keneobiezu@gmail.com