This Too shall Pass

Anthony Kila writes about the need for eligible Nigerian voters to critically assess those standing for election and ensure that only credible candidates are returned at Saturday’s national elections.

Dear Readers
By this time tomorrow, it will be Saturday, February 25, 2023 and barring any extraordinary circumstances, those of us who have taken all the necessary steps to vote will be on our way to the polling units or on our way from the polling units. Like all appointed days, tomorrow too will come and it shall pass and after its passing, the question will be “what did you do with the day?” no one asks if the date came because dates always come and pass.
It is a good place here to remind ourselves of the difference between day and date. A closer look will readily reveal to us that beyond being and coming as a combination of the day of the week, month and sometimes year, a date in itself is a neutral occurrence and it is what we choose to do with it, or not do with it, that makes a date special, positive or negative.

Nigerians, through institutions and events, have decided to make tomorrow the day to elect those who will manage the affairs of the country at the federal level on behalf of all of us for the next four years.
Ordinarily and technically, tomorrow’s election should simply be about just over 300 people seeking to get a new job, or retain their present jobs, in reality and practically though you and I however know that is more to it than ordinary and technically.

There is more to it because millions are called to employ a few, there is also more to it because politicians have the knack for making their business everyone’s business, they do so via what I have termed elsewhere as the “I am the people syndrome”, a typical manifestation of the “I am the people syndrome” include a politician striving to further his or her ambition making that a battle for his gender or ethnic group, or a politician struggling for power within his or her own political party making such struggle a conflict or war of friends and enemies of the nation.

In all cases, once the battle is over politicians will go back to become friends or at least informed shareholders of power and fame and yes, they always find ways to accommodate each other. Thanks to the social media and its tendency to unveil unrehearsed and undressed moments, more and more people are now seeing how governors and senators from different parties, religion and ethnic group relate like brothers and friends that connive to share the best part of the national cake together once elections are over.

Not so with the people who moved by passion, hope and induced sense of righteousness take it all personal then go on to hate and fight their own fellow shareholders who share nothing but excitement and the rough end of the consequences of bad leadership that makes most wallow in scarcity and queues.
These days, the words “scarcity and queues” make one think of petrol and naira but it is not just about those two crucial items. It has been long since we have been dealing with scarcity of jobs and security, we are not new to queues for registration, payments and validations, whilst also dealing with the scarcity of good roads and electric supply.

Contrary to what contesting politicians and their exuberant surrogates would like to make us believe, there are no cogent or practical reasons to conclude that these elections will produce a radical change in our lives.
At best and maybe some marginal changes for the better might occur if we are lucky, if we are unlucky, they could be for the worse.
Most of those likely to be elected are neither alien to the system nor are they known for their consistent stance against the status quo.
A quick look at the political past of the top candidates and the promises they are making for the future will make the case better for you than I could do.
Once we understand that this is just another moment in our national lives then we shall easily see why there is no reason to invoke or allow Armageddon.
As citizens, all we need to do is to calmly think through who we want to vote for based on what we think is right for us and for our interests and then go and vote for such person. In making our choice though, we need to find a way to distinguish between what candidates and their surrogates want us to believe and what we know or what we crave to know.

On Saturday we have four positions to fill, that of our president and vice president, senator of our district and a member of the house of representative. The system we run has made sure that all emphasis has been on the role of president, things ought not be this way.
Before tomorrow comes, we have a civic duty, if we want to be good citizens, to have a closer look at the vice-presidential candidate we want to vote for or vote against knowing that a vice president is just a heartbeat away from becoming president.

Before tomorrow comes, we have a civic duty, if we want to be good citizens, to have a closer look at those that want to become senators and members of the house of representative then decide if the lives and competences of these candidates show them to be worthy of legislating on our behalf. No need to deceive ourselves, few people have actually taken the time to google let alone listen to those that want to be legislators, let’s be honest that is bad but the good news is that there is still time: before tomorrow comes, we can still make amends.

From the feedback and various interactions I get, it is clear that readers of this page are not the average readers or residents, you are influential people, as we go out to vote tomorrow it is important that you use your influence to make sure that we do not treat tomorrow like the end of the world, wherever you are, let peace, calm and reason prevail because this tomorrow shall pass and what will remain for the next four years is what you did before tomorrow passed.
Please make sure you can live with it.
Join me if you can @anthonykila to continue these conversations.

-Kila is Centre Director at CIAPS Lagos. www.ciaps.org.