We sold our TODAY yesterday, let's not sell our TOMORROW today

We sold our TODAY yesterday, let's not sell our TOMORROW today

WE SOLD OUR TODAY, YESTERDAY: LETS NOT SELL OUR TOMORROW, TODAY.

The first time I ever voted was after my youth service. My uncle, a very patriotic banker, wanted us to go to the village to exercise our rights and I gladly went with him just to support him but I had no intention of voting because I wasn't registered.

We got to my place in the early hours of the day and was greeted with a large and impressive turnout. So, while my uncle sorted himself out, I went over to my friends from school and chatted.

As I stood with them, I was given a voters card bearing a name quite different from mine and was asked to cast my vote with it. It sounded strange so I declined. But with the pressure from more than ten friends, I yielded.

After that, they came again with another voters card, bearing a different name from the first and asked me to cast my vote again.

At this time, I stood firm on my resolve and refused for which they were not so happy

I watched as my friends from school went about convincing and cajoling people and casting more than one votes till they got tired.

For the elderly, they just held their thumbs and do the needful on their behalf. I bet you, 90% of the voters didn't even know who they were voting for.

Later that day, my friends called that they had been settled and asked I come collect my share. I asked what was my share, and was told since I voted once, I was entitled to #2,000 naira.

The way they said it actually made me laugh.

I mean, those were the youth, our future leaders.

As if that wasn't enough, my mum brought her own report that for voting ( probably for a candidate they didn't know), the women in the locality had just received 20 bags of rice and other goodies.

At the end of the day, a paint rubber of rice was sent to her via the party representative .. again, these are people crying for change.

This was just my experience, but from local governments across the country, this scenario plays out at every election. The candidates with nothing to offer seeing the vulnerability of the people goes about buying the conscience of the populace. To them, politics is all about winning and sharing monies. They have no idea what leadership means yet they want to lead people with their crude mentality and we all still wonders why this country has turned out this way.

The populace on its own are blinded by greed, hunger, ignorance, poverty etc and do not see that they are being paid peanuts in exchange for their developments and amenities.

They are not aware that the rubber of rice, the #2,000 and other goodies received are made in exchange for their good roads, children's scholarships, jobs, pipe borne water, electricity to name a few.

They laugh for just few days and live the remaining three and half years lamenting how the federal has refused to make things better for them. We foolishly and ignorantly elect people with no knowledge of governance, no vision, no intellect and hope for things to go well.

Both the elected and the electee have no idea of their given responsibilities. So when a trunk A road gets bad, they scream ' presidency' and when a trunk B road does same, they still shouts ' presidency'. When there is no water in their vicinity, they cry same, when there is no light, the story is the same.

Meanwhile, the glorified leaders receives allocation and use it to compensate themselves for the peanuts they dished out during the elections. We all know the responsibilities and duties of the presidency but none has ever considered that of the Governors, local government chairmen, counsellors, traditional rulers etc.

I weep for this generation of uneducated literates.

Few months before the Advent of covid 19, Gov. Nyesom Wike, of Rivers State embarked on some developmental plans. He had a dream of building six flyovers in the state capital and regaining the lost glory of the state.

Many saw it as a mirage because in the minds of people, where would such money come from. But in the midst of a pandemic, the man kept his word. Today, the flyovers stands as witness to the the fact that if used, states allocations and revenues are enough for any leader that has the people's interest.

My dear Nigerian youths, learn from the Rivers example and start asking questions. The state is quite regaining it's glory, all thanks to the man that didn't fully imbibe the tradition of ' Ghana must go' looting.

Nigeria can be great again, but it requires each of our collective efforts.

As race for 2023 draws close, refuse to be bought, know who your leaders are, educate your parents, community, friends etc on the need to get it right this time.

Stop selling your birth right over a morsel that won't profit your today or tomorrow.

Change is an individual thing. It begins with you, I and everyone.

  1. #Franca Idemudia
  2. #Freelance Journalist
  3. #2precious2bdefiled
  4. #Excellencepraiz.
Category:
Politics