Nigeria turned impartial in 1960 with nice hope. Our dad and mom believed they had been constructing a nation that will develop stronger with every era. However someplace alongside the road, issues didn’t go as deliberate. Programs turned weak, management misplaced path, and corruption crept in.
At this time, many individuals from our era really feel annoyed. Some even say we’re an “unlucky era.” They consider these earlier than us held on to energy for too lengthy, leaving little house for others. They are saying until you’ve sturdy connections, you can not discover your house.
However let’s be trustworthy, is that the complete story?
Whereas the system has not all the time been truthful, we should additionally ask ourselves: what efforts have we made to be a part of it? How many people attend ward conferences? What number of have joined a political occasion past election intervals? What number of are prepared to begin small and develop?
Extra importantly, how many people actually have a voter’s card?
In a rustic of over 200 million individuals, about 93 million registered to vote within the final basic elections. Out of this quantity, solely about 24 million individuals avoted.
Take into consideration that.
The vast majority of Nigerians didn’t vote, but many are the loudest with regards to complaining.
Much more regarding is that this: many educated individuals, the center class, and even the rich usually keep away from the polling items. They consider their vote doesn’t matter, or that politics doesn’t concern them. In the meantime, politicians focus their campaigns on rural and underserved communities the place they know votes will come from.
However the fact is easy, whenever you don’t present up you give others the facility to determine for you. Silence on the polling unit is louder than noise on social media.
We can’t proceed to sit down on the fence. If we select to not take part, we weaken our voice and our affect. Actual change calls for greater than opinions, it requires motion.
It’s simple to complain from the surface. It’s tougher to step in and take accountability.
We can’t proceed to criticise leaders and count on change with out enjoying our half. Actual change comes from participation – from the grassroots to the highest. Politics just isn’t one thing you leap into in a single day. It takes persistence, studying, and consistency.
The reality is, it isn’t too late for anybody. If individuals of their 70s and 80s are nonetheless main, then being 40, 50, and even 60 just isn’t a limitation. It is a bonus. Expertise and knowledge matter.
We additionally want to vary our mindset. When good individuals keep away as a result of they consider “every thing is unhealthy,” they depart the house open for the flawed individuals to dominate.
Our era is educated. We perceive the issues. However understanding just isn’t sufficient; participation is what makes the distinction. When you don’t vote, you’ve already voted for whoever wins.
If we actually need a greater Nigeria, we should transfer from criticism to contribution. Begin out of your ward. Get your voter’s card. Present up on election day. Become involved. Help credible leaders. Construct relationships. Provide options. And when the time comes, step ahead.
One thing have to be executed, and it have to be executed now.
Nigeria is not going to repair itself. It is going to be mounted by people who find themselves able to get entangled.
So no, our era just isn’t unlucky. We’re merely a era that should rise, take accountability, and be a part of the change we want.