CHANCE, CHOICE AND CHANGE “The hardest choices in life arent between whats right and whats wrong but between whats right and whats best.” ― Jami Ford. As we approach a new election year, there is a flurry of activity on the social media and most of it are comments on the suitability of the candidates of various political parties. Practically all these comments are made by youth, who form the largest proportion of internet users in Nigeria today, especially the use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and sundry chat sites. Going by these analogy, the level of interest so far shown in politics by this group is quite encouraging. One is tempted to think that perhaps this time around, these young people who form the largest part of our rising population, are ready to effect a change to the status Quo. And why not? The security situation is frightening and violent crimes are rampant. If the measure of a civilization is the value it places on human life then we are quite truly regressing into barbarism. Boko Haram, the terrorist group that has had the country in a bind for years now continue to make a mockery of our security system and our country. Apart from seemingly being able to bomb at will, the group has been able to rubbish our nations image by holding hostage over two hundred young girls kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Borno State some seven months ago. The negotiations for the release of the girls have turned farcical with tragi-comic results. Political parties fall over themselves to claim the dubious honour of having done more than others to resolve the matter; government alternately announces breakthrough in the war and negotiations only to withdraw its claims in quick order. In the meantime the girls remain in subhuman bondage and their parents literally die from sorrow. The economy is doing poorly as oil price continues to fall despite protestations by the government; and over 20 states say they have to delay salary payments to civil servants this month as a result. Unemployment is higher than before; industries keep collapsing; the private sector is in dire straits and the opportunity available for the Nigerian youth to reach his/her dream keep shrinking by the day. In most states of the federation, the last three and half years have been quite disappointing as far as governance is concerned. The leaders have mostly talked rather than worked; stolen rather than increase the revenue base; sacked rather than employed; and the general infrastructural deficit has worsened. Moreover, all the states are in huge debt and yet one is at a loss to understand what those debt were used to fund! Honestly, I doubt if there anyone thinking correctly that accepts the way things are or should be allowed to continue this way and we now have a chance to make the right choice so that we can change the way things are being done in our country. The youth who are the most affected by this turn of events are right to be active in the chats and blogs and they have every right to express their anger in the social media,but that is not how they can effect the change that is needed. They must be prepared to walk the talk. It is not enough to stay in the cities, hugging the internet. They must learn how democracy work, and how crucial it is to know something of grassroot politics. It is sad that some of the most active people on the net, who are often vociferous in their condemnation of the way the nation is run, do not even have voters cards. They do not know their councillors, or the leaders of parties in their wards. They have little influence on who becomes their local government chairmen. Mostly showing that their whole knowledge of governance revolves around what happens at the federal level: the President and his cabinet. Yet the local government is critical for any lasting change in the body polity. We must learn to participate in local politics, know how our representatives in the state and federal legislature are elected and how the parties are structured. As they say: all politics is local. This is the time to find the time to visit the villages and get a grasp of what they are grappling with and who the candidates behind the posters are. The local governments have been the most neglected tier of government in this Republic. There are allegations that practically nothing happens in these places and the chairmen and their councils just appear month end to collect subventions and share amongst themselves. The matter is further compounded by the fact that most state governors now operate what they term joint accounts, cornering federal government allocations to the local governments and putting them in a pool, then deciding on the basis of some whim what to give each local government. This is illegal and wrong, but it goes on. It goes on because we have abandoned politics to people of low morals, low esteem and low abilities believing that we are above participating in the same system that defines our everyday lives. We constantly witness how these People cannot challenge the governors, have no track records of achievements in any field and therefore lacked the clout to challenge the seizure of their allocations by governors. Our youth must show as much interest in what goes on in their local councils as they do in what the federal government does. We have another chance to clean up Nigeria, and our youth, who form 60% of our population, will remain in big cities without participating at the home front, leaving the grassroots in grave danger of being overrun by hoodlums and hustlers. As a result we might again end up with what we dont desire as party men, politicians, sensitive political appointees and other holders of public offices of trust. We need new and practical ideas on how to make life easier and better. We need to replicate what goes on in other climes where things work. We need to make the right choices and we need to develop the requisite courage to embrace change while the chance is still available. Bello Bawa Bwari writes from Minna,
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 23:10:09 +0000