Politics in Nigeria is presently undergoing
transition from idealism into realism and
practicism. It's no news that our politicians
have stemmed out new means of making
gullible electorates tomb print by the side of
their party's flag.
Politics is currently a game of 'do it now or
never' syndrome. Party manifesto has been
swept under the carpet. Presently, if you are
involve in politics, aiming to be a public office
holder, if you cannot share bags of rice
accompanied with money, be ready to forgo
the office you are seeking to occupy for those
who know how to play the cards.
Pathetic and unreasonable it may seem, Rice
sharing is now a norm and as it stands, it's
has become the 'most modern, most
strongest and the most visionary weapon
our politicians possessed against the gullible
masses'. With this weapon at hand, they can
easily strike and change the thinking phase
of an average Nigerian citizen who is in-turn
ready to sell his future and that of his
children for just a bag of rice.
This can be clearly seen in the just concluded
Ekiti governorship election where bags of rice
was the deciding factor. So many political
experts have been coming up with different
reasons why fayemi lost and fayose won. But
the truth is, one major deciding factor was
rice. I never knew Ekiti people loved bagged
Thailand rice this much. I though it was
pounded yam.
One week before the election, fayose
distributed bags of rice with cash to varsity
students, market women and other selected
groups. The result of this act was a massive
turn out vote for fayose of the people
democratic party(PDP) Leaving his opponent
the incumbent governor in dismay.
Fayose act has not only suggests that our
vote can be bought with little or meaningless
materials (i say), it also means that the
Nigerian people are not ready for the change
they are clamouring for. It denotes that we
believe in the 'feed me i follow you' syndrome
not minding the daring consequences
afterward.
RICE! A midget bag of rice that won't last a
family up to four days! Something is really
wrong with us. Poverty is not an excuse for
this greeny action. It only spells doom for the
country.
Again, just recently, Zamfara state has also
go Ricing. Former zamfara state governor,
Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, who is planning to
contest again as Governor of the state in
2015 shared bags of rice to the people of the
state for Ramadan in a view to further inform
them that he is contesting again.
Giving
foodstuffs to the needy during Ramadan is an
accepted holy act but politicking it is
necessarily uncalled for. As a political tool, he
is laying a strong foundation come 2015 and
it should not be unexpected if the end result
is victory to him.
It seems fayose victory which was strongly
influenced by his ability to get the weakest
point of gullible average Nigerians has open
the door widely and cleanse the air for
politicians who are ready to play the game as
it is set come 2015.
We are in 2014, our politicians are replacing
our future with bags of rice.
What will happen in 2015? Floods of bags of
Rice everywhere? We are doom.
Coughing out the most annoying part, these
same people who rice as an exchange for
their conscience would have the moral
justification to complain of perceived bad
governance having received rice as "pay-off".
Or should we keep mute and go by the words
of Abraham lincoln ''Elections belong to the
people. It's their decision. If they decided to
turn their back on the fire and burn their
behinds, then they will just have to sit on
their blisters".
The manner at which politics is transforming
in Nigeria, you may or may not vote. In the
case of ekiti people, those who did not vote
are more better than those who did but sold
their conscience.
I strongly disclaim those insinuations that
you should not sit at home and complain
about bad government, bad roads, bad
electricity, corrupt leaders when you did not
vote. There is no logic in that. If you vote and
you elect dishonest and incompetent people
into office due to your selfish interest who
screw everything up, you re responsible for
what they have done. You caused the
problem, you voted them in, you have no
right to complain.
People on the other hand who did not sell
their conscience and vote in incompetency,
who in fact did not leave their house on
election day are in no way responsible for
what these people have done and have every
right to complain about the mess you created
that they have nothing to do with.
The point is- it is better not to vote than to
sell your vote for Rice and other material
things.
The truth is, if we truly want to change
some things in this country, we need to wake
up, stand upright to the task, we should not
allow any politician to buy our moral sense of
right and wrong. we have our natural right
and as human being who are able to discern
from right and wrong, we should not be easily
deceived by those irrelevant tactics of our so
called politicians. Change can only be
achieved in a society where the citizen are
more wiser than what they think.
Written by Omolaoye Sodiq.
Omolaoye sodiq is currently a 200l Student of department of Mass Communication, Ahmadu
bello University, zaria.
