Strong desire to access the necessities of life that are rarely made available by successive administrations is one of the instruments that awaken the interest of the electorate in what to expect from their elected officials upon their assumption of office. They crave to find their feet in life.
The high cost of living and other harrowing economic issues have combined to worsen the current situation, leading to an increase in the country’s poverty index. Citizens from all parts of the country are stuffed ideally as to what awaits them in the forthcoming general election, thus enabling many to hold programmes poised at orientating the electorate on who to vote for and who should be collectively sacked through the ballot.
Most politicians promise the electorate heaven on earth. For elections aren’t easy to win by presenting facts to the electorate as they are, seekers of elective offices devise avenues to awaken their sensitivity by making mind-blogging pledges that could hardly be achieved in the world of reality.
To increase their chances of getting elected just like their executive arm counterparts, legislators in both National Assembly and the state Houses of Assembly have evolved constituency projects for the benefit of endearing themselves to their constituents and for matching up with the executive arm for praises that usually trail politicians who put structures on ground for all and sundry to see.
The politicians vying for these seats must think beyond their personal gains and centre their goals to what might change and uplift the already broken trust from the people. As loyal Nigerians, nothing should matter to us more than the absolute enthusiasm to salvage the country, to bring sanity into the system, to ignore every distraction marauding as political campaign. There is also a need for us to be intentional in our quest for a country that works.
- AbdulQudus Abdullahi, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria
