I sincerely join your numerous well-wishers wherever they are world-wide to wish all of you a prosperous new year (2023). The writing of this open letter to all of you within the specified age brackets is borne out by my conviction that God can use any Nigerian to be a catalyst for reform in the government of Nigeria at the national level. You are all aware that the presidential and National Assembly elections have been slated for February 25, 2023. In this letter, I shall lay emphasis on the presidential election with the following submissions: in February 1983, Sunny Okosun, the legendary Highlife and Afrobeat musician, sang a prophetic song titled: which way nigeria? In the song, the Ozidi Master asked: “Which way Nigeria?/ Which way to go?/I love my fatherland. I want to know which way Nigeria is heading to. ” About 40 years after the composition with the singing of this song by its composer, there is no Nigerian who knows the way Nigeria is actually going. This puzzle has led many Nigerians in different walks of life to get terribly worried about governance in the country, particularly at the National level since the end of the First Republic (i.e. the period between 1st October, 1960 when Nigeria gained its independence and the 15th day of January, 1966 when the first military coup d’etat took place in Nigeria).
In spite of your academic attainments in different fileds of study, many of you still roam the streets in Abuja and state capitals looking for jobs which are not available. The horrible predicament you have faced is a departure from what those of us who are your parents and grandparents faced when we were youths like you. Yet, those of us who are old still want to govern you till eternity. It is high time you united to liberate yourselves by voting for a president who will have consideration for you as from May 29, 2023. Interestingly, you have the numerical strength, as youths of Nigeria, to determine the presidential candidate who can win the February 25, 2023 election. According to the statistics released by INEC as of October 27,2022, “93,522,272 Nigerians had been registered to vote in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.” The demographic distribution of the total figure of registered voters has revealed that 76 .5 percent consisting of young people between 18 and 34 years are part of the total registered population.
In your decision to vote for anyone of the presidential candidates, you should ensure to cast your votes for any candidate who is above 70 years old. Nigeria should no more waste any colossal amount of money on an old president who will be travelling out of the country for medical attention regularly. However, Nigerians who are either septuagenarians or octogenarians but are still intellectually sound and healthy to withstand the rigorousness in the two legislative chambers of the National Assembly could be voted for to represent their respective constituencies in different parts of Nigeria. There are some armchair critics who will disagree with the above proposal to the youth of Nigeria. Such critics may say that the current US President, Joe Biden, is 80 years old and that his immediate predecessor who was a septuagenarian when he was the President of the same country. I wish to let such critics know that the cardinal features of the presidential system of government as practised in the United States are absent in our type of presidential system. For example, state governments have the greatest influence on the daily lives of most Americans. The Constitution of the United States allows the states to handle the majority of issues most relevant to individuals within their jurisdiction. Each state in the U.S. has its own constitution, government and code of laws. Therefore, the basis for comparison between Nigeria and the U.S. about the presidential system of government is not there.
Finally, I sincerely admonish all youth between 18 and 40 years old to abstain totally from the collection of bribes from electoral candidates and their sponsors or supporters before, during and after the 2023 general elections. I wish to call your attention to what Mrs. Eunice Ngozi Onuegbusi from Ukwulu (Amagu Village) Ward 1, Polling Unit 04 in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State did during the gubernatorial election on Saturday, November 6, 2021. She bluntly refused to have her vote bought by a party agent of one of the political parties for N5,000 in her polling unit. Instead, she insisted on voting for a candidate of her choice without collecting any bribe. This act of integrity prompted the former governor of Anambra State, Hon. Willie Obiano, to give Madam Eunice a cash gift of N1,000,000 after the election. Speaking during a church service where he announced the cash reward, the former governor said, “Madam Eunice knew that though money could buy her temporary relief, Anambra State would be a better place for voting according to her conscience.” Interestingly, the candidate of APGA (Prof. Chukwuma Soludo) the woman freely voted for won the gubernatorial election, while the noble action of the woman is globally applauded.
- Deacon Omotoso writes in from Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State via sammydapus@gmail.com
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