Like most Nigerians, he is heavily biased in his political inclinations. You can see the unrefined and narrow logic in many of his statements. He makes hasty generalisations, concludes on people’s intentions without any proof, kicks objectivity out the window, and automatically detests anyone who supports another candidate, and not his preferred Peter Obi.
He is my shawarma plug.
For my peace of mind, whenever I go there, I deploy my Madagascar penguins trick:
I don’t have the energy to engage people who love to share their politics without objectivity, especially unsolicited. I honestly don’t give two hoots who you are supporting.
Let me eat my shawarma in peace.
My fear is the fact that Nigerians know how to get into abusive relationships with their leaders. And when four years are up, Nigerians will look to escape the present troubles by choosing what looks safer.
We will take all the hope and expectations and pour on that single escape. And then we lose sight of the weightier matters.
Politics is like shawarma. You think you really know it until you see what’s inside. And if you don’t trust your plug, you will end up eating rubbish. The fact that we know the name does not mean it will match our desire.
And that is one thing wrong with the way Nigerians participate in politics.
They don’t have an understanding of how government was designed to work. In the scope of things, the president of Nigeria cannot realistically be the saviour. He does not have the capacity to do that. Without a legislature that is on the same page, government failure will persist. Good intentions will not solve the problem. This is why many of the leeching senators and reps stay in that lane: people barely notice. They just keep going on, getting re-elected, and avoid the spotlight.
If you don’t know how government should work, you will not have proper expectations when deciding who to vote for. This is why political education at the basic level is extremely important.
Political participation is touted as getting people out to vote and to exercise their civic rights. This is good. But where we rely on emotions and sentiments, and the destructive force of unimaginative and uneducated opinions thrust on us by people we respect without any tangible basis, even that very limited political participation will yield the worst results.
Political participation is impossible without political education. And that education is beyond getting your PVC, knowing the candidates, and voting in an election. Absolutely not. There is a broad spectrum to what should be known regarding the workings of the Nigerian government. Not just about the executive arm of government, but the legislature, judiciary, government ministries, agencies, and parastatals, and every part of the organs of government.
More than that, our understanding must be nuanced by historical perceptions, research, and ideals. It will help you have balanced perspectives on government spending, for instance. You will see why oil became such a major force in Nigeria’s economy, and what the opportunity cost of that shift was.
All of these will help you study properly the need to do much more than vote or stand for election.
A lack of political education means people will have a semblance of political consciousness but have limited scope to apply this consciousness. You know what this does? A disservice to the nation, that’s what it does.
Think of Nigeria as a baby born into a family of people who have absolutely no idea what a baby is! How can they truthfully care for that baby? Their best intentions should lead them to learn about the baby, not just ‘try things out’. In saner climes, children are taken out of families and from people who have demonstrated that they have no capacity or understanding of how to take care of children.
Little wonder the monsters are taking our Nigeria from us. We, the people, do not care enough to learn politics.
