Democracy versus Voter’s Cards

How wise or otherwise Nigerians are could be determined by anyone based on a particular criterion in a specific period. For some, the rationale of the Nigerian people is difficult to determine within the field of science or engineering or arts. For some others, the smart level of thinking among Nigerians is evident in the survival mentality of the youth. However, many in political science believe how wise Nigerians are can only be known during elections. Though some great scientists, engineers, novelists etc. have emerged from Nigeria, in some cases, such fellows thereafter get settled outside the country so that they could be far away from the claw of its ever declining economy.

Whenever it is time for elections, hullabaloo of ideas and opinions are usually shared on social media platforms, on public buses, at newsstands, in saloons, offices, and even at religious places. The varieties of views about the incumbent and challenging candidates are reliable criteria that could be used to determine if the population in the country is made of 200 million mùmú (idiots), as stated by Lágbájá, or not. 

Recently, in the expressing their so-called intelligence, some people in Nigeria, on the one hand, have willingly described hardship as the gain of anti-corruption. To such fellow, without hardship, better things could not be achieved. Besides, their argument is that without inflation, any occupier of public office is not good enough. In sum, for people in the first category, hardship is the only way to socio-economic freedom that will never come to pass. On the other hand, some individuals see hardship, inflation and devaluation of the nation’s currency as the core features of failure. To people in the latter group, excuses are the anthems of failure-politicians.

The late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua with

Goodluck Jonathan, standing in the

president's office in Aso Rock, Abuja

When Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was the president of Nigeria, the average prices of bread, petrol per litre and a bag of rice were N150, N87 and N6,000 respectively. Besides, the worth of naira to Euro was between 200 to 220 naira. Some years before the emergence of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua – the predecessor of Jonathan – as president, Nigeria experienced lower prices of the three items; bread was N120, petrol was N65 per litre (15.39% reduction from N75) and a bag of rice was N5,500. Prior to Yar’Adua administration, Olusegun Obasanjo increased prices of petroleum products seven times within eight years (from June 1, 2000 to May 27, 2007). Were the increases paid for by voter’s cards of the electorates or the people themselves? 

Here is a question: Were the 66.67% increase in the price of petrol and other catastrophic inflation in the prices of kerosene and gas during the present administration of Muhammadu Buhari paid for by voter’s cards or the electorates? Without any doubt, the answer is not elusive.

Despite the fact that Obasanjo created the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003 to combat mismanagement of funds and crimes that are finance related, the prices of the three listed items and others were not at cut-throat level. Besides, the value of a US dollar then to naira was N120 at most. Surprisingly, during the era of Buhari's daily media publicity of boxing, wrestling, shooting and killing of corruption, the prices of the three identified goods changed to another level: a loaf of bread is now N350, a litre of petrol is N145 and a bag of good rice is N17,000. In fact, every product experience price increase, even traffic gridlocks increased.

Voter's Cards

Here are questions that possessors of the so-called voter’s cards need to answer: Who determines the economic policies that influences the skyrocketed increases in the prices of products from June 2015 till date? Is it the voters' cards or those who occupied the offices of the political party in power? If truly, the cabal in Aso Rock determines what is what in Nigeria, why should the electorates worry about voter’s cards?

When Akinwunmi Ambode decided to start multiple destructions of homes and offices with “reconstructions” and constructions of roads, who made the decision? Ambode or the voter’s card of the enfranchised people in Lagos? The answer to this question is better known to anyone who is not one of the 200 million mùmú as described by Lágbájá.

The statement that “voter’s card is one’s power” is the highest level of deceit. Even in the United States of America, Donald Trump’s decision to shut down the US government from December 2018 to January 2019 was not decided by the franchise of the people. It was enforced by one man who he only pursues his agenda under camouflage of national security.

Trusting anyone in politics is similar to putting one’s life in the hands of demons. Nothing good shall be gained from such. From 1960 till date, the speed of changes in Nigeria have been on the negative side. In education, health, agriculture, technology, housing, etc. the country continues to suffer in the hands of die-hard looters whose songs are composed with the same passwords – looting and deception.

No voter’s card can give anyone a positive future, especially in Nigeria where the eventual profiteers of every election are far above the electorates in the ladder of social stratification. Therefore, anyone’s participation in elections should not be seen as the way forward. It has always be backward. All economic policies in Nigeria are mechanisms of hardship. The only exemption was experienced in the short days of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua when he reversed the price of petrol – it was the only “miracle” that ever happened in the circle of politics in Nigeria. The next one might not come soon. Be prepared!

Akinlolú-Prime Samuelo

writing…