Naija elections are heating up, and the polarizations along ethnic and religious lines are becoming more so. I went to a unity school (shout out to FGGC, Bwari, Abuja which nurtured me) and formed some really deep friendships with girls from all over Nigeria and with different religious affiliations than I, friendships that have endured till today.
So, it’s hard for me to like or hate someone based solely on how they worship God or where they come from. It is painful to read some of the vitriol from Naijans – especially young people – hurled at other Nigerians simply because they are from a different cultural group or of a different religious belief.
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And while we are tearing each other apart over the political (mis)calculations of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, and the right northern VP to team up with a non-northern flagbearer, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants has a very real chance of becoming the prime minister of the United Kingdom. I don’t like Kemi Badenoch’s politics (I heard her speak a very long time ago before she became a star politician and even back then her stance on immigration and race was super problematic). I don’t understand the allure of right-wing conservatism for those from a group whose interests are not served by their policies, and I particularly detest those who climb up the ladder and kick it down, but there is something to be said for the fact that Kemi’s chances of being the prime minister of the UK is higher than that of a non-northerner in Nigeria winning a presidential election without a northerner on the ticket; Or a non-southerner winning without a southern running mate.
Sometimes, Nigeria feels like a dying patient on oxygen and the medical personnel in charge of the patient are smoking and playing Ludo in the room, completely unperturbed by the state of their patient or by the fact that they could be putting themselves at risk for lung cancer.
Public universities have been on strike for a while now, security is in shambles (Kuje prison break and the attack on an advance presidential convoy happened at about the same time) and yet, some (not all but definitely some) of the discussions I’ve heard about the elections have been less about policy than about which part of Nigeria the candidates come from. Are all Nigerians not suffering the consequences of the present challenges? We may not suffer them equally (parents who can afford to send their children to private universities to circumvent the effects of multiple strikes; the wealthy travel out for medical help; folks buy generators to provide power etc) but eventually, everyone does suffer. The rich also cry and all that.
Even President Buhari seems to understand the hopelessness of our situation as his tweet of July 6 illustrates: “Saddened by the attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje. I am disappointed with the intelligence system. How can terrorists organise, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it? I am expecting a comprehensive report on this shocking incident.”
A Nigeria that works is one that works for all of us. We must be willing to shun ethnic and religious biases in favour of candidates that would be committed to delivering an accountable government. We must vote with the awareness that who we put in power will affect our lives in a tangible way. Easier said than done in a country where ethnic and religious alliances have long been the determining factors for which party one votes in on the national level. Perhaps 2023 is the time to turn things around?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me say again how particularly heartwarming it is to see the enthusiasm with which former governor Peter Obi’s candidacy has been greeted. Whether he wins or loses, one thing is clear: his candidacy has spurred a movement that I imagine has the capacity to cut across cultural and religious loyalties. I don’t recall ever seeing so much excitement for one presidential candidate, and it is not because he’s handing out bags of rice branded with his name but because folks actually believe in his capacity to limp the country out of the ICU unit it is in at the moment and set it on the path of good health.
Naija youth especially, get your PVC, demand to know what the candidates are offering to bring to the table, look at their records, listen to them, and whatever choice you make, please let ethnicity and religion not be the deciding factors. Shine your eyes as you fight for your future. Let Kemi Badenoch’s politics remind you that the fact that someone looks like you or is from your part of the country doesn’t necessarily mean that they are your natural ally.
PS: Oga President, we are waiting on the comprehensive report too. We know you’ve been busy with other matters, like your daughter’s wedding to the AG of the Federation for one and weddings drain energy etc, but fixing security must surely be your priority. In the meantime, with 879 prisoners, including 64 Boko Haram members on the loose, folks be careful out there ooo.
PPS: I still can’t believe that the tweet I lifted from President Buhari isn’t from a parody account.
