The emergence of All Progressive Congress (APC) as the party which posits to upstage the influence of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the Nigerian polity has more or less fired up politicians, analysts as well as observers in view of the 2015 elections. Declarations of intentions are being made; negotiations and lobbying are also aggressively going on. Politics in all terrains is about money so it is not peculiar to Nigeria that people make their intentions known by committing certain amounts of money to party activities as well as to party members.
Over the years, politicians have given out cash gifts as well as other items including food stuffs to members of the public to win their votes although they like to tell the people that it is their contribution towards reducing the suffering of members of communities. Towards the end of last year, a well known legal practitioner in Edo State travelled from town to town throwing 12½kg sacks of rice at members of the public on the excuse of contributing towards reducing the suffering of the people. Sadly, only able-bodied and aggressive people in the crowds could catch such bags of rice; what about the people who are really suffering? No doubt the lawyer must have expended quite some amount of money in carrying out the exercise but what truly is his intention? It is well known that he was one of the contestants for the seat of the governor of Edo State. Next question is whether the rice distributed is enough to pay for the mandate of the electorate.
As politicians are rearing to go, the electorate should be quick and smart about speaking in unison about the demands of their communities. Demands should be made for tangible projects; projects that will employ members of the communities and effectively reduce the growing crime rate and empower the people so that that they can live a better quality of life. Such projects should include rehabilitation and construction of hospitals, health centers and good roads, supply of clean water safe for all to drink, factories, improvements on the practice of agriculture, etc. The rice politicians are definitely out to feed the people for a day rather than empowering them to rise above the level of helplessness and complete disenfranchisement which poverty bears.
The electorate should not be modest or timid about making these demands because whether or not the people demand or the politicians deliver, once elected into office, corrupt minded politicians will still find ways of corruptly enriching themselves and still beat the long arms of the law.
Politicians should stop pretending to be modest by giving anonymous service; they should declare it publicly so the people know what to give in return.
GOD bless Nigeria.
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