2015: A clarion call

Democracy, undoubtedly, is a game of numbers. Hence, the universal conviction that democracy simply means the actualisation of a government that is people-oriented and people-friendly. The key to democracy, therefore, is a free and fair election. Free and fair election simply refers to a situation where the opinion of the populace is allowed to decide who becomes what in a democratic state, through the employment of an impartial election umpire.

Given the above, any citizen, who is eligible to vote, is entitled to holding his opinion regarding who to vote and which political party to belong to. Within a single family, for instance, it is logical to have different supporters for defferent aspirants. In clear and simple terms, democracy does not allow, in any way, the usage of power or any coercive measure to stop any body from depicting his support for any political party or candidate.

However, the political events that have been unfolding in this country have only succeeded in telling the world that there is no democracy in Nigeria. Political leaders can be blamed, in anyway, for using youths, wrongly, simply to achieve a desired goal. The `yan sara suka, the `yan kalare, and the Yan daba would , till the end of time, be identified as symbols for political murder, disobidience to the rule of law and many other attrocities. Politcal leaders have made it a culture to gather young Nigerians, with the sole aim of influencing them, through the usage of drugs, to physically fight opposition parties.

Every school of thought believes that the Youth is the vanguard and backbone of every society. Unfortunately, Nigerian political leaders have, deliberately or otherwise, refuse to understand this. What is most annoying is that majority of thier children do not live in this country not to talk of thier involvement in dirty activities as such.

Nigerians have every reason to declare that our politicians do not mind what our future would look like. They do not mind about the dilapidated condition of the education sector in this country. Most Nigerian youths are, today, only perceiving the miasma of hopelessness.

As the 2015 elections draw nearer, it is logical to call on all eligible Nigerian voters to try as much as possible to elect into office, only those aspirants who have the required credentials and also who are willing to see to the realisation of a better Nigeria so that our political environment would be one of understanding, maturity and sanity.

Blog: jarmajo.blogspot.comOn Twitter: @mukhtarjarmajo