American author, Napoleon Hill once said “When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal”.
As insane as it may sound, many agree with the authour’s thought that failure and planning are very important recipes one seriously needs to have when preparing a winning formula to solve any given problem in any given field. It is important to fail and more important to critically examine and learn from the errors of a former trial in order to have better chances when having another go.
Many Nigerians agree that as a collective bunch, we have failed and acted nonchalantly to the duties expected of those who occupy the important office of the citizen in a democracy, a people based-government. This is the popular belief because every election cycle, we complain about the quality of individuals presented to us and worry that due to the lack of being spoiled for choice, we have to choose characters who personify either “drinking acid” or “taking a bullet to the skull”. Point is both will kill you because they are equally and obviously not great options.
As recent as the last #EndSARS protest where people marched against police brutality and other ills bedeviling Nigeria, the common chorus in our various songs of lamentations was that for the 2023 election cycle, we would do things differently within the ambits of the law in trying to elect persons who will do the bidding of the people. However, the current atmosphere suggests we may have moved on from the issues or for the umpteenth time, lost interest in the whole political process.It looks like we are failing to plan again and one does not need to be Nostradamus to know that the prospective result of our current action or inaction would be a very familiar one.
As we speak, many fear there are no fresh faces from the pool of the citizenry out and about trying to build alliances ahead of the forthcoming elections. This is of course, as rumours continue to fill the air that the usual political heavyweights have started crisscrossing the lengths and breadths of the Nigeria ahead of the 2023 election cycle.
We want to play “the dirty game of politics” as it is often referred to in Nigeria, but it looks like there is not a draft for a team in place yet and time is currently moving the speed of light.
While we may have to swallow the bitter pill of truth with regards to our sluggishness towards important matters, some feel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also has a share of the blame because it seems to have rescheduled voter registration excersise initially set for the first quarter of 2021 for the second quater, hereby knowingly or ignorantly subduing the euphoria born of the last agitations. However, what would be the use of the voter registration if the people have refused to participate in the politics themselves?
Do we really think the power we seek to put in the hands of those who will do the right things for the country would be served to us free of charge?
Even though campaigns would not officially begin until 90 days to d-day, who amongst us has started speaking to the people in preparation to challenge the status quo in different elections?
Have we forgotten all we said during the #EndSARS protest? Is the importance of the next election cycle lost on us?
Are we already failing to plan again?