TwoCents | MISTAKES HAVE MADE US WISER, MORE POLITICALLY MATURE

It cannot be overstated that the present Nigerian political set up is unprecedented. The run up to the 2023 elections is exciting as well as thrilling. Elections in Nigeria have never been issue based. It has rather been reserved for the strongest and richest candidate, with ethnic sentiments being a major driver. When it's time for elections, political parties and their candidates switch to transaction mood. They don't discuss pertinent issues. They most times don't even have manifestos. They only make promises without a clear cut plan of achieving them, then wait for elections to share money to the populace in exchange for their votes. Money which they acquired from the raping of our collective treasury. This has only succeeded in producing mediocre candidates. Nigeria being a nascent democracy, which just escaped years of draconian and repressive military rule. Nigerians were probably still caught up in the euphoria of the freedom and benefits a democracy promised to begin demanding for the best. There seems to be another factor, but it's more psychological. The generation who actively lived through the military rule probably got used to things being a certain way and accepted it as normal. They gave up their fight and permitted the military autocracy to permeate into our democracy. One can say our democracy is maturing, but in reality it is the older generation phasing out and the newer generation who were born either after military rule or towards the end of military rule who were too young to understand what was happening. They most likely had only read or heard about it. They have seen, read and witnessed how democracy is supposed to be practised and want to enjoy same. It is this demography of people, basically youths who are standing up to say "No! Enough is enough". The run up to the 2015 elections seemed to be the first signs of this maturity. Despite the fact that the Buhari era is actually worse off and in comparison to that of Goodluck Jonathan, makes Jonathan look so good. In all honesty, the Goodluck Jonathan era was just as bad. Corruption and ineptitude was rife, the only difference is that it was not so brazen as it is now, but the government of Goodluck Jonathan was just as bad. Buhari and the APC who were in the opposition then, took advantage of the failings of the Jonathan government and his attendant disenchantment from the populace. They centered their campaign on Jonathan's biggest failing which was corruption and this gave them the support of the people. Nigerians massively voted against Jonathan. For the first time in the history of our democracy, an incumbent president lost an election. Again, they only promised to make the situation better, but never outlined for the people, a clear cut plan to achieve this and fight corruption. The result has been devastating. It was a mistake on our part as a people, but if we don't make mistakes, how do we learn? It seems we've learnt, as Nigerians are no longer satisfied with just promises, but are now demanding our presidential candidates to give us a road map to achieving their El Dorado in Nigeria. Our mistakes have made us wiser! Political maturity is beginning to grow roots.

Other insights from Tari Ogbowei