The People Don't Know Their True Power

This country is sick. At least that’s what Mr. Olukayode, my Civic Education teacher says. I find him more interesting than Mrs. Maiturare, our former teacher, who does not tell stories as much as he does. I really enjoy his stories. He brings freshly-sapped gist from the political palm trees and delivers it with his own drinking cup. He told us last week of a tape that was leaked on how a governor rigged elections in Edo, sorry, Ekiti State. I can remember that time when I was scrolling through my Twitter timeline and saw that they had sent many many soldiers and policemen to Ekiti for the elections. If they could still rig the elections then, what would stop them now? I could not, and still cannot understand why everyone is sitting down and looking at the rigger of the elections. Shouldn’t he be in jail or something? I asked Mr. Olukayode and he told me that Nigeria has an uneducated and unethical democracy. I never knew there was a third type of democracy and it seems that only Nigeria is running it as far as I know. I can write this in my mock exams next week: 

“-This system of democracy allows for the direct slander of opponents during campaigns and rallies, and even in newspapers I steal get from the library every day. In this system of democracy, you can pick on your opponent’s flaws as though you were two children fighting in primary school. “You have a big stomach from the money you are eating”, “Your wife is not a Nigerian”, “You have a Port Harcourt Degree (PhD) and you are treating us like animals”, “I have plenty papers. You don’t have any papers!”etc. There is also the presence of media houses to blow things out of proportions with use of words like “slams”, “lambasts” and “condemns”. Another function of the media houses is to take sides with the highest-bidding political parties by creating attractive graphics that consume every gullible listener and viewer. Another peculiarity of this system is that you are free to woo illiterate and desperate voters with expired bags of rice and yam that would hopefully last for years to come after the elections. There is also the presence of ever-exploding social media platforms that criticize and correct the government in power which hardly ever listens e.g. #BringBackOurGirls. Eloquent and intelligently outspoken individuals are also allowed to place their talents up for sale to the highest bidder to juice up the campaigns. Such cases of political ‘prostitutes’ are not considered corruption but merely spontaneous change of ideals influenced by individual economic recessions. Finally, corrupt officials are celebrated and encouraged to stay in power by those who have benefited from their loot and most importantly, thugs of yesterday can be forgiven to become the Special Advisers of today.”

Most of my classmates think I should become a politician when I grow up because I have ‘sweet mouth’. I really would like to become one. However, not in this ‘unethical and uneducated system of democracy’. I sometimes wonder if Nigeria deserves democracy. As a 16 year-old, I feel like I have more of an independent view to politics than the 50 year-old night watchman with 8 children who would sell his vote for a N1000 because he does not understand the value of his franchise, or perhaps, circumstances compromised his integrity. That night watchman and millions of others like him who sell their integrity out of necessity are what destroy the fabric of democracy. Hence, the inevitable weevil of corruption eats into the beans of their integrity and the resulting porridge of democracy becomes putrid. The people find themselves at the mercy of their leaders and their rights become privileges to them since a loophole was discovered. I should be allowed to vote then, I think, given my unwavering integrity. The truth is, maybe I have not ‘grown’ to grasp the realities of life. But I do grasp one thing; the people do not know their true power. 

I am Malami.

@ss_malami on Twitter.