1st October 1960, Nigeria gained independence as a country. To obtain this independence, there were heroes who had to lay their lives down, and put everything they’ve got into it, but where are we today? What do we have to show for it? Can we prove that their sacrifices were not in vain?
In the year 1955 free primary school education was introduced in Nigeria which came to an end in the year 1966. Why did it have to come to an end? Nowadays we have crèche schools that charge over three hundred thousand Naira, what exactly are they teaching babies that should cost that much?
The education sector in Nigeria is mostly nothing to write home about. One strike to the next, A four-year course is turned into eight years, do you think the students will still be interested in learning? And we ask why are students dropping out? Or why are students becoming yahoo boys?
Why should the minimum qualification to be the president of a country of over 200 million people be a secondary school certificate? First and foremost, these people who contest for election are over fifty years of age, so how on earth are they able to use their secondary school knowledge to rule a country? Which knowledge are they using to allocate the resources adequately? This is why Nigeria’s resources are never enough. In current news, direct from the front page of Punch newspaper “NNPC fails to account for 107 million barrels of crude“ How?? What is the government’s action towards this? Nigeria needs discipline.
The very first characteristic of a good leader is accountability.
Are our leaders accountable to us? The transportation sector of the country, where is it today? Some governors are trying to implore the use of rail transportation but here is my question, what is the progress level of road transportation before you move to the next one and leave it unfinished? Road transportation is nowhere. Can you drive 5 meters, just 5 meters without getting into at least one pothole?
Do we have a governor in Ogun state? What is he doing? The very first rain in the year 2022 was not until the beginning of the month of February. The road construction projects did not start until after the rain began to fall. Take a look at the Joju road, the construction did not take place while the surface was dry.
The road is now worse to the state in which it is unmotorable, bikes plying the road go in one mind praying not to slip because they are trying to fend for their families, yet you can’t just make it better for them. Fuel scarcity, national blackout, bad road, inflated prices of goods, all at once, why?? Is Abeokuta the only jurisdiction in Ogun state? Has the state governor ever stepped outside the capital state just to see what the people he is governing actually need? These people stood in a long queue under the scorching hot sun just so they can vote for you, and this is what they get?
The educational sector which is supposed to be producing future leaders is not even functioning properly. These students see different celebrities everyday on social media flaunting their wealth, do you think they won’t be moved to find whatever it takes to get such wealth when they don’t have what to focus on, school isn’t even working out. Kidnapping is an everyday story in this country, nowhere is safe, even government-owned vehicles are now being used for evil activities. Do you think if the country was in a better situation and the people had stable sources of income or at least enjoyed certain privileges, everywhere would be this dangerous?
What do we have to show in the health sector? Absolutely nothing, because even our leaders need to go abroad for their medical checkups. If they had fixed up the hospitals with the right equipment will they need to go abroad for any treatment or spend the money that can be directed towards another course to get medical checkups abroad? Tell me, do you or has anyone ever seen the prime minister of the United Kingdom say he is going to some country to get a medical checkup? This is because he made it available in his own country and he also provided well-trained personnel through a stable education system to operate this equipment. Amidst the crisis happening in Nigeria, the government, the president of this country went out of the country to get medical checkups when people are going through a tough time.
A single 4-year term is enough to make an impact in this country if the late General Muritala Rahamat Muhammad can make an unforgettable impact in this country within 6 months. With the right delegation of power, and the right allocation of resources there should be an adequate change in this country, and not just delegating power also accompanied by continuous monitoring and inspection to ensure that the delegated responsibility is carried out properly.
The time to vote and make your vote count is fast approaching; will you make the right choice? A leader is someone who leads by example, and who is accountable to his people. The wealth, age, educational status, experience, connection, and health status, which do you think should matter the most in choosing the right leader? What is the future you imagined for Nigeria? Make the right choice now to make a positive impact on future generations.
Written by: Aderonke Ojedokun
