So much is wrong with the country. Insecurity, scarcity of money, fuel, and other basic amenities, brain drain, uneducated and unemployed masses, and so much more. The World Bank suggests that on every key performance indicator they monitor globally, the country is not only failing but continues to regress. I have said that besides total anarchy, it’s hard to imagine worse.
But for a minute, in the early hours of yesterday as more Nigerians than ever headed out to their polling stations to cast their votes in the presidential election, we held a ray of hopefulness that there will at least be peaceful elections across the country and the people of Nigerian will decide.
Unfortunately, as the day progressed, the underlying issues began to prop up. A shaky foundation will always fail and as my mother always says, you cannot hide smoke; true character always sips out.
It is still early in the collation and reporting process but the evidence of threats regarding who to vote for, exercised ballots in gutters, stolen ballots, polling officers reluctant to publicly report numbers, coordinating payments for votes, and touts turning over tables at polling stations is clear evidence of the absence of peace and a potentially a failing election. Considering the size of the country and number of polling stations, the hope now is that these issues are not widespread enough to significantly affect the legitimacy of the election.
Regardless though, for this 2023 presidential elections, the numbers will be argued and we will never know what the exact results of true democracy could have looked like. We can only hope and pray for a peaceful resolution when this all comes to an end.
The foundation is rotten and disintegrated; it cannot hold any weight. Until we start with a new foundation, anything we build on it will fall. This is why Nigeria’s children are the only solid way forward. Our ability to reshape their mindsets, equip them with the knowledge and skills they need for citizenship and leadership while ensuring that no one is left behind is the key to a foundation that we can rely on for further development.
As long as Nigerians continue to accept and use bad leadership tactics like threats, bribery, and other corrupt practices in furthering their agendas, the country will remain on a rotten foundation and never really progress. We must capture and direct the mindsets of children early; equipping the next generation with good leadership practices, a moral compass, a heart of service, and no tolerance for corruption because only on such a foundation can democracy and all the good things in life be built and sustained.
Author
Dr. Aderonke Kujore Adelekan is a leadership development expert, author, and philanthropist. A lot of her work is focused on raising a new generation of leaders who are ethical competent and have have a spirit for serving their nation. [email protected]