Tag: Inec

Youths are the preferred weapons of use at election times … So, the one who goes home with the broken head or knifed stomach is not the candidate but the foolish youth. Come on, there can only be one Jesus Christ in this age

The elections are drawing near. It is clear that the people are becoming edgy. Already, the words are flying with accusations and counter accusations. The lines are drawn, the swords are dangling, the guns are roaring on their stands, the hoofs are stamping on the spot, but I don’t know where to place them all yet on my observatory table so that I can observe well. Don’t mind me; I am just trying to make myself comfortable so that I can be a good election fever observer. You see, I have become so used to observing things that even when bullets fly in any which direction, I find myself observing them…

You know how I know that the elections are here? Oh no; it is not because INEC is at fever-pitch preparations. It is not even because the government has announced any dates or released billions of dollars they won’t give to education. It is because the buses ferrying supporters have begun once again to roar down our streets displaying posters of candidates. (I am yet to see bus-loads of those who oppose a political candidate though). Honestly, if all these buses did was display posters, I would not mind their roaring around. Why, that roaring even serves one or two purposes.

Occasionally, roaring buses break the monotony of wrong-doing that rules the Nigerian traffic. Generally, the banks’ drivers think they own the road. Whenever they are in traffic and snap on their sirens, they expect every chicken with chicken change to scramble off the road because they are the ones carrying the big bucks. The bullies. If you’re heady enough not to run from them, then good luck to your feathers, sorry fenders. When these buses roar into sight, however, everyone scampers for safety.

As the elections are drawing near now, more and more buses have joined in the roaring. What bothers me about them is not so much their passengers. Invariably, each bus can be seen carrying a full load of youths, men, women and music. Again, the music does not bother me. everyone is entitled to use the road, even loud music.

What torments me, dear reader, is the way these youngsters are ferried or allow themselves to be ferried across the town. Most of the time, they are standing in the vehicles and hanging outwards from the windows and rear doors of buses, trucks, saloon cars, pickups, motorcycles, and any other ferrying vehicle you may think of in a devil-may-care riding style! Sometimes, limbs are hanging out and dragging on the road at any speed, arms are flailing insignificantly and mouths are mouthing obscenities with the loud music. What sights! Reader, please let your imagination roam on the indecency of that scene. You know the vehicle carrying the youths by the riding style – their vehicle roars down the road, but the youths roar even louder.

I honestly do not know the cause of this roar-infused ride of death, but I have noticed that it is neither a new thing nor is it limited to one city. Perhaps it is occasioned by the fact that the occupants are Nigerian youths. Now, let me tell you something you may not know about youth. It is the period when the body is at its most elastic state: it can stretch in any which direction, sometimes, head first, out of vehicle windows, right into oncoming traffic. The elasticity of their bodies also ensures that broken bones heal more easily, and if they don’t heal, the owners can live more uncomfortably with any disability.

Youth is also the time when one is allowed to take wrong decisions (e.g. to dangle oneself out of a speeding vehicle as a politician’s supporter); be senselessly stupid (e.g. to endanger one’s life); and be self-sacrificing (e.g. to fall out of speeding vehicles because the head is hanging out of speeding vehicles). Yep, youth is the only period when one is allowed to announce to the world that there is not much value to be attached to life. After all, all lives end up in the mortuary sooner or later, so why not sooner.

That’s another thing. When youths take these foolish rides, methinks they are announcing to the world that their lives don’t matter because they have not yet got the real substance, i.e. material wealth. Fear of death comes when one has got the substance. For example, the politicians they take the ride of death for usually don’t ride in the same vehicles with them. Those ones ride more sedately, chauffeured by more cautionary people. Maybe they don’t want to die yet, do you think?

I really did not mean to write on our youths’ (mis)behaviour during election campaign times, but I find that they are the preferred weapons of use at such times. At these times, I believe that politicians find it cheaper and easier to simply hurl one youth from their camp of supporters at another youth from the opposing camp and sit back to enjoy the view. So, the one who goes home with the broken neck or head or knifed stomach is not the candidate but the foolish youth. Come on, there can only be one Jesus Christ in this age. So, why should anyone needlessly sacrifice themselves for underserving politicians?

So, as election time is drawing near, it appears that madness rules the air. No doubt, our cities will witness many dare-devil vehicular acrobatics and youthful somersaults in honour of political candidates on the roads. It is important for us all to keep calm in order to keep our heads. Somebody has to remain sane to take the injured to hospital; you know, like the designated driver who cannot drink so that he can drive his drunken friends home.

Today is the international day of peace, i.e., World Peace Day, so Pax Nigeria must rule in these elections. We can begin by instituting road conduct rules. We can insist that no idiot, no matter how young, tall or short, be allowed to hang his torso out of the window of a speeding vehicle; or sideways on a speeding motorcycle or camel. I know people who have died this way in honour of one politician or the other.

More importantly, we must collectively begin to think of how to make politicians reign in their supporters. Politicians should be given a map of peace and how to help their supporters follow it or face sanctions. The sanctions may include disqualification for anyone who loses a supporter to carelessness or causes anyone to disrespect peace. If this (mis)behaviour is not curbed, it may become a permanent fixture of our political terrain such that the youths will themselves grow up to expect their supporters and haters to ride shirtless and hanging on speeding camels. Just saying.

As the elections are drawing near, I perceive that a kind of angst is overtaking the land. There is angst that chaos, disorder and confusion may go wild with strife, a repeat of the pangs that palpably attended the 2015 elections. At that time, many people relocated to their villages because they did not know what would happen. Not so this next election time.

This year’s theme, according to the world peace site, is ‘The Right to peace…’ I do not know any politician; I only hear their names in the airwaves. I know only Pax Nigeria, and that means no election deaths. This country has a right to peace; so let us have some peace and quiet around these parts in this coming election, please. There is no point in us losing both limb and scalp for the benefit of politicians. Pax Nigeria must still rule, ok?