Political Awareness!

My transition into a new phase of life was when I first stepped into the Lagos Business School for my Brush Up classes prior to the commencement of the semester. I couldn’t help but marvel at the iconic architecture of the school. The ambience was magnificent and the employees were very friendly.
I settled into my seat in a class designed as a “Board Room,” where big decisions were made. It was a privilege to be associating with crop of friendly and intelligent colleagues.
The topic of the lecture was “Political Awareness,” and the facilitator was Joyce Daniels. My horizon was further broadened in regard to how much we can affect the needed changes through active engagement in politics. She pointed out the importance of education.
The country is moving from resource economy to knowledge-based economy, so therefore, developing the right skills and character will reposition one for leadership and service. With proper awareness we can engage politicians and influence the decisions that the make in position of authority. Watching how some elements make decisions and control our collective resources is unacceptable, especially when it has over the years been either diverted or misappropriated. Registering and joining any political party is important in order to salvage our nation from the shackles of stagnation and/or imminent collapse.
Our engagement should be from the grassroot, where we are known. We should be active, vocal but respectful in all political gather. Our focus and statement should be based on the collective good of all.
We live in desperate times in this country. All the regions of the country are facing one instability or the other, and it all points to weak institutions caused by bad governance. Religion and ethnicity have been used as a tool to perpetrate evil and corruption. How do you explain a situation where a politician is indicted for diverting public funds, but he will cry fowl by claiming that he is being targeted because of his religion and/or ethnicity.
In saner climes, ranches are created to breed cattle but, in our country, they are allowed to freely roam and even destroy farmer’s farm lands. This have been the cause of herder-farmer’s clashes that has led to loss of lives and properties. Another riot that has led to the loss of lives and properties are the communal clashes over boundary lands.
The 2023 general election is drawing near. How prepared are we? Have you collected your voter’s card? The future of our country is in our hands; therefore, we must get involved in the electoral process and ensure that the right person is voted into power to make the lasting changes required to transform our nation for our collective good. Nigeria is a country blessed with human and natural resources, therefore, we need to harness these resources to achieve lasting growth and sustainable development.