The first set of leaders on the return of democracy in 1999 were patriotic and exemplary. But the system collapsed when corruption, political propaganda, greed, and disregard for the rule of law became the order of the day.
Without a doubt, we have a chance to change the narrative by challenging the candidates seeking political offices in the forthcoming 2023 general elections. We can interrogate their level of socialisation with the people, education and work experience, because it is high time we stopped voting for leaders on the basis of religion or tribe.
It has been a terrible mistake by Nigerians to consider religious or tribal differences in electing their leaders. Sometimes, an honest candidate will run for a seat in government despite having great qualities to lead and improve the lives of the people, but, if the candidate does not belong to a religion or tribe with massive population, he will lose to other candidates who does possess the requisite leadership qualities.
In 2023, Nigerians should discard the mentally of voting for candidates based on their religious or tribal affiliations. Let us vote for competent leaders who can accelerate the development of the country and improve the lives of the people. People must scrutinise and elect only those deserving of their votes. No candidate should be voted on the basis of money, fame, religion or iethnicity.
We can rate the candidates by their experience with their close ones, record of service, etc . Nigerians need to reform the country’s democracy by choosing the right candidates and chasing out the bad ones. Corruption will persist as long as we do not discard on the basis of primordial sentiments. We should, therefore, vote for competent candidates for a better future for our country.
Amina Umar Muhammad,
Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri
