MONETIZED POLITICS IN NIGERIA
In Africa today, Nigeria has the highest monetized political and election systems in politics. Politicians can’t do without bribery and looting of money for their own selfish interests. Nigerians today experience poor governance compared to what obtains in other parts of the world due to the manipulative nature of its leaders.
Nigeria’s political system has failed umpteen times and in today’s era due to the selfish and cunny acts of the governmental bodies. Democracy, as we all know, is classified as the power of the people via an election by the people to govern them. In this scenario or ideal state, the power is vested in the citizens of the country to elect a leader in a free and fair electoral system. Yes, this is what democracy says but Nigeria, as a colonized country, practices the system of democracy crookedly and intentionally going against the principles of democracy. The spirit and principles of Democracy are being thrown out into the mud today by manipulative leaders, so sad!! By implication of the fraudulent ‘Nigeria type of democracy, it is no longer a government by the people or for the people but a government against the people, where people’s rights are marginalized, tampered with, and trampled upon by the crooked ruling few/minority.
In Nigerian politics, both the contesting candidates and the electoral officials connive and collude by way of monetizing the electoral processes and those involved. The political parties engage in all kinds of air-filled-balloons promises, which are nothing but empty and false promises. They pay thugs and miscreates in society to create violence and disturb the peaceful gathering of voters exercising the civic voting duties that will enable them to win an election by all means while citizens’ lives are put at risk and fear in their bloodstream.
A lot of money is pumped into politics with the intention of buying the hearts of the people. Here comes the ‘Oppressors and Oppressee” in a Capitalist world. Capitalism in the sense that the minority who has more money rules the majority who are the less privileged and voiceless people. The masses who form the majority are misled, deceived, manipulated, and not treated equally. Whereas oppressors-minority are full of deceit and loot every money meant for the public interest with already failed promises.
Yes, money is needed for democracy for electoral materials and all, but the process where it is used excessively to bribe and buy out people’s conscience and votes make it monetized. In fact, the principles and tenets of democracy are dead in Nigeria today in that there is no free and fair election, and the rights of the people are relegated to the dungeon or background. In another form and within the context of the discussion, one can categorically classify Nigeria’s governance and rulership as Plutocracy – a governing system where the wealthy rule.
Infusion of politics into tribal sentiments has helped to reinforce the spread It has brought about ethnicity and ethnic groups today in which the people are divided. A particular ethnicity wants to rule by all means even if such tension could lead to war or confusion in the land. The fact is that politician care less about the consequences of confusion arising from money-caused tension. The display of thuggery acts by paid and misguided miscreants, looting of money, killing, and assassination that occurs during the electoral period has put the nation in instability and insecurity. The people are no longer safe anymore; their lives and properties are in danger considering kidnapping, robbery, riots, war, and terrorism in the country.
Money is becoming the root of all evil in our nation today. It is slowly killing the bright side of the nation. The urge or fight of every money-looting-wealthy to attain power by all means possible has become a sickening and incurable fight in Nigeria. Nigeria is losing in the world today and is ranked one of the poorest countries in the world. Poorest, you heard me!!! How? Our resources, money, and wealth are being plundered by the failed government, and corrupt leaders and their associates/cohorts leaving Nigeria and Nigerians in debt for the generations unborn to pay. Nigeria’s situation is getting worst as most of the politicians -local, state, and national are ‘marauding’ power and public resources with the oppressive tendency to enslave the poor in the land.
To be continued…
