Mass Education and Durable Political Orientation can Foster Development of Political Behaviour in Nigeria -By Abhulimen Jonathan

Ever since the transition from military to civilian rule in 1999 in Nigeria, what has been witnessed so far is a “Cash ‘n’ Carry” democracy, in which materials such as food, cash and clothing have been given in exchange for political support, and it is indubitably emasculating and melancholic that such acts will not help in furthering the political development of Nigeria. Continually treading this dangerous path foretells a downfall of Nigeria’s democracy.

It is indeed dismal that the reason we are where we are today as a nation, and the steady growth of this cash-and-carry democracy, can be mostly attributed to our political backwardness, and poor political orientation, and for the fact that politics has been handled as a form of business.

I was following up the just concluded 2021 Anambra Governorship Election and i was disappointed at the fact that people were engaged in selling of votes to the prominent political parties in the state.

How can there be a positive social change in the society when corruption is endemic and deep-rooted in the people and in the political system. It is actually appalling that these same individuals would still go on to criticise the government. After selling their votes like Esau who went on to sell his birthright to Jacob in the Bible.

At the end of these elections, the wrong people or megalomaniacs get into power and they do obviously nothing in the end than to get the works done wrongly.

What I believe has contributed to this is the poor literacy rate in the country. You mostly get to see this buying and selling of votes in rural areas (villages, communities) than you get to see in urban areas, and i believe this is due to poor education, in the academic and political aspect.

When people are educated and are enlightened on delicate issues and situations in the society, they will surely be able to distinguish between what’s right and wrong, and will have a mindset that is focused on bringing about societal progress, but when they are ignorant, they do things that a normal educated, right-thinking individual would see as being abysmal.

There is a need for political orientation programmes which will help in bringing about a radical change in the political thinking of some individuals, and no Nigerian Government has done that and is ready to do that.

Although, the Jonathan and Buhari administration have made laws prohibiting vote buying but such laws have not been adhered to as vote buying continues to be a widespread practice in the country.

I remember just last week, I was having a political-centred discussion with a friend of mine, Abdulmajid Ambali, and he told me of a man who had plans to bring development to his village, and who went on to gather the people at the village square to present his plans, but unfortunately, and to utter disgust, they were interested in him dispensing out cash to them, than in the plans he had for them, and simply wasted no time to leave him behind on the stage.

Why would the people go on to choose cash that would only feed their flesh for a little while over development that would benefit them and their future generations to come? It is simply because they are not educated and lack good political orientation.

Look at the issue of political thugs who cause havoc in communities during election periods. Have you ever really wondered who they really are? They are simply humans, mostly uneducated, whose lives have been shaped by their political masters who promise them goodies if helped to carry out their political atrocities.

If these thugs were educated and probably had good political orientation and civic education, this probably would have never occurred.

Priority should be given by the Nigerian Government towards mass education, mostly for adults in the rural areas.

The Buhari Administration if indeed was fighting corruption should have institutionalized and intensified political education programmes, but sadly, all these political entities are the same and they have no ideology, and their ideological condition has not shaped the course of party politics in the country.

I must commend NGOs like BudgIT Nigeria who have engaged in campaigns against vote selling in Nigeria.

It is also dispiriting and enervating to me that some Nigerians who I have engaged in a conversation are not optimistic about a change in the country’s political system because most of them are bent on maintaining the status quo than disrupting it due to the benefits it may accrue to them.

Nigeria as a country still has a long way to go if it is to achieve the ends of economic, political and social development, and if there are no stringent measures put to apprehend these offenders of the law, and if no attention given to the development of the political behaviour of some people in the society, then positive social change should not be expected sooner.