25TH FEBRUARY/11TH MARCH: AWAITED WITH GREAT EXPECTATION – Olaprayer, Convener, O’transformative Foundation

25TH FEBRUARY/11TH MARCH: AWAITED WITH GREAT EXPECTATION – Olaprayer, Convener, O’transformative Foundation.

A rolling stone gathers no moss, they say. Our country seems content with rolling on, without any sense of a specific long term/strategic direction. We seem quite comfortable, as a norm,  with reacting to immediate and short term situational challenges, some of which, when left unattended to over the long term become survival threatening. At times, we leave undone, things that should be done routinely. At times, we embark on retrogressive activities that bring us very close to the precipice.

The chances are that, even with all the hypes, after the excitement of the eagerly awaited 25th February/11th March elections and whatever changes that occur or do not occur in government thereafter, we  are most likely to settle into our routine of rolling along any path that captures the fancies of those who quietly pull the strings in the nation. We have seen this, time without number. Contestants promise a lot. However, the narrative changes, from most of them, once they get into office. Some people, indeed a very few, will protest the change of narrative. That will be all. We all then settle down, into our routine of just rolling on, with varying degrees of underachievement. This settling down to our normal, not particularly productive routine, includes even those few who want to keep some of their campaign promises. Suffering and smiling, as one of our most famous musicians sang, a long time ago.

Whom will we vote for? What will be the decisive factor(s)? Turn by Turn? Religion? Ethnicity? Regional/Geopolitical Interest? Party Loyalty? Candidate Loyalty?  Self Interest (Whose, Yours or That of Somebody Else)? Grand National Hoodwinking? Grand National Illusion? Corporate Business Interest? State Capture? Power Capture? Anger/Frustration? Hegemonic Pursuit? National Embarrassment Strategy? Lies/Grand Deceit? Emotion Driven Carry-Go? Humongous Campaign War Chests?  Massive Vote Selling and Buying (Who Initiates, the Buyer or the Seller)?

Vote, we must, with massive turn-out. INEC has assured us that our VOTES will count! For this we thank the steadfastness and doggedness of the current leadership and the combined efforts of some INEC members and some RECs, particularly knowing not only where we are coming from, of the election management process (with its very few and mostly very low points) but also most emphatically, how election results had been manipulated in the past. So whatever reasons propel you as voters, get your PVCs, go out and vote, in massive numbers. No voter apathy. No violence. Let us have a very peaceful and transparent presidential election.

This time, we need to pause and think. Is greatness unattainable by any country in Black Africa? If so, why has there always been and will continue to be a cry by us for it? After all, there had been very discernible movement towards it, in parts of our country in the past. The problem seems to be much more fundamental. We seem incapable of doing the right things right and even more fundamentally, doing these right things right sustainably over very long periods, until they become consolidated routine. Then you strive for further improvements and even other more creative ways of doing them.

Promises on basic necessities of life – Food for all by …! Where is the food? Rather we import food. There is now plenty of hunger, all round. It was not like that before. Recall also that in colonial times, we used to be a world acknowledged exporter of some crops. Water for all by …! How many of us have access to portable water now? Health for all by … ! How healthy is our primary health centres? Education for all by … ! What quality of education is our entire education system, from pre-primary to post secondary, offering? Take any major aspect of your choice, from our national growth and development process and do your personal fact check.

We cannot continue along the same path that has brought us more sadness and pain, hunger and poverty instead of personal, group and national happiness and prosperity. Thus the 25th February and 11th March elections are awaited with great expectation, not for the general reasons that are usually associated with elections. For them to be done with, so that we can settle down properly to undertake this really great and particularly critical national assignment. We should have done far much better on all major national growth and development fronts : nation-building, state-building, economic growth and development, social development, political development, spiritual, ethical and moral development, cultural development, infrastructural development, integrated grassroots community and rural development, etc.

There is no reason whatsoever, for us to be where we are today, with or without all the fantastic resources that we are blessed with. True GREATNESS is our destiny. It will not come on a platter of gold. It will require collective hard work, it must be emphasized time without number.
So let us elect those who will not only buy into this critical national assignment,  but also help us strive towards achieving its objectives in a well thought out manner. February/March here we come. No pain, no gain, they say. What about, no deep thinking, no success? Which when periscoped to the national level, translates to no deep nation-centred thinking, no national greatness.

Therefore, vote wisely at the February/March elections, for the very critical national task we have to undertake thereafter.

God Bless Nigeria
God Bless Oyo State
GOD BLESS OGBOMOSO

EZEKIEL OLAPRAYER ADENIRAN,
09064266289,
olaprayertransformative@gmail.com.