The Chaos of a "Divided Nation"

As the new dates scheduled for the highly anticipated general elections finally imprints on the memories of both the electorates and candidates alike, it becomes pertinent to take a recourse and reflect back on the various news and reactions that have been circulating the media. It is no longer news that the presidential election is a 'two horse race' with the incumbent Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the PDP and his major opposition in the person of former military head of state Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Retd.) of the APC leading the race to the Aso Villa. Events leading up to the previously slated date for the polls have witnessed different forms of political propaganda and mudslinging from the camps of both candidates. One that will continue to resonate in the memory of many Nigerians is the cacophony made on the issue of a certain certificate of which it is alleged to be non existent and as such the umpire in this fist tussle INEC was given a directive to exercise its mandate by disqualifying one of the candidates.

But looking beyond the trivialities and focusing more on issues that are of more importance such as insecurity, astronomic rise in the rate of unemployment and the inadequacy of basic infrastructures amid concerning decline in the global prices of crude which accounts for about 90 percent of our external revenue. Irrespective of the choice of candidacy or the party we are in support of, the call to address these impedances is unanimous,but making a choice of who will deliver is a different ball game entirely as indicators from previous polls suggests a divide along the line of ethno-religious sentiments. The promise of change and the proliferation of a transformation agenda has now become a sing-song to sway and gain the support of the electorates but let me assert at this junction that we must look beyond the promise of a 'New Jerusalem' and instead draw more focus on matters arising. If future performance indicators of our economy is anything to go by then there are indeed turbulent times ahead and we must brace ourselves as a nation against the imapact of the tide. If there is ever a time to take to heart the word UNITY; it is now more than ever for the sake of our existence as a nation and for the generations yet unborn because our beloved Nigeria is bigger than the ambition of one man or a group of persons. Setting aside our tribal, ethnic and religious interests is key towards ensuring a violence free and peaceful transition of the democracy our past heroes fought so hard for or we suffer the consequences of failing to do so. The anchor for chaos is deeply entrenched in our failure to speak with one voice and accord, reflecting that our actions or in-actions are catalysts in either ensuring we make progress or are drawn back to the dark ages as a nation.