By Mercy ifeoma Okafor
As 2023 general elections keeps on knocking at the door, every Nigerian should be mindful of who to elect as the next president of this great nation.
Nigeria at this point needs a president who would love and terrolate every religion and embrace the differences in our diversity. A president who will guide and protect the lives and property of every Nigerians irrespective of where they are living.
As 2023 election is approaching politicians from different angles of the nation have begin to show interest towards contesting for the highest seat of power in Nigeria, we shouldn’t forget that Nigeria at this point is in a very bad shape and if we make the mistake of electing an unpatriotic president our unborn children may be the ones to pay the prices of our mistakes.
As the clock is thicking toward the general elections, alot of politicians will begin to make promises they can’t fulfill, the will begin to visit churches and mosques, preaching and saying good things that will make them look good before the masses, they will even donate money to orphernage, go to schools and play with the school children or even go to the market to help the poor trades sell their goods. All this is for their own selfish interest, once they get what they want, they will never remember those hapless friends they made during their journey to the top.
During 2019 elections, it was recorded that over 30% of electorate sold their voters cards to corrupt politicians for about 1500, in order to solve their immediate needs and elect politicians who only care about their selfish interest. Today, those politicians are the reason our beloved nation is in a bad situation.
It was also recorded that in 2015 over 60% northerners and southerners voted during the presidential election based on region and religion. Nigerians never voted for a credible president, both southerners and northerners wanted to elect president who comes from their own side of the country, and this single mistake from the southern and northern Nigeria gave birth to Fulani malitia terrorizing north east, Biafra and oduduwa agitators from the south trying to break away from Nigeria.
We need a president who will give presidential apportionment based on merits and quarter system not a president who will give appointment to his friends or those who work for his interest.
The danger of electing an unpatriotic president may endanger the unity and the continue existence of our great nation. Unpatriotic leaders are the reason our economy is in shambles, they are reason our young children are going into civer crimes. unpatriotic leaders are the reason our graduates are unemployed after five years of hard labor which eventually amount no nothing, unpatriotic leaders are the reasons our hospitals are in bad shape and innocent citizens die as a result of inadequate equipments in our hospitals, bad leaders are the reasons we are suffering despite the abundant material resources deposition in our land .
Nigerians should not forget that the future belongs to us, we are the ones to decide our future and we can only do so by electing a president who will lead Nigeria just like Moses led the Israelites into their promise Land. May be in the year 2023 Nigerians need a president like Nelson Mandela, or someone like kwame nkrumah of Ghana or Thomas Sankara of burkina Faso or probably Muhammad gaddafi of lybia, the mentioned names are president who fought for their beloved country without putting their personal interest above the interest of their countries.
Mercy ifeoma Okafor is a student of Mass Communication Department, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi