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Time is the only commodity that man cannot waste for it is irrecoverable. Imagine a whopping 30 years have gone by since the excitement and hope of a nation around credible, free and fair elections that the day has come to symbolize, it is even more ironic that a least likely personality has given it a pan-Nigerian official recognition and how strange nature is that then-Sen Bola Tinubu is now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu!
Indeed time and season happen, a million tales have been told and more will be told, from the personal to the profound, the question we need to soberly reflect on in the face of our election reality of 2023, is how come our elections are somewhat deemed not credible, I will put it that way until we are done with the review, I hope that the tribunals notwithstanding, how they rule will tell us as much as possible what happened.
Away from the election credibility and otherwise, how have the people faired, the mass of the people, the a common man who Hope 93, was meant for, who believed the message to the point that no one bothered about the Moslem/Moslem ticket of that time, I doubt if it was a conscious conversation, that was how hopeful the entire country was, pray what has happened to us as a people, how have we been served.
In 30 years we have moved from a pro-people set of policies, programs and visions to a pro-business, ultra-capitalist fiefdom that feeds on the blood of the poor.
Just listen to our leaders they have and do only two things, give out contracts which they use to feed themselves fat at the expense of the common man and parrot private section giveaways that farm out all government responsibilities to their friends and cronies in such a sickening manner that you are bound to ask who will protect the poor from these shylocks.
Over time our realities have made me question democracy as we interpret it in Nigeria, the rich are the only ones getting all the benefits, crime and criminality are on the increase, misery and desperation of the citizens are on the increase, and people are leaving the country in doves, brigandage and violence are now elevated to the directive principles of state power, action with the active connivance of state actions and yet we are in a democracy, 30 years after the June 12 hope, ironically we are now supposed to be under a renewed hope?
I think we must understand that the government is meant to have the welfare and wellness of the poor as its central idea, the rich can look after themselves who will look after the poor, they cannot be reduced to the snacks of capitals players especially when little or no regulatory and supervisory consequences are in place to curb excess.
We have spent 30 years already, we can do with a whole lot more intentional reworking of this democracy, it must serve the people or be dumped!
Otunba Segun Showunmi
