By Shadrach Okon
Today, Saturday, October 5, 2024, Akwa Ibom people will be going to the polls to elect their leaders at the grassroots. Election in our clime creates one of the few opportunities in our democracy where polemics melt for a closer interface between politicians and electorate.
It will be a time to lay the foundation of good governance at the grassroots—I mean exactly where it matters. But the foundation of good governance can never be layed without a strong determination to challenge conventions.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, “the doors of liberation struggle are only open to those who choose to walk through them.”
There is this tendency among Nigerians to always fight an external enemy neglecting the real monster at home. The proclivity to always attribute our problem to the federal government neglecting those at the helm of affairs closer to us seems to me as a misplaced priority.
The recent financial autonomy given to local government councils in the federation as signed into law by President Bola Tinubu will not yield any positive result in the state if leaders at the grass-roots level are not properly elected into their various offices.
Equally, we should understand that allowing corrupt politicians to negotiate their way into the various offices in our councils is like courting a monster that will devour us soon. Gone are the days when people careless about what happens in our various local government councils in the state.
Nigerians must know that good governance that is not instituted by the people cannot be given by the government.
Akwa Ibomites should know that any mistake to sit on the fence and allow criminals to be elected as council chairmen and councillors in this election will culminate into delays in payment of salaries of local government employees, denial of our aged fathers, mothers and grand parents their gratuities and pensions after meritable years of service.
Fellow compatriots, in a democratic state, real revolution happens at the ballot—the decision we make with our vote today matters more than pulling a trigger. Let us be conscious of the fact that any politician who attempts to buy vote from his people only sees politics as a racket to steal money from public vault. Any politician that is contesting for any office in this election should be ready to give the electorates the satisfaction of rejecting him or her. The spirit of sportsmanship is the flavour of democracy.
Shadrach Okon, a journalist writes from Afaha Obong Clan in Abak Local Area, Akwa Ibom State.
