The Road to 2019

The picture presented in the run-up to 2019 is not a pleasant sight to behold. The fact that some of the events sculpting the path to 2019 appear to share closely with those that designed the fate of the 2015 elections raise genuine concerns about the political leadership and their blindness to the common lessons of history, particularly recent past political trajectory.

It may be correct, therefore, to say that 2019 is not going to happen with a distinctive character trait. The signs are too evident to say otherwise. How the Nigerian leadership travels the same route time and time again without any restraint or exhibition of ingenuity in the treatment of familiar issues is baffling let alone a leadership that may be totally unaware of happenings around it.

The fear that currently grips events and exercised by a majority of the people is that the president may not be aware of some of the happenings around him as well as those behind them and such is disturbing. But that is not as worrisome as the mere thought that the president might even lack the political understanding to interpret them, thus leaving the collective fate of the Nigerian people in the care of the locusts, who nurse personal agenda. With the 2019 battle now one of ego and survival, it is trite to expect that there would be more disappointing shows from all camps, such that may reduce the collective value of the Nigerian people and present her political leadership as totally inadequate to handle the menacing challenge.

The game, really, has begun in full throttle and the equations are subject to constant changes till the ship of state safely berths at the shore of 2019. It is, however, the choice of the Nigerian people to decide what they want, which in turn is expected to inform their choice of leadership in next year’s election, because ultimately they shall remain at the receiving end and therefore, must be wary of the consequences of their choice.