30/04/2022
a*oPOLITICS FIRSTA Subsidiary of WALKING TEACHING AGENCY
10 MINUTE QUICK PRESENTATION OF THE CAMPAIGN MESSAGE
Compliments.
1.THE PLATFORM: a*oPOLITICS FIRST is a non-partisan political enlightenment platform that preaches, enlightens or sensitizes the people on the importance and primordial place of active participation politics in the search for economic social and all round renewal. No doubt, everyone wants good economy, security, good job after school, good road, steady power supply, salary for workers and good business for business men and women all of which result into a flourishing society POLITICS FIRST believes that one factor that cannot be neglected if we want all these things is politics because a good human society begins, revolves and ends in the kind of leadership it has. Leadership is decided by politics. Politics is decided by the people’s level of active participation. a*o POLITICS FIRST has found out that political apathy is very high among the people.
2.POLITICAL APATHY. Founders of this platform have researched and found out that there is a high level of political apathy or political indifference among the people. Many people don’t show any interest in politics either because they believe it does not work or they have given up on the process believing that political elite normally decide who they want not minding the votes cast or they don’t know the relationship between politics and the kind and quality of lives we live as citizens. To buttress, we found out that progressively, the number of votes with which candidates win elections Nigeria has been decreasing since 1999, because many more people shy away. In 2015, Buhari won with 15, 424, 921 votes while in 2019, he won with 15, 191,847, a negative difference of 233, 074. Again, out of the estimated 5.6 million persons living in Imo state with an expected 4 million voters, only 2,221, 008 persons registered to vote as at 2019. Out of this 2.2 million registered voters only a little of over 800,000 were accredited to vote in 2019 elections, and in the end only about 714,000 valid votes were recorded. That’s about one third of the registered voters or one seventh of the voting population. Less than 11% of the estimated voting population determined who won or didn’t win. The is clear voter apathy, indifference, disinterestedness, loss of hope in the process, or ignorance. Such a mindset is what a*oPOLITICS FIRST is out to discourage.
3.NOT PARTISAN. Let it be noted clearly that the organization a*oPOLITICS FIRST is not representing any political party or interest. It is representing only and only the burden to wake Nigerians up for active political participation. The organization does not depend on anyone directly to get its operational funds but accepts donations from beneficiaries of its presentation and partners and people of goodwill.
4. COLLAPSING ECONOMY. Having said that, how many of us are aware that Nigerian budget in the year 2021 was about N13 trillion with a projected revenue of N10 trillion and borrowing plan of N3 trillion. But by the end of the year, the country generated just a little over N5 trillion and borrowed almost 8 trillion. In the first quarter of last year 2021, Nigeria generated N1, 847,000,000 but out of that used 1,802,000,000 representing 93% to service debt. The truth is that most of the country’s revenue is used to service debt. As it is now, Nigeria has already borrowed her future up to 2050. This sorry statistics has been the case in Nigeria in more than ten years now. So it is not about political party, PDP or APC any other party in power. In this 2022, the nation’s budget is about 17.126 trillion, but as the first quarter of the year is almost drawing to a close, budget performance is yet very poor. All these point to the fact that realistically considered, without sounding pessimistic that, our economy is not going to better soon unless we do something. Nigeria since September last year has earned her title as the poverty capital of the world. More than half of the entire population is living in abject poverty. Of course this is not surprising because Nigeria has the worst wealth distribution case in the world where 70% of the wealth is controlled by just one percent of the populace leaving majority in abject poverty.
5. INDICES OF STATE FAILURE. Considering other indices, Nigeria has the highest out of school children, this will likely result to more frustrated persons tomorrow who will become bandits and unknown gun men in the nearest future. There is serious unemployment crisis in Nigeria. Ordinarily in population of about 200 million, the minimum actively, gainfully working persons should not be less than 120 million but as it is in Nigeria, only 36 million persons are reported to be working, meaning that the rest of the 164 million are depending on this paltry number. That is the sociological rea*on for increase in criminality, drug abuse like mkpuru mmiri. We import almost everything including the fuel we get in our backyard. Insecurity is high, maternal and child mortality is high, no security, no existential serenity. The way out of these negative narratives is not to keep complaining but to get involved in the process, called politics that produce those who manage welfare.
6. PRAYER AND POLITICS: Like many of us including me do believe, we need God’s intervention to get out of this mess, but we must do our part which is to get involved in the system that produces those who manage our common patrimony. This aspect of the sensitization is very important for most of us Nigerian Christians because we seem to have invented our kind of God that does everything for his children, while they sit and watch. On the day of election, many people would rather pray than go and vote because they think God will take control. But the Bible, the church and every good human logic teach us that heaven helps those who help themselves, grace builds on nature, divine blessings manifests in human efforts. How many of us know that China, the fastest growing economy in the world, a population of about 1.5 billion, (that is Nigeria seven times plus) has fewer churches than just in Imo state alone, meaning fewer prayers are said there as compared to the ones said Imo State. In 2017, I was part of a research team on the place of religion in human development, and a lot was discovered. This platform POLITICS FIRST was largely inspired by the outcome of that exercise. From Assumpta Round About in Owerri Metropolis to Mgbidi, we got about 97 churches, from Wetheral /MCC junction to Ama wire were about 74 churches, yet our land sick unto death. While prayer for a better Nigeria is important, it should be supported with active political participation so that the right and dedicated leaders who will drive the development process forward for our common benefit will emerge.
7.NO 1 NIGERIAN PROBLEM IS POLITICS. In POLITICS FIRST we insist that the greatest Nigerian problem is not poor infrastructure, not poor education system, not lack of power supply, corruption, tribalism, nepotism and so on, but following research, that the first and most fundamental Nigerian problem is bad or poor politics. All others are symptoms of bad politics. Therefore, if we really want ASUU strike to end, better security and the economy to improve, etc, we must get our political system right, by getting involved. As at sixty years ago, Nigeria and countries like Singapore, Malaysia, India, and even China were all what is called Third Word countries; they had all these problems we are facing now. But these all countries, except Nigeria have all moved to first world because they were able to get dedicated leaders through good politics. Their stories are different today.
8. WHAT TO DO. Get involved in politics in order to produce good leadership who will make things better. As 2023 elections are approaching, everyone should wake up and participate actively. 1. Go and get your PVC, if you are longer living where you registered, go to INEC and find out how to change. Even if it will cost you time, please its worth it. 2.If you can, join any political party of your choice and be part of the decision making process from where leaders emerge.3 Try to find information about candidates and let the information you have guide your choice. Never ever vote for anyone on the basis of money or any other thing but vote according to your Christian conscience and the information you have about the candidate: his suitability, competence, antecedents, his personality, his or her manifesto etc 4. and ask God to help. Remember we are not talking of APC or PDP or any other party. POLITICS FIRST is campaigning for active, informed, conscientious political participation. In 2019, I was in a school in USA where Trump, the then president of USA, and the aspiring Democrat Joe Biden etc were topics of study to determine their suitability for the office of American President and the fruit of their study was that there was need for a change of government. As at then, they already saw this on-going Russia-Ukraine crisis and predicted that if Trump was to return, in his belligerent nature, his reaction would put the whole world in a war by now one month into the crises.
9.BEYOND YOU: Please spread this message: wherever you find yourself: neighborhood, working place, schools, pious societies, in a public bus, send someone a text or whatsapp message asking him or her if he has gotten his PVC. Remind them that votes count, if not politicians wont be struggling to buy our votes on the day of election. Vote will count more this time particularly with the signing of new electoral law by the president. Let us not give up on Nigeria and resort to pessimism. There are still good Nigerians ready to serve, if we get fully involved and enable the system to produce them. They cannot emerge now because many of us shy away and leave it to the money bags, who buy the whole process and block democracy. Man by nature is a political animal, we cannot avoid it as long as we live in a society
10. PARTNER Before I end, we need partners in this campaign. if you want to join either by going or by sponsoring please call or whatsapp 08035691677. We go to churches, schools, radio, online AND every other avenue we can reach the people for sensitization. All we want is that Nigerians should fully and actively get involved in politics because politics determines our leaders, and leaders determine our welfare.
