Atoke’s Monday Morning Banter: Love Me, Love My Political Party

My first year in secondary school was the year that I had my initiation into the world of Nigerian politics. My guardian was a notable politician in Kwara State, and our house was a hot bed of politicians and aspiring politicians. Every Sunday, in the living room downstairs, men would gather – a lot of yelling went down… along with several bottles of different brands of beers. At the end of the meetings, money would be shared to the attendants, depending on their constituencies. It was the first time I heard that word. My young mind associated politics with money, shouting and alcohol. A few years later, the meetings got rowdier. My guardian was now the state chairman of his party, and with that position came loads of perks. With that, my impression was now well cast: Politics = Money = Clout. I knew nothing about what the party stood for. I had zero inclination as to their core beliefs, or what made them different from the other party.

Twenty odd years and more have passed, and as another cycle of election comes around, memories of my days in Ilorin come back to me. Party slogans and logos are being bandied around, and very little is known about their genuine sway. With the rate at which politicians are swapping parties, one wonders if they don’t have a problem moving from something they were passionate about to something they supposedly detested. Something like a vegetarian jumping ship to the meat-eaters club. Or a communist deciding to become  socialist. Of course nothing is cast in stone, but surely there has to be something profound to make you turn your back on something as important as your principles.

I have never really been politically inclined; neither have I been one to take a particular interest in the position of political parties. The closest I got to being curious about politics was living on the same street with my local government chairman. {I talked about him here } The nuisance factor left a very bad taste in my mouth. One thing remained constant from the past – there were political head honchos, and there were the miscreants they surrounded themselves with. Money seemed to be the only unifying thing at the core of both. I wondered if it was the same abroad; but with such a limited perspective of how it works in the West, I am unable to form an opinion. The closest I’ve been to being informed in this area is from binge watching West Wing and The Good Wife.

From what the American movies tell us, political inclination can go a long way in determining whether a girl will be accepted by her boyfriend’s family. (Lord, if movies are anything to go by then people always find love in the New York subways, and Nigerian mothers in law are horrible beings. We know these are not accurate representations of realities, but just go with me for a second). Picture this in a Nigerian home: Folashade brings Folarin home to dinner to meet her parents.

Daddy Folashade: So Folarin, tell me about yourself

Folarin: I’m a Chartered Financial Analyst. I work for the HSBC in Geneva, but have been seconded to the Nigerian office to set up shop. My parents are from Omu-Aran but I was born in London.

Daddy Folashade: So are you PDP or APC?

I’m really drawing blanks at imagining this conversation; simply because it’s not a common trend with us. So, who is to blame for our laissez-faire outlook to political associations? Personally, I believe that the polity doesn’t know enough about the values of the parties that we have. And when I say the ‘polity’, I don’t mean ‘Nigerians on Twitter’. I mean Nigerians on the streets, in the banks, in Aba, in Ipokia. What does the yam trader in Gboko know about what APC stands for? What does the teacher in Ughelli know about the ethos on which PDP is founded and run?

2015 is a few days away, and the Nigerian elections are in a couple of months. We need to be more proactive about what we want for ourselves as a people. It is important that we do more than bandy the word ‘Change’ around – like it’s going out of season. That ‘change’ isn’t going to come by waving a broom around, or shaking a multi-coloured umbrella. We, as a people, need to read more; ask pertinent and important questions; push for accountability – at every level of governance.

The poverty and lack of basic infrastructure/amenities goes a long way to fostering how we’ve always been. Keep them poor. Keep them hungry. Then throw them a bone and watch them scurry off to do our bidding – just 5k. No be person wey chop belleful go begin think to cause trouble? 

You can’t fault that logic really; but if you think about it deeply… it should make you angry – angry enough to ask for a better life. It is not okay to be deprived into a state of political antipathy.

Think about it.

Peace, love & baby carrots.

Toodles!

Photo Credit: Dreamstime | Dennis Owusu-ansah