Nigerian millennials, especially those who are politically aware and interested, have a unique opportunity to participate in the 2023 elections. However, money politics in Nigerian politics is not new and has been the bane of democracy so far. It has killed transparency, accountability and fairness; it is also at the root of political violence that has killed many Nigerians.
A NATION IN NEED OF YOUNGER POLITICIANS
You think that you’re too young to run? You think you need more experience?
Let me tell you now, if there’s one thing Nigerian millennials are good at it is being underestimated.
It is time for us to take our country back. We can do it together; we just have to be given the chance.
THE PAINFUL LESSONS OF 2019
The 2019 elections were a painful lesson for Nigerian millennials.
For the first time in our political history, a president was impeached and removed from office. This is what happened:
A group of four young men who had been friends since childhood decided to form their own political party called Movement for Change (MFC). They wanted to bring change in Nigeria by changing its system of government, which they felt was corrupt and unfair. They also wanted to give people jobs and make sure everyone could go to school without paying fees or buying uniforms like they had done when they were children themselves. The MFC held rallies across the country with thousands of people attending them every day. They held public debates with other parties where candidates could ask questions about each party’s policies; this helped Nigerians learn more about these different groups even though many people did not understand them well enough at first because their leaders spoke English very well while others spoke only Hausa or Yoruba languages fluently instead! But over time there were fewer debates because many Nigerians now knew what each party stood for thanks mostly due largely due MFC’s efforts; this meant that soon nobody would need additional information before voting either during primaries or general elections so candidates only talked about issues important within their own communities instead! Then came Election Day itself: there were long lines outside polling stations everywhere around Nigeria which meant voters waited patiently until finally getting inside where they cast ballots before returning home again later that day feeling satisfied after knowing job security would soon return our nation once again! Unfortunately however just six months later we learned something terrible happened during those votes though: apparently some special machines used during elections had been tampered with beforehand so when results came back originally showed Buhari winning instead but then suddenly switched over night ending up showing Babangida Yabai instead.”
NIGERIAN MILLENNIALS AS ASPIRANTS IN 2023
The 2023 elections are arguably the most important elections in the history of Nigeria. They will be held at a time when Nigeria has been through three consecutive elections that have failed to produce any clear winner and produced political crises such as the election of Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, which led to a military intervention in May 29 2016.
The failure of these three elections – 2011, 2015 and 2019 – can be attributed to many factors, but one common factor is that they were won by politicians who would not have won had they not enjoyed support from traditional rulers and their people. These people voted massively for their preferred candidates because they felt sure that if their candidate won then he would always give them what they want while disregarding what the people wanted otherwise.
This situation has made it difficult for young politicians with fire in their bellies but little resources or connections get into politics because it is difficult for them to compete against already established ones who also enjoy social capital from traditional rulers like kinship or religious ties; or even those whose parents were prominent politicians themselves (such as former Vice President Namadi Sambo’s son Hadi Sirika).
MILLENNIALS AND THE APPETITE FOR MONEY POLITICS
Money politics is not new in Nigerian politics. The money involved in Nigeria’s elections has always been a source of debate and controversy, but this year, it looks like we are headed towards an even higher level of greed and corruption.
Millennials have shown a great level of interest in money politics during the recent primaries. This is true across all parties and candidates that ran for their respective primaries. There were several instances where millennials made large donations or contributions to certain candidates based on the promises they made to them regarding their future development projects if they were elected into office.
Money politics is not new in Nigerian politics.
One of the biggest problems with money politics is that it is not new to Nigerian politics. The problem of money politics has been a problem for Nigeria for a very long time. Money political is not unique to Nigeria, although it does seem to be more prevalent here than in other countries.
Money Politics is a problem that affects all parts of Nigerian society and so it should be treated as such. The fact that we keep hearing about this issue means we need to ask ourselves why we keep hearing about it, what are the underlying causes?
Conclusion
The generation of Nigerian millennials is a promising breed with the potential to decimate the stranglehold of money on politics. They have grown up in a Nigeria where political parties are more than just vehicles for patronage and nepotistic tendencies. For them, political parties are platforms that allow likeminded citizens to achieve progressive electoral gains. Their work as activists in recent years has taught them that politics is never an end in itself but rather a means for achieving societal goals. As such, for many millennials, 2023 isn’t about who wins the election but rather how much the average Nigerian benefits from it.