POLITICS TODAY – POWER SHIFT

WHAT IS POLITICS? 

According to Wikipedia, Politics (from Greek) politika, ‘affairs of the cities’) is the set of activities that are associated with making decision in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.

POLITICS IN NIGERIA

Although Nigeria is regarded as an African nation that is developing quickly, this does not indicate that there aren’t any issues in our country of origin. You can learn about Nigeria’s main political issues and potential solution in this page.

What are Nigeria’s political issues and what are solutions? 

There are several problems in both the government and social spheres. For many years, people have been in the dark about potential remedies, yet the problem has not changed. Every day, some improvements are made to the lives of Nigerians, but there are still other factors that need to be taken into account.

However, Nigerian politics’ diversity isn’t always advantageous because each politician has a different view of what has to be done to rebuild the nation. The main reasons behind Nigeria’s political issues are listed below.

1. CORRUPTION

Everyone is aware that the nation has a reputation for being among the most corrupt in the world. According to statistics, 70% of corruption practices originate from this sector of society, hence the majority of Nigerian politicians are notorious for their corrupt actions.

Governmental officials frequently deposit public monies in foreign bank accounts. Money laundering is known to be assisted by ordinary people. In addition to everything else, politicians conceal billions of naria under a variety of aliases so that the public is unaware of their methods of stealing money. The police and legal system have become increasingly corrupt, and as a result, the public no longer has faith in these institutions to protect them. One of the main causes of the nation’s current overall problems is this issue. 

This is due to the fact that corruption can seep into many environments and endanger all government structures, economic sectors, economics sectors, and other facets of daily life. And the government, which is meant to serve as society’s top institution and the problem solver for all issues, is the one most directly responsible for corruption.

2. TRIBALISM

In Nigeria in 2022, tribalism is one of the key political problems. Due to the resulting political divisions, civil wars, fatalities, and blindness during elections, residents no longer choose candidate based on their political ability but rather no tribalism.

All other problems in the nation stem from this one, and today’s society is biased either in favor of or against those from the same or different backgrounds depending on their tribe.

People’s disagreements over religion, politics, culture, or anything else frequently result in inter-tribal confrontations and fatalities. Tribalism is a serious issue in politics as well because voters tend to cast their ballots according to their tribe.

When someone makes a mistake, their tribe forgives them, while those from another tribe consider it as the worst crime. This psychology divides society and is detrimental to Nigerians.

3. ECONOMIC SLUMP

The state of the nation’s economy has significantly deteriorated. The decrease in yearly earnings has resulted in a significant increase in the country’s population.

As a result, workers earnings are insufficient to cover the cost of items in markets. Several employee are requesting pay increase due to the fact that it gravely endangers the lives of many people.

4. OIL AND GAS

Even though Nigeria’s industrial sector has long been renowned for its abundance of resources, there are still problems related to it that add to the country’s current political turmoil.

This is not a hypothetical issue, and it is simple to connect it to Nigeria’s political landscape. It’s rumored that a lot of politicians make handsomely from the oil and gas industry. For instance, there was a subsidy removal story, which resulted in the national scarcity of fuel. 

5. BOKO HARAM TERRORIST GROUP

The country now faces the attacks of the terrorist group Boko Haram as a result of the state’s indifference on the part of the officially ranked individuals. Terrorists from Boko Haram reject everything Western and favor the survival of their ideology. 

Because of the negligence and poor administration of the nation by the government, the actions of this violent organization are such an issue for Nigerian society.

Many research on Boko Haram activity in the nation claim that their rise is a result of state officials disdaining the prevailing situation and denying a huge portion of the populace. 

The terrorist movement in Nigeria is influenced by a variety of other cause, such as injustice, poverty, class disparities, poor social services, and more.

6. GOD-FATHERISM

what is God-fatherism? This is a political sponsorship that relies on coercion and pressuring other politicians to support a particular agenda.

As their initial step in their political careers, many persons who enter politics search for their “godfathers.” This phase describes the process of hunting for someone who will support your profession and help you advance your political career.

Many politicians appear to have forgotten that Nigeria is a democratic country and that the decisions made by Nigerians, who have the an opportunity to voice their opinions through free and fair elections, should have final say.

The paradox here is that most of the “godfathers” do not adhere to God’s fundamental principles and instead support the ideology of frequently corrupt political parties. Sadly, this phenomenon has been dividing the country and becoming a toxic part of its political life.

7. NIGERIA YOUTH’S LACK OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT

The majority of young people, with the exception of politics, are very engaged, lively, and active. Sadly, people frequently ignore and disregard their voices.

Also, they think it is not worthwhile to enter politics and expose oneself to all the risks and hazards it can pose. Young people have a variety of other issues in addition to their lack of political engagement and understanding.

The government’s general attitude toward giving young people real jobs indicate that the high rate of youth unemployment will likely remain in the near future.

The most pressing question of the day is when will the elderly relinquish control to the young. And when will the youth wake up and realize that their voices matter? If young People in Nigeria weren’t frightened to get involved in politics, things might change for the better. Nevertheless, good to see Nigerian youths involved in politics today. A new Nigeria is rising.

8. NIGERIA MEDIA

As you may already be aware, a democratic society depends heavily on the media. As a result. the journalists who work for these media sites have a duty to extol these leaders and disparage their rivals.

The accuracy of all the political news that Nigerians read every day is distorted as a result. Due to the omission of all the crucial details, people are forced to interpret generalized information and that isn’t especially accurate.

Another significant problem is that the majority of political leaders, or their representatives, buy journalists well-paying amounts of money to create articles that downplay all the bad things they did and portray them only favorably.

9. RELIGIONS

Nigeria is one of those nations where several religions are practiced throughout the state. Given that Nigeria is the most populous nation on the African continent and is home to a diverse range of cultures, it makes sense. 

There are many different faiths, but some of the most popular ones are African traditional religion, Christianity, and Islam.

The problem with religion is that members of the major faith compete with one another for dominance, and voter choose politicians based on their religion rather than their political savvy and qualification.

Instead of being a part of the same country and sharing the same core principles, this separates people and causes them to feel distant from one another due to their differing religious beliefs.

10. NIGERIAN CITIZEN

Many Nigerians lost interest in the political process of their nation. They don’t vote and typically don’t have an opinion on the candidates or the overall political climate of the nation.

During elections, it’s not uncommon for people to visit their hometowns rather than casting their ballots and refusing to take part in the national electoral process.

Even now, a large number of Nigerians are eligible to vote but do not want to cast a ballot. This is due to their belief that their vote will not matter and that those who are more informed about the present political climate should cast it. Such actions are hindering Nigeria’s growth because so many individuals, for a variety of seasons, refuse to have their views and concerns acknowledged.