THE COST OF VOTER APATHYbyBarr. Cyril Oriabure

THE COST OF VOTER APATHY

by

Barr. Cyril Oriabure

If we believe that democracy is the political panacea to the social and economic challenges of our country, we must find a lasting solution to voter participation. Democracy as a  government of the people, by the people and for the people cannot exist in it’s pure form without representation of the majority. Where the minority take the sway or election of officials is influenced by ethnic, pecuniary and other considerations as pertains in the Nigeria of today, what we have is a quasi democracy. The immediate implication is that those elected cannot boast of the popular mandate. They lack true legitimacy which is a primary qualification from the democratic process. This also means that those who have not voted cannot also hold those who have been voted to account. The vital synergy between the electorate and the elected is missing and democracy can’t function well. Voter apathy therefore promotes a lack of accountability and poor communication between the government and the governed. Undemocratic elements take advantage of voter apathy to hijack elections, avoid the rule of law and perpetuate a corrupted 'democratic' system. This is because there is no strong enough force of electorates to defend their votes and demand the enforcement of their will as expressed in manifestos they voted for. 

The participation of youth in elections is a determinant of their role in the government of the day.

It is characteristic of youth to be impatient and exuberant. It is not in their nature to be the 'patient dog'. Youth are full of energy and are bitter to see their best days frittered away. If you don’t engage youth meaningfully in one way, they always create a different way out. Their energy can’t be stifled. That’s why in civilized climes, ample, attractive and diverse opportunities are available to harness the energy of the youth for national development. To allow a situation where youth are in stagnation, frustrated and without hope is the same as mortgaging the future of the country. 

The apathy of Nigerian youth to politics is nothing other than a symptom of the repression by the political system. A clear distinction must be made between apathy and docility. Nigerian youth are far from docile. There’s ample proof of their tenacity and determination to succeed. You only need to look at the exploits of Nigerian youth in music, the arts, computer technology and unfortunately, Cyber crime to corroborate this fact.  Majority of youth are not interested in the prevailing political system,  but they are as alert and ready as youth anywhere in the world. They don’t see a bright future in participating in the political system.  Those ones who submit themselves to political thuggery and sycophancy are only exhibiting their desperation to succeed. They are bad examples of our youth and are rejected by the vast majority in Nigeria. 

The salutary effects of the repression of youth is apparent in the bursting forth in music, sports and cyber crime amongst other areas. In these fields, the youth have firmly placed Nigeria on the world map. The sheer talent and iron will of Nigerian youth to succeed is amply demonstrated against the backdrop of bad governance.  Efforts to continually thwart the actualization of youth resulted in the recent rebellion, ENDSARS. 

The system has been wired to make it near impossible for the  Nigerian youth to break into the political class or even to succeed in life. A comparison of the academic and vocational opportunities to those of youth in the developed countries, show clearly the enormous challenges facing our youth. An index is the job market where it is a prerequisite to provide evidence of experience and is fraught with bribery and corruption. Where is the youth supposed to get the experience and money from,  if not given a job ? The jobs are mostly unavailable anyway. The kind of finance and influence required to break into our political class is only wielded by the older and often very corrupt ones who have a stranglehold on the system. They connive to exclude the youth with the instrument of the law,  finance and the corrupt system.

The youth always adopt the maxim that “if the going gets tough, the tough gets going”. Youth is indomitable, especially when they unite. The ENDSARS was a wake up call to the old brigade to watch their backs. Even without a concerted effort, the response from across the country was a genuine, spontaneous expression of the desire for liberation from the shackles of bad governance, poverty, underemployment, unemployment and regular abuse. The uprising was quelled with extreme prejudice resulting in loss of the lives of youth who have been martyred. The high handedness, brutality and deception of government has provided a bitter lesson for the Nigerian youth. They will be better prepared next time. It is inevitable for,  “those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable”.

We don’t pray for that violent day. To avert this calamity, it is imperative for youth to adopt a different approach. If youth can focus on mass registration for voting by working closely with the grass root, it will be a game changer. Controlling the majority votes by participating in the electoral process will guarantee youth a stakeholder position in the political system. The older politicians will have no choice but to depend on them to have any relevance. To lack the ability to vote is to remain voiceless in the system.

“Let's go register for our permanent voters card.

...A better Edo is possible”.

Barr. Cyril Oriabure.

This is why this admonition by the erudite learned fellow is timely and astute.

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