Voter’s card not a meal ticket

By Omale Omachi Samuel The 2023 general election is around the corner, and there is every likelihood for the politicians to make the citizens believe that our voter’s cards can be treated as a meal ticket to surviving the present economic ordeal. There is every possibility to rekindle the old order of exchanging voter cards […]

By Omale Omachi Samuel

The 2023 general election is around the corner, and there is every likelihood for the politicians to make the citizens believe that our voter’s cards can be treated as a meal ticket to surviving the present economic ordeal. There is every possibility to rekindle the old order of exchanging voter cards for food, such as branded rice, cassava, gari, bread, or any other general foodstuff, or materials things, such as customized clothes, T-shirts, and Face-cap because of the high rate of hunger and poverty that is ravaging the land. 

Over time, some politicians take advantage of the lack of voter education to swindle the electorates of their rights to determine who should be their leaders. Many electorates have lost their rights to the activities of some politicians, who take advantage of our ignorance, hunger, illiteracy, unemployment, and poverty in the land to dictate to us, how our voter’s cards should be used. It is pertinent to note that your Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) is not a meal ticket and it should not be treated as such. It is a tool, one uses to exercise its citizen’s right or responsibility to his/her dear country, apart from paying taxes. In our context, you should treat your voter’s card as a tool or weapon for liberation and restoration from slavery, bondage, and manipulation. You should treat your voter’s card as a tool for freedom from all manner of oppression and suppression, and not a tool for stomach infrastructure. 

The weapons some Nigerian politicians used against the electorate are called poverty and illiteracy, which have crippled our minds and limited our thinking process to immediate gains, rather than the long-term goal. They used it effectively to make us forget about the future of our children and unborn generation. These tactics yielded to what we have today as Nigeria democracy, where the leaders lord over the people and do whatever pleases them with immunity that leads to impunity. 

Nigerians, it is important we know that the only weapon we have today in Nigeria is PVC, which can only be used or exercised every four years, either at the federal, state, or local government levels. And the repercussions of its abuse or misused last for many years to affect our children-children. Again, it is important we know the linkages between our voter’s cards, good leadership, and good governance in a democratic setting, and what it can earn you as an individual and collectively as a nation. It is good you know that you can only elect good leaders through the ballot box with the effective use of your voter’s card, which will lead to good governance. But the reverse is the case when it is misapplied with wrong assumptions, or stolen. 

In recent times, we are all living witnesses to the impacts of the usage of our voters’ cards in 2015, which marked the beginning of all changes in parameters and living standards in Nigeria. Lest we forget, Nigeria’s unemployment figure in 2014 was about 9.7%, representing 7.27 million unemployed Nigerians then. It skyrocketed to 17.5% in 2017, and 22.6 % in 2018. The present regime facilitated its growth and catapulted it to 33.3% in 2020, while under-employment was 22.8%, youth unemployment was 42.5%, and youth under-employment was 21% as of December 2020. It is also important we know that the people that were not working and were not looking for work are not part of these figures. It only covers persons between the ages of 15–64, who during the survey period were available for work, and actively seeking work but could not find one. Unfortunately, the National Bureau of Statistics keeps on showing Nigerians the data for 2020, while we are in 2022. It appears, that they deliberately ignored, neglected, failed, or refused to release the last six quarters, from the first quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2022. It seems to be thoughtful so Nigerians will not know how bad the current situation of unemployment is in Nigeria. But the truth is that the statistical figures will not stop us from knowing and confirming the present reality in Nigeria as regards unemployment, as the majority of men and women beg to survive the harsh economic situation. 

Also, the rate of poverty has metamorphosed to the present state, when the World Bank said, “Poverty reduction had stagnated since 2015”. The World Bank report also hinted that the poverty headcount rate is projected to jump from 40.1% in 2018/19 to 42.0% in 2020, and 42.6% in 2022. The interpretation and implication are that the number of poor people was 89 million in 2020, and will increase to 95.1 million in 2022. 

Amid these quagmires, don’t forget, that the killing of innocent souls and bloodshed has increased over time, likewise the kidnapping and banditry. It will be interesting to recall that the Nigeria University Student has been at home for over six months doing nothing, due to the battle between ASUU (strike) and the federal government. Many Nigerians trained Medical Doctors have fled the country for greener pasture, while Nigerians pray and fast before going to the hospitals in Nigeria. Please, don’t forget that. 

Economically, our purchasing powers have drastically dropped over time due to the high rate of inflation, especially food inflation, which makes it difficult for many Nigerians to have three square meals in a day, and many people go to bed without food. The activities of herdsmen to a large extent contributed to this menace, which makes it difficult for farmers to go to their farms. To add it up, Nigeria’s currency has been depreciating from N240 to a Dollar in 2014, and N700 to a dollar in 2022, which also contributed to the general rise in prices of goods and services over time. Many burning issues affect our daily living to talk about, but a few is enough for the wise, as I encourage you to secure your PVC. 

In conclusion, you should not be deceived to believe that your voter’s card is a meal ticket, but a tool for liberation from slavery, oppression, and suppression. Protect your PVC, so you can protect your vote. 

Omale Omachi Samuel is a Special Duties Officer, Centre for Social Justice, Abuja