THE scandalous performance of governments, with very rare exceptions, should be one of the issues to be judged as Nigerians vote for their future,a future that exceptional incompetence has suspended in the past 16 years. It is frightening that those who failed to make positive changes in Nigeria’s affairs, are once again at the verge of hijacking it to sustain their selfish interests.

Either through surrogates, who are promising a freshness alien to them, or directly by themselves, they want to consign the future of Nigerians to the inattentive treatment it received since 1999. It is up to Nigerians to resist this with their votes. Only those who can govern well and individuals who have the potentials of making laws that could improve the lives of Nigerians should get the votes.

The last few months have witnessed attempts at confusing the people. Security, food, housing, education, health, water, electricity,employment, and justice are being promised more stridently. Nigerians have endured unnecessary hardship since 1999 because state governments with the connivance of the powers in Abuja elected backwardness, and at best a blurred future, for the country. Ravaging poverty has reduced the people to helplessness never seen in these parts.

Yet the obscene opulence of the campaigns, funded mostly from public funds, is another reminder to voters to be careful in choosing who manages the country from May 29.

Democracy and the people are hurting. Those who want to play by the rule have been taught the bitter lesson that lawlessness is order. The overbearing conduct of our leaders saw many of them breaching laws to have their ways in appointing their successors, and foisting on us future parliamentarians who belong to the same retrogressive past. Voters should choose wisely.

All those who have abused their offices, neglected the people, created communal conflicts to feather their interests, must be denied the chance to continue the waste of our people and their opportunities. The choices made would either help us or hurt us for the next four years, and more.
Clashes within the political class keep exposing the secrets about the despoliation of Nigeria in the last four years. Many of those who participated in ruining the country are so full of their self-importance they continue to count their contagious crimes as blessings for this country.

The search is on for leaders who will retrieve Nigeria from the precipice many of those in power condemned it to since 1999. The new leaders should be able to put Nigeria firmly on the path of irreversible prosperity, security, law and order, even with the economic challenges.
Such men and women abound – voters should find them, elect them.