The 2023 General Elections Will Be a Battle Between the Oligarchs Who Own Everything and the Rest of Us Who Own Nothing

If I am not mistaken, at President Muhammadu Buhari's inauguration on May 29, 2015, he vowed to usher in a new era in Nigeria devoid of corruption, intermittent electricity distribution, insecurity, and an alarming rate of unemployment wrecking every nook and cranny of the country. Astonishingly, what the vast majority of Nigerians reaped today is a country that has no direction let alone to provide a secure and safe environment for prosperity to thrive.

Funnily, anytime the President is summoned to explain why the country is going in the manner it is now, he will just gloat about how prosperous his government has been, even though in reality, the reverse is the case. The majority who own nothing know that he — Buhari — has failed to uplift more than half of the population out of abject poverty. Similarly, despite being a former General in the Nigerian Army, he has failed to provide a blueprint capable of addressing the insecurity that has made Nigeria unsafe.

Although our education is of poor quality, the President and his inept administration have failed to get the system up and running without perpetual industrial action by the university staff. As a result, countless students and their instructors have committed suicide. Further, hundreds of thousands of students were forced to stay at home for months due to the government's lax stance on the subject matter.

In addition, the President failed to deliver on the massive youth employment promised on the day of his inauguration. Please just imagine a country that coolly lets things go without taking any action. Wishing that a miracle somewhere could make things right without even trying. Admittedly, I am deeply convinced that the country will continue to be at the mercy of its inaction, which may sap the confidence of its citizens. In other words, the nation will never be able to circumvent insecurity and other economic and civic vices. This is the reality of Nigeria. The government does not care.

Most importantly, I believe that the oligarchs who own everything in this country have also helped confound the current crisis sickening us. I know that you may not believe that the oligarchs are all in this mess up. They are, for your information, the primary funders of presidential and other high-profile campaigns. Anonymously, they obstruct any policy that has the potential to lessen the agony of the population. While brazenly ensuring that policies that tend to enrich them are implemented.

Even though I have to admit that we cannot prevent the oligarchs from sponsoring their chosen politicians since we never know when they would do so. But I reckon that we can make a big difference in who is going to be our next commander in chief, governor, congressman, or woman. You know there is a way we can discern amorphous rhetoric that only tends to make the oligarchs richer and the vast majority poorer. We can see through the lies and make a more informed decision.

It is worth noting, that in the coming months, we will witness yet another general election in which we will choose between people who care about us and those who prefer to further their agenda by inflicting more agony and uncertainty on our lives. Therefore, I want to beg you to vote for individuals who demonstrate selfless dedication to the many at the bottom, rather than the few at the top who control everything.

We have seen how wrong we were in the previous two elections, in 2015 and 2019. We have seen where our blind partisanship has driven us. We are undoubtedly reaping the repercussions of our actions. Consequently, if we continue to make our decisions based on short-term gains, I can guarantee you that we will continue to suffer from it in the long run.

In sum, every person in this country, most especially us who owns nothing, is fully aware of the ineptitude of this administration in the previous years. We don't need further explanation of how much anguish it has created in so many of our lives. So, if we want to leave a future where our children's children may have a nation that nurtures their ambitions and encourages them to reach their full potential, I believe it is time to make that painful decision and move on. Otherwise, the rules of the game will always be the same.

Finally, I hope this awakens the sleeping rattle in you and provokes you to choose hope over fear. During his campaign in 2016, Joe Biden said they are "in a battle for the soul of America. I strongly believe it is the same case for Nigeria in 2023. The next election is about us. Who we are and what we stand for. Let's salvage the remains of this country before it is too late. Let's make it clear that our votes in 2023 are for the people who are ready, eager, and willing to make a difference in our lives. Let's make it clear to the oligarchs that we will no longer tolerate their thoughtless ambitions of getting richer at the expense of our lives. This ought to be our timeless creed in the coming years until we have a country that supports our aspirations to pursue our dreams.