DO YOU HAVE YOUR PVC???

NIGERIAN VOTING SYSTEM

Before I began writing this, I went on Google to do my research. I typed in the sentence "Nigerian voting system", and from one concept to another I tried to understand what the core of my country's democracy was all about. I did this to elaborate on the many complications involved in the electoral process and to go through the inconvenience of research for the sake of self-awareness. Needless to say that it is much broader and a lot more vast than I'd imagined, and of course we've been taught, as I am assuming we all have, in secondary school civic education class about the fundamentals of our voting system, but as usual, and this is widely known, it is far more complicated than that. Procedure, protocol and bureaucracy aside, to fully comprehend our position as voters, or as future or present candidates, we must first discover what it means to us. The simple farmer in the village or the kind-faced fisher woman in the rural town cannot be blamed for being unaware of intricate details of decisions that affect their lives personally. However, individuals like you dear reader that has so graciously decided to visit my little corner of the world wide web is different, you do have the resources and so you are obliged to take the pains of educating yourself on this matter, on the beauty and tragedy of our voting history. It is our duty. It is our right. And though not all rights are exercised, I must implore you to have the good sense of doing that much for yourself and the country which whether you care to admit it or not you have been blessed with.

In my research, I learned this, I am in fact NOT knowledgable enough to speak on this particular matter. When it comes to the grit of it, I admit that like many others I simply do not know. But then again, it is said somewhere that he who knows not and knows that he knows not and attempts to remedy that is a wise man. I would like to think that I am doing the wise thing by proceeding with my research and thereby informing myself. However, while a pen is in my hand which has been mysteriously stained with ink, I'd like to speak on a related matter that I do in fact know something of and that is youth involvement.

Nigeria has the voting law of a citizen being eligible to vote only when they are above the age of eighteen. I am not eighteen hence I do not have the right to vote and this leads me to express two sentiments.

The first being that though I am not of voting age, I am enthusiastic about voting. Very far from a noble or valiant reason, I confess that the initial reason behind my excitement was simply a bucket list of some sort. You know how you aren't allowed to do stuff till you're a certain age and suddenly you can't wait to be that age so that no one stops you? Yeah, that's what it was like for me, quite similar to alcohol and driving really, but in time, and I mean very recently with the threat of the oncoming Nigerian elections, I began to truly consider it and now I'm enthusiastic for a whole other reason. I mean will I say 'Yes!' and tick it off my bucket list when I'm done? Absolutely. But I'd be glad for something else too and that is the fact that I did something.

Let me elaborate in vague terms. Every citizen of our proud country knows what really goes down and probably feels voting is a pointless endeavour and heck you're probably spot on with that assumption. I too thought this to be a complete waste of time in the past but guess what? When you're in a relationship (Because that's what this is, a relationship between country and citizen) and the man errs, as they usually do (I'm kidding), would you prefer to be the wife that never tells him what he's done wrong? Never corrects him or does right yourself? Or would you prefer to be the snobby one that was truly in the right and gets to sit comfortably in bed with him on the couch knowing you tried your best and so whatever happens you are blameless? This example isn't for everyone but basically one cannot criticize another without doing right by oneself to begin with, thus, you cannot whine about the results of an election if you never tried to vote in the first place. Period.

The second sentiment is that though I am enthusiastic, I am not of voting age. Now, this is very important because of one thing, peace. With rights come responsibilities, obligations and limitations, hence, one is not expected to throw sanity out the window because you want a different kind of "change". No, let's be civil, let's be kind and let's consider the next person especially when we are not considered in return. This, of course, is quite difficult to do but then again nothing worthwhile ever isn't. We simply must respect all laws involved in the voting process including the age restrictions in order to truly be found blameless in the hectic process. We must try our best because our best is all we've got, and because I am convinced that the person reading this is quite sensible I know you would do what is right. This is our home. This is our country and being the proud people we are, abundant in culture like none other, we must make sure to complete this task for our bucket lists before we kick it.