Choice of a suitable candidate for the 2023 presidency has put before Nigerians a deep teaser. This is particularly pronounced, now that the prevailing conditions of sour distasteful dissatisfaction demands nothing but making the right choice of candidate to be elected into power to pilot the Country for another political season. The place for election itself appears to be very elaborate in concept than the mere casting of votes. The more critical point of note are those bordering on the choice of candidates to bear the mandate of representative government on behalf of the people.
Hence, the decision to determine the most fit for the office to man affairs in the general interests as all would desire, is one aspect which at the surface may look cheap but in reality is utmost in deep concern. This is reflective as wrong choices as it is known in the Country, have been much costly with the scourge of bearing unreparable losses.
Over time, the lamentation of Nigerians over their chosen representatives falling short of performance have been rife, as they lament the short falls in their expectations from the Government, particularly when as expected based on the campaign promises of their celebrated candidates, the deliverables of same upon assuming office, were largely deficient, far in proximity from the noised promises. It has thus, become a subject that has borne plethora of socio-economic, political and psychological discomfitures, and at some point, cultural reactions of apathy from so many quarters. Some have concluded and rounded up their reactions to same in steering clear from electioneering processes and voting exercises.
However, recourse to the main subject of how Nigerians elect their representatives remains central. In a climate where the populace largely select leaders based on superficial electoral campaign promises has shown its failure, as the mammoth promises failing the alarming expectations have only left unsavoury narratives.
As the 2023 elections draw near, the need to become intelligent in the choice of candidates have become sacrosanct. It now high time Nigerians has gone beyond the superficial noisy resort of lousy campaign promises as their basis of choice, to intelligent yardsticks by weighing substances of the candidates. While there are several gimmicks and sidelines of political factors that would play out, it is of more importance for the masses, who are usually at the receiving end of bad governance, to look beyond the gimmicks of the political landscape.
As the echoes of such factors as zoning, power struggle, party and money politics among others play forth in the political landscape, it behooves the masses to be intelligently guarded in reaction to the gimmicks. Their disposition should largely bear the weight of intelligence, giving priority to substance in the choice of candidates to occupy the various strategic offices, particularly that of the presidency. It has become necessary that heavy weight be placed on merit, capacity and substance, against political influence and popularity which have largely formed the building block of choice in the culture of political electioneering seasons. Now that the Country is presently held in the mire of economic woes, consideration of economic capacity, knowledge and understanding of the working fabrics of the economy should form topmost factor as a yardstick in the choice of candidate to lead the Country. This is particularly essential to pull out the Country from the scourge of deficiencies which has plunge the Country into deep seated crises borne out of toughening woes of the economy.
In a reflection giving expression to the importance of the essence of a president with understanding of the economy, political economist and management expert, Prof. Pat Utomi, on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, Nigeria needs leaders who understand how economies work to double output in production. In his assertion, Nigeria needs leaders with a clear strategy on how to get the country to begin to produce, suggesting that this could be done by focusing development on the endowment available. According to him, only leaders with such understanding can tackle unemployment and poverty, among others, bewildering the Country.
“We live in the age of knowledge capital and knowledge is more valuable than any mineral resources. The struggle over these resources is distracting Nigeria from focusing on what matters with production.
“No country has become wealthy from revenues, countries become wealthy from production. Some parts of Nigeria have sesame seeds, some have cocoa, and some have crude among many other natural endowments. What to do is to take a certain number of this, each to every region and create clusters of industrial parks around those places,” Utomi submitted.
Such understanding needed for the benefit of the Country would only be obtainable when priority is given to resourced candidates with lasting prowess in economics and management in macro capacity. Hence, in the best interest of the Country and its citizens, only merit and capacity would mostly fit-in, as the basis of choice in the determination of the candidate to occupy the presidency seat, which is critical to the health of the nation.