“The general election is not an organizational exercise – it’s a mass media exercise.” – Roger Stone
In agreement with the quote of Stone, election is a collective responsibility of every citizen to participate easily.
The situations in the country presently have not really been so encouraging, even though the general election is very near. Election is the process of choosing a new leader to lead a particular set of people in a particular geographical area of land. However, in the case of Nigeria, after the 1960 independence, it has been so necessary for us to have elections in Nigeria, whereby we elect new leaders – President, Governors, Chairmen, Counsellors, as far as the country is concerned. The year 2023 has been slated for election and the situations around have been indicating this.
Recently, the National University Commission (NUC) obeyed the instruction of the Federal government by instructing the University Vice Chancellors to shut down the Higher Institutions across the country in a bid to make sure that everyone exercise their franchise (right to vote). A period of three weeks break has been given accordingly. And as a result of that, different universities across the country have been adhering to the instructions as given, so that the students can obey the Clarion Call accordingly.
However, the situation of “no cash” has not been making things hard for these students to even travel home. As if that is not enough, the transporters have been increasing the transportation fee and it is not even fair enough. Even though the fuel has been so scarce, however, the transport fare during the real scarcity was even so low compared to the ones we have now as the election is drawing near. How are the transporters helping the students and other stakeholders who are travelling to obey the Clarion Call? The “inhuman” act on the part of the transporters is not supposed to be. If there is any sector that should encourage the students to go home and vote, it should be the transportation sector. But the reverse is the case. The students are really traveling to exercise their franchise, but at the sight of students at the car park, the price increases. If we must birth a new Nigeria, we should all contribute our quota by encouraging the students and other stakeholders accordingly to vote and to obey the Clarion Call.
I am using this medium to call on the transporters from every state of the country, Nigeria, let this be real mass media exercise and let’s make it a reality and desist from increasing the transportation price “inhumanly”, so that people who are willing to travel to vote will not find it difficult to do so.
© 2023
