2015: The Youth And Electoral Crimes

The history of elections
in Nigeria is laden with spates of violence, crimes and atrocities. It is not uncommon to witness thuggery, kidnapping, murder and the like during elections in Nigeria. These ugly incidents have continued unabated down the memory lane in Nigerian elections and the end seems pitiably not in sight. It has more less become a status quo to associate Nigerian election with crimes to the point that it has become a collocation to say election crimes in Nigeria.
Again, we are gradually approaching another election year which is the 2015 general election in Nigeria. The signs are already there that it may not be crime face and therefore, would not truncate the tradition of election crimes in Nigeria. For how long shall Nigerian elections be manned by crimes? Obviously, the recurrence of these crimes during every election in Nigeria is symptomatic of the rot in the system. The fact that they always resurface means that they are symptoms of a problem that has become endemic to Nigeria elections, and hence, have certain root causes.
Pointedly, the fact of the availability of a large number of unemployed youths in Nigeria, makes the Nigerian situation a very volatile one. Given that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, these unemployed youths are readily available for any task that would put few cash into their pockets. Also, knowing that a hungry man is an angry man, they easily cave-in to every financial allurement whether for positive or negative action. This condition harps on Nigerian elections as the politicians use these unemployed youths to accomplish their nefarious activities in return for a polity sum of money.
Verily, it is the youth that carryout most of the election crimes hatched by the politicians. In doing so, they endanger their lives while their pay-masters relax in the comfort of their houses, “dinning and winning.” These youths are used and dumped after the elections without jobs, political appointment or any empowerment to make a living. This constitutes them a nuisance to the society and opens to them the flood gate to other societal crimes.
I do think it is high time Nigerian youths come back to their senses and acted wisely. The 2015 general elections are in view as such it would not be unusual for youth empowerment programmes to become a common jargon in the mouth of politicians. This has become for the politicians the best bail to catch the youth and recoup them into their arsenal. As such, the sudden and newly found interest in youth empowerment should keep the youth at a red alert that these politicians do not have their interest at heart. For someone with a four year term of office to only remember the youth at the third quarter of the four year term is incredible. It is a ploy to get those that will oil his political machines and aspirations for second term in office.
Further, the youth should be conscious of the allures of the few naira these politicians have hoarded all these years only to dangle them now that election looms. In fact, it is for want of credibility on the part of political aspirants that they resort to crime in order to displace their credible opponents. Let it be stated that political office holders who ascend office through crime of any kind rarely perform well in the office. This has been the bane of governance in different spheres in Nigeria and is a bad example and legacy for the youth.
Nonetheless, the youth being the future of any nation and the leaders of tomorrow should not contribute to making their future bleak by indulging in these election crimes. The history of election crimes in Nigeria can be re-written if the Nigeria youths can stand their ground not to perpetuate these crimes. They will require a lot of will, courage and temperance on the part of the youth to say no to these crimes and focus on issues that will guarantee and brighten their future. They should prefer excellence to impunity, truth to falsehood, integrity to fame. The youth should understand that they are the only hope for a better Nigeria if they can shun election crimes and work for a positive change.
Next, Ayn Rand once wrote that: “when you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion; when you see that  in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favours; when you see that  men get richer by graft and pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you. When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice, you may know that your society is doomed. This is the condition which ascending to power through election crimes have left Nigeria, and will continue to do so if the youth do not stand up to say no to these crimes.
However, the trend is obviously not abating as the gruesome attack which led to the eventual death of the Abia State Commissioner for Agriculture on Thursday 10th July, 2014, may not be devastated of 2015 election underpinning. Equally, the interparty clash between the APC and PDP on Wednesday 16th July, 2014 in Rivers State we palpable signs that politicians may be quietly cleaning and oiling the hardware in their political arsenal in order to prosecute the 2015 general elections by fair or foul means.”
I, therefore, call on Nigerians, especially the youth to beware of election crimes. They should not make themselves agents of darkness in the hands of politicians. Let every paired monitor the activities of their children, especially the youth before, during and after the elections. Let religious bodies and institutions call their youths to order let the government beef up security to checkmate the spate of crimes as election looms in Nigeria. Let the great Nigerian youths be on their guard against threats of crimes during elections and act like people with a future.

Okafor is a student of CIWA.

Arinze Okafor