Taking Matters Into Our Hands

There is this Whatsapp group I belong to; it consists of friends I grew up with in the same neighborhood. Time separated us as we all went out different ways on different pursuits as our lives unfolded individually. Most of us are spread across different parts of Nigeria and the world but thank God for the wonders of technology, we keep in touch as frequently as possible.

We have watched with dismay the abysmal failure that the Buhari-led administration has turned out to be. It is particularly and personally painful because at the height of the election season that ushered the administration in, most of us lent our energies, talents and voices in support of Buhari and APC over the incumbent Jonathan and his PDP.

Yes, things were so bad then that most of us decided that anything was better than Jonathan’s PDP who had no compunction about the mindless looting that held sway. Boko Haram was gaining ground everyday as human lives became mere statistics to be ticked off as casualties of government’s connivance and/or incompetence. Generally, it was believed that his governance lacked the will to make the much needed changes that would affect positively the life of the average Nigerian.

The general consensus was that after almost 16 years of PDP, Nigeria was due for something different — anything as a matter of fact that had a semblance of hope was most welcome. Anything came in form of APC and Buhari.

Let me be honest, in an ideal situation Muhammadu Buhari would not be my choice for president for any reason. He is an archaic political artifact that is fit for the museum but he had a strong platform that had the momentum. APC was the only party that seemed to be able to challenge the existing PDP order. It was huge being an amalgam of other existing parties; it had the funds to but it lacked credibility which was evident from the way it accepted members from the ruling party it demonized.

This was the only reason I didn’t see KOWA as viable even though they were a party I admired greatly. Since that time, they have remained focused as an opposition party, cerebral in their criticism and consistent in principle; characteristics that are sorely needed in the Nigerian political space.

My friends and I agreed that it was time to get involved in politics somehow instead of keeping our distance while maintaining that lazy and convenient character of the armchair critic. We decided that it was time to become members of a progressive political party or create one if there were none and so far, the only political party matching that description is KOWA and today, I became a member.

Look at it this way; since the inception of the Fourth Republic, only two political parties have had a seat at the Federal level. It’s time to saturate that mix. PDP didn’t work; APC is not working. It’s time to give another political party a shot.

Why KOWA? KOWA is big on youth participation. It is time to take the power of this country back from the generation of men who ruined it and have perpetuated a career of slavery for our youths as tools of electoral malfeasance instead of grooming them to take up leadership positions.

It is yet to be corrupted by career politicians who prostitute from party to party seeking to benefit their pockets only with no interest in the growth and welfare of the country. It is hoped that this remains the same to ensure the party’s purity.

Admittedly, they don’t have the clout, the momentum…yet, but that can change. 2019 is still far off and just think of what can happen if millions of groups like ours spring up all across Nigeria, spurred to action by the thought that we can no longer sit idle and watch our patrimony be frittered away by these political dinosaurs who haven’t got a whole lot of time left, but have secured the future of their generations unborn to continue the cycle of slavery.

We owe this to ourselves. We owe it to our children that basic amenities such as constant power supply, road infrastructure, security, good education amongst others do not remain challenges that seem insurmountable in the next ten years.

If there is to be a Nigeria, it must work for all. That should be the attitude. It’s time for us to have a say in what our future holds and the time is now. We must take that first step now by stepping out of the shadows into a political party with a vision for the future; one that doesn’t see politics as a means to personal wealth but a means for value creation. A party that can cater unselfishly for the interests of the country as a whole — free of the pollution of the existing order.

That party is me, you, all of us — the young and progressive-minded people who have decided to take it to the next level for the sake of our nation’s future with KOWA as the vehicle. There are no guarantees but it is worth a shot. We don’t stop until we get what we deserve. In the words of my friend, every shot not taken, is a shot missed.

It’s time to get out there.

Visit kowaparty.net and let’s get started!