Elections across the world over are not cheap ventures. It requires time, intellect and human capital, while huge amount of money is required to reach out to the electorates during campaigns and before or during election.
In Nigeria, money has long dominated our elections and the problem is worsening. Politicians focus a lot of attention on raising money and resources which are needed to buy the costly party’s nomination form for aspirants seeking elective post, and to also do meaningful campaigns.
The major problem with money politics is that politicians tend to invest by spending in the campaigns and expect profit in returns. Politics in Nigeria becomes business in which the contestants invests during campaign and later recoups after winning the election. Upon winning election, they set out to take back what they spent during campaign, including the profits before their tenure expires.
The politicians use the opportunity of given money in order to deceive the masses and the masses assume that is the best of what they expect from their leaders.
The most terrible problem with money politics is that it causes unemployment, low self-esteem in the mind of our Nigerian youths.It also affects development of the nation, because people take politics as enterprise not something that will help in developing the country.
Taking a critical look at the present situation in Nigeria, it shows that we are very far left behind – morally, socially,
economically as well as politically and it is time to start thinking of ways out of this problem.
History shows that Nigeria was not like this before, our past leaders went into politics in those days to serve for development of the nation, not to just steal money and properties of our beloved country and enrich themselves.
These are the types of leaders that we need today in Nigeria.
To avoid brazen money politics in Nigeria, it is necessary for the government to become the major source of funding for elections. Where both the rich and poor will have equal opportunity to contest, as long as they qualify with other measurable indexes that don’t allow candidates to usurp the entire strengths of an electoral contest.
Because when going by who is richer, many qualified, reputable and credible aspirants will never get the opportunity to be elected. That will also overshadow the importance of letting the best candidates emerge. Few doubt that extraordinary Nigerians of ordinary means must have a meaningful ability to compete for elective office.
Robust public funding programs open the door for qualified Nigerians, who might not have personal wealth or high-powered connections, by giving them the means to launch competitive campaign.
When private wealth is employed to finance political campaigns, political equality is put at risk. Paying for electoral campaigns with individual donations places wealthy individual in a position to exercise greater political influence than those with fewer resources.
In conclusion, we should do all we can to fight against money politics, because it will never lead us to success. This is also the right time the electorates have to be educated on free and fair electioneering, now that the 2019 general election is around the corner.
– Bolade Olumide Emmanuel
Public Affairs Analyst,Economist & Entrepreneur.
