I have never voted before, and I am twenty six. I could have voted in 2003 and 2007 if I really wanted to, but I decided it was not that serious. I registered to vote in 2003, but didn’t do so eventually because of a pronouncement by Abel Guobadia, the INEC chairman at that time.
I have never voted before, and I am twenty six. I could have voted in 2003 and 2007 if I really wanted to, but I decided it was not that serious. I registered to vote in 2003, but didn’t do so eventually because of a pronouncement by Abel Guobadia, the INEC chairman at that time.
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On a cool dry morning in the premises of the College of Medicine, Idi Araba; psyched by ideals of a ‘fresh’ Christian president, I had subjected my fingers to be swathed in purple dye, which was the give- away of all of us who had registered. But alas, the day came for elections and I was found wanting because Guobadia insisted that everyone should vote where they registered. I was at home for a break and I didn’t think a jerky bus ride from Victoria Island to Idi-Araba with all its attendant inconveniences was a worthy price to pay for voter involvement. It’s not that serious, I said to myself! That year, Obasanjo was re-elected into office but that’s a story for another day. In 2007, voting was not on my mind because NYSC took all the space.
I really started to think of my political involvement when I remembered that this month is voters’ registration month and April, election month. It’s a busy month for me; family obligations, school, career, writing etc. I am nearly slipping into complacency again and wondering if I would vote this time and I know I am not alone.
There is such a thing as voter apathy, a term used to describe a perceived apathy (lack of caring) among voters in an election, but I don’t think anyone has more voter apathy that the young Nigeria female. Let’s examine it critically; if you’re between the ages of 18 and 25, your time is probably spent worrying about school, boy - friends and their marriage suitability, getting a power job, money, how your next BB subscription will come, how many months you may need to spread the payment for that Brazilian Hair and stuff like that. Or if you’re between 25 and 35, you’re at the point where you’re WAITING to be found, while the eligible guys are WAITING till they make millions, or if you have been found, struggling with two kids in a harassed Lagos with three hours spent in traffic to and from work. And then remember you still have to resume in the kitchen!
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So when you hear Sammie Okposo singing Goodluck’s praises on TV or that annoying trio of Saint Obi, new Miss Pepeye and the other guy ( who knows him?!), you just hiss and go, who cares? Please, where is the remote and then you flip to E!, where you can hear that juicy gossip to cool off or Africa Magic where your brain cells can temporarily hibernate.
A few ladies I know are involved in politics; they either were in the Student Union in the University or have been involved in certain protest rallies in town but the truth is majority of us still can’t be bothered. It is either we are frustrated by the inconvenience of physically voting, or we feel our vote will not count/ the election has already been won by one side or we feel it is not worth our while to educate ourselves on the issues and so the vote won’t be worth making. This is termed rational ignorance.
The ignorance about an issue is said to be "rational" when the cost of educating oneself about the issue sufficiently to make an informed decision can outweigh any potential benefit one could reasonably expect to gain from that decision, and so it would be irrational to waste time doing so.
It is well documented that 70% of Nigeria’s population is under 35, so let’s say at least half of that number are people between 18 and 35, and so if about half of that number are ladies, then that means about 17.5% of Nigeria’s population is made up of young ladies between 18 and 35. Now that is one powerful sector! If we choose to educate ourselves on what the country needs at this time and who best can deliver it, then we may just have changed the course of Nigeria’s future starting 2011. A lot has happened in the past to dull our senses and convince us beyond reasonable doubt that we do not matter, but we can change our story right about now. So now that registration is on, let’s not hold back, and then follow it up by actually voting. After all if we have a good leader, then maybe guys would be ready to settle down sooner because the economy is better.
*Akan blogs on www.berryfeistypen.blogspot.com. This article was first published on bellanaija.com
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