2023: Define your change
By Ubong Sampson
Aftera recent discussion with big brother Ibanga Isine on leadership and its related issues, I’ve had some reflections on my country, its leadership, my generation and even the one immediately after, the despondency of our situation as each day breaks, the different sounds of cries and wailings from every part of the country depending on the peculiarity of their crisis. Then in all of these, I have weighed our desires and yearnings for a change with the strength of our will to do the things that will effect this change. I bet you can already feel the mismatch.
Everyone will likely agree about the need for a change in the leadership structure. This isn’t far from the solution though, but who are the replacements that will play these roles differently and also perfectly towards giving us the genuine results we desire to see on policy, economic, social and security reforms?
Let’s narrow it to my state, Akwa Ibom. Even when we were yet to know who will occupy which political seat from May 2019, others had already started dreaming and aspiring for, as well as working towards 2023. For the Hilltop Mansion seat in the state, some new dreamers have joined the early ones and while there are lots to discuss about governance and the performance of the incumbent, discussions and body languages had since moved to May 2023, awaiting the exit of the present administration. Matter of fact, if some people would have their way, they would have dragged the year 2023 backwards to meet us right here, all in a hurry to end their anxiety. Trust me, they wouldn’t mind the next person inheriting the half-finished projects littering the state because virtually all of these dreamers have no plans to operate any differently from the convention, while their back pushers have only one interest – maximizing the benefits of being in or in the least, close to the corridors of power.
We all want to see things work differently with expected results yielding, but how ready are we to stamp our authorities in making this demand? If and when this demand contrasts with our individual interests, can we pitch tents with the collective will at the expense of our personal interests? For instance, personally, my interest should have at least five persons from the current lineup of guber aspirants it would wish that one makes it through. But then, assuming I am part of the band that believes “being in government” is the zenith of success, then I should be positive about my 1/5 chances.
However, amidst the current situation causing this need for genuine change, and in the case where the movement does not see any of my five having anything genuinely different to offer, can I forgo my dream of being in government and lend a sincere voice to strengthen the movement and not seize every opportunity to mudsling, while crying foul over how my preferences were the best and most popular, yet cheated out?
I hate to admit, but fact is, 9.9 of every ten Akwa Ibom youths will fail this test. Even the ones who would not have any sure ticket to “being in government” will find a way to hate or at least dislike whoever gets favoured. How will the younger race find the unison of voices when there are many dividing factors standing between them. If they can unite above ethnic difference, will they do same where political affiliation differences arise? What happens when money is thrown in their midst?
Will they use the same force of unity to bundle the money back to its source or some persons will lose focus and abandon the course to chase the money, afterwhich the free internet space will be filled with controversies, accusations, counter accusations, denials and counter denials, eventually resulting in a torn, disunited front and defeating the very purpose?
Already, public opinion has shown that some among the current line up of elected officers from the last election have so disappointed that the masses had long lost hope and confidence in them. Fast forward to election season, these ones, in the quest for another term or another political office, will come home with a pinch of the monies they have acquired and resume their seasonal philanthropy.
They will come with new sets of promises, or maybe the same old ones modified and repackaged in new English words. But now is time to make our minds up on what we want. Is it the same difference or genuine difference?
So as we anticipate the next political season and before we join the call or demand for a difference or change, we must first ask ourselves if it is a change in the operational system that we want or just a change of the human wielding the power, so whoever will wield same to our favour can take over.
Do we earnestly desire to change the incumbent because he is not doing well to meet collective expectations or merely because he hasn’t met your personal expectations? If it is a difference we need, we must first tell ourselves the truth and define the difference we need – a collective difference(?) or just a difference in how we want the government favour us. These questions and the genuine truth we can admit as answers will determine how ready we are to see the beginning of genuine changes and reforms.
Ubong Sampson (08021419939) writes from Ata Idung Minya, Mkpat Enin LGA.
Please Note: the images in this by pose are merely to represent the incumbent governor of Akwa Ibom State and his possible successors come 2023. They represent nothing other than that, and the writer does not see the need to capture all of them.
