By Abdulkadir Ahmad (U19MM1083)
If there is anything Nigerian elections have shown us since independence, it is that they are rarely about real change. It is like a game of musical chairs, the same old faces keep showing up, just in different positions. And with the ADC coalition now making headlines, the question on many lips remains, when will the recycling end?
Think back to when APC was formed. It merged various opposition forces to remove Goodluck Jonathan, all in the name of change. But most of the people driving that change were already part of the system they claimed to be fighting. If Nigerians had known the true meaning of that promise, maybe we would not be here today, watching the economy worsen and hope slowly fade.
The big question is; how do fresh voices emerge when political parties sell their tickets for millions of naira? That kind of money is only available to a select few people already well connected or backed by powerful sponsors. This keeps everyday Nigerians locked out, while the same elite circle passes power among themselves like it is family property.
Now, once again, we see familiar names, former governors, ex-ministers, and party defectors, all rebranding themselves as saviours. But let us not forget that these are the same people who could not fix NEPA, who sat by while our refineries collapsed, and who watched universities go on strike for months. Now they want to talk about “renewal”? It’s like putting new labels on expired goods.
Still, many voters fall back on the old saying,
“Better the devil you know than the angel you don’t.”
That mindset, along with token gifts during elections, a few bags of rice here, some motorcycles there, keeps this cycle going. People vote for parties instead of candidates, and nothing really changes.
Meanwhile, where are the real changemakers? The students from UNN who turned plastic waste into beautiful art. The engineers in Anambra and Kano building water powered generators, homemade cars, and drones. Or Lagos’ Quadloop, founded by Dozie Igweilo, which creates solar lanterns from recycled e-waste to help small businesses.
These are the people who deserve attention, grassroots innovators with real solutions. But they are often sidelined because they do not have political godfathers backing them.
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