@FavourAfolabi: Activists becoming politicians are hypocrites

by Favour Afolabi

You spend 3.5 years writing about “How NGR is a failed state” then 6 months to the polls, you ask Nigerians to come vote for you as you run for office!

Lately I have been seeing posters of so many people who were either public analysts, bloggers, civil society activists, rights lawyers, placing Ads on Social Media campaigning for some public office or the other – some of them are even Diasporans!

Will you offer to forgo the HUGE ALLOWANCES the REPS currently collect to show the people that you are different? Or you would abandon police escorts to take LAGBUS with the ordinary citizens that voted for you? Or you will refuse not to have a retinue of aides? Or will you effectively not do all those things you complained of while you were not yet in office?

And all I can do is to shake my head in disbelief – as I recall the positions some of these people had taken on the Nigerian subject in the past – how they would tell you that “all things work elsewhere but Nigeria; how if you go to Ghana, it is like New York” bla, bla, bla – so I am wondering why do you ask the same NIGERIANS to vote for you that has lost FAITH in Nigeria?

How do you even approach the same people you encouraged to give up on Nigeria to now become a part of the political process to the point that they should take you seriously to vote for you?

I wonder what lessons can be learnt from this – by YOU NIGERIANS today who still engage in this art of BASTARDIZING the image of your nation on a daily basis – how will you convince the same electorate to begin to believe in the very things you told them to rubbish – would you now tell them that “once they vote you, Nigeria will automatically change even though you would be one unknown Councillor?” Would you tell them that “you won’t become a part of the same problem that you say the nation faces?”

Will you offer to forgo the HUGE ALLOWANCES the REPS currently collect to show the people that you are different? Or you would abandon police escorts to take LAGBUS with the ordinary citizens that voted for you? Or you will refuse not to have a retinue of aides? Or will you effectively not do all those things you complained of while you were not yet in office?
Perhaps you would be willing to SIGN an undertaking in public today about these things?
Lesson learnt – don’t make a PROFESSION of mocking your nation because chances are – when you are put on the spot to become the change you have always preached, you might just be found wanting!

To all those who are testing out their hands in Nigerian Politics for the first time, I say to you “Those that you hitherto joined to mock Nigeria would be waiting for you to mess up as well so they can descend on you” – na the thing wey you sow, na hin you go reap – I wish you success in your political career!

And I dey wait for you – if you lose the polls, I will not be kind to you if I discover that you have resumed to your ways of mocking the nation – writing all over again as though you were not a part of that problem albeit for the 6 months that you enjoyed the fame and attention!
[Note: I have always encouraged younger Nigerians to become active participants in the Nigerian political process so no one should take this commentaries as suggesting that ‘Nigerian youths are not capable’ or that ‘I believe only in the old guard’]

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Favour B. Afolabi, is founder and principal consultant at Online Republic Media

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (3)

  1. That’s Nigeria for you. No shame.. they answer to their pocket only.

  2. So whats your message? To not make any attempt to contest any position just because you’ve bad-mouthed nigeria in the past? Or to apologize publicly before you even do? You have to be real Mr, whether u bad-mouth nigeria or not, it doesn’t change what people will say to u when u eventually pass or fail. You should limit your moralist tendencies man.

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cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail