Opinion: Civil engagement is about your happiness

Civil engagement

by Glory Apantaku

According to the 2017 Gallup World Happiness Report, Nigeria ranks 91st of 156 countries ranked, Cameroon ranks 99th, Ghana 108th and somewhat surprisingly for some, Rwanda ranks 151st. Rwanda is a peculiarity because the ranking is based on key variables like GDP per capita, social support and absence of corruption, all of which the East African nation ranks excellently in. There is a chink in the armor however. The World Happiness Rankings measures six factors: income, life expectancy, social support, generosity, perceived government support, and freedom. Rwanda has seen a lot of economic growth and development but with regards to freedom, the country is struggling. The 2017 Freedom in the World 2017 report ranks Rwanda as Not Free, scoring very low on metrics of political rights and civil liberties.

That’s something that’s important to note when one thinks about Nigeria. Nigeria is far from meeting its own goals of sustained economic growth, institutional development and reduced levels of corruption, yes, but it retains freedom as a virtue. According to the 2017 Freedom in the World Report, Nigeria is categorized as partly free, with a multiparty system and relatively peaceful transitions of power at the federal level. Freedom of speech, expression, and the press remain constitutionally guaranteed. Religious freedom is constitutionally and legally protected and is generally respected by the government in practice. The rights to peaceful assembly and association are provided by the constitution. Judicial independence is constitutionally and legally enshrined, etc. However, each and every one of these freedoms are often systematically limited by the ineptitude of degraded institutions, pervasive corruption, violence as a result of insurgent groups among other oppressive problems of our largely inefficient governmental bodies.

Still, the seams that hold the fabric of our nation together are sewn with threads of a good number of freedom-fostering constitutional provisions, and even as we rightly complain, this is not a blessing we should take for granted. In the midst of our campaigns around economic growth and institutional development, we have often failed to highlight the need to preserve our freedoms. We are very often pointing outwards at the various problems in our government and institutions, while paying little attention to the ways that we as individuals contribute, to creating atmospheres of tolerance and understanding, the environments that lead to freedoms, and then to well-being.

Elections give us a fantastic opportunity to play our parts in the process of sustaining and expanding freedom. Research has shown that inhabitants of countries that experienced rising levels of democracy also experienced a rising sense of free choice. Furthermore, people living in more tolerant societies tend to be happier, regardless of their own beliefs. As we engage with our fellow citizens and seek to understand perspectives different from ours, we can begin to build social tolerance.

Additionally, democratization and rising social tolerance contribute even more than economic development to a growing sense of free choice and thus to rising levels of happiness. It is often taken for granted, but intellectual conversations and spirited debates are great mental exercises that could very well generate growth fostering ideas. Active participation in our democracy not only increases the possibility of society’s development, but also improves our sense of wellbeing. Economic growth is crucial, and often swallows the attention of government and civic actors, but it’s important to note that factors like economic growth and democratization, lead to increased levels of happiness mainly through their common tendency to increase human freedom. Freedom is crucial. And freedom is the question 2019 is now asking us.

To fully enjoy the various benefits that lie in our democratic system – consistently electing a president by popular vote for no more than two four-year terms – we need to take hold of the powers of our freedoms. As the 2019 elections approach, it is imperative that we take action to promote tolerance, and harness the power of our voice through our vote. In doing this, we should have our eyes set on economic growth and institutional strength yes, but more importantly this is about our happiness – and a society of citizens with higher levels of satisfaction and well-being.

“We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.”

― William Faulkner


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

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