Aren't We Tired Yet?

AREN’T WE TIRED ENOUGH YET?

Every election season, Nigerians do the same thing. We complain. We argue. We fill WhatsApp groups. We post videos. We chant slogans. We swear, “This time will be different.” Then the election comes and goes, and too often, we end up exactly where we started. So, I have a simple question. AREN’T WE TIRED YET? Tired of insecurity, tired of food prices, tired of bad roads, tired of unreliable electricity, tired of watching our young people leave Nigeria because they see no future at home, tired of being afraid to travel freely in our own country. This is not just politics anymore. It is about survival and the future of Nigeria. The World Bank estimated that about 63% of Nigerians were living below the national poverty line in 2025. FAO and the World Food Program projected approximately 34.8 million Nigerians could face acute food insecurity in 2026. Yet Nigeria is blessed with enormous human and natural resources. Our people succeed everywhere. Nigerians are doctors, engineers, professors, entrepreneurs, executives, and technology leaders across the world. So why can't we build a country where Nigerians can succeed in Nigeria? Here is the uncomfortable truth. Government is not our only problem. We voters must accept some responsibility too. We complain about corruption but sometimes celebrate it when our own people benefit. We condemn bad leadership but still allow tribe and religion to determine our political choices. We complain about poverty but some of us will still exchange four years of our future for a bag of rice or a few thousand naira. And most troubling of all, millions simply do not vote. According to INEC, presidential-election turnout fell from 53.7% in 2011 to only 26.7% in 2023. Think about that! We complain about the people governing us while millions surrender the most powerful democratic weapon available to us. OUR VOTE! NOW, A WORD TO MY FELLOW NDC MEMBERS There is tremendous excitement about NDC and the possibility of an Obi/Kwankwaso movement. But we must understand something. POPULARITY IS NOT ORGANIZATION. WhatsApp is not organization. Social-media likes are not votes. Large rallies are not votes. Trending hashtags are not votes. Elections are won when political enthusiasm is converted into actual votes at the polling units. I have been preaching this sermon for some time now. If NDC is serious about changing Nigeria, our organization must reach from the national, state, LGA, Ward level, polling units, our communities, and the voters. Every polling unit should have trained people. Every Ward should know its voters. Every LGA should know where NDC is strong and where we must work harder. And we must stop the infighting which is eroding trust within and creating dissention. Young people and women should be given real responsibilities not simply called upon when crowds are needed. And those of us in the diaspora must contribute our resources, experience and knowledge while supporting those doing the difficult organizing and shoe leather work at home. But there is something else we cannot ignore. WINNING ASO ROCK IS NOT ENOUGH. Even a good President cannot transform Nigeria alone. If we want an NDC administration to deliver its agenda, we must also elect credible legislators and leaders at the federal, state, and local levels who believe in reform and are prepared to work for it. And NDC itself must earn that trust. It is not enough to tell Nigerians that APC has failed. Nigerians already know that from what they are experiencing. NDC must tell Nigerians what it will do differently. what is our economic plan, our security plan, how we would improve electricity, create jobs, address food insecurity, and rebuild infrastructure. Just remember how thousands of Nigerians going to Lagos or the East were stuck in traffic for days, only for our president to issue a memo for the road to be fixed. What a country!! The above notwithstanding, how do we plan to hold our own NDC elected officials accountable when they fail? Because simply replacing one group of politicians with another will not save Nigeria. We need a different standard of leadership. Peter Obi alone cannot save Nigeria, Rabiu Kwankwaso alone cannot save Nigeria, NDC alone cannot save Nigeria. NIGERIANS MUST SAVE NIGERIA. We must register to vote, we must organize in our local areas, we must vote, we must reject temptation for exchange our votes for money, we must reject tribalism and religious sentiments, we must protect our votes and fight when our votes are not counted. Nigeria was not destroyed overnight, and it will not be rebuilt overnight. This is a good start. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. For those of us in NDC, we cannot simply tell Nigerians that we are different. WE MUST PROVE IT. Nigeria can work, but first, Nigerians must decide that failure is no longer acceptable. So, I ask again, “AREN’T WE TIRED ENOUGH YET?”