Nigeria: Of Chude Jidenowo, Partisanship and Political Participation

opinion

In my private and public spaces, I have been an advocate of political participation by those who so desire, as well as civic engagement by all levels of the population. The engagement and participation of young Nigerians in our political arena today is however not devoid of intrigues and disclaimers. It is unfortunately not far-fetched from the picture of politics that our fathers have painted for us - that politics is a dirty game which is reserved for the 'devils' or to put it mildly, the "dregs of the society", forgetting to add that we all as a nation have to endure the outcome of the processes which throw up such characters, whatever it may be. We are yet to find an alternative country which we can call a Nigeria of our own.

There are more than enough literatures, which have severally examined the failure of the best citizens in the society, including those loosely described as technocrats, to be a part of the political process or work for the government. In building our nation however, we must strive to create a healthy balance between criticisms and our ability to put our best foot forward in ensuring that our best men and women are at the vanguard of the change we so earnestly desire.

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