War against 'Rice politics'

On more than one occasion, I have been asked if I am an indigene of Ekiti state. I announce to them that I am proudly Ijebu! I go ahead to explain that I just happen to have a popular surname that cuts across almost all South-Western states. I have always respected the people of Ekiti and I still do. They have a vast array of educated fellows. They pride themselves as having the largest amount of professors in the region. It is no wonder the state slogan is ' Fountain of Knowledge!'. Their tenacity, which some will call stubbornness is also common knowledge. Never get into an argument with an 'Ekitian'. They almost always win. However, for weeks now, I have tried to understand what happened on the 21st of June 2014. It still seems like a mystery to me. I welcomed the thought that maybe a powerful spell was cast in the spiritual realm, that bewitched the indigenes of Ekiti; but a friend of mine who is also an 'Ekitian' informed me that the people knew what they were doing till the very last moment. They were not mesmerised as they thumb-printed against their choice on the ballot paper. They made a 'conscious' decision. If this is so, then a lot of questions arise in my brain, some of which Gov Fashola and some other writers have asked in several articles. I shall not bore you with my questions. What I want to do is to challenge everyone that cares about the future of Nigeria. It is clear that the majority that matter might not be rightly informed about the things that are important. It is obvious that poverty might have eroded the values that were once upheld and passed on to us. It has become apparent that we need to get involved and salvage the future of this country. So this is what I propose: Let us not 'siddon look'. Let us not put on our 'I don't care' garments. Let's get informed and actively educate the uninformed masses around us. Let's purposefully engage the fish seller, roadside artisans, or your gate man in informative discussions. Let us intentionally drop the right facts and figures on their laps. Let's help them understand the importance of securing the future at the expense of satisfying today's hunger and wants! No right-thinking parent will mortgage his/her children's future for a kilo of rice that will be passed out as faeces the next day! Let us carry social media to the streets! The people that matter the most are not on twitter or Facebook! It's time to get involved and educate the voters. Let's not wait till it's too late. Do not wait till the naira notes and bags of rice begin to flood our streets. Let's form a defence against this virulent strategy. We can stop this aberration from becoming the norm! Get informed and pass on the right information. Get the masses empowered to make the right decisions! It begins at your doorstep!