Nigeria’s type of politics is no other than money politics, Thuggery, mudslinging with a lasting effect on the mental health of both the politicians and the voters, Our Woman Editor, Joyce Remi-Babayeju writes.
According to the erudite Ancient Greek Philosopher, Aristotle , man by nature is a political animal because man is a social creature with the power of speech and moral reasoning.
Years down the lane of life, it has been proven that indeed politics is a human affair laced with the works of man’s characteristics – money, thuggery, mudslinging and the likes
Nigeria is operating a democracy system with attendant politicking by politicians consisting of those who jostle for elective positions as President, governors, senators, house of representative members right to the Local government level.
Politicians and the populace are the drivers of democracy and governance.
The February 2023 general elections by God’s grace has come and gone but not without a sour taste on the tongue of Nigerians. From vote buying and money politicking by politicians who feel that public offices is their birthright to those who feel that they cannot continue to sit on the fence while a privilege few squander the national cake. Tufiakwa!
In the mist of evidences of massive rigging, flagrant display of broad day thuggery and vote buying to open attacks on voters, who are forced to vote for some unpopular parties . Nigerian style of politics is that of the money politics influencing political permutations and eventual winners.
“Nigeria is a country where before the election, we already know the winner.”
So Aristotle was very right in his wisdom to have arrived at the school of thought that man is a political animal. Man will have to use all other tactics to emerge the winner in a democratic system. Am not a supporter of the forceful use of money through thugs to ensure you vote for candidates who are not your choice.
And so the February general elections was not an exception. Our political space was agog with party politics and campaigns by politians trying to outdo each other for majority votes to secure positions.
APC, PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, YPP, BOOT Party and political parties whose lifespan fizzles away like the shaft which the winds blows away. Like commodities politicians were all at the market square selling their manifestos, telling Nigerians what they are yawning to hear.
. Promises like, ” If you vote me as president, l will change the story of Nigeria, l will make sure that the naira rate is high, I will create 1 million jobs for our youths, l will support farmers with funds and revolutionize the agricultural sector, I will stop insurgency and kidnapping” and so on.
Nigerian politics is characterized with political Thuggery as Politicians trade our unemployed youths for their political aggrandizement.
Campaigning is the period when tensions are high in political circles and in families.
Politicians cash in on the Vulnerability of people especially the youths to the detriment of an otherwise future of the country. Our generation X being manipulated by Cash to do the unthinkable. From Lagos to Maidugiri, the story was the, wanton destruction of voting process in the manner of attacks on voters, destruction of ballot boxes, to mention just a few.
Also, this is a period when youths are recruited by self-centered politicians to carry out their neferious activities of party clashes, ballot box snatching, fighting, burning of INEC zonal offices, attacks on INEC officers, kidnapping and even killing of political opponents.
This is a period of heightened mental health across citizens, through conflicting political campaigns and propaganda strategies. This is the period of hike in drug usage. More drugs like Tramadol, Methamphetamine, Codeine, Marijuana and others are in use to influence the mental state of those whom the politician tag their foot soldiers. The ones to ensure more people cast votes in their favour at the polling boots.
Beyond the elections period, political campaigns affects the mental state of everyone families whose children are the ones being used. There is so much insecurity as citizens now live in fear of attacks by party thugs.
A Mental health expert, Dr. Ephraim Oluwanuga, disclosed that electioneering and politicians majorly heighten the mental health of Nigerians.
Dr. Oluwanuga, Head of Psychiatry Department at the National Hospital, Abuja, at a Symposium on the Mental Health of Citizens Election organized by Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative, MHEL, in Abuja explained that it has become a way of life for politicians during their electioneering campaigns to engage unemployed youths to support them most times for thuggery with promises to give them money, but never fulfil those promises which makes them frustrated. And to heat up the political atmosphere in the country.
“During election period, drugs are more in circulation provided by politicians and in use by youths who are supporting them.”
” Everybody’s mental health revolves everyday of our lives, by electioneering season comes with some perculiarities which we need to recognize in order to protect our mental health, Dr. Oluwanuga explained.
She noted that it is important for people to change their general attitude towards looking after people with mental health issues because of these factors.
There is the need to look at the mental health of the populace during and after elections, adding that the mental health of people becomes aggressive during this season, which shows that Politicians are also a contributory factor to people .
According to her, although political seasons comes with mental health behaviors, Government also has a share in the contributions to the mental state of citizens. As a country, Nigeria does not have rules governing the care of people with mental . The rules we have dates back to 1904, she said.
She laments that the rules of the country states that if a person is suffering from mental health, he should be taken to an asylum and locked up there. If he cannot afford to pay for his care , his goods should be sold to pay for his hospital expenses.
Aside from this, the country is where laws are disobeyed fragrantly, people in positions use syrens to drive people out of the roads, even outside electioneering period.
Oluwanuga stressed the need for to check the status quo of the mental health of Nigerians where there are no relaxation parks, enough event Centres so it iß difficult for people to relax. If you want to relax you must be ready to spend money , but what about those who do not have the money, those struggling to have a place to sleep.
The mental health expert called on Government to pass the Mental Health Bill and to.enact a plan to follow the mental health policy which has being there since 2014. Government should priotized health for the poor because majority do not have money to afford it.
Another Mental Health Specialist, Dr. Bakary Sanko, Head of Africa Centre for Disease Control Programme Nigeria Country Coordinator, said that although
politicians and election is very important, everyone experiences anxiety during campaigns.
Information from Politicians is anxiety provocative.
Sanko noted that during election campaign season the victims are the youths , family system, adding that politics is beyond political parties. It is enveloped with challenges such as emotional, psychological and physical.
According to him, campaigns precipitate conflicts of interests mentality, emotional and anxiety.
He said that electioneering periods is when to do things for the safety of the country because some people at this time are forced to take substance to get high with the speed. Mental health of Nigerians is critical election campaigns.
Founder of Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative, MHEL, Amen Zion Abah , disclosed that Nigeria has over 90,000 registered voters confronted with mental health due to heightened tension from harassment by political opponents on the voters and population.
He noted that it costs about N 3.5 billion to conduct elections in Nigeria , adding that there is need to address Political stress hitting Nigerians at this critical period of the country’s political period.
Electorates struggle mentally to figure out the best candidate who would bring them out of the economic doldrums which the ruling party has plugged the nation into.
Even at post election period is not a period of respite for citizens, they are still involved with the mental stress of accusations and counter accusations of elections rigging and the fight for stolen mandate.
Like the saying, ” if two elephants are fighting, the grass surfers, so in all of this the mental health the masses is still suffers.
