London where the destiny of Nigeria was once shaped to fail by colonial masters is again playing host to political leaders and concerned citizens are wondering, what’s in it for Nigeria’s future?
October 1, 2023, will make it clear 60 years after Nigeria attained the status of a sovereign republic. It was on that date that Britain, the country’s former colonial overlords, withdrew its oversight of the political developments of Nigeria. Her Majesty, the Queen of England, took down the Union Jack and in its place, Nigeria’s Green-White-Green flag, was unfurled.
Within the week, in what was seen as reminiscent of the various steps that led to Nigeria’s independence, including meetings at the Westminster and Lancaster House, some political leaders hibernated to London, where they held a series of meetings.
Although there was no doubt as to the centrality of the 2023 general election to the various confabulations, Nigerians were left to ask what was in it for them, particularly given that issues that would define the forthcoming poll revolve around their socio-economic survival, welfare and safety.
In the three high profile meetings, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, was seen as the rallying point, thereby giving the impression that the entire conversation could be geared towards power capture rather than serious discourse on how to improve the socio-economic condition of Nigerians.
However, it is instructive that despite the praises showered on the Bimordal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as the panacea for electoral malfeasance, such schemes by political actors leaves the impression that voters do not matter in leadership selection.
Kicking off the series of meetings was the Presidential candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who told Nigerians that becoming the country’s President was his life ambition.
