By Maryam Ogunremi
I woke up this morning feeling so alive and refreshed. I have not felt this way in days. My mind has been troubled, but I believe a good night’s rest would put it to rest. I did not enjoy that luxury because the weather had been quite hot. Sleeping on my bed had become a taboo.
It is a serious taboo because the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has chosen to hold on to their supply for weeks. The story of my life and many other individuals in this area, except for those with the luxury to fuel their generator or power up using solar energy. I can’t afford to lie on my bed and get drenched in my own sweat.
The floor has become my go-to partner in these trying times. A well-swept and mopped floor can do wonders at a time like this. I suggest you do the same if you’re in my kind of predicament. That’s not why I have decided to put pen to paper this morning, but it is worthy of a mention.
All thanks to the cool breeze that blew across Abeokuta last night, the night was bearable and very relaxing. I slept in like a baby. And I am seated by my window this morning, thinking of how the great weather has refreshed my mind and energised my brain to put pen to paper. It has given me the ability to write things that I’ve been struggling to put into words for two weeks. This is my own epiphany and I don’t want to miss out on it.
Today’s weather reminds me of how important the weather of every aspect of our lives determines how productive we become.
In business or career, favourable weather will make you thrive and make life meaningful for you. It gives you a level playing field with every individual in your field or line of business. Favourable weather breeds healthy rivalry that leads to growth. And in growth, dreams are fulfilled, visions become clearer.
That is exactly what the Nigerian political space deserves. The right weather. The right weather where opposition parties thrive without infiltration from the ruling party. The right weather where politicians stop hopping from one party to another seeking what was not lost in the first place.
The recent hopping from one political party to another by Nigeria’s political bigwigs should be studied in an Ivy League institution like Harvard. The book of World Records should have it documented with a special certificate and a badge.
Back to my line of thought. The right weather where one can come out and vie against other party members without ‘BABA SO PE’ syndrome or the imposition of a consensus candidate. The right political weather where I, as a candidate, won’t have to pay off other candidates because I want to be the sole party ticket holder.
This is the party where you hear some ridiculous amount of money being paid and you wonder why Nigeria is borrowing money in the first instance, when we have such an amount in the hands of individuals we put in office to oversee our commonwealth.
Back to what I was saying and I promise not to veer off again.
Nigeria and Nigerians definitely deserve the right political environment where they can make sane choices from a variety, which they say is the spice of life.
This should no longer be a part of the prayers Nigerians will be praying in this big 2026. It should have been answered a long time ago if and only the political class is filled with individuals who are not self-centred and power junkies.
So, as I sit here, by my window side, taking in fresh air with the school children singing at the top of their lungs on the assembly and the fishseller calling for people to come and buy what she’s selling, the question ringing in my head is, IF WE DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT POLITICAL WEATHER NOW, WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN?
Maryam Ogunremi is a broadcaster, writes from Abeokuta.
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