By Balarabe Oshiafi

Twenty Twenty Three general elections are knocking at the door. The political space is getting boisterous once again. Posters and billboards of Aspirants are getting ubiquitous. This is in much the same way as day time and cladestime consultations and movements are going on throughout the federation.

Some of the presidential hopefuls who have publicly declared interest in becoming President Muhammadu Buhari’s Successor are: Engr David Umahi who is the current Governor of Ebonyi State; Aare Dele Momodu, Publisher of Ovation Magazine; Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu one of the National Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President who is relentlessly seeking to be the President of Nigeria, Senator Rochas Okorocha a serving Senator and former Governor of Imo State, Professor Kingsley Mogalu, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the present Minister of Transportation and the present Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo who has not formally declared to run but whose body language and present visibility point to his positive disposition towards vying for the office of the President. The list of Aspirants is expected to increase in the coming days.

Within the component States of the federation , activities are also upbeat about governorship and houses of assembly hopefuls. What’s more, APC is also planning its convention.

Certainly, politicians are visibly present, available and accessible. They are most courteous in times like this and can promise you that the Moon will be shining ceaselessly in Nigeria once we vote for them.
Fellow Citizens, it’s a high time we grew up. Let’s us not be accepting the regulars anymore as 2023 approaches. The masses must appreciate more than ever before, that they are the real owners of political power. Never again should we allow our votes to be bought by those who will become inaccessible to us and only concentrate on recouping sums invested as though it were a conventional business venture.
If a Presidential Aspirant says he is going to give us free education, such promise must be accompanied by a workable module for achieving it.
To keep Nigeria together and put her on the path of growth and development, an in-coming President Must:

Firstly decongest the political space and make economic deregulation become automatic. The table of President Buhari is way too overburdened and must be decongested. Call it restructuring if you like. The regions need more the powers concentrated in Abuja. The next president must shown us a program for community and youth empowerment before we vote for him. ( Please see To Save Nigeria, Let’s Talk by Prince Tony Momoh).

The dominant political parties must be put on notice not to foist a Candidate on us when they have collected money. Nigeria’s next president must be someone who must be able to muster the moral strength to do the bidding of the real owners of political power, as against the professional politician who is adept at clinging to power or curry all-time relevance.
There is the need to reduce the number of the Members of the National Assembly. In fact let us adopt a Uni camera Legislature in the next election.
Next is a practical program of action to empower the Youths who constitute the largest percentage of the population. This will give them a sense of belonging and reduce Banditry, Yahoo Yahoo, Kidnapping and Armed Robbery. and Yahoo Plus.
In the short run, the next President must convince us as to how he will institutionalize social security with the recovered looted funds, for instance, such that the unemployed graduates, School Leavers, the aged and the vulnerable Citizens can get given upkeep allowances while revitalizing the public service and the private Sector for absorption of the teeming population of the unemployed Youths.
The Citizens must realise that disintegration is not an option.

Even if Oduduwa Republic, Arewa Republic and Biafra Republic are created out of the present Nigeria, each of those smaller Nation