Globally, everybody is encouraged to go green, if you cannot go green, then recycle. But, there are thing that should be recycled and from the basics of environmentalism, I know that it is always he non living things and inanimate objects are recycled not human. Humans must concur with the basics of life – decomposition. This is to give way for other new form of life or maintain a constant equilibrium. Here, in Nigeria, this global norm is frowned at and Nigeria politicians have refused to give way. The Nigeria socio-political system has a way of recycling the old woods and salvaging these things are onerous tasks. A look at the Nigerian political scene from 1999 till date, about seventy percent of the politicians are “recycled” and the height of this political “recyclism” was 2015. Across the globe, we hear and read about how some Nigerians are making impressive strides overseas and impacting positively in their adopted countries. Back home, it is not a matter of the dearth of requisite skills, but the dearth of political will to give way for others, especially fresh ideas. There is no way a different result can be achieved when the same methodology is applied.

Buhari, the current president of Nigeria, once president of Nigeria (1983), then I was 4 years old about entering primary school. Today, he is president! A straight forward man and a Godly man also a resilient soldier. The country democratized, as a patriot, he realized that it will not amount to anything if he proffered advised or act a fatherly role, he wanted to be part of the game changing process in a country. A country that the political scene can be best described as a “mud fight” and contestants most times get dirty. He didn’t care about the dirt, just like his confidant and friend Olusegun Obasanjo, who was once a president (1976 – 1979) then, I wasn’t born yet, when he handed over, I came into the world as an innocent baby! He became the president again 1999 – 2007, by then I have graduated from the university and has my first baby! That is the power of recycling in Nigeria and how he politicians or the culture of “ranka dedeism “ and “do baleism “ ( a form of respect for an old man that can be equated to some small gods in some regions of Nigeria ) has fine tuned political recycling.

Back to our amiable president, M.Buhari, though , he contested many times and realized that one cannot cheat nature, he said that he will not contest again. On December 9, 2010, while formally declaring his intention to run for president in the 2011 election, Muhammadu Buhari had said he would not contest the result of the election in court if he lost. He said “This campaign is the third and last one for me. I will not offer myself again for election into the office of president.” Some people weren’t happy for that decision! The man from Otuoke creeks must be thought a “lesson” , the powers that be will not let him be, the convinced, cajoled, talked and impressed upon him to contest and he did.

Presently, the president, always honest in his usual self has sent “body language” that he might not be interested in 2019 again, the wife Aisha , the first lady and the one that should be in the other room, though, intelligent and outspoken has made it clear that , if her darling husband tries to contest or bends to the pressure of power brokers to contest in 2019 elections, she will not support him. Hear Her “… I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote like I did before. I will never do it again.” She said in a BBC interview.



The National Chairman of the ruling party, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said ” if the president accepts to contest “that will be the greatest sacrifice he will be making for the progress, growth and stability of this country and Nigerians will be the ultimate beneficiary of that decision.” Note by that time the president will be in his 80s, thereby deepening the already deepened Gerontocracy the country is practising instead of Democracy. Apart from the duo aforementioned, a lot political actors today in Nigeria have been there in 80s, people like Audu Ogbeh, Bola Tinubu et al. Nigerians are aware of heir strides and efforts that they have “made” to develop this country. They are also aware of their impact in poverty alleviation of their people. What Nigerians are asking is just… time out.

The onus is on the legislature, they are the hope for the common Nigerians, the legislature is the people that will put an end to this recycling invention that Nigerian politicians perfected. Though, the legislature isn’t immune to this recycling contagion. A lot of them are recycled, not based experience, but political correctness and cross carpeting. The Nigerian National Assembly, which is numerically controlled by the APC, should amend the constitution to reflect the followings: one, that no governor, comes out AGAIN to contest for the senate after his four or eight year tenure in office as a governor. Second, that no Senator should come back after either a term or two terms as a senator; the same goes to the House of Representatives. Will they have the “balls” to do this? Do hey have the maturity to self regulate and show a fine level of altruistic tendency?

This recycling has got to stop; enough of all these rubbish and “nonsenselessness” please. APC must effect these changes now in our constitution or forever remain silent when they leave the centre. Third, at the state level, that no member should be allowed to go for the STATE House of Assembly for more than two terms, two terms are more than enough to build a castle in Rome; however, that member should be free to contest for either the House of Representative or the Senate. We have witnessed amplified hypocrisy from the present National Assembly members. With accusations of sleaze and plunder flying left, right, and centre, I am sorry to say that I simply dumbfounded by the performance of members of the present National Assembly.

They are “fantastically” and stupendously rich that most of them , not all are blind to the suffering of the masses. They preferred reverence and respect, in the North, they will dish out stipends of cash to the commoners and will not allow them get informed or get seed capital. Using religion to brainwash in North is an exilir and down South using tribal sentiment to hoodwink has always been their magic wand. North or South, the story is same, the story of status quo, the story of we are your elders, do you know anything? Don’t you have respect for constituted authority? Questions like these are used to intimidate instead of guiding. They don’t care! My recent cautious home visit was an eye opener. What I saw with my ‘korokoro’ eyes were too shocking. I saw hunger walking on four legs; I saw poverty and misery going hand in glove with runaway hyper-inflation; I saw hopelessness and despondency in the eyes of the Youth and the masses; I saw a groaning market women; I saw a whole lot of avoidable negligence on the part of governments. As the recycling is going on, fresh minds and ideas are going down and the Nigerian youths are not smiling.

We need to start doing things differently. This is a clarion call to the youth to take its destiny into its own hands! If the youths are to escape their responsibility now, be rest assured that they will not escape its consequences. Like Franz Fanon rightly posited: they should go out there to discover their mission and purpose on earth; then grab their moment or this very moment in history to fulfil and actualize their destiny. ‘Siddon’ look is no longer an option neither is it an excuse.

Yes, Nigerians are noted to respect the elders, where I come from in east, this notion has been expanded by an adage that goes like this “ what an elder sees sitting on a chair, a child will not see it, even if (s)he climbs the tree” this is to show the indepth wisdom of an elder but also this indepth wisdom of the elder has been countered by the same Igbo adage that goes like this “ a well travelled child is more knowledgeable than the elder that is at home.” Today, Nigerian youths are well travelled,up to date in use o technology and other IT gadgets, in an information world, the young Nigerian wants a country that he can be proud of, a leader that they can relate to and not one elder that requires homage before he is approached. This is the change of narrative that the Nigerian desires and come 2019, this will be put into action.



http://etimes.com.ng/2017/04/25/recycling-perfecting-the-act-in-nigeria-by-politicians/