The Nigerian general elections have come and gone, soon there will be a swearing in exercise and another tenure will be put into effect.

flawlessview.com spoke to some individuals who did not participate in the just concluded general elections, this is what a certain John Doe said when asked why he did not perform his civil duty as a patriotic Nigerian.

"Why do I have to vote, it's not by force, at any rate why do I have to stand under the sun and vote for a thief who will end up going there to enrich himself? I'll rather stay home relax and enjoy the holiday"

Another Jane Doe had this to say when told that she only showed her unpatriotic nature when she did not participate in the election

"Speak for yourself jare, who said that because I did not vote means that I am not patriotic? Shay those people that get voted into office and only go there to take care of themselves and their children, shay they are patriotic ni? Abeg carry your patriotic go jo."

Patriotism is an act of devotion by a citizen to his/her country, a devotion to serve to the ultimate degree displaying an unquestionable loyalty.

Amongst the many ways through which one can show this loyalty, for the purpose of this editorial, we shall limit ourselves to politics.

"Politics is a dirty game" is a very common quote among Nigerians, this is because the brand of politics run in Nigeria is anything but normal, it is often violent, it has been known to be fatal in most cases, do Nigerians ask themselves why this is so?

The traditional system of government found in the average traditional setting is often not democratic, it is usually a system where a king dies and his son is crowned the next king as obtains among the Edos, in some other setting, a council of chiefs by methods of rotation select which family lineage produces the next king after the demise of the reigning monarch as obtains among the Egbas, I am not aware of any Nigerian traditional community where indigene vote by way of ballot to select their monarchs.

Alas, we live in an Era where monarchy, dictatorship and all forms of governments of a single individual have been swallowed up by the government of the people, by the people and for the people. Though the democratic system of government is borrowed, Nigerians have altered the system, attaching corruption, violence and death dealing to it making it a no go area for the average Nigerian.

Today, Nigerians vote politicians to the various houses of Assembly for the purpose of championing their (electorates) course, but these voted individuals get there and first on their agender is always things meant to make their lives more comfortable, for instance, the Nigerian House of Assembly members are among the highest paid in the globe/world, for serving in these houses, they pursue a pension plan where they continue to get paid even after leaving office just as the governors enjoy at the moment.

How did Nigeria get to carry such a huge financial burden? - The self centered activities of politicians who were voted into those seats by "patriotic" Nigerians.

Is it therefore a patriotic act to vote during elections in Nigeria?

The WordWeb dictionary defines patriotism as "Love for country and willingness to sacrifice for it". Going by this definition, it therefore behooves of a patriotic Nigerian to be willing to sacrifice for Nigeria.

Souces: Flawlessshttps://www.flawlessview.com/news/voting-corruption-politicians-electorates-party-loyalty-and-patriotism/