Valentine's Day: How Politics Of Love Can Make Nigeria Great

By this time next week, all would have been set for the next Nigerian president. On valentines day, AllNews Nigeria's politics desk proposes that politics of love could be the answer to Nigeria's challenges.

Going into this election, we have a contest of fear, division and religious disconnection.

Politicians have successfully sold a contest of “us versus them” to their supporters.

On social media, Nigerians dehumanise those who support different candidates from theirs while pockets of violence have also been recorded across the nation clowned with division and anger.

But what if Nigeria considered a brand of fair democracy with a dint of love and sportsmanship?

As a nation w,e need to change our system from ego-centred undue ethnic alignment into politics centred on love and fair nationhood.

Why politics of love?

Love therapists believe that individual hearts are transformed by love. 

To them, loving one another even during adversity as evident in Nigeria can transform societies, reinstate national trust and instil accountability.

If Nigeria can transform its bitter-dirty political game into a national belief in the power of love, the country will graduate an entity with Social Friendship where equity, justice and fairness won't be sources of political quarrel as in the case of aggrieved governors in Nigeria.

Love is central, transparent and direct. Nigeria can tackle its current problems and divisions ranging from religious bigotry, ethnicity, corruption and immunity from both rulers and followers if it could look through the lens of love which permeates responsible leadership, government, governance and rule of law in line with national conscience and consciousness.

Corruption in Nigeria has become insurmountable.

Nigerians, today more than ever, believe in individualism that puts their personal interests ahead of the greater good, which comes from a lack of love for humanity.

But with the democracy built in love as preached by Valentine's day, leadership is entrusted with people determined not to put others at risk.

Additionally, it breeds followers who would not find joy in insurgency, banditry, armed robbery or any other catastrophe that will put universal happiness in danger.

Politics and governance are games of love 

In Nigeria, we have allowed the world to redefine our brand of politics and governance.

But looking critically at the core of politics (seeking to serve) and governance (service), we can see that "failing to love” is at the very heart of the matter hindering our national progress.

Leaders fail to love when they turn deaf ears to the hardship we go through at filling stations and banks to get the essentials we are supposed to get seamlessly.

We fail to love when we choose to listen to those—media and politicians among them—who only serve to inflame the rising tensions and create further division in the 2023 general election.

But once we embrace the politics of love, righteousness becomes a national cake everyone would strive daily to accomplish. 

As we approach the election, the rhetoric, name-calling, and dehumanization have intensified.

But politics of love can replace the politics of fear and division the political actors imbibe in their foot soldiers.

We can make Nigeria great without religious and ethnic cards, partisan bickering and finger-pointing.

We can make our points and canvass for our votes without raining curses on generations of sinless potential voters.

Politics of love calls on the best impulses of politicians and the electorate to participate in a system in which the greater good is of the utmost concern.

This kind of politics requires that politicians do their work with humane minds of love instead of a need for power and entitlement.

If we could all approach politics this way, we won't be campaigning on similar electoral promises every election cycle.

We would rest, assured that the people will vote into office during Nigeria's hot sun would deliver their promises to serve the common good without Nigerians having to humiliate them and their sons.

Pope Francis once said: “…let us be committed to living and teaching the value of respect for others, a love capable of welcoming differences, and the priority of the dignity of every human being over his or her ideas, opinions, practices and even sins.”

This love requires us to lay down our pride and radically love, accept, and listen to those who believe differently than we do, to respect them and affirm their dignity as human beings.

"There is no room for dehumanization, finger-pointing, and partisanship in this way of being".

Without the politics of love, Nigerians might struggle to get to the promised land.