Forgiven or forgotten

Have we forgotten? Have we forgiven? The 16th of February in Izghe, 25th of February in Yobe, 20th of May - Jos, 28th June – Abuja, 29th of November- Kano. Have we forgotten how we almost broke the internet with the “Bring back our girls” campaign? Was empathy from our president too much to ask?  Have we forgotten the promises in 2011? Have we forgiven the embezzling? Who told our children stealing was not corruption? Isn't a man’s integrity best judged by the little things he chooses to ignore? We can continue to pretend all is well, but can we afford to?

After all, whose children lie in shallow graves? Whose daughters sit in the claws of captivity? Whose sons were trampled in an examination exercise? Who visited the hospitals only to be told the doctors or health workers were on strike, again? Who braved the sun's scourging to occupy Nigeria? Whose children were massacred in schools? Whose sisters, brothers and mothers left for business but never returned? Who dies of thirst at the well of empty promises? Who can save us from this menace? Who votes?

Come February, we will not be caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. We will be standing between the devil, the deep blue sea, and our prejudice. We admire the battle cry of change, but we know too well from past experience, a promise made is not a promise fulfilled. We are standing in the darkness of the familiar, from five presidential candidates we only acknowledge two potential presidents. Politics might just be more like athletics and less like wine, older is not better. Caught between the lesser of two evils, whomever we pick is a bad choice. Nigerians, what reason do we have to vote come February?