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The word mind connotes an abstract part of the human person that thinks, feels, and remembers etc.
In order words and broadly speaking, mind is the collection of mental processes, including perception, memory, reasoning, emotions, and consciousness.
Every human person possesses a mind. It is good to train the mind of a child earlier in life and condition such a child to a particular perception or mindset about life- positive perception or mindset, though.
My mind is the mind of a writer. That’s to say, I have the mindset of a writer. I have been writing since 1975.This is to say that I have been a writer for 51 years- half a century! I wrote for my school magazine , Lagos City College, Yaba and when another opportunity came as a teacher in Mayflower school, Ikenne, I also wrote articles about the Second Republic elections and it was published in the Nigerian Tribune with the assistance of my employer and proprietor of the school, the late Dr Tai Solarin. When I joined the now rested National Concord Newspaper, I developed more interest in writing news, opinion articles and features. As a writer, the mind is always at an alert, processing thoughts and gathering ideas. Indeed, an idea about a topic or a story can occur to a writer at anytine and in the most unlikely places- in the toilet, bathroom( while taking bath), in a gathering of umunna( kindreds meeting), while driving, eating, while thinking, while in a reflective and introspective moods etc. In fact, I think more when I’m relaxed. I think about issues within and around me. My mind roams on both natural and spiritual issues. An American author, Napoleon Hill talked about the mind thus: “You either control your mind or it controls you.” Today and in this column, I’m unable to control my mind as it roams to the forthcoming elections. If what the newspapers haven been reporting about the desperation of politicians is anything to go by, then I foresee riotous elections. I foresee electoral exercises overshadowed by octane thuggery, rigging- ballot box snatching, writing of fictitious election results, compromised electoral and security officials aiding and abetting thwarting of the people’s free and popular choice etc. Political thugs are always at home with their blood- chilling trade. All they need are sponsors who act as godfathers behind the scene, the godfathers are wealthy politicians who recruit the thugs through their campaign managers. Thugs are readily available at motor parks. Some jobless and lazy youths are also handy as thugs. To execute their dastardly acts, thugs are financially mobilized. And they are then armed with dangerous weapons and illicit substances. The acts of violence at campaign rallies, collation centres, polling units etc are all handiwork of procured, sponsored and paid thugs.
Through the conduct of actors and gladiators, a peaceful, orderly, free and fair or choatic, shambolic and violent election is known months before the exercise. The current vitrolic, acidic utterances and actions of politicians ahead next year’s elections do not inspire hope. My mind tells me that there would be a stiff and bloody resistance from the electorates if the gladiators in the 2027 elections and their foot soldiers try to manipulate the process. I’m however, praying fervently that we don’t get to that ugly stage. However, the truth must be told: The political atmosphere is right now so charged that any misstep by the political actors or their hired goons could easily ignite a conflagration of violence with far-reaching consequences, especially as the religious and traditional institutions are now systematically being dragged into the fray with the mouth-watering inducement. For example, according to reports, the federal government allocated a whopping of N30.15 billion in the 2026 national budget to palaces and places of worship across the country, consisting of N22.15 billion for traditional rulers’ palaces and N8.05 billion for Churches and Mosques. This is an unprecedented, blatant attempt at compromising the two hitherto respected institutions. And it is not good for our democracy. It is a dangerous precedence. It smacks desperation and and a luride effort at vote buying.infact, it is a brazen attempt at rigging the elections, even beforw they are held. Sad. A local proverb says he who pays the piper dictates the tune. Inducing the traditional and religious institutions with N30.15b is unambiguously a move by the APC-led federal government to sway traditional and religious institutions/ leaders into coaxing their followers and subjects to reciprocate an egregious gesture- through their votes. Too bad for our democracy, very shamful- very toxic, harmful to free and fair election!!
According to an international Author, Bryant McGill, “every journey begins with the first step of articulating the intention, and then becoming the intention “. Also, an award-winning author Shannon Alder said: “Life is not lived with intentions, but action”.
Voting in Nigeria is largely done by poor, gullible and illiterate electorates who are easily influenced by traditional or religious leaders. Therefore, allocating such a humongous amount to the traditional and religious institutions in the laughable guise of renovating palaces, churches and mosques is akin to putting a worm on a hook and dropping it into an ocean knowing that the worm will surely attract the attention of the fishes.
As the country marches towards 2027, the election year, security experts and stakeholders say there is palpable fear in the air-fear of the known and the unknown, fear of attacks,fear of eruption of violence, fear of kidnapping for ransom, fear of compromise of the electoral body( INEC) and security personnel deployed to election duties. A grim glimpse of what 2027 holds for our dear country is playing out in Osun state ahead the state’s gubernatorial scheduled for August 15. In Osun, political thuggery, assassinations and intimidations of political opponents on both sides of the divide are the order of the day.
As a seasoned security expert, I’m aware that instilling fear in the populace is a game plan, part of the political game.Most times, it is a weapon to subdue the people so that they will not boldly talk nor express their views or make an informed politcal choice through the ballot. That’s the situation in Osun state right now.
And broadly talking about insecurity in the country, I dare say that the situation is not encouraging. For example, if a serving Colonel can be brutally murdered and the wife and orderly seriously wounded by suspected terrorists in an Army security zone- an Army Housing Estate, Kurudu, Abuja-then, the fitting question is, who is safe, not just in the FCT but in all parts of the country? The recent destruction of 2,819 illegal weapons by Nigeria’s National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) tells a sordid the story of a country where firearms easily find their ways into the wrong hands; the same with illegal drugs like tramadol, methampatine and cocaine, which NDLEA has continued intercepting their circulation and impounding containers and arrresting culprits.
May our country succeed. And may the 2027 elections not bend or break our country but strengthen her! Amen
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Security hints
As we head towards the 2027 election year, Security File urges our numerous readers to contribute their own quota to ensuring a peaceful, free and fair exercise by reaching out to the under erlisted security contacts, whenever they notice any activities that would affect the smooth conduct of the coming general elections.
So, if you notice your neighbour is involved in illegal arms possession or involved in the peddling of illicit drugs or any activity that will undermine the conduct of the 2027 elections, please, immediately report to
POLICE: 07031179186
2. NDLEA: 080010203040
3. EFCC: 08093322644
4. Nigeria Customs Service:+234 703 789 1156
5-NAPTIP-08075638397
6.DSS-09153391309
Happy new month, and have a crime- free week
