Africa’s largest economy is set to resonate

Young people are going to vote in the first election in Nigeria in decades amid uncertainty and hardship.

Africa’s the largest economy is holding its seventh election.

About 93.5 million Nigerians will vote for 18 candidates to replace President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari has served two terms, so the next president will be chosen by the people. TThe leader of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party is 70-year-old former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu, who is also the leader of the All Progressives Congress.  Together with former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, a relative outsider, Tinubu is the leader of the APC opposition.

The campaign’s decentralized and mold-breaking nature has attracted young and professional voters who are dissatisfied with the two major parties. Some polls now have him leading the race.

At a time when coups and violent extremism have plagued West Africa, Hoffman added that the region “needs Nigeria to hold credible elections.”

Important events this month

This week, international observers are coming from different countries, including former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnny Carson and former South African President Thabo Mbeki.. The United States has also announced a visa ban on people who undermine Nigeria’s democratic process.

In September, First Lady Aisha Muhammadu Buhari apologized for the economic woes and security issues Nigerians have faced since her husband’s election in 2015.. Along with the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Connie Hoffman noted “missed opportunities” and “self-created crises” under the Buhari regime.

In 2019, the government closed the movement of goods across Nigeria’s borders with neighboring Benin, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger,‌ to stop the smuggling of rice and other agricultural commodities.

The administration’s exchange rate system has been criticized. It tries to protect the naira by making it more valuable. People argue that interventions like this increase volatility because prices change more often.

The oil sector accounts for over 81% of national budget revenues, making Abuja highly susceptible to oil price fluctuations and low production due to widespread crude oil theft.