He was on his daily street vending of fruits on 17 December 2010 when a municipal officer seized his cart, ostensibly for lack of a trade permit. Something had to give: Bouazizi chose to end it all - he doused himself with gasoline and put paid to a life of misery.

Burnt with him was a dream of acquiring a truck to aid his trade. He may not have expected this, but he also kicked off a reaction that appears to have no end: revolution in the Middle East North Africa region that has led to unbelievable fall-outs in the lives of men who thought they were untouchable: Hosni Mubarak down and almost without cash at home and abroad, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on the run, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouch resigned and Libya’s Mommar Gadhafi on a bed of hot coals. In three months, the world has witnessed an unending uprising In the MENA region.

Will that fire spread to sub-Sahara Africa? Former Nigerian military ruler, Mumammed Buhari, now contending for Nigeria’s civilian presidency on the platform of the political party he created to achieve his dream – he has contested twice on another platform and lost - believes it is highly likely in his country – if the general elections due in April are rigged.

The men and women holding the reins of government in the country say he must be daydreaming. Rising from its weekly meeting on 24 February, the Executive Council of the Federation, rationalises: “(Nigeria) “is run in a constitutional order where the tenure of office of leaders is fixed.” Sorry, Mr Buhari, away with your Bouazization.

Olumuyiwa Adekeye, a PR/political consultant, seems to agree with the ECFers: His take: “If June 12 could not force Nigeria into action, I do not see anything that will. We have proven to be a nation of managers, who rather than demand for what is rightfully theirs, seek an alternative - viable or not. We move from power generating sets to candles, to kerosene lantern, to Abacha stove, depending on the weight of the purse.” Think about it: aren’t Nigerians said to be “the happiest people on earth,” even as at least 70% of the people in this world’s 10th oil-rich nation live below the poverty line. Message of hope from religious leaders keep the people going – against all odds - and you are likely to hear the Christians say: It is well. On this premise, the government executives might be right. Only, if the stats are anything to go by.

Tunisa, Algeria, Egypt, and other countries have as common reasons for unrest, rising unemployment rate, corruption. They also mention unconstitutional leadership as a reason. Nigeria could pass the third litmus test for those who consider a government which was brought into power by electoral fraud, rigging and violence as a constitutional government. But on the first two issues where does the nation stand? In its latest rankings, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation places Nigeria at No. 39. Tunisa where this protest sparked, happens to occupy the eighthh position, while Egypt is No. 9.

Indices for rating which the foundation defines as “the cornerstone of a government’s obligations to its citizens” are: Safety and Rule of Law; Participation and Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Growth; and Human Development. A look at demographics also shows that while Tunisia’s unemployment rate stands at 14%, Nigeria’s stands at 20% - and these figures are thought to be higher, considering that they are prepared by the government, trying to paint an, er “it-is-well” picture. Now, also interesting: Tunisia’s population stands at 10.5 million and Nigeria’s population stands estimated at 150 million.

This places more demand on resources and much agitation. Also, a look at the latest report from Transparency International, places Nigeria at number 134, with Egypt standing at 98 and Tunisia standing at 59.

Could the assertion of the Executive Council of the Federation therefore be seen as self-delusion?

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, in what could be a response to the cabinet folk had told a gathering: “This is a country we must always have hope on, not out of pity but because it has great potential to be realised. We therefore need to take full advantage of these potentials because if we don’t, what we are witnessing in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt will happen here.

We have oil and gas, but we import energy; we have large land resources, but we import food; we have been number the one producer of cassava in the world, but we import starch; we have a large cotton belt, but we import textiles from China; we have hides and skin, but we don’t have the necessary industry to develop it.”

The agitation amongst the Nigerian youth seems to grow by the day. On social networking sites, there are consistent calls for a r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n and the number of group groupings have been on the increase. Enough is Enough (EiE) is one popular coalition group. The founder and current head of publicity, Chude Jideonwo says : “There is no society where the people are satisfied enough. Any government which thinks that its people are satisfied enough and that a revolution is impossible is just fooling itself. But whether the parameters are ripe in Nigeria, I cannot say.”

It may seem though that the country moves closer to its date. EiE, which partners with other youth groups that use the Internet as it primary medium of communication is calling for the first presidential debate, “What about Us?”

“It is easy for politicians to promise change without having a clue about the realities Nigerian youth face every day. However, we know that their decisions now will largely determine our future so we want to know where they stand,” a release from the group reads. “This time around, we are engaged, aware and empowered, and believe that our vote should be earned and not expected.”

And they are likely to get what they want. A debate and this may bring the jolly ride of politicians to an end. The Nigerian population is made up of 70% youth and reports from the nation’s electoral body indicates that 80% of the 68 million registered voters are 35 and below.

Every political party now struggles for this niche. And while Jideonwo doubts if the Nigerian state is ready for a Tunisia-Style revolution, others think a revolution is at hand, still. One of such is the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria.

Nuhu Ribadu, a new comer to the political scene but well-versed in the intrigues of the multifaceted problems that plague his country, is calling on the people to embark on a silent revolution. Giving a speech at the ACN colloquium in Abuja to kick off his presidential campaign, Ribadu urged the people to go out andcast their votes for a change – and to protect their votes.

“It has become fashionable for everyone to talk mechanically about change in the country today, even those who have inflicted the worst injury to our treasury, and our best values speak glibly about change,” Ribadu said, adding: “The change we talk about begins with a leadership that is transparent, accountable, competent, experienced, and virile – in other words, a generational change. Such a leadership must answer the call to address three fundamental ills that plague the Nigerian society today: corruption, insecurity, and economic failure.

So, ladies and gentlemen, while the citizens of other countries are protesting dictatorship in their countries, in Nigeria let us act sensibly to take advantage of the fact that we have the opportunity to affect change every four years through the ballot. Now is the moment of change: through the ballot boxes."