Many of us will troop out en masse tomorrow to elect our respective governors and state house of assembly members that will steer the affairs of our respective states in the next four years.If we recall some experiences reported during the last presidential election, you will remember that many voters experienced some discomfort due to the scourging heat of the sun, and in some other areas, a downpour.
In fact, I remember the photograph of a tired voter who collapsed, taken by Shade Lagbokun for this medium. The picture was posted on the front page of Sunday PUNCH edition of March 29, 2015.
Therefore, we need to make these necessary considerations in ensuring that our health is given the priority during the remaining part of these elections. To do it right…
Choose the right clothing: Your choice of fabric and design of clothing, to a large extent, will determine how comfortable you will be during the voting exercise. Remember that it is a long process, characterised by staying in crowded areas and on long queues for quite a long period of time. So, this makes it essential that you wear clothes that are made from lightweight textured fabrics because they are loose, more comfortable and will easily allow air movement around your body.
In addition, you can replace your shoes and socks with sandals; and if you wear sunglasses, they will be handy to provide full UV protection and keep your eyes safe. In addition to this, you may also hold face towels or handkerchiefs to help clean up excessive sweat.
Get an umbrella: This will be handy to protect you from the scourging heat of the sun. You can also protect yourself in an event where there is rain. For example, in some parts of Lagos, the presidential elections began with a very scourging sunshine, followed by a downpour. Individuals who had umbrellas seemed to have made an enviable decision.
Carry bottled water: By the time you feel thirsty, you are already getting dehydrated. It is advisable that you hold a bottle of water and try to take a sip at least every 15 to 20 minutes during the voting process, especially if you are in an area where the intensity of the sun is high. Water contains no calories and is great for your health. Even if you do not feel thirsty, keep taking some sips of water throughout the day. This will keep your body hydrated and help you to continue producing enough sweat to cool down.
Eat fruit: Fruit and vegetables are high in water content and as such, are good to eat prior to being outside for the electioneering processes.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine: In addition to this, avoid drinking caffeinated beverages or alcohol at least a day before and during the voting activities, because these substances can act as a diuretic (any substance that promotes the excretion of water from our bodies). They can quickly dehydrate and put you at risk of heat exhaustion.
Avoid sitting in a parked car because the temperatures inside the car in hot weather can go up beyond 60°C.
Leave pet at home: Don’t take your pet to the polling centre because it can be a major source of distraction. Election activities are very important and should be treated as such. Also, your pet can get overly excited and hysterical by the sight of a crowd. This may result in it biting or inflicting other forms of injury on you or other voters.
Stay informed: Civil unrest is rarely spontaneous. Hence, you need to have your ears on the ground. In an event in which it occurs in your polling area, please do not panic. Rather, remain calm, be responsive to the information that is emanating from your environment, and logically assess the situation. The best way to get through a civil disturbance safely is to stay out of the way of both the rioters and the authorities. In addition, have a mobile phone, passport, or other identification on you at all times.
If you are hospitalised and intend to vote, please ensure that you get the authorisation of the medical personnel in charge of your medical history. In addition, if you intend to cast your vote and you are pregnant, please do not stand in the line for long periods for obvious reasons. If your polling centre does not provide a seat, you can just get into the line, appeal to the persons in front of and behind you to inform them of your condition and position on the queue; and then you can look for conducive location to relax. Later, you can fall back into your position when it’s almost your turn.
In conclusion, I make a passionate appeal to the Independent National Electoral Commission that all persons above 65 years of age, pregnant subjects, sick or physically challenged persons should be given some special considerations such as seats, shades and an accelerated accreditation and voting processes, so as to reduce avoidable medical emergencies.
I wish you safe voting process. And please, remember to give your health some priority this season because you need to be in good health to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
Have a splendid weekend.
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