Nigeria: Introducing the Nigerian Scores Exchange

The thriving market

There is a very vibrant market in Nigeria that seems to have an exclusive set of players whose stock is of traded value higher than what obtains in conventional stock markets even though people think there gains to be had in the latter.

They do not deal in shares but share the largesse of Nigeria’s great fortune brokering in eye-watering sums of currency that will suffocate the naïve.

What this market has in common with the stock market is insider knowledge but of a more malevolent kind, the secrets of cashing and market-making are based on timing with an amazing facility of self-moderation and self-regulation that defies the more regulated markets.

Values and virtues

Reputation and integrity have no context on the trading floor; rather it is information, vulgarity, cacophony, calumny, slander and revenge that work the best on this strangely floating bedrock of corruption and subterfuge – the stakes are really high.

The traders keep score and settle scores, by themselves or through proxies that could be attack dogs or organs of state that have lost their independence to the powers that be.

Things get done quite swiftly or through a slow injection of invective and vituperation that just beggars belief.

Amazing potential

There are no Chinese walls between the systems that operate in this market but the biggest trades are made through influence peddling by reason of a number of means starting from closeness to the those in power, to being able to command unaudited but humongous sums of cash or being able to gum of the litigation process with a troop of senior lawyers called Senior Advocates of Nigeria who intimidate judges into giving bizarre judgements.

Nigeria is awash with scores, bought, sold or held onto until times when their maturity brings the biggest dividend. Others can be co-opted into this market unawares to have a score kept which can be merged with an event to upturn the credibility of a process – it is not a game for tyros.

Workings of the market

Amongst the political classes, threats and exposés can be settled by doling out payments to those who appear to have a semblance of rectitude. They are usually successfully exploited that their entry-level is quite high on the score index. When traded the market simply suffers a shattering earthquake to contain the shock and then resets itself for the trade.

The case in point here is that of the corruption of Farouk Lawan who having gained a reputation for his handling of the Fuel Subsidy probe was found to have been implicated in a bribery scandal when Femi Otedola traded in his score to rubbish our confidence in the Fuel Subsidy report.

In other works of life, your score index is heightened by first courting controversy and then by secretly being ensnared in a scandal, like religious leaders dipping into the treasuries of their temples to live lives of debauchery or being caught pants down with persons they should not be in bed with. Blackmail probably has the highest traded value in this market.

The Nigerian Scores Market

We in fact have a scores glut in Nigeria that there is need to set forth a formal market with indices of traders, scores and parties implicated. The circuit-breakers for these markets are usually under the thumb of the Executive that can decide to cut out the effect of scores settled or keep score on those they want to toe the line.

However, I am now convinced that a bill needs to be sponsored in the Nigerian legislature establishing the Nigerian Scores Exchange for the business of handling, keeping and settling scores. It is hoped that there will be price controls, better transparency and a widened participatory market so that the masses can also trade in the scores market.

The fundamentals of this exchange will include the ability to buy time, sell souls or hold grudges, the more sophisticated will be able to do that in one tranche and decide market sentiment with betrayals and sell-outs, switching allegiances without compunction. They as the brood of vipers and the spawn of the Devil are at the top of their game.

The Nigerian flavour

Most importantly, with the establishment of the NSE, the murderous instinct that compels certain traders to take extreme measures to obliterate the scorecards others might hold will probably be contained as the secrecy instruments will be better shared amongst those with related interests, pursuits and ulterior motives.

The Nigeria Scores Market is really an amazing growth potential product whose value will radically change the face of doing business in Nigeria with astronomical returns.

We need to sensitise ourselves to this opportunity, building capacity to regularise the system so that the thermostat on the polity can be monitored to prevent opportunistic heating up along partisan, tribal or religious divides – subtlety is the purposeful key 

Editorial: Friends of Nigeria are welcome

The security risk of ambassadors

A United States Ambassador to any country is in essence a security risk and in some cases a national security threat to the countries to which they are posted as envoys to protect American interests and elicit the workings of the system in which they find themselves.

The WikiLeaks diplomatic cables showed how ambassadors with their status gained access to the powers that be and teased out state secrets, modes of operation and details of governmental activity which they relayed back home for analysis and processing by the State Department.

The each cable does not in and of itself spell the complete truth but taken together forms a perspective from which the government of the United States could be ahead of the curve in their dealings with any counterpart state.

Getting their quarry

In Nigeria, Ambassador Robin Sanders appeared to have credentials that made for a smiling ruthless interrogator that served you tea and walked away with the brains of her guests fully informed of everything she wanted to know.

In the early 90s, it was Ambassador John Campbell who as a fellow of the Council for Foreign Relations projects himself as an expert on Nigerian issues.

Now, there is nothing to besmirch his esteemed scholarship and analytical skills, Nigeria has had no end of problem analysts, the fact is we know the problems and the issue is no more about identifying problems but the need for solutions that are well thought through, maybe radical, maybe visionary or maybe just insightful.

Nigeria is too big a behemoth for the radical but step-changes and tweaking in different areas of the polity might begin to seed the clouds for a torrential downpour that starts the sweeping away of many of the issues that plague Nigeria.

A foe almost vile

Unfortunately, Ambassador John Campbell for all the knowledge and insight he gained about Nigeria has not put himself within the solution seeking school of thought, rather he has become the herald of its problems, its failings, its catastrophes and its impossibilities.

In essence, his well-constructed and authoritative analyses are hostile, damaging, unfairly critical and can be used to instigate the prophecies of turmoil, discord, carnage, division and hopelessness that has become his core narrative.

Nigeria needs helpers not lepers, it needs friends not skeptics, it needs solutions not reminders of our problems and the role John Campbell plays to the world about Nigeria is patently unhelpful as he has refused to use his expertise accentuate the positive about Nigeria.

Within rights

That is not to say that there are no problems and we are reluctant to brook criticism but his actions have become inimical to Nigeria’s possible progress that the decision of the Federal Government not grant him a visa to visit the country and find a platform at the university founded by the president’s bitter rival to spew his vituperations is apt and acceptable even if generally uncalled for and possibly reprehensible.

Nigeria has simply exercised a right that other countries like the UK or the US exercises when they are worried that some personality with contrary and atrocious views might create a public nuisance and a security situation.

If anything, Nigeria’s friends are welcome, so are those who bring solutions to many of the problems we have found insolvable and insurmountable; those who seek to weaken the already fragile state of affairs cannot be considered friendly – at first the refusal of a visa might be a warning but they are on the slippery slope to being cited as persona non grata.

Acknowledgements

I wrote an analysis of WikiLeaks pertaining to Nigeria which was termed NaijaLeaks on my blog. Robin Sanders biography speaks for itself as for John Campbell his biography to the point he became ambassador is hosted on the embassy website.

His views as the Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations are aggregated here.

A columnist called him out on his views with a write-up for Business Day Online titled Between John Campbell and Goodluck Jonathan (2) and the news about the government’s refusal to grant him a visa appeared on many news outlets and reference the on offered by CBS News.

Nigeria: Know your inalienable voter's rights

You have a great responsibility

As the first of the three consecutive election weekends in Nigeria arrives on the 2^nd of April 2011, never has it been more the duty and responsibility of Nigerians to ensure that their express wishes at the ballot box are transparently, fairly, honestly and truthfully represented in the results that are announced in all the elections they participate in.

Following the notices that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disseminated to the public through their website, on social media sites as Twitter and at press conferences, it is incumbent on every Nigerian to be aware of their rights as they exercise their constitutional rights to vote in their representatives and governments.

Get informed

Your first source of information is the INEC website [1], the guidelines they issued [2] regarding the elections have been condensed into a blog with related sites to help you understand what will happen on Election Day.

The @inecnigeria Twitter account posted a number of tweets that have been collated into a blog at NigeriansTalk.Org as a primer on the elections [3], the paper trail of how the results of the elections will be announced by Presiding Officers at the Polling Unit, the Registration Area, the Local Government Area, the State Level and at the Federal Level by the Chief Electoral Officer is documented in the blog that shows the INEC Electoral Chain of Custody [4].

Beyond vigilance, Nigerians must protect their votes and this starts by knowing their rights, all derived from all the guidelines given by INEC.

Your rights at the Polling Unit

It is the right of every Nigerian to help ensure the independence and impartiality of INEC is protected, guaranteed and enforced to the full by participation in the electoral process.

It is the right of every registered voter to be at their Polling Unit on Election Day from when it opens for accreditation at 08:00AM until when the results of the vote at that Polling Unit are published and posted at that Polling Unit.

All accredited voters are entitled by right and by encouragement of INEC to visit their Polling Units with their mobile devices and use them freely at their Polling Units. (This invalidates, countermands and renders illegal the atrocious warning [5] of the Inspector General of Police.)

Avail yourselves of the ReVoDa Voter Monitoring System [6] to report events at your Polling Unit.

It is the right of every accredited Nigerian voter to vote according to their persuasion, their conscience, their conviction and never under duress or inducement by any politician, religious or tribal leader or for compensation.

It is the right of every accredited Nigerian voter to use their vote wisely, the people we elect in April with run the country for the next four years, their decisions will affect our lives at home and abroad, our future, our prospects, our progress, our economy, our livelihoods and much more – ensure the party that has your endorsement at the ballot box can and will affect your life as a Nigerian for the better.

If you have doubts or have questions that have not been properly addressed today, endeavour to research and appreciate who really can deliver the Nigerian vision you have.

The INEC Official is chief

The most senior Nigerian Official at any accredited Polling Unit and all the collation centres is the INEC official; security agents answer to the INEC official and that INEC official controls all the activities that help in the smooth running of the electoral process relying on the support of INEC assistants and the law enforcement duties of security agents under the order and control of that INEC official.

The INEC official should ensure all activities are transparent to the accredited monitors, the assembled and accredited voters, the security agents and the party agents.

Law enforcement personnel are subject to INEC on electoral matters

All law enforcement personnel when it pertains to the electoral process are answerable to the designated INEC official at that location and they shall not act outside the remit and authority of the INEC official during the whole electoral exercise.

It goes without saying that the Inspector General of Police is also answerable to the authority of INEC when it pertains to electoral matters on all Election Days at all INEC designated electoral premises throughout the federation.

The function of law enforcement is to maintain peace and order as well as facilitate the ability for Nigerians to observe the conduct of free, fair, honest and transparent elections.

One function of law enforcement personnel on Election Days is to enforce the restrictions on vehicular movement and unauthorised travel.

INEC and law enforcement with their weight of responsibility are at the service of the people of Nigeria NOT the other way round.

2011 is the now; this is the time you have to make a difference with your vote.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN 2011 and refuse to let your rights be infringed by anyone in the April Elections.

Sources

[1] INEC Nigeria

[2] Nigeria: INEC Election Guidelines - Critical Information

[3] Nigeria: A Primer on INEC Elections in April 2011 | NigeriansTalk

[4] Nigeria: INEC Electoral Chain of Custody

[5] April polls: Soyinka slams IGP over use of cell phones

[6] ReVoDa | How it works

Nigeria: A Primer on INEC Elections in April 2011

Results and Reviews

Update: Nigeria: INEC Election Guidelines - Critical Information

This blog has been a veritable resource and guide to the Nigerian elections in April 2011, I have consistently updated this blog and add other bits of information as the election season wound down bringing together the election reviews and results from various sources.

All outstanding elections have now been concluded and those with grievances are now at liberty to file their claims with the election tribunals to seek redress or resolution.

The INEC Nigeria homepage offers a summary of the validated results of the elections.

Punch on the Web: Election Portal | Results of 2011 Presidential and other elections

Home : Nigeria Election Coalition presents an another analysis of the results announced.

The provisions for electoral petitions

The Electoral Act 2010 provides for the resolution of electoral petitions, these can be found in PART VIII - DETERMINATION OF ELECTION PETITIONS ARISING FROM ELECTIONS this starts from Section 133 or Page 45 according to the pagination of the PDF file.

Electoral Act 2010 as gazetted [PDF File].

Petitions should be filed within 21 days of the declaration of the results, the tribunal should deliver its judgement within 180 days of the filing of that petition and appeals for the tribunal process must be exhausted with 90 days of the judgement.

Election petitions take precedence over all other case files before the tribunal or court according to Section 142 of this Act.

No hard time-limits are placed on the complete resolution of petitions all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Election Reviews

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review I

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review II - New Election Dates

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review III - Who votes on Saturday.

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review IV - Part I to Voting

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review IV - Part II - We can

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review V

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review VI - Report to Prevent Rigging

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review VII - Change!

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review VIII - A President-Elect

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review IX - Analysing the Presidential Results

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review X - The North

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review XI - A functioning democracy?

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review XII - Altogether acceptable

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review XIII - Ideas for Electoral Reform

The election timetables, postponements and rescheduling

This primer started as a collation of information bits posted by the @INECNigeria Twitter Account, it has been regularly updated to reflect changes during the April 2011 election season though the most of the original parts of this posting appear below.

New election dates announced on the 3rd of April, 2011, further postponements announced on the 7th of April, 2011 for certain Senatorial Districts and Federal Constituencies

National Assembly Elections - Saturday, 9th of April, 2011 (15 Senators and 48 Representatives will not be elected on this day.)

Visit Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review III - Who votes on Saturday for more information.

Presidential Elections - Saturday, 16th of April, 2011

Gubernatorial and State Legislature Elections - Tuesday, 26th of April, 2011 (The Senators and Representatives not scheduled for election on the 9th of April will be elected on this day.)

Rescheduled Gubernatorial and State Legislature Elections - Thursday, 28th of April, 2011 (For Kaduna State & Bauchi States because of security reasons borne of post-election violence after the Presidential Elections.)

Supplemental elections held in 4 local government areas and one ward in Imo State to resolved the inconclusive situation – Friday, 6th of May, 2011.

INEC engaging social media

The @inecnigeria Twitter account finally came alive with activity last week with useful information about the elections to be conducted in Nigeria in the month of April 2011.

Through the series of tweets posted and my comments this blog will attempt to give a general idea of what to expect during those elections.

@inecnigeria At INEC, we are working round the clock to ensure a smooth delivery of a free and fair election to the people of Nigeria.

@inecnigeria INEC is doing its best as an Election Management Body (EMB) to restore confidence and provide a level playing field in Nigeria.

We as Nigerians expect no less from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) it is our hope that the elections are conducted and results announced that reflect the express wishes and majority voice of Nigeria.

@inecnigeria The total number of registered voters stands at 73,528,040 while total number of duplicates stands at 870,612. #VotersRegFacts.

The Timetable [Source]

The National Assembly Elections will hold on Saturday, the 9^th of April, 2011. This pertains to the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives that meet in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja unfortunately, the listed URL on the INEC Nigeria website does not link to the lists. [The URLs are now working.]

@inecnigeria List of candidates for Nigerian Senate elections http://j.mp/gpUxQm

@inecNigeria List of candidates contesting for the Nigerian House of Representatives http://j.mp/dO1xYf

The Presidential elections will hold on Saturday, the 16^th of April, 2011. The list of presidential office aspirants can be found here.

@Inecnigeria The list of candidates contesting for presidency with their running mates http://j.mp/glXuws

The gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections will hold on Tuesday, the 26^th of April, 2011.

@inecnigeria List of candidates contesting the Nigerian gubernatorial elections http://j.mp/effx3Q

At the writing of this blog the list for those running for State Houses of Assembly was not yet available but I will make that available as soon as I can.

Movement restrictions on voting day

In order to ensure that the voting in 2011 is seen as free and fair, it is probably going to be a full day exercise with full voter participation but a number of things need to be known.

Movement will be very restricted on election days which means voters must be close to locations where they registered to be able to vote. Students who registered at their schools would have to be in residence to vote at those locations and those who travelled to their villages from their locations of residence to register would have to make certain that they are back in their villages for voting before election days.

@inecnigeria It is important to reiterate that movement during elections will be restricted to only those on official election duty.

@inecnigeria Voters are therefore advised to start their day (on election days) close to their polling units to avoid being disenfranchised.

@inecnigeria #INEC. Governors and other officials not allowed to move around with armed detail on election day.

@inecnigeria Governors, other public office holders have been advised to come, vote and go back home. No reason for "monitoring". #INEC

@inecnigeria Movement restrictions will be enforced by security agencies nationwide for public safety & to preserve integrity of election materials.

Monitoring is now part of our civic responsibility Nigeria: ReVoDa - Making Your Votes Count

Protocols for elections

There is an accreditation process and a voting process on the day of the elections. Voters are to arrive at 8:00AM at their respective polling units to be accredited and this continues until 12 noon prompt.

It is the most important part of the electioneering process because it validates the eligibility of the voter to vote and this I believe is verifying registration, identification and the matching fingerprints.

@inecnigeria Voters must be at their respective polling booth at 8am for accreditation. Accreditation is a prerequisite for voting.

@inecnigeria Accreditation begins at 8am and ends at 12 noon prompt. It is the most important process in voting during the elections.

The voting would be by Modified Open Ballot System [1] the guidelines for this process will be published on the 23^rd of March, 2011.

@inecnigeria Voting procedure will be 'Open Ballot System' (similar to what was used during 1993 elections)

@inecnigeria Proper guidelines for the elections will be released this Wednesday. #INEC.

Protecting your votes

Voters will be allowed to wait around after voting to ensure their votes are counted and tallied freely, fairly, transparently and without interference. They are allowed to take their mobile phones into polling units, record events and make use of the ReVoDa [2] monitoring process.

No one in political office or contesting elections is allowed to monitor elections, they are to vote and leave the environs of the polling units.

The list of accredited election monitors appears here [3].

@inecnigeria Voters are allowed to bring in mobile phones/devices into Polling Units. #INEC.

@inecnigeria Violence and disruptions at polling units could be grounds to nullify results in those polling units. #INEC

@inecnigeria Results will be nullified if the total votes cast exceed the total number of accredited voters.

@inecnigeria There is a profound commitment from overwhelming majority of Nigerians for free and fair and credible elections in April. #INEC

Most of the information about the conduct of elections, the candidates and guidelines can be found on this page [4].

Little frustrations

Trawling through the INEC Nigeria website is a nightmare, the placing of information is not consistent, the quality of data is badly processed with some information that should be in tables provided as downloadable files in some cases you have to rely on the pot-luck of the latest news column of 3 items to get the information required because the user experience is appallingly unprofessional.

I was frustrated when I started writing this blog hours ago that I stopped, but this not before I had posted some rather scathing remarks about the website. I can now report that amazing improvements have been made to get at the necessary detail in use on this blog.

After the elections on the 16^th of April the INEC Nigeria website was again revamped making results even more accessible, the organisation has consistently improved on the quality of their service and information dissemination.

Sources

[1] National Mirror - INEC adopts modified open ballot system.

[2] ReVoDa: making voting social and protecting your democracy

[3] Accredited Domestic Observer Groups/Organisations for the 2011 April General Elections

[4] Reports: INEC Nigeria

Nigeria: Know your inalienable voter’s rights

Nigeria: The What About Us Presidential Debate

This blog was first published at NigeriansTalk.Org with the title, Nigeria: The Youth and the What About Us Presidential Debate

Update (25/03/2011)

The Nigerian Youth “What About Us?” Presidential Debate will hold on the 25^th of March 2011 at 7:00 PM (GMT) at the Shehu Musa Yar'adua Centre, Abuja, Nigeria.

The following presidential contenders will attend Chief Dele Momodu (NCP), Mr. Nuhu Ribadu (ACN), Governor Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP) and Professor Pat Utomi (SDMP). The incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan (PDP) and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (CPC) have so far declined invitations.

Channels TV Nigeria and Youtube will collaborate to stream this debate online at http://www.youtube.com/channelsweb

Additional details about the event can be found here.

Setting the stage

Writing for the Guardian yesterday with the title A Nigerian revolution [1], the celebrated writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said she will be a moderator of the Nigerian presidential debate arranged under the auspices of youth groups with the theme, “What About Us” on the 25^th of March, 2011.

She starts off is identifying the issues of eternal incumbency amongst certain African leaders who have been in power from long before we could read until now and that fact that the leadership structure was quite different from those of the North African countries now in flux because Nigeria had become a democracy since 1999.

The plurality of our democracy needs to have its potency from the generally accepted statistic that 70% of the Nigerian population is under the age of 35 and hence needs genuine representation with regards to their needs and their aspirations.

Pride in our nationhood

That list of things that encapsulates the outlook of the Nigerian youth can simply be defined in terms of what would make any Nigerian proud to be a Nigerian in the brotherhood and sisterhood of the many and diverse elements of our nationhood regardless of tribe, creed or religion whilst offering the equality of opportunity to all to rise to be all that they could be.

We have come to a time when the youth should and must have a voice that can be heard and responded to with consideration, responsibility and sense of duty – our leaders can no more reign as demigods whose ideas and lifestyles are completely removed from the realities of those they represent.

A constituency to listen to

The first rung in the need for accountability in our representation can only be achieved in a forum where those who seek electoral mandate are ready to listen to and answer questions regarding what they intend to do to make the promise of Nigeria a realisation that exudes pride and praise.

The hope is when the debates come all representatives of the parties vying for election would present themselves for scrutiny, for tough assessment and the healthy debate of ideas, vision, mission and realisable goals.

The write-up also offered the opportunity for commentary that ranged from the well-worn issues of poor leadership and corruption to the historical landmarks that very few of the youth can truly identify with.

Memories we have not experienced

Interestingly, one non-Nigerian could remember Biafra, what I remember of that was it ended in 1970 and I was hardly 5 years old then – it is unlikely that that informs the dreams and aspirations of the youth of today but it represents one of those possible wedge issues that could take our focus off the critical issues that our country faces.

We keep being reminded of the North-South divide and the religious divisions which pale in insignificance with many people who live in mixed environments of varied allegiances, it would be very unfortunate if the youth allow their views of Nigerianness to be defined in those terms when the entity is still Nigeria and the identity is Nigerian – we have something that is worth fighting for and we should not allow selfish interests to usurp the agenda and the so-called politicians and power-brokers are mostly responsible for this travesty.

Education is the foundation

One particular comment dwelt on the broader issue of education and the need for all to recognise the value of education in raising the quality of life and status of all Nigerians. The ignorance that allows for preventable diseases to contribute to high mortality rates is unforgivable, the need for our generally patriarchal society to accord women and females equality and the right to education and the need for a language that allows for our citizenry to engage in the political process making the right decisions for themselves and their communities.

Too often politicians have exploited the citizenry and the preponderance of a type of vassality to the political class with the ulterior and inadvertent aim of keeping the uneducated or powerless oblivious and ignorant of their rights and hence the force of agitation to bring change.

The youth are here

This time, the youth are coming to the fore and they would probably decide who takes the political spoils and the politicians better have a good few answers to the question, What About Us? The youth would not be ignored, let alone patronised and one is hopeful that they are making seriously informed decisions based on track record, ability, ideas and competence.

If the result of April’s elections rest in the hands of the youth, whoever gets to power without being properly tested and assessed would in terms be representatives of the youth and they would have assume a modicum of responsibility in deciding the future Nigeria faces.

The pledge of the youth must be to use their votes well and not commit to allegiances based on sentiment or subjective criteria; we need to be able to say that when the youth asked that question they did their part in bringing a democratic revolution to Nigeria for useful change.

Surely, that is not being too optimistic, is it?

Source

[1] A Nigerian revolution | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Comment is free | The Guardian

The lion is the jewel - Wole Soyinka

The man over the boy

The contrast cannot have been any clearer as to see the HardTalk interview of the 1986 Literature Nobel Laureate; Professor Wole Soyinka by Stephen Sackur this morning putting the ordinary and lack-lustre Chief Ojo Maduekwe - the Foreign Minister of Nigeria in the shade.

It would contemptible to offer to compare these two personalities, but I was both pleased, impressed and proud to hear Wole Soyinka address the issue of his vocation and activism in relation to the politics of Africa.

It was also interesting that Wole Soyinka was not interviewed as a playwright on the sister programme HardTalk Extra, but on the substantive HardTalk programme with a live audience in Lagos that applauded at the end of the interview.

Nigeria is not a democracy

The Professor rubbished the context of Nigerian democracy highlighting the fact that the elections were seriously flawed and democratic institutions had been undermined by the executive in the tenure of the last President.

He was disgusted by the fact that political thuggery found expression and patronage from the ruling “democrats” but lauded the fact that despite repression and dictatorial tendencies the freedom of the press has been sacrosanct; maybe in another forum he can address the issue of quality.

Many would agree that it takes a special kind of temperament to get involved in Nigerian politics, even my foray into student union politics has taught me too much already – the Professor contented that he had a bigger forum with his work, writing and expression than to be subsumed into what is essentially a quagmire.

Complacency in Nigeria

He talked of his membership of a forum that is concerned about a creeping complacency and resignation to issues that have been abused in the country, especially that of the electoral process.

The fear is that many have placed their optimism for resolution in the future without really addressing the problems now. Another point he mentioned was that Nigeria is becoming a powder-keg ready to go off as people realise how resources are plundered to the detriment of others. The example he gave of shared poverty being a shared prosperity in Tanzania was quite an insight.

We should remember that the day before, the views of Wole Soyinka about the political situation were discounted by the Nigerian Foreign Minister, but it was Wole Soyinka that was invited by the US Congress to testify on the matters of the election.

A conflagration about to consume

In the end, the Professor is not advocating violence, his struggle is to bring the complete democratic process into all facets of life; but he also sees where resentment might eventually flare up into an unmanageable situation – our leaders need to take note of the fact that the people would only allow themselves to be taken for fools for so long after which, nobody knows what might really happen.

This interview was part of the BBC “Why Democracy?” season, it is a question that needs to be answered because like the Professor said, at independence, there was an aspiration and vision to bring radical change to Africa, all of which has floundered in the depictions that emanate from Sudan and Zimbabwe as the worst cases of egregious abuse of power in Africa.

Playing by the rules

Nigeria however finds itself in a situation where the rulers abuse the rules and processes with impunity and hubris, but we who seek justice and fair-play have to use the democratic rules of due process, the respect of the rule of law and an assuredly independent judiciary – impartial in its analysis, fearless in its judgements and courageous in debunking megalomaniac potentates.

From that point, Wole Soyinka represents a beacon of hope for Nigeria, he may never vie for President but he is a worthy president and representative of the hope and aspirations for a better governed and equitable Nigeria - He is the lion and the jewel [The Lion and the Jewel (1963) is one of Professor Wole Soyinka's best known plays] stating how precious democracy is to the real development of Nigeria.

It also means that those in power today might still be deprived of the mandate to rule if the electoral tribunal elects to invalidate the flawed elections of April 2007.

The interview (Real Media file, you can obtain RealAlternative [Link to executable] to play this back in Windows Media Player).

Democracy Day in the eyes of the fair-minded

Democracy Day

Two countries in the whole wide world celebrate Democracy Day, a third is proposing the establishment of one.

The United States is proposing one for the first Monday of November in an even-numbered year; I can suppose there is agreement that the United States of America is a democracy with all elements of the democratic concept functioning and operational.

Another country celebrates this auspicious day on the 19^th of February, this being Nepal. However, on closer scrutiny, it was for the usurpation of power by the Rana Dynasty from the Shah Dynasty - hardly what we might call democracy.

A contemporary definition of democracy can be obtained from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and it says with clarity - a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

We can affirm from this definition without any doubt that democracy is the express will of the people to be governed collaboratively or through those they choose to represent them. Those who they chose have to renew their mandate periodically through free elections.

The ex-military civilian president

When Nigeria instituted Democracy Day on the 29^th of May 1999, it clearly was indicative of the fact that the country had returned to democratic control after a long period of military leadership and mismanagement.

That day 8 years ago also heralded a new expectation in the psyche of Nigeria as we lauded the advent of General Olusegun Obasanjo (Retired), a man who once ruled Nigeria as a military dictator in between 1976 and 1979.

Now, General Obasanjo, lest we forget his military career before he assumed a civilian façade, addressed the Nigerian people in a valedictory speech yesterday and somehow, either sheer belief of delusion lead him to suggest - "For the eight years that I have enjoyed your mandate and support, we changed ... the image of our country in the eyes of fair-minded, honest and objective observers both at home and around the world".

Many at home and around the world would not entirely agree that the elections which were conducted in Nigeria, a third time now in succession were to any standard credible, though Mr. Obasanjo would like to make us believe so.

We celebrate Democracy Day once again with a flawed and corrupt version of what could have been a better managed and transparently conducted democratic process as if Nigerians really can do no better.

8 years come and gone

There is no doubt that he had a mandate of 8 years, and there is no doubt that the image of the country has changed, but have the real bread and butter issues of ordinary Nigerians been addressed to any degree?

Then we come to the eyes of fair-minded, honest and objective observers both at home and abroad and we might as well agree that bales of wood are being pulled over our eyes if we are to believe that democracy has been well served, infrastructure has been improved upon or the general prospects of Nigerians have greater optimism than when he assumed office in 1999.

I shall neither praise nor castigate Mr. Obasanjo, today, but when history is written, hopefully, it would be a fair assessment of the events of today; it would be honest in reckoning how this man who has lead Nigeria for 11 and a half years has distinguished himself and it would be objective in noting where opportunities have either been seized or missed.

Like some have already said, 8 years have come and gone and Mr. Obasanjo leaves Nigeria the way he met it and most probably worse. His chapter closes as Mallam Umaru Yar'Adua first tries to justify his new position and execute executive power with a flawed mandate.

Nigerian uniqueness or French aberration

New day new man

France wakes up to the dawn of a new era; the son of an immigrant would be the next president, a tough election that saw the end of a generation of grandee politicians for the fresh air of the baby boom generation and the almost happened first female president.

Most of all, French democracy was energized, alive and vibrant with an 85% turnout, only countries with compulsory voting laws can genuinely exceed that number.

Politics afresh

One thing I noticed about these elections was that the electoral commission, if there is any organisation by that name in France was never in the news in terms of readiness, ability or efficiency - it was not even early evening before we knew the results of ballots cast earlier in the day.

As Jacques Chirac goes into retirement after about 5 decades in politics and 12 years of his Presidency, I do not hear that he has muscled his way into trying to head the party/coalition that was formed to re-elect him 5 years ago.

Neither did I hear of him trying to use his clout to affect the choices that the French have to make about who they think should lead them, people who thought they had a vision for France presented themselves having fulfilled certain pre-requisites and the people voted.

Losing gracefully

Once the results were known, the loser conceded defeat gracefully, why? Because the results were the express will of the people; seen to free and known to be fair - if there were any observers it would be to learn how to conduct elections rather than with the view to prevent widespread irregularities.

So, one wonders if there are countries that make use of French expertise in other areas of commerce and development, why they cannot also employ French expertise in reaching the kind of transparent outcome in the exercise of republican democracy.

The French are no different

The French are just as human as you and me, they have not evolved into some extraordinary species, rather, they have shown respect for each other and the will of all ordinary citizens of the republic.

I would suppose one reason to keep Nigerians illiterate is to have politicians herd them like cattle into electoral compromises they would not have taken if they knew better about their rights to vote and have their votes counted and returned correctly in the announced results.

If we had achieved a tenth of what French delivered in their elections in Nigeria, we would probably have the hopes that the French have for the future rather than the fears that stem from an election where the mandate is suspect.

Is there a Nigerian harbouring a secret desire to be French today?

Before we lose the Nigerian elections gracefully

Understanding the rules of contest

Before we close shop and walk away from the bad situation of the elections in Nigeria, let us review some of the issues at hand.

There is an increasing tendency to accept that the deed is done to the extent that some are now being dubbed sore losers who cannot accept defeat gracefully.

Any contest should have a set of rules which are adhered to, there is a way to declare a winner through some sort of point-scoring managed by some umpire; that process should be seen to be just and fair for the loser to concede defeat gracefully and the winner take all the spoils in victory.

When it comes to the Nigerian elections, whilst the umpire in this case is INEC we have had international election monitoring observers review the process by planting independent personnel all over the country to ascertain that the voting process meets international standards.

Their conclusion is, the Nigerian election does not measure up to international standards, and this would be regardless of the reports of Nigerian bloggers whose oversight in terms of the election would be too narrow in scale and sampling to appreciate the trend towards fairness or irregularities.

Nobody is trying to do Nigeria down, rather these observers are trying to help Nigeria realise the real benefits of a democracy which by definition is the government of the people by the people for the people.

We have too long been plagued with a variant which is the government of the people by some people for their people (Read pockets and narrow interests).

One might wonder what international standards are and why we do need elections observed at all.

Quoting liberally from the OSCE Election Observation Handbook updated in January 2007, this forms the crux of what a democracy should expect as part of a democratic process.

Why Observe Elections?

Elections are a celebration of fundamental human rights and, more specifically, civil and political rights, and election observation therefore contributes to the overall promotion and protection of these rights.

A genuine election is a political competition that takes place in an environment characterized by confidence, transparency, and accountability and that provides voters with an informed choice between distinct political alternatives.

A genuine democratic election process presupposes respect for freedom of expression and free media; freedom of association, assembly, and movement; adherence to the rule of law; the right to establish political parties and compete for public office; non-discrimination and equal rights for all citizens; freedom from intimidation; and a range of other fundamental human rights and freedoms that all OSCE participating States have committed themselves to protect and promote.

Election observation enhances accountability and transparency, thereby boosting both domestic and international confidence in the process. The mere presence of international observers alone, however, should not be viewed as adding legitimacy or credibility to an election process.

Although the presence of observers may indicate that the process merits observation, it is the observers' conclusions about the process, based on the ODIHR's (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) methodology, that will form the ODIHR's opinion on the election.

Observers safeguard our democracy

Election monitoring involves being able to observe all phases of the election process this includes the preparation, the registration, access to the candidates, the electioneering campaigns, the voting process, the vote counting, the results collation, the results declaration and then allowing the winners to duly assume the position to which they have been elected.

However, what people miss about this whole electioneering process is the fact that elections are a fundamental human right in a democracy, this context seems to be missing from the minds of both the politicians and the their electorate.

It allows for politicians to think villages, towns, states or regions are theirs for the taking without contest or competition and the people acquiesce to that delusion such that their votes fail to count.

This ought not to be so; Annex A of the same reference document says "Democratic government is based on the will of the people, expressed regularly through free and fair elections."

Democratic countries must subscribe to the principle that affirms that everyone has the right to participate in free and fair elections.

The poor preparations of INEC are well-discussed and documented, the flawed gubernatorial elections of the weekend of the 16^th of April and the jaw-dropping ill-preparedness for the elections of last weekend which had ballot papers still in South Africa 24 hours to elections are evident.

The verdict

However, on the whole, when the observers reviewed the whole process, the elections had fallen far short of basic international standards and were marred by violence, poor organisation, lack of transparency, widespread irregularities, significant fraud, voter disenfranchisement and bias.

That is as damning an indictment of a process that one can get in diplomatic language, noting that we did not even scrape the very basic international standards, those who think we should forget this and move on would have to reflect this matter again.

The chief EU observer went on to say, "These elections have not lived up to the hopes and expectations of the Nigerian people and the process cannot be considered to have been credible."

Before we get all defensive about Nigeria and the Rome that was not built in a day, the observer has nothing to gain apart from hoping that people of our country get the government they have elected through processes that are not too extraneous to oversee.

We should be disappointed because this election was supposed to set an example for all other nascent democracies, but the lessons that would come from this would probably harden the inability-complex of many who prefer to conduct elections shabbily rather than encourage others to excel in protecting the democratic rights of their people.

Belling the cat

In the extreme, one can say with regards to the Nigerian Elections that the commendation for good work done as elicited by the Chairman of INEC is really trying to persuade Nigerians that in allowing for their fundamental human rights to be breached, abused and taken, they can be proud of having no one to lead them against this atrocious onslaught.

Who of those who aspire to lead Nigeria can stand up for the rights of every Nigerian to be able to know that whatever votes they have cast would be the votes that were counted and those that are honestly reported?

For now, there are none brave enough to bell the cat, either winners who know for sure that the elections that have rigged in their favour and have no integrity to challenge the injustice or the losers who knowing that this is the case would clog the process with the courts for their own ends rather than the principle of demanding the restoration of the fundamental human rights of 60 million Nigerians who were eligible to vote.

Because there is no one to bell the cat, we Nigerians would be lumbered with another unaccountable self-serving indolent machinery of nepotism, corruption and graft, four years on from now, would things have changed? I think NOT!

I see

Enter the lawyer

Somehow, I can see that many fellow bloggers have simply decided that the debacle masquerading as preparations for elections in Nigeria is beyond redemption, and I do not blame anyone for their disinterest.

On Tuesday, I did say that the seemingly conflicting judgements of two courts on the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to bar candidates and eligibility of candidates to contest elections to curtailing the powers of the INEC seems to have been given an interesting breather.

Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) whose career I have followed with interest for years has been at the forefront of the Civil Liberties movement in Nigeria since 1987, he was probably the best prepared to take on the mantle of the presidency of the Nigerian Bar Association which he won in 2006.

Now, this bigwig says that the judgements are in no way contradictory, but complementary, this is worth taking a pause for and I will listen to what he has to say.

The judgements

The first judgement which came from the Court of Appeal, the superior court, he says, "merely resolved the issue that INEC has the power to screen and disqualify a candidate", fair enough - so the INEC knows that it can disqualify a candidate that is settled.

The second judgement which came from the Federal High Court and hours after the judgement of superior court, he says, "reviewed the process of disqualification, which INEC exercised" he goes on to say, "it was the issue of the reasons for disqualification, which the court held in the case of Atiku, that the reason for disqualification is not proper, hence he (Atiku) cannot be disqualified", well, that does look like the crux of the matter, and one could argue that there has been a lapse in due process by INEC because they seem to be driven by tenets that have excited serious legal scrutiny.

A peal of appeals

This for me looks like a good basis for seeking further legal clarification in the courts and it should be left to the appellate process to resolve. For instance, it is testament to the fact that the judgment of the lower court exercises a different legal requirement of the INEC that the INEC has decided to appeal that judgment.

This is like Mr. Agbakoba said because INEC's manner of disqualifying the vice-President was suspect if not illegal.

The vice-President it would appear was disqualified on the basis of the report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the Federal Government, a report that was rubbished by the Lagos High Court months ago - hence, it would appear, the INEC really for now has no legal basis for disqualifying the vice-President - he should run for elections.

The Attorney Miscreant

Enter Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN), the legal lackey of the Federal Government as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, a man who with all his learned expertise has done more to undermine the rule of law and make a ridicule of our international legal reputation.

He was the one who could not invoke the appropriate measures to handle corrupt governors in Nigeria that he ended up appearing in courts himself in the UK to argue the question of immunity of governors and was in cahoots with the FBI to try and undermine the vice-President in the United States.

He has rubbished the view of the President of the NBA because it makes seriously uncomfortable reading for the Federal Government whose head has turned a personal vendetta into a political stalemate in terms Nigeria having good governance in the last 18 months and has usurped the independence of agencies to conduct their activities in a proper manner, in order to achieve a personal end.

Attacking the lawyers

So, Chief Ojo, thinks the interpretation of the judgements by the NBA is politicising the issue, which is quite rich coming from the Attorney General, but really, what the Federal Government fears is the possibility that the postponement of the election might lead to the much reviled political enemy of the President having the opportunity to present himself to the Nigerian people.

I would think the NBA is probably better acquainted with the quest for due process and justice than the Federal Government and I think attacks on the NBA because they have not been subsumed into the craftiness of the Federal Government will pay no dividends.

Rather, it is very much like a struggling drowning and wounded man flailing in a sea of sharks, I expect the NBA not only to rise to this bait but swallow the fisherman before they are done; as the saying goes, only fools tread where angels fear to tread.

Still hoping for justice

Every sleight of hand exercised in our name by the Federal Government as it goes about trying to succeed itself is a rape of democracy, but if justice does fall in favour of vice-President Atiku that he gets the opportunity to contest the elections, the out-pouring of sympathy might just put him in Aso Rock and accomplish the eternal nightmare of the ruling party.

The powder-keg of unrest that is being primed for a major explosion as these elections begin to look pre-determined, doctored, rigged and unfair might as well stay plugged, but I would not hedge my bets.

Meanwhile, there would be no rest for the courts till the last bit of clarity is forced down the throats of all those who refuse to respect the rule of law.

References

Atiku Stands Disqualified, Says FG - DissDay

Presidency Slams NBA over Position on Atiku - DissDay