The Nigerian state is definitely not at ease. There are so many multifarious challenges confronting us all. From the desert to the sea, there is that palpable tension, that festering social dislocations everywhere.
The scourge of banditry, the new fangled menace of ubiquitous kidnappers and the murderous largeness of the Boko-Haram zealots have all compounded the situation.
We are now being pushed to the brink. All kinds of faceless actors are now turning our present situation into a free for-all hate-mongering, reckless populism and sheer profiteering.
It should not be this way: Our leaders should not be stampeded into panicky, unreflective actions. Let the ruling party, the opposition, the non-partisan and everyone else step back from the brink and withdraw into a more reflective, more sobering position.
No doubt, this democracy is being stressed, being pushed beyond elastic sustenance. The essence of democracy is the triumph of the people’s will. It is about the necessary assertive hurrah of the choice of the people.
Thus, where the wish and the will of the people prevail, the crucial essence of democracy is thus fulfilled. But, unfortunately we are now straying. The electoral process is very flawed, distorted, mangled, fractured, dishonest, primitive, savaged by deliberate human intrusions.
As a result of this overt flaws in the electoral process as represented by INEC, we are all basically disenfranchised as none can guarantee that the votes cast are sacrosanct. Everything is tampered with in the desperation to seize victory at any cost.
Virtually all candidates are invariably aggrieved after election. And thus they troop to the judiciary for arbitration. Normally, the judiciary has a valid role to dispense justice where there is dispute.
But in a situation where the judiciary is gradually taking over the role of the electoral body is indeed a cause for concern. A lot is greatly amiss when the judiciary has practically become the deciding agency on who becomes a governor, who becomes a senator, who becomes a member of House of Representatives. Definitely something is wrong. Look at India, 800 million people voted and in two weeks results were announced no judicial tribunals, same in most developed conutries in the world. Why after 59 years of independence we are still in the Stone Age. If the Banking Industry in this conutry can process our data instantly why not the INEC.
In this warped reality, democracy is diminished. The mandate of the people is flung into the dump site. And the danger crawls closer.
How then do we restore order? How then do we restore sanity? We must be sincere. INEC must be dismantled in its entirety. It is presently compromised, partisan, wrapped in self-consuming incompetence. It must be retooled, revamped, overhauled to align with the profiles of such institutions as witnessed across the world where the full complement of the electronic system has long replaced the stone-age system of manual collation where electoral officers jump from tricycles to motor cycles to various moving contraptions and planes, physically carrying results to the Abuja Headquarters. What a shame! I cry for my beloved country in the 21st Century.
Our democracy is equally battered by the constant insidious encroachments of herdsmen into our farms, provoking tensions and murderous violence. The upsurge of bandits and kidnappers are the latest evils threatening the stability of our nation. The newly proposed Ruga settlements for Fulani Herdsmen across the nation should be given more thoughtful appraisal, more tempering analysis lest we are thrown into destabilizing unknown.
The government must be very pro-active, redefine its tools of engagement, refresh its policies, be bold and non-partisan to ensure that the outlaws are promptly neutralized and hurried out of town. Our nation is abundant with huge human resources and natural resources. We must apply our advantages to bring peace and lasting harmony to our lands. But we must be fair, we must be equitable. We must respect each others differences. We must be honest and true to each other regardless of tribe or tongue. May God bless our Nation. And may God lead our leaders aright.
– CHIEF OLABODE GEORGE, CON
Atona Oodua of Yorubaland
