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02/22/20
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7:35 PM

The Nigerians in the Diaspora constitute a sizeable chunk of the Nigerian population and a majority of them play more than an active role in the quest for good governance in the country touted to be the most populous in the African continent.

The ruinous economic policies of the military led many of them particularly the brightest of the bright to flee the country in their quest for economic liberty. During the struggle for democracy, many members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) particularly those resident in the United Kingdom and United States fought the military junta of Generals Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and Late General Sani Abacha for the revalidation of the June 12 election adjudged as the freest and fairest in the nation’s chequered electoral history and for the Khaki boys to go back to the barracks.

Their population runs into millions and they contribute billions of dollars to the Nigerian economy on an annual basis. Many of them came back home after the military locust years to take part in the return to civil rule where their wealth of experience was brought to bear in the country’s governance.

There has been a recent clamour by many of them there to vote for the candidates of their choice in forthcoming elections. They cite Senegal as an example of a country that has set the precedent in Africa and wonder why their dear country cannot follow suit.

Their dream was short lived when the Senate and the Independent National Electoral Commission threw the spanner in the works of their long held dream.

 

Chairman of Senate Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, was quoted by PUNCH to have said, “ There are so many things that are involved in Diaspora voting. It is not just enough to say that we are going to do diaspora voting.

“It is not as if we are opposed to diaspora voting as a parliament but there are so many challenges and issues that we have to be resolved first.

“First, we need to have accurate data of Nigerians that constitute Diaspora. We need to know their population and who is qualified to be a Nigerian in Diaspora.”

Basiru noted that the local elections in the country are usually confronted with numerous challenges especially when few numbers of votes are needed to determine the winner of an election, particularly at the state levels.

He said, “ For instance the Sokoto governorship election where the margin between the winner and the runner-up was very slim. Who will be the beneficiary of the votes from the Diaspora especially when the winner would be determined by the votes from the diaspora?

“We also have to determine who constitute the diaspora. Are they only Nigerians in Europe,  America and Asia or are we also going to recognise Nigerians who are living in the African countries?

“There are speculations that the population of Nigerians in Sudan, Niger, and Chad alone are running into millions. We also have Nigerians residing in other African countries. So, will all those millions of Nigerians there be allowed to vote under the diaspora voting?

“Another issue to determine is that, is it only those who  genuinely emigrate and legitimately living in those country that would be regarded as diaspora? Are we talking about the documented and non documented Nigerians that are living abroad?

“Now, because of the nature of our elections, in which of the elections would the Nigerians in Diaspora vote? For instance, we talk about the local government election. Will the Disporans vote in such elections?  How are we going to determine the local government they are voting for?

“Will they also vote in the National and state assembly elections?  How are we going to determine the constituency or the lawmakers they are voting for? Is there any machinery in place to determine that? The answer is No!

“In the governorship election, are they going to vote according to their state of origin? The fact is that we don’t even have any arrangement or records in place to determine that, at least for now.

“So, it is not just enough to say we are legislating on Diaspora voting but we have to find a way to address the serious issues that could hinder the process before coming up with any legislation that would give it a legal backing.”

INEC also ruled that Diaspora voting was unconstitutional and it won’t be feasible in 2023 as it was alien to Nigerian law.

The problem of Nigeria since independence has been that of leadership. Diaspora voting has the potential of changing the leadership narrative in the country as majority of them won’t be easily swayed by bags of rice or sewing machines. Many of them have achieved a certain level of financial independence and will be at an advantage over majority of Nigerians resident in the country to be able to vote wisely.

Let us cast our minds back to when Chief Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory and Prof Pat Utomi contested in 2003 and 2007 respectively, a sturdy vote from the Diaspora may have upset the apple cart in their favour. Even the recent noble attempt by Omoyele Sowore to have emerged as the nation’s President may have flown with Diaspora voting.

What is the red chamber afraid of? The same body blocked the attempt by some political activists to have independent candidacy. The nation is badly in need of a Lee Kuan Yew or Mahathir Mohammed kind of leadership and realistically speaking, only Diaspora voting can guarantee that.

This is a globalized age where curtains and barriers have been broken down through the power of the internet and it is scandalous for the Nigerian voter to be kept for hours in the scorching sun under the guise of voting for their preferred candidates.

Electronic voting is the future and INEC should stop acting like the Luddites of the 19th century England who tried to stop the machines from operating during the industrial revolution as they feared that they may be made redundant if they allowed them to operate.

We should take a cue from developed nations who don’t declare public holidays on election days. We shouldn’t shut down the economy simply because we want to vote; it doesn’t make any sense not in these perilous times of employment scarcity.

Why should the system allow the inflow of foreign currencies into the country but prevent the same people from exercising franchise in a country they still hold so dear to their hearts?

It is high time the Senate and INEC revisited their anachronistic stance and allow these public spirited individuals enjoy what they ought to have been enjoying if the leadership was right.

Tony Ademiluyi writes from Lagos. 

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Tony Ademiluyi Disable advertisements : 
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7:35 PM

A former South Sudan rebel leader, Riek Machar, has been sworn in as first Vice-President of the country, sealing a peace deal aimed at ending six years of civil war.

President Salva Kiir witnessed the moment at a ceremony at the State House in the capital, Juba, the BBC reports.

It is hoped that the new unity government will bring an end to the conflict that has killed about 400,000 people and displaced millions.

However, previous deals were widely heralded only to fall apart.

Saturday's ceremony took place just before the deadline for an agreement expired.

"For the people of South Sudan, I want to assure you that we will work together to end your suffering," Machar said after taking the oath.

He then embraced and shook hands with President Kiir.

"We must forgive one another and reconcile," said Kiir. "I also appeal to the people of Dinka and Nuer (rival ethnic groups) to forgive one another."

Also present at the ceremony was the leader of Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Three other vice-presidents were also sworn in including Rebecca Garang, widow of South Sudan's founding father, John Garang.
Under the agreement, the current cabinet was dissolved to make way for more opposition members.

International News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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7:35 PM

My first task today will be to congratulate Kiki Mordi for co-winning the inaugural People Journalism Prize for Africa with me. It is easy to dismiss the traction and action generated by your story — and a few people have tried to — as events that happened ‘just because it was the BBC’. In my corner, I have spoken against this argument. First, it was a thoroughly-executed story. And then you had the courage to tell it, notwithstanding the risks. Plus, of the hundreds of journalists at BBC’s disposal, you were the choice. That’s no coincidence. It’s reward for your years of silent toil. Again, I say congratulations.

Similarly, I’d like to congratulate Segun Awosanya for his People Champion of 2019 award. In my estimation, Segalink, as he is more popularly known, is Nigeria’s number-one unelected public office holder. If you’ve been a bit active on Twitter, you would have noticed how helpless citizens run to him for protection when they should in fact be ringing the Police. Sega is the ultimate proof that willing citizens can indeed be useful to the people without necessarily wielding political power. To share this day with Kiki and Sega is truly a great honour for me.

I want to deeply thank Gatefield for conceiving this idea, and I have to say I’m a very fulfilled recipient of this award. But I’ve always thought one of the unfair things about life is that one man sometimes gets the glory for work done by many. This award belongs, first of all, to those who worked with me in the background on my undercover investigation on Nigeria’s criminal justice system, the likes of the rugged Damilola Adeyera, the petite but energetic Zainab Sodiq, the unbelievably fearless Sena Kojah and a few others who have specifically asked to remain anonymous.

I also like to thank two of my former bosses, Mr. Simon Kolawole, CEO of TheCable, and Mr. Dayo Aiyetan, the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), whose newspapers co-funded the story, and who have both been integral to the evolution of my career in recent years. I am as well indebted to Professor Chidi Odinkalu, former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, who kick-started the #KeepFisayoSafe without which I probably would have lost my freedom after the release of the story.

I am grateful to those who housed me interchangeably when I went into hiding in October following the threat of arrest, and those who’ve done it afterwards, as I live more or less like a fugitive these days. To have housed a wanted man is the height of friendship and belief in what I do. I cannot mention your names but you all know yourselves. Thank you!

I’m also grateful to all those who have supported my work for ages — the likes of Dr. Laz Ude Eze, the man who convinced me to join the campus press in my first year studying Agriculture at the University of Ibadan; Mr. Jahman Anikulapo, my first mainstream newspaper editor who has now become my mentor; Mr. Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of SaharaReporters and my immediate past boss and, of course, my family. Specifically, I thank my father, my hero, the biggest exponent of the values and ideals that define my work, and my mother, whose fearlessness resides in my spirit. On October 22, 2019, my mum sent me a Whatsapp message asking God to bless me with “good health and long life”. What she didn’t know was that she sent that message hours after I found out about the meeting where my arrest was first mooted. That’s the kind of mother I have, a prayerful woman.

I dedicate this award to the memory of my late longtime friend, Blessing Johnson, whose call to glory will clock 18 months in another 12 days. In her lifetime, Blessing was one of my biggest private cheerleaders. From our days in the university, she fondly called me ‘the greatest orator on earth’. While I never for a second thought I truly was, it filled me with a lot of belief to know that someone dear to my heart, someone I rated so highly, saw me in that light. When she passed on September 3, 2018, I made a little promise to myself that my next journalism award would be for her. I want to thank Gatefield for helping me realise this. 

Finally, while I accept this award with a deep sense of gratitude, I like to announce that I am donating the N500,000 cash reward to The Justice Project (TJP), a cause for the release of awaiting-trial inmates who have no business in prison. And, trust me, there are scores of them. My three-part investigation may have focused on the deep-seated corruption tarnishing the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria, but that isn’t the only frailty of the system. One other is the huge population of awaiting-trial inmates, many of them actually in prison for trivial offences and others not even deserving of detention much less imprisonment in the first place. At Ikoyi Prison, for example, more than 3,000 inmates inhabit a prison built for 800. Of these 3,000, less than 500 are convicts; the number of awaiting-trial inmates usually hovers around 2,500. While I am not in a position to help the prisons service clean up its corrupt house, by donating this money, I can at least help to kick-start a process I’m hoping can snowball into prison decongestion through the freedom of scores of awaiting-trial inmates. The funds, to be managed by TJP, will be used to pay stipends to lawyers who will visit prisons to track the cases, ensure more inmates have their days in court, represent the inmates, settle fines where necessary and provide support to the inmates. Aside focusing on the possibility of innocence and frivolity of cases against inmates, women with babies and inmates with young families back home will receive special consideration. 

Today’s announcement is only the first of two; the second will be revealed in the next few days. Full disclosure, meanwhile: TJP is by Touch The World Foundation, a social initiative of Lagos-based church, Ecclesia Hills. But I haven’t picked them because they belong to a church; it is because the point man for the project is Abimbola Ojenike, whom I have known for 16 years as a man of integrity and a hardworking but silent force for social change. I am a million percent sure that with Ojenike at the forefront of this endeavour, no penny of the funds will be mismanaged.

Once again, I thank Gatefield for making this possible, and you all for listening.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Fisayo Soyombo Disable advertisements : 
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5:05 PM



Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, is billed to deliver a lecture to commemorate the third anniversary in office of Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu. 

Wale Akinterinwa, Chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee, made the disclosure to journalists at a briefing in Akure, the state capital. 

According to him, the lecture would also feature a book presentation to be chaired by Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Bagudu. 

He noted that the 11-day event and celebration would feature the inauguration of projects by President Muhammadu Buhari.
 

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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5:05 PM

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu

A former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has said that the country’s security situation would get worse.

According to him, the community policing structure planned by the Nigeria Police Force was fraudulent and a distraction.

Expressing his views during a programme on Channels Television, Ekweremadu said, “I sympathise with Nigerians. I think we are living in denial. The security situation is so bad and the bad news is that it is going to get worse because we are not dealing with it at all.

“The Inspector-General came to us and told us they are going to get volunteers who will be giving police information, find out what their challenges are, why do they not trust the police, to build their confidence. That’s what they are saying but our people don’t seem to get it.

“Amotekun is a child of circumstance. Unfortunately, the federal police we have now is not working. That’s why they came together to say let us have a security outfit to deal with our problems.

“Amotekun is different from what the Federal Government is saying about community policing. They have personnel who are going to deal with issues unlike what the FG is proposing.”

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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