Opinion

By Abba Kyari Mohammed

I read an article with the heading above written by one Yakubu Nasiru Khalid, which somewhat tries to demonise activists and freedom fighters venturing into politics. I got heartbroken and dumbfounded at our level of understanding of politics and its roles in our lives and nation-building.

The writer asked a pertinent question: Should a real social fighter be partisan? In this article, I will address just the question.

For clarity, by social fighter, I believe he meant someone who promotes and fights for socially progressive ideas and, where necessary, takes actions that benefit society. This is typical of Abba Hikima’s activism and benevolence in helping less privileged people access justice, voicing out the predicaments of people, the maladministration, and educating the populace about their civic rights and responsibilities. Also, by partisan, I believe he meant partisan politics, where one supports the candidates of one political party over others or decides to contest for office under a certain political party.

To start with, Abba Hikima has not been appointed as a ‘social fighter’ by anyone, nor did he, from my knowledge, ever arrogate to himself that title. It is a result of the work he does in promoting social justice, good governance and progressive ideals that people decided to refer to him as Freedom Fighter, Human Rights Activist, Social Fighter and many more nomenclatures to qualify the person that he is, which left to me are very deserving of him.

However, being a Social Fighter does not in any way exempt a person from participating in the democratic process of his country, which our Constitution generously guarantees and even demands explicitly. Therefore, I believe it is a gross injustice and discrimination to demonise or question anyone from exercising his rights because of his voluntary service to his community and nation, which you coined as ‘social fighting’.

It is also disheartening that we think politics and participation in the political process is an exclusive preserve of the elites or people who have no feelings for social justice and people´s emancipation or people with no impact on society. A serious society should rather have the Social Fighters, the Activists, the Freedom Fighters like Abba Hikima, who are adept at understanding societal problems and proffering people-tailored solutions, than some proletariat who live upstairs and have no touch with the masses to dictate to them whom to vote and even lead them.

For example, Barrack Obama of the United States was a lawyer and community organiser before he ventured into politics. Look how it turned out. Gani Fawehinmi is a Nigerian Human Rights Lawyer and Activist who campaigned for democracy, fought the brutish military regime, defended its victims for over 40 years, and later ventured into politics and contested the presidential election in 1994.

Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid activist, lawyer and former leader, fought and resisted apartheid in South Africa and was also a politician to become the first black Head of State, among many others. These tell you the place of politics in societal emancipation and social justice.

More so, what Abba Hikima does is more of civic enlightenment to the citizenry on what he firmly believes is right, especially in the face of what seemed like a gang-up to impose characters that have no business in leadership. According to Martin Luther King Jr., “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence by the good people”.

The questions now are: Do you expect Abba Hikima to keep silent in the face of current political oppression in his state? Do you want him to disenfranchise himself because some people think he should not do so when no law or moral code is pointing towards that? Do you want Social fighters to steer clear of politics so thugs and the proletariat can take it over? These are questions worth pondering.

Abba Kyari can be reached via abbakyari2013@yahoo.com.

By Abdullahi Khairalla

Growing up in Maiduguri, a city highly prone to desertification, raises many concerns about my environment and the impending mishap.

Scientists have already concluded that tree planting and vegetation are the two most effective and quick measures to ending and halting the looming catastrophe (desert encroachment).

Tackling this ecosystemic malaise lies with the governments (state actors), private sector, individuals and communal efforts to arrest the menace.

On the part of the government, I think urgent action is required for state legislation compelling any person who fells a tree to plant two in its place and coming up with stringent disciplinary measures to punish a defaulter.

The “Tree Planting Approach” is of great significance to Nigeria, whose northern borders are directly on the path of their ecological holocaust.

The country has been losing more than a kilometre a year to this scourge for several decades, per Jibunoh’s finding.

Green vegetation seen ten, twenty or thirty years back has vanished. Rivers, Lakes and other water courses are being lost. The most tragic is the shrinking of lake Chad which now hosts less than half of its volume of water a few decades ago.

Of the $42 billion lost to desertification yearly, Africa accounts for two-thirds of the losses incurred annually, as per the statistics released by the UN.

Northern Nigeria should develop a regional approach towards preventing the region from the shackles of climatic disasters. The effects of this problem (desert encroachment) are not philosophical, but we literally feel its adverse impacts on our lives.

Most importantly, at the level of individuals like me, awareness creation is the cornerstone of our responsibility, while the private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations can help in no small measure, particularly in the areas of partnership and bridging gaps between the community and the state actors in the ongoing fight against the dreaded threat to mankind.

On a macro scale, the Africa Union should also strive to devise an African response to the time bomb. If Israel could do wonders and reduce the threat to its bare minimum, we can follow suit because wherever there is the will, there is always a way. Of course, all we need is the will across the board.

By Abubakar Muhammad Tukur

In Nigeria, true federalism means different things to different people. The newfound phrase could be better understood using a geo-political lens. Let us begin with the southwest, which the Yoruba dominates.

The agitation for true federalism started in the southwest immediately after the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, believed to have been won by a Yoruba man. The Yoruba elite argued that the election was annulled simply because their northern counterparts were unwilling to concede political power to the south. Hence, their vigorous campaign for a ‘power shift’ to the south. By power shift, they meant an end to the northern elites’ stranglehold on political power and, by extension, economic control.

However, with a Yoruba man, Olusegun Obasanjo, emerging as the president in 1999, the clamour for a power shift became moribund and was replaced with that of ‘true federalism’. By true federalism, the Yoruba elite means a federal system with a weak centre, a system in which the constituent units are independent of the centre, especially in the fiscal sphere.

The cry of marginalisation has been loud in the southeast, home to the Igbo ethnic group. The Igbo’s position regarding Nigeria’s federal system is that the system is characterised by lopsidedness, particularly in allocating national resources.

Another ground of Igbo agitation for true federalism is their perception of non-integration into mainstream politics since the end of the civil war in 1970, citing a lack of federal presence in the region. This sense of lack of belonging informs the views of some pro-self-determination groups like the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that the Igbo people are no longer interested in being part of Nigeria and should be allowed to secede and form an independent state of Biafra.

It is, however, doubtful if the campaign for the resurgence of Biafra is popular among the elite of the southeast whose political and business interests cut across the country. By true federalism, therefore, the Igbos of the southeast mean a federal practice that accommodates every ethnic group in the multinational federation.

Similarly, a sense of political and economic marginalisation forms the basis upon which the minorities in the Niger Delta (or the south-south geo-political zone), where the bulk of Nigeria’s oil is located, persistently demand their own exclusive political space using the euphemism of ‘resource control’ and true federalism.

In the Nigerian context, the term resource control means the right of a federating unit to have absolute control over the mineral resources found within its jurisdiction and contribute to the central government to fund federal responsibilities.

The perceived injustice in resource distribution is the main driving force for the struggle for resource control. The oil-producing states have repeatedly argued that Nigeria’s fiscal federalism, which encourages lopsided distributive politics, has been unfair to them. For the people of the Niger Delta, therefore, resource control is a solution to marginalisation. Thus, for the people of this region, true federalism means a federal practice whereby the federating units are allowed to own and manage their resources as they desire.

Seemingly, the northern elite wants the status quo to remain based on the belief that the present system favours its interest in some quarters. These include the federal character principle, majority representation at the federal level and quota system.

We have been able to demonstrate in this article that central to the agitations for true federalism in Nigeria is the struggle for access to national resources. Oil rents and their distribution have shaped the operation of Nigeria’s federal system and have also contributed largely to the failure of federalism in Nigeria. Nigeria’s history of revenue distribution is about each ethnic group or geo-political region seeking to maximise its share of national resources. One reason for the acrimonious revenue allocation system is that Nigeria’s component units lack viable sources of revenue of their own.

Also, the economic disparity that has given rise to unequal development among them is another source of contention. Therefore, any future political reform must ensure the accommodation of the country’s ethnic diversity because this is one of the many ways national unity could be achieved.

As a way out of the over-centralisation of the system, the country’s fiscal federalism should emphasise revenue generation rather than revenue distribution, as this would ensure the fiscal viability of the states. Any future reform should be tailored towards the states generating their own revenue, and those not endowed with resources should devise strategies to generate revenue from other sources. Internally-generated revenue should only complement a state’s share of federally collected revenue. Moreover, with the decentralisation of economic resources, the states would be in relative control of their resources and be less dependent on the centre.

A weakening of the federal centre may not be a bad idea, but Nigeria needs a federal system that would ensure the relative supremacy of the central government vis-à-vis the state governments. The size of the federation, as well as its ethnic diversity and economic disparity, requires a relatively strong federal government that would be able to regulate the competition for national resources.

It may be concluded at this juncture that Nigerian federalism is defective, and reforms are inescapable. The unending quest for true federalism, political restructuring, and self-determination within the context of the ethnically heterogeneous Nigerian federation will disappear until the political leaders reform the institutions and structures of the federal system to give a semblance of genuine federalism.

Abubakar Muhammad Tukur, LLB (in view), can be contacted via abubakartukur00396@gmail.com.

By Mubarak Umar

With the Supreme Court judgment affirming Senator Rufai Sani Hanga of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as the Senator-Elect, Kano Central Senatorial District, the people of Kano Central have reason to rejoice.

Kano Central is genuinely abuzz with excitement following the judgment. Senator Hanga challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau as the winner of the February 25, 2023, senatorial election in Kano Central.

This victory of Senator Hanga is a significant boost for the NNPP. It also demonstrates the importance of pursuing justice through the appropriate legal channels rather than resorting to violence or other unlawful means. This is a win for democracy and the rule of law, a testament to his resilience and determination to fight for his right.

I am delighted that Senator Hanga has been elected to represent Kano Central at the National Assembly. With his experience and dedication to public service, I believe he will be an effective advocate for his constituents and a valuable asset to the Nigerian government.

A graduate of Accountancy, one-time member of the House of Representatives (1992-1993), and senator who represented Kano Central from 2003 to 2007, Hanga chaired several committees. They include Chairman Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes; Chairman Senate Sub-Committee on Housing and Urban Development; Chairman Sub-Committee on Finance; Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Tourism and Culture; and Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties.

These positions contributed to Senator Hanga’s deep understanding of Nigeria’s political and economic landscape. In addition, he has shown himself to be a skilled negotiator and collaborator, able to work effectively with others to achieve common goals. These qualities will serve him well as he navigates the complex issues facing the Kano people, particularly his constituents.

Senator Hanga has demonstrated a solid commitment to developing his community and the nation. His focus on education, healthcare, and infrastructure has been commendable. I am confident that he will continue to work tirelessly to address these and other critical challenges facing his constituents.

He is a politician with an impressive track record of public service, making him a valuable asset to any government. With years of experience working at various levels of government, Senator Hanga has developed a deep understanding of the political process, the needs of his constituents, and the challenges facing the country. His wealth of experience and expertise will undoubtedly prove invaluable in driving positive change and development initiatives in Kano Central.

Kano Central Senatorial District, located in northern Nigeria with fifteen local government areas, is known for its political and economic importance. It is the metropolitan commercial city of Kano, one of the largest cities in Nigeria.

One of the major reasons Kano Central needs good representation at Nigeria’s National Assembly is to ensure that the interests and needs of its people are adequately represented and addressed at the national level. This is important because the National Assembly is responsible for making laws that affect the entire country. It is also crucial that the laws made are fair and just for all Nigerians, including those in Kano Central. Now, the voices of Kano Central people will be heard, and their needs will be addressed in the national discourse.

Senator Hanga’s representation at the National Assembly should ensure that Kano Central gets its fair share of the national resources. This includes funds for infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and other social amenities. Moreover, with his effective representation, the district will not be left behind in terms of economic development, as policies that promote economic growth and development are made at the national level.

Furthermore, Kano Central is facing several challenges that require urgent attention from the National Assembly. These challenges include insecurity, unemployment, poverty, and a lack of access to clean water and electricity. Effective representation at the National Assembly can help to address these challenges and improve the standard of living of the people of Kano Central.

The importance of good representation at Nigeria’s National Assembly cannot be overemphasized. The National Assembly is the highest legislative body in Nigeria, responsible for making laws that govern the country. Therefore, good representation is crucial for developing any district or constituency.

Kano Central is in dire need of infrastructure development. The district is home to several markets, industries, and transportation hubs, making it a hub of economic activity in the state. However, the lack of good roads, electricity and other basic amenities hinders economic growth. A good representation of Senator Hanga at the National Assembly should ensure that the district receives adequate funding for infrastructure development.

Kano Central has several tertiary institutions, including Bayero University, Kano State Polytechnic, and Yusuf Maitama Sule University. However, the education sector in the district needs significant improvement. His representation at the National Assembly should ensure that these institutions receive adequate funding to improve the quality of education and provide better facilities for students.

Kano Central is also in dire need of better healthcare facilities. The district has several hospitals and health centres, but most are understaffed and lack adequate medical equipment. Senator Hanga should ensure that the district receives proper funding for healthcare facilities and training and medical personnel recruitment.

Kano Central has a high rate of unemployment, especially among the youth. Senator Hanga now has the opportunity to use all means of legislation that can attract foreign investors to the state and promote entrepreneurship, leading to job creation and economic growth.

Kano Central has experienced several security challenges recently, especially phone snatching, political thuggery, and burglary. Senator Hanga should ensure the district receives adequate security funding to combat these challenges and maintain peace.

I am excited to see what Senator Hanga will accomplish during his time in office. With his dedication to public service, commitment to his constituents, and extensive knowledge of the Nigerian political landscape, I am confident that he will be a valuable and effective representative for Kano Central. I wish him all the best in his new role, and I look forward to seeing his positive impact on the people of Kano and Nigeria.

Mubarak Umar can be contacted via mubarakumar96@yahoo.com.

By Abubakar Shettima

Maiduguri Monday Market is the main market situated in the heart of Maiduguri, Borno State. It was established in 1979 by the then administration of Mohammed Goni of blessed memory.

Since then, it has accommodated thousands of traders and several patronisers from Niger, Chad and Cameroon, among other countries. 

Within its existence, the market had recorded a series of major and minor fire outbreaks, resulting in the loss of millions of naira.

Notably, the state is steadily recuperating from its economic hardship orchestrated by insurgents–for a decade-plus-long. Then comes the recent fire outbreak that engulfed the entire market. 

While sympathising with all the affected businessmen, the Borno State government and the management of the market, it’s pertinent to devise some stringent measures, if carefully considered, will prevent future occurrences.

THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. It is exhilarating to learn that the market has an existing plan. That alone simplifies the equation we ought to deploy in tackling future disasters. As a matter of urgency, the management should adhere strictly to the original market plan. Ensure no one trades outside the purview of the plan.

2. Construction of a Firefighters Station within the market. This helps significantly and ensures timely response in order to control and curtail the widespread destruction whenever an inferno occurs. Although we are not praying for that to happen.

3. Redesign and modernise the market. Many of the traders are habitually attached to the market in question. On this basis, the government should construct—if need be— a two-storey building. Allocate the ground and first floors for business, while the second floor serves as a store. This will accommodate a large number of tradesmen.

4. Provision of Fire Hydrate in strategic locations within the market. This has been the practice in marketplaces, residential areas, and corporate organisations.

5. All petty traders occupying pathways and tarred roads within the market—hitherto designed to ease vehicular movement—should be allocated shops in the newly built market along Bama road, or they should be convinced to relocate to Bolori market, Abba Ganaram market, Muna or Kano park. Thus, It depopulates the market and brings about easy access. 

6. To achieve all these, a competent supervisory team must be set up to supervise and punish accordingly if one is found trading at a restricted point. The team will also determine the effectiveness and efficiency of policy and laws governing the operation within the market and its environs.

Abubakar Shettima can be contacted via abubakarshettima57@gmail.com.

By Babatunde Qodir

Dear President-elect, 

I want to first and foremost congratulate you on your victory as the 16th President-elect of our beloved country. Indeed Nigerians voted for you because your message to renew the hope of the country speaks volumes, even beyond your political calculation or influence. It is crystal clear that every Nigerian wants hope. The hope for better life and prosperity. 

Again, just a few days ago, I saw you on live TV when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued you the certificate of return as the President-elect. I saw that you are delighted to begin the renewal journey in the next few weeks, as promised during your campaign period. As you had assured Nigerians of a better country, we would be happier if your wishes came true. And I pray to Almighty Allah to grant you the capacity to deliver. I congratulate you once again.

However, I want you to remember that Nigeria is a heterogeneous country battling crises of insecurity, kidnapping, and extreme poverty, among others. 

Mr President-elect, I want to plead that you do anything within your capacity to end the insecurity that is ravaging our country. The hydra-headed menace has undermined the propensity of our beloved country for progress. No country, in other words, develops in chaos. That is why you should, as the first step to renewing the hope of a country long trapped in hopelessness, pay attention to its security situation.

Mr President-elect, it is visible that the 2023 presidential election will go down in Nigeria’s history as the most heated contest. The election, unarguably, reflected the yearnings of people for good governance despite the fact that people were very tired of the situation of the country and President Muhammadu Buhari hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many Nigerians as their massive support for your party, All Progressives Congress (APC), showed in 2015. But it is strongly hoped that you will be better than him.

Furthermore, I am very sure you are aware of the loopholes of this incumbent government which I believe should be your target. Addressing loopholes is not tantamount to fighting the past; rather, it means you should learn from the past administration, which, of course, you’re part of, to address the crises now for a better Nigeria. It is not too much to say that you have a lot to do to convince a huge percentage of the youth who have shown dissatisfaction with the performance of your party in the past eight years.

As I type this letter, some candidates from the opposition parties are challenging your victory, making several allegations against INEC, whose performance in the election has generated mixed reactions from Nigerians. Opposition parties have alleged that you and INEC connived to rig the exercise in your favour. I think this allegation should be taken as a challenge to redeem Nigeria if your victory is further authenticated at the tribunal.

I don’t want to dwell on countless promises contained in your manifesto. It is unfortunate that Nigerians are tired of being deceived by politicians’ beautiful promises on paper. But, candidly, this is not the time to play politics as usual. I will strongly advise you to serve Nigerians in ways they can feel the presence of good governance. Most importantly, you should be particular about how to rejig the country’s education system on which the future of the country depends. This goes down to how prudently you manage the country’s resources at your disposal in the interest of development.

On a final note, dear Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this victory has hopefully come to stay with you for another 4 years. The onus is on you to serve, not rule, Nigerians. You should show compassion for the vulnerable. You should be different from those rulers who see the plight of the masses as nothing. Under your watch, we want Nigeria to be a country governed by the rule of law. Much as I am aware that a better Nigeria can only be possible through collective efforts, I charge you to be the servant of the people. May your tenure be a blessing for Nigeria.

By Yusuf Murtala

Many people have been brainwashed to believe some myths or lies againts their fellow humans without throughly investigating by themselves about what they have been told about someone for them to either believe or discard it.

Majority of people have been victims of such unfounded stories and accusations — one of which is a prominent politician in Nigeria’s political space, Atiku Abubakar. This man has suffered a lot from many allegations against his personality.

Two days ago, I was in Keke Napep (popularly known as Adaidaita Sahu) when this kind of discussion broke between two passengers and the driver. The three of them were bitterly complaining and narrating how Atiku Abubakar is funding terror acts in some places which according to them is what has backfired to cost him his presidential election.

Most of the things they were discussing and alleging were products of hatred, dogmatism, sectionalism and tribalism.

I’m neither an Atiku supporter nor his loyalist but, I never for once believe that Atiku has a hand in disrupting the peace and security of my country: Nigeria. I regard him as an established politician who is ready to take the mantle of leadership in Nigeria in order to change the narratives and lead us to the promise land.

Lastly, I urge my fellow Nigerians to personally investigate and think critically before believing or debunking stories on people, especially prominent personalities: politicians, business people, technocrats and renowned clerics so as not to fall into the trap of rumour mongers, disinformation and misinformation. Furthermore, we should also develop the habit of investing our time and energy in reporting and sharing positive stories about our fellow Nigerians, not hatred, propaganda and false stories.

Yusuf Murtala can be reached via his Facebook handle at Youngstar II.

By Abdullahi Adamu

As the Nigerians await a ministerial list from the executive, we urge president-elect Asiwaju Ahmad Tinubu to balance Nigeria’s political diversity by appointing a minister among natives of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“We  are appealing to Mr President to appoint somebody from FCT as a Minister in the federal cabinet because we believe that doing so will give Abuja natives a sense of belonging within the Nigerian federation.”

FCT natives have contributed immensely to the nation’s socioeconomic and political development. Accordingly, their exclusion is a gross injustice and a negation of constitutional provisions, including the federal character principle.

The contributions of FCT indigenes in maintaining the country’s unity, none of its kinsmen was occupying leadership positions within the nation’s political, judiciary or military circles.

The exclusion of Abuja natives in the last administrations and appointing any credible person within the FCT indigenous population as Minister would right the perceived wrongs and injustices.

“We are appealing to President-elect Asiwaju Ahmad Tinubu to use his exclusive powers to appoint an FCT man as a Minister in the Federal Executive Council.

In making appointments in any portfolio, please consider FCT natives. As stated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, every citizen shall be treated equally. Likewise, where the nation’s capital is located, the FCT natives should be included in the executive council of the presidential cabinet. To balance Nigeria’s political diversity, everyone should be carried along.

Since the inception of Democratic governance in 1999, it has been crystal clear that FCT natives shall be appointed as the territory minister.

Your excellency, sir, it might interest you to know that with the huge amount of populated FCT natives in Nigeria, they only have one senator and two members of the House of Representatives only at the national assembly. It is an injustice.

We need a state status to increase our franchise beyond local government elections to enable us to have an executive governance structure and independent governing body and to expand our representation at the National Assembly.

Abdullahi Adamu wrote via nasabooyoyo@gmail.com.

By Yakubu Nasiru Khalid

Should a real social fighter be partisan? Does this mean the side he has taken has no weakness at all, or does it mean Abba Hikima is no longer a freedom fighter as people regard him but a politician? 

Bar. Abba Hikima is a well-known social fighter, and he is one of the four most influential persons in Kano State who day and night fight to liberate have-nots peoples from the slavery of crooked individuals. 

He is a loving person within Kano State metropolitan area. His lovers are from various political parties such as NNPP, APC, PDP, etc. Many of his supporters use his picture as a slogan for their businesses, like tricyclic drivers (Keke-Napep), just because he fights to liberate them from evil hands. Many love you because they do not know you are partisan.

It is good for a social fighter to build relationships with politicians and policymakers to create positive change. You should try to connect with politicians who share similar values and goals. Building trust and respect with politicians is essential to maintain their dignity while dealing with politics.

But should Abba Hikima be partisan as politics is concerned? Your benefit is more meaningful and beneficial as a freedom fighter than to be a politician. You can only maintain your dignity in politics by staying true, which is costly in Nigerian democracy. “If you want to understand a person, give him power.”

Being partisan means you are willing to swallow all sweetness and bitterness of the side without scrutinising. Still, social fighters always struggle to ensure that the public meets their needs effectively and efficiently. 

Yakubu Nasiru Khalid can be contacted via yakubunasirukhalid@gmail.com.

By Nura Jibo

Nigerians living within and staying in the diaspora should start a self-cleansing effort to seek Allah’s forgiveness. Already, the people of the country have wronged God. Unfortunately, the current leadership does not want to agree with this position. However, let me start with the individual failures before I descend to the collective disgrace and abuse of the system.

1. The recent presidential election overtly exposed the INEC chairman’s unpreparedness. He was highly unprofessional and produced a very abysmal and disappointing outcome. In the history of Nigeria’s electoral commission, there has never been a time that a lump sum of money amounting to N335 billion was spent on a presidential election under the pretext of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) or IReV (portal) or whatever parlance Prof. Mamud Yakubu wants to call it. This guy ended up giving Nigerians the most controversial and expensive presidential election in the entire history of the world. As a professor of history, he went to Chatham House and bragged to Prof. Alex Vines and co. that in his office, “There is one of his engineers that even promised him to design a voting machine that could sense voters’ body odour.” He was telling this open and brazen “invention” to global audiences at Chatham House even when he ended up giving Nigerians the most terrible BVAS and IReV technologies that, up until now, he is struggling to fix by postponing the Guber elections by a week!

2. The N335 billion that Henry Omoru of Vanguard reported that Prof. Mamud asked from the Federal Government to conduct this kind of election was an upshot of the initial INEC budget of N305 billion plus an additional N10 billion. This stupendous amount is enough to build eight state universities in each of the 36 states of the federation, including Abuja, with a take-up grant of N1 billion each!

3. According to Dennis Amata’s analysis of the INEC 2023 election budget that appeared in Dataphyte, “The Federal Government spent N444.5 billion to conduct the country’s last three general elections, and a total of N255 billion was wasted due to the low voter turnout recorded in each of the elections.”

4. And if it is true that Mamud is a first-class historian from Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, Nigeria, and he used his historical antecedents to brag at Chatham House and, in the end, give Nigerians this BVAS melodrama, then his first-class degree is now subjected to the vagaries of his incompetence and lack of ICT knowledge. And this is why! His poor BVAS and IReV performances had already reduced him to a local champion or, better put, a local history professor overrated in Nigeria.

5. A cursory look at the INEC’s nine (9) key items that it budgeted for the conduct of the 2023 election shows that there was a very depressing procurement of hi-tech/advanced ICT facilities such as BVAS and a hi-tech result storage database that could safeguard the security of online and offline result submittals and transmittals, as Mamud wants us to believe. Indeed, Mamud is not aware of or lacks knowledge about the disadvantages of using BVAS as a voter accreditation system. On the contrary, he was probably carried away by it because INEC was told that it could eliminate electoral malpractices and prevent multiple registrations.

6. But Mamud, as a “first-class” academic and Professor of Political History, ought to have known that using such a biometric voter identification and transmitting apparatus for instant results collation is always problematic for developing countries such as Nigeria because there is no adequate network in African countries that could effectively allow the use of BVAS and IREV portals (transmission). In fact, the incessant network failures in Nigeria and, by extension, Africa are enough to get Mamud informed of the disadvantages of using this failure-prone network facility. Moreover, as a learned history professor, this ought to have informed him how this kind of network failure gave President Yoweri Museveni an advantage to impose an internet blackout that cut off access to news, social media, and messaging services ahead of the Ugandan presidential election.

Seriously, Mamud, as a professor, needs to know better than anybody the calamity in the erratic supply of electricity that could ravage his entire BVAS and IREV efforts. In 2019, I had an international conversation with Volkswagen’s Head of Sustainability in Madrid. I tried to persuade him to patronize African countries by supplying electric cars to Nigeria and other African countries. The Volkswagen giant quickly checked my ideas by saying thus: “There is no constant supply of electricity in Africa that could charge the batteries that will drive the cars”. Therefore, Prof. Mahmud and co. ought to have known this simple arithmetic. They could have visualized that no ample network or electricity in Africa could make BVAS and IReV function well!

Fellow Nigerians, friends, and colleagues of Nigeria, that was Mamud Yakubu’s disgrace to Nigerians!

And one wonders what the likes of Mohammed Haruna are doing at INEC as Resident Commissioners by allowing Mahmud to use Nigeria’s ample resources and, in the end, put the entire country into global shame! Whenever I see Mohammed Haruna sitting beside Prof. Mahmud with his hand akimbo, I know that Nigeria does not have a future. Because if a combination of Mohammed Haruna, who spent a significant part of his life writing long essays about Nigeria’s underdevelopment and democratic misgovernance, and Yakubu could disgrace Nigeria this far in the name of INEC staff, then we need to call it off for Nigeria. Indeed, there are so many Mamud Yakubus and Mohammed Harunas in the land that time and space will not allow us to exemplify most of them in this analysis. Therefore, we can only mention a couple of Mahmud’s similar disgraceful elements that constitute the Nigerian system’s individual failure before narrowing down to the specific scenarios that have thrown the country into a global failure and a pariah state.

7. Therefore, the next individual’s disgrace worth mentioning here is that of Adamu Adamu, the current Nigerian Minister of Education. Adamu took ample time to write his folklore about ASUU and how to make it better. But in the end, he goofs up Nigeria’s education by forcing the entire system to suffer universities’ strike action for over seven months! Courtesy of Adamu’s Taqiyya Amana, which he displayed amidst growing educational tensions that distract Nigeria by throwing it backwards by two-semester backlogs.

We can go on and on! But to cut the story short, the colossal loss to Nigeria on this INEC’s BVAS and IReV drama has successfully reduced its chairman to a local champion who made his country not reap the benefit(s) of the huge monies that he spent on this so-called BVAS without giving Nigerians value for their money. It is a shame that for all the money he asked for, he could not provide Nigerians with an enabling environment to come out en masse and cast their votes. Mamud and co. sincerely deceive themselves by hiding under the pretext that Nigeria’s democracy is the biggest in Africa. He also brags about this point anytime he is given a chance to speak. He doesn’t know that several African countries are fairing better than Nigeria. Unfortunately, Prof. Mamud doesn’t know that his country is lagging behind certain African countries regarding voter turnout and conducting fair elections without BVAS! Here I will conclude by quoting extensively Ray Ekpu’s take on the need for INEC to wake up from its slumber and engage in a serious campaign on voter turnout.

According to Ray Ekpu, “Many African countries have done far better than Nigeria in combating voter apathy. Their voting figures are close to 100%. Look at these: Rwanda’s 2017 presidential election produced a 98.2% voting record; Equatorial Guinea (2016): 92.7%; Angola (2017): 90.4%; Seychelles (2016): 90.1%; Guinea-Bissau (2019): 89.3%; Zimbabwe (2018): 84.2%. For Nigeria to deepen its democracy, the voting figures have to go up drastically. That means that all concerned must work on improving voter education.

Voter education can also help in checking election rigging. Election rigging can only happen when there is collusion among the triumvirate, namely, politicians, INEC officials, and security personnel. Where there is no collusion, no rigging of fundamental significance can take place. There is no perfect election anywhere in the world, but rigging can be substantially reduced once people are interested in ensuring that their votes count. But in Nigeria, poverty is an issue. Many of the people who sell their permanent voters’ cards are poor. For them, those cards mean little or nothing, but a few thousand naira can mean a lot to them. It can mean the difference between a full stomach and an empty one”.

Nura Jibo is a Lifetime Member of the West African Research Association (WARA), African Studies Centre, Boston University, United States. He can be reached via jibonura@yahoo.com.