02 Feb 2007 |
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Beyond voters' registration "SO have you now registered?" "Do I have an option?" "You sound like you are not very enthusiastic" "I had to register as a voter in my own country out of the fear of reprisal. Government was threatening not to pay my wife's salary, and it was made clear that any child whose parents do not have voters cards, would be sent out of school. I understand that even the marriage registry is now asking for voters' cards. I had to act rationally". "But did you have to be forced to do your duty as a citizen? A voter's card empowers you to vote during the elections; it enables you to make a choice; it lends you a voice in the making of your own country." "There was no voter's registration centre on my street. I had to go to about five streets away. When eventually I found that one centre, it was in a very obscure corner. To accommodate me, the officials said I had to adopt a street in their area of jurisdiction. I was officially made to tell a lie." "The important thing is that you were registered. Did you get a slip showing that you are a registered voter?" "I got a slip but I was asked to pay N30 before it could be laminated." "Mine was not laminated." "Candidly, I don't understand this thing about lamination and the payment of N30. I am convinced that the N30 is a bribe. But I couldn't really be bothered. I just wanted the registration slip. My future happiness now depends on it. I also don't understand this thing about finger-printing. We were being fingerprinted as if we were criminals. What exactly do they want to do with our fingerprints?" "You can't complain about that. I hear even the new Chief Justice of Nigeria had to be fingerprinted before he could be sworn into office." "I don't believe that. That is humiliating." "Find out." "In any case, I am glad to have the registration slip. At least now, they will stop harassing me". "Don't look at it that way. At least, now you can choose your own candidates. INEC is hoping to capture up to 53 million voters." "They need to do better than that, otherwise the census figures would have been exposed to be truly fraudulent. Anything below 80 million voters would be suspicious." "I don't see the connection between the voters register and census figures." "Don't bother. It doesn't quite matter anyway. As for me I don't intend to vote. And I am not alone. There are many Nigerians who feel exactly the same way." "You are supposed to be an enlightened citizen." "I don't know the candidates. I don't know the political parties. I see some posters around the neighbourhood but nobody has come forward to ask for my vote. What the various candidates want to do, I sincerely don't know. Take the PDP Presidential Candidate for example. I know he is the brother of the late Yar'Adua. I know he has been anointed by the President as his successor, and that he goes about in the Presidential jet, even when he is yet to stand for elections. But that is all. What does he stand for? You can ask me. When I ask those who should know, they tell me he stands for continuity. Continuity of what? Continuity of power outage? When I ask for concrete proof, they point to the PDP manifesto. I am not sure anybody knows what that contains..." "There are other candidates" "Yes. But how many of them can win elections? There is one woman in our area, neighbours are saying we should vote for her because she is more beautiful than other candidates. So, I don't want to bother myself. In any case, the election may be postponed." "Not likely. I think we have passed that stage. The President has given a valedictory speech at the African Union Summit. He says he is retiring to Ota to attend to the chickens in his farm." "Is this about chickens, then? Are you not aware that there is a clause in the Electoral Act which empowers INEC to postpone the elections indefinitely. The National Assembly amended the Act to allow the extension of the deadline for voters' registration but it failed to amend that section of the law. What does that tell you? Look, I don't want to waste my energy. On the question of the 2007 elections you could say I am a doubting Thomas. When I see it. I will believe it." "You must have faith." "I do. Of course, I do." "You don't sound convincing." "Okay, look at the case of the registration machines which were found in the houses of Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, and Dr. Saka Balogun, both PDP chieftains in Oyo State. How on earth did private homes become voters' registration centres. I am a rational human being. What this tells me is that the 2007 elections are already being rigged from the very beginning. Of what use is my vote?" "The matter is in court." "Which court? Did you not read that about 150 thugs went to an Ogbomoso magistrate court, and made it impossible for the matter to be heard? And who is going to put Lamidi Adedibu in the dock, the garrison commander himself? Are you not even aware that INEC has chosen not to press nay charges against Adedibu due to what it calls fresh developments?" "Nobody should be above the law." "But some people are. Don't deceive yourself." "But it is not only in Oyo State that registration machines were found in wrong hands. In Benue too. The thing to do is to put the suspects on trial. My other concern is that it is only PDP politicians that are behaving so badly. They should be sanctioned." "I like your optimism. But look at the Niger Delta too. Do you see the possibility of any election taking place there? I don't if you do. The militants are hell-bent on sabotaging the process." "Government is taking care of that. The State Security Service has announced that relations and close associates of suspected militants in the Delta will not be allowed to take part in the forthcoming elections." "Is that what we are talking about? The people don't want to vote anyway. They'd rather sabotage the electoral process." "The Federal Government is addressing that as well. Over $2 billion is being used to procure arms and put an end to the insurgency in the Niger Delta." "That is what Vice President Atiku says. The Federal Government has dismissed his statement as a lie." "So, who should we believe?" "The Vice President and the President have not spoken a word to each other in three months." "But they have been fighting on the pages of newspapers." "You know what I mean. They are sworn enemies." "Both of them are part of the problem. I can tell you, though, that it will be interesting to monitor what happens in the Niger Delta. Those militants are not afraid of anybody. And ahead of the elections, it is better to advise election monitors and observers not to go near the Niger Delta." "Why?" "Simple. They could be abducted." "Not if the monitors are Nigerians." "Don't be too sure." "What a country!" "You said the same thing five years ago, and last year too." "I believe I will say the same thing next year too." "Everyday, in fact. In our neighbourhood, we have not had power supply for the past four days. When PHCN chooses to provide electricity, the thing is so weak, it is of no use." "National power supply is down to 2000MW." "Shortage of gas supply." "Pipeline vandalism." "Maintenance of infrastructure by Shell." "Drop in water level in Kainji." "Again, the same old and silly excuses." "I hear that new power plants are being built, and that government is importing N100 billion worth of transformers." "They want to build power plants three months to the end of the administration. And did you say N100 billion? That is enough to start a transformer-making factory in Nigeria." "One woman reportedly died of bird flu-related ailment in Lagos. Only God knows whether the flu was caused by poor refrigeration due to power outage." "Haba!" "You never know." "I don't believe that the woman died of bird flu. It must be something else. Don't be surprised if some people are looking for research grants on Avian influenza and they need to provide justification. They are asking us to beware of birds, but the President is planning to retire to a chicken farm." "You sound like the illiterates who rejected Hepatitis-B vaccination in Zamfara state." "Thank you for the abuse." "I am going to steer clear of chicken for a while." "Good for you." "I don't want to die of bird flu." "That is okay." "Or do you think...?" "No. I am not thinking at all. You have a right to choose exactly how you want to die." "I think government needs to provide more information instead of a bland announcement that birds are now killing human beings." "If you say so." "They are going to probe General Ibrahim Babangida at last." "For the spread of bird flu?" "Come on, be serious. What I read is that the EFCC is going to probe his assets in France, and that the French government has promised to offer whatever assistance that may be required." "Do they have any evidence?" "I trust the EFCC." "Don't bother yourself. Nothing will come out of it." "The EFCC Chairman sounds determined." "I know. But why don't they start by locating the Okigbo report? The Okigbo panel was set up by the Abacha government to probe the Babangida administration. The report that came out of that exercise in 1994 allegedly contained some damning revelations. Are you not aware that the Federal Government is saying that the report is missing? It cannot be found anywhere in government files." "Sometimes these things happen." "It is only in Nigeria that such an important document will grow wings, and vanish into thin air. So, don't bother yourself, they are just talking and they know it." "I'd like to see some of our past leaders probed." "If you have any evidence against anybody, you are free to go to the police." "I don't trust the police." "So, who do you trust?" "I don't have any evidence against anybody." "So, stop bothering yourself." "I have a right to talk." "Then, go on talking..." "What are your plans for Valentine's Day?" "What has that got to do with me?" "February 14, the special day for lovers. The fever is already in the air. Lovers are planning for the day..." "Look, I have more important things to do..."
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