2023, Electoral Act and Beyond

2023, ELECTORAL ACT AND BEYOND 

By

Ahmad Murtala

The political arena has been divided into two demarcating lines of views between the bill endorsers who are the large proportion of the populace, and those who concede to the frivolous excuses made by the executive arm of government both state and the federal. The bill aims to amend the obsolete part of 2010 electoral act and review the party primaries and the electronic result transmission to ensure transparency, shun rigging which would suppress violence, the President kept under the carpet until the thirty days ultimatum elapsed and yet not assented.

The reasons given by the executive majorly revolve around the financial burden, security challenge, and the high-rigging tendency—this incongruous absurdity subdues the Nigerian profile before the international community. On what basis then are the Nigerian arm forces established if we cannot secure our internal and domestic sovereignty ? How have we, all this while,  sufficiently conducted general elections without a security threat since 1999 ? When it's a by-election of states across the country, the army of police is always stashed in those states no matter how the threat is in security. 

There was an embargo placed on rice importation alongside other items in the dawn of this administration, on the ground to boost and encourage the use of local content. This policies sometimes are not carefully reviewed—at the long run, turning our detrimental to our own selves.The argument that direct primaries beg for whack amount of fund to conduct is, dangling on air without ground because, going by the use of local content, all the electoral materials need could be made locally and this would create money circulation within the country and jack up the IGRs. By the way, what democracy meant for people if they cannot elect their flag bearers—how much would it cost to develop a voting-system software to vote electronically ?

It's preposterous to say electronic result transmission is delicate to rigging in the E-era. While people rely conveniently to the financial institutions that their accounts are safe and cannot be intruded by scammers, implementing the voting software in Nigeria remains the mystery to be implemented; and to stand shoulder to shoulder with economic powers as the giant in Africa that represents Africans in the global center-table. Even the strongest political parties in Nigeria have 'situation rooms' observing the happenings before the collation to the INEC—unless if we prefer rigging to select than elect subverting the voice of the people we would say electronic election is not workable. It's been done everywhere it can be done here on the same page.

A clause from the response submitted to the NASS by the president concerning 'vote buying' which leaves me ponder "The direct implication of institutionalizing only direct primaries is the aggravated of over-monetization of the process as there will be much more people a contestant needs to reach out"… is that a back up to every contestant to increase the amount he is to spend before he emerges the flag bearer, with all the security personnel, we cannot device a means to shun vote buying in election ?  This argument does not hold water. The clause continues "thereby further fuelling corruption and abuse of office by incumbent contestants who may resort to public resources" where are the EFCC and ICPC ? a big slap on the giant of Africa.

The premium price we pay in running the presidential system of government, stretching appropriation across tiers both federal and state more than two decades does not rise one side of the nose, now the price of democracy which are primarily security and election—to conduct primaries which its retribution would later be determined when the system produces the feasible leaders and stabilizes the country is now making pages of the newspapers. What then is the ground for democracy that cannot sponsor a free and fair election from the party level ?

Muhammadu Buhari, who enjoyed the portion of reshuffled made on electoral processes by introducing the 'card reader' device in 2014,  he is allegedly lured by the state governors not to assent the bill leaving a thorn in the flesh of the people's will. Some senators who signed to override the veto power are now making the u-turn. A democracy that is determined by godfatherism is made a caricature and castrates the system—unable to produce trustworthy leaders, plunging from one anarchy to another. 

If a few delegates are kept gulping from the candidate's coffers to decide the fate of a million people, compare the amount to be spent by that same candidate to buy the general public through vote buying. The stand that direct primaries would fuel corruption is an assertion to mean the opposite, the indirect primaries was and is still fuelling corruption and undermines democracy where few decide for the rest.

The admiration and confidence people have for Buhari and this administration is fading away, as it becomes apparent that the will to bring an end to insecurity is lagging, counting down to the sunset of his stay in the villa, the ball is now at his court to write a golden legacy— this is what people yearn for initially before buying the idea to elect him in, swaying against their wish would save for the posterity to judge alongside the security and ties between North and South. 

The personal reputation he's built as a leader who never steals from the national purse, that reputation would dent later if this stone is left unturned by leaving the Aso Rock Villa in 2023. The retribution is underway which would haunt—it's like a pupil who unknowingly answers a question in a philosophical manner  "when would you resume school ?" "The day we would resume" he was certain that the day was coming and uncertain when it was. We are certain the nemesis would strike but uncertain when, since the enclosed idea is to form a chamber of retired governors in the senate chamber.

CAN ASUU CEASE TO EXIST ?

CAN ASUU CEASE TO EXIST ?

Academic Staff Union Of University has been in struggle for more than 4 decades after being banned and proscribed by the then 'military government' on the dice to obtain Fair Wages, University Autonomy. As they keep reaching unfulfilled agreements, so the demands grow, then comes the revitalization of rotted structures and the age of retirement, still raised and unfulfilled, then the IPPIS--did ASUU ask for much ?

It is said that political activist gets active when s/he has no power at hand, Muhammadu Buhari for instance won the election on the platter of three agendas: economy, corruption, insecurity; and when he won for the second term, he reiterated his stand on Education, that he would be prioritizing the sector adding more allocation to the sector; knowing that a deplorable education in place and the plans to achieve national goals is seen as delusion in a country of few educated individuals.

On assuming the mantle of power, Buhari appointed cabinets, offering Adamu Adamu an 'educational activist' ministry of education as portfolio. One begins to wonder, was it not the same Adamu Adamu who said in his column titles 'Why ASUU Is Always On Strike' on 15 Nov 2013 "This nation owes a debt of gratitude to ASUU and the strike should not be called off until the government accepts to do—and does—what is required. This is why ASUU is always on strike". And now he is saddled with the responsibility to ensure he clears the ground for FG and Nigerian students because, back then he knew ASUU was not working for their purses alone, what then changes the narrative ?

The argument that ASUU members should dive into politics so that if they grab power, they would pave the ground for smooth running for tertiary institutions. Adamu before was conferred the presidential power, he had the vivid understanding of the ASUU demands; from the paltry budgetary allocation, earned allowances, Revitalization request etc…  but on assuming duty, he wore a dark eye glass setting aside and leave ASUU to fight alone, he has tested this prove to be abortive. 

Government from its side insists that an employer cannot dictate how he should be paid. Thereby introducing the IPPIS that every employer must enroll in the system--which ASUU raised an alarm that the system left out much of its incentives and developed its own UTAS. This is a derogatory impression to the academic field---if tertiary education is taken with the seriousness it deserves; to negotiate on the ground of payments depicts that government is showcasing high level of incompetence from the negotiators representing the government.

The strike is the last resort ASUU finds working to drag the government's attention, which parents and students see as a deliberate attempt to subvert their academic progress on the one hand and a subterranean method to establish private universities on the other. This of course draws the demarcation line between the elite [political class], the middle class and the common man, each taking its position on affordable tertiary education, the elites who are political class going abroad on the taxpayers money, middle class enrolling in private universities both which have a smooth ride with no interruption and the common man in public universities leaving them at the mercy of ASUU for annual academic interruption.  

Every agreement reached between ASUU and FG, ASUU is always at the pardon end, it considers the white promises made by the government and the outcry from the public domain and resumes strikes. This has always been the tradition. The last ASUU strike that accumulated a whole academic session in 2020 as if there was no government in the country which FG paid no concern upon until the EndSars crisis that scare the Government's attention to call the ASUU on the negotiating table, that was the maneuver used by government on seeing the turmoil that was about to strike, ASUU still accepted and conditionally called off strike which till today government has not fulfilled its own part.

The strike does not make any impact any longer, students are at the receiving end of the strike unleashment. Since the children of the political class are not in the system and pay no attention to the condition on the ground, this megalomaniac tendency is only exercised when in power. What is now left for ASUU is to brainstorm and put forth another medium to call the government to action or ASUU should cease to exist ? 

A student opinion at the North East ASUU zonal hearing held in Gombe State University in 2020, which was later published by TheNation newspaper. After listening to the steps by steps of moves made by ASUU before reaching to the peak which is strike, the student proffered that, it appears the government delegations are not feeding back to Mr President the outcome of any meeting held, both Education minister and Labour minister are sabotaging the whole process.

He then stated, if ASUU should draft its own demands and submit to the first-class traditional rulers in the country, the likes of Alaafin of Oyo, Oni Of Ife, Alake of Egba, Olu of Warri, Obi of Onitsha, Sultan of Sokoto, Emir of Kano and Zazzau and the Mai Borno since they are the chancellors of those universities and there wouldn't be a barricade if they wish to see the President. As the popular Yoruba saying, 'if heaven does not descend down to meet Muhammed, then Muhammed would ascend to meet heaven. They should meet him and  submit those requests to him. Since He pledged to prioritize education, here are the demands.

This whole dancing forth and back that the government is making jest of, is tantamount to playing with the future of the country and the unborn generation who are meeting a rickety system of the sector that pays no value to the outcome of such retribution. Primary and Secondary sectors have decayed already barely producing daft graduates which tertiary institutions have taken the same route, leaving ASUU alone to fight this struggle who have lost strength to withstand this government attitude, is uncalled for, all hands must be on deck to revive and safe education from falling apart.

Ahmad Murtala

Ahmadmurtala43@gmail.com

Subsidy and Transport Grant Are Not The Topic

SUBSIDY AND TRANSPORT GRANT ARE NOT THE TOPIC 

The words close to the tongue of every Nigerian since the 'advice in command' was given by the International Monetary Fund IMF on the total removal of fuel subsidy and the increase in electricity tariff come 2022 rises anguish tones, every commentator from the working class and those whose their minimum wage is yet to be implemented by many state governments. But is that the utmost topic of discussion ?

Let's shift the ground back to the drawing table and assess where it all began.

When Nigeria experienced the oil boom, oil was refined with national refineries on a volume that quenched the national need here with a lot of excess for export. Having a lot of lucrative profit attached, many investors forsook other profitable ventures for Oil, as I mentioned in my previous column, 'Vat Jamboree and The Collective Way Out' thereby the spring up of filling stations on highways like a motel makes the sector more competitive. The ineptitude of the government to sustain the oil production by allowing the refineries to wreck necessitated that we export crude oil and import the refined one, which a common man cannot afford unless subsidised. Reviving all the refineries by all means to ensure we exterminate the parasitic corruption in subsidizing fuel will clear half of the mess we are catapulted into today.

One year after Babangida seized power, National Economic Emergency was declared, given two options: enduring the hardship by citizens or taking the loan offer from IMF which people subscribed to the former than taking the loan knowing the retribution that may follow. The Babangida regime succumbed to the lures of IMF, thereon, Nigeria planted the seed of loan and it kept soaring, becoming a burden on our neck, a Structural Adjustment Program was introduced again that strangulated the country to where it is today, a battle field that no iota of victory ahead.

The national budget over the years is significantly irrelevant to the need at the top hierarchical priority, we spend more on debt servicing and non debt-recurrent expenditure than capital projects. On that terrain we came, and funds for those capital projects found their route to the coffers of the loot, buried in soakaways and over-head tanks, making the national engine to jerk. When evaluating the budget performance on every quarter, the result is always shameful to present, a project  of 6 months time span taking a whole tenure sometimes uncompleted. 

Having a cluster of issues which are interrelated, the sky-to-ground gap of salary between the average Teacher in the classroom, the Doctor in the hospital and political class, which only God knows how that share came to being. Converting it to dollars, is far richer than their counterpart in neighbouring countries placing them top-paid politicians in the world. This is where the wealth is running through, wringing the sweat of ordinary civil servants who do not assess loans but paying indirectly for the few. This contributed to the imbalance and necessitates the borrowing to maintain the status quo. Can't the salaries of these politicians reduce as a calculation attributed to former emir of Kano Sanusi, to employ more graduates and reduce the loan gulping ?

We have the largest gas reserve deposit in Africa competing with Russia, but untapped, which can be used to generate power for more than 100yrs. We possess all it takes to exploit it, alongside other resources. Resorting to a loan and debt servicing degrades the Nigerian dignity before the UN. In September this year at UNGA, Muhammadu Buhari, lobbied for the debt service extension and outright cancellation, which his colleagues the Ghanian President Nana Akufo-Addo presented contrary, how long can we carry the begging bowl to sustain as a giant of Africa ?

When inflation and hike find a couch to settle down in the midst of teeming youths who are provoked already with the system, viewing their success hindered by the political class, the same system proposing increment in PMS which would affect all the commodities and services, making life more arduous, halting at this moment for them to heave out the nascent anguish and thrive more is more welcoming than enforcing the law against them, which the flame of EndSars is still smoking. Now two options at hand, adherence to the 'advice in command' of the IMF who panders behind to see the country dwarfing, or the looming catastrophe of another EndSars ? we shouldn't plug the beehive naked. 

If the government can place embargo on rice importation, which sprang up rice mill plants across the country and accumulate quite number of youths creating employment, giving positive result in the economy--then the excuse that we must induce loan to fund critical infrastructure only came out of political will at the expense of the upcoming generations who are totally innocent with a burden of debt and intrusion in the economic policies of the country.

With the Dangote refinery in Lagos almost 80% completion, which will meet the country's entire domestic fuel demand. As the government proposes a new hard price, is that a sweep-before-coming to meet a clear ground for the company or Dangote would sell at 165 per litre since it's domestically refined ?

The trust deficit of transparency as who are the indigents to qualify for the transport grant having the prior experience of all the government interventions during the lockdown, the hoarding of palliatives is one issue, and the duration to which the grant would last is another, which both do not have ground in 2022 budget, now which is which ?

The danger that is lurking at dusk of this adminstration especially on the slack of security; the Boko Haram in the NorthEast, the Banditry across the NorthWest, the IPOB in the SouthEast, all proscribed as 'terrorist' and the angry youths on every street. Any economic policy that would add up to the rack in their psyche is highly advised to avoid, people are counting, from the increment in VAT, Electricity, Gas, Fuel that directly affect their well being, making the resting shades more warming. Once the people are pressed to the extreme edge, they return forcefully and face the danger since there is no hope ahead. God forbid !

Ahmad Murtala

Ahmadmurtala43@gmail.com